Thin film deposition equipment, thin film deposition method and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method and a computer-readable storage medium. The thin film deposition device includes a process chamber, a first reaction source, a second reaction source and a gas path switching mechanism. The process chamber is used to accommodate wafers to be processed. The first reaction source is used to provide a first reactant, is connected to the process chamber via a first gas path, and is connected to an exhaust pipe via a second gas path. The second reaction source is used to provide a second reactant, is connected to the process chamber via a third gas path, and is connected to the exhaust pipe via a fourth gas path. By utilizing the gas path switching mechanism, the present invention can enable multiple reaction sources to alternately deposit thin films of multiple different compositions and contents on the surface of a wafer, so as to improve the overall deposition efficiency of the multilayer thin film and the barrier ability of the combined thin film to multiple different materials.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and in particular to a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method, and a computer storage medium. Background Art

[0002] PECVD is a chemical vapor deposition technology that is commonly used to prepare thin films in semiconductor manufacturing and other fields, and the films prepared are mostly used as barrier layers to prevent impurity diffusion. When studying the barrier ability of PECVD-deposited films, most existing dual-chamber PECVD equipment uses a single deposition method. However, the film deposited after only one deposition is not dense enough and contains defects, which will cause deviations in barrier ability when used as a thin barrier layer. At the same time, the PECVD dual-chamber structure also has problems with gas separation and combination, resulting in uneven and mismatched thicknesses of the two chambers. In addition, existing deposition methods cannot directly cycle between the deposition process and the reaction process, saving the two steps of stabilization and pumping. This method not only reduces the process capacity, but also fails to continuously maintain the plasma sheath used to improve film quality.

[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the existing technology, the field urgently needs an improved thin film deposition technology for enabling multiple reaction sources to alternately deposit thin films of various compositions and contents on the wafer surface, so as to improve the overall deposition efficiency of the multilayer thin film and the barrier ability of the combined thin film to various different materials. 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 thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method and a computer-readable storage medium, which can utilize a gas path switching mechanism to enable multiple reaction sources to alternately deposit thin films of various compositions and contents on the wafer surface, so as to improve the overall deposition efficiency of the multilayer thin film and the barrier ability of the combined thin film to various different materials.

[0006] Specifically, the thin film deposition apparatus provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber, a first reaction source, a second reaction source, and a gas path switching mechanism. The process chamber is used to accommodate wafers to be processed. The first reaction source is used to provide a first reactant, is connected to the process chamber via a first gas path, and is connected to an exhaust pipe via a second gas path. The second reaction source is used to provide a second reactant, is connected to the process chamber via a third gas path, and is connected to the exhaust pipe via a fourth gas path. The gas path switching mechanism is configured to: in the deposition process of the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, switch the first reaction source to the first gas path, and switch the second reaction source to the fourth gas path, so as to utilize the first flow rate of the first reactant to deposit the first thin film on the wafer surface; in the reaction process of the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, switch the first reaction source to the second gas path, and synchronously switch the second reaction source to the third gas path, so as to utilize the second flow rate of the second reactant to deposit the second thin film on the wafer surface; in the deposition process of at least one subsequent second cycle of the thin film deposition process, switch the first reaction source back to the first gas path, and synchronously switch the second reaction source back to the fourth gas path, so as to utilize the third flow rate of the first reactant to deposit at least one third thin film on the wafer surface; and in the reaction process of the at least one second cycle, switch the first reaction source back to the second gas path, and synchronously switch the second reaction source back to the third gas path, so as to utilize the fourth flow rate of the second reactant to deposit at least one fourth thin film on the wafer surface.

[0007] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first film and the at least one third film are metal barrier films having a first density, configured to prevent metal elements on the wafer surface from diffusing upward therefrom. The metal content in the first film and the at least one third film decreases upward therefrom. The second film and the at least one fourth film are oxygen barrier films having a second density, configured to prevent oxygen elements from diffusing downward therefrom. The second density is greater than the first density. The oxygen content in the second film and the at least one fourth film decreases downward therefrom.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first reaction source is selected from a 4MS liquefied steel cylinder and / or a TEOS liquefied steel cylinder, and the second reaction source is selected from at least one of a SiH4 liquefied steel cylinder, a TEPO liquefied steel cylinder, and an ATRP liquefied steel cylinder. The first film and the at least one third film are NDC films, used to block copper from the wafer surface from diffusing upward. The second film and the at least one fourth film are SiN films, used to block oxygen from diffusing downward.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first flow rate is greater than the third flow rate, making the thickness of the first film greater than that of the third film, thereby improving the copper barrier capability of the first and second films. The second flow rate is less than the fourth flow rate, making the thickness of the fourth film greater than that of the second film, thereby improving the oxygen barrier capability of the third and fourth films.

