Ion beam blocking device and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides an ion beam blocking device and semiconductor process equipment. The ion beam blocking device comprises an ion screening piece and an ion collecting piece which are sequentially arranged in the ion movement direction and electrically insulated from each other. A closed space is formed between the ion screening piece and the ion collecting piece, the ion screening piece is provided with a plurality of screening holes for ions to pass through, and the screening holes are communicated with the closed space; under the condition that positive potential and negative potential are applied to the ion screening piece and the ion collecting piece respectively, an electric field formed in the closed space can guide ions to penetrate through the screening holes to enter the closed space and move towards the ion collecting piece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to an ion beam blocking device and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] Ion beam etching (IBE) is an etching technology that generates plasma through glow discharge, and then uses a grid structure to extract and accelerate ions in the plasma to form an ion beam with a directional motion speed. The ion beam is used to directly perform pure physical sputtering on the material to be etched, thereby achieving the purpose of etching or modification. Before the etching process is carried out, it takes a certain amount of time for the ion beam source to stabilize. While waiting for the ion beam source to stabilize, the ion beam needs to be blocked to prevent the generated directional motion ion beam from causing etching damage to the wafer or the carrier.

[0003] The existing baffle structure is a flat structure made of etching-resistant materials (such as graphite or metal molybdenum, etc.) to directly block the ion output side of the grid structure. However, when the ion beam sputters onto the baffle, the baffle material will inevitably be sputtered, and the sputtered particles will be deposited on the surface of the grid structure, damaging the life and performance of the grid structure, thereby causing the performance and life of the entire etching system to be reduced. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and proposes an ion beam blocking device and semiconductor process equipment, which can solve the problem that particles generated by the baffle structure of the prior art damage the life and performance of the grid structure.

[0005] To achieve the purpose of the present invention, an ion beam blocking device is provided, which is applied to semiconductor process equipment, and comprises an ion screening element and an ion collecting element which are sequentially arranged along the ion movement direction and are electrically insulated from each other; a closed space is formed between the ion screening element and the ion collecting element, and the ion screening element has a plurality of screening holes for ions to pass through, and the screening holes are connected to the closed space;

[0006] When positive potential and negative potential are applied to the ion screening element and the ion collecting element respectively, the electric field formed in the closed space can guide ions to pass through the screening hole into the closed space and move toward the ion collecting element.

[0007] In some embodiments, the potential applied to the ion screening element is a first potential, and the positive potential applied to the first grid in the grid structure of the semiconductor process equipment is a second potential;

[0008] The first potential is lower than the second potential.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first potential is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the second potential and less than or equal to 0.9 times the second potential.

[0010] In some embodiments, the absolute value of the potential applied to the ion screening element is a first potential, and the absolute value of the negative potential applied to the ion collecting element is a third potential; the third potential is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the first potential and less than or equal to 1 times the first potential.

[0011] In some embodiments, the percentage of the sum of the radial cross-sectional areas of all the screening holes to the total surface area of ​​the ion screening element is greater than or equal to 60% and less than or equal to 90%.

[0012] In some embodiments, a surface of the ion collecting element exposed to the closed space is an arc-shaped concave surface, and the arc-shaped concave surface is recessed in a direction away from the ion screening element.

[0013] In some embodiments, the invention further comprises a first insulating member, wherein the first insulating member is ring-shaped and is disposed between the ion screening member and the ion collecting member;

[0014] The closed space is formed by surfaces of the ion screening element and the ion collecting element facing each other and an inner peripheral surface of the first insulating element.

[0015] In some embodiments, the arc-shaped concave surface is coplanar with the inner circumferential surface of the first insulating member.

[0016] In some embodiments, a grounding element is further included. The grounding element is ring-shaped and is disposed on a side of the ion screening element away from the ion collecting element and is electrically insulated from the ion screening element.

[0017] In some embodiments, an inner peripheral portion of the grounding element protrudes toward an axis of the grounding element relative to an edge of a surface of the ion screening element exposed to the closed space.

[0018] In some embodiments, the screening holes are distributed in a circular area with the center of the surface of the ion screening element exposed to the closed space as the center;

[0019] The inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion of the grounding member is equal to the diameter of the circular area.

[0020] In some embodiments, an inner diameter of the grounding element is greater than a diameter of a grid structure of the semiconductor process equipment.

