Plasma processing chamber and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to a plasma processing chamber and a substrate processing apparatus. The plasma processing chamber comprises a chamber body, a top cover assembly, a ceramic ring and a cation excluder. An opening is formed in the top of the cavity body. The top cover assembly covers the opening. The ceramic ring is arranged at the opening and abuts against the top cover assembly in a matched mode. The cation repulsive part is arranged on the ceramic ring and used for enabling cations in the technological process to move in the direction away from the inner wall face of the ceramic ring. In the process manufacturing process, the cation repulsive part is positively charged, and the generated electric field force can repel the positively charged cations, so that the cations in the manufacturing process move towards the direction far away from the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring, the content of the cations near the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring is greatly reduced, and the service life of the ceramic ring is prolonged. Therefore, black conductive traces are prevented from being formed by bombardment of cations on the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring, that is, the defect of arc discharge caused by formation of a conductive layer on the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring is avoided, and the service life of the ceramic ring can be further prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a plasma processing chamber and a substrate processing device. Background Art

[0002] Plasma etching technology is widely used in the processing / handling of semiconductor devices. The so-called plasma etching technology refers to the process in which the reaction gas is ionized under the excitation of radio frequency power to form a plasma containing a large number of active particles such as electrons, ions, excited atoms, molecules and free radicals. These active particles undergo various physical and chemical reactions with the surface of the substrate (for example, a wafer) and form volatile products, thereby changing the properties of the substrate surface.

[0003] Plasma etching technology is achieved by relying on a plasma processing device. In the related art, the plasma processing device includes a processing chamber and an electrostatic chuck arranged inside the processing chamber. The electrostatic chuck is used to support the substrate, and the reaction gas is introduced into the processing chamber, and a thin film layer is formed on the surface of the substrate by deposition. Among them, the processing chamber is provided with a chamber body, a chamber cover located at the top of the chamber body, and a ceramic ring arranged between the top of the chamber body and the chamber cover. A target material is provided on the chamber cover, and the ceramic ring is used to connect the chamber cover and the top of the chamber body. After a period of use, a black conductive layer is formed on the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring, and it is easy to cause arc discharge (Acring) in the target material (Target) and the process kit (processkits for short PK) inside the processing chamber, which makes the processing chamber unable to perform the process. The service life of the ceramic ring is short and needs to be replaced and maintained in time. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a plasma processing chamber and a substrate processing device, which can reduce arc discharge defects and extend the service life of the ceramic ring.

[0005] A plasma processing chamber, comprising:

[0006] A chamber body, wherein the top of the chamber body is provided with an opening;

[0007] A top cover assembly, the top cover assembly is disposed on the opening;

[0008] A ceramic ring, which is disposed at the opening and abuts against the top cover assembly; and

[0009] A cation repelling member is disposed on the ceramic ring and is used to make the cations in the process move in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring.

[0010] In one embodiment, the cation repelling member is an anode plate.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the anode plate is an annular plate disposed around the circumference of the ceramic ring; or, the anode plate is provided in plurality and is disposed in sequence and spaced apart around the circumference of the ceramic ring.

[0012] In one embodiment, the cation repelling element is disposed on the outer wall surface of the ceramic ring, or is embedded in the interior of the ceramic ring.

[0013] In one embodiment, the plasma processing chamber further includes a DC power supply and a voltage controller; the DC power supply is electrically connected to the voltage controller and the cation repelling element, respectively, and the voltage controller is used to control the voltage of the DC power supply.

[0014] In one embodiment, the plasma processing chamber further includes at least one gas purge component, which is disposed at the top of the chamber body and below the ceramic ring, and the air outlet direction of the gas purge component is toward the bottom surface of the ceramic ring or toward the top cover assembly.

[0015] In one embodiment, the plasma processing chamber further comprises a process kit disposed inside the chamber body, an outer wall of the process kit and an inner wall of the chamber body are provided with a separation space, and the gas purge component is located in the separation space.

