Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor
By using a triple evaporator/condenser system in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the problem of recovering and reusing unreacted precursor gases has been solved, reducing operating costs and environmental pollution, and achieving clean gas treatment.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-27
AI Technical Summary
In the semiconductor manufacturing process, precursor gases that do not react with the substrate are discharged into the pump, causing environmental pollution and resource waste. Moreover, existing technologies make it difficult to effectively recover and reuse these precursor gases.
A triple evaporator/condenser system from semiconductor manufacturing equipment is used to heat, cool, and filter the precursor gas, recover and reuse unreacted precursor gas, and deposit clean gas into the pump via a condenser between the exhaust device and the pump in the reaction chamber.
It enables the effective recovery and reuse of precursor gases, reduces equipment operating costs, reduces environmental pollution, and improves the cleanliness of gas treatment.
Smart Images
Figure CN121737677A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure generally relates to semiconductor manufacturing equipment and methods for manufacturing semiconductors. More specifically, this disclosure relates to the reuse of semiconductor precursor gases. Background Technology
[0002] Semiconductor manufacturing processes used to form semiconductor device structures (such as transistors, memory elements, and integrated circuits) are extensive and may include deposition processes.
[0003] The deposition process may involve flowing a precursor gas over a substrate, resulting in the deposition of a layer on the substrate. During the deposition process, excess precursor that has not reacted with the substrate may be vented to a pump. The precursor may be highly valuable, and its venting via pumping could result in environmental waste.
[0004] Therefore, it may be necessary to reuse the precursor gas discharged from the pumps into the semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Summary of the Invention
[0005] This summary is provided to present the chosen concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are further described in detail in the following description of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0006] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is disclosed, the apparatus comprising:
[0007] Reaction chamber;
[0008] One or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber to provide precursor gases to the reaction chamber; and
[0009] An accumulator is connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets. The device may include three evaporators / condensers. A first evaporator / condenser may be connected to the accumulator and configured to be heated to provide evaporative precursors to the reaction chamber via the accumulator. A second evaporator / condenser may be connected to a large-capacity precursor storage tank and may be configured to be cooled to deposit precursors from the heated storage tank therein. A third evaporator / condenser may be connected between the exhaust gas from the reaction chamber and the pump and may be configured to be cooled to deposit precursors from the exhaust gas before they reach the pump. Any precursor gases remaining in the exhaust gas may be deposited within the third evaporator / condenser. In this way, the gas supplied to the pump can be cleaner, which is an environmental advantage. Expensive precursors recovered in the third evaporator / condenser can be reused, reducing the operating costs of the device in this sense. Simultaneously, the second evaporator / condenser can be refilled, allowing the device to have an evaporator / condenser readily available for use.
[0010] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus may be disclosed. The apparatus may include: a reaction chamber for loading a substrate; one or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber to provide a precursor gas into the reaction chamber for depositing a layer on the substrate; and an accumulator connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets. The method may include: connecting a first evaporator / condenser to the accumulator and heating the first evaporator / condenser to provide an evaporated precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator; connecting a second evaporator / condenser to a large-capacity precursor storage device and heating the large-capacity precursor storage device while cooling the second evaporator / condenser to deposit the precursor from the storage device in the second evaporator / condenser; and connecting a third evaporator / condenser between an exhaust device and a pump in the reaction chamber and cooling the third evaporator / condenser to deposit the precursor from the exhaust device in the third evaporator / condenser before the precursor reaches the pump.
[0011] For the purpose of summarizing the advantages of this invention and its implementation relative to prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described above. It should be understood, of course, that not all of these objects or advantages may be achieved according to any particular embodiment of the invention. Therefore, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be implemented or performed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or more advantages as taught or suggested herein, without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
[0012] All these embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. Attached Figure Description
[0013] Although this specification concludes with claims that are particularly pointed out and clearly claimed as embodiments of the invention, the advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure can be more readily determined from the description of certain examples of embodiments of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0014] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a layer deposition system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0015] The illustrations presented herein are not intended to be actual views of any particular material, structure, or device, but are merely idealized representations used to describe embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation
[0016] Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention extends beyond the specific disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention and their obvious modifications and equivalents. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should not be limited to the specific disclosed embodiments described below.
[0017] As used herein, the term “substrate” can refer to any one or more underlying materials on which devices, circuits or layers can be formed.
[0018] As used herein, the term “cyclic chemical vapor deposition” can refer to any process in which a substrate is sequentially exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and / or decompose on the substrate to produce the desired deposition.
