Enclosure assembly and plasma processing apparatus employing same

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of semiconductors, and provides a cover assembly and a plasma process device to which the cover assembly is applicable, so that independent electromagnetic shielding can be achieved between multiple process cavities. The cover assembly is applicable to a plasma process device, and the cover assembly comprises a cover body and a cover skirt. The cover skirt has a first contact surface between the cover skirt and a multi-cavity cavity, and the first contact surface is provided with a first conductive connecting piece. The first conductive connecting piece is used for electrically connecting the cover skirt and the multi-cavity cavity. The cover skirt comprises a skirt main body and a horizontal extension part. The horizontal extension part is arranged on one side of the skirt main body close to the first contact surface, and the horizontal extension part is used for increasing the area of the first contact surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates primarily to the field of semiconductor technology, and more particularly to a housing assembly and its applicable plasma process apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous expansion of wafer dimensions in the industry, traditional simple chamber structures can no longer meet the more diverse wafer processing needs, and the process chamber structures of plasma processing devices are gradually becoming more complex and multifunctional. Taking multi-chamber structures as an example, how to ensure that each chamber operates independently while also providing isolated independent spaces and independent electromagnetic shielding between chambers is a critical issue in multi-chamber structure design. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide a housing assembly and a plasma process apparatus suitable for it, which enables independent electromagnetic shielding between multiple process chambers.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a housing assembly suitable for plasma process apparatuses. The plasma process apparatus includes a multi-cavity body and multiple housing assemblies. The multi-cavity body forms multiple process cavities, each process cavity corresponding to one housing assembly. At least a portion of each housing assembly is adjacent to other housing assemblies. Each housing assembly includes a housing body and a housing skirt. The housing skirt extends from the edge of the housing body to one side of the housing body. A first contact surface exists between the housing skirt and the multi-cavity body, and a first conductive connector is disposed on the first contact surface. The first conductive connector is used to electrically connect the housing skirt to the multi-cavity body. The housing skirt includes a skirt body and a horizontal extension. The horizontal extension is disposed on the side of the skirt body near the first contact surface, and the horizontal extension increases the area of ​​the first contact surface.

[0005] Optionally, the horizontal extension includes a first horizontal extension disposed on the side of the housing assembly that is not adjacent to other housing assemblies.

[0006] Optionally, the horizontal extension includes a second horizontal extension disposed on the side of the housing assembly adjacent to other housing assemblies.

[0007] Optionally, the skirt of the cover is further provided with a blocking part, which extends from one side of the second horizontal extension in a non-horizontal direction, and the blocking part and the second horizontal extension form a cross shielding part.

[0008] Optionally, the blocking portion extends adjacent to the inner wall of the multi-cavity body so that the cross shielding portion overlaps with a portion of the multi-cavity body to form a shield.

[0009] Optionally, the portion of the multi-cavity body near the second horizontal extension is provided with a reinforcing portion, and the blocking portion and at least a portion of the reinforcing portion overlap in the horizontal direction to form the overlapping shield.

[0010] Optionally, it further includes an isolation section located on the side of the blocking section away from the second horizontal extension, wherein at least a portion of the isolation section, the blocking section, and a portion of the multi-cavity body overlaps in the horizontal direction.

[0011] Optionally, it also includes a fastener for securing a plurality of the isolation portions, the fastener being located on the inner side of the skirt body.

[0012] Another aspect of this application proposes a plasma process apparatus, comprising: a multi-cavity body forming multiple process cavities, the multi-cavity body including a middle cavity and a lower cavity, the lower cavity being detachably connected to the middle cavity; and multiple housing assemblies as described in any embodiment of this application, each process cavity corresponding to one housing assembly, the multiple housing assemblies being used to provide independent electromagnetic shielding between the multiple process cavities.

[0013] Optionally, the middle cavity and the lower cavity have a second contact surface, and the second contact surface is provided with a second conductive connector, which is used to electrically connect the middle cavity and the lower cavity.

[0014] Optionally, the first conductive connector and / or the second conductive connector are disconnected in the circumferential direction.

