Process chamber and thin film deposition equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a process chamber and thin film deposition equipment. The process chamber comprises a heating disc which is provided with an adsorption surface bent in the same direction as a wafer to be processed, and a plurality of vacuum adsorption parts are distributed on the adsorption surface; and the spray header is at least used for providing process gas for depositing a thin film to the wafer to be processed. According to the invention, the initial gap between the edge of the wafer and the surface of the heating disc can be reduced by using the adsorption surface which is bent in the same direction as the wafer to be processed, so that the vacuum adsorption force required for adsorbing the warped wafer is reduced, and the phenomenon that process gas leaks to the back of the wafer through the edge of the wafer to form a film is inhibited.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, in particular to a process chamber and a thin film deposition device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Thin film deposition is a core process in the manufacturing process of semiconductor chips, and the quality of the thin film directly determines the product performance, production yield, manufacturing cost and long-term reliability of the chips. A stable and controllable deposition environment provides a reliable guarantee for the final film quality. Therefore, a thin film deposition process chamber integrated with heating, adsorption and spraying functions has gradually become the mainstream reaction place for thin film deposition.

[0003] In the prior art, the adsorption surface of the heating disc in the process chamber is usually a plane. However, with the increase and improvement of the front-end process of thin film deposition, the internal structure of the wafer to be processed becomes more complex and the number of stacked layers becomes higher. In addition, a large number of high-temperature processes are involved in the chip processing process, and the materials plated in different processes have different thermal expansion coefficients. When cooled, different materials shrink to different degrees, and a large thermal stress is generated between different regions of the wafer, which causes the wafer to warp. The height difference between the center region and the edge region of the warped wafer makes the adsorption force of the traditional plane adsorption surface insufficient to completely adhere to the back of the wafer, which directly leads to the phenomenon that process gas leaks to the back of the wafer to form a film during the deposition reaction.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need in the art for a process chamber which can reduce the initial gap between the edge of the wafer and the surface of the heating disc by using an adsorption surface that is curved in the same direction as the wafer to be processed, thereby reducing the vacuum adsorption force required for adsorbing the warped wafer and inhibiting the phenomenon of process gas leaking to the back of the wafer to form a film through the edge of the wafer. SUMMARY

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the present application provides a process chamber and a thin film deposition device. By using an adsorption surface that is curved in the same direction as the wafer to be processed, the initial gap between the edge of the wafer and the surface of the heating disc is reduced, thereby reducing the vacuum adsorption force required for adsorbing the warped wafer and inhibiting the phenomenon of process gas leaking to the back of the wafer to form a film through the edge of the wafer.

[0007] Specifically, the process chamber according to the first aspect of the present application comprises: a heating disc having an adsorption surface which is curved in the same direction as a wafer to be processed, wherein the adsorption surface is provided with a plurality of vacuum adsorption portions; and a shower head for supplying a process gas to the wafer to be processed for depositing a film.

[0008] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the process chamber is used for processing a wafer to be processed which is warped in a positive direction, and the central region of the adsorption surface is lower than the edge region thereof.

[0009] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the first height difference between the central region and the edge region of the adsorption surface is not less than the maximum height difference between the central region and the edge region of the wafer to be processed which is warped in the positive direction.

[0010] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the process chamber is used for processing a wafer to be processed which is warped in a negative direction, and the central region of the adsorption surface is higher than the edge region thereof.

[0011] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the second height difference between the central region and the edge region of the adsorption surface is not greater than the maximum height difference between the central region and the edge region of the wafer to be processed which is warped in the negative direction.

[0012] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the adsorption surface is in the shape of a rotational body, and the cross section of the adsorption surface with respect to the radial direction of the heating disc is in the shape of a circular arc, an elliptical arc or a parabolic curve.

[0013] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the vacuum adsorption portion comprises at least one air exhaust hole and at least one adsorption groove, wherein the first end of the at least one air exhaust hole is communicated with the adsorption surface, and the second end thereof penetrates the heating disc to be connected with a vacuum mechanism, and the at least one adsorption groove is distributed on the adsorption surface and communicated with the at least one air exhaust hole to adsorb the back surface of the wafer to be processed.