[0019] As used herein, the term precursor may refer to molybdenum halide precursors, such as molybdenum chloride precursors, molybdenum iodide precursors, or molybdenum bromide precursors; or molybdenum sulfides, such as molybdenum oxychloride, molybdenum oxyiodide, molybdenum dichloride (IV) (MoO2Cl2) precursors, or molybdenum oxybromide.
[0020] As used herein, the term "atomic layer deposition" (ALD) can refer to a vapor-phase deposition process in which deposition cycles, preferably multiple consecutive cycles, are performed in a reaction chamber. Typically, during each cycle, a precursor is chemisorbed onto the deposition surface (e.g., a substrate surface or a previously deposited lower layer surface, such as material from a previous ALD cycle), forming a monolayer or sub-monolayer that is not readily reactive with another precursor (i.e., a self-limiting reaction). Subsequently, if desired, a reactant (e.g., another precursor or reactive gas) can be introduced into a processing chamber to convert the chemisorbed precursor into the desired material on the deposition surface. Typically, this reactant is capable of further reacting with the precursor. Furthermore, a purging step can be utilized during each cycle to remove excess precursor from the processing chamber and / or excess reactant and / or reaction byproducts after the conversion of the chemisorbed precursor. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “atomic layer deposition” is also intended to include processes specified by related terms such as “chemical vapor deposition,” “atomic layer epitaxy” (ALE), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), gas source MBE or organometallic MBE, and chemical beam epitaxy when performed with alternating pulses of a precursor composition, a reactive gas, and a purge gas (e.g., an inert carrier gas).
[0021] As used herein, the terms “layer” and “thin layer” can refer to any continuous or discontinuous structure and material formed by the methods disclosed herein. For example, “layer” and “thin layer” can include 2D materials, nanolaminated materials, nanorods, nanotubes, or nanoparticles, or even partial or complete molecular layers, partial or complete atomic layers, or atomic and / or molecular clusters. “Layer” and “thin layer” can include materials or layers with pinholes, but still at least partially continuous.
[0022] Numerous example materials are given throughout the embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the chemical formulas given for each material should not be interpreted as limiting, and the non-limiting example materials given should not be limited by the given example stoichiometry.
[0023] This invention includes a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of performing a molybdenum layer deposition process. Molybdenum thin layers can be used in many applications, such as low-resistivity gap-filling liner layers for 3D-NAND, DRAM word line features, metal gates, DRAM top electrodes, memories, or as interconnect materials in CMOS logic applications.
[0024] Figure 1 A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The apparatus may include: a reaction chamber 1; one or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber to provide a precursor gas to the reaction chamber; and an accumulator 3 connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets. The apparatus may include three evaporators / condensers, a first evaporator / condenser 5 connected to the accumulator 3 and configured to be heated to provide an evaporated precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via a first valve 4 and the accumulator 3. The first evaporator / condenser 5 may be heated between 50°C and 200°C, preferably between 100°C and 180°C, to provide a sublimated / evaporated precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via the accumulator. The temperature may depend on the pressure.
[0025] The second evaporator / condenser 7 can be connected to the large-capacity precursor storage 9 via the second valve 6 and configured to be cooled to deposit precursors from the heated large-capacity precursor storage 9 therein. The second evaporator / condenser 7 can be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, to deposit the precursors therein. The temperature may depend on the pressure.
[0026] The third evaporator / condenser 11 can be connected between the exhaust device of the reaction chamber and the pump 13 via the third valve 8 and the fourth valve 10, and is configured to be cooled to deposit precursors from the exhaust device before they reach the pump 13. The third evaporator / condenser 11 can be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, so that any precursor gases remaining in the exhaust gas are deposited within the third evaporator / condenser. The temperature may depend on the pressure. In this way, the gas supplied to the pump can be cleaner, which is an environmental advantage. Expensive precursors recovered in the third evaporator / condenser can be reused, and in this sense, the operating costs of the equipment can be reduced. Simultaneously, the second evaporator / condenser can be refilled, allowing the equipment to have an evaporator / condenser ready for immediate use.
[0027] In one embodiment, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus may be configured and arranged to switch between evaporators / condensers 5, 7, and 11, for example, if one of the evaporators / condensers is empty. The apparatus may be equipped with a controller operatively connected to a valve. The controller may be equipped with a processor and a memory. The memory may be programmed to perform the switching function between the evaporators / condensers.
