An upper electrode structure, a semiconductor process chamber, and a semiconductor process apparatus

CN120183990BActive Publication Date: 2026-10-20BEIJING NAURA MICROELECTRONICS EQUIP CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202311763658.3
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-12-20
Publication Date
2026-10-20
Estimated Expiration
2043-12-20

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

[0004]针对上述技术问题,本申请提供一种上电极结构、半导体工艺腔室及半导体工艺设备,可以改善现有的半导体工艺腔室仅能通过结构尺寸和安装精度来改善等离子体均匀性导致改善效果有限的问题

Benefits of technology

[0034]如上所述,本申请的上电极结构,还包括磁性组件,磁性组件设置于上电极组件的上方,磁性组件包括两个以上在竖直方向排列的线圈组,每个线圈组包括第一线圈和至少一个第二线圈,并且每个线圈组中,所有第二线圈与第一线圈都是独立加载直流电压,即本实施例将磁性组件沿轴向分为多层,沿径向分为多个区,并且可以单独控制每一层每个区的线圈是否加载电压,就可以精准地调控等离子体在径向的分布,提高等离子体的均匀性。此外相比单层或单区线圈结构,在需要提高磁场能力时则需增加匝数或者改变线圈线径等参数,这样结构需要的空间更大,成本更高;本实施例整个磁性组件为多层多区线圈,需要提高相同的磁场能力时,只需要微调各区的线圈的匝数和线径即可,这样能够提高上电极结构的空间复用率,降低机台成本。

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Abstract

The application discloses an upper electrode structure, a semiconductor process chamber and a semiconductor process equipment. The upper electrode structure comprises: an upper electrode assembly arranged on the top of the semiconductor process chamber; and a magnetic assembly arranged above the upper electrode assembly, wherein the magnetic assembly comprises at least two coil groups arranged in a vertical direction; each coil group comprises a first coil and at least one second coil, the at least one second coil is sequentially nested, and the innermost second coil is nested outside the first coil, and the second coil and the first coil are independently powered by direct current. The magnetic assembly is divided into multiple layers along the axial direction and multiple zones along the radial direction, and whether the coil of each layer and each zone is loaded with voltage can be controlled independently, so that the distribution of the plasma in the radial direction can be accurately regulated and controlled, the uniformity of the plasma can be improved, the spatial multiplexing rate of the upper electrode structure can be improved, and the cost of the machine table can be reduced.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, specifically to an upper electrode structure, a semiconductor process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing processes, dry etching is becoming an increasingly important step. As IC feature sizes continue to shrink, dry etching accounts for a growing proportion of the production line. A traditional capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) process chamber consists of an upper electrode and a lower electrode positioned opposite each other. The radio frequency (RF) power supply is applied to the lower electrode, while the upper electrode serves only as one plate of a capacitor. Process gas enters the process chamber from the upper electrode and is ionized by discharges through the upper and lower electrodes to generate plasma. This plasma bombards the wafer surface to etch it.

[0003] Generally, the more uniform the plasma distribution, the better the etching uniformity. Traditional process chambers can only improve plasma uniformity through structural dimensions and installation precision, but the improvement effect is limited and has significant limitations in application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides an upper electrode structure, a semiconductor process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the limited improvement effect of existing semiconductor process chambers that can only improve plasma uniformity through structural dimensions and installation accuracy.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide an upper electrode structure applied in a semiconductor process chamber, the upper electrode structure comprising:

[0006] An upper electrode assembly is disposed at the top of the semiconductor process chamber;

[0007] A magnetic component is disposed above the upper electrode component, the magnetic component comprising at least two coil groups arranged vertically;

[0008] Each coil group includes a first coil and at least one second coil, the at least one second coil being nested sequentially, with the innermost second coil nested outside the first coil, and the second coil and the first coil each receiving DC power independently.

[0009] Optionally, the magnetic component further includes:

[0010] A base is disposed above the upper electrode assembly. The base has at least two receiving cavities arranged vertically, and the at least two coil groups are disposed in the at least two receiving cavities in a corresponding manner.