[0016] In one embodiment, the gas purge component is provided in plurality, and each of the gas purge components is arranged at intervals around the circumferential direction of the chamber body; or, the gas purge component is provided in one, and the gas purge component is arranged around the circumference of the chamber body.

[0017] In one embodiment, the gas purge component and the chamber body are connected in parallel to a same compressed gas source.

[0018] A substrate processing device comprises the plasma processing chamber, and also comprises an electrostatic chuck and a support portion, wherein the electrostatic chuck is arranged inside the chamber body, the electrostatic chuck is used to support the substrate, the electrostatic chuck is connected to the support portion, and the support portion is arranged throughout the chamber body.

[0019] In the above-mentioned plasma processing chamber and substrate processing device, during the process, the cation repelling member is connected to the positive electrode of the DC power supply so as to be positively charged. The generated electric field force can repel the positively charged cations, so that the cations in the process move in the direction away from the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring, greatly reducing the cation content near the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring, thereby preventing the cations from bombarding the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring to form black conductive marks, that is, avoiding the formation of a conductive layer on the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring and causing arc discharge defects, thereby greatly extending the service life of the ceramic ring. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a substrate processing device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Block diagram of a plasma processing chamber in the illustrated configuration.

[0022] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional structural diagram of an embodiment at AA.

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional structural diagram of another embodiment at AA.

[0024] 10. Chamber body; 11. Opening; 12. Partition space; 20. Top cover assembly; 21. Back plate; 22. Target material; 23. Magnetron assembly; 30. Ceramic ring; 31. Bottom surface; 32. Inner wall surface; 33. Outer wall surface; 34. Groove; 40. Cation repelling element; 50. Gas purge component; 60. Process kit; 70. Electrostatic chuck; 80. Support part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0026] It should be noted that the substrate in this embodiment can be a semiconductor wafer at any stage in the process of forming semiconductor components on a substrate, such as an integrated circuit or discrete devices. In one embodiment, the substrate includes a very low dielectric constant dielectric layer and a metal layer on a semiconductor substrate. The substrate can be a mask, a semiconductor wafer, or other workpieces known to ordinary technicians in the field of electronic component manufacturing. In at least some embodiments, the substrate includes any material used to manufacture any integrated circuit, passive (e.g., capacitors, inductors) and active (e.g., transistors, photodetectors, lasers, diodes) microelectronic components. The substrate can include insulating materials (e.g., dielectric materials) that separate such active and passive microelectronic components from one or more conductive layers formed on top of them. In one embodiment, the substrate is a semiconductor substrate including one or more dielectric layers, such as silicon, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, sapphire, and other dielectric materials. In one embodiment, the substrate is a wafer stack including one or more layers. The one or more layers of the wafer may include conductive layers, semiconductive layers, insulating layers, or any combination thereof.

[0027] As described in the background technology, a black conductive layer is formed on the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring in the related technology, which is easy to cause arc discharge defects, thereby shortening the service life of the ceramic ring. The inventors have found that the reason for this problem is that during the process of the processing chamber, the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring will be bombarded by the cations inside the processing chamber, so that black conductive traces are formed on the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring. As the number of bombardments gradually increases, the conductive traces gradually accumulate to form a continuous conductive layer.

[0028] Based on the above reasons, the present application provides a plasma processing chamber and a substrate processing device, which can reduce arc discharge defects and extend the service life of ceramic rings.

[0029] See also Figures 1 to 4 , Figure 1 A structural diagram of a substrate processing device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 Block diagram of a plasma processing chamber in the illustrated configuration. Figure 3 and Figure 4 They are shown respectively Figure 2Cross-sectional structural diagrams of two different embodiments at AA. A plasma processing chamber is provided in one embodiment of the present application, and the plasma processing chamber includes: a chamber body 10, a top cover assembly 20, a ceramic ring 30 and a cation repeller 40. The cation repeller 40 includes but is not limited to an anode plate. An opening 11 is provided at the top of the chamber body 10. The top cover assembly 20 is covered at the opening 11. The ceramic ring 30 is provided at the opening 11 and abuts against the top cover assembly 20. The cation repeller 40 is provided on the ceramic ring 30, and is used to make the cations in the process move in the direction away from the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30.

