Thin film deposition device and method

Abstract

The invention provides a thin film deposition device and method. A thin film deposition apparatus includes: a gas source for providing at least one gas required by a thin film deposition process; the process chamber is used for accommodating a semiconductor device to be processed and depositing a thin film on the surface of the semiconductor device through the at least one gas; and the flow stabilizing module is positioned between the air source and the process chamber and comprises an air chamber, a magnet stator and a spiral blade rotor. By adopting the flow stabilizing module, the pressure of the output end of the valve can be controlled to be constant, so that the flow rate and / or the pressure of reaction gas flowing into the process chamber are / is kept constant, and the film deposition quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] During the coating process of semiconductor coating equipment, the reaction time of the gas is usually short. Especially in the atomic layer deposition process, in order to ensure the accuracy of the gas flow, a filling tank is usually designed next to the process chamber to store a gas source of a certain pressure, and an atomic layer deposition valve is used to control the gas flow. However, when the atomic layer deposition valve is opened or closed, as conditions such as flow rate / gas flow time change, the amount of gas flowing into the process chamber changes dynamically, resulting in the gas pressure entering the process chamber cannot remain stable.

[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the art is in urgent need of a thin film deposition technology for controlling the pressure at the valve output end to be constant, so as to keep the flow rate and / or pressure of the reaction gas flowing into the process chamber constant, so as to improve the quality of thin film deposition. Summary of the invention

[0004] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the art is in urgent need of a thin film deposition device and a thin film deposition method for controlling the pressure at the valve output end to be constant, so as to keep the flow rate and / or pressure of the reaction gas flowing into the process chamber constant, so as to improve the quality of thin film deposition.

[0006] Specifically, the thin film deposition device provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a gas source, used to provide at least one gas required for the thin film deposition process; a process chamber, used to accommodate the semiconductor device to be processed, and deposit a thin film on the surface of the semiconductor device through the at least one gas; and a flow stabilization module, located between the gas source and the process chamber, and including an air chamber, a magnetic stator and a spiral blade rotor, wherein the magnetic stator surrounds the side wall of the air chamber, and the spiral blade rotor is suspended inside the air chamber under the magnetic force of the magnetic stator, and rotates when the output air pressure of the air chamber is less than the preset target air pressure, so as to push the remaining gas in the air chamber to the air outlet end of the air chamber to compensate for the output air pressure.

[0007] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the thin film deposition device also includes a controller, which is configured to: pre-charge the gas pressure in the gas chamber to a target gas pressure via the gas source before providing the gas to the process chamber; detect the output gas pressure of the gas chamber during the process of providing the gas to the process chamber; and in response to the output gas pressure being less than the target gas pressure, provide an alternating voltage to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate, thereby pushing the remaining gas in the gas chamber to the gas outlet to compensate for the output gas pressure.