[0015] Optionally, it further includes a seal located between the middle cavity and the lower cavity, the lower cavity being adapted to be configured with a plurality of bases, the seal surrounding the plurality of bases to form a sealing loop, wherein the second conductive connector surrounds at least a portion of the sealing loop.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following advantages: By designing the housing assembly to have a housing body and a housing skirt, and further setting the housing skirt to have a skirt body and a horizontal extension, the horizontal extension can increase the area of ​​the first contact surface near the first contact surface between the housing skirt and the cavity, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the first conductive connector located at the first contact surface and enhancing the electrical connection between the skirt body and the multi-cavity cavity. This enables the housing assembly to provide independent electromagnetic shielding between multiple process cavities when applied to a multi-cavity plasma process device. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of this application; they are incorporated into and constitute a part of this application. The drawings illustrate embodiments of this application and, together with this specification, serve to explain the principles of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the housing body in a housing assembly according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 Is it like this? Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the housing assembly along the AA direction in the illustrated embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a plasma process apparatus according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 Is it like this? Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fixing member in a housing assembly according to the embodiment shown; Figure 5 Is it like this? Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the central cavity in a plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown; Figure 6 Is it like this? Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the lower cavity in a plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown.

[0018] List of reference numerals in the attached diagram: Plasma process device 20, process chamber 200, multi-cavity chamber 201, spray plate 21, exhaust ring 211, upper cavity cover 212, middle cavity 22, middle cavity cavity area 220, lower cavity 23, sealing element 24, first disconnection area 251, second disconnection area 252; Cover assembly 10, cover body 11, cover skirt 12, skirt body 120, first horizontal extension 121, second horizontal extension 122, and blocking part 123; Fastener 13, mating part 130, isolation part 131, slot 132, reinforcing part 141, fixing part 142; First conductive connector 151, second conductive connector 152, and third conductive connector 153. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some examples or embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, these drawings can be applied to other similar scenarios without creative effort. Unless obvious from the context or otherwise specified, the same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same structures or operations.

[0020] As indicated in this application and claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "a," "an," "an," and / or "the" are not specifically singular and may include plural forms. Generally speaking, the terms "comprising" and "including" only indicate the inclusion of explicitly identified steps and elements, which do not constitute an exclusive list, and the method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements.

[0021] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this application. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0022] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is usually based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms 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 on the scope of protection of this application; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0023] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "on top of" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0024] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, these terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application. In addition, although the terminology used in this application is selected from commonly known and used terms, some terms mentioned in this application's specification may have been chosen by the applicant according to his or her judgment, and their detailed meanings are explained in the relevant sections of this description. Moreover, this application should be understood not only through the actual terms used, but also through the meaning implied by each term.

[0025] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as "on another component," "connected to another component," "coupled to another component," or "in contact with another component," it can be directly on, connected to, coupled to, or in contact with that other component, or there may be an inserting component. In contrast, when a component is referred to as "directly on another component," "directly connected to," "directly coupled to," or "directly in contact with" another component, there is no inserting component.

[0026] One embodiment of this application provides a housing assembly 10, and refers to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 A portion of the housing assembly 10 is shown. Additionally, this application refers to... Figure 3 A plasma process apparatus 20 is also proposed, wherein the housing assembly 10 is suitable for use in the plasma process apparatus 20. Specifically, see [reference needed]. Figure 3The plasma processing apparatus 20 has a multi-cavity body 201, which forms multiple process cavities 200. This embodiment shows four process cavities 200 (this application does not limit the number of process cavities in each embodiment), and each process cavity 200 is suitable for processing wafers. Furthermore, each process cavity 200 is connected to a... Figure 1 The illustrated housing assemblies 10 correspond to each other, with at least a portion of each housing assembly 10 adjacent to other housing assemblies 10. Multiple housing assemblies 10 are used to provide independent electromagnetic shielding between multiple process cavities. Based on this, Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of fastener 13 is shown. Figure 5 and Figure 6 Schematic diagrams of the middle cavity 22 and lower cavity 23 of the plasma process device 20 are shown respectively.

