Electrode assembly and plasma etching machine
By arranging the ventilation holes radially on the electrode body of the electrode assembly, the diameter gradually increases from the middle area to the edge area, the problem of insufficient air output in the edge area of the electrode body in the prior art is solved, and more uniform gas flow and higher quality chip etching are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202420844812.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-04-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-04-23
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, the air outlet volume of the edge region of the electrode body is smaller than the air outlet volume of the central region, resulting in uneven chip etching.
An electrode assembly is designed, in which the diameter of the vent holes arranged radially on the electrode body gradually increases from the middle area to the edge area, so that the ventilation volumes of the edge area and the middle area are basically equal.
By uniformizing the flow of gas on the electrode body, the uniformity and quality of the etched chip are improved.
Smart Images
Figure CN222801738U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of plasma electrode technology, and in particular to an electrode assembly and a plasma etcher. Background Art
[0002] Plasma etching is a common form of dry etching. Its principle is that the gas exposed to the electron area forms plasma, and the resulting ionized gas and the gas composed of released high-energy electrons form plasma or ions. When the ionized gas atoms are accelerated by the electric field, they will release enough force to tightly bond the material with the surface expulsion force or etch the surface. Plasma etcher is a commonly used device for plasma etching, and the plasma etcher includes an electrode assembly.
[0003] The electrode assembly in the related technology includes an electrode body, and a plurality of circles of air holes are provided along the thickness direction of the electrode body and penetrate the electrode body. The diameters of the plurality of circles of air holes are the same. The electrode assembly is installed in a plasma process chamber, and the air holes are used to allow the gas in the plasma process chamber to circulate so that the gas is distributed between the upper cavity and the lower cavity of the plasma process chamber, and finally the chip is etched.
[0004] However, in the related art, the diameters of the vent holes on the electrode body are equal, and the density of the vent holes in the middle area of the electrode body is greater than that in the edge area of the electrode body, so that the gas output in the middle area of the electrode body is greater than that in the edge area of the electrode body, which ultimately affects the uniformity of the etched chip. Utility Model Content
[0005] The main purpose of the present application is to provide an electrode assembly and a plasma etcher, aiming to solve the technical problem in the prior art that the gas output of the edge area of the electrode body is smaller than the gas output of the middle area, resulting in uneven etching of the chip.
[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an electrode assembly, wherein the electrode assembly includes an electrode body, and the electrode body includes a middle region and an edge region;
[0007] The electrode body is provided with a plurality of circles of ventilation holes penetrating the electrode body along a thickness direction perpendicular to the electrode body, the plurality of circles of ventilation holes are arranged along the radial direction of the electrode body, and the diameter of the ventilation holes in the edge area is greater than the diameter of the ventilation holes in the middle area.
[0008] In some possible implementations, along the direction from the middle region to the edge region, the diameter of the ventilation holes in the middle region gradually increases.
[0009] In some possible implementations, along the direction from the middle area to the edge area, the diameter of the ventilation holes in the edge area gradually increases.
[0010] In some possible implementations, the diameter of the ventilation holes in the middle region ranges from 0.4 mm to 1.2 mm.
[0011] In some possible implementations, the diameter of the ventilation holes in the edge area ranges from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.
[0012] In some possible implementations, along the direction from the edge region to the middle region, the edge region includes 3-6 circles of ventilation holes.
[0013] In some possible implementations, a groove is provided on the electrode body along the thickness direction of the electrode body, the multiple circles of vent holes are located in the groove, and the depth of the groove ranges from 14 mm to 18 mm.
[0014] In some possible implementations, the electrode assembly further includes a gasket, which is disposed on one side of the electrode body, and an axis of the gasket is parallel to an axis of the vent hole.
[0015] In some possible implementations, a concave-convex structure is provided between the gasket and the electrode body.
[0016] In some possible implementations, the present application also provides a plasma etcher, which includes the electrode assembly described in the present application.
[0017] Compared with the related art, this application has at least the following beneficial effects:
[0018] An electrode assembly and a plasma etcher proposed in the embodiments of the present application can make the ventilation amounts in the edge area and the middle area of the electrode body basically equal by setting the diameter of the ventilation holes in the edge area of the electrode body to be larger than the diameter of the ventilation holes in the middle area, thereby improving the uniformity of the gas passing through the electrode body and further improving the uniformity of the etched chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.
[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an electrode assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the top view of the electrode assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0022] Figure 3 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 2 One of the cross-sectional views at AA in the middle;
[0023] Figure 4 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 2 The second cross-sectional view at AA in the middle;
[0024] Figure 5 One of the three-dimensional structural schematic diagrams of the electrode assembly provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a gasket;
[0025] Figure 6 The electrode assembly provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a second schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a gasket;
[0026] Figure 7 The electrode assembly provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a schematic diagram of a top view of a gasket;
[0027] Figure 8 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 7 One of the cross-sectional views at the middle BB;
[0028] Fig. 9 Provided for the embodiments of this application Figure 7 The second cross-sectional diagram at the middle BB.
