Gas uniformizing structure and semiconductor equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a gas uniformizing structure and semiconductor equipment, and the gas uniformizing structure comprises a gas distribution baffle plate which is arranged between a spraying plate and a gas inlet channel, a gap is reserved between the gas distribution baffle plate and the spraying plate, the gas distribution baffle plate is used for carrying out the uniformizing treatment on gas entering the spraying plate, and the gap generates choked flow; and the adjusting assembly is used for adjusting the gap distance, so that the position of the choking flow in the gap is changed. The gas distribution baffle is arranged above the spraying plate, so that the gas distribution uniformity of the spraying plate is improved. And the gap distance between the gas distribution baffle and the spraying plate is adjusted through the adjusting device, so that the position of choked flow formed between the gas distribution baffle and the spraying plate is changed, the uniformity of a gas flow field can be influenced, parameters sensitive to gas distribution are further acted, production of films in different shapes is achieved, and the production efficiency is improved. And the uniformity of the thickness of the film in the sheet can be ensured, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a gas homogenizing structure and a semiconductor equipment. Background Art

[0002] At present, some semiconductor equipment will effectively clean the substrate through plasma when producing thin films to improve the quality of thin film generation, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) equipment, which is famous for its low-temperature film-forming characteristics and has little effect on the temperature of the substrate, and can produce thin films with suitable thickness and uniform composition. This equipment is widely used in the preparation of dielectric, semiconductor and metal films such as SiO2, SiN4, and amorphous silicon, and is an important tool for plasma chemical vapor deposition technology.

[0003] However, for these semiconductor devices that process substrates through plasma, a major problem currently faced is that the shape of the deposited film cannot fully meet the specific needs of customers, and it will also affect the consistency of the film thickness inside the chip or wafer (i.e., intra-chip uniformity), which makes it difficult for the equipment to meet actual production standards. In the face of this problem, existing technologies mainly try to deal with it by optimizing the shower plate in the equipment, that is, by adjusting the shower plate to meet the needs of different film shapes. However, this method still has shortcomings because the shower plate acts as the upper plate of the RF field while diffusing the gas. This will not only prolong the processing time and increase the processing cost, but also cannot ensure that the intra-chip uniformity of the film thickness remains stable during the process of adjusting the film shape. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present invention provide a uniform gas structure and a semiconductor device, which are intended to realize the production of different film shapes and ensure the stability of the uniformity of the film thickness within the wafer.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a gas uniformity structure, which is applied to a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device includes a shower plate and an air inlet channel connected to the shower plate, and the gas uniformity structure includes:

[0006] A gas separation baffle is arranged between the spray plate and the air inlet channel, and a gap is left between the gas separation baffle and the spray plate. The gas separation baffle is used to perform uniformity treatment on the gas entering the spray plate. When the air inlet channel feeds air to the spray plate, a choked flow is generated in the gap between the gas separation baffle and the spray plate.

[0007] The regulating component is connected to the gas separation baffle plate and is used to adjust the gap distance between the gas separation baffle plate and the spray plate so as to change the position of the choked flow in the gap.

[0008] Furthermore, the adjustment component includes:

[0009] An adjusting plate, arranged on a side of the air separation baffle away from the spray plate, and fixedly connected to the air separation baffle;

[0010] A driving member is connected to the adjusting plate and is used to drive the adjusting plate to move and drive the air separation baffle to move.

[0011] Furthermore, the adjustment plate is arranged between the air separation baffle and the air inlet channel, and a sealing member is arranged between the adjustment plate and the air separation baffle.

[0012] Furthermore, the driving member includes an adjustable screw that passes through the adjustment plate and abuts against the air distribution baffle, and an elastic member is sleeved on the screw rod of the adjustable screw.

[0013] Furthermore, the adjustment plate is hollow, and the channel opening of the air intake channel is connected to the hollow part of the adjustment plate.

[0014] Furthermore, the driving members are provided in a plurality of groups, and the plurality of groups of driving members are evenly distributed on the adjusting plate in the circumferential direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the regulating component includes a plurality of air dividing pads with the same or different thicknesses, and one of the plurality of air dividing pads is arranged between the air dividing baffle and the air inlet passage.

