Plasma processing equipment and ion filtration adjustment method

By providing an adjustable DC power supply and an ion detector for the ion filter, dynamically adjusting the ion adsorption voltage is solved, and the problem that the fixed grounded ion filter cannot adapt to the diversified processes is achieved, and the protection of the wafer surface and process flexibility are achieved.

CN120183998BActive Publication Date: 2025-08-08SHANGHAI BANGXIN SEMI TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510659070.6
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-05-21
Publication Date
2025-08-08
Estimated Expiration
2045-05-21

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, fixed grounding of ion filters is difficult to cope with complex and diverse practical process requirements, resulting in damage to the wafer surface by undesired ion bombardment.

Method used

By connecting an adjustable DC power supply to the ion filter element, and combining an ion detector and a charge analyzer, the polarity and voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage are dynamically adjusted to achieve flexible adjustment of the ion filtering capability.

Benefits of technology

It effectively avoids damage caused by ion bombardment on the wafer surface, meets the needs of diversified processes, and improves the flexibility and reliability of the process.

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Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the field of plasma processing technology, and provides plasma processing equipment and an ion filtration adjustment method, wherein the equipment includes: a plasma generating chamber; a carrier provided in the reaction chamber; an ion filter element covering the plasma outlet, electrically connected to an adjustable DC voltage source and insulated from the plasma generating chamber; an ion detector symmetrically arranged around the center of the outer peripheral side of the carrier; the ion detector has an ion detection surface; wherein the ion detector is connected to a charge analyzer to form a current signal based on the received ions; a control unit, according to the current process conditions, sets the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage to adsorb ions of opposite polarity, and adjusts the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value. Thus, the ion filtration capacity of the ion filter element can be adjusted according to the process conditions to flexibly meet diverse process requirements, such as avoiding surface damage caused by ion bombardment by increasing the ion filtration capacity.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of plasma processing technology, and in particular to plasma processing equipment and an ion filtration adjustment method. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, plasma technology is used in both resist stripping and etching. Microscopic particles in the plasma, such as activated molecules, free particles, ions, and molecules, react physically and chemically with the wafer, achieving the purpose of wafer processing.

[0003] In some processes, it is necessary to consider removing the target material on the wafer surface while protecting the material that does not need to be removed to ensure the yield of the final chip. For example: low-damage debonding, wet etching, chemical dry etching, etc. In some of the above processes, in order to prevent the wafer surface from being bombarded by unwanted ions, one or more layers of ion filters (GRID) will be installed between the plasma generation area and the wafer to filter out the ions first. Usually, ion filters are fixedly grounded, but in actual applications, grounded ion filters are difficult to cope with the complex and diverse ion filtration requirements in actual processes. Moreover, if the ion filtration effect is poor, the wafer surface will be damaged by unwanted ion bombardment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a plasma processing device and an ion filtration adjustment method to solve the problems in the related art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus, comprising: a plasma generating chamber having a plasma outlet formed at a bottom thereof; a reaction chamber located below the plasma generating chamber and communicating with the plasma outlet; a carrier for carrying a product to be processed by the plasma, disposed within the reaction chamber; an ion filter, disposed over the plasma outlet and having a through portion extending vertically therethrough, electrically connected to an adjustable DC voltage source and insulated from the plasma generating chamber, for applying an adjustable ion adsorption voltage; an ion detector, symmetrically disposed about the center of a peripheral side surface of the carrier; the ion detector being insulated from the carrier and having an ion detection surface exposed to the reaction chamber; wherein the ion detector is connected to a charge analyzer to generate a current signal based on received ions; and a control unit, coupled to the charge analyzer and the adjustable DC voltage source, for setting the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage to adsorb ions of opposite polarity according to ion filtration requirements under current process conditions, and adjusting the magnitude of the ion adsorption voltage based on the current value.

[0006] In some embodiments, the ion detector is in a continuous ring shape; and / or the top of the ion detector is adjacent to or flush with the surface of the carrier.

[0007] In some embodiments, the ion detection component is fixedly connected to the carrier, and the contact surface between the ion detection component and the carrier is separated by an insulating layer.

[0008] In some embodiments, the through portion is implemented in a grid or mesh shape.

[0009] In some embodiments, the ion detection surface includes: a contact enhancement portion that increases the surface area.

[0010] In some embodiments, the contact enhancement portion is formed at least on the top surface of the ion detection component, and the contact enhancement portion includes: one or a combination of an inclined surface, a curved surface, and a step portion inclined relative to a horizontal plane.

[0011] In some embodiments, a step portion is formed on the outer peripheral side of the carrier for supporting the ion detection component.

[0012] In some embodiments, the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage is adjusted according to the current value, including at least one of the following methods: (1) in response to the current value reaching a damage risk threshold, the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage is adjusted to enhance the ion filtering capability; wherein the damage risk threshold is set based on avoiding the risk of damage to the product surface caused by ion bombardment; (2) in response to the current value reaching an inefficiency indication threshold, the ion adsorption voltage is adjusted to weaken the ion filtering capability; wherein the inefficiency indication threshold is set based on the surface treatment efficiency achieved by ion bombardment.