[0014] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the at least one adsorption groove comprises at least one radial groove and / or at least one circumferential groove, wherein the at least one radial groove is uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface at a preset interval angle, and the at least one circumferential groove is uniformly or non-uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface in the form of concentric circles.

[0015] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the shower head further applies a transient high-pressure gas to the front surface of the wafer to be processed while the plurality of vacuum adsorption portions are vacuumizing the back surface of the wafer to be processed.

[0016] Further, the process chamber according to the first aspect of the present application further comprises an exhaust port for extracting exhaust gas from the process chamber.

[0017] Further, the thin film deposition apparatus according to the second aspect of the present application further comprises a sorting mechanism located at the front end of each of the process chambers for detecting the warping direction of the wafer to be processed and transmitting the wafer to the corresponding process chamber.

[0018] Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the thin film deposition apparatus comprises a plurality of the first process chambers, wherein the center region of the adsorption surface of the heating plate of at least one of the first process chambers is lower than the edge region thereof, while the center region of the adsorption surface of the heating plate of at least another one of the first process chambers is higher than the edge region thereof, and the thin film deposition apparatus further comprises at least one second process chamber, wherein the adsorption surface of the heating plate of the at least one second process chamber is planar.

[0019] Further, the thin film deposition apparatus according to the second aspect of the present application further comprises a sorting mechanism located at the front end of each of the process chambers for detecting the warping direction of the wafer to be processed and transmitting the wafer to the corresponding process chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The above features and advantages of the present application will be better understood through the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the attached drawings. In the drawings, components are not necessarily drawn to scale and components of similar or identical function or components that are alike or similar in nature are designated with the same or similar reference numerals.

[0021] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of a process chamber according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0022] Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of a heating plate according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0023] Figure 3 A structural schematic diagram of a vacuum adsorption portion according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0024] REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0025] Heating plate 11

[0026] Showerhead 12

[0027] Vacuum adsorption portion 13

[0028] Exhaust port 14

[0029] Wafers to be processed 21

[0030] Adsorption surface central region 22

[0031] Adsorption surface edge region 23

[0032] Air extraction port 31

[0033] Radial groove 32

[0034] Circumferential groove 33 Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention is presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of the invention are limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of the present invention. To provide a thorough understanding of the invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The invention may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0036] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in the relevant paragraphs and accompanying drawings. These relative terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply that the described apparatus must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0038] It is understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first components, regions, layers, and / or parts discussed below may be referred to as second components, regions, layers, and / or parts without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0039] In the prior art, the adsorption surface of the heating plate in the process chamber is usually flat, but as the thin film deposition front-end process increases and improves, the internal structure of the wafer to be processed becomes more complex and the number of stacked layers is increasingly higher, and because a large number of high-temperature processes are involved in the chip processing process, and the materials plated in different processes have different thermal expansion coefficients, the shrinkage of different materials is different when cooled, and a large thermal stress is generated between different areas of the wafer, which in turn causes the wafer to warp. The height difference between the center area and the edge area of the warped wafer makes the adsorption force of the traditional flat adsorption surface insufficient to completely adhere to the back of the wafer, which directly leads to the phenomenon of process gas leaking to the back of the wafer to form a film during the deposition reaction.

[0040] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present application provides a process chamber and a thin film deposition device. By using an adsorption surface that is curved in the same direction as the wafer to be processed, the initial gap between the edge of the wafer and the surface of the heating plate is reduced, thereby reducing the vacuum adsorption force required to adsorb the warped wafer and inhibiting the phenomenon of process gas leaking to the back of the wafer to form a film through the edge of the wafer.