[0016] Furthermore, a plurality of the air separation pads are arranged between the air separation baffle and the air inlet channel.

[0017] Furthermore, when the gap distance between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate is lower than a preset range, the position of the blocked flow is located on the gas separation baffle; when the gap distance between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate is within a preset range, the position of the blocked flow is close to the shower plate.

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a semiconductor device, comprising the gas uniforming structure as described in any one of the above items.

[0019] The embodiment of the present invention provides a uniform gas structure and a semiconductor device, the uniform gas structure is applied to a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device includes a shower plate and an air inlet channel connected to the shower plate, the uniform gas structure includes: a gas separation baffle, which is arranged between the shower plate and the air inlet channel, and a gap is left between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate, the gas separation baffle is used to perform uniformity treatment on the gas entering the shower plate, when the air inlet channel takes air into the shower plate, a choked flow is generated in the gap between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate; an adjustment component, which is connected to the gas separation baffle, and is used to adjust the gap distance between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate, so that the position of the choked flow in the gap changes. The embodiment of the present invention realizes the improvement of the uniformity of the gas distribution of the shower plate by configuring the gas separation baffle above the shower plate. And further, the gap distance between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate is accurately adjusted by the adjustment device, so that the position of the choked flow formed between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate can be changed. This change can have a positive impact on the uniformity of the gas flow field, and then act on the parameters sensitive to the gas distribution. Based on this, the production of films of different shapes can be achieved according to actual production needs. At the same time, the embodiment of the present invention also ensures the uniformity of the film thickness within the sheet, improves production efficiency, shortens the processing cycle, and reduces processing costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying any creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of airflow distribution of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 Another schematic diagram of airflow distribution of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 A production comparison diagram of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 Another production comparison schematic diagram of a semiconductor device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Markings in the figure:

[0027] 1. Spray plate;

[0028] 2. Air intake passage;

[0029] 3. Gas distribution baffle;

[0030] 4. Adjustment assembly; 41. Adjustment plate; 42. Driving member; 421. Adjustable screw; 422. Elastic member; 43. Sealing member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "include" and "comprises" indicate the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0033] It should also be understood that the terms used in this specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification of the present invention and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms.

[0034] It should be further understood that the term "and / or" used in the present description and the appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0035] See below Figure 1 The embodiment of the present invention provides a gas homogenizing structure, which is applied to a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a shower plate 1 and an air inlet channel 2 connected to the shower plate 1. The gas homogenizing structure includes:

[0036] The gas separation baffle 3 is arranged between the shower plate 1 and the air inlet channel 2, and is used to perform uniformity treatment on the gas entering the shower plate 1, and a gap is left between the gas separation baffle 3 and the shower plate 1. When the air inlet channel 2 takes air into the shower plate 1, a choked flow is generated in the gap between the gas separation baffle 3 and the shower plate 1;

[0037] The regulating component 4 is connected to the gas separation baffle 3 and is used to adjust the gap distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1 so that the position of the choked flow in the gap changes.

[0038] In this embodiment, the gas uniformity structure includes a gas separation baffle 3 arranged between the spray plate 1 and the air inlet channel 2 and an adjustment component 4 connected to the gas separation baffle 3, wherein the gas separation baffle 3 realizes gas uniformity processing and generates a congestion flow through the gap between the spray plate 1, and the adjustment component 4 is used to adjust the gap distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1, thereby controlling the change in the position of the congestion flow in the gap.

[0039] This embodiment improves the uniformity of gas distribution on the shower plate 1 by configuring a gas distribution baffle 3 above the shower plate 1. And further, the gap distance between the gas distribution baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 is accurately adjusted by an adjusting device, so that the position of the congestion flow formed between the gas distribution baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 can be changed. This change can have a positive impact on the uniformity of the gas flow field, and then act on the parameters sensitive to the gas distribution. Based on this, the production of thin films of different shapes can be achieved according to actual production needs. At the same time, this embodiment also ensures the uniformity of the film thickness within the sheet, improves production efficiency, shortens the processing cycle, and reduces processing costs. Here, it should be noted that the uniform gas structure provided in this embodiment is particularly suitable for semiconductor equipment with radio frequency RF devices, such as PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) equipment, PEALD (plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition) equipment, and the like.