[0013] In some embodiments, when adopting method (1), the damage risk threshold is set to the current value corresponding to when the damage risk predicted based on the surface measurement information of the product meets the preset damage risk condition; and / or, when adopting method (2), the inefficiency indication threshold is set to the current value corresponding to when the surface treatment efficiency obtained based on the surface measurement information of the product does not meet the requirement; and / or, the voltage value corresponding to when the surface measurement information of the product meets the preset damage risk condition / inefficiency treatment condition is used as a reference value for enhancing or weakening the ion filtration capability.

[0014] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides an ion filtration adjustment method, which is applied to the plasma processing equipment as described in any one of the first aspects; the method includes: setting the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage to adsorb ions of opposite polarity according to the ion filtration requirements under the current process conditions; and adjusting the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value.

[0015] As described above, the present disclosure relates to the field of plasma processing technology, and provides plasma processing equipment and an ion filtration adjustment method, including: a plasma generating chamber; a reaction chamber located below the plasma generating chamber, in which a carrier is provided; an ion filter element covering the plasma outlet, electrically connected to an adjustable DC voltage source and insulated from the plasma generating chamber; an ion detector element symmetrically arranged around the center of the outer peripheral side of the carrier; the ion detector element having an ion detection surface; wherein the ion detector element is connected to a charge analyzer to form a current signal based on the received ions; a control unit, coupled to the charge analyzer, for setting the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage to adsorb ions of opposite polarity according to the current process conditions, and adjusting the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value. In this way, the ion filtration capacity of the ion filter element can be adjusted accordingly according to the process conditions to flexibly meet diverse process requirements, such as avoiding surface damage caused by ion bombardment by increasing the ion filtration capacity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a plasma processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the top view of the ion filter element in one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram showing the combination of an ion detector and a carrier in one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the combination of an ion detector and a carrier in one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figures 5 to 8 Schematic diagrams of cross-sectional structures are shown respectively when the contact enhancement portion provided on the top surface of the ion detection element in different embodiments of the present disclosure is implemented as an inclined surface, a curved surface and a step portion.

[0021] Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a control system for adjusting ion filtration capacity in one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 10 A schematic diagram showing the flow of the ion filtration adjustment method in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 11 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a computer device in one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following describes the embodiments of the present disclosure through specific examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand the other advantages and effects of the present disclosure from the information disclosed in this disclosure. The present disclosure can also be implemented or applied through different specific embodiments. The details of the present disclosure can also be modified or changed according to different viewpoints and application modules without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined with each other unless there is a conflict.

[0025] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0026] Throughout the present disclosure, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or a group of embodiments or examples. Furthermore, those skilled in the art may combine and integrate different embodiments or examples, and features of different embodiments or examples, as described in the present disclosure, without conflicting requirements.

[0027] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the context of this disclosure, "a group" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0028] In order to clearly describe the present disclosure, components not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components throughout the specification are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0029] Throughout this specification, when a device is said to be "connected" to another device, this includes not only "direct connection" but also "indirect connection" with other elements interposed therebetween. Furthermore, when a device is said to "include" a certain component, unless otherwise stated, this does not exclude the inclusion of other components but rather implies that the device may include other components.

[0030] Although the terms first, second, etc. are used in this document to represent various elements in some examples, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, the first interface and the second interface, etc. are represented. Furthermore, as used in this document, the singular forms "one," "an," and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms, unless there is a contrary indication in the context. It should be further understood that the terms "comprise" and "include" indicate the presence of the described features, steps, operations, elements, modules, projects, types, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or a group of other features, steps, operations, elements, modules, projects, types, and / or groups. The terms "or" and "and / or" used herein are interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination. Therefore, "A, B, or C" or "A, B, and / or C" means "any of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, 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.

[0031] The technical terms used herein are intended only to refer to specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular form used herein also includes the plural form unless the statement explicitly indicates otherwise. The term "comprising" as used in this specification is intended to specify specific features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components and does not exclude the presence or addition of other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components.

[0032] Although not defined differently, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are additionally interpreted as having meanings consistent with relevant technical literature and the current message. Unless otherwise defined, they should not be overly interpreted as ideal or highly formalized meanings.

[0033] In some related processes, to protect the wafer surface from ion bombardment from the generated plasma, one or more layers of ion filters are installed between the plasma generation area and the wafer to filter out the ions. However, these typically grounded ion filters are difficult to meet the complex and diverse ion filtering requirements of actual processes. Furthermore, ineffective ion filtering can result in damage to the wafer surface from unwanted ion bombardment.

