Gas injector

Abstract

Gas injectors and apparatuses constructed and arranged to process a plurality of substrates in a processing chamber with such gas injectors may be disclosed. A gas injector may be used to provide a process gas into the process chamber. The gas injector may have a main conduit elongated along a main axis and a feed end at one end configured and arranged to connect to a process gas line of the apparatus. A plurality of auxiliary conduits may be provided, connected to the main conduit through a first end thereof, substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the main conduit, and provided with a vent at a second end thereof to provide process gas into the process chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure may relate to a gas injector and an apparatus constructed and arranged to process a plurality of substrates with such a gas injector. The gas injector may be used to provide a process gas into a process chamber. The gas injector may have a main conduit extending along a main axis and an inlet at one end, the inlet being constructed and arranged to be connected to a process gas line of the apparatus. Background Art

[0002] In processes such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), epitaxy, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD), precursors in gaseous form may be provided to a substrate. These precursors are typically stored in containers or storage vessels from which they are delivered to a processing chamber via a gas injector to react with the substrate. A plasma may be provided to increase the reactivity of the precursors in the processing chamber.

[0003] The ALD manufacturing process typically involves pulsing precursors into a process chamber with a gas injector, allowing them to react with the substrate surface, and then purging the chamber before introducing the next precursor. The concentration throughout the process chamber can be important for the reaction efficiency of the precursor in the process chamber. Summary of the invention

[0004] This summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are further described in detail in the detailed description of the example embodiments disclosed below. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] An object may be to provide a gas injector and apparatus wherein efficiency is improved.

[0006] Therefore, a gas injector may be provided to provide, in use, a process gas into a process chamber of an apparatus constructed and arranged to process a plurality of substrates. The gas injector may include a main conduit extending along a main axis and an inlet at one end, the inlet being constructed and arranged to be connected to a process gas line of the apparatus. A plurality of auxiliary conduits are connected to the main conduit via their first ends, substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the main conduit, and exhaust ports are provided at the second ends of the auxiliary conduits, and process gas may be provided into the process chamber.

[0007] This summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are further described in detail in the detailed description of the example embodiments disclosed below. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] While the specification concludes with claims that particularly point out and distinctly claim what are considered to be the embodiments, advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be more readily ascertained from the description of certain examples of the embodiments of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a gas injector;

[0010] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional bottom view of a gas injector;

[0011] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional side view of a gas injector showing its position relative to a substrate;

[0012] Figure 4 is constructed and arranged to Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view of an apparatus for processing multiple substrates with a gas injector.

[0013] Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional top view of a gas injector showing its relative Figure 4 the position of the substrate in the device; and

[0014] Figure 6 When the gas injector is Figure 4 Schematic cross-sectional top view of a device moving over a substrate.

[0015] It should be understood that the elements in the drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the size of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention and their obvious modifications and equivalents. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should not be limited by the specifically disclosed embodiments described below.

[0017] The illustrations presented herein are not meant to be actual views of any particular material, structure, or device but are merely idealized representations used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] The specific embodiments shown and described are illustrations of the present invention and its best mode and are not intended to limit the scope of these aspects and embodiments in any way. In fact, for the sake of brevity, the traditional manufacturing, connection, preparation and other functional aspects of the system may not be described in detail. In addition, the connecting lines shown in the various figures are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical connections between the various elements. Many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may exist in actual systems, and / or may not exist in some embodiments.

[0019] It should be understood that the configuration and / or method described herein are exemplary in nature, and these specific embodiments or examples should not be considered restrictive, because many variations are possible. The specific routine or method described herein can represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. Therefore, the various actions shown can be performed in the order shown, in other orders, or omitted in some cases.

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a gas injector according to an embodiment. The gas injector 1 can be used to provide a process gas to a process chamber of an apparatus constructed and arranged to process multiple substrates in use. The gas injector 1 may include a main conduit 3 extending along a main axis 4 parallel to the Z axis. The main conduit 3 may include a feed end 7 at one end, which is constructed and arranged to be connected to a process gas pipeline (not shown) of the apparatus.

[0021] The gas injector 1 may include a plurality of auxiliary conduits 5. The auxiliary conduits 5 may be connected to the main conduit 3. The auxiliary conduits may be connected to the main conduit 3 via a first end 9, substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the main conduit. The auxiliary conduits 5 may be provided with exhaust ports 11 at second ends 13 of the auxiliary conduits 5 to provide process gas into the process chamber.

