Gas uniformizing disc and spray header

Abstract

The invention provides a gas uniformizing disc and a spraying head. The gas uniformizing disc comprises a pore plate and a gas uniformizing disc, wherein a plurality of first gas holes and at least one mounting structure are arranged on the pore plate; each hole module is provided with a hollow second air hole and is detachably mounted on the mounting structure so as to be matched with the first air hole for ventilation, and the hole modules are used for optimizing a gas flow field, so that the debugging period of the optimized gas uniformizing disc is remarkably shortened, and the machining cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a gas homogenizing disk and a shower head. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor thin film deposition process, the gas uniformizing disk is a key component for regulating the uniformity of gas distribution, and its design directly affects core parameters such as film thickness distribution (Tk profile), thickness non-uniformity (Tk NU%) and thickness range (Tk range). Traditional optimization methods adjust the hole design of the gas uniformizing disk (such as pore size, hole spacing and channel geometry) to improve the gas flow field distribution and enhance the uniformity of the film. However, once the hole parameters of the gas uniformizing disk are fixed in the prior art, its gas control ability is limited to a specific process window. In the face of diverse deposition process requirements, it is often necessary to customize the design of optimized gas uniformizing disks, but such designs rely on empirical models and trial-and-error iterations, making it difficult to achieve rapid adaptation.

[0003] In the current thin film deposition process, each round of process parameter adjustment requires the redesign and processing of a completely new design optimized gas distribution disk component, and its single processing cycle can be as long as weeks or even months. However, due to the strong nonlinear correlation between the gas path characteristics and the hole parameters, a single design is often difficult to accurately match the target film uniformity index, and it is necessary to go through multiple rounds of "design-processing-verification" iterations, resulting in a significant extension of the research and development cycle. What is more serious is that if the target is still not met after multiple adjustments, the high-cost customized components that have been invested cannot be reused due to structural solidification, resulting in an exponential waste of materials and manufacturing costs. These problems have caused the optimization process of the design optimized gas distribution disk to fall into a vicious cycle of "long cycle-high cost-difficult reuse", which has an adverse impact on the mass production of high-uniformity thin films.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, there is an urgent need in the art for a gas uniforming disk technology for optimizing the gas flow field, so as to significantly shorten the debugging period of the optimized gas uniforming disk and reduce the processing cost. Summary of the invention

[0005] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a gas uniforming disk technology for optimizing the gas flow field, so as to significantly shorten the debugging period of the optimized gas uniforming disk and reduce the processing cost.

[0007] Specifically, the gas distribution plate provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a perforated plate, on which a plurality of first air holes and at least one mounting structure are provided; and a plurality of hole modules, each of which has a hollow second air hole and is detachably mounted on the mounting structure to cooperate with the first air holes for ventilation.

[0008] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the mounting structure is a first mounting hole, the orifice plate includes a plurality of the first mounting holes, and the plurality of mounting holes are arranged in at least one circle along the circumference of the orifice plate to carry the plurality of orifice modules.

[0009] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the mounting structure is a mounting groove, and the gas uniforming disk also includes: at least one annular frame, each of which is provided with a plurality of second mounting holes and can be detachably mounted on the corresponding mounting groove to carry the plurality of hole modules.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the orifice plate is provided with a plurality of circles of the mounting grooves, and the gas uniformizing disk includes a plurality of groups of annular frames of corresponding diameters, wherein each group of the annular frames has the same diameter adapted to the corresponding mounting grooves, and second mounting holes of different densities, so as to be selectively installed in the corresponding mounting grooves according to the gas flow resistance of the corresponding mounting grooves.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a first annular frame having a smaller density of the second mounting holes is installed on a first mounting groove having a smaller gas flow resistance on the orifice plate, and a second annular frame having a larger density of the second mounting holes is installed on a second mounting groove having a larger flow resistance on the orifice plate.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, each of the annular frames is provided with a plurality of circles of the second mounting holes.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the hole modules of the plurality of second mounting holes arranged in the same circle have the same internal cavity structure and hole shape.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the multiple hole modules have multiple different internal cavity sizes and / or hole types, and are installed in corresponding first mounting holes or second mounting holes according to the gas flow resistance distribution at multiple positions on the orifice plate, wherein the first hole module with larger hole depth and / or smaller hole diameter is installed at the first position with smaller gas flow resistance on the orifice plate, and / or the second hole module with smaller hole depth and / or larger hole diameter is installed at the second position with larger flow resistance on the gas uniformizing disk.

[0015] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the internal cavity structure includes a cylindrical structure or a regular polygonal prism structure, and / or the hole type of the second air hole includes at least one of a straight hole, a step hole, and a trumpet hole, wherein the diameter of the air inlet end of the step hole and the trumpet hole is smaller than the diameter of the air outlet end.