[0034] In view of this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide plasma processing equipment and an ion filtration adjustment method. By connecting an adjustable DC power supply to the components used for ion filtration, the ion filtration capacity is adjustable, and the corresponding ion filtration effect is detected on the product (such as a wafer) side, and the ion filtration capacity can be adjusted based on this, thereby solving the problem in the related art that the ion filter is grounded and fixed and cannot be adjusted.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, the structure of the plasma processing equipment is exemplarily introduced. Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a plasma processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] exist Figure 1 In the figure, the plasma apparatus includes a housing with an interior space. The interior space forms a plasma generation chamber 111 and a reaction chamber 112. The plasma generation chamber 111 may be provided with a gas inlet on the top or sidewall for admitting gas. In some embodiments, the gas may include a gas capable of being plasmatized for use in processing a product 300 (e.g., a semiconductor), such as an additive gas, a reactive gas, or a diluent gas. Examples of additive gases include oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. In etching processes, oxygen can be used to increase the concentration of fluorine radicals and improve etching selectivity for silicon dioxide. In photoresist stripping processes, oxygen can be used for oxidative stripping. In etching processes, hydrogen can be used to reduce the concentration of fluorine radicals and improve etching selectivity for silicon. Nitrogen can be used to adjust plasma characteristics and improve etching uniformity. For example, the reactive gas may be the core reaction gas in the process, primarily containing halogen elements (e.g., fluorine, chlorine, and bromine), which chemically react with the target material to produce volatile byproducts. Common reactive gases include fluorine-based gases (such as carbon tetrafluoride (CF4), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), which are used to etch silicon (Si) and silicon dioxide (SiO2); chlorine-based gases (such as chlorine Cl2 and boron trichloride (BCl3), which are used to etch polysilicon and metal materials (such as aluminum); and bromine-based gases (such as hydrogen bromide (HBr), which are used to etch compound semiconductors and certain metal materials. For example, diluent gases are used to adjust the concentration of reactive gases, control the etching rate, and improve the etching effect. They are usually composed of inert gases. Common diluent gases include argon (Ar) and helium (He), which dilute reactive gases (such as fluorine-based or chlorine-based gases) to reduce surface passivation effects while optimizing plasma stability and uniformity. Dilution gases play a role in balancing reaction rates and improving etching quality during the etching process.

[0037] The plasma generating chamber 111 is the place where plasma is generated. The plasma generating chamber 111 can be a non-magnetic medium such as ceramics and quartz, and the pressure inside the chamber is relatively low. In some embodiments, an induction coil 200 can be set outside the plasma generating chamber 111 to plasmatize the gas in the plasma generating chamber 111 to form plasma. Specifically, the induced magnetic field generated by the induction coil 200 passes through the cavity wall to accelerate the motion of molecules in the cavity to generate plasma, and the ions, molecules, activated molecules, and free radicals in the plasma participate in the processing of the product 300, such as etching and other processes. Specifically, the induction coil 200 can be connected to the RF source 510 to be applied with RF voltage to generate an alternating magnetic field, inducing an electric field in the plasma generating chamber 111, thereby exciting the gas to form plasma M. In some examples, for example Figure 1 As shown, the induction coil 200 may be implemented as a solenoid coil wound outside the plasma generating chamber 111. In other examples, the induction coil 200 may also be implemented as a planar spiral coil outside the plasma generating chamber 111 (eg, disposed above the plasma generating chamber 111).

[0038] In some embodiments, in conjunction with the planar spiral coil, a dielectric window may be installed at the top of the plasma generating chamber 111. This dielectric window serves to isolate the plasma from the external environment. Because plasma is in a high-energy state and contains a large number of ions, electrons, and reactive free radicals, the dielectric window prevents these high-energy substances from leaking into the external environment, thereby preventing damage to other components surrounding the device. The dielectric window can also be made of a transparent material, allowing for optical detection of the chamber's internal environment. For example, materials such as quartz glass and YAG ceramics that ensure both electromagnetic energy transmission and light transmission can be selected. The dielectric window allows optical signals to pass through, enabling plasma observation and diagnosis. By analyzing the optical signals transmitted through the dielectric window, various plasma parameters such as plasma density, temperature, and excited state distribution can be determined. For example, optical emission spectroscopy (OES) can be used to observe specific wavelengths of light emitted by the plasma through the dielectric window to determine information such as the concentration of ions and atoms in the plasma and the plasma density distribution.

[0039] The bottom of the plasma generating chamber 111 forms a plasma outlet, and the reaction chamber 112 is located below the plasma generating chamber 111 and can be connected to the plasma generating chamber 111. As an example, the plasma generating chamber 111 and the reaction chamber 112 can be coaxially arranged cylindrical structures, with a central symmetry in cross section and a concentric axis, so that the plasma can be evenly distributed in its circumference. Specifically, the top of the plasma generating chamber 111 forms a plasma inlet, and the plasma inlet is connected to the plasma outlet. As an example, in order to uniformly diffuse the incoming gas from the plasma inlet into the plasma generating chamber 111, the plasma inlet can be located at the center of the top of the plasma generating chamber 111, that is, the plasma outlet and the plasma inlet can share a common center axis.