[0021] In some embodiments, a second insulating member is further included, wherein the second insulating member is ring-shaped and is disposed between the grounding member and the ion screening member.

[0022] In some embodiments, a connecting member is further included, wherein the connecting member is fixedly connected to the ion screening member and the ion collecting member and is electrically insulated;

[0023] The connecting member is provided with an introduction channel for introducing cables for applying the positive potential and the negative potential into the ion screening member and the ion collecting member respectively.

[0024] In some embodiments, a protective shell is further included, the protective shell is used to be arranged on the ion output side of the grid structure of the semiconductor process equipment, and the side of the protective shell facing the grid structure is open;

[0025] The ion screening component and the ion collecting component are arranged inside the protective shell; and the connecting component is arranged to penetrate the protective shell.

[0026] As another technical solution, the present invention further provides a semiconductor process equipment, comprising:

[0027] a process chamber having an opening;

[0028] A carrier, disposed in the process chamber and having a carrying surface opposite to the opening and used for carrying a wafer;

[0029] An ion source is disposed outside the process chamber and includes a plasma generating device and a grid structure for extracting ions in the plasma, wherein a side of the grid structure for outputting ions is opposite to the opening;

[0030] The ion beam blocking device as described in any one of claims 1 to 15 can be movably arranged in the process chamber, and can be located in a blocking position between the opening and the carrying surface, or moved away from the blocking position.

[0031] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0032] The ion beam blocking device provided by the present invention is used for guiding ions to pass through the screening hole of the ion screening element into the closed space and move toward the ion collecting element when the ion beam is not stable and the ion screening element and the ion collecting element are respectively applied with positive potential and negative potential, and finally be absorbed by the ion collecting element by using the electric field formed in the closed space formed between the ion screening element and the ion collecting element. The electric field line direction of the electric field points from the ion screening element to the ion collecting element, and can accelerate the ions, so that most of the ions entering the closed space can be directly absorbed by the negatively charged ion collecting element, and a small number of particles or ions that have undergone secondary sputtering are difficult to flow back to the surface of the grid structure through the screening hole under the obstruction of the electric field in the closed space, thereby effectively reducing the number of particles or ions deposited on the surface of the grid structure, thereby improving the life of the grid structure, effectively solving the efficiency and cost problems caused by replacing the grid structure, and improving the life and process performance of semiconductor process equipment.

[0033] The semiconductor process equipment provided by the present invention can effectively reduce the number of particles or ions deposited on the surface of the grid structure by adopting the above-mentioned ion beam blocking device provided by the present invention, thereby increasing the life of the grid structure, effectively solving the efficiency and cost problems caused by replacing the grid structure, and improving the life and process performance of the semiconductor process equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment in a state provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a grid structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 A structural diagram of a semiconductor process equipment in another state provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 4 A half-cutaway perspective view of an ion beam blocking device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 5 An electric field vector distribution diagram of an ion beam blocking device and a grid structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention when in operation;