[0011] Each of the accommodating cavities includes a first annular cavity and at least one second annular cavity, the at least one second annular cavity being nested sequentially, with the innermost second annular cavity nested outside the first annular cavity;

[0012] In the accommodating cavity and the corresponding coil group, the first coil is disposed in the first annular cavity, and the at least one second coil is disposed in the at least one second annular cavity.

[0013] Optionally, two coil groups are provided, and each coil group includes a first coil and a second coil;

[0014] The base includes:

[0015] The support plate base has a first annular groove and a second annular groove arranged around the first annular groove on its top surface, and a third annular groove and a fourth annular groove arranged around the third annular groove on its bottom surface.

[0016] A top cover is provided to seal the top surface of the support plate substrate, thereby forming the first annular cavity and the second annular cavity on the top surface of the support plate substrate;

[0017] A bottom cover is provided to seal the bottom surface of the support plate substrate, thereby forming the first annular cavity and the second annular cavity on the bottom surface of the support plate substrate.

[0018] Optionally, the magnetic component further includes:

[0019] A cooling element is disposed on the top surface of the base and is used to introduce circulating cooling medium to cool the base.

[0020] Optionally, the upper electrode structure further includes:

[0021] A fixing frame is provided, the upper electrode assembly is disposed on the fixing frame, the fixing frame is provided with a first partition plate spaced apart from the upper electrode assembly, and the first partition plate is located above the upper electrode assembly, and the base is movably disposed on the first partition plate;

[0022] A first driving source is disposed on the first partition and connected to the base, for driving the base to move on the first partition.

[0023] Optionally, the first driving source includes:

[0024] At least one pair of first motors are arranged around the base, and the two first motors of the same pair are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center of the upper electrode assembly, for cooperating to drive the base to move along the straight line where the two first motors are located.

[0025] Optionally, the upper electrode structure further includes:

[0026] A second driving source is disposed on the first partition and connected to the base, and is used to adjust the tilt angle of the magnetic component or its height relative to the first partition.

[0027] Optionally, the second driving source includes:

[0028] At least three second motors are connected to the bottom surface of the base for adjusting the height or tilt angle of the base.

[0029] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a semiconductor process chamber, including a chamber body and an upper electrode structure as described in the above embodiments;

[0030] The top of the chamber body is provided with an opening, and the upper electrode structure is disposed at the opening.

[0031] Optionally, the semiconductor process chamber further includes:

[0032] The radio frequency (RF) feed module is connected to the upper electrode structure and is used to apply an RF voltage to the upper electrode structure.

[0033] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a semiconductor processing apparatus, including the semiconductor process chamber described in the above embodiments.

[0034] As described above, the upper electrode structure of this application also includes a magnetic component, which is disposed above the upper electrode component. The magnetic component includes two or more coil groups arranged vertically. Each coil group includes a first coil and at least one second coil. In each coil group, all second coils and the first coil are independently loaded with DC voltage. That is, in this embodiment, the magnetic component is divided into multiple layers along the axial direction and multiple regions along the radial direction. It is possible to control whether the coils in each layer and each region are loaded with voltage, thereby precisely controlling the radial distribution of plasma and improving the uniformity of plasma. In addition, compared with a single-layer or single-region coil structure, when it is necessary to increase the magnetic field capability, it is necessary to increase the number of turns or change the coil wire diameter and other parameters. This requires more space and is more expensive. In this embodiment, the entire magnetic component is a multi-layer, multi-region coil. When it is necessary to increase the same magnetic field capability, it is only necessary to fine-tune the number of turns and wire diameter of the coils in each region. This can improve the space reuse rate of the upper electrode structure and reduce the cost of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0035] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor process chamber in related technologies;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an upper electrode structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of a magnetic component on plasma distribution according to an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a magnetic component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 5 This is an exploded structural diagram of a magnetic component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a cooling component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 7 This is a top view of a connection diagram (top view) between a magnetic component and a first driving source provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram (bottom view) of the horizontal position adjustment of a magnetic component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 9 This is a side view (illustrative diagram) showing the vertical position adjustment of a magnetic component according to an embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram (side view) illustrating the adjustment of the tilt angle of a magnetic component according to an embodiment of this application.

