Split-type low-temperature plasma reaction apparatus and semiconductor processing equipment thereof

Abstract

This invention provides a split-type low-temperature plasma reaction device and its semiconductor processing equipment. The reaction device is used to deliver plasma active components to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor processing equipment. The reaction device includes: a coaxial dielectric barrier reactor, which includes a plasma generator, an electrode rod, an inner ring quartz tube, an outer ring quartz tube, and an outer ring metal; wherein the outer ring metal includes a front outer ring metal layer and a rear outer ring metal layer spaced apart, and the front outer ring metal layer and the rear outer ring metal layer are respectively connected to different potentials.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to a low-temperature plasma reaction apparatus and a semiconductor processing device using the apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), as an important plasma generation method, has wide applications in material surface treatment, waste gas purification, and semiconductor processes. Traditional coaxial DBD reactors employ an integral structural design, where the metal electrodes and dielectric tubes directly form the discharge chamber. This structure suffers from several technical drawbacks in practical applications: 1) Structural maintainability issues: The integral design necessitates disassembling the entire discharge chamber for electrode replacement, resulting in low maintenance efficiency. Furthermore, the mechanical seal structure is prone to airtightness degradation under long-term thermal cycling conditions, particularly when handling reactive gases. 2) Electrode corrosion: Metal electrodes (such as stainless steel and aluminum) undergo electrochemical corrosion in the plasma environment. Existing surface coatings (such as Al2O3 and CrN) peel off under continuous bombardment from micro-discharges, significantly shortening electrode lifespan. 3) Discharge control deficiencies: The single-potential electrode design leads to uneven axial electric field distribution, causing the discharge area to easily diffuse towards the inlet, reducing energy utilization and triggering abnormal discharges within the inlet pipe, accelerating corrosion of the gas path system. 4) Gas path contamination risk: In traditional designs, the air inlet is directly connected to the discharge area, and the plasma active components diffuse back into the gas supply system, causing chemical etching on the inner wall of the pipeline and potentially leading to aging and leakage of the seals.

[0003] Existing improvement solutions mainly alleviate the above problems through fully welded sealed structures or composite protective coatings. However, the former completely sacrifices the maintainability of the electrodes, while the latter fails to meet long-life requirements due to plasma-material interface failure. Although existing technologies employ multi-segment electrode designs, the core problem of discharge region diffusion towards the inlet remains unresolved. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a novel DBD reactor structure that combines maintainability, corrosion resistance, and discharge stability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a split-type low-temperature plasma reactor, solving the problems of uneven DBD discharge distribution and easy corrosion of electrodes and gas paths in the prior art. Another purpose of this invention is to provide a semiconductor processing device including the above-mentioned split-type low-temperature plasma reactor.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention provides a split-type low-temperature plasma reaction device, which is disposed within a semiconductor processing device and is used to deliver plasma-active components to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor processing device. The split-type low-temperature plasma reaction device comprises:

[0006] The device includes a coaxial dielectric barrier reactor, which comprises a plasma generator, an electrode rod, an inner ring quartz tube, an outer ring quartz tube, and an outer ring metal; wherein the outer ring metal comprises a front outer ring metal layer and a rear outer ring metal layer spaced apart, and the front outer ring metal layer and the rear outer ring metal layer are respectively connected to different potentials.

[0007] Furthermore, the outer ring metal layer at the front end serves as the negative ground electrode.

[0008] Furthermore, the outer ring metal layer at the front end is in direct contact with the reaction chamber wall, which serves as the grounding negative electrode.

[0009] Furthermore, a reaction gas inlet pipe is provided on one side of the outer ring metal layer at the rear end.

[0010] Furthermore, the air intake pipe includes a metal air intake pipe, and the metal air intake pipe is provided with a floating potential.

[0011] Preferably, the rear outer ring metal layer and the metal inlet pipe are an integrated T-shaped metal pipe, with the left end connected to the inner quartz tube, the right end connected to the outer quartz tube, and the vertical end connected to the inlet of the reaction gas.

[0012] Furthermore, a plasma monitoring system is provided between the front outer ring metal layer and the rear outer ring metal layer.

[0013] Preferably, the inner ring quartz tube is telescopic, wherein the gap between the inner and outer ring quartz tubes is configured as a reaction gas inlet channel.