[0040] The plasma outlet at the bottom of the plasma generating chamber 111 is covered with an ion filter 1111 to separate the plasma generating chamber 111 from the reaction chamber 112. The ion filter 1111 is made of a conductive metal material. The ion filter 1111 forms a through portion 11111 group that passes through from top to bottom to connect the plasma generating chamber 111 and the reaction chamber 112. In some embodiments, reference may be made to Figure 2 The ion filter 1111 may be in the form of a flat plate. Its shape may be a circle that matches the cross section of the cylindrical plasma generating chamber 111, or may be in other shapes. Optionally, the through portion 11111 may be in the form of a grid structure, i.e. Figure 2 Alternatively, the through-holes 11111 may be implemented as a mesh structure, such as evenly spaced round or square holes. Compared to meshes, the strip filter-shaped meshes have fewer obstructions to the gas, allowing for smoother gas flow.

[0041] The top of the reaction chamber 112 is open and connected to the plasma outlet at the bottom of the plasma generating chamber 111 to receive plasma passing through the through-hole 11111. The reaction chamber 112 is provided with a carrier 400, such as a hot plate or suction cup, located below the ion filter 1111 for supporting the product 300. Optionally, in addition to the opening at the top of the reaction chamber 112 for air intake, the side walls of the reaction chamber 112 may also have air inlets.

[0042] The ion filter 1111 is electrically connected to an adjustable DC voltage source 500 to apply an adjustable ion adsorption voltage, thereby achieving adjustable ion filtration capability. Specifically, by adjusting the ion adsorption voltage, the potential difference between the ion filter 1111 and the plasma cluster can be controlled. The electric field generated by this potential difference attracts ions toward the electrode, where the ion filter 1111 carries the ions out of the cavity. Controlling the ion adsorption voltage adjusts the number and speed of ions carried away, thereby adjusting the number of ions reaching the wafer surface.

[0043] The ion filter 1111 is insulated from the plasma generating chamber 111 and the reaction chamber 112 so that the ion adsorption voltage can be applied. Figure 1 As shown, the outer peripheral surface of the ion filter 1111 can be covered with an annular insulator 11113, which can fill the gap between the ion filter 1111 and the plasma generating chamber 111 on the one hand, and achieve insulation between the plasma generating chamber 111 and the reaction chamber 112 on the other hand.

[0044] Ions in plasma can have different polarities. For example, positive ions (such as Ar + ) and negative ions (such as F - ), will affect the wafer surface. Specifically, Ar + Silicon atoms can be bombarded onto the surface of the wafer, and fluoride ions will react with silicon to form silicon tetrafluoride. Therefore, corresponding to the positive and negative polarity ions, there may be a need for filtering in different processes to avoid damage to the wafer surface. Then, the adjustable DC voltage source can be configured to have an adjustable polarity and / or size of the output voltage. Thus, an ion adsorption voltage with adjustable polarity and / or size can be provided to the ion filter 1111 to adjust the ion filtering capacity for ions of different polarities. As an example, the diameter of the plasma generating chamber 111 is smaller than that of the reaction chamber 112, so that a boss portion is formed at the position where the two are connected due to the diameter change, and the annular insulator 11113 can have a concave portion that matches and connects to the boss portion, so that the sealing connection effect is better and the connection structure is more stable.

[0045] It can be seen that in the related art, the ion filter is fixedly grounded and the voltage cannot be adjusted. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, an adjustable ion adsorption voltage is provided for the ion filter element 1111, so that the ion filtering capacity of the ion filter element 1111 is adjustable, thereby flexibly meeting the diverse ion filtration needs in various processes.

[0046] The reaction chamber 112 is provided with an ion detector 1121, which is symmetrically arranged around the center of the outer side of the carrier 400. Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the ion detector 1121 is symmetrically arranged around the center of the outer peripheral side of the carrier 400, and is used to detect ions around the wafer and generate a current signal. The ion detector 1121 may include a detection electrode, which is exposed on the surface of the ion detector 1121 to form an ion detection surface. The detection electrode can be connected to the charge analyzer 600, and the charge analyzer 600 generates a current signal based on the ions received by the detection electrode. In some embodiments, the ion detector 1121 is entirely made of a conductive metal material, so that it can serve as a detection electrode as a whole. In other embodiments, the detection electrode can be arranged to be exposed on a portion of the surface of the detector. For example, the detection electrode can be implemented as a conductive metal layer covering a portion or all of the surface of the ion detector 1121. A conductive circuit electrically connected to the detection electrode can be provided within the detection electrode, and the conductive circuit is connected to the charge analyzer 600. In some embodiments, the charge analyzer 600 can be integrated with or pre-connected to a current amplifier circuit to amplify the received ion current to generate a current signal. In this way, the originally weak and difficult to accurately quantify ion current can be amplified and converted into a current signal with a larger current value that can be accurately quantified, thereby obtaining accurate ion quantity detection results.

