Reaction chamber and vapor deposition equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a reaction chamber and vapor deposition equipment, the reaction chamber comprises a wafer transfer port, a profiling gate valve assembly and a driving assembly, the wafer transfer port is arranged on the side wall of the reaction chamber and is communicated with the reaction chamber; the profiling gate valve assembly is arranged below the wafer conveying opening, the driving assembly is used for driving the profiling gate valve assembly to ascend so as to seal the wafer conveying opening, and the shape of the profiling gate valve assembly is matched with that of the wafer conveying opening. The profiling gate valve assembly is arranged below the wafer conveying opening, the shape of the profiling gate valve assembly is matched with that of the wafer conveying opening, the profiling gate valve assembly is driven by the driving assembly to ascend to conduct profiling sealing on the wafer conveying opening, the size of the reaction cavity is reduced, the plasma flux is larger, and the deposition / sputtering rate is increased; and meanwhile, the inner wall of the chamber is kept in a regular shape by closing the wafer conveying opening, and the plasma is limited in the central area during the process, so that the shape of the plasma can be effectively prevented from inclining during the process, and the deposition or sputtering / etching in the chamber is more uniform.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and more specifically, relates to a reaction chamber and a vapor deposition device. Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor vapor deposition equipment usually includes the following parts: Wafer front-end transfer equipment (EFEM, Equipment Front End Module), which is the interface between the factory / wafer and the equipment. In a high-clean environment, the EFEM transfers a single wafer to the wafer aligner through a robot; a loading device (Loadlock), which converts the wafer environment from the atmosphere to a vacuum state, and after the conversion, transfers the wafer to the transfer buffer chamber (TransferModule). The robot of the transfer buffer chamber is responsible for transferring the wafer to the reaction chamber (Process Module) and back from the reaction chamber to complete the deposition of various films in the reaction chamber. Different chambers are connected and isolated by a slit valve, in which there is a slit valve between the transfer buffer chamber and the reaction chamber. The gate valve is opened when the wafer is taken and sent, and the gate valve remains closed when the process is in progress or idle to isolate the transfer buffer chamber from the reaction chamber to prevent the transfer buffer chamber from being exposed to plasma and chemical byproducts. Therefore, there will be an opening (film transfer port) at the gate valve position of the reaction chamber, which serves as a transfer channel so that the robot arm can enter and exit the reaction chamber to transfer wafers. Usually, the thickness of the reaction chamber wall is about 90 mm, which provides sufficient chamber wall for the process in the chamber. However, when the gate valve is closed, space for the film transfer port will be left in the reaction chamber, which is equivalent to increasing the volume of the reaction chamber and making the reaction chamber irregular. When the process is carried out in the reaction chamber, the plasma will extend into the film transfer port space, resulting in a decrease in the plasma flux on the wafer base near the film transfer port, and a decrease in the deposition or sputtering / etching rate in this area; at the same time, it will cause the plasma adjacent to the film transfer port to tilt, making the deposition or sputtering / etching in this area uneven. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a reaction chamber and a vapor deposition device, which aims to solve the technical problem that when a process is carried out in the reaction chamber in the prior art, due to the presence of a film transfer port at the gate valve position, the plasma will extend into the film transfer port space, resulting in a decrease in the plasma flux on the wafer base near the film transfer port, and a decrease in the deposition or sputtering / etching rate in this area; at the same time, it will cause the plasma adjacent to the film transfer port to tilt, resulting in uneven deposition or sputtering / etching in this area.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to one aspect of the present invention, a reaction chamber is provided, comprising a film transmission port, a contoured gate valve assembly and a driving assembly, wherein the film transmission port is arranged on the side wall of the reaction chamber and is communicated with the reaction chamber; the contoured gate valve assembly is arranged below the film transmission port, and the driving assembly is used to drive the contoured gate valve assembly to rise to close the film transmission port, and the shape of the contoured gate valve assembly is consistent with the shape of the film transmission port.