[0028] In one embodiment, the second evaporator / condenser 7 and / or the third evaporator / condenser 11 may be connected to the accumulator 3 via the fifth valve 12 and the sixth valve 14, and configured to be heated to provide a sublimation / evaporation precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via the accumulator. The latter may be necessary when the first evaporator / condenser 5 is substantially empty and / or when the second and third evaporators / condensers are substantially full of precursor. The second evaporator / condenser 7 can be disconnected from the large-capacity precursor storage 9 by closing the second valve 6, and the third evaporator / condenser can be disconnected from the exhaust system and pump 13 of the reaction chamber by simultaneously closing the third valve 8 and the fourth valve 10. The first evaporator / condenser 5 can be disconnected from the accumulator 3 and the reaction chamber 1 by simultaneously closing the first valve 4. The second evaporator / condenser 7 and / or the third evaporator / condenser 11 may be heated between 50°C and 200°C, preferably between 100°C and 180°C, to provide a sublimation / evaporation precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via the accumulator. The temperature may depend on the pressure.
[0029] Simultaneously, the first evaporator / condenser 5 can be connected between the exhaust device of the reaction chamber 1 and the pump 13 via the seventh valve 16 and the eighth valve 18. The first evaporator / condenser can be configured to be cooled to deposit precursors from the exhaust device before they reach the pump 13. The first evaporator / condenser 5 can be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, to allow any precursor gases remaining in the exhaust gas to deposit within the first evaporator / condenser. The temperature may depend on the pressure. In this way, the gas supplied to the pump can be cleaner, which is an environmental advantage. Expensive precursors recovered in the first evaporator / condenser can be reused to reduce the operating costs of the equipment.
[0030] In one embodiment, the first evaporator / condenser 5 may also be connected to the mass precursor storage 9 via a ninth valve 20 and configured to be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, to deposit precursors from the heated mass precursor storage 9 therein. This may be necessary when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty.
[0031] When the second evaporator / condenser is empty, it can be connected between the exhaust system of the reaction chamber and the pump via tenth valve 22 and eleventh valve 24. When the second evaporator / condenser 7 is substantially empty, it can be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, to deposit precursors from the exhaust system before they reach pump 13. The temperature may depend on the pressure. Any precursor gases remaining in the exhaust gas can be deposited within the second evaporator / condenser. In this way, the gas supplied to the pump can be cleaner, which is an environmental advantage. Expensive precursors recovered in the second evaporator / condenser can be reused to reduce the operating costs of the equipment.
[0032] In one embodiment, the second evaporator / condenser may also be connected to a large-capacity precursor storage unit via a twelfth valve 26 and configured to be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably 130°C, when the second evaporator / condenser is substantially empty, to deposit precursors from the heated storage unit therein. This can be done, for example, after it has been refilled from the exhaust system to increase the filling rate.
[0033] In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing semiconductors using semiconductor manufacturing equipment is disclosed. The equipment includes:
[0034] Reaction chamber 1 for loading the substrate;
[0035] One or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber to provide precursor gas to the reaction chamber for depositing a layer on the substrate; and
[0036] An accumulator 3 is connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets. The method includes:
[0037] The first evaporator / condenser 5 is connected to the accumulator 3, and the first evaporator / condenser 5 is heated to provide the evaporation precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator;
[0038] The second evaporator / condenser 7 is connected to the large-capacity precursor storage 9, and the large-capacity precursor storage 9 is heated while the second evaporator / condenser 7 is cooled to deposit the precursor from the large-capacity precursor storage 9 into the second evaporator / condenser 7; and
[0039] The third evaporator / condenser 11 is connected between the exhaust device and the pump 13 of the reaction chamber 1, and the third evaporator / condenser is cooled so that the precursor from the exhaust device is deposited in the third evaporator / condenser 11 before the precursor reaches the pump 13.
[0040] In one embodiment, the method includes, for example, switching between the evaporator and condenser when the evaporator / condenser may be empty.
[0041] In one embodiment, the precursor gas comprises a vaporized liquid or solid precursor compound, the precursor compound comprising a metal or metalloid selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, and rare earth metals. The precursor compound may be a homogeneous or heterogeneous precursor.
[0042] In one embodiment, the precursor compound may include at least one compound selected from the following: titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5), molybdenum oxychloride (MoO2Cl2), niobium pentachloride (NbCl5), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl5), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4), tetra(ethylmethylamido)zirconium (TEMAZr) or tetra(ethylmethylamido)hafnium (TEMAHf), trimethyl borate (TMB), fluorotriethoxysilane (FTES), tetra-dimethylaminotitanium (TDMAT), tetra-diethylamino (TDEAT), CuTMVS, diethylsilane, and triethyl phosphate (TEPO).