[0010] Furthermore, some embodiments of the present invention further include a sensor and an automatic leveling mechanism. The sensor is configured to sense the thickness distribution of the first film, the second film, the at least one third film, and / or the at least one fourth film. The automatic leveling mechanism is configured to adjust the wafer's posture relative to a horizontal plane based on the total thickness distribution of the preceding film provided by the sensor, thereby compensating for deviations in the thickness distribution of the preceding film.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the automatic leveling mechanism is configured to: in response to the total thickness distribution of the previous-level film indicating that the total thickness of the film in the first direction is greater than the total thickness of the film in the opposite second direction, reduce the height of the wafer in the first direction and / or increase the height of the wafer in the second direction to reduce the thickness of the next-level film in the first direction and / or increase the thickness of the next-level film in the second direction.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the gas path switching mechanism is further configured to: before the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, switch the first reaction source to the second gas path, and switch the second reaction source to the fourth gas path, so as to use the exhaust pipe to extract the first reactant and the second reactant with unstable flow; and / or in response to a first signal that the first reactant is stabilized at the first flow, switch the first reaction source to the first gas path to start the deposition process of the first cycle; and / or in response to a second signal that the second reactant is stabilized at the second flow and the deposition process of the first cycle is completed, switch the first reaction source to the second gas path, and synchronously switch the second reaction source to the third gas path to seamlessly switch the reaction process of the first cycle; and / or Or in response to the third signal indicating that the first reactant is stabilized at the first flow rate and the reaction process of the first cycle is completed, the first reaction source is switched back to the first gas circuit, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the fourth gas circuit to seamlessly switch the subsequent second cycle deposition process; and / or in response to the fourth signal indicating that the second reactant is stabilized at the second flow rate and the deposition process of the second cycle is completed, the first reaction source is switched back to the second gas circuit, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the third gas circuit to seamlessly switch the reaction process of the second cycle; and / or in response to the fifth signal indicating that the last level of the reaction process of the second cycle is completed, the second reaction source is switched back to the fourth gas circuit, and the exhaust pipe is switched to the process chamber to extract residual exhaust gas in the process chamber.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a human-machine interface is further included, wherein the human-machine interface is used to obtain user setting parameters for the number of stages of the second cycle, the composition of the first reactant and / or the second reactant, the first flow rate, the second flow rate, the third flow rate, and / or the fourth flow rate.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the thin film deposition apparatus includes a plurality of process chambers to simultaneously process a plurality of wafers. The first gas path further introduces the first reactant into each of the process chambers. The third gas path further introduces the second reactant into each of the process chambers.

[0015] In addition, the above-mentioned thin film deposition method provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: in the deposition process of the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the first reaction source is switched to the first gas path, and the second reaction source is switched to the fourth gas path, so as to utilize the first reactant of the first flow rate to deposit the first thin film on the surface of the wafer to be processed, wherein the process chamber is used to accommodate the wafer, the first reaction source is connected to the process chamber via the first gas path, and is connected to the exhaust pipe via the second gas path to provide the first reactant, and the second reaction source is connected to the process chamber via the third gas path, and is connected to the exhaust pipe via the fourth gas path to provide the second reactant; in the reaction process of the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the first reaction source is switched to the first gas path, and is connected to the exhaust pipe via the fourth gas path to provide the second reactant. A reaction source is switched to the second gas circuit, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched to the third gas circuit to utilize the second reactant with a second flow rate to deposit a second thin film on the surface of the wafer; in at least one second cycle of the deposition process subsequent to the thin film deposition process, the first reaction source is switched back to the first gas circuit, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the fourth gas circuit to utilize the first reactant with a third flow rate to deposit at least one third thin film on the surface of the wafer; and in the reaction process of the at least one second cycle, the first reaction source is switched back to the second gas circuit, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the third gas circuit to utilize the second reactant with a fourth flow rate to deposit at least one fourth thin film on the surface of the wafer.

