ALD thin film deposition method and device and ALD thin film deposition equipment

Abstract

The invention provides an ALD thin film deposition method and device and ALD thin film deposition equipment. The ALD thin film deposition method comprises the steps that a substrate is conveyed to a reaction cavity, and a first deposition process is conducted on the substrate; and rotating the substrate by a first set angle, and then carrying out a second deposition process on the substrate. According to the method, the substrate is rotated by the set angle between the deposition processes, so that the uniformity of a film layer material can be improved, and the processing uniformity and efficiency of the film layer on the substrate are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of thin film deposition, and in particular, the present application relates to an ALD thin film deposition method and device and an ALD thin film deposition apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of precision manufacturing such as semiconductor manufacturing and optical device processing, ALD (atomic layer deposition) thin film deposition technology can precisely control thin film growth. ALD thin film deposition technology combines pipe purging and precursor deposition processes to achieve deposition of thin films on wafer surfaces through multiple cycles.

[0003] Specifically, ALD thin film deposition technology first purges the pipe to clean the pipe, then introduces a precursor for thin film deposition processing, and so on. The pipe purging and precursor deposition are repeated multiple times to gradually accumulate the required film thickness. However, the existing ALD thin film deposition technology has poor uniformity of the film layer material formed by the atomic deposition process at the beginning of the process, and the thickness is also difficult to keep consistent, which affects the precision and quality of subsequent manufacturing processes of the wafer, and reduces the performance and reliability of the wafer product. SUMMARY

[0004] An object of an embodiment of the present application is to provide a new technical solution of an ALD thin film deposition method and device and an ALD thin film deposition apparatus.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an ALD thin film deposition method is provided, comprising: transporting a substrate to a reaction chamber and performing a first deposition process on the substrate; rotating the substrate by a first set angle, and then performing a second deposition process on the substrate.

[0006] Optionally, before the first deposition process on the substrate, the method further comprises: performing an activation pretreatment on the substrate.

[0007] Optionally, the first deposition process comprises introducing a first precursor into the reaction chamber, performing first precursor gas purging, then introducing a first reaction gas into the reaction chamber, and performing first reaction gas purging.

[0008] Optionally, after the second deposition process on the substrate, the method further comprises: rotating the substrate by a second set angle and then performing a deposition process.

[0009] Optionally, the second set angle is the same as the first set angle, and the second deposition process is the same as the first deposition process.

[0010] Optionally, after performing the second deposition process on the substrate, the deposition cycle is repeated multiple times, and the total rotation angle of the substrate is an integer multiple of 360°; The deposition cycle involves rotating the substrate by a first predetermined angle and then performing a second deposition process on the substrate.

[0011] Optionally, in the pretreatment of the substrate for activation, the activation gas includes at least one of ozone, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and ammonia.

[0012] Optionally, before performing the first deposition process on the substrate, the substrate may be rotated by a preset angle and then subjected to an activation pretreatment. The substrate has notches at its edges.

[0013] Optionally, the preset angle is 15°-150°.

[0014] Optionally, the direction of the deposition gas flow during the deposition process on the substrate intersects with the diameter direction of the notch in the substrate.

[0015] Optionally, after performing the second deposition process on the substrate, the method further includes: The substrate is rotated to its reset angle so that it returns to its initial position.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, an ALD thin film deposition apparatus is provided, the ALD thin film deposition apparatus comprising: The transfer module is used to transfer the substrate to the reaction chamber; A deposition module is used to perform a first deposition process on the substrate and a second deposition process on the substrate; A rotation module is used to rotate the substrate by a first predetermined angle between the first deposition process and the second deposition process.

[0017] Optionally, the ALD thin film deposition apparatus further includes: A preprocessing module is used to perform activation preprocessing on the substrate.

[0018] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this application, an ALD thin film deposition apparatus is provided, employing the ALD thin film deposition method described in the first aspect, the ALD thin film deposition apparatus comprising: The reaction body includes a reaction chamber, and the rotating support stage is used to support the substrate in the reaction chamber and drive the substrate to rotate. The rotating support stage drives the substrate to rotate between the first deposition process and the second deposition process.

[0019] Optionally, the ALD thin film deposition apparatus further includes a pre-rotation mechanism, which is disposed outside the reaction body and is used to rotate the substrate by a preset angle to adjust the inlet angle of the substrate.