[0039] Figure 6 A three-dimensional diagram of an ion beam blocking device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 A three-dimensional perspective view of a connector used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 8 A three-dimensional diagram of a protective housing used in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the ion beam blocking device and semiconductor process equipment provided by the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0043] See also Figure 1 An embodiment of the present invention provides an ion beam blocking device 100, which is applied to a semiconductor process equipment 200, such as an ion beam etching (IBE) equipment. Specifically, the equipment includes a process chamber 201 with an opening, a carrier 202 and an ion source 300, wherein the carrier 202 is arranged in the process chamber 201 and has a carrying surface opposite to the opening of the process chamber 201 and used to carry a wafer 203; the ion source 300 is arranged outside the process chamber 201, and includes a plasma generating device and a grid structure 301 for extracting ions in the plasma, the grid structure 301 is vertically arranged, and the side of the grid structure 301 outputting ions is opposite to the opening, and the ion beam output by the grid structure 301 is, for example, parallel to a horizontal plane. The plasma generating device may specifically include a plasma generating chamber 302, an air inlet device 303, a radio frequency coil 304, a radio frequency source and a shielded outer chamber 305, wherein the plasma generating chamber 302 is arranged outside the opening of the process chamber 201 and is fixedly connected to the side wall of the process chamber 201; the air inlet device 303 is used to transport process gas into the plasma generating chamber 302; the radio frequency coil 304 is arranged around the plasma generating chamber 302; the radio frequency source includes a radio frequency power supply 306 and a matcher 307, and the radio frequency power supply 306 is electrically connected to the radio frequency coil 304 through the matcher 307, and is used to excite the process gas in the plasma generating chamber 302 to form plasma; the shielded outer chamber 305 is covered around the plasma generating chamber 302 and the radio frequency coil 304, and is used to shield radio frequency. The grid structure 301 is arranged between the plasma generating chamber 302 and the process chamber 201, and is used to draw out ions in the plasma in the plasma generating chamber 302 and accelerate them to form an ion beam with a directional motion speed (such as Figure 1 ), and output into the process chamber 201 through the opening.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the grid structure 301 realizing the above functions includes, for example, three layers of grids, all of which are made of etching-resistant metal materials (such as graphite or metal molybdenum), and are respectively arranged along the direction close to the process chamber 201 (i.e. Figure 2The first grid 301a, the second grid 301b and the third grid 301c are arranged in sequence (in the X direction in the figure), and all three are arranged vertically, so as to avoid deformation of the grid due to gravity, thereby damaging the function of the grid. During the process, a positive potential is applied to the first grid 301a to absorb electrons in the plasma, that is, to filter electrons; a negative potential is applied to the second grid 301b, and the electric field formed between the second grid 301b and the first grid 301a can lead out ions in the plasma; the third grid 301c is grounded to cooperate with the first grid 301a and the second grid 301b to control the divergence angle of the drawn ion beam to ensure that most of the ions can move along its axial direction. The ion beam output by the three-layer grid moves into the process chamber 201 along the axial direction of the three-layer grid.

[0045] The ion beam blocking device 100 provided in the embodiment of the present invention can be movably disposed in the process chamber 201 and can be located at a blocking position between the opening and the carrying surface (ie Figure 1 The ion beam blocking device 100 is located at the position of the ion beam blocking device 100, or moved away from the blocking position, for example, moved to Figure 3 Specifically, when the ion beam has not reached a stable state or the wafer 203 and the stage 202 have not reached a specified position, the ion beam blocking device 100 needs to be moved to a blocking position to block the ion beam to prevent the ion beam from etching the wafer 203 and the stage 202. After the ion beam reaches a stable state, the ion beam blocking device 100 is moved away from the blocking position to allow the ion beam to enter the process chamber 201 for an etching process.

[0046] See also Figure 4 The ion beam blocking device 100 realizing the above function comprises an ion screening element 101 and an ion collecting element 102 which are sequentially arranged along the ion movement direction and are electrically insulated from each other; the above ion movement direction is the movement direction of the ion beam output from the grid structure 301, for example, parallel to the axial direction of the three-layer grid (i.e., Figure 4 The ion filter 101 and the ion collector 102 form a closed space 103. The ion filter 101 has a plurality of screening holes 101a for ions to pass through. The screening holes 101a are connected to the closed space 103. When the ion filter 101 and the ion collector 102 are respectively applied with a positive potential and a negative potential, the electric field formed in the closed space 103 can guide the ions to pass through the screening holes 101a into the closed space 103 and move toward the ion collector 102.

[0047] See also Figure 5When the ion beam is not stable, when the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102 are respectively applied with positive potential and negative potential, the electric field formed in the closed space 103 is used to guide the ions to pass through the screening hole 101a of the ion screening element 101 into the closed space 103, and move toward the ion collecting element 102, and finally be absorbed by the ion collecting element 102. The direction of the electric field lines (such as Figure 5 The blue arrow between the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102 in the figure indicates that the ion screening element 101 points to the ion collecting element 102 and can accelerate the ions, so that most of the ions entering the closed space 103 can be directly absorbed by the negatively charged ion collecting element 102. A small number of particles or ions that have undergone secondary sputtering are difficult to flow back to the surface of the grid structure 301 through the screening hole 101a due to the obstruction of the electric field in the closed space 103, thereby effectively reducing the number of particles or ions deposited on the surface of the grid structure 301, thereby improving the life of the grid structure 301, effectively solving the efficiency and cost problems caused by replacing the grid structure 301, and improving the life and process performance of the semiconductor process equipment 200.