[0029] Figure numerals: 1. electrode body; 11. vent hole; 12. groove; 2. gasket; 3. concave-convex structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0031] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for which protection is sought, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0032] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.
[0033] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0034] See also Figure 1-Figure 3 The present application provides an electrode assembly, which includes an electrode body 1, and the electrode body 1 includes a middle area MM and an edge area NN; along a thickness direction perpendicular to the electrode body 1, the electrode body 1 is provided with a plurality of circles of ventilation holes 11 penetrating the electrode body 1, and the plurality of circles of ventilation holes 11 are arranged along the radial direction of the electrode body 1, and the diameter of the ventilation holes 11 in the edge area NN is greater than the diameter of the ventilation holes 11 in the middle area MM.
[0035] The edge area NN surrounds the middle area MM, the axis of the vent 11 is parallel to the axis of the electrode body 1, the edge area NN of the electrode body 1 is the area close to the edge of the electrode body 1, and the middle area MM of the electrode body 1 is the area close to the center of the electrode body 1. Specifically, along the direction from the edge area NN to the middle area MM, the edge area NN includes 3-6 circles of vent holes 11, wherein the vent holes 11 of the edge area NN include a circle of vent holes 11 closest to the edge of the electrode body 1.
[0036] The electrode body 1 of the present application includes an upper electrode of an etcher, and the density of the vents 11 located in the edge region NN of the electrode body 1 is less than the density of the vents 11 in the middle region MM. In this embodiment, the diameter of the vents 11 in the edge region NN of the electrode body 1 is set to be greater than the diameter of the vents 11 in the middle region MM. In this way, the rate of gas passing through the vents 11 in the edge region NN and the middle region MM can be made substantially the same, and the ventilation volume passing through the vents 11 in the edge region NN and the middle region MM can be balanced, and finally the gas can be made to pass through the electrode body 1 more evenly, so that the etched part, such as a chip, can be etched more evenly, and finally the quality of the etched part can be improved.
[0037] Based on the above design, this embodiment sets the diameter of the vent holes 11 in the edge area NN of the electrode body 1 to be larger than the diameter of the vent holes 11 in the middle area MM. It is possible to make the ventilation amounts in the edge area NN and the middle area MM of the electrode body 1 basically equal, thereby improving the uniformity of the gas passing through the electrode body 1, and further improving the uniformity of the etched chip.
[0038] In some embodiments, see Figure 4, along the direction from the middle area MM to the edge area NN, the diameter of the ventilation hole 11 in the middle area MM gradually increases.
[0039] Along the direction from the middle area MM to the edge area NN, the density of the vent holes 11 gradually decreases. In this embodiment, the diameter of the vent holes 11 in the middle area MM is set to gradually increase, so that the amount of gas passing through different positions in the middle area MM can be basically the same, thereby further improving the uniformity of gas passing through the electrode body 1.
[0040] In some embodiments, please refer again to Figure 4 , along the direction from the middle area MM to the edge area NN, the diameter of the vent holes 11 in the edge area NN gradually increases.
[0041] Along the direction from the middle area MM to the edge area NN, the density of the vent holes 11 gradually decreases. In this embodiment, the diameter of the vent holes 11 in the edge area NN is set to gradually increase, so that the amount of gas passing through different positions in the edge area NN can be basically the same, thereby further improving the uniformity of gas passing through the electrode body 1.
[0042] In some embodiments, please refer again to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diameter D1 of the vent hole 11 in the edge region NN ranges from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, for example, the diameter D1 may be 0.5 mm, 0.7 mm, 1 mm, 1.3 mm or 1.5 mm, etc. Reasonable setting of the diameter D1 may make the rate of gas passing through the edge region NN more appropriate, thereby etching a higher quality chip.
[0043] In some embodiments, please refer again to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diameter of the vent hole 11 in the middle area MM ranges from 0.4 mm to 1.2 mm, for example, the diameter D2 can be 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, 1 mm or 1.2 mm, etc. Reasonable setting of the diameter D2 can make the rate of gas passing through the central area more appropriate, so that a higher quality chip can be etched.
[0044] In some embodiments, see Figure 5-Figure 8 Along the thickness direction of the electrode body 1, a groove 12 is provided on the electrode body 1, and a plurality of circles of vent holes 11 are located in the groove 12, and the depth H of the groove 12 ranges from 14 mm to 18 mm.