[0040] In this embodiment, when the gap distance between the gas separation baffle plate 3 and the shower plate 1 is adjusted by the adjustment component 4, the larger the distance H between the gas separation baffle plate 3 and the shower plate 1, the smaller the flow resistance ratio of the gas separation baffle plate 3. Specifically, when the gap distance between the gas separation baffle plate 3 and the shower plate 1 is lower than the preset range, the position of the choked flow is located on the gas separation baffle plate 3; when the gap distance between the gas separation baffle plate 3 and the shower plate 1 is within the preset range, the position of the choked flow is close to the shower plate 1.

[0041] When the congested flow is close to the plasma sheath (i.e., close to the shower plate 1), the surface characteristics of the shower plate 1 couple the uniformity requirements of the two fields, airflow and RF, thus bringing uncertainty to the sensitive process. When the congested flow is concentrated on the gas separation baffle 3, the coupling between the flow field and RF field of the shower plate 1 is released, and the shower plate 1 mainly acts as an upper plate to affect the RF uniformity, so that the shape of the film can be adjusted by only changing the distribution of the gas separation baffle 3, while ensuring the stability of the uniformity of the film thickness within the sheet. Furthermore, when the gap distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 exceeds the preset range, at this time, since the distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 is too large, the effect of the gas separation baffle 3 on the shower plate 1 is also negligible.

[0042] In actual application scenarios, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the preset range is set to 10-20 mm, that is, when the gap distance H between the gas separation baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 is greater than 20 mm, the effect of the gas separation baffle 3 can be ignored; when the gap distance H between the gas separation baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 is greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 20 mm, the choked flow is close to the plasma sheath, and the surface characteristics of the shower plate 1 couple the uniformity requirements of the two fields of gas flow and RF, which brings uncertainty to the sensitive process; when the gap distance H between the gas separation baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 is less than 10 mm, the choked flow is concentrated on the gas separation baffle 3, the coupling between the flow field and the RF field of the shower plate 1 is released, and the shower plate 1 mainly acts as an upper plate to affect the RF uniformity, so that the shape of the film can be adjusted by only changing the distribution of the gas separation baffle 3, while ensuring the stability of the in-sheet uniformity of the film thickness.

[0043] In actual application scenarios, parameters such as the gap distance may be pre-added in the process flow, thereby achieving the effect of automatically adjusting the gap distance between the gas distribution baffle plate 3 and the spray plate 1 during the process production.

[0044] In one embodiment, the adjustment component 4 includes:

[0045] The regulating plate 41 is arranged on a side of the gas separation baffle plate 3 away from the spray plate 1 and is fixedly connected to the gas separation baffle plate 3;

[0046] The driving member 42 is connected to the adjusting plate 41 and is used to drive the adjusting plate 41 to move and drive the air separation baffle 3 to move.

[0047] In this embodiment, the adjustment of the gap distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1 is achieved through the adjustment plate 41 and the driving member 42. Specifically, the adjustment plate 41 is arranged on the side away from the spray plate 1 and is fixedly arranged with the gas separation baffle 3, so that when the adjustment plate 41 is in the adjustment state, the gas separation baffle 3 can be driven to adjust together. The driving member 42 is used to drive the adjustment plate 41 to move. It can be understood that the movement mentioned here refers to driving the adjustment plate 41 to move toward the direction of the spray plate 1 or away from the spray plate 1, so that the adjustment plate 41 can drive the gas separation baffle 3 to move toward the direction of the spray plate 1 or away from the spray plate 1, thereby achieving the purpose of expanding or reducing the gap distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1, and then achieving the effect of controlling the position of the blocked flow between the gas separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1.