[0048] In the embodiment where the grid structure 301 of the semiconductor process equipment 200 includes the first grid 301a, the potential applied to the ion filter 101 is the first potential, and the positive potential applied to the first grid 301a is the second potential; the first potential is less than the second potential. In this way, the direction of the electric field lines formed between the first grid 301a and the ion filter 101 can be made to point from the first grid 301a to the ion filter 101. Figure 5 As shown by the colored arrows including red, orange, green and yellow in the figure, the direction of most of the electric lines including red, orange, etc. points from the first grid 301a to the ion screening element 101, so as to prevent the ion beam from moving back to the grid structure 301, causing contamination and damage to the grid structure 301. In some embodiments, the first potential is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the second potential, and less than or equal to 0.9 times the second potential, preferably 0.7 times. In this way, the second potential can be ensured to be large enough, and the collection efficiency of the ion beam blocking device 100 for ions can be improved, so as to effectively prevent the ion beam from moving back to the grid structure 301.

[0049] In some embodiments, the absolute value of the potential applied to the ion screening element 101 is the first potential, and the absolute value of the negative potential applied to the ion collecting element 102 is the third potential; the third potential is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the first potential, and less than or equal to 1 times the first potential. The third potential should not be too large, otherwise the ions will damage the ion collecting element 102 due to the excessive acceleration of the ion beam; the third potential should not be too small, otherwise the effect of guiding the ions to move toward the ion collecting element 102 will be affected due to the weak acceleration of the ion beam. By making the third potential greater than or equal to 0.3 times the first potential, and less than or equal to 1 times the first potential, the above situation can be effectively avoided. Preferably, the third potential is 0.5 times the first potential.

[0050] In a specific embodiment, the amplitude range of the positive potential applied to the first grid 301a is greater than 0V and less than or equal to 1500V; the amplitude range of the negative potential applied to the second grid 301b is greater than or equal to -1500V and less than 0V; the amplitude range of the first potential is greater than 0V and less than or equal to 1000V; the amplitude range of the third potential is greater than or equal to -1000V and less than 0V. The third grid 301c is grounded and its potential is 0V.

[0051] In some embodiments, the ion screening element 101 is in the shape of a plate, and the ion screening element 101 and the grid structure 301 are aligned along the axial direction of the grid structure 301 (ie Figure 4 The ion screening element 101 is arranged opposite to the grid structure 301 (in the X direction) and is located on the ion output side of the grid structure 301; the surface of the ion screening element 101 opposite to the grid structure 301 and the surface away from the grid structure 301 are both planes, which are perpendicular to the axial direction of the grid structure 301, that is, perpendicular to the above-mentioned ion movement direction. A plurality of screening holes 101a are distributed in the ion screening element 101, and the two ends of each screening hole 101a are respectively located on the surface of the ion screening element 101 opposite to the grid structure 301 and the surface away from the grid structure 301, so as to allow ions to pass through and enter the closed space 103.

[0052] In some embodiments, the thickness of the ion screen 101 (ie, the distance between the surface of the ion screen 101 facing the grid structure 301 and the surface facing away from the grid structure 301 ) is greater than or equal to 1 mm and less than or equal to 4 mm.

[0053] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the plurality of screening holes 101a surround the axis of the ion screening element 101 for multiple circles, that is, the plurality of screening holes 101a are distributed on a plurality of circumferences with different radii centered on the axis of the ion screening element 101, and the plurality of screening holes 101a distributed on each circumference are evenly distributed on the circumference. This helps to increase the number of ions that pass through the screening holes 101a and enter the closed space 103.

[0054] In some embodiments, the percentage of the sum of the radial cross-sectional areas of all the screening holes 101a to the total surface area of ​​the ion screening element 101 is greater than or equal to 60% and less than or equal to 90%. This helps to increase the number of ions that pass through the screening holes 101a and enter the closed space 103. Specifically, the total area of ​​the surface of the ion screening element 101 facing the grid structure or the ion collecting element 102 is the total surface area of ​​the above-mentioned ion screening element 101, and the surface of the ion screening element 101 facing the grid structure or the ion collecting element 102 includes the hole area where all the screening holes 101a are located, and the non-hole area except the hole area, wherein the area of ​​the hole area is the sum of the radial cross-sectional areas of all the screening holes 101a.

[0055] In some embodiments, each screening hole 101a is, for example, a straight through hole, and the radial cross-sectional shape includes a circle. The diameter of the straight through hole is greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 4 mm. This helps to increase the number of ions that pass through the screening hole 101a and enter the closed space 103.