[0016] Furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium provided in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the thin film deposition method provided in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention. 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 structural diagram of a thin film deposition device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the principles of an air path switching mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a thin film deposition method according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 4Schematic diagrams of multilayer films provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of an automatic leveling mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the principle of an automatic leveling mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0024] Reference numerals:

[0025] 11 Process Chamber

[0026] 12 First Responder Source

[0027] 13 Second Reaction Source

[0028] 14 Exhaust pipe

[0029] 15 Gas path switching mechanism

[0030] 161 First Air Path

[0031] 162 Second air path

[0032] 163 Third Airway

[0033] 164 Fourth Airway

[0034] 171 First Film

[0035] 172 Second Film

[0036] 173 Third Film

[0037] 174 The Fourth Film DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] As mentioned above, when studying the barrier properties of thin films deposited by PECVD, most existing dual-chamber PECVD equipment uses a single-stage deposition method. However, films deposited through a single deposition process lack density and contain defects, leading to variations in barrier properties when used as thin barrier layers. Furthermore, the dual-chamber PECVD structure also presents issues with gas separation and combination, resulting in uneven and mismatched thicknesses between the two chambers. Furthermore, existing deposition methods cannot directly cycle between the deposition and reaction processes, eliminating the stabilization and pumping steps. This approach not only reduces process throughput but also fails to continuously maintain the plasma sheath required to improve film quality.

[0043] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method and a computer-readable storage medium, which utilize a gas path switching mechanism to enable multiple reaction sources to alternately deposit thin films of various compositions and contents on the wafer surface, so as to improve the overall deposition efficiency of the multilayer thin film and the barrier ability of the combined thin film to various different materials.

[0044] In some non-limiting embodiments, the thin film deposition method provided by the second aspect of the present invention can be implemented based on the thin film deposition device provided by the first aspect of the present invention.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a thin film deposition device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the principles of an air path switching mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0046] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the first aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber 11, a first reaction source 12, a second reaction source 13, and a gas path switching mechanism 15 such as an ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) valve. The process chamber 11 is used to accommodate wafers to be processed. The first reaction source 12 is connected to the process chamber 11 via a first gas path 161 and to an exhaust pipe 14 via a second gas path 162 to provide a first reactant with a stable flow rate to the process chamber 11. The second reaction source 13 is connected to the process chamber 11 via a third gas path 163 and to the exhaust pipe 14 via a fourth gas path 164 to provide a second reactant with a stable flow rate to the process chamber 11.

[0047] Furthermore, if Figure 2 As shown, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can quickly switch the first gas path 161 and the second gas path 162, and / or quickly switch the third gas path 163 and the fourth gas path 164 while continuously introducing the first reactant and the second reactant, so as to seamlessly switch the deposition process and the reaction process in each cycle.

[0048] The following describes the operating principles of the thin film deposition apparatus described above, using examples of thin film deposition methods. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples of thin film deposition methods are merely non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, intended to clearly illustrate the main concepts of the present invention and provide specific solutions that facilitate implementation by the public, rather than limiting the full functionality or operating methods of the thin film deposition apparatus. Similarly, the thin film deposition apparatus is merely a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the execution entities or execution order of the steps in these thin film deposition methods.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 . Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a thin film deposition method according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of multilayer films provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0050] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the entire thin film deposition process may include multiple cycles, and each cycle includes a deposition process and a reaction process to deposit multiple layers of thin films with different properties and / or thicknesses on the wafer surface, thereby enhancing the barrier capability of the combined thin film to various materials such as metals and oxygen.

[0051] In some embodiments, before the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can first switch the first reaction source 12 to the second gas path 162 and switch the second reaction source 13 to the fourth gas path 164 to use the exhaust pipe 14 to extract the unstable flow of the first reactant and the second reactant.

[0052] Afterwards, in response to the stabilization of the flow rate of the first reactant, the thin film deposition equipment can use the gas path switching mechanism 15 to seamlessly switch the deposition process and reaction process of the first cycle and at least one second cycle, so that multiple reaction sources alternately deposit multiple thin films with different compositions and contents on the wafer surface.

[0053] Specifically, in response to the first signal that the first reactant is stable at the first flow rate, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can first switch the first reaction source 12 to the first gas path 161 to start the first cycle of the deposition process. Further, in the deposition process of the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can switch the first reaction source 12 to the first gas path 161, and switch the second reaction source 13 to the fourth gas path 164, so as to utilize the first reactant of the first flow rate to deposit the first thin film 171 on the wafer surface. Here, the first film 171 can be a metal barrier film of a first density, which is used to prevent metal elements such as copper and aluminum on the wafer surface from diffusing upward therefrom. Furthermore, the first reaction source can be optionally selected from a liquefied steel cylinder of 4MS (4-Methyl-2-pentanone) and / or a liquefied steel cylinder of TEOS, which is used to deposit the first thin film 171 of NDC material on the wafer surface to prevent the copper element on the wafer surface from diffusing upward therefrom.