[0016] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the diameter of the orifice plate is greater than 300 mm, the outer contour of the hole module is a cylinder with a diameter less than or equal to 15 mm, and the second air hole is the step hole whose internal cavity is a cylinder, wherein the step hole includes an outlet step and an inlet step, the inner diameter of the outlet step is less than or equal to 10 mm, the height of the inlet step is less than or equal to 25 mm, and the outlet step and the inlet step are connected via a slope, and the vertical height of the slope is 0.05 mm.

[0017] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the gas uniforming disk further comprises: an outer fixing ring, which is fixedly connected to the orifice plate and is used to fix the orifice plate at a preset position of the process chamber.

[0018] In addition, the shower head provided according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises: an air-distributing disk as described in any one of the first aspect of the present invention; and a back plate, which is sealed and connected to the air-distributing disk and maintains a gas mixing cavity therewith for evenly supplying gas to the air-distributing disk. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an air homogenizing disk provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of multiple hole modules provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a ring frame provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of multiple ring racks provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0024] Figure 5A to Figure 5B A schematic structural diagram of a hanging hole provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a step hole provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a sealing groove provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Reference numerals:

[0028] 10-well plate

[0029] 11 Mounting slot

[0030] 12 Hanging holes

[0031] 13 Rubber ring groove

[0032] 14 RF conductive coil slot

[0033] 20-well block

[0034] 30 Ring Stand

[0035] 40 External retaining ring DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the implementation is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0038] In addition, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal" and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the directions shown in the paragraph and the related drawings. Such relative terms are only used for the convenience of description and do not mean that the device described therein must be manufactured or operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0039] It is understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers and / or parts, these components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer and / or part discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] As mentioned above, in the semiconductor thin film deposition process, the gas uniformizing disk is a key component for regulating the uniformity of gas distribution, and its design directly affects core parameters such as film thickness distribution (Tk profile), thickness non-uniformity (Tk NU%) and thickness range (Tkrange). Traditional optimization methods adjust the hole design of the gas uniformizing disk (such as pore size, hole spacing and channel geometry) to improve the gas flow field distribution and enhance the uniformity of the film. However, once the hole parameters of the gas uniformizing disk are fixed in the prior art, its gas control ability is limited to a specific process window. In the face of diverse deposition process requirements, it is often necessary to customize the design of optimized gas uniformizing disks, but such designs rely on empirical models and trial-and-error iterations, making it difficult to achieve rapid adaptation.

[0041] In the current thin film deposition process, each round of process parameter adjustment requires the redesign and processing of a completely new design optimized gas distribution disk component, and its single processing cycle can be as long as weeks or even months. However, due to the strong nonlinear correlation between the gas path characteristics and the hole parameters, a single design is often difficult to accurately match the target film uniformity index, and it is necessary to go through multiple rounds of "design-processing-verification" iterations, resulting in a significant extension of the research and development cycle. What is more serious is that if the target is still not met after multiple adjustments, the high-cost customized components that have been invested cannot be reused due to structural solidification, resulting in an exponential waste of materials and manufacturing costs. These problems have caused the optimization process of the design optimized gas distribution disk to fall into a vicious cycle of "long cycle-high cost-difficult reuse", which has an adverse impact on the mass production of high-uniformity thin films.

[0042] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a gas uniforming disk and a spray plate for optimizing the gas flow field, so as to significantly shorten the debugging period of the optimized gas uniforming disk and reduce the processing cost.

[0043] In some non-limiting embodiments, the gas-distributing disk provided in the first aspect of the present invention can be configured on the shower plate provided in the second aspect of the present invention. Specifically, the shower head comprises: a gas-distributing disk as described in any one of the first aspects of the present invention; and a back plate, which is sealed and connected to the gas-distributing disk and maintains a gas mixing cavity therewith for evenly supplying gas to the gas-distributing disk.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 1-2 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an air homogenizing disk provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of multiple hole modules provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, the gas distribution plate includes a perforated plate 10 and a plurality of perforated modules 20. The perforated plate 10 is provided with a plurality of first air holes and at least one mounting structure. The plurality of perforated modules 20, each of which has a hollow second air hole, is detachably mounted on the mounting structure to cooperate with the first air hole for ventilation.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, the mounting structure may be a first mounting hole, and the orifice plate 10 includes a plurality of first mounting holes, and the plurality of mounting holes are arranged in at least one circle along the circumference of the orifice plate 10 to carry a plurality of orifice modules 20 .