[0046] The realization of the objectives, functional features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings have illustrated specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0047] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0048] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, components, features, and elements with the same names in different embodiments of this application may have the same meaning or different meanings, the specific meaning of which must be determined by its interpretation in that specific embodiment or further in conjunction with the context of that specific embodiment.

[0049] It should be further understood that the terms "comprising" or "including" indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types, and / or groups. The terms "or," "and / or," and "comprising at least one of the following," as used in this application, can be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. For example, "comprising at least one of the following: A, B, C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C," and similarly, "A, B, or C" or "A, B, and / or C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C." Exceptions to this definition only occur when the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0050] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe various types of information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this document, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used in this document are intended to also include the plural forms, unless the context indicates otherwise.

[0051] It should be understood that the terms "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application.

[0052] For ease of description, the following embodiments are all illustrated using an orthogonal space formed by a horizontal plane and a vertical direction as an example. This premise should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0053] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor process chamber in related technologies. The semiconductor process chamber includes a chamber body 10a, an upper electrode assembly 20a and a lower electrode assembly 30a disposed opposite each other within the chamber body 10a, and a cover plate 40a sealing the top of the chamber body 10a. An RF power supply is applied to the lower electrode assembly 30a. The upper electrode assembly 20a serves only as one electrode of a capacitor and may specifically include an upper electrode 21a and a gas equalization disk 22a disposed on the top surface of the upper electrode 21a. A cavity 50a is formed between the gas equalization disk 22a and the cover plate 40a. Process gas passes through a vent hole in the center of the cover plate 40a, enters the cavity 50a, and then enters the chamber body 10a through the gas equalization structure within the upper electrode assembly 20a. Under the discharge excitation of the upper electrode assembly 20a and the lower electrode assembly 30a, plasma is formed to bombard and etch the wafer surface. This semiconductor process chamber can only improve plasma uniformity through structural dimensions and installation precision, with limited improvement effect and significant limitations in application. Based on this, this application provides an upper electrode structure, a semiconductor process chamber, and a semiconductor process apparatus.

[0054] Please see Figures 2-4 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an upper electrode structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of a magnetic component on plasma distribution, as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a magnetic component provided in an embodiment of this application. The upper electrode structure may include an upper electrode component 10 and a magnetic component 20. In application, the upper electrode component 10 is disposed on the top of a semiconductor process chamber, for example, it may be supported on the side wall of the chamber body 100.

[0055] The magnetic component 20 is disposed above the upper electrode assembly 10. For example, the magnetic component 20 can be mounted above the upper electrode assembly 10 using a structure such as a bracket. The specific mounting method is not particularly limited in this embodiment. The magnetic component 20 includes at least two coil groups 21, all of which are arranged vertically. Each coil group 21 includes a first coil 211 and at least one second coil 212. All the second coils 212 are nested sequentially, with the innermost second coil 212 nested outside the first coil 211. Each second coil 212 and the first coil 211 are independently powered by DC.

[0056] Figure 2 and Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a 2×2 magnetic component 20 structure, comprising two coil groups 21 arranged vertically. Each coil group 21 includes a first coil 211 and a second coil 212. In other embodiments, such as those for larger process chambers or larger wafers, each magnetic component 20 may include more than two coil groups 21, and each coil group 21 may also include more than two second coils 212. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the first coil 211 can be disk-shaped or a ring structure with a central empty portion used for other structures. In this application, the first coil 211 is described using a ring structure as an example, which does not constitute a limitation of this application.

