PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating equipment easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain

Abstract

The invention provides PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating equipment easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain. The PVD coating equipment comprises a coating cavity, a sputtering assembly, and a base, a transfer cavity, a shield, a deposition ring and a cover ring which are positioned in the coating cavity, the base is located below the sputtering assembly, and the deposition ring is annularly arranged in the circumferential direction of the base; the protective cover is connected with the inner wall of the coating cavity and extends downwards from the periphery of the sputtering assembly to the position above the deposition ring; the transfer cavity is located below the protective cover, one end of the transfer cavity is connected with the film coating cavity, the other end of the transfer cavity extends to the position between the deposition ring and the protective cover, the cover ring is partially located between the protective cover and the transfer cavity, the bottom end of the cover ring is located on the deposition ring, and the protective cover, the cover ring and the transfer cavity are independently formed and partially overlapped in the longitudinal direction. At least one of the shield and the cover ring is communicated with the cooling medium, and the overlapping areas of the cover ring and the switching cavity make contact with each other and are connected in a fastened mode through a plurality of hollow vacuum screws. The equipment maintenance difficulty is reduced, the service life of spare parts is prolonged, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of integrated circuit manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a thin film deposition equipment, and in particular to a PVD coating equipment that is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain. Background Art

[0002] In the field of semiconductor manufacturing, physical vapor deposition (PVD) magnetron sputtering technology is a very important process, widely used in thin film deposition processes of various types of wafers. In the forefront of the semiconductor high-end manufacturing industry, PVD magnetron sputtering technology has been deeply embedded in different applications due to its advantages such as high film quality, precise process control, multiple coating material options, and stable equipment. For example, it has been widely used in semiconductor sub-sectors such as packaging, MEMS, IGBT, and RF integration.

[0003] In the stable operation and efficient output process of PVD magnetron sputtering process, the heat dissipation of chamber workpieces and the cleaning and maintenance of process kit (PK) play a vital role and are closely related to the yield, continuity and cost control of the whole process.

[0004] First of all, the stability of heat dissipation and temperature of the cavity workpiece directly affects the results of the PVD process. During the magnetron sputtering process, the high-speed moving plasma carries huge energy and continuously bombards the target material and the workpiece inside the cavity, causing them to heat up rapidly. Once the heat dissipation measures are not in place, excessively high temperatures will trigger a series of negative effects. On the one hand, high temperatures will cause thermal expansion of the gas inside the cavity, change the air pressure environment, and interfere with the flight trajectory and deposition process of the sputtered atoms. On the other hand, if the workpiece is in an overheated state for a long time, it is very easy to produce thermal deformation, destroy the relative positions of the originally precisely designed components, and even cause equipment failure in severe cases. An effective cavity workpiece heat dissipation system, including cavity fixed components and movable components, should be maintained in an appropriate temperature range. This is the core element to ensure the stable and long-term operation of PVD magnetron sputtering equipment, as well as to ensure production and reduce equipment losses.

[0005] Secondly, the cleaning and maintenance of PK is also a key factor in ensuring high-quality film formation of PVD. The process kit covers a series of parts and devices closely related to the sputtering process. After long-term operation, it will inevitably accumulate film layers and impurities. During the sputtering process, the target atoms are bombarded and sputtered and fly toward the wafer. At the same time, impurities such as incompletely ionized target particles, residual reaction gases, and trace dust in the chamber will also adhere to various components of PK. As the production batches accumulate, the PK film layer continues to accumulate, which will gradually change the original precise surface characteristics and structural parameters of the PK components, resulting in uneven coating thickness on the wafer surface. In addition, impurities may also interfere with the electric field distribution and reduce the sputtering efficiency. Therefore, if the process kit is not regularly preventive maintenance (PM), the stability of the PVD sputtering equipment will be greatly reduced, the coating quality will fluctuate, the yield rate will decline, and it may cause equipment failure, production wafers that do not meet specifications, and in severe cases, production stagnation. Therefore, in order to maintain the PVD magnetron sputtering equipment in an efficient and stable operating state at all times and ensure the quality and output of wafer manufacturing, regular disassembly, cleaning and maintenance of PK is essential.