[0056] In some embodiments, the surface of the ion collector 102 exposed to the closed space 103 is an arc-shaped concave surface 102a, which is concave in a direction away from the ion filter 101. The arc-shaped concave surface 102a can make most of the electric lines of the electric field in the closed space 103 perpendicular to the tangent of the arc-shaped concave surface 102a, such as Figure 5 As shown in the direction of the electric lines close to the ion collector 102, most of the electric lines are not parallel to the axial direction of each screening hole 101a. In this way, after the ions pass through the screening hole 101a and enter the closed space 103, most of the ions are directly absorbed by the ion collector 102, while a small number of particles or ions that are secondary sputtered by the arc-shaped concave surface 102a of the ion collector 102 will be difficult to flow back to the surface of the grid structure 301 through the screening hole 101a under the action of the electric lines that are not parallel to the axial direction of the screening hole 101a. Therefore, the use of the arc-shaped concave surface 102a can further reduce the number of particles or ions deposited on the surface of the grid structure 301, thereby more effectively reducing the damage to the grid structure 301. On this basis, the setting of the arc-shaped concave surface 102a can also increase the surface area of ​​the ion collector 102 exposed to the closed space 103, so that more ions can be absorbed. The arc-shaped concave surface 102a is, for example, a part of a spherical concave surface. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. In practical applications, the arc-shaped concave surface 102a can be any shape as long as the above functions can be achieved.

[0057] In a specific embodiment, the ion collecting member 102 is an arc-shaped plate, and the surface of the arc-shaped plate facing the ion screening member 101 is the arc-shaped concave surface 102a. Moreover, the opening end of the arc-shaped concave portion surrounded by the arc-shaped concave surface 102a faces the ion screening member 101, and the opening area of ​​the arc-shaped concave portion decreases from the opening end in a direction away from the ion screening member 101.

[0058] In some embodiments, the ion beam blocking device 100 further includes a first insulating member 104, which is annular and disposed between the ion screening member 101 and the ion collecting member 102; the surfaces of the ion screening member 101 and the ion collecting member 102 facing each other and the inner circumference of the first insulating member 104 enclose a closed space 103. The first insulating member 104 is used to electrically insulate the ion screening member 101 and the ion collecting member 102, and to keep a certain distance between the two along the axial direction of each screening hole 101a, and the distance is, for example, greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 4 mm.

[0059] In the embodiment where the surface of the ion collecting member 102 exposed to the closed space 103 is the arc-shaped concave surface 102a, the arc-shaped concave surface 102a is coplanar with the inner circumference of the first insulating member 104. This ensures that the ions passing through each screening hole 101a can smoothly move to the arc-shaped concave surface 102a, reducing the probability of the ions being blocked by the first insulating member 104 and flowing back. In some embodiments, the diameter of the inner circumference of the first insulating member 104 is greater than or equal to 350 mm and less than or equal to 400 mm.

[0060] In some embodiments, the ion beam blocking device 100 further includes a grounding member 105, which is annular and disposed on a side of the ion screening member 101 away from the ion collecting member 102 and is electrically insulated from the ion screening member 101. That is, the grounding member 105 is disposed between the ion screening member 101 and the grid structure 301. Since the grounding member 105 is grounded, when the ion screening member 101 and the ion collecting member 102 are respectively applied with a positive potential and a negative potential, the electric field lines of the electric field between the grounding member 105 and the ion screening member 101 are directed from the ion screening member 101 to the grounding member 105. Figure 5The electric lines of force between the grounding member 105 and the ion screening member 101 are directed from the ion screening member 101 to the grounding member 105, so that the electric field can decelerate (hinder) the movement of the ion beam passing through, and the deceleration effect can reduce the damage caused by the ions to the ion screening member 101. It should be noted that, when the effect of the grid structure 301 on ion extraction is large enough, it can be ensured that the ions passing between the grounding member 105 and the ion screening member 101 are only decelerated by the electric field between the grounding member 105 and the ion screening member 101, but will still move toward the ion screening member 101, and will not flow in the opposite direction toward the grid structure 301. The above effect can be achieved when the first potential is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the second potential and less than or equal to 0.9 times the second potential. Moreover, in order to achieve the above effect, in some embodiments, the distance between the grounding member 105 and the first grid 301a in the axial direction of the first grid 301a is greater than or equal to 1mm and less than or equal to 10mm. In some embodiments, the axial length of the grounding member 105 is greater than or equal to 1mm and less than or equal to 2mm.