[0057] Please see Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the effect of a magnetic component on plasma distribution according to an embodiment of this application, wherein... Figure 3 As a comparison diagram, the top surface of the upper electrode assembly 10 does not have a magnetic component 20, and the plasma moves almost in a straight line towards the surface of the wafer 101 on the support base 200. However, the plasma distribution density is usually higher in the central region of the wafer and lower at the periphery, which can easily lead to a faster etching rate at the center than at the edge, and also increases the probability of decentering. Figure 3 A magnetic component 20 is provided on the top surface of the upper electrode assembly 10 in b. After a DC voltage is applied to the magnetic component 20, a radial magnetic field is generated in the vertical direction. As the plasma moves downward, it is deflected towards the circumferential edge of the wafer under the action of the magnetic field, which reduces the plasma density in the central region and increases the plasma density at the edge. By adjusting the voltage applied to the magnetic component 20, the plasma density on the entire surface of the wafer 101 can be made more uniform.

[0058] In this embodiment, the magnetic component 20 includes two or more coil groups 21. Each coil group 21 includes a first coil 211 and at least one second coil 212. Since all the second coils 212 and the first coil 211 in each coil group 21 are independently loaded with DC voltage, this embodiment divides the magnetic component 20 into multiple layers along the axial direction and multiple regions along the radial direction. Furthermore, the voltage loading on the coils in each layer and region can be controlled individually, allowing for precise control of the radial distribution of plasma. In addition, compared to single-layer or single-region coil structures, increasing the number of turns or changing the coil wire diameter is necessary to improve the magnetic field capability, resulting in a larger space requirement and higher cost. In this embodiment, the entire magnetic component 20 is a multi-layer, multi-region coil. To improve the same magnetic field capability, only the number of turns and wire diameter of the coils in each region need to be fine-tuned. This improves the space utilization rate of the upper electrode structure and reduces equipment costs. This application does not limit the specific structure of the upper electrode component 10; this is merely an example. Please refer to the following documentation. Figure 2 The upper electrode assembly 10 may include a cooling inlet disk 11, a gas equalization disk 12, and a silicon electrode 13 stacked sequentially, as well as a focusing ring 14 sleeved on the outside of the upper electrode assembly 10 and an isolation ring 15 sleeved on the outside of the cooling inlet disk 11 and the gas equalization disk 12. The cooling inlet disk 11 can be used for gas passage, and a cooling channel is provided inside to cool the outside of the upper electrode assembly 10. The gas equalization disk 12 can homogenize the gas, and the gas finally enters the process chamber through the small hole of the silicon electrode 13 after homogenization.

[0059] In one embodiment, please continue reading Figure 2 and Figure 4 This application provides a specific embodiment of a coil assembly. The magnetic assembly 20 of this embodiment may further include a base 22, which is disposed above the upper electrode assembly 10. For example, the base 22 may be supported on the side wall of the chamber body 100 and suspended above the upper electrode assembly 10 for potential isolation. The base 22 has at least two receiving cavities 221, all arranged vertically, and all coil groups 21 are correspondingly disposed in the receiving cavities 221. Furthermore, each receiving cavity 221 includes a first annular cavity 2211 and at least one second annular cavity 2212, all second annular cavities 2212 are nested sequentially, with the innermost second annular cavity 2212 nested outside the first annular cavity 2211. In the receiving cavities 221 and the corresponding coil groups 21, the first coil 211 is disposed in the first annular cavity 2211, and all second coils 212 are correspondingly disposed in the second annular cavities 2212.

[0060] For example, the base 22 may include two vertically arranged accommodating cavities 221, each accommodating cavity 221 corresponding to a coil group 21. Specifically, each accommodating cavity 221 contains a first annular cavity 2211 and a second annular cavity 2212, and each coil group 21 includes a first coil 211 disposed in the first annular cavity 2211 and a second coil 212 disposed in the second annular cavity 2212.