[0048] In actual application scenarios, the gas separation baffle 3 is arranged above the spray plate 1, the air inlet channel 2 is arranged above the gas separation baffle 3, and the regulating plate 41 is arranged between the air inlet channel 2 and the gas separation baffle 3. In this way, when the driving member 42 drives the regulating plate 41 to move downward, it will drive the gas separation baffle 3 to move downward, thereby shortening the gap distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1, and further bringing the blocked flow closer to the gas separation baffle 3; and when the driving member 42 drives the regulating plate 41 to move downward, it will drive the gas separation baffle 3 to move upward, thereby expanding the gap distance between the gas separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1, and further bringing the blocked flow closer to the spray plate 1.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the adjustment plate 41 is disposed between the air separation baffle plate 3 and the air inlet passage 2 , and a sealing member 43 is disposed between the adjustment plate 41 and the air separation baffle plate 3 .

[0050] In this embodiment, a seal 43 is provided between the regulating plate 41 and the gas separation baffle 3 to ensure that the gas in the air inlet channel 2 can flow to the shower plate 1 strictly according to a predetermined specific path, thereby preventing the gas from penetrating into the shower plate 1 from an unexpected position of the gas separation baffle 3. In this way, the uniformity treatment effect of the gas in the shower plate 1 can be significantly improved, thereby ensuring the quality standard during the product processing process. In addition, this combination of the regulating plate 41 and the seal 43 can also effectively enhance the sealing performance of the entire device, greatly reduce gas leakage, and thus improve efficiency during the production process.

[0051] Furthermore, the adjustment plate 41 is hollow, and the channel opening of the air inlet channel 2 is connected to the hollow part of the adjustment plate 41. The hollow setting allows the gas in the air inlet channel 2 to flow directly into the adjustment plate 41, thereby more accurately controlling the gas flow and direction. In addition, the hollow part can also serve as an auxiliary structure to strengthen the strength and rigidity of the adjustment plate 41, ensuring that the adjustment plate 41 can maintain stable performance during long-term use and meet the durability requirements in industrial applications. Through such a design, more efficient and accurate gas flow control can be achieved, improving the overall performance of the equipment.

[0052] In addition, the driving member 42 includes an adjustable screw 421 that penetrates the adjusting plate 41 and abuts against the air separation baffle 3 , and an elastic member 422 is sleeved on the screw rod of the adjustable screw 421 .

[0053] In this embodiment, the adjusting plate 41 is driven to move toward or away from the spray plate 1 by an adjustable screw 421 and an elastic member 422 (such as a spring) sleeved on the adjustable screw 421, thereby realizing dynamic adjustment of the gas flow rate. Through this adjustment method, the gas flow demand under different working conditions can be met to ensure that the equipment can maintain optimal performance under various production conditions. Furthermore, the driving member 42 is provided with multiple groups, and the multiple groups of the driving members 42 are evenly distributed on the adjusting plate 41 in the circumferential direction. By providing multiple groups of driving members 42, the movement of the adjusting plate 41 can be made more uniform and precise, and the multi-point driving method can also enhance the stability and response speed of the adjusting plate 41. In addition, the provision of multiple groups of driving members 42 can also effectively disperse the pressure and extend the service life of the equipment. Through this precise design, the equipment can adapt to more complex and changeable working environments and provide continuous and stable performance support for the production process.

[0054] In another embodiment, the regulating assembly 4 includes a plurality of air dividing pads having the same or different thicknesses, and one of the plurality of air dividing pads is disposed between the air dividing baffle 3 and the air inlet passage 2 .

[0055] In this embodiment, the position of the air separation baffle 3 is changed by setting air separation pads of different thicknesses between the air separation baffle 3 and the air inlet channel 2. For example, the air separation baffle 3 is set above the spray plate 1, the air inlet channel 2 is set above the air separation baffle 3, and the air separation pad is set between the air inlet channel 2 and the air separation baffle 3. When the thickness of the air separation pad is thin, the air separation baffle 3 will be moved upward by the space released by the air separation pad, thereby increasing the distance between the air separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1, and further bringing the blocked flow closer to the spray plate 1; and when the thickness of the air separation pad is thick, the air separation baffle 3 will be squeezed by the air separation pad and move downward, thereby decreasing the distance between the air separation baffle 3 and the spray plate 1, and further bringing the blocked flow closer to the air separation pad.