[0020] One technical advantage of this application is: This application provides an ALD thin film deposition method, which includes: transferring a substrate to a reaction chamber and performing a first deposition process on the substrate; rotating the substrate by a first predetermined angle and then performing a second deposition process on the substrate. This application improves the uniformity of the film material and enhances the uniformity and efficiency of film processing on the substrate by rotating the substrate by a predetermined angle between deposition processes.

[0021] Other features and advantages of this application will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0023] Figure 1 A flowchart of an ALD thin film deposition method is provided for one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 An embodiment of the ALD thin film deposition method provided in this application includes a rotational example and a comparative example during deposition; Figure 3 This application provides a pre-rotation embodiment of an ALD thin film deposition method. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Various exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application.

[0025] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this application may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. Furthermore, "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0027] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0028] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly 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 between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0029] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0030] In related technologies, ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) thin film deposition technology first cleans the pipeline by purging it, then introduces a precursor for thin film deposition. This process of purging and precursor deposition is repeated multiple times to gradually accumulate the required film thickness. However, in the initial stage of the existing ALD thin film deposition technology, the uniformity of the film material formed by the atomic deposition process cycle is poor, and it is difficult to maintain a consistent overall film thickness.

[0031] In this embodiment, the substrate, such as a wafer, is rotated at a set angle within the reaction chamber to coordinate with the ALD deposition process on the substrate. This results in uniform film material deposited on the substrate, with high consistency in the overall thickness of the film. This ensures the precision and quality control of subsequent substrate manufacturing processes, thereby improving the performance and reliability of the substrate product.

[0032] Reference Figure 1 This application provides an ALD thin film deposition method, which includes: S101, transfer the substrate to the reaction chamber and perform the first deposition process on the substrate; The ALD thin film deposition method provided in this application first precisely positions the substrate in a reaction chamber. The reaction chamber creates a vacuum environment and precursor atmosphere conducive to thin film deposition, facilitating subsequent thin film deposition operations. A first deposition process is then performed on the substrate within the reaction chamber, allowing for the initial deposition of thin film material on the substrate surface. In this embodiment, the substrate is precisely transferred to the reaction chamber by a robotic arm or alignment structure, ensuring that the deposition process is carried out in a suitable reaction environment within the reaction chamber. This guarantees that the first deposition process can stably and accurately deposit a thin film on the substrate surface, enabling the substrate surface to begin to possess preliminary thin film characteristics, thus creating conditions for subsequent deposition of a film layer with the required thickness and performance.

[0033] S102, rotate the substrate by a first set angle, and then perform a second deposition process on the substrate.

[0034] In the above embodiments, rotating the substrate can change the relative position and angle of the substrate in the reaction chamber, so that the activation gas and precursor gas of the second deposition process can deposit thin films on the substrate from different directions, avoiding the non-uniformity caused by deposition in a single direction. Depositing thin films on the substrate from multiple angles helps to improve the consistency of the overall thickness of the film.

[0035] For example, in this embodiment, the heating plate supporting the substrate rotates the substrate, and a second deposition process is performed on the substrate at different deposition angles relative to the first deposition process, which can improve the uniformity of the film material. Moreover, deposition at different angles makes the thin film material more evenly distributed on the substrate surface, thus improving the quality of the deposited thin film.

[0036] In one specific embodiment, a thin lanthanum oxide film is formed using the ALD thin film deposition method, which involves several cycles of purging and lanthanum atom layer deposition to achieve the desired lanthanum oxide film thickness. However, the film formed in the first few lanthanum atom deposition cycles is prone to uneven thickness. This embodiment of the application improves the uniformity of the film material and enhances the uniformity and efficiency of film processing on the substrate by rotating the substrate at a set angle between deposition processes.

[0037] In some embodiments, prior to the first deposition process on the substrate, the method further includes: The substrate undergoes pre-activation treatment.

[0038] In the above embodiments, introducing an activation gas into the reaction chamber can pretreat the substrate surface, change the chemical and physical properties of the substrate surface, such as removing impurities and oxides from the substrate surface, so that the substrate surface reaches an active state that is more suitable for subsequent precursor adsorption and reaction, which facilitates effective thin film deposition on the substrate surface.