[0027] For further details, please refer to Figure 3 The plasma processing apparatus 20 includes multiple upper chamber modules, each upper chamber module including a spray plate 21 as an upper electrode. The multiple upper chamber modules are independently arranged, and each housing assembly 10 is adapted to surround the outer periphery of one upper chamber module from the top. More specifically, in this embodiment, each upper chamber module includes an upper chamber cover 212, a spray plate 21, and an exhaust ring 211. Exemplarily, each upper chamber cover 212 can be connected to a gas source. The reaction gas diffuses from the center to the edge within the space between the upper chamber cover 212 and the spray plate 21, and is ultimately introduced into the reaction space formed between the base and the spray plate 21 by the spray plate 21. The structure of the upper chamber modules can be referenced to conventional structures in existing semiconductor processing apparatuses, but since this is not the focus of this application, it will not be elaborated upon here. In this embodiment, the multi-chamber body 201 further includes a middle chamber 22 and a lower chamber 23, wherein the lower chamber 23 is detachably connected to the middle chamber 22, and the lower chamber 23 and the middle chamber 22 are sealed together.

[0028] The structure of the housing assembly 10 will be further described below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 and combined Figure 5 In this embodiment, the housing assembly 10 includes a housing body 11 and a housing skirt 12, wherein the housing skirt 12 extends from the edge of the housing body 11 toward one side (i.e., the inner side) of the housing body 11 along a first direction y. The housing skirt 12 has a first contact surface with the multi-cavity body 201. Figure 5 The diagram shows the central cavity 22 located on the upper surface of the first contact surface, and the first contact surface is provided with a first conductive connector 151, which is used to electrically connect the cover skirt 12 to the multi-cavity cavity 201. (See more details...) Figure 2 and Figure 3The cover skirt 12 includes a skirt body 120 and a horizontal extension. The horizontal extension is disposed on the side of the skirt body 120 near the first contact surface. The horizontal extension is used to increase the area of ​​the first contact surface, thereby enhancing the effect of electrical connection and thus enhancing the electromagnetic shielding effect of the cover assembly 10.

[0029] In some embodiments of this application, the width of the horizontal extension is set to be greater than the width of the skirt body 120, so as to increase the area of ​​the first contact surface. Specifically, in this embodiment, the horizontal extension includes, as shown in the following... Figure 3 The first horizontal extension 121 shown in the enlarged view A on the left is disposed on the side of the housing assembly 10 where it is located, and is not adjacent to other housing assemblies 10. Further, referring to... Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the enlarged view B on the right, the horizontal extension in this embodiment also includes a second horizontal extension 122, which is disposed on the side of the housing assembly 10 where it is located that is adjacent to other housing assemblies 10.

[0030] In this embodiment, according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the enlarged view B, the skirt 12 of the cover is also provided with a blocking part 123. The blocking part 123 extends from one side of the second horizontal extension 122 in a non-horizontal direction (in this embodiment, it extends in a vertical direction). The blocking part 123 and the second horizontal extension 122 form a cross shielding part. The meaning of the cross shielding part is that in the radiation path of electromagnetic waves, the second horizontal extension 122 can provide electromagnetic shielding in the longitudinal direction of the radiation space, and the blocking part 123 can provide electromagnetic shielding in the transverse direction of the radiation space.

[0031] according to Figure 3 As shown in the enlarged view B on the right, the blocking part 123 extends near the inner wall of the multi-cavity cavity 201 to form an overlapping shield with the cross shielding part of the multi-cavity cavity 201. Specifically, the blocking part 123 extends near the inner wall of the middle cavity 22 of the multi-cavity cavity 201. The middle cavity 22 itself serves as a grounding cavity, and its upper end face is electrically connected to the cover skirt 12 through the first conductive connector 151 to form a shielding path; at the same time, the blocking part 123 is added to one side of the inner wall of the middle cavity 22, especially at the junction between two adjacent process cavities 200, the double overlapping shielding of the blocking part 123 and the middle cavity 22 can further enhance the electromagnetic shielding effect. Figure 3As shown in the enlarged partial view B, assuming the electromagnetic waves from the left-side process cavity 200 radiate outwards, due to the presence of the blocking portion 123 and the second horizontal extension portion 122, even if the electromagnetic waves have space or a path for outward radiation due to factors such as tolerance issues or loose contact between various local components, the blocking portion 123 and the second horizontal extension portion 122, with their different extending directions, surround the edge of the central cavity 22, causing the outward radiation path of the electromagnetic waves to form a bent path. This greatly reduces the radiation intensity of the electromagnetic field / electromagnetic wave. In other words, this bent path enhances the attenuation of the electromagnetic waves, thus enhancing the electromagnetic shielding effect and making the plasma process device 20 more fault-tolerant. It is understood that the second horizontal extension portion 122 and the blocking portion 123 each have their own independent functions and effects, and can be used separately in different embodiments.