[0061] For an implementation of the base 22 including the aforementioned dual-zone, dual-layer coil, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is an exploded structural diagram of a magnetic component provided in an embodiment of this application. The base 22 may include: a support plate base 223, and a top cover 224 and a bottom cover 225 disposed on the upper and lower sides of the support plate base 223. The top surface of the support plate base 223 is provided with a first annular groove 2231 and a second annular groove 2232 disposed around the first annular groove 2231. The top cover 224 is sealed (e.g., welded) to the top surface of the support plate base 223, so that the first annular groove 2231 forms a first annular cavity 2211 and the second annular groove 2232 forms a second annular cavity 2212. A first coil 211 is disposed in the first annular cavity 2211 and a second coil 212 is disposed in the second annular cavity 2212. Similarly, a third annular groove and a fourth annular groove (not shown in the figure due to the viewing angle) can also be provided on the bottom surface of the support plate base 223. The bottom cover 225 covers the bottom surface of the support plate base 223, forming a first annular cavity and a second annular cavity on the bottom surface of the support plate base 223, respectively accommodating the first coil 211 and the second coil 212.

[0062] Understandably, when more coil layers 21 need to be set up, the carrier plate substrate 223 and the corresponding cover plate can be added, and they can be stacked and welded in sequence.

[0063] In one embodiment, please continue reading Figure 4 and Figure 5 The magnetic component 20 may also include a cooling element 23 disposed on the top surface of the base 22 for introducing a circulating cooling medium to cool the base 22. For example, the cooling element 23 may be disposed on the top surface of the top cover 224 of the base 22. Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a cooling component provided in an embodiment of this application. The cooling component 23 can be provided with a spiral channel 231 inside. The inlet 232 and outlet 233 of the channel 231 can both be provided on the side of the cooling component 23 for connecting pipes so that the circulating cooling medium can flow through the cooling component 23 to achieve cooling and temperature control of the base 22.

[0064] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 and Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a top view of a connection between a magnetic component and a first driving source provided in an embodiment of this application. The upper electrode structure may further include a fixing frame 30 and a first driving source 40. The upper electrode component 10 is disposed on the fixing frame 30. The fixing frame 30 is provided with a first partition 31 spaced apart from the upper electrode component 10, and the first partition 31 is located above the upper electrode component 10. The base 22 of the magnetic component 20 is movably disposed on the first partition 31. The first driving source 40 is disposed on the first partition 31 and connected to the base 22, and is used to drive the base 22 to move on the first partition 31.

[0065] Since the horizontal position of the induced magnetic field of the magnetic component 20 has a significant impact on the uniformity of the plasma, this embodiment can use the first driving source 40 to drive the base 22 to move on the first partition 31, thereby adjusting the horizontal position of the magnetic component 20. This increases the magnetic flux in areas with weak etching rates, improves the electron density at the edges of the corresponding areas, and increases the etching rate in those areas, thus meeting certain special process requirements. These special process requirements necessitate large or small magnetic field strengths in certain directions, which cannot be met simply by changing the multi-zone transmission voltage. This embodiment can directionally improve the etching capability in a specific direction according to process requirements, thus offering a wider etching selectivity. The first driving source 40 can be implemented using a motor combined with a conventional motion mechanism; its specific implementation is not particularly limited in this application.

[0066] To avoid the magnetic field generated by magnetic component 20 affecting the external circuitry, please refer to [link / reference needed]. Figure 2 Preferably, the mounting bracket 30 is also provided with a shielding cover 32, which is disposed on the first partition 31 to cover the magnetic component 20 inside, so that the magnetic field generated by the magnetic component 20 can only be emitted to one side of the upward electrode component 10.

[0067] As an example of a first drive source 40, please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram (bottom view) of the horizontal position adjustment of a magnetic component provided in an embodiment of this application. The first driving source 40 may include at least one pair of first motors 41. All first motors 41 are arranged around the base 22, and the two first motors 41 of the same pair are symmetrically arranged relative to the center of the upper electrode assembly 10, for cooperating to drive the base 22 to move along the straight line where the two first motors 41 are located. It can be understood that for Figure 7 When the magnetic component 20 is coaxially arranged with the upper electrode component 10 in the initial position, the two first motors 41 of the same pair are simultaneously arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the magnetic component 20.