[0006] However, due to the structure of the equipment itself, PM operations of existing PVD sputtering equipment generally have problems such as cumbersome disassembly of the chamber process kit and time-consuming outsourcing cleaning, which delays precious production time, reduces equipment output efficiency, increases production costs, and weakens the company's competitiveness in the market. For example, in existing PVD equipment, the adapter chamber and the cover ring are integrally processed and formed. The two are an inseparable whole, making it difficult to disassemble the equipment during maintenance, and the contact area between the two is small, resulting in poor heat dissipation. In addition, in the prior art, different process components are usually fixed by direct contact between the upper and lower parts, and different components are prone to adhesion due to coating.

[0007] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the convenience of providing a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of the present invention and for the convenience of understanding by those skilled in the art. It cannot be considered that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art simply because these solutions are described in the background technology section of the present invention. Summary of the invention

[0008] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a PVD coating equipment that is easy to disassemble and maintain, so as to solve the problems that the adapter chamber and the cover ring of the existing PVD sputtering equipment are integrally processed and formed, and the two are an integral whole that cannot be separated, resulting in difficulty in disassembly during equipment maintenance, and the contact area between the two is small, resulting in poor heat dissipation, and the contact and fixation between different components are prone to cause adhesion.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the present invention provides a PVD coating equipment which is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain, comprising: a coating chamber, a sputtering assembly located at the top of the coating chamber, and a base, a transfer chamber, a shield, a deposition ring and a cover ring located in the coating chamber; the base is located below the sputtering assembly, and the deposition ring is arranged in the circumference of the base; the shield is connected to the inner wall of the coating chamber, and extends downward from the periphery of the sputtering assembly to the top of the deposition ring; the transfer chamber is located below the shield, one end of the transfer chamber is connected to the coating chamber, and the other end extends between the deposition ring and the shield, the cover ring is partially located between the shield and the transfer chamber, and the bottom end of the cover ring is located on the deposition ring, wherein the shield, the cover ring and the transfer chamber are each independently formed and partially overlap in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the shield and the cover ring is connected to a cooling medium, and overlapping areas of the cover ring and the transfer chamber are in contact with each other and are fastened by a plurality of hollow vacuum screws.

[0010] Optionally, the deposition ring includes an upper deposition ring and a lower deposition ring, the upper deposition ring is mounted on the base and extends downward along the side of the base, one end of the lower deposition ring is located between the base and the upper deposition ring, and the other end extends away from the base and bends to form a groove, and the cover ring is mounted in the groove of the lower deposition ring.

[0011] Optionally, the shield and the transition chamber are isolated from each other by an insulating ring, and there are gaps between the shield and the sputtering assembly and the transition chamber.

[0012] Optionally, the shield and the transition chamber are made of stainless steel, and the insulation ring and the deposition ring are made of ceramic.

[0013] Optionally, the end of the shield facing away from the coating chamber adopts an eaves design, and the eaves extend at least to cover the vacuum screws.

[0014] Optionally, overlapping areas of the shield and the cover ring are correspondingly provided with concave-convex structures to enable the two to fit into each other.

[0015] Optionally, the surface of the cover ring facing the coating space is conical.

[0016] Optionally, the vacuum screw is a reducing screw, and its dimension penetrating into the cover ring is smaller than its dimension in the adapter cavity.

[0017] Optionally, the vacuum screw includes an outer ring and an inner ring embedded in the outer ring, the material of the outer ring is the same as that of the shield, and the thermal conductivity of the inner ring is greater than that of the outer ring.

[0018] Optionally, a plurality of vacuum screws are evenly spaced and arranged on the same circumferential surface.