[0047] It is understandable that the ion detector 1121 is arranged around the carrier 400, which is closer to the product 300 than when it is arranged at other locations such as the wall of the reaction chamber 112. Therefore, the amount of ions detected can more accurately reflect the amount of ions on the surface of the product 300. Furthermore, the closer the ion detector 1121 is to the product 300, the closer the amount of ions detected is to the amount of ions on the surface of the product 300, and the higher the authenticity and accuracy of the ion detection. For this reason, optionally, the top of the ion detector 1121 is adjacent to or flush with the surface of the carrier 400. For example, Figure 3 In this example, the top surface of the ion detector 1121 may be a plane flush with the top surface of the carrier 400 .

[0048] The ion detector 1121 is insulated from the carrier 400. Figure 4As shown, the ion detector 1121 and the carrier 400 may be separated by an insulating layer 11112. For example, the insulating layer 11112 may include an insulating coating or an insulating pad. In some embodiments, the ion detector 1121 may be fixedly mounted on the carrier 400. For example, the ion detector 1121 may be fixed to the carrier 400 by screwing. For example, the screw is passed through the through-hole on the ion detector 1121 and the screw hole on the carrier 400 to fix it. Of course, in order to maintain insulation between the ion detector 1121 and the carrier 400, the insulating layer must still be maintained at the screw fixing location. For example, an insulating layer may be provided between the screw and the through-hole wall and the screw hole wall.

[0049] In some embodiments, as Figure 4 As shown, the structure of the combination of the carrier 400 and the ion detector 1121 in another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, the outer peripheral side surface of the carrier 400 forms a step portion for supporting the ion detector 1121. The step portion and the ion detector 1121 can be a matching ring, so that the ion detector 1121 can maintain a stable position after being laterally combined with the step portion. In this embodiment, under the structural design of the ion detector 1121 being arranged on the step portion, the screw fixing method can be further optionally combined to fix the ion detector 1121 to the carrier 400.

[0050] In some embodiments, the ion detection element 1121 forms an ion detection surface on at least one surface other than the surface on which the insulating layer 11112 is provided. Figure 4 In the embodiment, the side of the ion detector 1121 facing the carrier 400 (the right side in the illustration) is provided with an insulating layer 11112. Other surfaces, such as the top surface, can serve as ion detection surfaces. Alternatively, the side of the ion detector 1121 facing away from the carrier 400 (the left side in the illustration) can serve as the ion detection surface. Alternatively, the bottom surface of the ion detector 1121 can serve as the ion detection surface.

[0051] To increase the ion detection area, i.e., the ion contact area, of the ion detection surface, the ion detection surface may be provided with a contact-enhancing portion 11211 for increasing the surface area. The contact-enhancing portion 11211 is formed at least on the top surface of the ion detection element 1121 and includes one or more combinations of an inclined surface, a curved surface, a stepped portion, or other concave-convex structures inclined relative to a horizontal plane.

[0052] like Figures 5 to 8 The figures show the cross-sectional structures of the contact enhancement portion 11211 provided on the top surface of the ion detector 1121 in different embodiments of the present disclosure, when the contact enhancement portion 11211 is implemented as an inclined surface, a curved surface, and a stepped portion. To facilitate observation of the annular ion detector 1121, the background surface of the middle hole portion is omitted in the figure.

[0053] exist Figure 5 In the figure, the contact enhancement portion 11211 provided on the top surface of the ion detection element 1121 is shown, which is implemented as a slope that is downwardly inclined from the inside to the outside along the radial direction.

[0054] exist Figure 6 In the figure, the contact enhancement portion 11211 provided on the top surface of the ion detection element 1121 is shown, which is implemented as a curved surface that is downwardly curved and outwardly convex from the inside to the outside in the radial direction.

[0055] exist Figure 7 In the figure, the contact enhancement portion 11211 provided on the top surface of the ion detection element 1121 is shown, which is implemented as a curved surface that is downwardly curved and concave from the inside to the outside in the radial direction.

[0056] exist Figure 8 In FIG. 1 , the contact enhancement portion 11211 provided on the top surface of the ion detector 1121 is implemented as a step portion extending downward from the inside to the outside in the radial direction. As an example, the step portion can be one or more levels.

[0057] In other embodiments, the ion detection member 1121 may also be provided with the contact enhancement portion 11211 on other ion detection surfaces other than the top surface, such as the left side and bottom surface shown in the figure. Figures 5 to 8 By providing the contact-enhancing portion 11211, the ion detection area of the ion detector 1121 is increased, thereby increasing the amount of ions captured and adsorbed, thereby generating a larger ion current and obtaining a larger current signal after amplification, thereby further improving the accuracy of ion detection.