[0054] Afterwards, in response to the second signal indicating that the second reactant is stabilized at the second flow rate and the deposition process of the first cycle is completed, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can switch the first reaction source 12 to the second gas path 162, and synchronously switch the second reaction source 13 to the third gas path 163, so as to seamlessly switch the reaction process of the first cycle. Further, in the reaction process of the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can switch the first reaction source 12 to the second gas path 162, and synchronously switch the second reaction source 13 to the third gas path 163, so as to utilize the second reactant at the second flow rate to deposit the second thin film 172 on the wafer surface. Here, the second thin film 172 can be an oxygen element barrier film of a second density, which is used to prevent oxygen elements in oxygen-containing substances such as water vapor, oxygen, and plasma from above the wafer from diffusing downward thereto, wherein the second density is greater than the first density. Furthermore, the second reaction source can be optionally selected from at least one of a SiH4 liquefied steel cylinder, a TEPO liquefied steel cylinder, and an ATRP liquefied steel cylinder, and is used to deposit a second film 172 of SiN material on the above-mentioned first film 171 to prevent the oxygen elements in oxygen-containing substances such as water vapor, oxygen, and plasma from above the wafer from diffusing to its bottom.

[0055] Thereafter, in response to a third signal indicating that the first reactant has stabilized at the first flow rate and the first cycle of the reaction process has been completed, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can switch the first reaction source 12 back to the first gas path 161 and synchronously switch the second reaction source 13 back to the fourth gas path 164 to seamlessly switch to the subsequent second cycle of the deposition process. Furthermore, in the deposition process of at least one second cycle subsequent to the thin film deposition process, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can switch the first reaction source 12 back to the first gas path 161 and synchronously switch the second reaction source 13 back to the fourth gas path 164 to deposit at least one third thin film on the wafer surface using the first reactant at the third flow rate. Here, the at least one third thin film 173 can also be a metal barrier film of the first density to prevent metal elements such as copper and aluminum on the wafer surface from continuing to diffuse upward. In this way, the metal content in the first thin film 171 and the at least one third thin film 173 gradually decreases upward, thereby further enhancing the combined thin film's ability to block copper elements. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the first flow rate (e.g., 400 sccm) may be greater than the third flow rate (e.g., 10 sccm), so that the thickness of the first film 171 is greater than that of the third film 173, thereby enhancing the barrier capability of the first film 171 and the third film 173 to copper elements.

[0056] Thereafter, in response to a fourth signal indicating that the second reactant is stable at the second flow rate and the second cycle of the deposition process is completed, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can switch the first reaction source 12 back to the second gas path 162, and synchronously switch the second reaction source 13 back to the third gas path 163, so as to seamlessly switch the reaction process of the second cycle. Furthermore, in the reaction process of at least one second cycle of the thin film deposition process, the gas path switching mechanism 15 can switch the first reaction source 12 back to the second gas path 162, and synchronously switch the second reaction source 13 back to the third gas path 163, so as to utilize the second reactant at the fourth flow rate to deposit at least one fourth film 174 on the wafer surface. Here, at least one fourth film 174 can also be an oxygen element barrier film of a second density, which is used to block oxygen elements in oxygen-containing substances such as water vapor, oxygen, and plasma from above the wafer from diffusing downward. In this way, the oxygen content in the second film 172 and the at least one fourth film 174 gradually decreases downward, thereby improving the oxygen element barrier capability of the combined film. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the second flow rate (e.g., 20 sccm) may be smaller than the fourth flow rate (e.g., 120 sccm), so that the thickness of the fourth film 174 is greater than that of the second film 172, thereby enhancing the barrier capability of the second film 172 and each fourth film 174 to oxygen.

[0057] Please refer to further Figure 5 and Figure 6 , Figure 5 shows a schematic structural diagram of an automatic leveling mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention, Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the principle of an automatic leveling mechanism provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0058] like Figure 5 As shown, the thin film deposition apparatus provided in the first aspect of the present invention may further optionally include a sensor and an automatic leveling mechanism. The sensor is used to sense the thickness distribution of each of the thin films. The automatic leveling mechanism is used to adjust the wafer's position relative to a horizontal plane based on the total thickness distribution of the preceding film provided by the sensor, thereby compensating for deviations in the thickness distribution of the preceding film.