[0019] As described above, the present invention provides a PVD coating device that is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain, and has the following beneficial effects: the present invention adopts a split design of the cover ring and the adapter chamber, and uses a plurality of vacuum screws to fix the two process kits, so that the contact area between the adapter chamber and the cover ring is significantly increased, thereby enhancing the process kit, especially increasing the heat dissipation efficiency of the cover ring. On the premise of ensuring that the heat dissipation effect is not inferior to the existing integrated connection, it can be achieved that the process kits are not adhered to each other, will not be mistakenly connected, and are easy to disassemble and assemble. The cover ring and the adapter chamber can be replaced and used independently, and the service life is extended, which significantly reduces the cost and complexity of maintenance and cleaning, improves the efficiency of equipment maintenance operations, and reduces the cost of spare parts. The cover ring and the adapter chamber are independent of each other, and a suitable cover ring can be selected according to different process requirements, such as different wafer sizes and / or the size of the non-coating area of ​​the wafer, so that the applicability of the equipment is greatly improved. In addition, the present invention can also adjust the kit by adjusting the vacuum screws, especially adjusting the horizontality of the cover ring, which helps to improve the coating quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a PVD coating device that is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain provided by the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 Display as Figure 1 A magnified schematic diagram of area A.

[0022] Figure 3 Display as Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the process kit in . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, when describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, for the sake of convenience, the cross-sectional view showing the device structure will not be partially enlarged according to the general proportion, and the schematic diagram is only an example, which should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, in actual production, the three-dimensional dimensions of length, width and depth should be included.

[0024] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "under", "below", "below", "below", "above", "on", etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature shown in the drawings to other elements or features. It will be understood that these spatially relative terms are intended to encompass other orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. In addition, when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present.

[0025] In the context of the present invention, a structure in which a first feature is described as being "above" a second feature may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features are formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.

[0026] It should be noted that the diagrams provided in this embodiment are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present invention, and the diagrams only show the components related to the present invention rather than the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. The type, quantity and proportion of each component in actual implementation may be changed at will, and the layout of the components may also be more complicated. In order to make the diagrams as concise as possible, not all structures are marked in the drawings.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the present invention provides a PVD coating device that is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain, which includes: a coating chamber 11, a sputtering assembly located at the top of the coating chamber 11, and a base, a transfer chamber 14, a shield 15, a deposition ring and a cover ring 18 located in the coating chamber 11. That is, the base, the transfer chamber 14, the shield 15, the deposition ring and the cover ring 18 are all located in the coating chamber 11, and these components are usually coaxially arranged and coaxially arranged with the substrate to be coated, such as a wafer.

[0028] The coating chamber 11 accommodates various process kits and provides a coating space. The chamber is usually made of metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum alloy, and the inner wall is usually coated with a corrosion-resistant coating such as ceramic. During the coating process, the chamber is usually grounded. A sputtering gas inlet channel is provided at the upper part of the coating chamber 11. For example, the sputtering gas uses argon, which is input into the coating chamber 11 through an inlet pipeline provided near the sputtering assembly. If it is used to prepare an insulating film, a reaction gas inlet channel is also provided. For example, if it is used for coating an oxide film, the reaction gas includes oxygen. If it is used for the deposition of a nitride film, the reaction gas includes nitrogen. The reaction gas and the sputtering gas can be transported through the same or different inlet pipelines. The side wall of the coating chamber 11 can be provided with a wafer inlet and outlet gate valve, and an exhaust port is provided in the middle and lower part of the side wall to discharge the residual gas in the chamber in time, while maintaining the required vacuum inside the chamber.