[0008] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the step of providing an alternating voltage to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate includes: determining the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure; determining a target frequency of the alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator based on the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure; and providing the alternating voltage of the target frequency to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate at a corresponding target speed.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the step of determining the target frequency of the alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator based on the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure includes: performing a PID operation based on the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure to determine the target frequency of the alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the current stabilization module also includes an angle sensor, and the step of providing an alternating voltage to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate includes: in the process of providing the alternating voltage to the magnet stator, detecting in real time via the angle sensor an actual rotation angle of the spiral blade rotor compared to an original position; and performing negative feedback control on the alternating voltage based on the difference between the actual rotation angle and the corresponding target rotation angle.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the thin film deposition device also includes: a valve located between the gas outlet end of the flow stabilizing module and the gas inlet end of the process chamber, which connects the gas outlet end of the flow stabilizing module to the gas inlet end of the process chamber after the gas pressure in the gas chamber is pre-charged to the target gas pressure, so as to output the gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively; and a pressure gauge located between the gas outlet end of the flow stabilizing module and the valve, so as to detect the output gas pressure of the gas chamber.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the valve is a switching valve, and the thin film deposition device also includes an exhaust pipe, wherein the valve connects the gas outlet end of the flow stabilization module to the exhaust pipe before the air pressure in the air chamber is pre-charged to the target air pressure, and switches the gas outlet end of the flow stabilization module to the gas inlet end of the process chamber after the air pressure in the air chamber is pre-charged to the target air pressure, so as to output the gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the gas source continuously inflates the gas chamber of the flow stabilization module at a smaller first flow rate, and the flow stabilization module outputs the gas to the process chamber at a larger second flow rate in a constant, quantitative and intermittent manner according to the gas supply demand of the thin film deposition process.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the gas source provides at least two reaction gases and at least one purge gas to the process chamber, and the thin film deposition device includes at least two of the flow stabilization modules, wherein the first flow stabilization module is located between the gas source and the process chamber, and is used to output the first reaction gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively at a corresponding third flow rate according to the gas supply demand of the thin film deposition process, and the gas source outputs the purge gas to the process chamber after the first flow stabilization module stops outputting the first reaction gas to the process chamber, and the second flow stabilization module is also located between the gas source and the process chamber, and is used to output the second reaction gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively at a corresponding fourth flow rate according to the gas supply demand of the thin film deposition process after the gas source stops outputting the purge gas to the process chamber.

[0015] In addition, the thin film deposition method provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: placing the semiconductor device to be processed into a process chamber of a thin film deposition device as described in any one of the first aspects of the present invention; pre-charging the gas pressure in the gas chamber of the flow stabilization module of the thin film deposition device to a target gas pressure via the gas source of the thin film deposition device; providing the gas to the process chamber via the flow stabilization module according to the gas supply requirement of the thin film deposition process, and detecting the output gas pressure of the gas chamber; and in response to the output gas pressure being less than the target gas pressure, providing an alternating voltage to the magnet stator of the flow stabilization module to drive its spiral blade rotor to rotate, thereby pushing the remaining gas in the gas chamber to the gas outlet to compensate for the output gas pressure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a flow stabilization module provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of a thin film deposition method provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Reference numerals:

[0020] 10. Flow stabilization module

[0021] 11 Air Chamber

[0022] 12 Magnet stator

[0023] 13 Helical blade rotor

[0024] 14 Pressure gauge

[0025] 15 Air outlet

[0026] 16 Shield DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the implementation is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0028] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" 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 it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0029] In addition, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal" and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the directions shown in the paragraph and the related drawings. Such relative terms are only used for the convenience of description and do not mean that the device described therein must be manufactured or operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0030] It is understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers and / or parts, these components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer and / or part discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] As mentioned above, during the coating process of semiconductor coating equipment, the reaction time of the gas is usually short. Especially in the atomic layer deposition process, in order to ensure the accuracy of the gas flow, a filling tank is usually designed next to the process chamber to store a gas source of a certain pressure, and an atomic layer deposition valve is used to control the gas flow. However, when the atomic layer deposition valve is opened or closed, as conditions such as flow rate / gas flow time change, the amount of gas flowing into the process chamber changes dynamically, resulting in the gas pressure entering the process chamber cannot remain stable.

[0032] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the art is in urgent need of a thin film deposition device and a thin film deposition method for controlling the pressure at the valve output end to be constant, so as to keep the flow rate and / or pressure of the reaction gas flowing into the process chamber constant, so as to improve the quality of thin film deposition.

[0033] In some non-limiting embodiments, the thin film deposition method provided in the second aspect of the present invention can be implemented based on the thin film deposition device provided in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a flow stabilization module provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the thin film deposition device includes a gas source, a process chamber, and a flow stabilization module 10. The gas source is used to provide at least one gas required for the thin film deposition process. The process chamber is used to accommodate the semiconductor device to be processed, and deposit a thin film on the surface of the semiconductor device through at least one gas. The flow stabilization module 10 is located between the gas source and the process chamber, and includes a gas chamber 11, a magnet stator 12, and a spiral blade rotor 13.