[0061] In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the grounding member 105 is larger than the diameter of the grid structure. In this way, the space enclosed by the grounding member 105 can be large enough to collect as many ion beams output by the grid structure as possible in the space. In an embodiment where the grid structure includes a first grid 301a, a second grid 301b, and a third grid 301c, the diameters of the three grids are, for example, the same. In this case, the inner diameter of the grounding member 105 is larger than the diameters of each grid.

[0062] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the inner peripheral portion 105a of the grounding member 105 protrudes toward the axis of the grounding member 105 relative to the surface edge of the ion screening member 101 exposed to the closed space 103. That is, the inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion 105a of the grounding member 105 is smaller than the diameter of the surface edge of the ion screening member 101 exposed to the closed space 103. In this way, the inner peripheral portion 105a of the grounding member 105 can play a blocking role, blocking some ions that collide with the edge (non-hole portion) of the ion screening member 101 from being reversely sputtered out of the grounding member 105, thereby further reducing the number of particles or ions deposited on the surface of the grid structure 301, and further more effectively reducing the damage to the grid structure 301. Further, in some embodiments, the difference between the diameter of the surface of the ion screening member 101 exposed to the closed space 103 and the inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion 105a of the grounding member 105 is greater than or equal to 30 mm and less than or equal to 80 mm. In this way, the above-mentioned blocking role can be played more effectively.

[0063] In some embodiments, the screening holes 101a are distributed in a circular area with the center of the surface of the ion screening element 101 exposed to the closed space 103 as the center, and the diameter of the circular area is, for example, smaller than the diameter of the surface of the ion screening element 101 exposed to the closed space 103; the inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion 105a of the grounding element 105 is equal to the diameter of the circular area. In this way, the inner peripheral portion 105a of the grounding element 105 can be located at the periphery of the circular area where the screening holes 101a are located, thereby helping to increase the number of ions that pass through the screening holes 101a and enter the closed space 103.

[0064] In some embodiments, the ion beam blocking device 100 further includes a second insulating member 106, which is annular and disposed between the grounding member 105 and the ion screening member 101. The second insulating member 106 is used to electrically insulate the grounding member 105 from the ion screening member 101, and to keep a certain distance between the grounding member 105 and the ion screening member 101 in the axial direction of each screening hole 101a, and the distance is, for example, greater than or equal to 2 mm and less than or equal to 4 mm.

[0065] The inner diameter of the second insulating member 106 is, for example, greater than the inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion 105a of the grounding member 105. Specifically, the inner diameter of the second insulating member 106 may be equal to the diameter of the circular region. This helps to increase the number of ions that pass through the screening hole 101a and enter the closed space 103. Further, in an embodiment where the ion beam blocking device 100 further includes the first insulating member 104, the inner diameters of the second insulating member 106 and the first insulating member 104 may be the same.

[0066] In some embodiments, in order to facilitate processing, the thicknesses of the ion screening member 101 , the first insulating member 104 , the second insulating member 106 and the ion collecting member 102 may be the same.

[0067] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the ion beam blocking device 100 also includes a connector 107, which is fixedly connected to the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102, and is electrically insulated, so that the two can be fixed. Specifically, an insulating layer 107b can be provided between the connector 107 and the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102 to achieve electrical insulation. Further, in an embodiment in which the ion beam blocking device 100 includes a grounding element 105, a second insulating element 106, an ion screening element 101, a first insulating element 104 and an ion collecting element 102 that are sequentially connected along the direction of ion movement, the above-mentioned connector 107 fixedly connects these components and is electrically insulated by the insulating layer 107b. The specific connection method is, for example: the connector 107 includes a fixing plate 107a, and at least one first fixing hole 107a1 is provided on the fixing plate 107a corresponding to each of these components; correspondingly, as Figure 4 As shown, at least one second fixing hole 109 is provided on each of these components, and each second fixing hole 109 is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with each first fixing hole 107a1. The ion beam blocking device 100 further includes a plurality of fixing screws (not shown in the figure), each fixing screw passes through each first fixing hole 107a1 and the corresponding second fixing hole 109 in a one-to-one correspondence, so as to fix each of these components to the fixing plate 107a, thereby realizing a fixed connection between these components. Specifically, the first fixing hole 107a1 is, for example, a light hole; and the second fixing hole 109 is, for example, a threaded hole.