[0029] The sputtering assembly includes a target plate for fixing the target material 12 and a sputtering power supply. Depending on the process, the sputtering power supply can be a DC power supply or a radio frequency power supply. In a preferred example, the present invention provides a magnetron sputtering coating device, so the power supply adopts a radio frequency power supply, and the sputtering assembly also includes a magnetron unit. The magnetron unit is, for example, arranged on the back of the target material 12, and includes a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. The power supply discharges to ionize the argon gas into ions, and under the action of the electric field, these charged The ions are accelerated and bombard the surface of the target 12, so that the atoms on the surface of the target 12 escape and diffuse to the surface of the wafer to form a thin film. The magnetic field provided by the magnetron unit can guide the movement of charged particles to increase the electron density near the surface of the target 12, form a high-density local plasma, and improve the sputtering efficiency. Since the target 12 generates a lot of heat during the sputtering process, in order to avoid local overheating and deformation of the target 12 and other process kits, a cooling device (not shown) can be provided near the sputtering assembly. For example, a water cooling chamber can be provided on the back of the target 12, and the magnetron unit can be placed in the water cooling chamber. In some examples, a motor (not shown) can also be provided to drive the target 12 and / or the magnetron unit to rotate, and / or drive the sputtering assembly to rise and fall. In addition, an auxiliary magnetic field can be provided in the circumference of the coating space corresponding to the coating chamber 11 to guide the vertical downward movement of the target 12 particles. These measures are all helpful to improve the sputtering efficiency and coating uniformity.

[0030] The base is located below the sputtering assembly, and includes at least one carrier 131 for carrying a wafer. The carrier 131 can fix the wafer based on electrostatic adsorption or vacuum adsorption, so electrodes or vacuum adsorption holes can be correspondingly provided on the carrier 131. In some examples, a heating resistor wire and a water cooling pipeline can also be provided in the carrier 131 to heat or cool the wafer according to process requirements. The material of the carrier 131 depends on the process, for example, it can be aluminum, aluminum nitride ceramic or other materials. The surface of the carrier 131 can be a horizontal plane as a whole, and its size can be slightly larger than the wafer size. In a preferred example of the present invention, the carrier 131 is a structure with a thick middle and a thin edge, thereby forming a downward step at the circumferential edge, which can be used to support the deposition ring and other process kits. In some examples, a through hole for the lifting of the ejector pin can be provided in the carrier 131, and the ejector pin can lift or lower the wafer located on the surface of the carrier 131 by driving a platform (not shown) located below the carrier 131. The base may further include a support shaft 132 connected to the bottom of the stage 131 . The support shaft 132 may extend downward to the outside of the cavity to connect to an external driving component, thereby driving the stage 131 to rotate and / or rise and fall.

[0031] The deposition ring is arranged in the circumference of the base. For example, in the present embodiment, the deposition ring is arranged on the circumferential edge of the carrier 131, and the deposition ring extends downward along the side of the carrier 131, thereby forming a coating on the side surface of the carrier 131 to prevent the target material 12 particles from being deposited on the surface of the carrier 131. In the present embodiment, the deposition ring adopts a split structure, which includes an upper deposition ring 16 and a lower deposition ring 17 that are independently formed. The upper deposition ring 16 is arranged on the base and extends downward along the side of the base. One end of the lower deposition ring 17 is located between the base and the upper deposition ring 16, and the other end extends in a direction away from the base and is bent to form a groove. The cover ring 18 is arranged in the groove of the lower deposition ring 17. Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 It can be seen that the upper deposition ring 16 is clamped on the lower deposition ring 17, and the horizontal parts of the two mutually attached are hung on the steps of the circumferential edge of the carrier 131. The upper deposition ring 16 and the lower deposition ring 17 can be ceramic rings or metal rings with a unique ceramic layer on the surface, or other materials, which depends on the process and is not limited to this.

[0032] The shield 15 is connected to the inner wall of the coating chamber 11 and extends downward from the periphery of the sputtering assembly to the top of the deposition ring. Figure 1 As shown, the shield 15 is located at the periphery of the target 12 and extends downward. In some examples, the shield 15 and the transfer chamber 14 are isolated from each other by an insulating ring 20. And in a preferred example, the shield 15 has a gap with the sputtering assembly and the transfer chamber 14, for example, the shield 15 and the transfer chamber 14 and the target 12 all maintain a gap of about 2mm-3mm. Setting the gap not only ensures electrical insulation between these process kits, but also ensures that they are not adhered to each other. The insulating ring 20 can be a ceramic ring, and the shield 15 is preferably made of the same material as the coating chamber 11, for example, stainless steel. In some examples, the insulating ring 20 is sleeved in a groove on the upper part of the transfer chamber 14, and the shield 15 can be fixed on the insulating ring 20.