[0068] For example, when the horizontal position of the magnetic component 20 needs to be adjusted, the two first motors 41A and 41B of the same pair are controlled by electrical signals to extend and retract their extended screw rods, thereby changing the position of the magnetic component 20. Specifically, the screw rod of the first motor 41A at the 3 o'clock position extends, while the screw rod of the first motor 41B at the 9 o'clock position retracts, adjusting the position of the magnetic component 20 towards the 9 o'clock direction (from the solid line to the dashed line position). It can be understood that in this embodiment, the more pairs of first motors 41 there are, the more precise the position adjustment of the magnetic component 20 will be.

[0069] In one embodiment, see Figure 2 The upper electrode structure may also include a second driving source 50, which is disposed on the first partition 31 and connected to the base 22, for adjusting the tilt angle of the base 22 or its height relative to the first partition 31.

[0070] Because the magnetic field strength of the magnetic component 20 decreases as the distance from the upper electrode component 10 increases, this embodiment can drive the base 22 to move vertically via the second drive source 50 to adjust the tilt angle or height of the base 22 to meet some special process requirements. These special process requirements require a larger magnetic field strength, which cannot be met by simply changing the multi-zone transmission voltage. This embodiment can directionally improve the etching capability in a certain direction according to process requirements, thus providing a wider etching selectivity. The second drive source 50 can be implemented by a motor plus a conventional motion mechanism, and its specific implementation is not particularly limited in this application.

[0071] As an example of a second drive source 50, please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , Figure 9 This is a side view (illustrative diagram) illustrating the vertical position adjustment of a magnetic component according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 10 This is a side view of a schematic diagram (side view) illustrating the adjustment of the tilt angle of a magnetic component according to an embodiment of this application. The second drive source 50 may include at least three second motors 51. The second motors 51 are connected to the bottom surface of the base 22 of the magnetic component 20 and are used to adjust the height or tilt angle of the base 22. When it is necessary to adjust the vertical position (i.e., height) of the magnetic component 20, the screws of all the second motors 51 can be controlled to extend or retract simultaneously, such as... Figure 9 As shown. When it is necessary to adjust the tilt angle of the magnetic component 20, the extension or retraction state of all the second motors 51 can be controlled by the three-point leveling principle to make the magnetic component 20 reach the target tilt angle.

[0072] Please continue reading. Figure 2This application also provides a semiconductor process chamber, including a chamber body 100 and an upper electrode structure as described in the above embodiments. The top of the chamber body 100 has an opening, and the upper electrode structure is disposed at the opening. This semiconductor process chamber can be a capacitively coupled plasma etching process chamber.

[0073] In one embodiment, please continue reading Figure 2 The semiconductor process chamber may also include an RF feed module 300, which is connected to the upper electrode structure and is used to apply an RF voltage to the upper electrode structure.

[0074] Traditional CCP equipment typically does not house radio frequency (RF) components on its upper electrode structure. Its ability to influence plasma uniformity is limited by structural dimensions and installation precision requirements. This invention, however, applies an RF voltage to the upper electrode structure, thereby increasing plasma density and expanding the usable RF window.

[0075] For example, the RF feed module 300 can be connected to a matching unit, and then connected to the upper electrode structure through the RF feed copper pillar 301. Applying RF voltage to the upper electrode structure can increase the plasma density and increase the usable RF window.

[0076] In one embodiment, the semiconductor process chamber further includes a multi-way air intake system, for example, multiple air intake holes can be provided on the cooling air intake plate 11 of the upper electrode structure, with each air intake hole connected to an air intake pipe 400.