[0030] In the above-mentioned plasma processing chamber, during the process, the cation repelling member 40 is connected to the positive electrode of the DC power supply and is thus positively charged. The generated electric field force can repel the positively charged cations, so that the cations in the process move in the direction away from the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, thereby greatly reducing the cation content near the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, thereby preventing the cations from bombarding the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 to form black conductive traces, that is, avoiding the formation of a conductive layer on the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 and causing arc discharge defects, thereby greatly extending the service life of the ceramic ring 30.

[0031] The cations are obtained according to the reaction gas introduced into the chamber body 10 during the process. The reaction gas introduced into the chamber body 10 includes, but is not limited to, various inert gases such as Ar, Kr, and Xe. In this embodiment, the metal sputtering deposition is performed using Ar as an example. Accordingly, the cations generated during the process are Ar. + .

[0032] See also Figure 3 or Figure 4 In one embodiment, the anode plate 40 is configured as an annular plate and is disposed around the circumference of the ceramic ring 30. In this way, during the process, each part of the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 along the circumferential direction forms a strong electric field force toward the center of the ceramic ring 30, and the strength of the electric field force at each part is relatively uniform, which greatly reduces the cation content near each part of the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 in the circumferential direction, so that each part of the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 can be prevented from being bombarded to form black conductive traces.

[0033] Specifically, the ceramic ring 30 is set to be, for example, a regular shape such as a circular ring, an elliptical ring, a polygonal shape, or other irregular shapes. The anode plate 40 is set to be adapted to the contour shape of the ceramic ring 30, and is set to be, for example, a regular shape such as a circular ring, an elliptical ring, a polygonal shape, or other irregular shapes. As an example, the ceramic ring 30 and the anode plate 40 are both set to be circular ring shapes, which can help improve the uniformity of thin film deposition on the substrate.

[0034] In another embodiment, the anode plate 40 is not limited to the annular plate in the above embodiment, but can also be, for example, set to a plurality and arranged in sequence around the circumference of the ceramic ring 30. Specifically, the anode plates 40 are, for example, set to three, four, five, six, eight, twelve, etc. The shape and size of each anode plate 40 are flexibly adjusted and set according to their actual needs, and can be the same or different from each other, which is not limited here. As an example, in order to improve processing efficiency, the shape and size of each anode plate 40 are the same, so that batch processing and production can be achieved, and maintenance is convenient. The ceramic ring 30 is set to a circular ring shape, and the anode plate 40 is designed to be an arc-shaped plate that matches the contour shape of the ceramic ring 30, and when flattened, it is, for example, square.

[0035] See also Figure 3 In one embodiment, the cation repelling member 40 is disposed on the outer wall surface 33 of the ceramic ring 30, which can be easily added directly to the relevant machine, so that the modification of the relevant machine is small and the cost can be reduced. The connection method of the cation repelling member 40 on the outer wall surface 33 of the ceramic ring 30 includes but is not limited to electroplating, sputtering, 3D printing, screen printing process, pasting, mechanical connection and other methods, which can be selected according to actual needs.

[0036] See also Figure 4 In another embodiment, the cation repelling member 40 is not limited to Figure 3 The structural design form can be, for example, embedded in the ceramic ring 30 to protect the cation repelling member 40 and prevent the cation repelling member 40 from being damaged. Specifically, for example, a metal part is reserved inside the ceramic ring 30 during the sintering manufacturing process, or a groove 34 is formed on the ceramic ring 30, and the cation repelling member 40 is fixedly installed in the groove 34. Other methods can also be used to achieve the cation repelling member 40 being embedded in the ceramic ring 30, which is not limited here.