[0058] The ion detector 1121 can be used in conjunction with the ion filter 1111 to adjust the ion adsorption voltage applied to the ion filter 1111 based on the current value of the current signal detected by ion detection, thereby adjusting the ion adsorption voltage. To briefly explain the principle, ions can generate a current signal representing an ion current based on the ions they come into contact with. Taking positive ions as an example, the greater the amount of adsorbed positive ions, the greater the ion current and the current value of the amplified current signal, indicating a greater ion concentration around the product 300. There is a negative correlation between ion filtration capacity and the ion concentration around the product 300. Therefore, a greater ion concentration detected by the ion detector 1121 indicates a relatively weaker ion filtration capacity. If the current ion filtration capacity does not meet the requirements of the current process (for example, different stages of a process such as etching or stripping may have different ion filtration capacity requirements), the ion filtration capacity can be increased or decreased to adjust the ion adsorption voltage applied to the ion filter 1111 accordingly. In some embodiments, when the current value of the current signal detected by the ion detector 1121 indicates that the amount of ions surrounding the product 300 is excessive (which also indicates that the amount of ions on the surface of the product 300 is excessive), unnecessary ion bombardment may occur, causing damage to the surface of the product 300. Therefore, the ion adsorption voltage can be adjusted accordingly to enhance the ion filtering capability of the ion filter 1111, thereby reducing the amount of ions surrounding the product 300. Whether the amount of ions is excessive can be determined based on a preset damage threshold value for the current value.

[0059] For example, the ion adsorption voltage is implemented as a negative voltage to adsorb positive ions. When the current value of the current signal detected by the ion detector 1121 increases and reaches the first damage risk threshold, the negative voltage is triggered to be adjusted negatively, that is, the negative voltage is adjusted down, for example, from -A to -(A+B), to enhance ions. Alternatively, the ion adsorption voltage is implemented as a positive voltage to adsorb negative ions. The direction of movement of negative ions is opposite to the direction of current. Therefore, when the negative current value of the current signal detected by the ion detector 1121 decreases and reaches the second damage risk threshold, for example, from -C to -(C+D), the positive voltage is triggered to be adjusted negatively, that is, the positive voltage is adjusted up.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first and second damage risk thresholds can be set based on the risk of surface damage from positive / negative ion bombardment of the product 300. In an alternative example, a machine learning model can be constructed, and the detected current values, ion surface measurement data, and annotated damage risk labels can be input as training data into the machine learning model to train the model into a damage risk prediction model. The model can then predict damage risk based on the input current values and ion surface measurement data. Although the current values of current signals based on different current directions can vary in positive and negative directions, they are either monotonically positively or monotonically negatively correlated with damage risk. Thus, a damage risk condition can be set such that when damage falls within a damage risk range, the corresponding current value is determined based on a selected risk value to serve as the first and second damage risk thresholds. For example, the damage risk range is between 0 and 1, with 0 to 1 indicating an increase in damage risk. When filtering positive ions and obtaining a positive current value, the current value E at a damage risk of 0.8 can be selected as the first damage risk threshold. If the current value is higher than E, the ion adsorption voltage (negative voltage) is lowered to enhance ion filtering capability. Alternatively, when filtering negative ions and obtaining a negative current value, the current value F when the damage risk is 0.8 can be selected as the second damage risk threshold; if it is less than F, the ion adsorption voltage (positive voltage) is triggered to be increased to enhance the ion filtering ability.

[0061] The above description merely illustrates the enhancement of ion filtration capability. It is understood that, depending on the actual needs of different process scenarios, it is also possible to increase the amount of ions surrounding the product 300 by reducing ion filtration capability. For example, when ion bombardment is used to treat the surface of the product 300 (e.g., for surface cleaning and impurity removal), the ion adsorption voltage can be adjusted to reduce ion filtration capability in response to a low ion quantity (the current value reaches a preset threshold) as reflected by the current value, thereby improving the surface treatment efficiency of the product 300. As an example, the detected current value, ion surface measurement data, and annotated efficiency evaluation score labels are input as training data into the machine learning model to train the machine learning model as an efficiency prediction model. The efficiency score can be predicted based on the input current value and ion surface measurement data. Thus, the current value corresponding to a certain efficiency score threshold can be set as an inefficiency indication threshold. When the detected current value reaches this inefficiency indication threshold, it indicates that the treatment is inefficient, triggering the reduction of ion filtration capability. Furthermore, there may be positive and negative cases for filtered ions, and the low efficiency indication threshold can be respectively set to a first low efficiency indication threshold and a second low efficiency indication threshold in a similar principle to the above-mentioned first / second damage risk threshold.

[0062] To implement the above solution of dynamically adjusting the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value of the ion detector 1121, as shown in FIG. Figure 9As shown, a structural diagram of a control system for adjusting ion filtration capacity in one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0063] The control system includes a control unit 700. The control unit 700 is coupled to the charge analyzer 600 and the adjustable DC voltage source 500 and is configured to set the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage on the adjustable DC voltage source 500 to adsorb and filter ions of opposite polarity according to the ion filtration requirements of the current process, or to preselect the adjustable DC voltage source 500 to output an ion adsorption voltage of opposite polarity according to the polarity of the ions to be filtered, and to adjust the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value.

