Flow uniformizing device arranged in plasma etching equipment and etching equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a flow uniformizing device arranged in plasma etching equipment and capacitive coupling plasma etching equipment, the flow uniformizing device comprises a flow uniformizing device body provided with a plurality of through holes, each through hole comprises an air inlet, an air outlet and a hole channel which are integrally arranged, and the hole channel is a bent hole channel. The capacitive coupling plasma etching equipment comprises an etching cavity and the flow uniformizing device. The bending hole channel of the flow uniformizing device reduces the exposure degree of the hole channel in the etching process, reduces the damage of physical / chemical reaction to the air outlet hole channel in the etching process, guarantees the air inlet uniformity of the cavity, and prolongs the service life of the flow uniformizing device. According to the capacitive coupling plasma etching equipment, the wafer etching uniformity is improved, and the replacement period of the flow uniformizing device is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and particularly to a flow equalizing device and a capacitively coupled plasma etching device disposed in a plasma etching device. Background Art

[0002] The intake system is widely used in semiconductor process chamber equipment, and its intake uniformity is one of the key factors determining the semiconductor process uniformity. Generally, a flow equalizing device is provided before the intake system guides the reaction gas into the reaction chamber to increase the uniformity of the reaction gas entering the reaction chamber. Generally, straight through holes are uniformly provided on the panel connecting the intake system and the reaction chamber. In some etching processes, the working parameters such as the temperature, pressure, and voltage of the reaction chamber are very high. Especially during the etching process of capacitively coupled plasma etching, arcing will occur, which will damage the inner hole wall of the straight through hole, thereby affecting the intake uniformity and the device life.

[0003] Therefore, based on the above deficiencies of the prior art, it is necessary to optimize the internal hole structure of the process outlet channels of the flow equalizing device. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide a flow equalizing device and a capacitively coupled plasma etching device disposed in a plasma etching device, which are used to solve the problems that the inner hole wall of the straight through hole in the prior art is easily damaged by the etching process, affecting the intake uniformity and the device life.

[0005] One aspect of the embodiments of this application provides a flow equalizing device disposed in a plasma etching device, including a flow equalizing device body configured with a plurality of through holes. The through holes include an intake port, an outlet port, and a hole channel integrally provided, and the hole channel is a curved hole channel.

[0006] In some embodiments, the hole channel at least includes a first part, a second part, and a bending part, and the first part and the second part are straight through parts.

[0007] In some embodiments, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the bending part is stepped or curved.

[0008] In some embodiments, the connections between the bending part and the first part and the second part have a curvature.

[0009] In some embodiments, the through holes are uniformly distributed on the flow equalizing device body.

[0010] In some embodiments, the flow equalizing device body is circular, and the through holes are distributed in a circumferential pattern centered on the center of the circle.

[0011] In some embodiments, with the center of the circle as the axis, the bent portion of the through hole is arranged to diverge around the axis, and the shapes of the through holes located on the same diameter on both sides of the axis are symmetrically arranged.

[0012] In some embodiments, the edge of the flow homogenizing device includes mounting holes for mounting the flow homogenizing device.

[0013] In some embodiments, the body of the flow homogenizing device is a cylinder. The body of the flow homogenizing device includes opposite circular air inlet surfaces and air outlet surfaces. The surface where the air inlet is located is the air inlet surface, and the surface where the air outlet is located is the air outlet surface.

[0014] Another aspect of the embodiments of the present application further provides a capacitively coupled plasma etching device, including an etching chamber and the flow homogenizing device disposed in the plasma etching device according to any one of the above embodiments. The etching chamber includes an upper electrode plate and a lower electrode plate arranged in parallel. The upper electrode plate and the flow homogenizing device are arranged from top to bottom inside the top of the etching chamber. The lower electrode plate is arranged at the bottom of the etching chamber, and the air outlet surface of the flow homogenizing device faces the lower electrode plate.