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional bottom view of a gas injector 1 of FIG. 5 , showing the exhaust port 11. The auxiliary conduit 5 may have an arcuate shape 15 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the main conduit 3. The plane may be parallel to the X, Y axes. In use, the plane may correspond to the horizontal plane in which the substrate is positioned in the apparatus. The exhaust port 11 may be located at the bottom surface of the auxiliary conduit 5. In this way, the exhaust port 11 may provide process gas at the top surface of the lower positioned substrate.

[0023] The arcuate shape 15 may form a portion of a substantially circular shape having a radius of between 8 and 22 cm, preferably between 12 and 18 cm, around the first axis 12. The first axis 12 may be substantially parallel to the main axis 4 of the main conduit 3 and extend in the Z direction. The length of the auxiliary conduit 5 from the first end 9 to the second end 13 is between 8 and 22 cm, preferably between 12 and 18 cm. In use, the first axis 12 may correspond to a vertical Z axis of the device, which is perpendicular to the plane in which the substrate is positioned in the device. The first axis 12 may be positioned close to the center of the substrate positioned in the device.

[0024] Back to Figure 1 , the main conduit 3 may have a branch portion 16 connected to a plurality of auxiliary conduits 5. The main conduit 3 may have a non-branched portion 19, which is constructed and arranged to connect the branch portion 16 to the feed end 7. The length of the non-branched portion 19 may be between 10 and 40 cm, preferably 15 to 30 cm.

[0025] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 1, showing its position relative to the substrate 17. As shown, the exhaust port 11 can be located at the bottom surface of the auxiliary conduit 5. In this way, the exhaust port 11 can provide the process gas at the top surface of the lower positioned substrate 17.

[0026] The number of auxiliary conduits 5 may be equal to the number of substrates 17 processed in the process chamber. Although only 13 substrates are shown, the present invention is not limited to this number of substrates. The number of auxiliary conduits 5 may be between 2 and 201, preferably between 25 and 151, and most preferably between 50 and 101.

[0027] A plurality of auxiliary conduits 5 may be spaced apart along the main conduit 3 at substantially the same distance along the main axis. The same distance may be between 0.4 and 5 cm, more preferably between 0.6 and 4 cm, most preferably between 0.8 and 3 cm. A plurality of auxiliary conduits 5 may be arranged along a substantially straight line along the main axis of the main conduit 3.

[0028] Figure 4 is constructed and arranged to process a plurality of substrates and having Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view of an apparatus of a gas injector 1. It shows a process tube 18 defining a process chamber 20. The furnace may include a vertically movable door 22 configured to close a central inlet opening 24 in lower and upper flanges 26. The upper and lower flanges 26 may partially close the open end of the process tube 18. A liner 30 may extend along the process tube 18 to protect the tube.

[0029] The vertically movable door 22 may also be configured to support a wafer boat 28 configured to hold a plurality of substrates 17 supported on a susceptor 32. The wafer boat 28 may have a plurality of boat rails 21. The boat rails 21 may be provided with spaces to form edges to support substrates 17 in the wafer boat 28.

[0030] The vertically movable door 22 may be provided with a drive 27 to allow the wafer boat 28 to be rotated 29 in the process chamber 20. Such rotation may allow improved thermal uniformity of the substrates 17 in the boat 28. Between the drive 27 and the wafer boat 28, a susceptor 32 may be provided with a heater and / or a thermal insulator, which may allow further improved thermal uniformity. The liner 30 may be closed at the upper end, for example having a dome shape, and may be substantially closed to the gas above the inlet opening 24.

[0031] The gas injector 1 may be disposed inside the process chamber 20, extending in a substantially vertical direction, substantially exceeding the height of the wafer boat 28. The liner 30 extending along the process tube 18 may have a radially outwardly extending protrusion 31 to accommodate the gas injector 1.

[0032] The first precursor provided at the feed end 7 of the gas injector 1 may be a sublimated solid metal precursor. The apparatus may be configured to provide the sublimated solid metal precursor from a precursor container to the process chamber.

[0033] The first precursor provided at the feed end 7 of the gas injector 1 may be a vaporized metal chloride. The metal chloride may be selected from titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5), molybdenum dioxide dichloride (MoO2Cl2), niobium pentachloride (NbCl5), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl5), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4) and zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4). The apparatus may be configured to provide the vaporized metal precursor from a precursor container to the process chamber.

[0034] The gas injector 1 may include a feed end 7 operably connected to a first feed line 34, which may be connected to a second source of a first precursor 36. The feed end 7 may be operably connected to a second feed line (not shown) which may be connected to a second source containing nitrogen for purging or a second precursor for processing.

[0035] The second precursor provided at the feed end 7 of the gas injector 1 may include ammonia. The first and second precursors may react with each other on the substrate 17 to form a metal nitride on the surface of the substrate 17.