[0056] In actual application scenarios, a plurality of the air dividing pads may be provided between the air dividing baffle 3 and the air inlet channel 2. In this way, when it is necessary to adjust the gap distance between the air dividing baffle 3 and the spray plate 1, it can be achieved by increasing or decreasing the number of the air dividing pads. For example, initially, four air dividing pads are provided between the air dividing baffle 3 and the air inlet channel 2. When the gap distance between the air dividing pad and the spray plate 1 needs to be increased, one or more air dividing pads may be pulled out therefrom to reduce the pressure on the air dividing pad and move it away from the spray plate 1; and when the gap distance between the air dividing pad and the spray plate 1 needs to be reduced, one or more air dividing pads may be added thereto to generate greater pressure on the air dividing pad, thereby moving the air dividing pad toward the spray plate 1.

[0057] Here, the thicknesses of the multiple air dividing pads between the air dividing baffle 3 and the air inlet channel 2 may be the same or different, so that more precise distance adjustment can be achieved based on multiple thickness options, thereby further improving product production accuracy.

[0058] In addition, in some optional embodiments, a seal 43 may also be provided between the gas separation baffle plate 3 and the gas separation pad, which may also improve the gas uniformity effect.

[0059] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a semiconductor device, comprising the gas uniforming structure as described in any one of the above items.

[0060] When the semiconductor device adjusts the gap distance H between the gas distribution baffle 3 and the shower plate 1 through the gas uniformity structure, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, Figure 4 This is a comparison diagram when H is less than 10 mm. Figure 5 This is a comparison diagram when 10≤H≤20mm. Figure 4 and Figure 5It can be seen that the gas baffle 3 converted from the BKM process to the CIP process will have a greater impact on the deposited film when H<10mm, and the deposited film pattern THK map can also change significantly. In addition, uniformity NU% refers to the ratio of variance to thickness, which feedbacks whether the film pattern is uniform. The smaller the ratio, the better; the thickness range in the film, that is, the difference between the thickest point and the thinnest point in the film, is also used to feedback whether the film pattern is uniform. Similarly, the smaller the value, the better.

[0061] The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same and similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. For the system disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part description. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of this application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this application.

[0062] It should also be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises", "comprising" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the statement "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

Claims

1. A gas homogenizing structure, applied to a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device comprising a shower plate and an air inlet channel connected to the shower plate, characterized in that: The gas homogenizing structure comprises: A gas separation baffle is arranged between the spray plate and the air inlet channel, and a gap is left between the gas separation baffle and the spray plate. The gas separation baffle is used to perform uniformity treatment on the gas entering the spray plate. When the air inlet channel feeds air to the spray plate, a choked flow is generated in the gap between the gas separation baffle and the spray plate. The regulating component is connected to the gas separation baffle plate and is used to adjust the gap distance between the gas separation baffle plate and the spray plate so as to change the position of the choked flow in the gap.

2. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment component comprises: An adjusting plate, arranged on a side of the air separation baffle away from the spray plate, and fixedly connected to the air separation baffle; A driving member is connected to the adjusting plate and is used to drive the adjusting plate to move and drive the air separation baffle to move.

3. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The regulating plate is arranged between the air separation baffle and the air inlet passage, and a sealing member is arranged between the regulating plate and the air separation baffle.

4. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving member comprises an adjustable screw which penetrates through the adjusting plate and abuts against the air distribution baffle plate, and an elastic member is sleeved on the screw rod of the adjustable screw.

5. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adjustment plate is hollow, and the channel opening of the air inlet channel is connected to the hollow part of the adjustment plate.

6. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving members are provided in multiple groups, and the driving members are evenly distributed on the adjustment plate in the circumferential direction.

7. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The regulating assembly includes a plurality of air dividing pads with the same or different thicknesses, and one of the plurality of air dividing pads is disposed between the air dividing baffle and the air inlet passage.

8. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: A plurality of the air separation pads are arranged between the air separation baffle and the air inlet channel.

9. The gas homogenizing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the gap distance between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate is lower than a preset range, the position of the choked flow is located on the gas separation baffle; when the gap distance between the gas separation baffle and the shower plate is within the preset range, the position of the choked flow is close to the shower plate.

10. A semiconductor device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a gas homogenizing structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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