[0041] In some non-limiting embodiments, the above-mentioned process chamber provided by the first aspect of the present application can be configured in the above-mentioned thin film deposition device provided by the second aspect of the present application.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 1-3 . Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of a process chamber provided according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of a heating plate provided according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 3 A structural schematic diagram of a vacuum adsorption part provided according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0043] As Figure 1 shown, the process chamber provided by the first aspect of the present application includes a heating plate 11 and a shower head 12. The heating plate 11 has an adsorption surface that is curved in the same direction as the wafer to be processed, wherein the adsorption surface is distributed with a plurality of vacuum adsorption parts 13, and the shower head 12 is at least used to provide a process gas for depositing a thin film on the wafer to be processed. By using an adsorption surface that is curved in the same direction as the wafer to be processed, the present application reduces the initial gap between the edge of the wafer and the surface of the heating plate, thereby reducing the vacuum adsorption force required to adsorb the warped wafer and inhibiting the phenomenon of process gas leaking to the back of the wafer to form a film through the edge of the wafer.

[0044] Further, as Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, the process chamber is used to process a forward-warping wafer 21, which presents a bowl-shaped structure with a center region 22 lower than an edge region 23 of the adsorption surface.

[0045] Further, as shown, in some embodiments, a first height difference between the center region 22 and the edge region 23 of the adsorption surface is not less than a maximum height difference between the center region and the edge region of the forward-warping wafer 21 to be processed. Figure 2 The present application ensures close fitting between the edge of the adsorption surface and the edge of the wafer, so as to form a vacuum on the back of the wafer by the vacuum adsorption part 13, thereby quickly and reliably adsorbing the wafer, by optimizing the height difference between the center region 22 and the edge region 23 of the adsorption surface.

[0046] Specifically, in some embodiments, the maximum height difference between the center region and the edge region of the forward-warping wafer 21 to be processed can be determined by a sorting and statistical process of the wafer to be processed in a previous process, and the shape of the adsorption surface of the processing heating disc is determined based on the data, so as to ensure close fitting between the edge of the adsorption surface and the edge of the wafer, thereby ensuring the vacuum adsorption part 13 to form a vacuum on the back of the wafer.

[0047] Further, in some embodiments, the process chamber is used to process a negative-warping wafer 21, which presents an inverted bowl-shaped structure with a center region 22 higher than an edge region 23 of the adsorption surface.

[0048] Further, in some embodiments, a second height difference between the center region 22 and the edge region 23 of the adsorption surface is not greater than a maximum height difference between the center region and the edge region of the negative-warping wafer 21 to be processed. The present application ensures close fitting between the edge of the adsorption surface and the edge of the wafer, so as to form a vacuum on the back of the wafer by the vacuum adsorption part 13, thereby quickly and reliably adsorbing the wafer, by optimizing the height difference between the center region 22 and the edge region 23 of the adsorption surface.

[0049] Specifically, in some embodiments, the maximum height difference between the center region and the edge region of the negative-warping wafer 21 to be processed can be determined by a sorting and statistical process of the wafer to be processed in a previous process, and the shape of the adsorption surface of the processing heating disc is determined based on the data, so as to ensure close fitting between the edge of the adsorption surface and the edge of the wafer, thereby ensuring the vacuum adsorption part 13 to form a vacuum on the back of the wafer.

[0050] Further, in some embodiments, the adsorption surface is in the shape of a rotation body, and a cross section of the adsorption surface with respect to the radial direction of the heating disc is in the shape of a circular arc.

[0051] Optionally, in some embodiments, the adsorption surface is in the shape of a rotating body, and its cross-section with respect to the radial direction of the heating plate is elliptical.

[0052] Optionally, in some embodiments, the adsorption surface is in the shape of a body of revolution, and its cross-section about the radial direction of the heating plate is parabolic.

[0053] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the vacuum adsorption unit 13 includes at least one air extraction hole 31 and at least one adsorption groove, wherein the first end of the at least one air extraction hole is connected to the adsorption surface, and the second end of the hole penetrates the heating plate to connect to the vacuum mechanism, and the at least one adsorption groove is distributed on the adsorption surface and connected to at least one air extraction hole to adsorb the back side of the wafer to be processed.