[0036] Furthermore, the magnetic stator 12 surrounds the side wall of the air chamber 11, and the spiral blade rotor 13 is suspended inside the air chamber 11 under the magnetic force of the magnetic stator 12, and rotates when the output air pressure of the air chamber 11 is lower than the preset target air pressure, so as to push the remaining gas in the air chamber 11 to the air outlet 15 of the air chamber 11 to compensate for the output air pressure.

[0037] In some embodiments, the thin film deposition apparatus may further include a shield 16 for surrounding the magnet stator 12 to prevent external collision from causing displacement and / or changes in the magnetic field.

[0038] Further, the controller is configured to: pre-charge the gas pressure in the gas chamber 11 to the target gas pressure via the gas source before supplying gas to the process chamber; detect the output gas pressure of the gas chamber 11 during the process of supplying gas to the process chamber; and provide an alternating voltage to the magnet stator 12 in response to the output gas pressure being less than the target gas pressure to drive the spiral blade rotor 13 to rotate, thereby pushing the remaining gas in the gas chamber 11 to the gas outlet 15 to compensate for the output gas pressure.

[0039] In addition, the thin film deposition device further includes a valve and a pressure gauge 14. The valve is located between the gas outlet 15 of the flow stabilizing module 10 and the gas inlet of the process chamber. After the gas pressure in the gas chamber 11 is pre-charged to the target pressure, the gas outlet 15 of the flow stabilizing module 10 is connected to the gas inlet of the process chamber to output gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively. The pressure gauge 14 is located between the gas outlet 15 of the flow stabilizing module 10 and the valve to detect the output gas pressure of the gas chamber 11.

[0040] In some embodiments, the valve is a switching valve, and the thin film deposition apparatus further includes an exhaust pipe, which is used to effectively avoid the process of gradual flow change caused by the slow opening of the valve, further improve the stability of the gas flow, thereby improving the control accuracy of the supply amount of the process gas, and improving the film deposition accuracy. Specifically, before the air pressure in the air chamber 11 is pre-charged to the target air pressure, the valve connects the outlet end 15 of the flow stabilization module 10 to the exhaust pipe, and after the air pressure in the air chamber 11 is pre-charged to the target air pressure, the outlet end 15 of the flow stabilization module 10 is switched to the inlet end of the process chamber, so as to output gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively.

[0041] In some embodiments, the exhaust duct may be served by an exhaust gas extraction and exhaust mechanism of the process chamber.

[0042] The working principle of the above-mentioned thin film deposition device will be described below in conjunction with some embodiments of the thin film deposition method. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments of the thin film deposition method are only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the present invention, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit all functions or all working modes of the thin film deposition device. Similarly, the thin film deposition device is also only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the present invention, and does not constitute a limitation on the execution subject or execution order of each step in these thin film deposition methods.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of a thin film deposition method provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the controller may first execute step S1: placing the semiconductor device to be processed into a process chamber of the thin film deposition device.

[0045] Then, the controller may execute step S2: pre-charge the gas pressure in the gas chamber 11 of the flow stabilizing module 10 of the thin film deposition device to the target gas pressure via the gas source of the thin film deposition device.

[0046] Thereafter, the controller may execute step S3 : according to the gas supply requirement of the thin film deposition process, supply gas to the process chamber via the flow stabilization module 10 , and detect the output gas pressure of the gas chamber 11 .

[0047] Finally, the controller can execute step S4: in response to the output air pressure being less than the target air pressure, an alternating voltage is provided to the magnet stator 12 of the flow stabilization module 10 to drive its spiral blade rotor 13 to rotate, thereby pushing the remaining gas in the air chamber 11 to the air outlet 15 to compensate for the output air pressure.

