An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus

Abstract

This utility model relates to an antenna ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus, comprising a ring body located between a resonant waveguide cavity and a reaction chamber, and an annular mounting bracket and a pressure ring that mate with an aluminum ring. The ring body is a conductive and corrosion-resistant metal structure, with its circumferentially continuous mesh satisfying the following: mesh diameter 0.5–6 mm (preferably 1–5 mm), aperture ratio 40%–80%, wire diameter 0.05–1.0 mm (preferably 0.1–0.8 mm), and mesh shape circular or polygonal. The ring body is held between the annular mounting bracket and the aluminum ring by the pressure ring and electrically connected to the cavity; a solid metal reflective strip (a hole-free area, 3–20 mm wide) is provided on the outer edge of the ring to enhance microwave reflection and field shaping; the axial distance between the ring and the quartz isolation plate is 2–20 mm. This structure achieves multi-point microwave radiation, uniform reflection, and Faraday shielding, and is easy to disassemble, maintain, and reliably grounded, making it suitable for large-area thin-film deposition equipment with substrates ≥8 inches.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of thin film deposition technology, specifically relating to an antenna ring assembly for microwave plasma ALD / CVD equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are typical vapor-phase thin film deposition techniques widely used in semiconductors, optoelectronics, solar cells, and displays. ALD achieves atomic-level control over film thickness through alternating and self-limiting surface reactions; CVD relies on the chemical reaction of gaseous precursors on the substrate surface to achieve continuous growth. As the industry evolves towards larger substrate sizes (e.g., ≥8 inches) and high-consistency processes, the requirements for large-area thickness and property uniformity, low-temperature high activity, and high throughput during deposition are becoming increasingly prominent.

[0003] Microwave plasma-enhanced ALD / CVD (MPALD / MPCVD) utilizes microwave fields to excite high-density reactive species, increasing reactivity while reducing substrate temperature, making it suitable for large-area deposition of temperature-sensitive materials. Existing equipment typically incorporates dielectric isolation (such as a quartz plate) and shielding / coupling components between the resonant waveguide cavity and the reaction chamber to couple microwave energy to the process area and suppress aberrations. Publicly available solutions primarily include: planar microwave feeding (dielectric window + slot / surface antenna), surface wave plasma sources, RF ICP / CCP with Faraday shielding / shower head electrodes, remote plasma sources, and ECR. These solutions achieve acceptable deposition consistency on small / medium-sized substrates, but generally face the following engineering challenges in **≥8-inch** large-area applications:

[0004] 1. Field distribution and boundary effects: The lack of controllable electromagnetic reflection and standing wave tuning means at the coupling interface near the dielectric window makes it easy for electric field "hot / cold spots" to form in the cavity, resulting in an increase in the difference between the center and edge of the plasma density;

[0005] 2. Insufficient coupling and matching: The interface structure is mostly based on a single dielectric window or simple shielding components, lacking parameterized design for the frequency domain and spatial distribution of reflection / transmission, resulting in high microwave reflectivity and insufficient effective power density;

[0006] 3. Grounding and arc protection reliability: Insufficient control of electrical contact between coupling / shielding components and the cavity, contact resistance and contamination accumulation can easily induce local overheating or micro-arc discharge, affecting long-term stable operation;

[0007] 4. Assembly and maintenance: The clamping, pressing and disassembly methods mostly use stacked general-purpose fasteners, which occupy a large axial space, have low maintenance efficiency, and make it difficult to guarantee the geometric / electrical contact consistency after repeated assembly.

[0008] In summary, to meet the requirements of large-area microwave plasma deposition, it is urgent to introduce an integrated structure at the resonant waveguide-reaction chamber coupling interface that can achieve multi-point radiation, uniform reflection / standing wave tuning, Faraday shielding, and reliable grounding. Furthermore, it is necessary to parametrically design and repeatedly assemble and control geometric parameters such as aperture parameters, aperture ratio distribution, component thickness, and axial spacing with the dielectric isolation plate to improve microwave coupling efficiency and plasma spatial uniformity, thereby meeting the industrial deposition requirements of ≥8-inch substrates. Utility Model Content

[0009] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide an antenna mesh ring for microwave plasma deposition equipment, which can be applied to large-size thin film deposition equipment.