[0054] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, at least one adsorption groove includes at least one radial groove 32 and / or at least one circumferential groove 33, wherein at least one radial groove 32 is uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface at a preset interval angle, and at least one circumferential groove 33 is uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface in the form of concentric circles.

[0055] Optionally, in some embodiments, at least one adsorption groove includes at least one radial groove 32 and / or at least one circumferential groove 33, wherein at least one radial groove 32 is uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface at a preset interval angle, and at least one circumferential groove 33 is non-uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface in the form of concentric circles.

[0056] Furthermore, in some embodiments, at least one adsorption groove includes at least one radial groove 32 and / or at least one circumferential groove 33, wherein at least one radial groove 32 is evenly distributed on the adsorption surface at a preset interval angle, and at least one circumferential groove 33 is distributed on the adsorption surface in the form of concentric circles, with the center being denser and the edges being sparser.

[0057] It is understood that in some embodiments, at least one adsorption groove includes at least one radial groove 32 and / or at least one circumferential groove 33, wherein at least one radial groove 32 is evenly distributed on the adsorption surface at a preset interval angle, and at least one circumferential groove 33 is distributed on the adsorption surface in the form of concentric circles, or in a manner that is sparse in the center and dense at the edges.

[0058] Furthermore, such as Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments, the showerhead 12 also applies a transient high pressure gas to the front side of the wafer to be processed while the plurality of vacuum chucking portions 13 are vacuuming the back side of the wafer to be processed. On one hand, the present application presses the wafer to be processed against the heating plate 11, further reducing the curvature difference, so as to facilitate the quick and reliable chucking of the wafer by the vacuum chucking portions 13. On the other hand, the present application blows the front side of the wafer as well as the inner wall of the process chamber, so as to avoid thin film deposition defects.

[0059] Specifically, in some embodiments, the showerhead 12 applies a transient high pressure gas to the front side of the wafer to be processed within 1-10 seconds, so as to achieve a pressure increase of 5 torr or above, so as to achieve the effect of attaching the wafer to the chuck.

[0060] Specifically, in some embodiments, the showerhead 12 can apply a transient high pressure gas to the front side of the wafer to be processed within 5 seconds, so as to achieve a pressure increase of 15 torr, so as to achieve the effect of attaching the wafer to the chuck.

[0061] Specifically, in some embodiments, the transient high pressure gas includes but is not limited to clean non-reactive gases such as nitrogen.

[0062] Further, as shown, Figure 1 The process chamber provided by the first aspect of the present application further includes an exhaust port 14 for extracting tail gas from the process chamber.

[0063] Specifically, in some embodiments, the tail gas includes but is not limited to unreacted process gas, byproduct gas of deposition reaction, and transient high pressure gas applied to the front side of the wafer to be processed.

[0064] In addition, the thin film deposition apparatus provided by the second aspect of the present application includes a gas source, a vacuum mechanism, and at least one first process chamber. The gas source is connected to the showerhead of the at least one first process chamber, and the vacuum mechanism is connected to the vacuum chucking portion of the at least one first process chamber. The first process chamber is selected from any one of the process chambers provided by the first aspect of the present application.

[0065] Further, in some embodiments, the first process chamber includes an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process chamber.

[0066] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first process chamber includes a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process chamber.

[0067] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first process chamber includes a MOCVD (metal organic chemical vapor deposition) process chamber.

[0068] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first process chamber includes a Photo-CVD (photochemical vapor deposition) process chamber.

[0069] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first process chamber includes an APCVD (atmospheric pressure thermochemical vapor deposition) process chamber.

[0070] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first process chamber includes an LPCVD (low-pressure thermochemical vapor deposition) process chamber.

[0071] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first process chamber includes an ULPCVD (ultra-low pressure thermochemical vapor deposition) process chamber.

[0072] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the thin film deposition apparatus includes multiple first process chambers, wherein the central region of the adsorption surface of the heating plate in at least one first process chamber is lower than its edge region, and the central region of the adsorption surface of the heating plate in at least another first process chamber is higher than its edge region. The thin film deposition apparatus also includes at least one second process chamber, wherein the adsorption surface of the heating plate in at least one second process chamber is planar. This invention, by utilizing a multi-chamber thin film deposition apparatus, can process wafers with different warp orientations separately, reducing manufacturing costs while improving chip production yield.

