A radio frequency choke and semiconductor processing apparatus

Abstract

The utility model discloses a radio frequency choke and semiconductor processing device, radio frequency choke includes: gas supply pipe, nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component sets up around gas supply pipe in preset mode, is used for inhibiting radio frequency signal transmission along gas supply pipe, and preset mode is at least one of winding type, laminated type, spiral type. The utility model can prevent the generation of parasitic plasma in the gas supply pipe while ensuring the cleaning efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor fabrication technology, and in particular to a radio frequency choke and semiconductor processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor fabrication processes, the cleanliness of the reaction chamber is a key factor affecting wafer fabrication yield; remote plasma sources (RPS) are widely used as cleaning devices for cleaning the inside of reaction chambers.

[0003] In the existing technology, both the cleaning gas and the process gas flow through a remote plasma source and are then transported to the reaction chamber through a gas supply pipe. Furthermore, the gas pressure in the gas supply pipe cannot be too high to avoid the active atoms from combining and losing their activity during the cleaning of the reaction chamber, which would affect the cleaning efficiency and quality.

[0004] Since the top cover of the reaction chamber is usually electrically connected to the radio frequency power source, while the remote plasma source is grounded, if the gas pressure in the gas supply tube cannot be too high, the voltage difference between the top cover and the remote plasma source will cause an electric arc in the gas supply tube, resulting in the process gas in the gas supply tube being ionized into parasitic plasma, which affects the wafer fabrication yield.

[0005] The statements herein provide only background information relating to this invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a radio frequency choke and semiconductor processing equipment that can prevent the generation of parasitic plasma in the gas supply pipe while ensuring cleaning efficiency.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0008] A radio frequency choke, comprising:

[0009] Gas supply pipe;

[0010] A nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component is arranged around the gas supply pipe in a predetermined manner to suppress the transmission of radio frequency signals along the gas supply pipe; and the predetermined manner is at least one of winding, stacking, and spiral.

[0011] In one embodiment, when the preset method is a winding type, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component includes a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet, which is wound in multiple layers around the outside of the gas supply pipe along the circumference of the gas supply pipe.

[0012] In one embodiment, an insulating layer is provided between two adjacent layers of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet.

[0013] In one embodiment, when the preset method is a stacked type, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component includes multiple nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings, which are sleeved on the outside of the gas supply pipe and distributed along the axial direction of the gas supply pipe.

[0014] In one embodiment, an insulating layer is provided between two adjacent nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings.

[0015] In one embodiment, when the preset mode is spiral, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component includes a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strip, which is spirally wound around the outside of the gas supply pipe.

[0016] In one embodiment, an insulating layer is provided between two adjacent spirals formed by the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strip.

[0017] In one embodiment, the insulating layer is an insulating film or an insulating coating.

[0018] In one embodiment, the outer side of the gas supply pipe is provided with an insulating film or coated with an insulating coating.

[0019] In one embodiment, the gas supply pipe has a cooling channel inside.

[0020] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a semiconductor processing device, comprising: a reaction chamber, a remote plasma source, a radio frequency power source and a radio frequency choke located outside the reaction chamber as described above;

[0021] The radio frequency power source is electrically connected to the top cover of the reaction chamber, and the top cover is provided with an air inlet channel; the air inlet end of the gas supply pipe in the radio frequency choke is connected to the remote plasma source, and the air outlet end is connected to the air inlet channel in the top cover; the gas is introduced into the reaction chamber through the remote plasma source, the gas supply pipe and the air inlet channel.

[0022] In one embodiment, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a gas source connected to the remote plasma source for providing the gas.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least one of the following advantages:

[0024] This invention provides an RF choke and semiconductor processing device. When an RF signal is applied to one of the gas supply tube's inlet and outlet ends and the other is grounded, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component surrounding the gas supply tube can increase the inductance of the gas supply tube, thereby increasing its impedance. This achieves the purpose of suppressing the transmission of RF signals along the gas supply tube, isolating the RF signal, and preventing the gas inside the gas supply tube from being ionized into plasma, thus ensuring the wafer fabrication yield.

[0025] In this invention, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component can be wound around the gas supply pipe, and the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component includes a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet; the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet can be wound in multiple layers around the outside of the gas supply pipe along its circumference. In this way, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component is easy to manufacture and process.

[0026] In this invention, an insulating layer is provided between two adjacent nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheets to make them electrically insulated, thereby reducing eddy currents, reducing magnetic losses of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy components, and further increasing the inductance of the gas supply pipe. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of a radio frequency choke provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component in a radio frequency choke according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a radio frequency choke provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy ring in a radio frequency choke according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a radio frequency choke provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor processing device provided in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the radio frequency choke and semiconductor processing device proposed in this utility model. The advantages and features of this utility model will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, intended only to facilitate and clearly illustrate the embodiments of this utility model. Please refer to the drawings to make the objectives, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable. It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are only for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the implementation conditions of this utility model. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives achieved by this utility model, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in this utility model.