[0059] Specifically, if Figure 6 As shown, the automatic leveling mechanism can be disposed below the process chamber 11 and carry a heating plate. In response to the total thickness distribution of the previous film indicating that the total thickness of the film in a first direction is greater than the total thickness of the film in an opposite second direction, the automatic leveling mechanism can reduce the height of the wafer in the first direction and / or increase the height of the wafer in the second direction to reduce the thickness of the next film in the first direction and / or increase the thickness of the next film in the second direction, thereby improving the thickness uniformity of the combined film in all directions.

[0060] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the thin film deposition apparatus provided by the first aspect of the present invention may further optionally include a human-machine interface for obtaining user-defined parameters for the number of stages of the second cycle, the composition of the first reactant and / or the second reactant, the first flow rate, the second flow rate, the third flow rate, and / or the fourth flow rate. Thus, a technician may use the human-machine interface to adjust the various setting parameters and control the thin film deposition process by adjusting the order of the steps in the interface.

[0061] Finally, in response to the fifth signal of completing the reaction process of the last stage second cycle, the gas path switching mechanism can switch the second reaction source back to the fourth gas path and switch the exhaust pipe to the process chamber to extract the residual exhaust gas in the process chamber.

[0062] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 1 The thin film deposition equipment architecture shown, which only includes one process chamber, is only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the present invention, and is intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0063] Alternatively, in other embodiments, the thin film deposition apparatus provided by the first aspect of the present invention includes multiple process chambers to simultaneously process multiple wafers. The first gas path further introduces the first reactant into each process chamber, and the third gas path further introduces the second reactant into each process chamber.

[0064] In summary, the above-mentioned thin film deposition equipment, thin film deposition method and computer-readable storage medium provided by the present invention can all utilize a gas path switching mechanism to enable multiple reaction sources to alternately deposit thin films of various compositions and contents on the wafer surface, so as to improve the overall deposition efficiency of the multilayer thin film and the barrier ability of the combined thin film to various different materials.

[0065] 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.

[0066] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information, signals, and data may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips cited throughout the foregoing description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0067] 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 thin film deposition device, characterized in that: include: a process chamber for accommodating wafers to be processed; a first reaction source, for providing a first reactant, connected to the process chamber via a first gas path, and connected to an exhaust pipe via a second gas path; a second reaction source, for providing a second reactant, connected to the process chamber via a third gas line and connected to the exhaust pipe via a fourth gas line; as well as The gas path switching mechanism is configured to: in a deposition process of a first cycle of a thin film deposition process, switch the first reaction source to the first gas path, and switch the second reaction source to the fourth gas path, so as to deposit a first thin film on the wafer surface using a first reactant at a first flow rate; In a first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the first reaction source is switched to the second gas path, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched to the third gas path, so as to deposit a second thin film on the wafer surface using a second reactant at a second flow rate; In at least one second cycle of the deposition process subsequent to the thin film deposition process, the first reaction source is switched back to the first gas circuit, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the fourth gas circuit, so as to utilize the first reactant with a third flow rate to deposit at least one third thin film on the surface of the wafer; and in the reaction process of at least one second cycle, the first reaction source is switched back to the second gas circuit, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the third gas circuit, so as to utilize the second reactant with a fourth flow rate to deposit at least one fourth thin film on the surface of the wafer, wherein the first thin film and the at least one third thin film are metal barrier films of a first density, the second thin film and the at least one fourth thin film are oxygen element barrier films of a second density, and the second density is greater than the first density.

2. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The metal content in the first film and the at least one third film decreases upwards. The oxygen content in the second film and the at least one fourth film decreases downward.

3. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The first reaction source is selected from a liquefied steel cylinder of 4MS and / or a liquefied steel cylinder of TEOS, and the second reaction source is selected from at least one of a liquefied steel cylinder of SiH4, a liquefied steel cylinder of TEPO, and a liquefied steel cylinder of ATRP, wherein The first film and the at least one third film are NDC films, which are used to prevent the copper elements on the surface of the wafer from diffusing upwards. The second film and the at least one fourth film are SiN films, which are used to block oxygen elements above from diffusing to below.

4. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The first flow rate is greater than the third flow rate, so that the thickness of the first film is greater than that of the third film, thereby improving the barrier capabilities of the first film and the third film to copper elements. The second flow rate is smaller than the fourth flow rate, so that the thickness of the fourth film is larger than that of the second film, thereby improving the barrier capability of each of the second films and each of the fourth films to oxygen elements.

5. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: a sensor for sensing thickness distribution of the first film, the second film, the at least one third film, and / or the at least one fourth film; as well as The automatic leveling mechanism is used to adjust the posture of the wafer relative to the horizontal plane according to the total thickness distribution of the previous film provided by the sensor, so as to compensate for the thickness distribution deviation of the previous film.

6. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The automatic leveling mechanism is configured as follows: In response to the total thickness distribution of the previous film indicating that the total thickness of the film in a first direction is greater than the total thickness of the film in an opposite second direction, the height of the wafer in the first direction is reduced and / or the height of the wafer in the second direction is increased to reduce the thickness of the next-level film in the first direction and / or increase the thickness of the next-level film in the second direction.

7. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The gas path switching mechanism is further configured as follows: Before the first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the first reaction source is switched to the second gas path, and the second reaction source is switched to the fourth gas path, so as to use the exhaust pipe to extract the unstable flow of the first reactant and the second reactant; and / or In response to a first signal indicating that the first reactant is stabilized at the first flow rate, switching the first reaction source to the first gas path to start the deposition process of the first cycle; and / or In response to a second signal indicating that the second reactant is stabilized at the second flow rate and the deposition process of the first cycle is completed, switching the first reaction source to the second gas path, and synchronously switching the second reaction source to the third gas path to seamlessly switch the reaction process of the first cycle; and / or In response to a third signal indicating that the first reactant is stabilized at the first flow rate and the first cycle of the reaction process is completed, the first reaction source is switched back to the first gas path, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the fourth gas path to seamlessly switch to a subsequent second cycle of the deposition process; and / or In response to a fourth signal indicating that the second reactant is stabilized at the second flow rate and the deposition process of the second cycle is completed, switching the first reaction source back to the second gas path, and synchronously switching the second reaction source back to the third gas path to seamlessly switch the reaction process of the second cycle; and / or In response to a fifth signal indicating that the last stage of the second cycle reaction process is completed, the second reaction source is switched back to the fourth gas path, and the exhaust pipe is switched to the process chamber to extract residual exhaust gas in the process chamber.

8. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: The human-machine interface is used to obtain the user's setting parameters for the number of stages of the second cycle, the composition of the first reactant and / or the second reactant, the first flow rate, the second flow rate, the third flow rate, and / or the fourth flow rate.

9. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The thin film deposition equipment includes a plurality of the process chambers to process a plurality of the wafers simultaneously. The first gas path also introduces the first reactant into each of the process chambers, and the third gas path also introduces the second reactant into each of the process chambers.

10. A thin film deposition method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: In a deposition process of a first cycle of a thin film deposition process, a first reaction source is switched to a first gas path, and a second reaction source is switched to a fourth gas path, so as to deposit a first thin film on a surface of a wafer to be processed using a first reactant at a first flow rate, wherein a process chamber of the thin film deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is used to accommodate the wafer, the first reaction source is connected to the process chamber via the first gas path and to an exhaust pipe via the second gas path to provide the first reactant, and the second reaction source is connected to the process chamber via the third gas path and to the exhaust pipe via the fourth gas path to provide the second reactant; In a first cycle of the thin film deposition process, the first reaction source is switched to the second gas path, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched to the third gas path, so as to deposit a second thin film on the wafer surface using a second reactant at a second flow rate; In at least one second cycle of the deposition process subsequent to the thin film deposition process, switching the first reaction source back to the first gas path, and synchronously switching the second reaction source back to the fourth gas path, so as to deposit at least one third thin film on the wafer surface using the first reactant at a third flow rate; and In the reaction process of at least one second cycle, the first reaction source is switched back to the second gas path, and the second reaction source is synchronously switched back to the third gas path, so as to utilize the second reactant with a fourth flow rate to deposit at least one fourth thin film on the surface of the wafer, wherein the first thin film and the at least one third thin film are metal barrier films with a first density, and the second thin film and the at least one fourth thin film are oxygen element barrier films with a second density, and the second density is greater than the first density.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the thin film deposition method according to claim 10 is implemented.

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