[0010] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: an antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition equipment, including a mesh ring body, the mesh ring body being disposed between a resonant waveguide cavity and a reaction chamber, the mesh ring body being an annular metal part, the mesh ring body having multiple mesh holes formed thereon, the mesh ring body being electrically connected to the resonant waveguide cavity and the reaction chamber to form a shielding path and a discharge path, the mesh hole diameter being 0.5-6mm.

[0011] Furthermore, the mesh size is 1–5 mm, and the mesh opening ratio is 40%–80%.

[0012] Furthermore, the ring body is made of a metal material that is conductive and corrosion-resistant.

[0013] Furthermore, the mesh ring body is composed of any one of stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, nickel, molybdenum, and tantalum.

[0014] Furthermore, the mesh of the ring body is made of one or more combinations of metal wire weaving, metal sheet punching, laser cutting, electrical discharge wire cutting, chemical etching, or expanded metal stamping.

[0015] Furthermore, the mesh of the ring body is woven from metal wires with a wire diameter of 0.05mm-1mm.

[0016] Furthermore, the diameter of the metal wire is 0.1mm-0.8mm.

[0017] Furthermore, the mesh shape is circular or polygonal.

[0018] Furthermore, the mesh ring body is connected to the lower surface of the aluminum ring via an annular mounting bracket.

[0019] Furthermore, the annular mounting bracket is detachably connected to the lower surface of the aluminum ring, and a detachably connected pressure ring is formed on the lower surface of the annular mounting bracket. An installation space is formed between the pressure ring and the annular mounting bracket, and the mesh ring body is installed in the installation space.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] In this invention, a mesh ring body is arranged between the resonant waveguide cavity and the reaction cavity, and the mesh size ranges from 0.5 mm to 6 mm. It can uniformly reflect the microwave energy in the main waveguide to the plasma excitation region, improve the spatial uniformity and high density of the plasma. Through the design of the mesh size, the electromagnetic field can be ensured to pass through smoothly, while shielding high-energy ions and electrons, avoiding bombardment damage during the preparation of thin films in microwave plasma deposition equipment, and protecting other components in the process cavity from direct impact of plasma. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of an antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition equipment installed inside the microwave plasma deposition equipment, according to this utility model.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0024] The markings in the diagram are: 1. Mesh ring body; 11. Mesh hole; 2. Ring mounting bracket; 21. Pressure ring; 3. Aluminum ring; 4. Resonant waveguide cavity; 5. Reaction chamber; 6. Quartz isolation plate. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the above-mentioned features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings for detailed explanation.

[0026] like Figures 1-2 As shown, this embodiment provides an antenna ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus, including a ring body 1.

[0027] The mesh ring body 1 is located between the resonant waveguide cavity 4 and the reaction chamber 5. Specifically, the mesh ring body 1 is connected to the lower surface of the aluminum ring 3 through the annular mounting bracket 2. The annular mounting bracket 2 extends into the reaction chamber and is connected to the lower surface of the aluminum ring 3 through a connector, which is a stainless steel screw. A detachable pressure ring 21 is formed on the lower surface of the annular mounting bracket 2. An installation space is formed between the pressure ring 21 and the annular mounting bracket 2. The mesh ring body 1 is installed in the installation space. Specifically, extension plates are provided on both sides of the pressure ring 21. The extension plates are detachably connected to the annular mounting bracket 2 through stainless steel screws, or by opening threaded holes in the annular mounting bracket 2 and opening through holes on the pressure ring 21 corresponding to the threaded holes, and connecting the two through screws. Corrosion-resistant washers are provided in the area between the screws and the annular mounting bracket 21. The detachable mesh ring body 1 facilitates subsequent replacement and maintenance.