[0064] Based on the above examples, the ion adsorption voltage can be adjusted to enhance the ion filtering capability based on whether the current value reaches a damage risk threshold (e.g., a first damage risk threshold or a second damage risk threshold). Alternatively, the ion adsorption voltage can be adjusted to weaken the ion filtering capability based on whether the current value reaches a low efficiency indication threshold (e.g., a first damage risk threshold or a second damage risk threshold).

[0065] In some optional embodiments, based on the need to avoid the ion filter 1111 from adsorbing electrons in the plasma, the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage may be limited to be higher than the voltage value of electrons in the plasma even if it is adjusted.

[0066] like Figure 10 , a flow chart illustrating an ion filtration adjustment method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The ion filtration adjustment method can be applied to the plasma processing equipment of the present disclosure. Since the principles of adjusting ion filtration capacity have been described in detail in the previous plasma processing equipment embodiment, they are not repeated in this embodiment. As an example, the ion filtration adjustment method can be executed by the control unit 700 of the present disclosure.

[0067] The process includes:

[0068] Step S1001: according to the ion filtration requirements of the current process, the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage is set to adsorb ions of opposite polarity.

[0069] Specifically, the ion adsorption voltage is applied to the ion filter 1111 by setting the polarity of the output voltage of the adjustable DC power supply or selecting an adjustable DC power supply that outputs an output voltage of a required polarity.

[0070] Step S1002: adjusting the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value.

[0071] For example, in response to the detected current value reaching a damage risk threshold associated with damage risk, the ion filtering capability is increased. And / or in response to the detected current value reaching an inefficiency indication threshold associated with treatment inefficiency, the ion filtering capability is decreased.

[0072] It should be noted that the processes or methods represented by the flowcharts of the above embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood as modules, segments, or portions of code that include one or more sets of executable instructions configured to implement specific logical functions or steps of a process. Furthermore, the scope of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure includes alternative implementations in which functions may be performed in a different order than that shown or discussed, including performing functions substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved.

[0073] For example, Figure 10 The order of the steps in the method embodiments may be changed in specific scenarios and is not limited to the above.

[0074] like Figure 11 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a computer device in one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0075] The computer device 1100 includes a bus 1101, a processor 1102, and a memory 1103. The processor 1102 and the memory 1103 can communicate with each other via the bus 1101. The memory 1103 can store computer programs or instructions. The processor 1102 executes the computer programs or instructions in the memory 1103 to implement the functions and method flow of the control unit 700 described in the previous embodiment.

[0076] Bus 1101 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, and control buses. For ease of illustration, although only one thick line is used in the figure, this does not necessarily mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0077] In some embodiments, processor 1102 may be implemented as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MCU), a system on a chip (SoC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Memory 1103 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), for temporarily storing data while running programs.

[0078] The memory 1103 may also include a non-volatile memory for data storage, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid-state disk (SSD).

[0079] In some embodiments, the computer device 1100 may further include a communicator 1104. The communicator 1104 is used to communicate with the outside world. In a specific example, the communicator 1104 may include one or a group of wired and / or wireless communication circuit modules. For example, the communicator 1104 may include one or more of a wired network card, a USB module, a serial interface module, etc. The wireless communication protocols followed by the wireless communication module include, for example, near field communication (NFC) technology, infrared (IR) technology, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time-Division Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Bluetooth (BT), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), etc. One or more of the following.

[0080] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be provided, storing a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the function and method flow of the control unit 700 in any of the previous embodiments are implemented.

[0081] That is, the method steps in the above embodiments are implemented as software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium (such as a CD ROM, RAM, floppy disk, hard disk or magneto-optical disk), or are implemented as computer code originally stored in a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine-readable medium downloaded via a network and to be stored in a local recording medium, so that the method represented herein can be stored in such software processing on a recording medium using a general-purpose computer, a dedicated processor or programmable or dedicated hardware (such as an ASIC or FPGA).

[0082] The present disclosure may also provide a computer program product, which includes one or more computer programs or instructions, and which, when executed, fully or partially executes the functions and method flow of the control unit 700 in the present disclosure. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions.

[0083] A computer program or instruction can be stored in a readable storage medium or transferred from one readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instruction can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The readable storage medium can be any accessible medium or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more accessible media. The accessible medium can be a magnetic medium such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0084] In summary, the present disclosure relates to the field of plasma processing technology, and provides plasma processing equipment and an ion filtration adjustment method, including: a plasma generating chamber; a reaction chamber located below the plasma generating chamber, in which a carrier is provided; an ion filter element is covered on the plasma outlet, electrically connected to an adjustable DC voltage source and insulated from the plasma generating chamber; an ion detector element is symmetrically arranged around the center of the outer peripheral side of the carrier; the ion detector element is insulated from the carrier and has an ion detection surface exposed in the reaction chamber; wherein the ion detector element is connected to a charge analyzer to form a current signal based on the received ions; a control unit is coupled to the charge analyzer, and is used to adjust the polarity and / or voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage in a negative correlation with the current value according to the adjustment requirements for the ion filtration capacity under the current process conditions. In this way, the ion filtration capacity of the ion filter element can be adjusted accordingly according to the process conditions to flexibly meet diverse process requirements, such as avoiding surface damage caused by ion bombardment by increasing the ion filtration capacity.