[0037] In one embodiment, the plasma processing chamber further includes a DC power supply and a voltage controller. The DC power supply is electrically connected to the voltage controller and the cation repelling member 40, respectively, and the voltage controller is used to control the voltage of the DC power supply. In this way, the DC power supply is connected to the cation repelling member 40, for example, through a power line, and positive electricity is applied to the cation repelling member 40. Based on the electric field force F=kQ1*Q2 / r2, when the voltage controller controls to increase the voltage of the DC power supply, the number of positive charges of the cation repelling member 40 can be increased accordingly, that is, the size of the electric field force that repels cations can be increased; conversely, when the voltage controller controls to reduce the voltage of the DC power supply, the number of positive charges of the cation repelling member 40 can be reduced accordingly, that is, the size of the electric field force that repels cations can be reduced.

[0038] In addition, by flexibly adjusting and controlling the voltage of the DC power supply through the voltage controller, the voltage of the cation repelling member 40 can be controlled within a suitable range. The suitable range is adjusted and set according to actual needs, and is not limited here, as long as the repulsive force generated by the cation repelling member 40 on the cations is large enough so that the cations do not contact the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, and the voltage on the cation repelling member 40 is not too large to waste power and increase the risk of electric shock.

[0039] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment, the plasma processing chamber further includes at least one gas purge component 50. The gas purge component 50 is disposed at the top of the chamber body 10 and below the ceramic ring 30, and the air outlet direction of the gas purge component 50 is toward the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30 or toward the top cover assembly 20. In this way, during the process, the gas purge component 50 works synchronously. Since the air outlet direction of the gas purge component 50 is toward the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30 or toward the top cover assembly 20, when the purge gas flows to the vicinity of the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, it can push the cations to flow in the direction away from the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, dispersing the gas carrying the cations, reducing the amount of cations near the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, and thus reducing the conductive traces caused by the bombardment of the cations on the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30.

[0040] Specifically, when the air outlet direction of the gas purge component 50 is toward the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30, in other words, the air outlet direction of the gas purge component 50 is perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30, when the purge gas discharged outward from the gas purge component 50 flows to the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30, it will bypass the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30 and, for example, pass through the gap between the ceramic ring 30 and the process kit 60 and then flow upward, thereby pushing the cations to flow toward the direction away from the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, thereby dispersing the gas carrying cations.

[0041] In addition, when the air outlet direction of the gas purge component is toward the top cover assembly 20, that is, the air outlet direction of the gas purge component 50 is set at an acute angle to the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30, and the included angle is, for example, 15° to 75°. In other words, the purge gas discharged outward by the gas purge component 50 is blown obliquely to the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30. When the purge gas discharged outward by the gas purge component 50 flows to the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30, it will bypass the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30 and, for example, pass through the gap between the ceramic ring 30 and the process kit 60 and then flow upward, thereby pushing the cations to flow in the direction away from the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, thereby dispersing the gas carrying cations.

[0042] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 In one embodiment, the plasma processing chamber further includes a process kit 60 disposed inside the chamber body 10. An outer wall of the process kit 60 and an inner wall of the chamber body 10 are provided with a separation space 12, and a gas purge component 50 is located in the separation space 12. In this way, the gas purge component 50 is arranged in a more reasonable position, which can reduce the particle contamination defects caused to the substrate.

[0043] In some embodiments, the process kit 60 is detachably disposed inside the chamber body 10. During the manufacturing process, while a film layer is deposited on the substrate, since the process kit 60 is disposed inside the chamber body 10, the process kit 60 acts as a barrier to prevent the film layer from being deposited inside the chamber body 10, so that the film layer is simultaneously deposited on the inner wall surface of the process kit 60. Since the process kit 60 is detachably disposed inside the chamber body 10, the process kit 60 on which the film layer is deposited can be removed from the chamber body 10 according to actual needs for regular or irregular maintenance.