[0032] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 3 In the enlarged partial view B, a reinforcing portion 141 is provided on the portion of the multi-cavity body 201 (specifically the middle cavity 22) near the second horizontal extension 122. The reinforcing portion 141 is located in the space S between two adjacent housing assemblies 10. At least a portion of the blocking portion 123 and the reinforcing portion 141 overlap in the horizontal direction to form an overlapping shield. In this embodiment, the housing assembly 10 also includes an isolation portion 131, which is located on the side of the blocking portion 123 away from the second horizontal extension 122, as shown in Figure 123. Figure 3 In the enlarged view B, the reference line X extending horizontally, the isolation part 131, the blocking part 123 and the multi-cavity body 201 each overlap in at least a portion in the horizontal direction.

[0033] according to Figure 4 As shown, the housing assembly 10 also includes a fastener 13, in which multiple isolation portions 131 are assembled. The fastener 13 is adapted to be installed on the inner side of the skirt body 120. As an example, the fastener 13 may be disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the housing skirt 12 in the process cavity 200. As described above, in Figure 3 In this configuration, each process cavity 200 is equipped with a housing assembly 10. When the housing assembly 10 includes a fixing member 13, each... Figure 4 The fastener 13 shown is located at Figure 3 The process cavity 200 is shown. For further details, see [reference needed]. Figure 4 The fastener 13 includes two annular mating portions 130 and multiple isolation portions 131. Each of the two mating portions 130 has a slot 132, and the isolation portions 131 and the mating portions 130 are engaged via the slots 132. (See reference for more details.) Figure 3 When the fastener 13 is located on the inner circumferential surface of the cover skirt 12, the isolation part 131 is specifically the inner side surface of the blocking part 123 close to the cover skirt 12.

[0034] Specifically Figure 3 The isolation section 131 shown in the figure can be Figure 4 Any one of the three isolation sections 131. More preferably, since this embodiment is a multi-chamber structure with four process cavities 200, considering structural symmetry, Figure 3 The isolation portion 131 shown is one of the isolation portions 131 on the two mating portions 130. Exemplarily, in this embodiment, a fastener (not shown) is also included, and the fastener 13 is adapted to be fixedly connected to the housing body 11 by means of the fastener.

[0035] In addition, according to Figure 3 In this embodiment, the plasma process apparatus 20 has four process chambers 200, and correspondingly, four housing assemblies 10. As described above, the second horizontal extension 122 is disposed on one side of each housing assembly 10 where the housing skirt 12 is located and on the other adjacent housing assemblies 10, thereby forming a bent step shape between two adjacent housing assemblies 10, consisting of the skirt body 120, the second horizontal extension 122, and the blocking part 123. Thus, when the fixing member 13 is provided, the fixing member 13 can provide insulation between two adjacent process chambers 200.

[0036] Furthermore, the skirt body 120, the second horizontal extension 122, and the blocking part 123 form a bent step shape. In this embodiment, a reinforcing part 141 is also included. Specifically, refer to... Figure 3 As can be seen, the reinforcing parts are elongated and intersectingly arranged on the multi-cavity body 201. The aforementioned stepped shielding structure overlaps the reinforcing parts 141, that is, covers at least a portion of the reinforcing parts 141. To further enhance the reinforcing effect on the multi-cavity body 201, this embodiment also provides a fixing part 142, for example, in the form of a ring, to which multiple reinforcing parts 141 are fixedly connected. It should be noted that although this embodiment shows the upper end of the middle cavity 22 as a reinforcing part 141 (exemplarily an elongated reinforcing rib), in some other basic embodiments, Figure 3 The portion containing the central reinforcing part 141 can actually be part of the main body of the central cavity 22; that is, in embodiments where the reinforcing part 141 is not provided, Figure 3 The central cavity 22 extends upward at the junction of each central cavity cavity region 220 until it contacts the second horizontal extension 122.