[0033] The transition chamber 14 is located below the shield 15. One end of the transition chamber 14 is connected to the coating chamber 11, for example, fixed to the coating chamber 11 through a flange. The other end of the transition chamber 14 extends downward between the deposition ring and the shield 15. The cover ring 18 is partially located between the shield 15 and the transition chamber 14, and the bottom end of the cover ring 18 extends to the deposition ring, for example, the lower end of the cover ring 18 is located in the groove of the lower deposition ring 17. In this embodiment, the shield 15, the cover ring 18 and the transition chamber 14 are independently formed and partially overlap in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the shield 15 and the cover ring 18 is connected to the cooling medium, and the overlapping areas of the cover ring 18 and the transition chamber 14 are in contact with each other and are fastened by a plurality of hollow vacuum screws 19.

[0034] That is, in this embodiment, the shield 15, the cover ring 18 and the adapter chamber 14 are independently detachable components, and the ends of the three extend to the same area and overlap on the same surface (that is, the shadows of the three falling on the same horizontal plane overlap). A plurality of vacuum screws 19 are provided on the surfaces where the cover ring 18 and the adapter chamber 14 contact each other. For example, a plurality of vacuum screws 19 are evenly spaced along the same circumferential surface where the two overlap. Therefore, in addition to direct contact between the adapter chamber 14 and the cover ring 18 for heat conduction, heat conduction can also be carried out through the conduction of the vacuum screws 19, so that the heat on the process kit can be released in time through the cooling medium provided in the adapter chamber 14 and / or the cover ring 18. Compared with the existing structure in which the adapter chamber 14 and the cover ring 18 are connected as an integral part, the structure in which the two are in contact only through the side connection can greatly increase the contact area between the two and improve the heat dissipation efficiency. The cover ring 18 and the adapter chamber 14 are connected and fixed by the vacuum screw 19, which can not only effectively prevent the process data results from being affected by the outgassing of the screw's own material (the outgassing of the vacuum screw 19 material itself can be extracted through the internal through hole of the screw), but also the horizontality of the shield 15 and the cover ring 18 and the fit between the two can be adjusted by adjusting the vacuum screw 19, so as to prevent the cover ring 18 and the adapter chamber 14 from being deformed and damaged due to long-term heat and other reasons, which may cause deviation in the installation position of the process kit, and help improve the coating yield. At the same time, the hollow through hole of the vacuum screw 19 can be used as a backup channel for receiving source lines such as power lines and water cooling pipelines, which is helpful for the installation of equipment. In addition, the hollow vacuum screw 19 can improve the adaptability of the process kit.

[0035] The present invention adopts a split design of the cover ring and the transfer chamber, and uses a plurality of vacuum screws to fix the two process kits, so that the contact area between the transfer chamber and the cover ring is significantly increased, thereby enhancing the process kit, especially increasing the heat dissipation efficiency of the cover ring. Under the premise of ensuring that the heat dissipation effect is not inferior to the existing integrated connection, the process kits can be non-adherent and will not be mistakenly connected, which is convenient for disassembly and assembly, and the cover ring and the transfer chamber can be replaced and used independently, and the service life is extended, which significantly reduces the cost and complexity of maintenance and cleaning, improves the efficiency of equipment maintenance operations, and reduces the cost of spare parts. The cover ring and the transfer chamber are independent of each other, and a suitable cover ring can be selected according to different process requirements, such as different wafer sizes and / or the size of the non-coating area of ​​the wafer, so that the applicability of the equipment is greatly improved. In addition, the present invention can also adjust the kit by adjusting the vacuum screws, especially adjusting the horizontality of the cover ring (keeping the cover ring and the base / wafer relatively horizontal), which helps to improve the coating quality. The present invention is particularly suitable for high-power sputtering processes and can greatly improve the output rate of the equipment.