[0068] Furthermore, in some embodiments, a positioning groove 110 is formed on the outer circumference of these components. The shape and size of the positioning groove 110 are adapted to the shape and size of the fixing plate 107a. The fixing plate 107a is at least partially located in the positioning groove 110 to define the position of the fixing plate 107a. The shapes of the positioning groove 110 and the fixing plate 107a are both rectangular, for example.

[0069] In some embodiments, the connector 107 includes a connecting body in addition to the fixing plate 107a, and the connecting body is fixedly connected to these components through the fixing plate 107a, and an introduction channel is provided in the connector 107 (including the connecting body and the fixing plate 107a) for introducing cables for applying positive and negative potentials into the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102, respectively, so as to apply positive and negative potentials to the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102, respectively. The cable is used to be electrically connected to at least one DC power supply. In a specific embodiment, as Figure 7 As shown, the connecting body includes an L-shaped plate 107c and a columnar connecting shaft 107d, one end of the L-shaped plate 107c is integrally connected to or fixedly connected with the fixed plate 107a, the columnar connecting shaft 107d is integrally connected to or fixedly connected with a position of the L-shaped plate 107c away from the fixed plate 107a, the L-shaped plate 107c and the columnar connecting shaft 107d are both hollow, and the fixed plate 107a is provided with a connecting hole 107a2 passing through it, the connecting hole 107a2 is connected with the hollow space 107c1 of the L-shaped plate 107c and the hollow space 107d1 of the columnar connecting shaft 107d, forming the above-mentioned introduction channel. After passing through the hollow space 107d1 of the columnar connecting shaft 107d, the cable (not shown) passes through the hollow space 107c1 of the L-shaped plate 107c and the connecting hole 107a2 in the fixing plate 107a in sequence, and is electrically connected to the grounding member 105, the ion screening member 101, and the ion collecting member 102. It is easy to understand that there are multiple cables, which are used to ground the grounding member 105, apply a positive potential to the ion screening member 101, and apply a negative potential to the ion collecting member 102. On this basis, as Figure 1As shown, the columnar connecting shaft 107d is used to penetrate the chamber wall of the process chamber 201, so that the cables outside the process chamber 201 can be introduced into the process chamber 201 through the columnar connecting shaft 107d. Specifically, the columnar connecting shaft 107d can be connected to the driving device 205 through the flange 204. The flange 204 is rotatably penetrated through the chamber wall of the process chamber 201, and the driving device 205 is used to drive the columnar connecting shaft 107d to rotate around its axis through the flange 204, so as to drive the components including the connecting member 107, the connecting member 107, the ion screening member 101 and the ion collecting member 102 to rotate to the blocking position, or move away from the blocking position.

[0070] In some embodiments, Figure 1 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, the ion beam blocking device 100 further includes a protective shell 108, which is used to be arranged on the ion output side of the grid structure 301, and the side of the protective shell 108 facing the grid structure 301 is open to ensure that the ions output from the grid structure 301 can flow into the protective shell 108. The ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102 are arranged inside the protective shell 108; the protective shell 108 is used to prevent the components inside it (including but not limited to the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102) from contacting the chamber wall of the process chamber 201 during the process of leaving the blocking position. The above-mentioned connecting member 107 is arranged through the protective shell 108. Specifically, a plurality of third fixing holes 108a can be set at the positions corresponding to the fixing plates 107a of the protective shell 108, and each third fixing hole 108a is set one-to-one correspondingly to each first fixing hole 107a1, and each fixing screw passes through each third fixing hole 108a, the corresponding first fixing hole 107a1 and the corresponding second fixing hole 109 one-to-one to fix and connect each of these components, the fixing plate 107a and the protective shell 108.

[0071] To summarize, the ion beam blocking device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention is used to guide ions through the screening hole 101a of the ion screening element 101 into the closed space 103 and move toward the ion collecting element 102 to be finally absorbed by the ion collecting element 102 when the ion beam is not stable and positive potential and negative potential are applied to the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102 respectively by utilizing the electric field formed in the closed space 103 formed between the ion screening element 101 and the ion collecting element 102. The direction of the electric field lines is from the ion screening element 101 to the ion collecting element 102, and the ions can be accelerated, so that most of the ions entering the closed space 103 can be directly absorbed by the negatively charged ion collecting element 102. A small number of particles or ions that have undergone secondary sputtering are difficult to flow back through the screening holes 101a to the surface of the grid structure 301 due to the obstruction of the electric field in the closed space 103, thereby effectively reducing the number of particles or ions deposited on the surface of the grid structure 301, thereby improving the life of the grid structure 301, effectively solving the efficiency and cost issues brought about by replacing the grid structure 301, and improving the life and process performance of the semiconductor process equipment 200.