[0047] Please refer to Figure 3-4 , Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a ring frame provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of multiple ring racks provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0048] like Figure 3 As shown, the mounting structure can be a mounting groove 11, and the gas distribution plate further includes: at least one annular frame 30, each annular frame 30 is provided with a plurality of second mounting holes, and can be detachably mounted on the corresponding mounting groove 11 to carry a plurality of hole modules 20. For example: the diameter of the gas distribution plate is greater than 300 mm, and 0 to 70 annular frames 30 are provided thereon.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the orifice plate 10 may also be provided with multiple circles of mounting grooves 11 to simultaneously match multiple annular frames 30. Here, the arrangement of the mounting holes and the mounting grooves 11 may be configured according to the actual thermal distribution.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 5A to Figure 5B , Figure 5A to Figure 5B A schematic structural diagram of a hanging hole provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0051] like Figure 5A to Figure 5BAs shown, the ring frame 30 may be provided with a hanging hole 12 to facilitate the removal of the ring frame 30 from the orifice plate 10. During installation, the ring frame 30 may be moved above the corresponding position of the gas distribution plate, and the bottom of the ring frame 30 is fixed to the orifice plate 10 by a positioning pin.

[0052] In this way, by decomposing the gas-distributing disk into independently controllable depth adjustment modules, the dynamic combination and rapid reconstruction of the hole depth parameters can be achieved. This solution can flexibly adjust the hole depth distribution on the basis of the same hardware. Only by cooling the high temperature during the process (usually takes 1 day), the hole module 20 can be quickly adjusted to optimize the gas flow field and the uniformity of thin film deposition, and the processing cycle of replacing a new disk (usually takes 4 weeks) is significantly shortened, thereby improving the debugging efficiency of the gas-distributing disk and reducing the processing cost.

[0053] In some embodiments, the orifice plate 10 is provided with a plurality of circles of mounting grooves 11, and the gas distribution plate includes a plurality of groups of annular frames 30 of corresponding diameters. Each group of annular frames 30 has the same diameter adapted to the corresponding mounting groove 11, and second mounting holes of different densities, so as to be selectively installed in the corresponding mounting groove 11 according to the gas flow resistance of the corresponding mounting groove 11.

[0054] Furthermore, the first annular frame 30 with a smaller density of second mounting holes is installed in the first mounting groove 11 with a smaller gas flow resistance on the orifice plate 10, and the second annular frame 30 with a larger density of second mounting holes is installed in the second mounting groove 11 with a larger flow resistance on the orifice plate 10.

[0055] In some embodiments, each annular frame 30 may be provided with a plurality of circles of second mounting holes.

[0056] In some embodiments, the hole modules 20 of the plurality of second mounting holes in the same circle have the same internal cavity structure and hole shape. Here, the annular frame 30 and the hole module 20 can be fixed by a step surface, or the hole module 20 and the annular frame 30 can be processed as one piece.

[0057] In this way, the annular frame 30 can simultaneously take and place the corresponding plurality of hole modules 20, which is easier to install than a single hole module 20. At the same time, only the circles that need to be adjusted can be adjusted without operating other circles, thereby improving the debugging efficiency of the gas-distributing disk.

[0058] In addition, the plurality of hole modules 20 have a plurality of different internal cavity sizes and / or hole types, and are installed in the corresponding first mounting holes or second mounting holes according to the gas flow resistance distribution at multiple positions on the orifice plate 10. The first hole module 20 with a larger hole depth and / or a smaller hole diameter is installed at the first position with a smaller gas flow resistance on the orifice plate 10. The second hole module 20 with a smaller hole depth and / or a larger hole diameter is installed at the second position with a larger flow resistance on the gas homogenizing disk.

[0059] In some embodiments, the internal cavity structure includes a cylindrical structure or a regular polygonal prism structure. The hole type of the second air hole includes at least one of a straight hole, a step hole, and a trumpet hole, wherein the diameter of the air inlet end of the step hole and the trumpet hole is smaller than the diameter of the air outlet end. The trumpet hole includes a primary step, a secondary step, and a trumpet step.

[0060] In some embodiments, the diameter of the orifice plate 10 is greater than 300 mm, the outer contour of the orifice module 20 is a cylinder with a diameter less than or equal to 15 mm, and the second air hole is a stepped hole with an internal cavity being a cylinder.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a step hole provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0062] like Figure 6 As shown, the step hole includes an outlet step and an inlet step, the inner diameter of the outlet step is less than or equal to 10 mm, the height of the inlet step is less than or equal to 25 mm, the outlet step and the inlet step are connected via a slope, and the vertical height of the slope is 0.05 mm.

[0063] In some embodiments, the H dimension value of the hole module 20 can be marked on the outer surface of the hole module 20 to facilitate classification management and storage.