[0039] In the above embodiments, pre-treatment of the substrate with an activating gas such as ozone allows for the cleaning and modification of the substrate surface using ozone. On one hand, ozone can remove organic pollutants and impurities from the substrate surface, making it cleaner. On the other hand, ozone reacts chemically with the substrate surface, altering its chemical properties and physical structure, such as increasing active sites and improving surface roughness. This facilitates the adsorption, reaction, and film formation of precursors on the substrate surface, improving the adhesion quality and uniformity of the film material during the deposition process. The pre-treatment gas may also include at least one of oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and ammonia, all aimed at activating the substrate surface and enhancing the reactivity of subsequent deposition processes.

[0040] In some embodiments, the first deposition process includes introducing a first precursor into a reaction chamber and purging with a first precursor gas, and then introducing a first reactant gas into the reaction chamber and purging with the first reactant gas.

[0041] In the above embodiments, after the first precursor is introduced into the reaction chamber, it undergoes adsorption and chemical reaction on the activated substrate surface, gradually forming an initial layer or a partial film structure on the substrate surface. By precisely controlling parameters such as the amount and time of introduction of the first precursor, a thin film layer with a specific composition and thickness can be deposited on the substrate surface, facilitating subsequent deposition to form a complete film layer.

[0042] After the first precursor is introduced and reacts with the substrate surface, unreacted first precursor and byproducts generated during the reaction remain in the reaction chamber. In this embodiment, purging with a first precursor gas removes these residues from the reaction chamber, preventing them from affecting subsequent deposition processes. This first precursor gas purging ensures a clean and stable environment within the reaction chamber, allowing each deposition process to be performed in a clean reaction chamber. This helps improve the repeatability and consistency of thin film deposition, achieving high-quality, uniformly thick ALD thin film deposition.

[0043] In this embodiment, after the first precursor purging process is completed, a first reaction gas, such as at least one of ozone, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and ammonia, is introduced into the reaction chamber. By introducing the first reaction gas, such as ozone or water vapor, an atomic layer reaction can be carried out with the first precursor on the substrate surface to form an atomic layer film, thereby achieving a uniform, dense, and well-adhesive film initiation layer and improving the overall quality and performance of the film deposition.

[0044] After the first reaction gas is introduced and fully reacts with the substrate surface, the first reaction gas is purged with a purging gas to remove any unreacted first reaction gas and byproducts generated in the reaction chamber. This prevents residual substances from interfering with the subsequent introduction of the first precursor and ensures the effective adsorption and deposition of the first precursor on the substrate surface.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first precursor and the first reactant gas can be purged with nitrogen or other inert gases, which can ensure the cleanliness of the environment inside the reaction chamber, provide a pure reaction space for the deposition of the first precursor, improve the accuracy and controllability of thin film deposition, reduce thin film defects caused by impurities, and improve the quality of the thin film.

[0046] In one specific embodiment, after preheating the reaction chamber, a first precursor atomic deposition of lanthanum precursor material is first introduced into the reaction chamber to generate a lanthanum precursor film, followed by a first precursor gas purging. Then, an ozone deposition operation is performed as the first reactant gas, where ozone reacts with the lanthanum precursor on the substrate to form a lanthanum oxide film, followed by another first reactant gas purging. Specifically, the first deposition process can be configured to include six process cycles, meaning one process cycle includes the introduction of lanthanum source gas and lanthanum source gas purging, the introduction of ozone and ozone purging. Every six process cycles, the stage rotates the substrate by 60 or 120 degrees, followed by the second deposition process to achieve lanthanum oxide film deposition at different angles, resulting in a more uniform distribution of the film material on the substrate surface and improving the quality of the deposited film.

[0047] In some embodiments, after the second deposition process on the substrate, the method further includes: The substrate is rotated to a second set angle, and then a deposition process is performed on the substrate.

[0048] In the above embodiments, the second set angle can be the same as or different from the first set angle, and the second deposition process can be the same as or different from the first deposition process. By rotating the substrate at the first and second set angles, the spatial orientation of the substrate within the reaction chamber is changed, altering the angle of the substrate relative to the gas flow, reaction source, etc., within the reaction chamber. This helps to further improve the uniformity of the film on the substrate surface. Deposition at different angles can compensate for the problems of insufficient or excessive deposition in certain areas in previous deposition processes, resulting in a more balanced distribution of the film material across the substrate. Deposition of the film from multiple dimensions improves the overall uniformity of the film quality and reduces performance instability caused by local differences.