[0015] As described above, the flow homogenizing device and the capacitively coupled plasma etching device disposed in the plasma etching device of the present application have the following beneficial effects: By reducing the exposure degree of the channels of the flow homogenizing device during the etching process, the damage to the channels caused by physical / chemical reactions during the etching process is reduced, the uniformity of the gas inlet into the chamber is ensured, and the working life of the flow homogenizing device is prolonged. The capacitively coupled plasma etching device includes the above flow homogenizing device, which improves the uniformity of wafer etching and prolongs the replacement cycle of the flow homogenizing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The following drawings detail the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present application. The same reference numerals represent similar structures in several views of the drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that these embodiments are non-limiting, exemplary embodiments. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and description, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Embodiments in other ways may also achieve the inventive concept of the present application. It should be understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0017] Wherein:

[0018] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a straight through-hole channel shown in some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a bent through-hole channel shown in some embodiments of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of a bent through-hole channel shown in some embodiments of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 are schematic diagrams of other curved channels shown in some embodiments of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of through-holes on a flow equalizing device shown in some embodiments of the present application;

[0023] Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of a capacitively coupled plasma etching device shown in some embodiments of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] The following description provides specific application scenarios and requirements of the present application, aiming to enable those skilled in the art to manufacture and use the content of the present application. For those skilled in the art, various local modifications to the disclosed embodiments are obvious, and without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, the general principles defined here can be applied to other embodiments and applications. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but has the broadest scope consistent with the claims.

[0025] Capacitively Coupled Plasma (CCP) etching is a process widely used for chip manufacturing etching, which can etch wafers with extremely high precision and minimal damage to materials.

[0026] Capacitively coupled plasma etching consists of two parallel metal plates with a specific distance between the two metal electrodes. The gas pressure in the reaction chamber can be less than or equal to atmospheric pressure. A typical CCP system is driven by a single radio frequency (RF) power supply, usually at a frequency of 13.56 MHz. One of the two electrodes is connected to the power supply and the other is grounded. When an electric field is generated between the electrodes, electrons in the gas respond to the electric field and gain energy. High-energy electrons can directly or indirectly ionize the gas through collisions, generating secondary electrons. When the electric field is strong enough, it will cause an electron avalanche. After the avalanche breakdown, due to the large number of free electrons, the gas becomes conductive. It is usually accompanied by the light emission of excited atoms or molecules in the gas, and there will be a sparking phenomenon. Then, the ions in the plasma are attracted by the electric field and rush towards one of the electrodes at high speed. This electrode is usually the wafer covered with the material to be etched. The ions impact the material surface at high speed, and physical and chemical reactions occur with the atoms or molecules on the surface, thereby achieving the etching effect.

[0027] In a capacitive coupled plasma etching device, the outlet of the flow equalizing device in the gas inlet system of the reaction chamber is located at the top of the reaction chamber. As long as there is a sparking situation, a certain reaction will occur, damaging the pore wall of the outlet hole, thus causing a change in the shape of the pore wall, and further affecting the gas inlet uniformity and the device life. In order to improve the gas inlet uniformity, the pore structure of the through holes of the flow equalizing device is optimized. An embodiment of the present application provides a flow equalizing device for the gas inlet system of the reaction chamber in a capacitive coupled plasma etching device. The flow equalizing device includes a flow equalizing device body configured with a plurality of through holes. The through holes include an air inlet, an air outlet, and a pore channel that are integrally arranged, and the pore channel is a curved pore channel.

[0028] The technical solution of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and the drawings.

[0029] As Figure 1 shown, in some embodiments, the through holes 2' on the gas outlet panel 1' of the gas inlet system of the wafer etching device reaction chamber are designed as straight through channels, and the reaction gas enters the reaction chamber through the through holes 2' of the straight through channels. The gas outlet panel 1' with a straight through channel structure can make the gas entering the reaction chamber evenly distributed, which is beneficial to the sufficient physical / chemical reactions required for wafer etching. However, this straight through channel structure has the drawback of being easily damaged in the capacitive coupled plasma etching process. The sparking (glow) phenomenon caused by gas ionization can easily damage the pore wall of the straight through channel, causing a change in the shape of the pore wall, and further affecting the gas inlet uniformity and the device life.