[0005] Optionally, the contoured gate valve assembly includes a lifting platform and a sealing plate, and the lifting platform and the sealing plate respectively have contoured surfaces matching the inner wall of the reaction chamber facing the reaction chamber; the driving assembly includes a lifting platform lifting mechanism and a sealing plate lifting mechanism, and the lifting platform lifting mechanism is used to drive the lifting platform to rise to a preset position to enclose the film transmission port to form a first opening; the sealing plate lifting mechanism is used to drive the sealing plate to rise to close the first opening.

[0006] Optionally, the contoured surfaces of the lifting platform and the sealing plate are arc-shaped respectively.

[0007] Optionally, a base is provided in the reaction chamber, the base is used to support the wafer, and the base is connected to the lifting platform; the sealing plate is an elastic structure, and the sealing plate can be compressed along the rising direction of the lifting platform.

[0008] Optionally, the sealing plate includes an upper plate, a lower plate, an accordion-type telescopic cover and a spring, wherein two ends of the accordion-type telescopic cover are respectively connected to the upper plate and the lower plate, the spring is arranged in the accordion-type telescopic cover, and two ends of the spring are respectively connected to the upper plate and the lower plate.

[0009] Optionally, the number of springs is two.

[0010] Optionally, the lifting platform is slidably connected to the inner wall of the film transmission port through a linear module.

[0011] Optionally, the sealing plate lifting mechanism includes a slider, a connecting rod and a cylinder, the connecting rod is respectively connected to the sealing plate and the slider, the telescopic end of the cylinder is connected to the slider, and the slider is slidably connected to the lifting platform.

[0012] Optionally, a guide groove is provided on the lifting platform, and the sliding block is arranged in the guide groove.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vapor deposition device is provided, comprising the above-mentioned reaction chamber.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the reaction chamber and vapor deposition equipment provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects: By arranging a contoured gate valve assembly below the film conveying port, since the shape of the contoured gate valve assembly is consistent with the shape of the film conveying port, the contoured gate valve assembly is driven by the driving assembly to rise to contour-seal the film conveying port, thereby reducing the volume of the reaction chamber, making the plasma flux larger, and achieving an increase in the deposition / sputtering rate; at the same time, the film conveying port is closed to keep the inner wall of the chamber in a regular shape, and the plasma is confined to the central area during the process, which can effectively prevent the plasma shape from tilting during the process, and make the deposition or sputtering / etching in the chamber more uniform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a reaction chamber provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a reaction chamber provided by an embodiment of the present invention from another angle; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a reaction chamber in an open state with a film transfer port provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a reaction chamber in a closed state with a film transfer port provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a sealing plate provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a sealing plate provided by an embodiment of the present invention from another angle; Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a sealing plate provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The reference numerals in the above drawings are as follows: 10. Film transfer port; 11. Reaction chamber; 12. Lifting platform; 13. Closing plate; 131. Upper plate; 132. Lower plate; 133. Organ-type telescopic cover; 134. Spring; 14. Base; 15. Slider; 16. Connecting rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying 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 invention.

[0020] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0021] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral 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. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in an embodiment of the present invention, a reaction chamber is provided, including a film conveying port 10, a profile gate valve assembly and a driving assembly. The film conveying port 10 is arranged on the side wall of the reaction chamber 11 and is connected to the reaction chamber 11; the profile gate valve assembly is arranged below the film conveying port 10, and the driving assembly is used to drive the profile gate valve assembly to rise to close the film conveying port 10, and the shape of the profile gate valve assembly is consistent with the shape of the film conveying port 10. Among them, the reaction chamber 11 and the ceramic dome (not shown in the figure) and the chamber cover (not shown in the figure) arranged on the upper part thereof form a sealed process space, and the deposition, sputtering / etching and other process processes are completed in the space. Taking a reaction chamber of a vapor deposition device as an example for explanation, the reaction chamber 11 is cylindrical, and a film conveying port 10 connected to the external space is opened on its inner side wall, and the film conveying port 10 is used to transfer wafers into or out of the reaction chamber 11. Before the process is carried out, the robot delivers the wafer to the process position in the reaction chamber 11 through the wafer transfer port 10. After the wafer is placed, the robot moves out of the reaction chamber 11. At this time, the driving component drives the contoured gate valve component to rise until the wafer transfer port 10 is closed.