[0072] As another technical solution, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a semiconductor process equipment 200, which is, for example, an ion beam etching (IBE) equipment. The equipment has been described in detail in the above embodiment and will not be described again here.

[0073] The semiconductor process equipment 200 provided by the embodiment of the present invention can effectively reduce the number of particles or ions deposited on the surface of the grid structure 301 by adopting the above-mentioned ion beam blocking device 100 provided by the embodiment of the present invention, thereby improving the life of the grid structure 301, effectively solving the efficiency and cost problems caused by replacing the grid structure 301, and improving the life and process performance of the semiconductor process equipment 200.

[0074] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ion beam blocking device, applied to semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: The invention comprises an ion screening element and an ion collecting element which are sequentially arranged along the ion movement direction and are electrically insulated from each other; a closed space is formed between the ion screening element and the ion collecting element, the ion screening element has a plurality of screening holes for ions to pass through, and the screening holes are connected to the closed space; When positive potential and negative potential are applied to the ion screening element and the ion collecting element respectively, the electric field formed in the closed space can guide ions to pass through the screening hole into the closed space and move toward the ion collecting element.

2. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The potential applied to the ion screening element is a first potential, and the positive potential applied to the first grid in the grid structure of the semiconductor process equipment is a second potential; The first potential is lower than the second potential.

3. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first potential is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the second potential and less than or equal to 0.9 times the second potential.

4. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The absolute value of the potential applied to the ion screening element is a first potential, and the absolute value of the negative potential applied to the ion collecting element is a third potential; the third potential is greater than or equal to 0.3 times the first potential and less than or equal to 1 times the first potential.

5. The ion beam blocking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The percentage of the sum of the radial cross-sectional areas of all the screening holes to the total surface area of ​​the ion screening element is greater than or equal to 60% and less than or equal to 90%.

6. The ion beam blocking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The surface of the ion collecting element exposed to the closed space is an arc-shaped concave surface, and the arc-shaped concave surface is recessed in a direction away from the ion screening element.

7. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a first insulating member, which is annular and disposed between the ion screening member and the ion collecting member; The closed space is formed by surfaces of the ion screening element and the ion collecting element facing each other and an inner peripheral surface of the first insulating element.

8. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The arc-shaped concave surface is coplanar with the inner circumferential surface of the first insulating member.

9. The ion beam blocking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a grounding member, which is in a ring shape and is arranged on a side of the ion screening member away from the ion collecting member and is electrically insulated from the ion screening member.

10. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 9, characterized in that: An inner peripheral portion of the grounding member protrudes toward an axis of the grounding member relative to an edge of a surface of the ion screening member exposed to the closed space.

11. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The screening holes are distributed in a circular area with the center of the surface of the ion screening element exposed to the closed space as the center of the circle; The inner diameter of the inner peripheral portion of the grounding member is equal to the diameter of the circular area.

12. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The inner diameter of the grounding member is greater than the diameter of the grid structure of the semiconductor process equipment.

13. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The invention also comprises a second insulating member, which is ring-shaped and arranged between the grounding member and the ion screening member.

14. The ion beam blocking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: It also includes a connecting member, which is fixedly connected to the ion screening member and the ion collecting member and is electrically insulated; The connecting member is provided with an introduction channel for introducing cables for applying the positive potential and the negative potential into the ion screening member and the ion collecting member respectively.

15. The ion beam blocking device according to claim 14, characterized in that: Also included is a protective shell, the protective shell is used to be arranged on the ion output side of the grid structure of the semiconductor process equipment, and the side of the protective shell facing the grid structure is open; The ion screening component and the ion collecting component are arranged inside the protective shell; and the connecting component is arranged to penetrate the protective shell.

16. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that: include: a process chamber having an opening; A carrier, disposed in the process chamber and having a carrying surface opposite to the opening and used for carrying a wafer; An ion source is disposed outside the process chamber and includes a plasma generating device and a grid structure for extracting ions in the plasma, wherein a side of the grid structure for outputting ions is opposite to the opening; The ion beam blocking device as described in any one of claims 1 to 15 can be movably arranged in the process chamber, and can be located in a blocking position between the opening and the carrying surface, or moved away from the blocking position.

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