[0049] Specifically, a third deposition process is performed on the substrate when it is rotated to a new rotational angle position by a second predetermined angle. This third deposition process continues to deposit thin film material on the substrate surface. Based on the accumulation and refinement of the thin film from the previous two deposition processes and the subsequent rotational angle adjustment, the film thickness can be further increased, gradually reaching the required film thickness standard. Simultaneously, the third deposition process, depositing from a new angle, helps optimize the film's microstructure, improves its density and integrity, and enhances its physical and chemical properties, thereby improving the overall quality and performance of the film prepared by the ALD thin film deposition process.

[0050] In some embodiments, the second set angle is the same as the first set angle, and the second deposition process is the same as the first deposition process.

[0051] In the above embodiments, the substrate is rotated at the same angle multiple times before the deposition process is performed. This allows the orientation of the substrate in the reaction chamber to be changed in a repeatable and predictable manner. This ensures that the positional relationship of the substrate relative to environmental factors such as the reaction source and airflow is consistent after each rotation, which is beneficial for achieving an overall improvement in film uniformity in multiple deposition processes after multiple rotations.

[0052] Because the substrate rotates at the same angle each time, the effects of the deposition process at different orientations can synergize and complement each other. After multiple rotations and depositions at the same angle, the deposition of the film on various areas of the substrate surface gradually becomes more uniform, avoiding irregular deposition caused by arbitrary changes in the rotation angle. This allows for more precise control of the film's uniformity and improves the stability of the film quality.

[0053] In the above embodiments, the substrate after multiple rotations uses the same deposition process, that is, the reaction gas and reaction conditions (such as temperature, pressure, etc.) used in each deposition process are kept consistent, which provides a reliable guarantee for the stable growth of the film and ensures that each deposition can be carried out in a similar chemical and physical environment, so that the growth mechanism of the film is repeatable.

[0054] On the one hand, using the same deposition process on the substrate after multiple rotations ensures the uniformity and controllability of the film thickness growth. Because the deposition process is identical each time, the desired film thickness can be precisely accumulated through repeated deposition. On the other hand, using the same deposition process on the substrate after multiple rotations helps maintain the consistency of the film's composition and microstructure. Specifically, it ensures that the arrangement of atoms or molecules and the formation of chemical bonds remain stable during film formation, thereby producing films with uniform performance and reliable quality.

[0055] In some embodiments, after the second deposition process on the substrate, the deposition cycle is repeated multiple times, and the total rotation angle of the substrate is an integer multiple of 360°. The deposition cycle involves rotating the substrate by a first set angle and then performing a second deposition process on the substrate.

[0056] Single deposition processes during thin film growth often fail to achieve the required film thickness and ideal film performance. In the above embodiments, repeated deposition cycles can continuously accumulate thin film material on the substrate surface, gradually increasing the film thickness. Moreover, each deposition cycle deposits the film on the substrate from different angles. Multiple repeated multi-angle depositions can combine the deposition effects from different angles, compensate for local inhomogeneities that exist in different deposition processes, and continuously adjust and optimize the distribution of the film on the substrate surface. This results in more consistent thickness, composition, and performance of the film in various regions of the substrate surface, reducing device performance differences caused by film inhomogeneity and improving the overall quality and reliability of the substrate product.

[0057] During the entire repeated deposition cycle, the substrate undergoes a complete rotation in space. By controlling the total rotation angle to be an integer multiple of 360°, not only can the substrate be uniformly deposited in all directions, avoiding excessive or insufficient deposition in localized areas due to incomplete rotation angles, but it also ensures that the substrate maintains the same angle when entering and exiting the reaction chamber, facilitating substrate removal and subsequent processing.

[0058] In some embodiments, during the first deposition process on the substrate, the first reaction gas includes at least one of ozone, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and ammonia.

[0059] In the above embodiments, ozone is introduced as the first reaction gas in the first deposition process, which can deeply clean and activate the substrate surface and react chemically with the first precursor to obtain the desired oxide film.

[0060] Alternatively, water vapor can be introduced as the first reactant gas in the first deposition process. The water vapor can form a thin hydroxyl layer on the substrate surface. This hydroxyl layer can enhance the hydrophilicity of the substrate surface and react with the first precursor on the substrate surface to obtain the desired oxide film.