[0036] In some examples, the adapter cavity 14 may be connected to a cooling medium. For example, the cooling medium is cooling water, and a water inlet and a water outlet are provided on the adapter cavity 14, and a cooling pipeline is provided windingly inside. In other examples, in addition to the adapter cavity 14 being connected to the cooling medium, a cooling medium may also be provided in the cover ring 18. For example, in some examples, an air cooling pipeline may be provided in the cover ring 18 (for example, the cover ring 18 is provided as a hollow structure with a cavity), which significantly improves the heat dissipation of the cover ring 18 itself without significantly increasing the weight of the cover ring 18. If the area where the cover ring 18 extends to the vicinity of the adapter cavity 14 is large enough, a cooling channel may also be provided only in the cover ring 18. Considering various factors such as ensuring the heat dissipation effect and taking into account the large volume of the adapter cavity 14, it is preferred to provide a cooling channel at least in the adapter cavity 14. In some other examples, an auxiliary cooling device (not shown) that can move up and down can be set on the bottom surface of the transition cavity 14. The auxiliary cooling device is, for example, an annular semiconductor refrigeration plate attached to the bottom surface of the transition cavity 14 to discharge the heat in the transition cavity 14 to the periphery of the coating space, and release it outside the cavity through the exhaust port in the lower part of the coating cavity 11.

[0037] The material, length and size of the hollow through hole of the vacuum screw 19 can be determined according to parameters such as the cavity structure and the target material type. After the vacuum screw 19 is tightened, the entire circle of the cover ring 18 is in close contact with the adapter cavity 14 through which the cooling water passes to achieve heat dissipation. As an example, a plurality of M4 screw holes can be set along the contact surface of the two, and the number of vacuum screws 19 that can be installed is N (preferably N ≥ 4, for example, N = 8, 12, 16, etc. are selected according to the situation, and the vacuum screws 19 are preferably symmetrically distributed around the center of the cavity), and can be conveniently installed and disassembled through the above-mentioned multiple holes. This invention design can adjust the horizontality of the cover ring 18 by adjusting the tightening vacuum screw 19 to ensure contact with the large contact surface of the adapter cavity 14. The portion of the adapter cavity 14 that is in close contact with the cover ring 18 and is locked with the vacuum screw 19 can be placed in the inner area close to the edge of the base as needed, or can be set in the outer area close to the side wall of the coating cavity 11, or set in both areas (preferably one of the areas), without specific restrictions.

[0038] In this embodiment, the cover ring 18 and the transfer chamber 14 are separate structures, so the material of the cover ring 18 can be the same as or different from that of the transfer chamber 14. For example, the cover ring 18 can be made of the same metal material as the transfer chamber 14, such as stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc., or a ceramic material different from the transfer chamber 14 but the same as the deposition ring, or a composite material, such as a composite material including a metal layer and a ceramic layer. When the cover ring 18 and the transfer chamber 14 are made of different materials, the surfaces where the two are in contact can be plated with a thermal interface material layer to enhance the heat dissipation between the two.

[0039] In the existing integrated design structure, since the end gap between the shield and the cover ring is relatively small, and both are made of metal, they are prone to deformation in a long-term high-temperature operating environment and are prone to adhesion during the coating process. In a preferred example provided by the present invention, the end of the shield 15 that is away from the coating chamber 11 adopts an eaves design, and its eaves extend at least to cover the vacuum screw 19. The eaves design, that is, the end of the shield 15 close to the cover ring 18 (that is, the end away from the chamber wall) is tilted upward (the end slightly extends in the direction away from the cover ring 18), can effectively prevent adhesion with the cover ring 18 during the coating process. The eaves are arranged from above the vacuum screw 19 to above the slope surface of the cover ring 18 to prevent the target material 12 particles from diffusing into the transfer chamber 14.