[0037] For example, the plasma process apparatus 20 can be a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) device or a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) device, in which each process chamber 200 is typically equipped with a spray plate as a energized electrode (upper electrode) in the radio frequency circuitry to perform wafer processing, such as thin film deposition. (See reference...) Figure 3 The spray plate 21 is installed inside the housing body 11. In this case, considering the area where the reinforcement 141 is located, due to the presence of the reinforcement 141, the lateral distance between the blocking part 123 and the spray plate 21 is L1 (in some embodiments of this application, L1 is usually less than or equal to 10 mm). The lateral distance between the housing skirt 12, which does not have the second horizontal extension 122 (i.e., the side where the first horizontal extension 121 is located), and the spray plate 21 is L2. Since the second horizontal extension 122 extends inward to the housing assembly 10, L1 is less than L2, which makes the location of the blocking part 123 prone to air breakdown and insulation failure.

[0038] Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of breakdown and improve the safety and reliability of the plasma process apparatus 20, the fixing member 13 is preferably provided in this embodiment, and the isolation part 131 therein is used to reduce the risk of breakdown. For example, the isolation part 131 can be made of non-metallic insulating material, preferably PI, PEEK, PTFE (Teflon), etc. Solid insulating media are more difficult to break down than air; the breakdown voltage required for solid insulating media is at least one order of magnitude greater than that for air. In the horizontal direction, the space between the spray plate 21 and the second horizontal extension 122 of the housing body 11 is narrow, ceramic materials are difficult to process, and the processed products are easily broken. In actual processes, the spray plate needs to be heated. Therefore, considering the process conditions and limitations, the isolation part 131 is preferably made of Teflon material, and the fixing member 13 is preferably made as follows: Figure 4 The two semi-circular interlocking joints shown are designed for easy installation.

[0039] The electromagnetic shielding structure of the plasma process apparatus 20 will be further described below. In this embodiment, the plasma process apparatus 20 forms a radio frequency circuit with the spray plate 21 as the energized electrode. In order to reduce the parasitic capacitance between the radio frequency circuit and the surrounding conductors, it is preferable to independently ground and shield each process cavity 200 through the housing assembly 10 proposed in this application. Based on the first conductive connector 151, in this embodiment, referring to... Figure 3 and 5 The middle cavity 22 and the lower cavity 23 have a second contact surface, and the second contact surface is provided with a second conductive connector 152, which is used to electrically connect the middle cavity 22 and the lower cavity 23.

[0040] In this embodiment, reference Figure 6 , Figure 6 The upper surface of the lower cavity 23 for forming the aforementioned second contact surface is shown. The lower cavity 23 is adapted to accommodate multiple bases, and a sealing element 24 is further disposed between the middle cavity 22 and the lower cavity 23 for a sealed connection. The sealing element 24 surrounds the multiple bases to form a sealed loop, and the second conductive connector 152 is disposed adjacent to and surrounds the sealing element 24 and is at least partially parallel to the sealed loop. To enhance the electromagnetic shielding effect, see reference... Figure 3 In this embodiment, a third conductive connector 153 is also provided, located between the reinforcing portion 141 and the second horizontal extension portion 122. For example, receiving grooves can be formed on the upper surface of the middle cavity (including the upper surface of the reinforcing portion 141) and the upper surface of the lower cavity, and the first conductive connector 151, the second conductive connector 152, and the third conductive connector 153 can be accommodated in these grooves respectively, thereby improving the stability of the electromagnetic shielding. It should be noted that in some embodiments, fasteners can also be added to fix the conductive connectors to the cavity, increasing their contact area with the cavity and thus enhancing the electromagnetic shielding effect; and in the case of a horizontal extension portion, fasteners can also be used to fix the conductive connectors to the cavity to further enhance the electromagnetic shielding effect.