[0030] In some embodiments, the present application provides a flow equalizing device 100 disposed in a plasma etching device. Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 5 shown, it includes a flow equalizing device body 1 configured with a plurality of through holes 2. The through holes 2 include an air inlet 21, an air outlet 22, and a pore channel 23 that are integrally arranged, and the pore channel 23 is a curved pore channel. Since the pore channel 23 of the flow equalizing device 100 provided by the present application is curved, the influence of the special working environment (temperature, humidity, voltage, air pressure, etc.) in the reaction chamber and the sparking (glow) during the physical / chemical reaction process on the pore wall of the through holes 2 of the flow equalizing device 100 provided by the present application is reduced. Light travels in a straight line. Therefore, after the pore channel is set to be curved, the glow can only enter a small section at the pore opening and cannot continue to propagate forward after encountering the curved pore channel.

[0031] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of a bent channel shown according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments, the channel 23 at least includes a first part 231, a second part 232, and a bent part 233, wherein the first part 231 and the second part 232 are straight-through parts, which are respectively connected to the air inlet 21 and the air outlet 22, and are respectively perpendicular to the inner and outer surfaces of the uniform flow device body 1. The setting of the bent part 233 can reduce the loss of the pore wall, and at least the first part 231 and the bent part 233 connected to the air inlet 21 will not have losses. At the same time, the spraying pressure of the bent channel will not be affected.

[0032] In some embodiments, the connection between the bent part 233 and the first part 231 and the second part 232 has a radian, that is, there is an arc-shaped connection part 234, and the arc-shaped connection part will not cause the reaction gas to stay.

[0033] In some embodiments, the longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the bent part 233 is a stepped shape or a curved shape. Specifically, the stepped shape can have different subdivisions, which are illustrated as follows:

[0034] Embodiment 1:

[0035] As Figure 2 shown, the stepped longitudinal cross-section of the bent part 233 is a trapezoid, wherein the included angle between each small section of the bent part 233 is an obtuse angle, and the included angle between the first part 231, the second part 232 and the small section connected to the bent part 233 is also an obtuse angle.

[0036] Embodiment 2:

[0037] As Figure 3 shown, the stepped longitudinal cross-section of the bent part 233' is a rectangle, wherein the included angle between each small section of the bent part 233' is a right angle, and the included angle between the first part 231', the second part 232' and the small section connected to the bent part 233' is also a right angle.

[0038] Embodiment 3:

[0039] As Figure 4 shown, the difference between the structure of the bent part 233'' and the bent part 233' is that the length of the first part 231'' and the bent part 233'' can be changed. Similarly, the length of the second part 232'' can also be adjusted according to the actual situation.

[0040] Embodiment 4:

[0041] The curved longitudinal cross-section of the bent part can be an S shape or a C shape (not shown).

[0042] It should be noted that the above-mentioned several shapes of the longitudinal cross-section of the bent part 233 are only examples, and the content of the present application is not limited to the above examples.

[0043] In some embodiments, the through-holes 2 are evenly distributed on the uniform flow device body 1.

[0044] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 5 As shown, the uniform flow device body 1 is circular, and the through-holes 2 are circumferentially distributed around the center of the circle.

[0045] In some embodiments, the through-holes 2 are arranged in parallel and evenly distributed (not shown). Specifically, the through-holes 2 can be divided into several rows and several columns arranged evenly, and the distribution of the through-holes 2 can achieve a uniform air intake and air outlet effect.

[0046] In some embodiments, referring to Figures 2 to 5 As shown, with the center of the circular uniform flow device body 1 as the axis, the bent portions 233 of the through-holes 2 are divergently arranged around the axis, and the shapes of the through-holes 2 on both sides of the axis located on the same diameter are symmetrically arranged.