[0061] In the first deposition process on the substrate, the first precursor is a lanthanum-containing precursor, such as La-FMD (tris(N,N'-diisopropylmethylammonium)lanthanum). During deposition, La-FMD can form a lanthanum-containing precursor film with specific properties on the substrate surface. Lanthanum oxide (La₂O₃) film is obtained by reacting with the first reacting gas, ozone. Lanthanum oxide films have a high dielectric constant and can be used in semiconductor device manufacturing to prepare high-dielectric-constant gate dielectric layers, effectively reducing leakage current and improving device performance and reliability.

[0062] Alternatively, hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4) can be used as the first precursor, and silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) as the second precursor. These react with both precursors (H2O and H2O) to produce hafnium silicon oxide (HfSiO2). Hafnium silicon oxide films exhibit higher dielectric constants and lower leakage currents, meeting the stringent requirements of advanced semiconductor devices for gate dielectric materials. Furthermore, hafnium oxide possesses excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability, ensuring product quality during device manufacturing.

[0063] In some embodiments, after completing a deposition process cycle, the substrate is rotated at a set angle, and the deposition process is repeated until the substrate is rotated 360° to complete the thin film deposition process on the substrate. Figure 2 Three different rotation angle schemes are given in the embodiments. All three embodiments and one comparative example are for depositing hafnium silicon oxide thin films. The deposition process is 20 cycles for each embodiment.

[0064] In Example 1, during the deposition of hafnium silicon oxide thin films, after 10 cycles of the deposition process, the substrate is rotated 180°, and then another 10 cycles of the deposition process are performed. Finally, the substrate is rotated 180° back to its initial position so that it can be removed from the reaction chamber.

[0065] In Example 2, when depositing hafnium silicon oxide thin films, after performing 7 cycles of the deposition process, the substrate is rotated 120°, and then another 7 cycles of the deposition process are performed. Then the substrate is rotated 120°, and then another 6 cycles of the deposition process are performed. Finally, the substrate is rotated 120° back to the initial position so that the substrate can be removed from the reaction chamber.

[0066] In Example 3, when depositing hafnium silicon oxide thin films, after performing 5 cycles of the deposition process, the substrate is rotated 90°, and then another 5 cycles of the deposition process are performed. Then the substrate is rotated 90°, and then another 5 cycles of the deposition process are performed. Finally, the substrate is rotated 90° back to the initial position so that the substrate can be removed from the reaction chamber.

[0067] Comparative Example 1: When depositing hafnium silicon oxide thin films, the substrate was not rotated, and the deposition process was carried out continuously for 20 cycles.

[0068] The film uniformity of the substrate surfaces after deposition in Examples 1 to 3 and the comparative example was tested. The film uniformity of the substrate surface in Example 1 was 1.1%, the film uniformity of the substrate surface in Example 2 was 1.0%, the film uniformity of the substrate surface in Example 3 was 0.8%, and the film uniformity of the substrate surface in Comparative Example 1 was 1.2%. Obviously, the film uniformity of the substrate surface in Example 3 was the best. The uniformity of the film layer on the substrate surface is calculated by subtracting the minimum and maximum thicknesses at 49 points, and then dividing by the average. In the figure, the red dots on the substrate indicate the ozone inlet positions when the substrate enters the cavity, the green dots indicate the ozone inlet positions after the substrate is rotated, and the white gaps on the substrate represent notches.

[0069] In some embodiments, the substrate is rotated by a preset angle before the first deposition process is performed on the substrate; The substrate has notches at its edges.

[0070] In the above embodiments, in the field of chip manufacturing, notches on the edges of substrates such as wafers enable precise positioning and orientation identification. Specifically, the notch serves as an orientation reference, facilitating rapid identification of the wafer's crystal orientation by photolithography, etching, and other equipment, ensuring accurate alignment of each process step. Furthermore, the notch also acts as the origin of the wafer coordinate system; the position of each chip on the wafer is determined based on the notch, allowing circuit patterns to be lithographically etched and laid out using the notch as a reference.

[0071] In addition, in highly automated production lines, robotic arms rely on notches to identify the front and back and orientation of wafers, preventing wafer damage or process errors caused by misoperation.

