Plasma etching equipment
By introducing a heating device and a gas handling system into the plasma etching equipment, the problem of unstable temperature in the etching chamber is solved, and the stability of the etching chamber and the etching rate are controlled, thereby improving the stability and efficiency of wafer processing.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423094387.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-13
AI Technical Summary
Existing plasma etching equipment lacks stability, especially in terms of etching chamber temperature control, which leads to unstable etching rates and may cause wafer defects or insufficient etching depth.
A heating device is introduced into the plasma etching equipment. Heated gas is continuously supplied to the etching chamber through the air intake device to maintain the temperature stability of the etching chamber. A combination of dry clean air and process gas is used. The temperature of the etching chamber is controlled by the heating module and the gas distribution module to ensure that the etching chamber is within the normal operating temperature range.
It improves the temperature stability of the etching chamber, reduces process preparation time, enhances the stability of plasma etching equipment and wafer processing efficiency, and avoids etching abnormalities caused by temperature fluctuations.
Smart Images
Figure CN223828418U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, specifically to a plasma etching apparatus. Background Technology
[0002] In the field of semiconductor device manufacturing, plasma etching is an advanced process that uses the interaction between high-energy charged particles in plasma and the surface of the material to be treated to remove the material. It is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing processes.
[0003] In plasma etching, etching gases (such as oxygen, fluoride gases, etc.) are ionized under the influence of an electric field to form plasma. High-energy ions and free electrons in the plasma are accelerated by the electric field and bombard the wafer surface, causing physical and / or chemical reactions in the surface material, thereby etching the wafer.
[0004] However, the stability of existing plasma etching equipment needs to be improved. Utility Model Content
[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a plasma etching apparatus, comprising:
[0006] Etching cavity;
[0007] An air intake device, wherein the air intake device is connected to the etching cavity;
[0008] A heating device, which is connected to the air intake device and to the etching cavity, and provides heat-insulating gas to the etching cavity;
[0009] The air intake device supplies gas to be heated to the heating device, so that the heating device heats the gas and continuously supplies heated gas to the etching chamber; the temperature of the heated gas is the temperature at which the etching chamber operates normally.
[0010] The plasma etching apparatus provided in this application includes an etching chamber, an air intake device, and a heating device connected to the air intake device and the etching chamber. The heating device receives the gas to be heated provided by the air intake device, heats the gas to be heated, and then continuously provides the heated gas to the etching chamber. Since the temperature of the heated gas is the temperature at which the etching chamber operates normally, the temperature of the etching chamber can be kept at the normal operating temperature as the heating device continuously provides the heated gas to the etching chamber, thereby keeping the temperature of the etching chamber stable and improving the stability of the plasma etching apparatus. Attached Figure Description
[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.
[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a plasma etching apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0013] Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of a plasma etching apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0014] Figure 3 This is another schematic diagram of a plasma etching apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0015] Figure 4 This is another schematic diagram of a plasma etching apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0016] As described in the background section, the stability of existing plasma etching equipment needs improvement. The reasons for this need to be further analyzed below.
[0017] Since the rate of plasma etching increases with increasing etching temperature, it is necessary to control the operating temperature of the plasma etching equipment in order to keep the etching rate stable.
[0018] However, existing plasma etching equipment has poor temperature retention capabilities for the etching chamber. For example, in one current etching process, the temperature inside the etching chamber needs to be maintained at a preset operating temperature of 80°C to ensure stable process operation. After the etching process is completed, the etching chamber drops to the internal temperature (35-40°C) of the equipment relatively quickly. When it is necessary to continue the wafer fabrication process (i.e., continue the plasma etching process), it is also necessary to raise the temperature inside the etching chamber back to the preset operating temperature of 80°C.
[0019] One method for heating an etching chamber involves manually operating a plasma etching device. Before the plasma etching process begins, a control wafer is placed inside the etching chamber. While monitoring the temperature inside the etching chamber using the control wafer, oxygen is manually introduced and burned (O2-Burn) to warm up the chamber until the temperature inside the etching chamber reaches 80°C. The oxygen flow rate is then controlled to maintain the temperature inside the etching chamber at a preset operating temperature of 80°C.
[0020] However, in the method of heating the etching chamber using O2-Burn, it takes a certain amount of time to raise the temperature of the etching chamber to the preset operating temperature. Furthermore, if the operator of the plasma etching equipment performs the plasma etching process without preheating, it can cause abnormal etching rates, leading to defects on the wafer or insufficient etching depth. In addition, monitoring the temperature inside the etching chamber using a wafer control unit consumes a large amount of wafer control components. Therefore, the stability of existing plasma etching equipment needs to be improved.
[0021] Therefore, this application provides a plasma etching apparatus, including: an etching chamber, an air intake device, and a heating device connected to the air intake device and the etching chamber. The heating device receives the gas to be heated provided by the air intake device, heats the gas to be heated, and then continuously provides the heated gas to the etching chamber. Since the temperature of the heated gas is the temperature at which the etching chamber operates normally, the temperature of the etching chamber can be kept at the normal operating temperature when the heating device continuously provides the heated gas to the etching chamber, thereby keeping the temperature of the etching chamber stable and improving the stability of the plasma etching apparatus.