[0045] In the related art, an RF source is provided inside the etching table of the etcher. The main function of the upper RF source is to generate high-density plasma and does not provide energy for downward bombardment. However, the greater the power loaded by the upper RF source, the greater the intensity of the electric field, the more violent the collision between ions, and the higher the density of the generated plasma, thereby increasing the temperature of the entire cavity. Different upper RF powers have a great influence on the temperature of the etching cavity, and the temperature of the cavity will affect the overall temperature of the electrode body 1, eventually causing the electrode body 1 to expand and possibly break. In the related art, a groove 12 is provided on the electrode body 1, and the depth of the groove 12 is 19 mm.
[0046] In this embodiment, a groove 12 is provided on the electrode body 1, and a depth H of the groove 12 of the electrode body 1 is set to 14 mm-18 mm, for example, the depth H may be 14 mm, 15 mm, 16 mm, 17 mm or 18 mm, etc. Setting the depth H of the groove 12 of the electrode body 1 to be smaller than the depth of the groove in the related art can improve the problem of the electrode body 1 being broken due to high temperature, thereby increasing the service life of the electrode body 1.
[0047] In some embodiments, please refer again to Figure 5-Figure 8 The electrode assembly further includes a gasket 2 , which is disposed on one side of the electrode body 1 , and the axis of the gasket 2 is parallel to the axis of the vent hole 11 .
[0048] In the related technology, there is a gap between the distribution plate in the etcher body and the electrode body 1, which will cause the electrode body 1 to vibrate during the special gas glow discharge under negative pressure and high radio frequency in the chamber. The gap between the distribution plate and the electrode body 1 sparks and generates particles. The particles fall on the chip surface, blocking the etching effect on the chip and affecting the chip yield.
[0049] In this embodiment, a gasket 2 is provided on one side of the electrode body 1 close to the groove 12. When the electrode assembly is installed on the etcher, the gasket 2 is located between the electrode body 1 and the distribution plate of the etcher body. The gasket 2 can fill the gap between the distribution plate and the electrode body 1, thereby making the electrode body 1 more stable, reducing the possibility of particle contamination of the chip, and ultimately improving the etching yield of the chip. The material of the gasket 2 includes high temperature resistant insulating tape or Teflon.
[0050] In some embodiments, see Fig. 9 A concave-convex structure 3 is provided between the gasket 2 and the electrode body 1 .
[0051] The concavo-convex structure 3 may include a plurality of pits and a plurality of protrusions. For example, a plurality of protrusions may be provided on the side of the electrode body 1 close to the gasket 2, and a plurality of pits may be provided on the gasket 2, wherein the plurality of pits correspond to the plurality of protrusions one by one and match each other. Thus, by providing the concavo-convex structure 3 between the gasket 2 and the electrode body 1, the bonding force between the gasket 2 and the electrode body 1 may be improved, thereby making the connection between the electrode body 1 and the gasket 2 more stable, and ultimately improving the performance of the electrode assembly.
[0052] In some embodiments, the present application further provides a plasma etcher, which includes the electrode assembly of the present application. Since the plasma etcher includes the electrode assembly of the present application, the plasma etcher has all the beneficial effects of the electrode assembly of the present application, which will not be described in detail here.
[0053] The above are only various implementations of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.
Claims
1. An electrode assembly, characterized in that: The electrode assembly comprises an electrode body (1), wherein the electrode body (1) comprises a middle region and an edge region; Along the thickness direction of the electrode body (1), the electrode body (1) is provided with a plurality of circles of ventilation holes (11) penetrating the electrode body (1); the plurality of circles of ventilation holes (11) are arranged along the radial direction of the electrode body (1); and the diameter of the ventilation holes (11) in the edge region is greater than the diameter of the ventilation holes (11) in the middle region.
2. The electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the direction from the middle area to the edge area, the diameter of the ventilation holes (11) in the middle area gradually increases.
3. The electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the direction from the middle area to the edge area, the diameter of the ventilation holes (11) in the edge area gradually increases.
4. The electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the ventilation holes (11) in the middle region ranges from 0.4 mm to 1.2 mm.
5. The electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the ventilation holes (11) in the edge area ranges from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.
6. The electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the direction from the edge region to the middle region, the edge region includes 3-6 circles of ventilation holes (11).
7. The electrode assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A groove (12) is provided on the electrode body (1) along the thickness direction of the electrode body (1), the multiple circles of vent holes (11) are located in the groove (12), and the depth of the groove (12) ranges from 14 mm to 18 mm.
8. The electrode assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The electrode assembly further comprises a gasket (2), wherein the gasket (2) is arranged on one side of the electrode body (1), and the axis of the gasket (2) is parallel to the axis of the vent hole (11).
9. The electrode assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: A concave-convex structure (3) is provided between the gasket (2) and the electrode body (1).
10. A plasma etcher, characterized in that: The etcher comprises the electrode assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1-9.