[0072] Because the substrate has notches, which, while serving as positioning markers within the equipment, reduce the integrity of the substrate disk, this leads to poor uniformity in thin film deposition. Therefore, this embodiment of the application, before performing the first deposition process on the substrate, further includes rotating the substrate by a preset angle and then introducing ozone to begin the deposition process cycle. This allows for deposition from multiple angles, enabling the thin film to form a more uniform and dense microstructure during growth, thereby optimizing the physical and chemical properties of the thin film.

[0073] In some embodiments, the preset angle is 15°-150°.

[0074] In the above embodiments, the preset angle can be between 15° and 150°, such as 30°, 60°, 90°, or 120°, to adjust the initial orientation of the substrate within the reaction chamber. By adjusting the initial orientation of the substrate, different areas of the substrate can be positioned sequentially in a relatively favorable position for the distribution of reactive gases, significantly improving the overall uniformity of the film on the substrate surface. Compared to a smaller rotation angle (less than 15°), the 15°-150° range can more effectively avoid the influence of uneven gas distribution and gaps on deposition; while compared to an excessively large angle (greater than 150°), the 15°-150° range can ensure uniformity while avoiding substrate displacement caused by excessive rotation angle.

[0075] In some embodiments, the direction of the deposition gas flow during the deposition process on the substrate intersects with the diameter direction of the notch in the substrate.

[0076] In the above embodiments, during the ALD thin film deposition process, the substrate notch, due to its unique geometry, can interfere with gas flow. If the deposition gas flows directly along the diameter of the notch, unstable airflow conditions such as vortices and turbulence may form at the notch, affecting the normal transport and uniform distribution of the precursor in the vicinity of the notch. This embodiment addresses this by directing the deposition gas flow to avoid the notch, allowing the precursor to reach the substrate surface more uniformly. This reduces localized deposition unevenness caused by the notch, helps improve the uniformity of the film material across the entire substrate surface, and ensures consistent film thickness.

[0077] In some embodiments, after performing a second deposition process on the substrate, the method further includes: Rotate the substrate to reset the angle so that the substrate is rotated to its initial position.

[0078] In this embodiment, the substrate after the rotation and second deposition processes is restored to its initial position. The substrate can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to restore it to its initial position, so that after completing the multi-angle deposition cycle, the substrate can be moved out of the reaction chamber in a uniform position, which facilitates precise control and repeated operation of the substrate in subsequent processes.

[0079] In continuous substrate production, ensuring that each substrate experiences the same angle of entry into and exit from the reaction chamber improves the stability and consistency of substrate processing, guarantees the uniformity of substrate quality in each batch, and also facilitates automated control of equipment and standardized setting of process parameters.

[0080] Figure 3 Four examples are given in which the substrate is rotated by a preset angle before the first deposition process is performed on the substrate. All four pre-rotation examples are used to deposit a lanthanum oxide thin film for 6 cycles.

[0081] Pre-rotation Example 1: The substrate was pre-rotated by 30° before the deposition process, and then 6 cycles of lanthanum oxide thin film deposition were performed; Pre-rotation Example 2: The substrate was pre-rotated by 60° before the deposition process, and ozone activation treatment was performed first, followed by 6 cycles of lanthanum oxide thin film deposition; Pre-rotation Example 3: The substrate was pre-rotated by 90° before the deposition process, and then 6 cycles of lanthanum oxide thin film deposition were performed; Pre-rotation Example 4: The substrate was pre-rotated 120° before the deposition process, followed by ozone activation treatment and then 6 cycles of lanthanum oxide thin film deposition. Finally, the uniformity of the film layer on the substrate surface in the four pre-rotation examples was calculated.

[0082] from Figure 3 As can be seen, the uniformity of the substrate surface film in pre-rotation example 1 is 3.7%, in pre-rotation example 2 it is 3.9%, in pre-rotation example 3 it is 4.4%, and in pre-rotation example 4 it is 2.6%. This means that in this example, the substrate surface film uniformity is best when the substrate is pre-rotated by 120°. Therefore, ozone pretreatment and pre-rotation can improve the uniformity of the film surface.

[0083] The uniformity of the film layer on the substrate surface is calculated by subtracting the minimum and maximum thicknesses at 49 points, and then dividing by the average. In the figure, the red dots on the substrate indicate the ozone inlet positions during the initial ozone injection, the green dots indicate the ozone inlet positions after pre-rotation, and the white gaps on the substrate represent notches.