[0024] By applying the above technical solution of the present invention, a contoured gate valve assembly is arranged below the film conveying port 10. Since the shape of the contoured gate valve assembly matches the shape of the film conveying port, the contoured gate valve assembly is driven to rise by the driving assembly to contour-seal the film conveying port 10, thereby reducing the volume of the reaction chamber 11, making the plasma flux larger, and achieving an increase in the deposition / sputtering rate; at the same time, the film conveying port 10 is closed to keep the inner wall of the chamber in a regular shape, and the plasma will be confined to the central area during the process, which can effectively prevent the plasma shape from tilting during the process, and make the deposition or sputtering / etching in the chamber more uniform.

[0025] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the contoured gate valve assembly includes a lifting platform 12 and a sealing plate 13, and the lifting platform 12 and the sealing plate 13 respectively have contoured surfaces that are adapted to the inner wall of the reaction chamber 11 and face the reaction chamber 11; the driving assembly includes a lifting platform lifting mechanism and a sealing plate lifting mechanism, and the lifting platform lifting mechanism is used to drive the lifting platform 12 to rise to a preset position to enclose with the film transmission port 10 to form a first opening; the sealing plate lifting mechanism is used to drive the sealing plate 13 to rise to close the first opening. The contoured surface is used to imitate the shape of the inner wall of the reaction chamber 11. Figure 3As shown, the film transmission port 10 is in an open state, the lifting platform 12 and the sealing plate 13 are both in a low position, and the lifting platform 12 is driven to rise a certain distance to a preset position by the lifting platform lifting mechanism, so that the lifting platform 12 and the top of the film transmission port 10 are separated by a certain distance to form a first opening, and then the sealing plate 13 is driven to rise by the sealing plate lifting mechanism until the first opening is closed. At this time, the lifting platform 12 and the sealing plate 13 are both in a high position, and the lifting platform 12 and the sealing plate 13 will contour-seal the inner wall of the reaction chamber 11, and the reaction chamber 11 is a complete cylinder, and the film transmission port 10 is in a closed state, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 shown.

[0026] See also Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the contoured surfaces of the lifting platform 12 and the sealing plate 13 are arc-shaped. The reaction chamber 11 is cylindrical as a whole, and its inner wall is arc-shaped. By designing the contoured surfaces of the lifting platform 12 and the sealing plate 13 to be arc-shaped, when the film transfer port 10 is closed, the lifting platform 12, the sealing plate 13 and the inner wall of the reaction chamber 11 form a regular shape, which solves the problem that the plasma flux is reduced and tilted due to the existence of the film transfer port, and the deposition or sputtering / etching rate in this area is reduced and uneven. Compared with the existence of the film transfer port 10, after the film transfer port 10 is sealed with an aluminum alloy plate, the sputtering rate (Sputter Rate) increases by 290%, and the sputtering rate non-uniformity (Sputter Rate NU%) is optimized by 49%, see Table 1 for details.

[0027]

[0028] Table 1 See also Figures 1 to 4 As shown, in some embodiments, a pedestal 14 is provided in the reaction chamber 11, and the pedestal 14 is used to carry the wafer, and the pedestal 14 is connected to the lifting platform 12; the sealing plate 13 is an elastic structure, and the sealing plate 13 can be compressed along the rising direction of the lifting platform 12. Since the sealing plate 13 is an elastic structure, when subjected to external force, the sealing plate 13 can stretch or shrink to change the height of the sealing plate 13. When the film transmission port 10 is in a closed state, the lifting platform 12 is continuously driven to move upward to compress the sealing plate 13, so that the volume of the chamber above the pedestal 14 is reduced, thereby increasing the deposition / sputtering rate. It can be understood that since the pedestal 14 is connected to the lifting platform 12, the pedestal 14 and the lifting platform 12 can be raised and lowered at the same time, and the sealing plate 13 is an elastic structure with adjustable height, and the pedestal 14 and the lifting platform 12 can further rise or fall according to the process, so as to further change the volume above the pedestal 14, and change the height of the pedestal 14 to adjust the process uniformity.