[0077] Traditional upper electrode structures typically employ a single-point intake at the center, with gas diffusing layer by layer. Due to abrupt changes in space, eddies are generated, affecting gas uniformity. Furthermore, when a small flow rate of gas is introduced during the process, some gas is absorbed by this gap, impacting gas transfer efficiency. This gap is caused by the fit and installation and cannot be eliminated. In this embodiment, a multi-intake system allows for more uniform and stable entry into the process chamber.

[0078] This application also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, which includes the semiconductor process chamber described in the above embodiments. The semiconductor process apparatus may be a CCP etching apparatus.

[0079] For other working principles and processes of the semiconductor process chamber and semiconductor processing equipment in this embodiment, please refer to the description of the upper electrode structure in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0080] The above provides a detailed description of the upper electrode structure, semiconductor process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment provided in this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. It should be noted that the descriptions of each embodiment in this application have different emphases; parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment can be referred to in the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0081] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. The technical features of the technical solution of this application can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are also included within the patent protection scope of this application, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other.

Claims

1. An upper electrode structure applied in a semiconductor process chamber, characterized in that, The upper electrode structure includes: An upper electrode assembly is disposed at the top of the semiconductor process chamber; A magnetic component is disposed above the upper electrode component, the magnetic component comprising at least two coil groups arranged vertically; Each coil group includes a first coil and at least one second coil, the at least one second coil being nested sequentially, with the innermost second coil nested outside the first coil, and the second coil and the first coil each receiving DC power independently; The magnetic component also includes: A base is disposed above the upper electrode assembly. The base has at least two receiving cavities arranged vertically, and the at least two coil groups are disposed in the at least two receiving cavities in a corresponding manner. Each of the accommodating cavities includes a first annular cavity and at least one second annular cavity, the at least one second annular cavity being nested sequentially, with the innermost second annular cavity nested outside the first annular cavity; In the accommodating cavity and the corresponding coil group, the first coil is disposed in the first annular cavity, and the at least one second coil is disposed in the at least one second annular cavity.

2. The upper electrode structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coil group is provided in two parts, and each coil group includes a first coil and a second coil; The base includes: The supporting plate base has a first annular groove and a second annular groove arranged around the first annular groove on its top surface, and a third annular groove and a fourth annular groove arranged around the third annular groove on its bottom surface. A top cover is provided to seal the top surface of the support plate substrate, thereby forming the first annular cavity and the second annular cavity on the top surface of the support plate substrate; A bottom cover is provided to seal the bottom surface of the support plate substrate, thereby forming the first annular cavity and the second annular cavity on the bottom surface of the support plate substrate.

3. The upper electrode structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The magnetic component also includes: A cooling element is disposed on the top surface of the base and is used to introduce circulating cooling medium to cool the base.

4. The upper electrode structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A fixing frame is provided, the upper electrode assembly is disposed on the fixing frame, the fixing frame is provided with a first partition plate spaced apart from the upper electrode assembly, and the first partition plate is located above the upper electrode assembly, and the base is movably disposed on the first partition plate; A first driving source is disposed on the first partition and connected to the base, for driving the base to move on the first partition.

5. The upper electrode structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first driving source includes: At least one pair of first motors are arranged around the base, and the two first motors of the same pair are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center of the upper electrode assembly, for cooperating to drive the base to move along the straight line where the two first motors are located.

6. The upper electrode structure according to claim 4, characterized in that, Also includes: A second driving source is disposed on the first partition and connected to the base, and is used to adjust the tilt angle of the magnetic component or its height relative to the first partition.

7. The upper electrode structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second driving source includes: At least three second motors are connected to the bottom surface of the base for adjusting the height or tilt angle of the base.

8. A semiconductor process chamber, characterized in that, It includes a chamber body and an upper electrode structure as described in any one of claims 1-7; The top of the chamber body is provided with an opening, and the upper electrode structure is disposed at the opening.

9. The semiconductor process chamber according to claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: The radio frequency (RF) feed module is connected to the upper electrode structure and is used to apply an RF voltage to the upper electrode structure.

10. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the semiconductor process chamber as described in claim 8 or 9.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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