[0084] In some embodiments, after rotating the substrate by a preset angle, activation treatment and deposition process are performed. The operation of rotating the substrate by a preset angle between multiple deposition processes can improve the uniformity of the film deposition thickness on the substrate by adjusting the cavity angle of the substrate and avoiding the influence of gaps on the substrate on film deposition, while utilizing pre-activation treatment and film deposition on the substrate from multiple angles. For example, the substrate is first pre-rotated by a preset angle of 90° to ensure that the notch on the substrate avoids the flow direction of the deposition gas during the deposition process. Then, the substrate undergoes activation pretreatment and a first deposition process. After the first deposition process, the substrate is rotated by a first preset angle of 90°, followed by a second deposition process. After the second deposition process, the substrate is rotated by a second preset angle of 90°, followed by a third deposition process. After the third deposition process, the substrate is rotated by a third preset angle of 90°, followed by a fourth deposition process. At this point, the thin film deposition on the substrate is complete, and the total rotation angle of the substrate is 360°, meaning the substrate has returned to its initial position in the cavity. This avoids the notch on the substrate affecting the thin film deposition, ensures the uniformity of the thin film deposition, and facilitates the removal of the substrate from the cavity. Alternatively, if the total rotation angle of the substrate after the deposition process is not an integer multiple of 360°, the substrate can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise to reset the angle and return it to its initial position, facilitating removal from the cavity.

[0085] Based on the foregoing embodiments, it is easy to see that the above embodiments combine rotation at a preset angle, activation pretreatment, and rotation during deposition, which can weight the control of film uniformity at different angles and further improve the uniformity of film deposition.

[0086] This application provides an ALD thin film deposition apparatus, which includes: The transfer module is used to transfer the substrate to the reaction chamber; A deposition module is used to perform a first deposition process on a substrate and a second deposition process on the substrate; A rotation module is used to rotate the substrate by a first set angle between the first deposition process and the second deposition process.

[0087] In the above embodiments, the transfer module can accurately transport the substrate to be deposited into the reaction chamber, building a bridge between the substrate and the external storage or pretreatment area and the reaction area. This ensures that the substrate can enter the suitable reaction environment in a timely manner, guaranteeing that the thin film deposition process can be carried out under the preset reaction conditions. It avoids reaction abnormalities caused by untimely substrate transfer or positional deviation, which helps to improve the stability and repeatability of the entire ALD thin film deposition process.

[0088] The deposition module can precisely control the deposition process of thin films. By combining step-by-step deposition with intermediate rotation, it is beneficial to better control the growth rate and quality of the film layer, thereby improving the precision and quality of subsequent substrate manufacturing processes.

[0089] After the first deposition process is completed, an initial film layer of a certain thickness has been formed on the substrate surface. At this time, the substrate is rotated by a first set angle, which changes the spatial orientation of the substrate in the reaction chamber. This allows different areas of the substrate to receive the deposition of the precursor at different angles in the second deposition process, thereby performing deposition operations on the substrate from multiple directions. This can effectively improve the uniformity of the distribution of film material on the substrate surface.

[0090] In some embodiments, the ALD thin film deposition apparatus further includes: A preprocessing module is used to perform activation preprocessing on the substrate.

[0091] In the above embodiments, before entering the first deposition process, the substrate surface may have impurities, contaminants, or an unsatisfactory surface condition. The pretreatment module cleans and modifies the substrate surface through activation pretreatment methods, such as using ozone or plasma, which can remove organic contaminants from the substrate surface, change the chemical properties and physical structure of the substrate surface, increase the active sites on the substrate surface, and improve the surface roughness, thereby facilitating the adsorption, reaction, and film formation of precursors on the substrate surface.

[0092] This application provides an ALD thin film deposition apparatus using the above-described ALD thin film deposition method. The ALD thin film deposition apparatus includes: The reaction body and the rotating support stage are used to support the substrate in the reaction chamber and drive the substrate to rotate. The rotating support stage drives the substrate to rotate between the first deposition process and the second deposition process.

[0093] In the above embodiments, the reaction body is the process reaction section of the ALD thin film deposition equipment. The reaction body provides an independent and closed reaction chamber for the thin film deposition reaction, so as to accurately control the conditions required for the reaction, such as temperature, pressure, and gas atmosphere, to ensure that the atomic layer deposition reaction can be carried out in a predetermined manner, which is beneficial to improving the quality and repeatability of thin film deposition, ensuring that the performance of the thin film obtained each time is consistent, thereby improving the yield of products.