[0085] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this disclosure and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Anyone skilled in the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, any equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concepts disclosed herein shall be encompassed by the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A plasma processing device, characterized in that: include: A plasma generating chamber with a plasma outlet formed at the bottom; A reaction chamber is located below the plasma generating chamber and is connected to the plasma outlet; a carrier for carrying products to be treated by plasma is provided in the reaction chamber; an ion filter, covering the plasma outlet and having a through portion extending vertically therethrough, electrically connected to an adjustable DC voltage source and insulated from the plasma generating chamber, for applying an adjustable ion adsorption voltage; an ion detector symmetrically disposed around the center of the outer peripheral side surface of the carrier; the ion detector is insulated from the carrier and has an ion detection surface exposed to the reaction chamber; wherein the ion detector is connected to a charge analyzer to generate a current signal based on received ions; the ion detector and the carrier are separated by an insulating layer; the ion detector forms an ion detection surface on at least one surface other than the surface on which the insulating layer is disposed; a control unit, coupled to the charge analyzer and the adjustable DC voltage source, for setting the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage to adsorb ions of opposite polarity according to the ion filtration requirements of the current process, and adjusting the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value of the current signal; The adjusting the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage according to the current value includes at least one of the following methods: (1) in response to the current value reaching a damage risk threshold, adjusting the voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage to enhance ion filtering capability; wherein the damage risk threshold is set based on avoiding the risk of damage to the product surface caused by ion bombardment; (2) in response to the current value reaching an inefficiency indication threshold, adjusting the ion adsorption voltage to weaken the ion filtering capability; wherein the inefficiency indication threshold is set based on the surface treatment efficiency achieved by ion bombardment; When adopting method (1), the damage risk threshold is set to the current value corresponding to when the damage risk predicted based on the surface measurement information of the product meets the preset damage risk condition; and / or, when adopting method (2), the inefficiency indication threshold is set to the current value corresponding to when the surface treatment efficiency obtained based on the surface measurement information of the product does not meet the requirement; and / or, the voltage value corresponding to when the surface measurement information of the product meets the preset damage risk condition / inefficiency treatment condition is used as a reference value for enhancing or weakening the ion filtering ability; Among them, the method of obtaining the damage risk threshold includes: if the ion adsorption voltage is implemented as a negative voltage, it is used to adsorb positive ions; when the current value of the current signal detected by the ion detection component increases and reaches the first damage risk threshold, the negative voltage is triggered to be adjusted negatively; or, the ion adsorption voltage is implemented as a positive voltage, it is used to adsorb negative ions; when the negative current value of the current signal detected by the ion detection component decreases and reaches the second damage risk threshold, the positive voltage is triggered to be adjusted negatively; the detected current value, ion surface measurement data and annotated damage risk label are input as training data into the machine learning model to train the machine learning model as a damage risk prediction model, and the damage risk is predicted according to the input current value and ion surface measurement data; when the damage is within the value range of the damage risk, the corresponding current value is determined according to a selected risk value as the first damage risk threshold and the second damage risk threshold; The method for obtaining the inefficiency indication threshold includes: inputting the detected current value, ion surface measurement data and the marked efficiency evaluation score label as training data into a machine learning model to train the machine learning model as an efficiency prediction model; predicting the efficiency score based on the input current value and ion surface measurement data, and setting the current value corresponding to a certain efficiency score threshold as the inefficiency indication threshold.

2. The plasma processing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that The ion detection component is in a continuous ring shape; and / or the top of the ion detection component is adjacent to or flush with the table surface of the carrier.

3. The plasma processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein The ion detection component is fixedly connected to the carrier, and the contact surface between the ion detection component and the carrier is separated by an insulating layer.

4. The plasma processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein The through-portions are implemented in a grid or mesh shape.

5. The plasma processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein The ion detection surface includes a contact-increasing portion for increasing the surface area.

6. The plasma processing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that The contact enhancement portion is formed at least on the top surface of the ion detection component, and the contact enhancement portion includes: one or a combination of an inclined surface, a curved surface, and a step portion inclined relative to a horizontal plane.

7. The plasma processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein A step portion is formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the carrier for supporting the ion detection element.

8. An ion filtration adjustment method, characterized in that: Applied to a plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7; the method comprising: According to the ion filtration requirements of the current process, the polarity of the ion adsorption voltage is set to adsorb ions of opposite polarity; The voltage value of the ion adsorption voltage is adjusted according to the current value.

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