[0014] The present invention also provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, the semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a reaction chamber, wherein at least three of the aforementioned split-type low-temperature plasma reaction devices are inserted into the reaction chamber. Further, the semiconductor processing apparatus includes an etching apparatus or a thin film deposition apparatus.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the above technical solution has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1) By setting the reaction gas inlet channel in the gap of the inner ring quartz tube, the present invention completely isolates the metal electrode from the discharge area, reduces the risk of corrosion of the central electrode, and the central electrode can be independently disassembled and replaced.

[0017] 2) A split outer ring metal layer is set up, which is combined with a T-shaped metal tube to build a potential gradient, and the forced discharge is concentrated in the front end area, which significantly improves the discharge efficiency.

[0018] 3) By adjusting the axial position of the quartz tube, the geometric parameters of the discharge region can be changed, thereby achieving dynamic control of key parameters such as plasma density and active particle concentration to meet different process requirements.

[0019] 4) The gas inlet of the reaction gas is physically isolated from the discharge area, which completely blocks the reverse diffusion of plasma active components (such as free radicals and excited-state particles) into the gas supply pipeline, reducing the risk of gas pipeline contamination. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0024] Throughout this application, as used herein, the terms “approximately,” “substantially,” “substantially,” and “about” are used to describe and indicate small variations. When used in conjunction with an event or situation, the terms may refer to examples in which the event or situation occurred precisely and examples in which the event or situation occurred very approximately. For example, when used in conjunction with numerical values, the terms may refer to a range of variation less than or equal to ±10% of the numerical value, such as less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%. For example, if the difference between two values ​​is less than or equal to ±10% of the average of the values ​​(e.g., less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%), then the two values ​​can be considered "substantially" the same. In this specification, unless specifically specified or limited, relative terms such as "central," "longitudinal," "lateral," "front," "rear," "right," "left," "inner," "outer," "lower," "higher," "horizontal," "vertical," "above," "below," "above," "below," "top," "bottom," and their derivatives (e.g., "horizontally," "downward," "upward," etc.) should be interpreted as referring to the directions described in the discussion or depicted in the figures. These relative terms are used for descriptive convenience only and do not require that this application be constructed or operated in a particular orientation.

[0025] Additionally, quantities, ratios, and other numerical values ​​are sometimes presented in range format throughout this document. It should be understood that this range format is for convenience and brevity and should be interpreted flexibly, encompassing not only numerical values ​​explicitly specified as range limits but also all individual numerical values ​​or subranges covered within the range, as if each numerical value and subrange were explicitly specified. Furthermore, for ease of description, terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to distinguish different components of a figure or a series of figures. "First," "second," "third," etc., are not intended to describe the corresponding components.

[0026] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms “set,” “connect,” “couple,” “fix,” and similar terms are used extensively, and those skilled in the art can understand the above terms as appropriate, such as fixed connection, detachable connection, or integrated connection; it can also be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can also be a direct link or an indirect link through an intermediary structure; or it can be internal communication between two components.

[0027] The present invention provides a split-type low-temperature plasma reaction device, which is installed in a semiconductor processing device to deliver plasma active components to the reaction chamber of the semiconductor processing device.

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In this embodiment, the split-type low-temperature plasma reaction device 100 provided by the present invention includes a coaxial dielectric barrier reactor, which includes a plasma generator, an electrode rod 10, an inner ring quartz tube 20, an outer ring quartz tube 30, and an outer ring metal; wherein, the outer ring metal includes a front outer ring metal layer 40 and a rear outer ring metal layer 50 spaced apart, and the front outer ring metal layer 40 and the rear outer ring metal layer 50 are respectively connected to different potentials.

[0031] The plasma generator includes a high-voltage electrode, a ground electrode, and a plasma power supply. The electrode rod 10 serves as the high-voltage electrode and is directly connected to the high-voltage electrode. The front outer ring metal layer 40 serves as the ground negative electrode and is directly connected to the ground electrode. The front outer ring metal layer 40 surrounds the outer ring quartz tube 30. The plasma discharge region is the electrode region corresponding to the front outer ring metal layer 40. The front outer ring metal layer 40 and the outer ring quartz tube 30 are sealed by an axial compression O-ring.