[0044] In some embodiments, the gas purge component 50 includes but is not limited to various structural forms such as an outlet pipe, a nozzle, and an air nozzle.

[0045] It should be noted that the "gas purge component 50" can be "a part of the chamber body 10", that is, the "gas purge component 50" and the "other parts of the chamber body 10" are manufactured as one piece; it can also be an independent component that can be separated from the "other parts of the chamber body 10", that is, the "gas purge component 50" can be manufactured independently and then combined with the "other parts of the chamber body 10" into a whole.

[0046] As an example, the gas purge component 50 extends outward through the wall of the chamber body 10, specifically through the side wall of the chamber body 10. After extending outside the chamber body 10, the gas purge component 50 is connected to the gas supply source, and the gas supply source provides the purge gas to the gas purge component 50.

[0047] As an example, a gas-controlled regulating valve (not shown in the figure) is provided on the pipeline for connecting the gas purge component 50 to the gas supply source. The gas-controlled regulating valve can adjust the pressure, thereby adjusting the pressure of the gas purged outward by the gas purge component 50, and after repeated adjustments, the gas purge pressure of the gas purge component 50 can be adjusted to a suitable size.

[0048] As an example, in order to facilitate the connection between the gas purge component 50 and the gas supply source outside the chamber body 10 , the gas purge component 50 is, for example, configured to be in an L shape or other various shapes.

[0049] In one embodiment, the gas purge component 50 is provided in plurality. The gas purge components 50 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the chamber body 10. The number of the gas purge components 50 is, for example, two, three, four, five, six, eight, twelve, or other numbers. In this way, during the process, the chamber body 10 can discharge air at multiple different positions in the circumferential direction toward the ceramic ring 30 or the top cover assembly 20, respectively, so that more parts of the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 can be purged by gas in the circumferential direction, which is beneficial to greatly reduce the cation content near the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, and can better prevent the cations from bombarding the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 to form black conductive traces.

[0050] In another embodiment, there is one gas purge component 50, and the gas purge component 50 is arranged around the circumference of the chamber body 10. In this way, during the process, various positions in the circumferential direction of the chamber body 10 can discharge air toward the ceramic ring 30 or the top cover assembly 20 respectively, so that the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 can be purged by gas at various positions along the circumferential direction, which is beneficial to greatly reduce the cation content near the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, and can better prevent the cations from bombarding the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 to form black conductive traces.

[0051] In one embodiment, when the gas purge component 50 is configured as an annular purge structure disposed circumferentially around the chamber body 10, the gas purge component 50 is provided with an annular air duct disposed circumferentially around the chamber body 10, and the air outlet of the annular air duct faces the bottom surface 31 of the ceramic ring 30 or toward the top cover assembly 20. Specifically, the gas purge component 50 includes an inner guide plate and an outer guide plate, the outer guide plate is disposed circumferentially around the inner guide plate, and is spaced apart and cooperated with the inner guide plate to form an annular air duct.

[0052] In one embodiment, the gas purge component 50 and the chamber body 10 are connected in parallel to the same compressed gas source, which can simplify the structure and reduce the device cost. Of course, the gas purge component 50 and the chamber body 10 can also be connected to two different compressed gas sources respectively.

[0053] In one embodiment, the plasma processing chamber further includes a grounding ring (not shown in the figure). The grounding ring is disposed on the top of the chamber body 10 and is located below the ceramic ring 30. In this way, during the process, the grounding ring plays a role in releasing electric charges, thereby reducing to a certain extent the cations bombarding the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 and leaving conductive traces.

[0054] In some embodiments, the grounding ring is embedded on the top of the side wall of the chamber body 10 or the top of the process kit 60. In this way, the grounding ring is relatively close to the ceramic ring 30, so that the cations near the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 can be released. In addition, due to the embedded relationship with the process kit 60, the installation effect on the process kit 60 is stable and not easy to loosen. Of course, the grounding ring can also be fixedly connected to the inner wall or outer wall of the process kit 60 in various ways.