[0040] In order to further increase the contact area between the shield 15 and the cover ring 18 to enhance heat dissipation, in some examples, the overlapping area of ​​the shield 15 and the cover ring 18 is provided with a concave-convex structure that allows the two to fit together. For example, a slot is provided on the transfer cavity 14, and a boss is provided on the cover ring 18 that can be correspondingly embedded in the slot of the transfer cavity 14, which not only ensures a large contact area between the two, but also enhances the fixation between the kits.

[0041] In some examples, the surface of the cover ring 18 facing the coating space is a conical surface, that is, the upper opening size of the cover ring 18 is larger than the lower opening size, the lower opening size corresponds to the area of ​​the wafer coating area, and the corner of the inner slope surface is a smooth chamfer. Such a design can better guide the target material 12 particles to the wafer surface to prevent accumulation on the surface of the cover ring 18. In some examples, when the cover ring 18 is made of metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum alloy, the cover ring 18 can be connected to an external power supply through a wire passed through the vacuum screw 19 to adjust the potential of the cover ring 18 according to process requirements, which helps to improve the coating efficiency. For example, in some examples, the cover ring 18 can be grounded.

[0042] The vacuum screw 19 can be a regular screw with the same diameter everywhere. In some other examples, the vacuum screw 19 is a reducing screw, and its dimension penetrating into the cover ring 18 is smaller than the dimension located in the adapter cavity 14 (the screw hole located in the cover ring 18 and the screw hole located in the adapter cavity 14 are adjusted and adapted accordingly). That is, the vacuum screw 19 has at least two sections with different diameters, the diameter located in the cover ring 18 is slightly smaller, and the diameter of one end located in the adapter cavity 14 is slightly larger. On the one hand, such a design can reduce the difficulty of installation, and on the other hand, it can reduce the adverse effects caused by thermal expansion (for example, when only the cooling medium passes through the adapter cavity 14, the heat dissipation of the cover ring 18 may be slower than that of the adapter cavity 14, and making the screw hole on the cover ring 18 relatively smaller helps to reduce the overall expansion effect), thereby extending the service life of the kit.

[0043] The vacuum screw 19 can be made of the same metal material as a whole, for example, made of stainless steel or other materials. In a preferred example provided by the present invention, the vacuum screw 19 includes an outer ring and an inner ring embedded in the outer ring, the material of the outer ring is the same as the material of the shield 15, and the thermal conductivity of the inner ring is greater than that of the outer ring. For example, in a specific example, stainless steel is used for the outer periphery to ensure that the vacuum screw 19 has good mechanical strength as a whole, and can be well matched with the shield 15 to reduce wear, while graphite is used for the inner ring to enhance the thermal conductivity of the vacuum screw 19.

[0044] In the PM process of PVD sputtering coating equipment in wafer fabs or laboratories, the difficulty, time, frequency and price of disassembling and assembling process kits are important considerations. Figure 3 The advantages of this solution can be understood by referring to the partially exploded view of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the transfer chamber 14 is located at the upper part of the coating chamber 11. When performing PM operation, the disassembly can be started directly after the vacuum pressure of the coating chamber 11 reaches one atmosphere. The volume and weight of the split transfer chamber 14 are several times larger than the cover ring 18. If a split solution is selected, only the coated cover ring 18 can be disassembled for cleaning and a new cover ring 18 can be installed without disassembling the transfer chamber 14. Only one person is required to operate, saving a lot of time and manpower. In contrast, the existing solution in which the cover ring and the transfer chamber are integrated requires the entire transfer chamber to be disassembled, sent for cleaning and installed. The weight of the transfer chamber is large, and disassembly requires multiple people to operate at the same time, which takes more than 2 times the time. Similarly, the deposition ring in the present invention adopts a split structure including an upper deposition ring 16 and a lower deposition ring 17. The advantage is that when only the cover ring 18 is disassembled during PM, the upper deposition ring 16 and the lower deposition ring 17 can be taken out for replacement. In the prior art, the transfer chamber 14 must be disassembled before the deposition ring can be taken out, which increases the difficulty of PK replacement. Meanwhile, the adapter chamber 14 is large in size, difficult to clean, time-consuming and costly to clean. However, the split type only needs to clean the small-sized cover ring 18, which is easy to clean and can be cleaned quickly, and also reduces the number of spare parts and spare parts cost for the equipment user.