[0036] The apparatus may be provided with a pump connection 38 to pump gas out of the process chamber 20 .

[0037] Figure 5yes Figure 1 1 is a schematic cross-sectional top view of a gas injector 1 showing its position relative to the substrate 17. The auxiliary conduit 5 may be provided with an exhaust port at the bottom side of the second end 13 to provide process gas into the process chamber, but this is not visible in this top view.

[0038] The secondary duct 5 may have an arcuate shape in a plane substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the primary duct 3. This plane may be parallel to the X, Y axes and corresponds to the level at which the substrate 17 is positioned in the device in use.

[0039] The arcuate shape may form a portion of a substantially circle having a radius between 8 and 22 cm, preferably between 12 and 18 cm, about the first axis 12. The first axis 12 may be substantially parallel to the main axis 4 of the main conduit 3. The first axis 12 may be located close to the center of a substrate 17 located in the device.

[0040] The length of the auxiliary conduit 5 from the first end 9 to the second end 13 may be between 8 and 22 cm, preferably between 12 and 18 cm. This may correspond to the radius of the substrate 17 used by the device.

[0041] The substrate 17 may be loaded onto a wafer boat 28 (see Figure 4 ), the wafer boat 28 has a plurality of boat rails 21. The boat rails 21 may be provided with spaces that create edges to support the substrate 17 in the wafer boat.

[0042] The liner 30 may extend along the process tube 18 to protect the tube. The liner 30 extending along the process tube 18 may have a radially outwardly extending protrusion 31. Figure 5 As shown, when the gas injector 1 is retracted from the substrate 17, the protrusion 31 can accommodate the gas injector 1 inside. Figure 4 ) can be moved upward to bring the substrate 17 into the processing chamber 20, it may be necessary to retract the gas injector 1.

[0043] The vertically movable door 22 may be provided with a drive 27 to allow a wafer boat 28 to be rotated 29 in the process chamber 20. The wafer boat 28 may have a plurality of boat rails 21 to support the substrates 17 in the wafer boat 28. When rotating the wafer boat 28 to avoid the boat rails 21 contacting the gas injector 1, it may be necessary to retract the gas injector 1.

[0044] When the vertically movable door 22 is closed and no boat track 21 is in the path of the gas injector 1, the gas injector 1 can be used as Figure 6 It is shown moving in a rotational manner 39 (about the Z axis). Figure 6 yes Figure 1Schematic cross-sectional top view of a gas injector. The exhaust port (not shown) can be moved above the substrate 17 by rotating 39 the auxiliary conduit 5 with an actuator operably connected to a controller (not shown).

[0045] The exhaust port (not shown) may be moved over the center of the substrate 17. This may have the advantage that in the process chamber 20, the concentration of the precursor is higher in the center of the substrate 17 and lower in the area surrounding the substrate 17. This may improve the speed of the process and / or the efficiency of the precursor use because the precursor is faster and more concentrated in the center of the substrate 17. If the precursor is provided from the side and relies on diffusion to reach the center of the substrate, it may take a lot of time.

[0046] The apparatus may be provided with a bearing constructed and arranged to rotatably mount the gas injector 1 in the apparatus. The bearing may allow the gas injector 1 to be rotated 39 substantially about a main axis to move the exhaust port between substrates 17. The bearing may be provided at the feed end 7 ( Figure 1 This has the advantage that the temperature and the precursor concentration can be lower at the lower end, so that there is less risk of blocking the bearing by reaction with the precursor.

[0047] Alternatively, the gas injector 1 may be moved in a linear manner with a linear bearing. However, when moving away linearly, more space may be required to accommodate the gas injector 1 in the retracted position in the protrusion 31 of the liner 30.

[0048] The gas injector 1 may be provided with a cooler (not shown) to cool the gas injector 1. The main conduit 3 may be provided with a cooler to cool the main conduit 3. The auxiliary conduit 5 may be provided with a cooler to cool the auxiliary conduit. The cooler may include a cooling line constructed and arranged to flow a cooling fluid through the gas injector 1 independently of the process gas. The cooling line may be part of a cooling circuit in which the cooling fluid is recirculated.

[0049] The cooling of the gas injector 1 may cause the temperature of the substrate 17 in the process chamber 20 to be non-uniform. To alleviate this, the wafer boat 28 and the substrate 17 that may be supported therein may be rotated with the help of a drive 27 that is operably connected to a controller (not shown). When rotating the wafer boat 28 to avoid the boat track 21 from contacting the gas injector 1, it may be necessary to retract the gas injector 1. The controller may be programmed to calculate information about the position of the boat track 21 based on the boat rotation 29, and when the boat track 21 approaches the gas injector 1, the actuator may be controlled to move the gas injector 1 out of position between the substrates 17.