[0043] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure described above do not limit the scope of the invention, as these embodiments are merely examples of embodiments of the invention defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention. In fact, various modifications to this disclosure, such as alternative useful combinations of the elements, in addition to those shown and described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Such modifications and embodiments are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the apparatus comprising: Reaction chamber; One or more gas inlets are connected to the reaction chamber to provide the precursor to the reaction chamber; as well as An accumulator connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets; The device includes three evaporators / condensers: a first evaporator / condenser that can be connected to an accumulator and is configured to be heated to provide a sublimation / evaporation precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator; a second evaporator / condenser that can be connected to a large-capacity precursor storage device and is configured to be cooled when the storage device is heated to deposit the precursor from the large-capacity precursor storage device therein; and a third evaporator / condenser that can be connected between an exhaust device and a pump in the reaction chamber and is configured to be cooled to deposit the precursor from the exhaust device before the precursor reaches the pump.
2. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The device is constructed and arranged to switch between an evaporator and a condenser.
3. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The second and / or third evaporator / condenser may be connected to the accumulator and configured to be heated when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty and / or the second and third evaporators / condensers are substantially full of precursor to provide sublimation / evaporation precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator.
4. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The first evaporator / condenser may be connected between the exhaust device of the reaction chamber and the pump, and is configured to be cooled when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty to deposit the precursor from the exhaust device before the precursor reaches the pump.
5. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The first evaporator / condenser may be connected to the mass precursor storage and configured to be cooled when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty to deposit precursors from the heated mass precursor storage therein.
6. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The second evaporator / condenser may be connected between the exhaust device of the reaction chamber and the pump, and is configured to be cooled when the second evaporator / condenser is substantially empty to deposit the precursor from the exhaust device before the precursor reaches the pump.
7. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The second evaporator / condenser may be connected to the mass precursor storage and configured to be cooled when the second evaporator / condenser is substantially empty so that precursors from the mass precursor storage are deposited therein when the storage is heated.
8. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The first evaporator / condenser may be connected to the accumulator and configured to be heated between 50°C and 200°C, preferably between 100°C and 180°C, to provide evaporation precursors to the reaction chamber via the accumulator.
9. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The second evaporator / condenser may be connected to the mass precursor storage and configured to be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, when the storage is heated, in order to deposit precursors from the mass precursor storage therein.
10. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The third evaporator / condenser may be connected between the exhaust device of the reaction chamber and the pump, and is configured to be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, to deposit the precursor from the exhaust device before it reaches the pump.
11. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The precursor comprises a vaporized liquid or solid precursor compound, and the precursor compound comprises a metal or metalloid.
12. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The metal is selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, and rare earth metals.
13. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The precursor compound is a homopolymer or heteropolymer precursor.
14. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The precursor compound includes at least one compound selected from the following: titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5), molybdenum oxychloride (MoO2Cl2), niobium pentachloride (NbCl5), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl5), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4), tetra(ethylmethylamido)zirconium (TEMAZr) or tetra(ethylmethylamido)hafnium (TEMAHf), trimethyl borate (TMB), fluorotriethoxysilane (FTES), tetra-dimethylaminotitanium (TDMAT), tetra-diethylamino (TDEAT), CuTMVS, diethylsilane, and triethyl phosphate (TEPO).
15. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The semiconductor manufacturing equipment is a vertical furnace, and the reaction chamber is configured to receive batches of wafers contained in a crystal boat.
16. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The vertical furnace is configured for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD).
17. A method for manufacturing semiconductors using semiconductor manufacturing equipment, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment comprising: Reaction chamber for loading substrate; One or more gas inlets are connected to the reaction chamber to provide precursors to the reaction chamber for depositing a layer on the substrate; An accumulator connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets; the method includes: The first evaporator / condenser is connected to the accumulator, and the first evaporator / condenser is heated to provide the evaporation precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator; A second evaporator / condenser is connected to a large-capacity precursor storage tank, and the large-capacity precursor storage tank is heated while the second evaporator / condenser is cooled to deposit the precursor from the storage tank into the second evaporator / condenser; and A third evaporator / condenser is connected between the exhaust device and the pump of the reaction chamber, and the third evaporator / condenser is cooled to deposit the precursor from the exhaust device in the third evaporator / condenser before the precursor reaches the pump.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The method includes switching between an evaporator and a condenser.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The precursor comprises a vaporized liquid or solid precursor compound, the precursor compound comprising a metal or metalloid selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals and rare earth metals.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein, The precursor compound includes at least one compound selected from the following: titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5), molybdenum oxychloride (MoO2Cl2), niobium pentachloride (NbCl5), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl5), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4), tetra(ethylmethylamido)zirconium (TEMAZr) or tetra(ethylmethylamido)hafnium (TEMAHf), trimethyl borate (TMB), fluorotriethoxysilane (FTES), tetra-dimethylaminotitanium (TDMAT), tetra-diethylamino (TDEAT), CuTMVS, diethylsilane, and triethyl phosphate (TEPO).