[0041] In some embodiments of this application, as a preferred implementation, the first conductive connector 151 and / or the second conductive connector 152 are disconnected in the circumferential direction. Preferably, each conductive connector in this embodiment can be implemented as a metal gasket, so that when the various detachable components of the plasma process apparatus 20 make contact for electromagnetic shielding, especially between the cover skirt 12 and the central cavity 22 of the cover assembly 10, the contact mode is changed from a line-to-surface contact mode (the width of the skirt body 120 is narrow, equivalent to a line, and the upper surface of the central cavity 22 is wide, equivalent to a surface) to a surface-to-surface contact mode. Increasing the contact area of ​​the interface is beneficial to improving the sealing effect of the interface (i.e., greatly reducing the gap between the two objects forming the interface that may allow electromagnetic wave radiation), thus the electrical connection between the cover skirt 12 and the upper surface of the central cavity 22, as well as the electrical connection between the central cavity 22 and the lower cavity 23, is more stable, thereby enhancing the electromagnetic shielding effect. More preferably, the conductive connector can be configured to be elastic, which further enhances the stability of the electrical connection and plays a positive role in improving the tolerance of the plasma process device 20.

[0042] A clearer reference Figure 5 and Figure 6In this embodiment, the first conductive connector 151 is disposed around each cavity region 220, and the second conductive connector 152 is disposed around the edge of the upper surface of the lower cavity. Specifically, according to Figure 3 The spray plate 21 located at the top of each process cavity serves as an RF pass electrode plate, and the RF electric field near it is relatively strong. Therefore, the first conductive connector 151 is arranged around each cavity cavity region 220 to ensure that the housing assembly 10 corresponding to the spray plate 21 in each process cavity is electrically connected to the cavity body 22 independently. In a preferred embodiment, the RF systems of each process cavity are also independent of each other. On the other hand, according to Figure 6 The lower cavity 23 is adapted to accommodate multiple bases, and when the bases have not yet risen to the process area, the seal 24 forms an integral sealing loop around the multiple bases. Furthermore, the second conductive connector 152 is disposed adjacent to and surrounds the seal 24 and is parallel to at least a portion of the sealing loop.

[0043] Further preferably, in some embodiments of this application, the first conductive connector 151 and / or the second conductive connector 152 are disconnected in the circumferential direction, and each has one or more disconnected regions in its respective circumferential direction. Further preferably, the upper electrode in the upper cavity module (such as the spray plate 21 in this embodiment) is adapted to connect to a radio frequency power supply, and the length of the disconnected region is determined according to the radio frequency vacuum wavelength corresponding to the radio frequency power of the radio frequency power supply. First, refer to... Figure 5 The first conductive connector 151 has multiple first disconnection regions 251 in the circumferential direction, further referring to... Figure 6 The second conductive connector 152 can also be configured to have multiple second disconnection regions 252 in the circumferential direction. By providing the first disconnection region 251 and the second disconnection region 252, the overall size of the plasma process apparatus 20 can be reduced and the floor space can be saved. Of course, this application is not limited thereto; in other embodiments of this application, the first conductive connector and the second conductive connector can also be provided continuously.

[0044] Specifically, a path for the first conductive connector 151 can be set around the locations of some inherent metal devices (such as the metal plate for mounting a barometer) in the central cavity region 220 within each process cavity. The first conductive connector 151 is then disconnected at the locations of these inherent metal devices to avoid them, thereby compressing the overall volume of the plasma process apparatus 20. Furthermore, the plasma process apparatus 20 is connected to a radio frequency (RF) power supply. To ensure electromagnetic shielding, in this embodiment, the length corresponding to any first disconnection region 251 is preferably set to be less than or equal to two-thousandths of the RF vacuum wavelength corresponding to the RF power. For example, using a 13.56 MHz RF power, two-thousandths of the vacuum wavelength is approximately 44 mm. More preferably, the length of the first disconnection region can also be set to be less than or equal to one-thousandth of the RF vacuum wavelength.

[0045] On the other hand, the length of any second disconnection region 252 is less than or equal to one percent of the radio frequency vacuum wavelength corresponding to the radio frequency power. For example, using a radio frequency power of 13.56 MHz as the operating frequency, the electromagnetic wave vacuum wavelength at this frequency is approximately 22 m, so one percent of the vacuum wavelength is 220 mm. A comparison with the length limit of the first disconnection region 251 shows that the upper limit of the length of the second disconnection region 252 is greater than the upper limit of the length of the first disconnection region 251. This is because the location of the second conductive connector 152 is farther from the spray plate 21 (i.e., the energized electrode) than the first conductive connector 151. When the substrate base is located in the process cavity, the second contact surface between the lower surface of the middle cavity and the upper surface of the lower cavity can be considered to be below the plane of the base, where the radio frequency electromagnetic field strength is weaker. Therefore, the allowable disconnection length limit of the second conductive connector 152 is greater than the allowable disconnection length limit of the first conductive connector 151, thereby better optimizing the internal structural layout of the plasma process apparatus 20 and reducing the device's footprint.