[0050] The exhaust port 11 may have a diameter of at least 1 to 200 mm. 2 Between, preferably 4 to 100 mm 2Between, preferably 10 to 50 mm 2 Optionally, the auxiliary duct 5 may be provided with a plurality of exhaust ports 11 along its length.

[0051] The gas injector 1 may be made of ceramic. The ceramic may be selected from silicon carbide (SiC), silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon or aluminum oxide (AlOx). Alternatively, the gas injector 1 may be made of metal.

[0052] Although the illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described in part with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. By studying the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement variations of the disclosed embodiments when practicing the claimed invention.

[0053] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, it should be noted that the particular features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner to form new, not explicitly described embodiments.

Claims

1. A gas injector for providing, in use, a process gas to a process chamber of an apparatus constructed and arranged to process a plurality of substrates, the gas injector comprising: a main conduit, the main conduit being elongated along a main axis and including a feed end at one end of the main conduit, the feed end being constructed and arranged to be connected to a process gas line of the apparatus; as well as A plurality of auxiliary ducts are connected to the main duct through first ends thereof, are substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the main duct, and are provided with exhaust ports at second ends of the auxiliary ducts to provide the process gas into the process chamber.

2. The gas injector according to claim 1, wherein: The secondary conduit has an arcuate shape in a plane substantially perpendicular to the main axis of the primary conduit.

3. The gas injector according to claim 2, wherein: The arcuate shape substantially forms a portion of a substantially circle having a radius between 8 and 22 cm, preferably between 12 and 18 cm, centered on a first axis substantially parallel to the main axis of the main conduit.

4. The gas injector according to claim 1, wherein: The length of the auxiliary conduit from the first end to the second end is between 8 and 22 cm, preferably between 12 and 18 cm.

5. The gas injector according to claim 1, wherein: The main conduit has a branch portion connected to the plurality of auxiliary conduits and an unbranched portion constructed and arranged to connect the branch portion to the feed end, and the length of the unbranched portion is between 10 and 40 cm, preferably between 15 and 30 cm.

6. The gas injector according to claim 1, wherein: The number of the plurality of auxiliary conduits is between 2 and 201, preferably between 25 and 151, and most preferably between 50 and 101.

7. The gas injector according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of secondary conduits are spaced apart from one another along the primary conduit at substantially the same distance along the primary axis.

8. The gas injector according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of secondary conduits are arranged along a substantially straight line along a major axis of the primary conduit.

9. The gas injector according to claim 1, wherein: The gas injector is provided with a cooler to cool the gas injector.

10. The gas injector according to claim 9, wherein: The main conduit is provided with the cooler to cool the main conduit.

11. The gas injector according to claim 10, wherein: The auxiliary duct is provided with the cooler to cool the auxiliary duct.

12. An apparatus constructed and arranged to process a plurality of substrates, comprising: a process tube which creates a process chamber; as well as A door configured to support a wafer boat having a plurality of substrates in a processing chamber, wherein the apparatus is provided with a gas injector according to claim 1.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The gas injector is movably constructed and arranged in the apparatus to allow the exhaust port to be moved between substrates.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The process tube is provided with a liner, and wherein the liner is provided with a protrusion constructed and arranged to provide a space inside the process tube for retraction of a gas injector.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The wafer boat is constructed and arranged to process a number of substrates equal to the number of auxiliary conduits of the gas injector.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The apparatus is configured to provide a sublimated solid metal precursor from a precursor container to the process chamber.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The apparatus is configured to provide to the process chamber an evaporated metal chloride selected from the group consisting of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5), molybdenum dioxide dichloride (MoO2Cl2), niobium pentachloride (NbCl5), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl5), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4) and zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4).

18. An apparatus constructed and arranged to process a plurality of substrates, comprising: a process tube which creates a process chamber; a gas injector having an exhaust port to provide a process gas into the process chamber; as well as A door is configured to support a wafer boat having a plurality of substrates in a processing chamber, wherein a gas injector is movably constructed and arranged in the apparatus to allow an actuator operably connected to a controller to move an exhaust port between substrates.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein: The gas injector is provided with a cooler to cool the gas injector, the wafer boat is provided with boat rails to support substrates in the wafer boat, and the apparatus is provided with a drive operably connected to the controller and constructed and arranged to rotate the wafer boat.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein: The controller is programmed to calculate information of the position of the boat track based on the boat rotation, and when the boat track approaches the gas injector, the actuator is controlled to move the gas injector out of position between the substrates.

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