[0045] The PVD coating equipment provided by the present invention can be applied to wafers of different sizes and different cavity heights, and can be applied to the coating of different products (for example, suitable for coating metal films, semiconductor films, and metal compound films). Other structures not mentioned here can refer to the prior art, and will not be elaborated in detail.

[0046] In summary, the PVD coating equipment disclosed in the present invention, which is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain, adopts a split design of a cover ring and a transfer chamber, and uses a plurality of vacuum screws to fix the two process kits, so that the contact area between the transfer chamber and the cover ring is significantly increased, thereby enhancing the process kit, especially increasing the heat dissipation efficiency of the cover ring. Under the premise of ensuring that the heat dissipation effect is not inferior to the existing integrated connection, it can be achieved that the process kits are not adhered to each other, will not be mistakenly connected, and are easy to disassemble and assemble. The cover ring and the transfer chamber can be replaced and used independently, and the service life is extended, which significantly reduces the cost and complexity of maintenance and cleaning, improves the efficiency of equipment maintenance operations, and reduces the cost of spare parts. The cover ring and the transfer chamber are independent of each other, and a suitable cover ring can be selected according to different process requirements, such as different wafer sizes and / or the size of the non-coating area of ​​the wafer, so that the applicability of the equipment is greatly improved. In addition, the present invention can also adjust the kit by adjusting the vacuum screws, especially adjusting the horizontality of the cover ring, which helps to improve the coating quality. Therefore, the present invention effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the prior art and has a high industrial utilization value.

[0047] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A PVD coating device that is easy to disassemble, assemble and maintain, characterized in that: include: A coating chamber, a sputtering assembly located at the top of the coating chamber, and a base, a transfer chamber, a shield, a deposition ring and a cover ring located in the coating chamber; The base is located below the sputtering assembly, and the deposition ring is arranged in a circumferential direction of the base; The shield is connected to the inner wall of the coating chamber and extends downward from the periphery of the sputtering assembly to above the deposition ring; The transition chamber is located below the shield, one end of the transition chamber is connected to the coating chamber, and the other end extends between the deposition ring and the shield, the cover ring portion is located between the shield and the transition chamber, and the bottom end of the cover ring is located on the deposition ring, wherein the shield, cover ring and transition chamber are independently formed and partially overlap in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the shield and the cover ring is connected to the cooling medium, and the overlapping areas of the cover ring and the transition chamber are in contact with each other and are fastened together by a plurality of hollow vacuum screws.

2. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deposition ring includes an upper deposition ring and a lower deposition ring. The upper deposition ring is mounted on a base and extends downward along a side of the base. One end of the lower deposition ring is located between the base and the upper deposition ring, and the other end extends away from the base and bends to form a groove. The cover ring is mounted in the groove of the lower deposition ring.

3. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shield and the transition chamber are isolated from each other by an insulating ring, and there are gaps between the shield, the sputtering component and the transition chamber.

4. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material of the shield and the transfer chamber includes stainless steel, and the material of the insulation ring and the deposition ring includes ceramic.

5. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the shield facing away from the coating chamber adopts an eaves design, and the eaves at least extend to cover the vacuum screw.

6. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overlapping area of ​​the shield and the cover ring is correspondingly provided with a concave-convex structure to enable the two to fit together.

7. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the cover ring facing the coating space is conical.

8. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum screw is a reducing screw, and its dimension penetrating into the cover ring is smaller than its dimension in the adapter cavity.

9. The PVD coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum screw comprises an outer ring and an inner ring embedded in the outer ring. The material of the outer ring is the same as that of the shield, and the thermal conductivity of the inner ring is greater than that of the outer ring.

10. The PVD coating equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: A plurality of vacuum screws are evenly spaced and arranged on the same circumferential surface.

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