[0047] In some embodiments, in addition to being circumferentially distributed and arranged in parallel, the through-holes 2 can also be arranged such that the number of through-holes 2 per unit area is the same to ensure the uniformity of the reaction gas entering the reaction chamber.

[0048] In some embodiments, the uniform flow device body 1 is a cylinder, and the uniform flow device body 1 includes opposite circular air intake surfaces 11 and air outlet surfaces 12. The surface where the air inlet 21 is located is the air intake surface 11, and the surface where the air outlet 22 is located is the air outlet surface 12.

[0049] In some embodiments, the material of the uniform flow device body 1 is ceramic. Ceramic has the property of corrosion resistance, which helps to extend the service life of the uniform flow device.

[0050] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5 , the uniform flow device 100 further includes a mounting hole 3 for mounting the uniform flow device 100 to fix the uniform flow device 100 to the top of the reaction chamber.

[0051] In some embodiments, the uniform flow device 100 provided in the present application is manufactured by processes such as splicing or welding, and can also be manufactured by three-dimensional printing.

[0052] Referring to Figure 6As shown in the figure, the embodiment of the present application further provides a capacitively coupled plasma etching apparatus, which includes an etching chamber 301 and the flow equalizing device 100 described in any one of the above embodiments. The etching chamber 301 includes an upper electrode plate 302 and a lower electrode plate 303 arranged in parallel. The upper electrode plate 302 and the flow equalizing device 100 are arranged from top to bottom on the inner side of the top of the etching chamber 301, the lower electrode plate 302 is arranged at the bottom of the etching chamber 301, and the gas outlet surface 12 of the flow equalizing device 100 faces the lower electrode plate 303. Specifically, an installation member is provided at the installation hole 3 corresponding to the edge of the flow equalizing device 100 at the top of the etching chamber, and the flow equalizing device 100 is installed and fixed in cooperation with the installation hole 3.

[0053] In some embodiments, the upper electrode plate 302 is connected to a radio frequency power supply 304, and the lower electrode plate 303 is grounded, which is used to provide an electric field for the generation of plasma.

[0054] In some embodiments, the gas for capacitively coupled plasma etching enters the flow equalizing device 100 from the gas inlet channel 305, and then uniformly flows out of the flow equalizing device 100 to fill the space between the upper electrode plate 302 and the lower electrode plate 303. When an electric field is generated by connecting the upper electrode plate 302 and the lower electrode plate 303 to the radio frequency power supply 304, the electrons in the gas respond to the electric field and obtain energy. The high-energy electrons can directly or indirectly ionize the gas by collision, generating secondary electrons. When the electric field is strong enough, gas ionization will cause an electron avalanche. After the electron avalanche breaks down, due to the large number of free electrons, the gas becomes conductive. Gas conduction is usually accompanied by the light emission of excited atoms or molecules in the gas, generating plasma 307. Then the ions in the plasma 307 are attracted by the electric field and rush towards the lower electrode plate 303 at high speed. The wafer 308 covered with the material to be etched is placed above the lower electrode plate 303. The ions impact the surface of the etched material at high speed, and physical and chemical reactions occur with the atoms or molecules on the surface of the etched material, thereby achieving the etching effect. The reaction gas finally flows out from the gas outlet channel 306, and usually the gas outlet channel 306 is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

[0055] The beneficial effects that the embodiment of the present application may bring include but are not limited to: the flow equalizing device provided in the plasma etching apparatus of the present application sets the channels of the through holes for uniform gas outlet as curved channels. By reducing the exposure degree of the channels during the etching process, the damage to the channels caused by physical / chemical reactions during the etching process is reduced, the uniformity of the chamber gas inlet is ensured, and the working life of the flow equalizing device is prolonged. The capacitively coupled plasma etching apparatus of the present application includes the above-mentioned flow equalizing device, which improves the uniformity of wafer etching and lengthens the replacement cycle of the flow equalizing device.

[0056] It should be noted that the beneficial effects that may be produced by different embodiments are different. In different embodiments, the beneficial effects that may be produced may be any one or several combinations of the above, or any other beneficial effects that may be obtained.