[0064] In addition, the gas distribution plate further includes an outer fixing ring 40 which is fixedly connected to the orifice plate 10 and is used to fix the orifice plate 10 at a preset position of the process chamber.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a sealing groove provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0066] like Figure 7 As shown, the non-planar lower surface structure of the conventional orifice plate 10 will introduce RF field distortion, requiring additional adjustment of process parameters to compensate for uniformity loss, further increasing debugging complexity and pushing up overall costs. Therefore, the lower surface of the orifice plate 10 can also be designed to be planar, effectively eliminating RF field distortion and ensuring the uniformity of the RF electric field.

[0067] In some embodiments, the orifice plate 10 is further provided with a rubber ring groove 13 for installing a rubber ring to seal the orifice plate 10 and the outer fixing ring 40 .

[0068] In some embodiments, the aperture plate 10 is further provided with a radio frequency conductive coil slot 14 structure to ensure good radio frequency connection between the aperture plate 10 and the outer fixing ring 40 .

[0069] In some embodiments, the outer fixing ring 40 also retains structures such as the gas distribution disk thermocouple, thermocouple / power filter, etc., and is positioned with the orifice plate 10 through positioning pins / threads.

[0070] In summary, the gas uniforming disk and the spray plate provided by the present invention can be used to optimize the gas flow field, so as to significantly shorten the debugging period of the optimized gas uniforming disk and reduce the processing cost.

[0071] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of actions for simplicity of explanation, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, because according to one or more embodiments, some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art.

[0072] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A uniform gas disc, characterized in that: include: An orifice plate, on which a plurality of first air holes and at least one mounting structure are provided; as well as A plurality of hole modules, each of which has a hollow second air hole, and is detachably mounted on the mounting structure to cooperate with the first air hole for ventilation.

2. The gas distribution plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting structure is a first mounting hole, and the orifice plate includes a plurality of the first mounting holes, and the plurality of mounting holes are arranged in at least one circle along the circumference of the orifice plate to carry the plurality of orifice modules.

3. The gas homogenizing disk according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting structure is a mounting groove, and the gas distribution plate further comprises: At least one annular frame, each of which is provided with a plurality of second mounting holes and is detachably mounted on the corresponding mounting slots to carry the plurality of hole modules.

4. The gas distribution plate according to claim 3, characterized in that: The orifice plate is provided with a plurality of circles of the mounting grooves, and the gas distribution plate includes a plurality of groups of annular frames with corresponding diameters, wherein: Each group of the annular frames has the same diameter adapted to the corresponding mounting grooves, and second mounting holes of different densities, so as to be selectively mounted to the corresponding mounting grooves according to the gas flow resistance of the corresponding mounting grooves.

5. The gas distribution plate according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first annular frame with a smaller density of the second mounting holes is installed on the first mounting groove with a smaller gas flow resistance on the orifice plate, and the second annular frame with a larger density of the second mounting holes is installed on the second mounting groove with a larger flow resistance on the orifice plate.

6. The gas distribution plate according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each of the annular frames is respectively provided with a plurality of circles of the second mounting holes.

7. The gas distribution plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: The hole modules of the plurality of second mounting holes arranged in the same circle have the same internal cavity structure and hole shape.

8. The gas distribution plate according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The plurality of orifice modules have a plurality of different internal cavity sizes and / or orifice shapes, and are mounted to corresponding first mounting holes or second mounting holes according to the gas flow resistance distribution at a plurality of positions on the orifice plate, wherein: A first hole module with a larger hole depth and / or a smaller hole diameter is installed at a first position of the orifice plate where the gas flow resistance is smaller, and / or The second hole module with a smaller hole depth and / or a larger hole diameter is installed at a second position with a larger flow resistance on the gas homogenizing disk.

9. The gas distribution plate according to claim 8, characterized in that: The internal cavity structure includes a cylindrical structure or a regular polygonal prism structure, and / or The hole type of the second air hole includes at least one of a straight hole, a step hole, and a trumpet hole, wherein the diameter of the air inlet end of the step hole and the trumpet hole is smaller than the diameter of the air outlet end.

10. The gas distribution plate according to claim 9, characterized in that: The diameter of the orifice plate is greater than 300 mm, the outer contour of the orifice module is a cylinder with a diameter less than or equal to 15 mm, and the second air hole is the stepped hole with an internal cavity being a cylinder, wherein: The step hole includes an outlet step and an inlet step, the inner diameter of the outlet step is less than or equal to 10 mm, the height of the inlet step is less than or equal to 25 mm, the outlet step and the inlet step are connected via a slope, and the vertical height of the slope is 0.05 mm.

11. The gas distribution plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: An outer fixing ring is fixedly connected to the orifice plate and is used to fix the orifice plate at a preset position of the process chamber.

12. A shower head, characterized in that: include: The gas distribution plate as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11; as well as The back plate is sealed and connected to the gas-distributing disk, and maintains a gas-mixing cavity therewith for evenly supplying gas to the gas-distributing disk.

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