[0028] The mesh ring body 1 is made of a conductive and corrosion-resistant metal material, such as aluminum, copper, nickel, molybdenum, tantalum, or an alloy. In this solution, the mesh ring body 1 is made of an alloy, specifically SUS304 stainless steel. Multiple mesh holes 11 are formed on the antenna mesh ring. The aperture of the mesh holes 11 ranges from 0.5 mm to 6 mm, with a more preferred range being 1 mm to 5 mm.

[0029] The mesh 11 of the mesh ring body 1 is formed by weaving or punching metal wire. In this embodiment, the mesh ring body 1 is formed by weaving metal wire, and the diameter of the metal wire is 0.05mm-1mm, with a more preferred range of 0.1mm-0.8mm. The opening ratio (open area ratio / transmittance) of the mesh 11 is preferably 40%-80%. The mesh density ranges from 2-30 meshes / inch, with a more preferred range of 4-20 meshes / inch.

[0030] Preferably, the mesh 11 is circular or polygonal in shape, and in this embodiment, the mesh 11 is circular.

[0031] The mesh 11 can be arranged in a regular or irregular array. The specific arrangement can be customized according to the cavity diameter, microwave wavelength, and deposition area requirements.

[0032] The mesh ring body 1 can be manufactured using various metal processing methods, including but not limited to wire weaving, metal sheet punching, laser cutting, wire electrical discharge machining, chemical etching, and expanded metal stamping. Wire weaving can be used to create high-strength, highly flexible mesh structures; metal sheet punching, laser cutting, wire electrical discharge machining, or chemical etching can achieve high-precision regular or irregular array hole shapes. Expanded metal stamping can obtain a continuous, weld-free, integrated mesh structure. All of the above processing methods can be selected or combined according to actual application requirements, and all fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0033] The main function of the antenna ring is to uniformly reflect microwave energy from the main waveguide to the plasma excitation region in a multi-point manner, thereby improving the spatial distribution uniformity and high density of the plasma. The ring body 1 is made of stainless steel (SUS304), possessing excellent mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. Through the design of the mesh aperture 11, it ensures smooth transmission of electromagnetic fields while shielding against high-energy ions and electrons, preventing bombardment damage during the thin film preparation process in the microwave plasma deposition equipment, and protecting other components in the process cavity 5 from direct plasma impact. Furthermore, the ring body 1, through its potential connection with the resonant waveguide cavity 4, effectively suppresses arc discharge, ensuring the safe and stable operation of the equipment.

[0034] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles and main features of this invention, as well as the advantages of this utility model (this seems somewhat unclear, stating that "the above content describes the basic principles, main features, and practical advantages of this utility model patent"). Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles (main feature principles) of this utility model. Various changes and modifications may be made to this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection of this utility model, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus comprising a mesh ring body disposed between a resonant waveguide cavity and a reaction chamber, characterized in that: The mesh ring body is a ring-shaped metal piece, a plurality of mesh holes are formed on the mesh ring body, the mesh ring body is electrically connected with the resonant waveguide cavity and the reaction chamber to form a shielding path and a discharge path, and the mesh hole diameter is 0.5-6 mm.

2. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mesh hole diameter is 1-5 mm, and the mesh hole opening rate is 40%-80%.

3. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mesh ring body is made of a metal material with electric conductivity and corrosion resistance.

4. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mesh ring body is made of any one of stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, copper alloy, nickel, molybdenum and tantalum.

5. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mesh holes of the mesh ring body are made by one or more combinations of wire weaving, punching of metal sheet, laser cutting, wire electrical discharge machining, chemical etching or expanded metal drawing.

6. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The mesh holes of the mesh ring body are made by wire weaving, and the wire diameter of the metal wire is 0.05-1 mm.

7. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that: The wire diameter of the metal wire is 0.1-0.8 mm.

8. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mesh hole shape is circular or polygonal.

9. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mesh ring body is connected with the lower surface of the aluminum ring through a ring-shaped mounting bracket.

10. An antenna mesh ring for a microwave plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that: The ring-shaped mounting bracket is detachably connected with the lower surface of the aluminum ring, a detachable compression ring is formed on the lower surface of the ring-shaped mounting bracket, an installation space is formed between the compression ring and the ring-shaped mounting bracket, and the mesh ring body is installed in the installation space.

Images