[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a plasma etching apparatus provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the plasma etching equipment includes:
[0024] Etching cavity 10;
[0025] Air intake device 2, which is connected to the etching cavity 10;
[0026] A heating device 3 is connected to the air intake device 2 and the etching chamber 10. The air intake device 2 supplies gas to be heated to the heating device 3 so that the heating device heats the gas and provides heated gas to the etching chamber 10. The temperature of the heated gas is the temperature at which the etching chamber 10 can operate normally.
[0027] The etching chamber 10 is used to perform plasma etching on the wafer to be processed placed within it. Specifically, the etching chamber 10 utilizes process gases to perform plasma etching on the wafer to be processed. In some embodiments, the plasma etching performed by the etching chamber 10 on the wafer to be processed using process gases includes at least reactive ion etching (RIE) or deep reactive ion etching (DRIE).
[0028] The air intake device 2 is used to supply the gas to be heated to the heating device 3. Please continue to refer to [the relevant documentation]. Figure 1 In some embodiments, the air intake device 2 may include:
[0029] Intake module 21; Gas treatment module 22, having at least one intake module 21;
[0030] Gas processing module 22 connected to the intake module 21;
[0031] The first communication module 231 connects the heating device 3 and the gas processing module 22, and is used to supply the gas to be heated provided by the gas processing module 22 to the heating device 3;
[0032] The second communication module 232 connects the etching cavity 10 and the gas processing module 22, and is used to deliver the process gas provided by the gas processing module 22 to the etching cavity 10.
[0033] The air intake module 21 is used to connect to an external air source and deliver the gas provided by the external air source to the gas processing module 22.
[0034] The external gas source can be process gas or gas to be heated. After the external gas source is delivered to the gas processing module 22 through the gas inlet module 21, the gas processing module 22 can select to deliver the external gas to the corresponding location based on the effect of the external gas.
[0035] The gas processing module 22 can process the process gas and the gas to be heated provided by the gas inlet module 21, for example, by adjusting the flow rates of the process gas and the gas to be heated, adjusting the ratio of various process gases, or pre-mixing various process gases. The gas to be heated after being processed by the gas processing module 22 enters the heating device 3 through the first communication module 231; the process gas after being processed by the gas processing module 22 enters the etching chamber 10 through the second communication module 232.
[0036] In some specific embodiments, the air intake module 21 includes a first air intake module 211 and a second air intake module 212.
[0037] The first air intake module 211 is used to provide the gas to be heated to the gas processing module 22. After being processed by the gas processing module 22, the gas to be heated is transported to the heating device 3 through the first communication module 231. In other words, the first air intake module 211 is used to receive the gas to be heated provided by an external gas source.
[0038] In some specific embodiments, the gas to be heated is clean dry air (CDA). It is understood that the heated gas is also CDA. CDA is a high-purity, low-humidity, and pollution-free dry air commonly used in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Heated CDA can maintain the temperature of the etching chamber 10 within its normal operating temperature range while meeting the cleanliness requirements of the etching process, thereby improving the stability of the plasma etching equipment.
[0039] The second air intake module 212 is used to provide process gas to the gas processing module 22. The process gas is a necessary gas for performing plasma etching process in the etching chamber 10. In some specific embodiments, the process gas is one or more of N2, He, Ar, Cl2, CF4 or O2.
[0040] In some embodiments, the etching chamber 10 is located above the air inlet device; the bottom of the etching chamber 10 is connected to the second communication module 232. Positioning the air inlet device below the etching chamber 10 facilitates the entry of the process gas from the bottom of the etching chamber 10, enabling control of the gas distribution inside the etching chamber 10 and ensuring the normal operation of the plasma etching process.
[0041] The heating device 3 is used to provide heat-insulating gas to the etching cavity 10. Specifically, the heating device 3 is used to heat the gas to be heated provided by the gas inlet device 2, and to provide the heated gas to the etching cavity 10, thereby controlling the internal temperature of the etching cavity 10; and to prevent the etching cavity 10 from cooling down when the plasma etching process is not performed, thereby reducing the process preparation time, ensuring the stability of the plasma etching process, and improving the efficiency of wafer processing.
[0042] In some implementations, reference continues. Figure 1The heating device 3 includes a heating module 31 and a gas distribution module 33; the heating module 31 is connected to the air intake device 2, the gas distribution module 33 is located on the side wall of the etching cavity 10 and is connected to the side wall of the etching cavity 10, and the heating module 31 and the gas distribution module 33 are connected through a third communication module 32.
[0043] The gas to be heated, after being processed in the gas processing module 22, enters the heating module 31 through the first communication module 231 to obtain heated gas. The heated gas then enters the gas distribution module 33 through the third communication module 32, and the gas distribution module 33 supplies the heated gas to the etching cavity 10 to control the internal temperature of the etching cavity 10.