[0032] A reactive gas inlet pipe is provided on one side of the rear outer ring metal layer 50, wherein the gap between the inner and outer ring quartz tubes 30 serves as the reactive gas inlet channel. The type of reactive gas can be replaced or adjusted according to actual application requirements, for example, inactive and reactive gases, including argon, nitrogen, helium, or corrosive gases such as chlorine. The material of the inlet pipe can be adjusted adaptively according to the type of gas introduced, for example, a quartz tube or a metal tube. When the inlet pipe is a metal inlet pipe 60, to prevent electrical interference between the metal inlet pipe 60 and the rear outer ring metal layer 50, the metal inlet pipe 60 can be set to a floating potential, or connected to an external independent power supply for separate electrical adjustment to form an independent potential, thereby ensuring that the discharge is concentrated in the corresponding area of ​​the outer ring metal.

[0033] In a specific embodiment, the inner ring quartz tube 20 can be extended and retracted to adjust the gas passage.

[0034] In a specific embodiment, the rear outer ring metal layer 50 and the metal inlet pipe 60 are an integral T-shaped metal tube, which has the advantages of being seamless and having higher sealing performance. The left end of the T-shaped metal tube is connected to the inner quartz tube, the right end is connected to the outer quartz tube, and the vertical end is connected to the inlet of the reaction gas. An axial compression O-ring is provided at the connection between the T-shaped metal tube and the inner and outer quartz tubes, which can achieve both a sealing effect and fix and support the reactor device.

[0035] As a specific embodiment, in order to monitor the plasma discharge state in real time, a plasma monitoring system is installed at the gap between the split structure of the front outer ring metal layer 40 and the rear outer ring metal layer 50. The plasma monitoring system mentioned in this invention is a combination of instruments and equipment specifically used for real-time monitoring and analysis of plasma state and characteristics. By comprehensively utilizing optical, electrical, and computer technologies, the plasma monitoring system achieves precise measurement of plasma parameters and real-time control of the process. The basic components of a plasma monitoring system typically include three main parts: a sensor module, a signal processing module, and a data analysis module. The sensor module is usually equipped with multiple spectral channels, which can simultaneously monitor the optical signals of plasma emission lines in different wavelength ranges. Specifically, the sensor module includes a plasma emission spectrometer and / or a feed optical emission spectrometer. The signal processing module converts these signals into analyzable data. The data analysis module processes and analyzes the data, extracts useful information, and generates reports or control commands. This modular design allows the system to be flexibly configured according to different application requirements, achieving high-precision real-time monitoring of key parameters such as plasma density, electron temperature, component concentration, and uniformity, providing comprehensive data support for semiconductor manufacturing process control. Plasma monitoring systems integrate multiple functions, including data acquisition, real-time monitoring, data analysis, process control, and data storage and management. By selecting specific plasma spectral lines from the acquired spectral data, the system can continuously track changes in plasma conditions and composition. By comparing the monitoring data with preset process curves, the system can automatically adjust plasma process parameters, achieving closed-loop control. This feedback control mechanism is crucial for ensuring process stability and product consistency. For example, in semiconductor etching, the monitoring system determines the etching endpoint by detecting changes in the intensity of specific emission lines, promptly terminating the process to avoid over-etching. In thin film deposition, the system controls the deposition time based on real-time film thickness measurements, ensuring film thickness accuracy.

[0036] In a specific embodiment, the electrode rod 10 is made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum or iron, and the outer ring metal is made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum or iron.

[0037] As a specific embodiment, the plasma power supply can be a high-voltage AC power supply, a radio frequency power supply, or a pulsed DC power supply.

[0038] As a specific embodiment, the potential values ​​of the outer metal layer, electrode rod 10, and metal tube are not necessarily the fixed settings described above, and can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, electrode rod 10 can be connected to the negative ground, and the outer metal layer can be connected to the high-voltage electrode. In addition, the potential of the metal intake pipe 60 can be adjusted arbitrarily, controlled by an external switch, to select an external independent power supply or to maintain a floating potential.