[0055] See also Figure 2 In one embodiment, the top cover assembly 20 includes a back plate 21, a target material 22 and a magnetron assembly 23. The target material 22 is connected to one side of the back plate 21 facing the chamber body 10, and the magnetron assembly 23 is connected to the other side of the back plate 21 facing away from the chamber body 10. The top end of the ceramic ring 30 is sealed and abutted with the back plate 21, and the bottom end of the ceramic ring 30 is sealed and abutted with the top end of the chamber body 10.

[0056] See also Figures 1 to 4 In one embodiment, a substrate processing device includes the plasma processing chamber of any of the above embodiments, and further includes an electrostatic chuck 70 and a support portion 80. The electrostatic chuck 70 is disposed inside the chamber body 10, and the electrostatic chuck 70 is used to support the substrate. The electrostatic chuck 70 is connected to the support portion 80, and the support portion 80 is disposed throughout the chamber body 10.

[0057] In the above-mentioned substrate processing device, during the process, the cation repelling element 40 is connected to the positive electrode of the DC power supply and is positively charged. The generated electric field force can repel the positively charged cations, so that the cations in the process move in the direction away from the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring 30, thereby greatly reducing the cation content near the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30, thereby preventing the cations from bombarding the inner wall surface 32 of the ceramic ring 30 to form black conductive traces, that is, avoiding the formation of a conductive layer on the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring 30 and causing arc discharge defects, thereby greatly extending the service life of the ceramic ring 30.

[0058] In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further includes a vacuum pump, a DC power supply and an AC power supply. The vacuum pump is connected to the chamber body 10 and is used to extract the gas inside the chamber body 10. The DC power supply is electrically connected to the back plate 21, and the AC power supply is electrically connected to the electrostatic chuck 70.

[0059] Specifically, the substrate processing device further includes a radio frequency power supply matcher, through which the AC power supply is electrically connected to the electrostatic chuck 70 .

[0060] It should be noted that the sputtering in this embodiment is a phenomenon in which energetic ions hit the target material 22, causing atoms on the surface of the target material 22 to fly out and adhere to the surface of the semiconductor workpiece to form a thin film. Both direct current and radio frequency current can be applied to the back plate 21. When the applied current is direct current, it is called direct current sputtering (DC SPUTTERING); when the applied current is radio frequency, it is called radio frequency sputtering (RADIO FREQUENCY SPUTTERING). Based on the economic and efficiency point of view, argon gas is the most commonly used gas. When argon gas is collided with fast electrons, argon ions are generated. At this time, the number of electrons increases and is accelerated by the electric field at the same time, so as to perform ionization reaction again. In this way, a glow discharge (GLOWDISCHARGE) is generated like an avalanche. The argon ions are attracted by the target material 22 (negative electrode), accelerated to collide with the target material 22, and the surface atoms are knocked out and adsorbed on the surface of the semiconductor workpiece.

[0061] During the sputtering process, positively charged inert gas ions are attracted to the negatively charged target 22. Specifically, the magnetron assembly 23 can be operated to confine electrons on the negatively charged target 22, thereby improving the efficiency of the initial ionization process and allowing the plasma to be generated at a lower pressure. During the collision cascade, this attraction ultimately causes positively charged inert gas ions to impact the target 22 at extremely high speeds. The impacting positively charged inert gas ions can have sufficient force to remove and eject (sputter) atoms from the surface of the target 22. The atoms from the target 22 traverse the evacuated chamber body 10 and can be accurately deposited on the substrate surface as a thin film of the target 22 material in a typical line-of-sight cosine distribution.

[0062] In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus includes a controller, such as a central processing unit. The controller can be used to monitor the voltage applied to the target 22 during sputtering. The controller can further detect any voltage instability. For example, the controller can detect voltage instability caused by arcing in the chamber body 10. The controller can also be used to monitor the vacuum level in the chamber body 10 to detect any vacuum instability (i.e., pressure change) in the evacuated chamber body 10. For example, the controller can be used to detect an increase or decrease in pressure in the chamber body 10.