[0044] The heating module 31 is used to heat the gas to be heated. The method of heating the gas is not limited. For example, it can be heated by an electric heating wire or by conducting heat into the heating module 31 through an external heat source, thereby heating the gas to be heated. The heating module 31 does not contact the etching cavity 10 to avoid the heat of the heating module 31 being conducted to the surface of the etching cavity 10, which would affect the stability of the process performed in the etching cavity 10, thereby improving the stability of the plasma etching process.
[0045] Furthermore, the gas distribution module 33 is used to uniformly distribute the heat-insulating gas into the etching cavity 10, thereby improving the temperature stability within the etching cavity 10 and thus improving the stability of the plasma etching process performed within the etching cavity 10.
[0046] In some implementations, reference Figure 2 The heating device 3 includes a gas heating distribution module 34; the gas heating distribution module 34 is located on the side wall of the etching cavity 10 and is connected to the air inlet device 2, and is connected to the side wall of the etching cavity 10 to provide heated gas to the etching cavity 10.
[0047] The gas to be heated, after being processed in the gas processing module 22, enters the gas heating distribution module 34 through the first communication module 231 to obtain heated gas. The heated gas then enters the etching chamber 10 through the gas heating distribution module 34, thereby controlling the internal temperature of the etching chamber 10.
[0048] The gas heating and distribution module 34 is used to heat and distribute the gas to be heated. The method of heating the gas is not limited; for example, it can be heated by an electric heating wire or by conducting heat through an external heat source into the gas heating and distribution module 34 to heat the gas. Then, the gas heating and distribution module 34 evenly distributes the heated gas into the etching chamber 10, thereby improving the temperature stability within the etching chamber 10 and thus improving the stability of the plasma etching process performed within the etching chamber 10. Furthermore, the gas heating and distribution module 34 both heats the gas to be heated and distributes the heated gas, thereby reducing the space occupied by the plasma etching equipment.
[0049] In some implementations, reference Figure 3 The number of heating devices 3 is two, and the two gas distribution modules 33 are arranged opposite each other on the sidewalls of the etching cavity 10. By arranging the two gas distribution modules 33 on the two opposite sidewalls of the etching cavity 10, the uniformity of the heated gas in the etching cavity 10 can be further improved, thereby improving the temperature uniformity in the etching cavity 10 and thus improving the stability of the plasma etching process performed in the etching cavity 10.
[0050] In some implementations, reference Figure 4 The number of gas heating distribution modules 34 is two, and the two gas heating distribution modules 34 are arranged opposite to each other on the sidewall of the etching cavity 10. Similarly, by arranging the two gas heating distribution modules 34 on the two opposite sidewalls of the etching cavity 10, the uniformity of the heated gas in the etching cavity 10 can be further improved, thereby improving the temperature uniformity in the etching cavity 10, and thus improving the stability of the plasma etching process performed in the etching cavity 10.
[0051] While this application discloses the above information, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of this application; therefore, the scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the scope defined in the claims.
Claims
1. A plasma etching apparatus, characterized in that, include: Etching cavity; An air intake device, wherein the air intake device is connected to the etching cavity; A heating device, which is connected to the air intake device and the etching chamber; The air intake device supplies gas to be heated to the heating device, so that the heating device heats the gas and continuously supplies heated gas to the etching chamber; the temperature of the heated gas is the temperature at which the etching chamber operates normally.
2. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The air intake device includes: A gas processing module, wherein the gas processing module is provided with at least one gas inlet module; A gas processing module connected to the intake module; The first connecting module connects the heating device and the gas processing module, and is used to supply the gas to be heated provided by the gas processing module to the heating device; The second communication module connects the etching chamber and the gas processing module, and is used to deliver the process gas provided by the gas processing module to the etching chamber.
3. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The air intake module includes a first air intake module and a second air intake module; The first air intake module is used to provide the gas to be heated to the gas processing module, and the second air intake module is used to provide the process gas to the gas processing module.
4. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heating device includes a gas heating distribution module; the gas heating distribution module is located on the side wall of the etching cavity and is connected to the air inlet device, and is also connected to the side of the etching cavity to provide heat-insulating gas to the etching cavity.
5. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The number of gas heating distribution modules is two, and the two gas heating distribution modules are arranged opposite each other on the side wall of the etching cavity.
6. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heating device includes: a heating module and a gas distribution module; The heating module is connected to the air intake device, the gas distribution module is located on the side wall of the etching cavity and is connected to the side wall of the etching cavity, and the heating module and the gas distribution module are connected through a third communication module.
7. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The number of gas distribution modules is two, and the two gas distribution modules are arranged opposite each other on the side wall of the etching cavity.
8. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The etching cavity is located above the air intake device; the bottom of the etching cavity is connected to the second communication module.
9. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The air intake device supplies process gas to the etching chamber, which uses the process gas to perform plasma etching on the wafer to be processed.
10. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The etching chamber utilizes process gases to perform plasma etching on the wafer to be processed, including at least reactive ion etching or deep reactive ion etching.
11. The plasma etching apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The insulating gas is dry, clean air.