[0039] The embodiments of this invention, through the design of the gas path and electrodes, specifically integrate the reactive gas inlet channel into the gap structure of the inner ring quartz tube 20, achieving physical isolation between the metal electrode and the discharge area. This significantly reduces the risk of etching of the central electrode in a corrosive gas environment. Simultaneously, the modular electrode design supports independent disassembly and replacement, greatly improving equipment maintainability. The use of a split outer ring metal and T-shaped metal tube combination structure, by constructing an axial potential gradient, forcibly confines the discharge area to the front end of the outer ring metal, increasing energy utilization to over 70% and avoiding the discharge diffusion problem caused by traditional single-potential designs. Furthermore… The embodiments of the present invention have tunable discharge characteristics. The inner ring quartz tube 20 adopts a telescopic and movable design, which can change the geometric parameters of the discharge area by adjusting the axial position of the quartz tube, thereby realizing dynamic control of key parameters such as plasma density and active particle concentration to meet different process requirements. Secondly, the reliability of the gas path system of the present invention is significantly improved. Specifically, by physically isolating the air inlet and the discharge area, the reverse diffusion of plasma active components (such as free radicals and excited-state particles) to the gas supply pipeline is completely blocked, reducing the risk of gas path contamination by more than 90%, while avoiding the sealing failure problem caused by pipeline etching.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] In another embodiment, the low-temperature plasma reactor 100 provided by the present invention is an improvement on the above embodiment, except for the different grounding method, the other features are basically the same. Specifically, in this embodiment, the split-type low-temperature plasma reactor 100 provided by the present invention includes a coaxial dielectric barrier reactor, which includes a plasma generator, an electrode rod 10, an inner ring quartz tube 20, an outer ring quartz tube 30, and an outer ring metal; wherein, the outer ring metal includes a front outer ring metal layer 40 and a rear outer ring metal layer 50 spaced apart.

[0042] The plasma generator includes a high-voltage electrode, a grounding electrode, and a plasma power supply. The electrode rod 10 serves as the high-voltage electrode and is directly connected to the high-voltage electrode. The front end region of the low-temperature plasma reaction device 100 is inserted into the reaction chamber 70, meaning that the front outer ring metal layer 40 is in close contact with the reaction chamber 70. For example, the outer metal layer is connected to the reaction chamber 70 through a flange. In this case, the reaction chamber 70 can be directly used as the grounding negative electrode. At the same time, the front outer ring metal layer 40 surrounds the outer ring quartz tube 30. The plasma discharge region is the electrode region corresponding to the front outer ring metal layer 40. The front outer ring metal layer 40 and the outer ring quartz tube 30 are sealed by an axial compression O-ring.

[0043] A reactive gas inlet pipe is provided on one side of the rear outer ring metal layer 50, wherein the gap between the inner and outer ring quartz tubes 30 serves as the reactive gas inlet channel. The type of reactive gas can be replaced or adjusted according to actual application requirements, for example, inactive and reactive gases, including argon, nitrogen, helium, or corrosive gases such as chlorine. The material of the inlet pipe can be adjusted adaptively according to the type of gas introduced, for example, a quartz tube or a metal tube. When the inlet pipe is a metal inlet pipe 60, to prevent electrical interference between the metal inlet pipe 60 and the rear outer ring metal layer 50, the metal inlet pipe 60 can be set to a floating potential, or connected to an external independent power supply for separate electrical adjustment to form an independent potential, thereby ensuring that the discharge is concentrated in the corresponding area of ​​the outer ring metal.

[0044] In a specific embodiment, the inner ring quartz tube 20 can be extended and retracted to adjust the gas passage.

[0045] In a specific embodiment, the rear outer ring metal layer 50 and the metal inlet pipe 60 are an integral T-shaped metal tube, which has the advantages of being seamless and having higher sealing performance. The left end of the T-shaped metal tube is connected to the inner quartz tube, the right end is connected to the outer quartz tube, and the vertical end is connected to the inlet of the reaction gas. An axial compression O-ring is provided at the connection between the T-shaped metal tube and the inner and outer quartz tubes, which can achieve both a sealing effect and fix and support the reactor device.

[0046] As a specific embodiment, in order to monitor the plasma discharge state in real time, a plasma monitoring system is set at the gap between the split structure of the front outer ring metal layer 40 and the rear outer ring metal layer 50. Specifically, it includes a plasma emission spectrometer and / or an optical emission spectrometer. When the plasma generator is started, the system can be flexibly configured according to different application requirements, realizing high-precision real-time monitoring and feedback control of key parameters such as plasma density, electron temperature, component concentration and uniformity.