[0063] If the controller detects voltage and / or vacuum instability, the controller can generate an alarm, such as a DC power instability alarm and / or a vacuum deterioration alarm, and immediately stop the sputtering process. Thus, the controller can be used to reduce and / or prevent sputtering of the backing plate 21 material, as discussed in detail below.

[0064] In some embodiments, the target 22 can be bonded to the front side of the backing plate 21, i.e., the side of the backing plate 21 opposite the electrostatic chuck 70, using any suitable bonding method. For example, the target 22 can be diffusion bonded, brazed, or welded to the backing plate 21. Other bonding processes are within the scope of the present disclosure. The backing plate 21 can provide mechanical strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity to the target 22. For example, the backing plate 21 can be formed of copper, non-magnetic stainless steel, molybdenum, aluminum, titanium, alloys thereof (including but not limited to aluminum-copper alloys), etc. Other materials suitable for the backing plate 21 are within the scope of the present disclosure. The target 22 can be formed of any sputterable material. For example, the target 22 can be formed of aluminum, copper, cobalt, tantalum, titanium, cobalt, platinum, gold, silver, lead, alloys thereof, etc. Other materials suitable for the target 22 are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0065] In some embodiments, the backing plate 21 and the target 22 may be formed of different materials. For example, the target 22 may be formed of tantalum, titanium, cobalt, platinum, etc., and the backing plate 21 may be formed of copper, non-magnetic stainless steel (SS 316 or SS 304), aluminum, etc.

[0066] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0067] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0068] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0069] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if there is a description that a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, etc., or similar descriptions appear, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0070] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0071] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0072] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A plasma processing chamber, characterized in that: The plasma processing chamber comprises: A chamber body, wherein the top of the chamber body is provided with an opening; A top cover assembly, the top cover assembly is disposed on the opening; A ceramic ring, which is disposed at the opening and abuts against the top cover assembly; and A cation repelling member is disposed on the ceramic ring and is used to make the cations in the process move in a direction away from the inner wall surface of the ceramic ring.

2. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cation-repelling member is an anode plate.

3. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that: The anode plate is an annular plate arranged around the circumference of the ceramic ring; or, the anode plate is provided in plurality and arranged in sequence and at intervals around the circumference of the ceramic ring.

4. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein: The cation repelling member is arranged on the outer wall surface of the ceramic ring, or is embedded in the interior of the ceramic ring.

5. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein: The plasma processing chamber also includes a DC power supply and a voltage controller; the DC power supply is electrically connected to the voltage controller and the cation repelling element respectively, and the voltage controller is used to control the voltage of the DC power supply.

6. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein: The plasma processing chamber also includes at least one gas purge component, which is arranged on the top of the chamber body and below the ceramic ring. The air outlet direction of the gas purge component is toward the bottom surface of the ceramic ring or toward the top cover assembly.

7. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 6, characterized in that: The plasma processing chamber further comprises a process kit disposed inside the chamber body, an outer wall of the process kit and an inner wall of the chamber body are provided with a separation space, and the gas purge component is located in the separation space.

8. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 6, wherein: There are multiple gas purge components, and the gas purge components are arranged at intervals around the circumferential direction of the chamber body; or, there is one gas purge component, and the gas purge component is arranged around the circumference of the chamber body.

9. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 6, wherein: The gas purge component is connected in parallel with the chamber body to a same compressed gas source.

10. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: The substrate processing device includes a plasma processing chamber as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, and also includes an electrostatic chuck and a support portion, wherein the electrostatic chuck is disposed inside the chamber body, the electrostatic chuck is used to support the substrate, the electrostatic chuck is connected to the support portion, and the support portion is disposed throughout the chamber body.

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