[0046] The basic concepts related to the electromagnetic shielding structure of this application have been described in detail above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above disclosure is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation of this application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this application, and therefore, such modifications, improvements, and corrections still fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0047] Furthermore, this application uses specific terms to describe embodiments of the application. For example, "an embodiment," "one embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the application can be appropriately combined.

[0048] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of the present application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present application sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of the present application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of the single embodiments disclosed above.

[0049] In some embodiments, numbers describing the quantity of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of embodiments are modified in some examples with the terms "approximately," "approximately," or "generally." Unless otherwise stated, "approximately," "approximately," or "generally" indicates that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may be changed depending on the characteristics required by individual embodiments. In some embodiments, numerical parameters should take into account specified significant digits and employ a general method of digit reservation. Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to confirm their breadth of scope in some embodiments of this application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, such values ​​are set as precisely as feasible.

[0050] Although this application has been described with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate this application, and various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, any changes or modifications to the above embodiments within the essential spirit of this application will fall within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A housing assembly suitable for plasma process apparatus, characterized in that, The plasma process apparatus includes a multi-cavity body and a plurality of housing assemblies. The multi-cavity body forms a plurality of process chambers, each process chamber corresponding to one housing assembly. At least a portion of each housing assembly is adjacent to other housing assemblies. The housing assembly includes: The housing body and the housing skirt, the housing skirt extending from the edge of the housing body toward one side of the housing body. The cover skirt and the multi-cavity body have a first contact surface, and the first contact surface is provided with a first conductive connector, which is used to electrically connect the cover skirt and the multi-cavity body. The cover skirt includes a skirt body and a horizontal extension. The horizontal extension is disposed on the side of the skirt body near the first contact surface to increase the area of ​​the first contact surface.

2. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal extension includes a first horizontal extension disposed on the side of the housing assembly that is not adjacent to other housing assemblies.

3. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal extension includes a second horizontal extension disposed on the side of the housing assembly adjacent to other housing assemblies.

4. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, The skirt of the cover is also provided with a blocking part, which extends from one side of the second horizontal extension in a non-horizontal direction, and the blocking part and the second horizontal extension form a cross shielding part.

5. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, The blocking portion extends near the inner wall of the multi-cavity body so that the cross shielding portion overlaps with a portion of the multi-cavity body to form a shield.

6. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The portion of the multi-cavity body near the second horizontal extension is provided with a reinforcing portion, and the blocking portion and at least a portion of the reinforcing portion overlap in the horizontal direction to form the overlapping shield.

7. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes an isolation section located on the side of the blocking section away from the second horizontal extension. At least a portion of the isolation section, the blocking section, and the multi-cavity body overlaps in the horizontal direction.

8. The housing assembly as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a fastener for securing the plurality of said isolation portions, the fastener being located on the inner side of the skirt body.

9. A plasma process apparatus, characterized in that, include: A multi-cavity body, wherein the multi-cavity body forms multiple process cavities, the multi-cavity body includes a middle cavity and a lower cavity, and the lower cavity is detachably connected to the middle cavity; as well as Multiple housing assemblies as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, each of the process cavities corresponding to one housing assembly, the multiple housing assemblies being used to provide independent electromagnetic shielding between the multiple process cavities.

10. The plasma process apparatus as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The middle cavity and the lower cavity have a second contact surface, and the second contact surface is provided with a second conductive connector, which is used to electrically connect the middle cavity and the lower cavity.

11. The plasma process apparatus as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The first conductive connector and / or the second conductive connector are disconnected in the circumferential direction.

12. The plasma process apparatus as described in claim 10, characterized in that, It also includes a seal located between the middle cavity and the lower cavity, the lower cavity being adapted to accommodate a plurality of bases, the seal surrounding the plurality of bases to form a sealing loop. The second conductive connector surrounds at least a portion of the sealing loop.

Images