[0048] Specifically, the controller may first execute step S4.1: determining a difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure.

[0049] Then, the controller may execute step S4.2: determining a target frequency of the alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator 12 according to the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure.

[0050] Here, the thin film deposition device can perform PID operation according to the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure to determine the target frequency of the alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator 12, thereby further improving the air flow stability. Specifically, this method can not only adjust and compensate in rapid response to the change of the output air pressure, but also reduce the repeated oscillation of the output air pressure and reduce the overshoot caused by the adjustment compensation.

[0051] Optionally, the thin film deposition device can also adjust the target gas pressure by only performing linear negative feedback according to the difference between the target gas pressure and the output gas pressure, thereby reducing the complexity of the device and improving the maintainability of the device.

[0052] Finally, the controller may execute step S4.3: providing an alternating voltage of a target frequency to the magnet stator 12 to drive the helical blade rotor 13 to rotate at a corresponding target rotation speed.

[0053] Specifically, the current stabilization module 10 also includes an angle sensor. When the controller provides an alternating voltage to the magnet stator 12, the actual rotation angle of the spiral blade rotor 13 compared to an original position is detected in real time via the angle sensor. And according to the difference between the actual rotation angle and the corresponding target rotation angle, the alternating voltage is negatively feedback controlled. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the negative feedback control is only a non-limiting implementation method. The controller can also preferably perform a difference correction operation through a PID algorithm.

[0054] In some embodiments, the gas source can continuously inflate the gas chamber 11 of the flow stabilization module 10 at a relatively small first flow rate (e.g., 10-5000 sccm). The flow stabilization module 10 can output gas to the process chamber at a relatively large second flow rate (e.g., the peak of the pulse waveform) at a constant flow, quantitatively, and intermittently according to the gas supply requirements of the thin film deposition process.

[0055] Optionally, the gas source can also inflate the gas chamber 11 in a constant pressure inflation manner. For example, a pressure gauge is used to monitor the gas pressure, and the gas flow rate is gradually adjusted through a regulating valve on the pipeline, so as to continuously inflate the gas chamber 11 of the flow stabilization module 10 .

[0056] In some embodiments, the gas source provides at least two reaction gases and at least one purge gas to the process chamber, and the thin film deposition apparatus includes at least two flow stabilization modules 10. Here, the first flow stabilization module 10 is located between the gas source and the process chamber, and is used to output the first reaction gas (for example, any one of NH3, TiCl4, H2O, O2 and O3) to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitative rate according to the gas supply demand of the thin film deposition process at a corresponding third flow rate. The gas source outputs the purge gas to the process chamber after the first flow stabilization module 10 stops outputting the first reaction gas to the process chamber. Here, the purge gas can be selected from at least one of He, Ne, Ar, N2, and H2 that does not react with the two reaction gases according to the actual thin film deposition process. The second flow stabilization module 10 is also located between the gas source and the process chamber, and is used to output the second reaction gas (for example, HF, NF3, H2 and TEOS) to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitative rate according to the gas supply demand of the thin film deposition process after the gas source stops outputting the purge gas to the process chamber.

[0057] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of actions for simplicity of explanation, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, because according to one or more embodiments, some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art.

[0058] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A thin film deposition device, characterized in that: include: A gas source, used to provide at least one gas required for a thin film deposition process; A process chamber, for accommodating a semiconductor device to be processed, and depositing a thin film on a surface of the semiconductor device via the at least one gas; as well as The flow stabilization module is located between the gas source and the process chamber, and includes an air chamber, a magnetic stator and a spiral blade rotor, wherein the magnetic stator surrounds the side wall of the air chamber, and the spiral blade rotor is suspended inside the air chamber under the magnetic force of the magnetic stator, and rotates when the output air pressure of the air chamber is less than a preset target air pressure to push the remaining gas in the air chamber to the air outlet end of the air chamber to compensate for the output air pressure.