[0073] Furthermore, the thin film deposition equipment provided in the second aspect of the present invention also includes a sorting mechanism located at the front end of each process chamber, used to detect the warpage direction of the wafer to be processed and transport it to the corresponding process chamber. The present invention achieves automatic wafer sorting and transport through the sorting mechanism, effectively improving wafer processing efficiency.

[0074] Although the methods described above are illustrated and depicted as a series of actions for the sake of simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, as some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from the illustrations and descriptions herein or not illustrated and described herein but which may be understood by those skilled in the art, according to one or more embodiments.

[0075] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A process chamber, comprising: The process chamber comprises: a heating plate having an adsorption surface which is curved in the same direction as a wafer to be processed, wherein the adsorption surface is provided with a plurality of vacuum adsorption portions; and a shower head for providing a process gas to the wafer to be processed for depositing a thin film.

2. The process chamber of claim 1, wherein, The process chamber is used for processing a wafer to be processed which is warped in a positive direction, and a central region of the adsorption surface is lower than an edge region thereof.

3. The process chamber of claim 2, wherein, A first height difference between the central region and the edge region of the adsorption surface is not less than a maximum height difference between a central region and an edge region of the wafer to be processed which is warped in the positive direction.

4. The process chamber of claim 1, wherein, The process chamber is used for processing a wafer to be processed which is warped in a negative direction, and a central region of the adsorption surface is higher than an edge region thereof.

5. The process chamber of claim 4, wherein, A second height difference between the central region and the edge region of the adsorption surface is not greater than a maximum height difference between a central region and an edge region of the wafer to be processed which is warped in the negative direction.

6. The process chamber of claim 1, wherein, The adsorption surface is in the shape of a rotational body, and a cross section of the rotational body with respect to a radial direction of the heating plate is in the shape of a circular arc, an elliptical arc or a parabolic line.

7. The process chamber of claim 1, wherein, The vacuum adsorption portion comprises at least one air exhaust hole and at least one adsorption groove, wherein a first end of the at least one air exhaust hole is communicated with the adsorption surface, and a second end thereof penetrates the heating plate to be connected with a vacuum mechanism, the at least one adsorption groove is distributed on the adsorption surface and communicated with the at least one air exhaust hole to adsorb a back surface of the wafer to be processed.

8. The process chamber of claim 7, wherein, The at least one adsorption groove comprises at least one radial groove and / or at least one circumferential groove, wherein the at least one radial groove is uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface at a preset interval angle, the at least one circumferential groove is uniformly or non-uniformly distributed on the adsorption surface in the form of concentric circles.

9. The process chamber of claim 1, wherein, The shower head further applies a transient high-pressure gas to a front surface of the wafer to be processed while the plurality of vacuum adsorption portions are vacuumizing the back surface of the wafer to be processed.

10. The process chamber of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: an air exhaust port for extracting exhaust gas in the process chamber.

11. A thin film deposition apparatus, characterized by, The process chamber comprises: at least one first process chamber selected from the process chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a gas source connected with a shower head of the at least one first process chamber; and a vacuum mechanism connected with a vacuum adsorption portion of the at least one first process chamber. The thin film deposition device comprises a plurality of the first process chambers, wherein a central region of an adsorption surface of a heating plate of at least one of the first process chambers is lower than an edge region thereof, and a central region of an adsorption surface of a heating plate of at least another one of the first process chambers is higher than an edge region thereof, 12. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 11, wherein, the thin film deposition device further comprises at least one second process chamber, wherein an adsorption surface of a heating plate of the at least one second process chamber is planar. Further comprising:

13. The thin film deposition apparatus of claim 12, wherein, a sorting mechanism located at a front end of each of the process chambers for detecting a warping direction of a wafer to be processed and transmitting the wafer to be processed to a corresponding process chamber. ​

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