[0047] In a specific embodiment, the electrode rod 10 is made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum or iron, and the outer ring metal is made of stainless steel, copper, aluminum or iron.

[0048] As a specific embodiment, the plasma power supply can be a high-voltage AC power supply, a radio frequency power supply, or a pulsed DC power supply.

[0049] In this embodiment, by setting the reaction chamber 70 to be directly grounded, a uniform potential reference point is provided for the chamber, avoiding uneven plasma distribution caused by potential difference, thereby ensuring the uniformity of etching or deposition and further improving energy utilization.

[0050] This invention also provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising a circular reaction chamber 70, within which at least three separate low-temperature plasma reaction devices 100 are arranged in a circumferential array. The plasma reaction devices 100 are fixedly connected to the reaction chamber 70 via flange sealing interfaces, forming a modular and detachable structure. The reaction chamber 70 is a stainless steel cavity with anodized inner walls to enhance corrosion resistance. The cavity grounding potential design suppresses plasma discharge diffusion. The at least three separate low-temperature plasma reaction devices 100 are simultaneously subjected to a plasma power supply voltage, such as a pulsed power supply or a radio frequency power supply, generating low-temperature plasma between a high-voltage electrode and a grounded negative electrode. Active particles (e.g., free radicals or charged particles) can enter the reaction chamber 70 and react with the silicon wafer to achieve an etching effect or react with the target material to form a thin film deposition. Therefore, the semiconductor processing apparatus can be an etching apparatus or a thin film deposition apparatus.

[0051] As a specific embodiment, the edge effect of the reaction chamber 70 can be compensated and the process uniformity improved by independently adjusting the gas flow rate and power of each plasma reaction device 100. Furthermore, the production capacity requirements of wafers of different sizes can be adapted by increasing or decreasing the number of reaction devices (e.g., expanding to 6).

[0052] In summary, the split-type low-temperature plasma reactor and the semiconductor processing equipment (such as etching equipment or thin film deposition equipment) containing the reactor provided by this invention effectively solve key technical problems such as electrode corrosion, discharge control, and gas path contamination inherent in traditional DBD reactors through innovative structural design. The technical solution of this invention provides a highly reliable, long-life, and process-adaptable plasma processing solution for semiconductor manufacturing processes, particularly suitable for precision etching and thin film deposition applications in reactive gas environments, and has significant industrial application value.

[0053] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the preferred embodiments above, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A split-type low-temperature plasma reactor, characterized in that, The device includes a coaxial dielectric barrier reactor, which comprises a plasma generator, electrode rods, an inner ring quartz tube, an outer ring quartz tube, and an outer ring metal; the gap between the inner and outer ring quartz tubes is configured as a reaction gas inlet channel. The outer ring metal includes a front outer ring metal layer and a rear outer ring metal layer spaced apart, wherein the front outer ring metal layer and the rear outer ring metal layer are respectively connected to different potentials; A metal intake pipe is provided on one side of the rear outer ring metal layer, and the rear outer ring metal layer and the metal intake pipe are an integral T-shaped metal pipe. The integral T-shaped metal pipe is provided with a floating potential or an external independent power supply, so that the discharge area is concentrated near the front outer ring metal layer.

2. The low-temperature plasma reaction apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer ring metal layer at the front end serves as the negative ground electrode.

3. The low-temperature plasma reaction apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer ring metal layer at the front end is in direct contact with the reaction chamber, which serves as the grounded negative electrode.

4. The low-temperature plasma reaction apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A plasma monitoring system is provided between the front outer ring metal layer and the rear outer ring metal layer.

5. The low-temperature plasma reaction apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The electrode rod serves as a high-voltage electrode.

6. The low-temperature plasma reaction apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The inner ring quartz tube can extend and retract.

7. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, The semiconductor processing device includes a reaction chamber and a split-type low-temperature plasma reaction device as described in any one of claims 1-6 disposed within the reaction chamber.

8. The semiconductor processing apparatus as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The semiconductor processing equipment includes etching equipment or thin film deposition equipment.

9. The semiconductor processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, The reaction chamber includes at least three of the aforementioned low-temperature plasma reaction devices.

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