[0029] In some embodiments, the base 14 is used to carry the wafer, and can adsorb and cool the wafer during the process. The base 14 in the embodiment of the present invention is connected to the lifting platform 12 in the profiling gate valve assembly, and can be lifted and lowered at the same time, and can be linked with the Lift PIN (elevator pin) assembly (not shown in the figure), wherein the Lift PIN assembly is used to lift the wafer or make the wafer fall completely on the base 14 when the wafer is transferred into the reaction chamber. When the profiling gate valve assembly is in the open position (i.e., the wafer transfer port 10 is open), the Lift PIN rises to a high position, and the robot takes and places the wafer; when the profiling gate valve assembly is in the closed position (i.e., the wafer transfer port 10 is closed), the Lift PIN is lowered to a low position, and the reaction chamber 11 is processed, cleaned or idle. The opening and closing of the profiling gate valve assembly is synchronized with the lifting and lowering of the Lift PIN, and there is no need to wait for the Lift PIN to be raised when transferring the wafer, saving time and increasing the output (wafer per hours, WPH).

[0030] See also Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments, the sealing plate 13 includes an upper plate 131, a lower plate 132, an accordion-type telescopic cover 133 and a spring 134, the two ends of the accordion-type telescopic cover 133 are respectively connected to the upper plate 131 and the lower plate 132, the spring 134 is arranged in the accordion-type telescopic cover 133, and the two ends of the spring 134 are respectively connected to the upper plate 131 and the lower plate 132. The outer wall of the accordion-type telescopic cover 133 includes a plurality of foldable units connected, and when subjected to external force, these units can be expanded or contracted, thereby changing the length or coverage of the entire outer wall. The accordion-type telescopic cover 133 has a accommodating space inside for placing the elastic spring 134, so as to provide a more uniform elastic support when adjusting the height. This design can make the lifting height of the lifting platform 12 and the base 14 adjustable when the sealing plate 13 is closed.

[0031] See also Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments, the number of springs 134 is two. Of course, there may be more than two springs 134, and the plurality of springs 134 are evenly distributed along the length direction of the sealing plate 13 to provide even support.

[0032] In some embodiments, the lifting platform 12 is slidably connected to the inner wall of the film transmission port 10 through a linear module (not shown in the figure). Linear modules are respectively arranged on both sides of the lifting platform 12, and each linear module is connected between the inner wall of the film transmission port 10 and the lifting platform 12. The lifting mechanism of the lifting platform can adopt a cylinder, and the lifting platform 12 is lifted and lowered through the cylinder and the linear module.

[0033] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the sealing plate lifting mechanism includes a slider 15, a connecting rod 16 and a cylinder (not shown in the figure), the connecting rod 16 is connected to the sealing plate 13 and the slider 15 respectively, the telescopic end of the cylinder is connected to the slider 15, and the slider 15 is slidably connected to the lifting platform 12. Specifically, the telescopic end of the cylinder drives the slider 15 to move up and down, and the slider 15 drives the sealing plate 13 to move up and down through the connecting rod 16 to close or open the first opening.

[0034] See also Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, a guide groove is provided on the lifting platform 12, and a slider 15 is provided in the guide groove. The slider 15 can move along the guide groove in the guide groove, so as to stably drive the sealing plate 13 to slide relative to the lifting platform 12.

[0035] The present invention further provides a vapor deposition device, comprising the above reaction chamber. It is understandable that the beneficial effects of the above vapor deposition device can be found in the relevant description of the above reaction chamber, which will not be repeated here.