[0057] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above detailed disclosure is only an example and does not constitute a limitation to this specification. Although not explicitly stated here, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and corrections to this application. Such modifications, improvements, and corrections are suggested in this specification, so such modifications, improvements, and corrections still fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this application.

[0058] It should be noted that in the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "coupled", "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection; it can be a rotational connection, a sliding connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components or the interaction relationship between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood in combination with specific situations.

[0059] In addition, when terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc. are used in the specification of this application to describe various features, these terms are only used to distinguish these features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relevance, relative importance, or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated features.

[0060] In addition, the specification of this application describes the exemplary embodiments by referring to idealized exemplary cross-sectional views and / or plan views and / or three-dimensional views. Therefore, differences from the illustrated shapes due to, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances are foreseeable. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limited to the shapes of the regions shown herein, but should include deviations in the shapes caused by, for example, manufacturing. Therefore, the regions shown in the figures are substantially schematic, and their shapes are not for showing the actual shapes of the regions of the device nor for limiting the scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0061] Meanwhile, this application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of this specification. For example, "an embodiment", "one embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" mean a certain feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that the "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more at different positions in this application does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application can be appropriately combined.

[0062] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the presentation of this application disclosure and thus help the understanding of one or more invention embodiments, in the previous description of the embodiments of this application, sometimes multiple features are grouped into one embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the subject matter of this application are more than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiments are less than all the features of the individual embodiments disclosed above.

[0063] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this application are only used to illustrate the principles of the embodiments of this application. Other variations may also fall within the scope of this application. Therefore, by way of example and not limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of this application can be regarded as consistent with the teachings of this application. Accordingly, the embodiments of this application are not limited to the embodiments clearly introduced and described in this application.

Claims

1. A flow homogenizing device disposed in a plasma etching equipment, characterized in that, It includes a uniform flow device body configured with a number of through holes. The through holes include an air inlet, an air outlet, and a hole channel that are integrally arranged. The hole channel is a curved hole channel, and the hole channel at least includes a first part, a second part, and a bending part. The first part and the second part are straight-through parts.

2. The flow homogenizing device disposed in the plasma etching equipment according to claim 1, wherein The longitudinal cross-sectional shape of the bending part is a stepped shape or a curved shape.

3. The flow homogenizing device disposed in the plasma etching equipment according to claim 1, wherein The connection between the bending part and the first part and the second part has a radian.

4. The uniform flow device disposed in the plasma etching equipment according to claim 1, wherein The through holes are uniformly distributed on the uniform flow device body.

5. The flow equalizing device disposed in the plasma etching equipment according to claim 4, wherein The uniform flow device body is circular, and the through holes are circumferentially distributed around the center of the circle.

6. The uniform flow device disposed in the plasma etching equipment according to claim 5, wherein With the center of the circle as the axis, the bending parts of the through holes are arranged in a divergent manner around the axis, and the shapes of the through holes located on the same diameter on both sides of the axis are symmetrically arranged.

7. The flow homogenizing device disposed in the plasma etching equipment according to claim 1, wherein The edge of the uniform flow device includes mounting holes for mounting the uniform flow device.

8. The uniform flow device disposed in the plasma etching equipment according to claim 1, wherein The uniform flow device body is a cylinder. The uniform flow device body includes a relative circular air inlet surface and an air outlet surface. The surface where the air inlet is located is the air inlet surface, and the surface where the air outlet is located is the air outlet surface.

9. A capacitive coupled plasma etching apparatus, characterized in that, It includes an etching chamber and the uniform flow device set in the plasma etching equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The etching chamber includes an upper electrode plate and a lower electrode plate arranged in parallel. The upper electrode plate and the uniform flow device are arranged from top to bottom inside the top of the etching chamber. The lower electrode plate is arranged at the bottom of the etching chamber, and the air outlet surface of the uniform flow device faces the lower electrode plate.

Images