2. The thin film deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thin film deposition device also includes a controller configured to: Before supplying the gas to the process chamber, pre-charging the gas pressure in the gas chamber to a target gas pressure via the gas source; In the process of providing the gas to the process chamber, detecting the output gas pressure of the gas chamber; as well as In response to the output gas pressure being lower than the target gas pressure, an alternating voltage is provided to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate, thereby pushing the remaining gas in the gas chamber toward the gas outlet to compensate for the output gas pressure.

3. The thin film deposition device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of providing an alternating voltage to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate comprises: determining a difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure; determining a target frequency of an alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator according to a difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure; and The alternating voltage of the target frequency is supplied to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate at a corresponding target rotation speed.

4. The thin film deposition device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The step of determining the target frequency of the alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator according to the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure comprises: A PID operation is performed according to the difference between the target air pressure and the output air pressure to determine the target frequency of the alternating voltage provided to the magnet stator.

5. The thin film deposition device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The current stabilization module also includes an angle sensor, and the step of providing an alternating voltage to the magnet stator to drive the spiral blade rotor to rotate includes: In the process of providing the alternating voltage to the magnet stator, the actual rotation angle of the spiral blade rotor compared to an original position is detected in real time via the angle sensor; and According to the difference between the actual rotation angle and the corresponding target rotation angle, negative feedback control is performed on the alternating voltage.

6. The thin film deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: a valve, located between the gas outlet of the flow stabilizing module and the gas inlet of the process chamber, which connects the gas outlet of the flow stabilizing module to the gas inlet of the process chamber after the gas pressure in the gas chamber is pre-charged to the target gas pressure, so as to output the gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and in a quantitative manner; as well as A pressure gauge is located between the gas outlet of the flow stabilization module and the valve to detect the output gas pressure of the gas chamber.

7. The thin film deposition device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The valve is a switching valve, and the thin film deposition device also includes an exhaust pipe, wherein: The valve connects the gas outlet of the flow stabilizing module to the exhaust pipe before the gas pressure in the gas chamber is pre-charged to the target gas pressure, and switches the gas outlet of the flow stabilizing module to the gas inlet of the process chamber after the gas pressure in the gas chamber is pre-charged to the target gas pressure, so as to output the gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and in a quantitative manner.

8. The thin film deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas source continuously inflates the gas chamber of the flow stabilizing module at a smaller first flow rate, The flow stabilization module outputs the gas to the process chamber at a constant flow, quantitatively and intermittently at a larger second flow rate according to the gas supply demand of the thin film deposition process.

9. The thin film deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas source provides at least two reaction gases and at least one purge gas to the process chamber, and the thin film deposition device includes at least two flow stabilization modules, wherein: The first flow stabilization module is located between the gas source and the process chamber, and is used to output the first reaction gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively at a corresponding third flow rate according to the gas supply demand of the thin film deposition process. The gas source outputs the purge gas to the process chamber after the first flow stabilizing module stops outputting the first reaction gas to the process chamber. The second flow stabilization module is also located between the gas source and the process chamber, and is used to output the second reaction gas to the process chamber at a constant flow and quantitatively at a corresponding fourth flow rate according to the gas supply requirements of the thin film deposition process after the gas source stops outputting the purge gas to the process chamber.

10. A thin film deposition method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: placing a semiconductor device to be processed into a process chamber of a thin film deposition device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9; Pre-charging the air pressure in the air chamber of the flow stabilization module of the thin film deposition device to the target air pressure via the air source of the thin film deposition device; According to the gas supply requirement of the thin film deposition process, the gas is provided to the process chamber via the flow stabilization module, and the output gas pressure of the gas chamber is detected; as well as In response to the output air pressure being lower than the target air pressure, an alternating voltage is provided to the magnet stator of the flow stabilization module to drive the spiral blade rotor thereof to rotate, thereby pushing the remaining gas in the air chamber toward the air outlet to compensate for the output air pressure.

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