[0036] In summary, the reaction chamber and vapor deposition equipment provided by this embodiment have at least the following beneficial technical effects: (1) By arranging a contoured gate valve assembly below the film conveying port 10, since the shape of the contoured gate valve assembly matches the shape of the film conveying port, the contoured gate valve assembly is driven by the driving assembly to rise to contour-seal the film conveying port 10, thereby reducing the volume of the reaction chamber 11, making the plasma flux larger, and improving the deposition / sputtering rate; at the same time, the film conveying port 10 is closed to keep the inner wall of the chamber in a regular shape, and the plasma is confined to the central area during the process, which can effectively prevent the plasma shape from tilting during the process, so that the deposition or sputtering / etching in the chamber is more uniform; (2) The height of the sealing plate 13 is variable, and the pedestal 14 is connected to the lifting platform 12 and lifted and lowered simultaneously, so that the height of the pedestal 14 can also be adjusted, thereby further adjusting the volume of the dissociation / mixing process gas portion of the cavity above the wafer according to the process results, adjusting the deposition / sputtering rate or improving the uniformity; (3) The present invention is not only applicable to semiconductor vapor deposition equipment, but also applicable to other semiconductor equipment that requires the use of a gate valve to connect the transfer buffer chamber and the reaction chamber 11.

[0037] (4) The present invention has a simple structure, is easy to operate, and can increase production.

[0038] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and only specifically describe the technical principles of the present invention. These descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention and cannot be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention in any way. Based on the explanations here, any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention, and other specific implementations of the present invention that can be associated with by technicians in this field without creative labor, should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A reaction chamber, characterized in that: It includes a film transmission port, a contour gate valve assembly and a driving assembly. The film transmission port is arranged on the side wall of the reaction chamber and is communicated with the reaction chamber. The contour gate valve assembly is arranged below the film transmission port. The driving assembly is used to drive the contour gate valve assembly to rise to close the film transmission port. The shape of the contour gate valve assembly is consistent with the shape of the film transmission port.

2. The reaction chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contoured gate valve assembly comprises a lifting platform and a sealing plate, wherein the lifting platform and the sealing plate respectively have contoured surfaces matching the inner wall of the reaction chamber facing the reaction chamber; The driving assembly includes a lifting platform lifting mechanism and a sealing plate lifting mechanism. The lifting platform lifting mechanism is used to drive the lifting platform to rise to a preset position to enclose the film transmission port to form a first opening; the sealing plate lifting mechanism is used to drive the sealing plate to rise to close the first opening.

3. The reaction chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that: The contoured surfaces of the lifting platform and the sealing plate are respectively arc-shaped.

4. The reaction chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that: A pedestal is provided in the reaction chamber, the pedestal is used to carry the wafer, and the pedestal is connected to the lifting platform; The sealing plate is an elastic structure, and the sealing plate can be compressed along the ascending direction of the lifting platform.

5. The reaction chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sealing plate includes an upper plate, a lower plate, an accordion-type telescopic cover and a spring. The two ends of the accordion-type telescopic cover are respectively connected to the upper plate and the lower plate. The spring is arranged in the accordion-type telescopic cover. The two ends of the spring are respectively connected to the upper plate and the lower plate.

6. The reaction chamber according to claim 5, characterized in that: The number of the springs is two.

7. The reaction chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting platform is slidably connected to the inner side wall of the film transmission port through a linear module.

8. The reaction chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sealing plate lifting mechanism comprises a slider, a connecting rod and a cylinder. The connecting rod is respectively connected to the sealing plate and the slider. The telescopic end of the cylinder is connected to the slider. The slider is slidably connected to the lifting platform.

9. The reaction chamber according to claim 8, characterized in that: The lifting platform is provided with a guide groove, and the sliding block is arranged in the guide groove.

10. A vapor deposition device, characterized in that: Comprising the reaction chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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