[0094] The rotating stage provides a stable support platform for the substrate, ensuring it remains in a fixed position within the reaction chamber. This allows the reactive gases to accurately contact the substrate surface and react. Furthermore, the rotating stage can rotate the substrate within the reaction chamber according to a pre-programmed sequence. This alters the substrate's spatial orientation within the chamber, ensuring that different areas of the substrate receive the reactive gases uniformly, thereby improving the uniformity of the film on the substrate surface.

[0095] After the first deposition process is completed, an initial film layer of a certain thickness has been formed on the substrate surface. Rotating the substrate at this time allows different areas of the substrate to receive the precursor deposition at new angles in the second deposition process. This enables deposition operations on the substrate from multiple directions, improving the uniformity of thin film deposition.

[0096] Alternatively, the rotating support stage driving the substrate to rotate can also be a pre-rotation before the first deposition process.

[0097] In the above embodiments, rotating the substrate by a preset angle can be done inside or outside the reaction chamber to adjust the initial position of the substrate in the reaction chamber.

[0098] In some embodiments, the ALD thin film deposition apparatus further includes a pre-rotation mechanism for rotating the substrate by a preset angle outside the reaction body to adjust the substrate's cavity entry angle.

[0099] In the above embodiments, before the substrate enters the reaction body, it is rotated at a preset angle by a pre-rotation mechanism. This allows for precise adjustment of the substrate's initial orientation, ensuring that the substrate enters the reaction chamber at a specific angle. Performing the substrate rotation outside the reaction body does not interfere with the pre-set reaction environment and structure within the reaction chamber, thus facilitating the smooth progress of subsequent thin film deposition reactions.

[0100] While specific embodiments of this application have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ALD thin film deposition method, characterized in that, include: The substrate is transferred to the reaction chamber, and a first deposition process is performed on the substrate; The substrate is rotated by a first set angle, and then a second deposition process is performed on the substrate.

2. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Prior to the first deposition process on the substrate, the method further includes: The substrate is subjected to activation pretreatment.

3. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first deposition process includes introducing a first precursor into a reaction chamber and purging with a first precursor gas, and then introducing a first reaction gas into the reaction chamber and purging with the first reaction gas.

4. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After performing the second deposition process on the substrate, the process further includes: The substrate is rotated by a second predetermined angle before the deposition process is performed.

5. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second set angle is the same as the first set angle, and the second deposition process is the same as the first deposition process.

6. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 5, characterized in that, After the second deposition process is performed on the substrate, the deposition cycle is repeated multiple times, and the total rotation angle of the substrate is an integer multiple of 360°. The deposition cycle involves rotating the substrate by a first predetermined angle and then performing a second deposition process on the substrate.

7. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the pretreatment of the substrate for activation, the activation gas includes at least one of ozone, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, water vapor, nitrogen dioxide, and ammonia.

8. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before performing the first deposition process on the substrate, the method further includes rotating the substrate by a preset angle and then performing an activation pretreatment on the substrate. The substrate has notches at its edges.

9. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The preset angle is 15°-150°.

10. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The direction of the deposition gas flow during the deposition process on the substrate intersects with the diameter direction of the notch in the substrate.

11. The ALD thin film deposition method according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that, After the second deposition process on the substrate, the method further includes: The substrate is rotated to its reset angle so that it returns to its initial position.

12. An ALD thin film deposition apparatus, characterized in that, The ALD thin film deposition apparatus includes: The transfer module is used to transfer the substrate to the reaction chamber; A deposition module is used to perform a first deposition process on the substrate and a second deposition process on the substrate; A rotation module is used to rotate the substrate by a first predetermined angle between the first deposition process and the second deposition process.

13. The ALD thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that, Also includes: A preprocessing module is used to perform activation preprocessing on the substrate.

14. An ALD thin film deposition apparatus, employing the ALD thin film deposition method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, include: The reaction body includes a reaction chamber, and the rotating support stage is used to support the substrate in the reaction chamber and drive the substrate to rotate. The rotating support stage drives the substrate to rotate between the first deposition process and the second deposition process.

15. The ALD thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The ALD thin film deposition apparatus further includes a pre-rotation mechanism, which is disposed outside the reaction body and is used to rotate the substrate by a preset angle to adjust the inlet angle of the substrate.

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