[0034] Combined with appendix Figures 1-5 As shown, this embodiment provides a radio frequency (RF) choke applied to a semiconductor processing device. The RF choke 100 includes a gas supply tube 110 and a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120. The nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 is disposed around the gas supply tube 110 in a predetermined manner to suppress the transmission of radio frequency signals along the gas supply tube 110, thereby preventing the gas within the gas supply tube 110 from being ionized into plasma; and the predetermined manner is at least one of a wound type, a stacked type, and a spiral type. In one embodiment, the gas supply tube 110 is a metal tube.

[0035] In one embodiment, the gas supply pipe 110 is an aluminum pipe.

[0036] Specifically, the gas supply pipe 110 includes an inlet and an outlet. When a radio frequency (RF) signal is applied to one of the inlet and outlet ends of the gas supply pipe 110, and the other is grounded, the RF signal will naturally propagate along the gas supply pipe 110, causing a voltage difference to form between the inlet and outlet ends. When the gas pressure inside the gas supply pipe 110 is within a certain range, this voltage difference will cause an electric arc to be generated inside the gas supply pipe 110, resulting in the gas inside the gas supply pipe 110 being ionized into unwanted plasma (i.e., parasitic plasma), which will affect subsequent processes.

[0037] In this embodiment, to suppress the transmission of radio frequency signals along the gas supply pipe 110, a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 is provided on the outside of the gas supply pipe 110 in a predetermined manner. It is understood that when a radio frequency signal is applied to the inlet or outlet of the gas supply pipe 110, the radio frequency signal will also generate an alternating magnetic field and naturally form a circumferential magnetic flux path (i.e., magnetic flux lines surround the gas supply pipe 110). In this embodiment, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 is used to enhance the magnetic flux of the alternating magnetic field, thereby increasing the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110, and thus increasing the impedance of the gas supply pipe 110. This achieves the purpose of suppressing the transmission of radio frequency signals along the gas supply pipe 110, realizing the isolation of radio frequency signals, and further preventing the gas inside the gas supply pipe 110 from being ionized into plasma.

[0038] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, when the preset method is a wound type, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 includes a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet 1201, which is wound in multiple layers around the outside of the gas supply pipe 110. In this way, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 is easy to manufacture and process. In one embodiment, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet 1201 is wound in at least 4 layers so that the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 can effectively increase the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110.

[0039] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 and Figure 2 An insulating layer 1202 is provided between two adjacent nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheets 1201 to electrically insulate them, thereby reducing eddy currents and thus reducing the magnetic loss of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120, further increasing the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110. It should be noted that the insulating layer 1202 can be an insulating film (e.g., a polyimide film) or an insulating coating applied to the surface of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheets 1201; no limitation is made here.

[0040] In another embodiment, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, when the preset method is a stacked type, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 includes a plurality of nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings 1203. The plurality of nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings 1203 are sleeved on the outside of the gas supply pipe 110 and distributed at intervals along the axial direction of the gas supply pipe 110. In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings 1203 matches the pipe diameter of the gas supply pipe 110, so as to facilitate the sleeve of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings 1203 on the outside of the gas supply pipe 110, so that the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 can effectively increase the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110.

[0041] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 An insulating layer 1204 is provided between two adjacent nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings 1203 to electrically insulate them, thereby reducing eddy currents and thus reducing the magnetic loss of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120, further increasing the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110. It should be noted that the insulating layer 1204 can be an insulating film (e.g., a polyimide film) or an insulating coating applied to the surface of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings 1203; no limitation is made here.

[0042] In yet another embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, when the preset mode is spiral, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 includes a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strip 1205, which is spirally wound around the outside of the gas supply pipe 110. It can be understood that the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strip 1205 is a flat rolled product with a rectangular cross-section and uniform thickness.

[0043] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 5 An insulating layer 1206 is provided between two adjacent spirals formed by nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strips 1205 to electrically insulate the two adjacent spirals, thereby reducing eddy currents and thus reducing the magnetic loss of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120, further increasing the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110. It should be noted that the insulating layer 1206 can be an insulating film (such as a polyimide film) or an insulating coating applied to the side of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strip 1205, and is not limited here.

[0044] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 and Figure 3 The gas supply pipe 110 is not only provided with a gas channel 1101 for gas flow, but also with a cooling channel 1102. The cooling channel 1102 is arranged around the gas channel 1101 so that the coolant cools the gas in the gas channel 1101 when it flows along the cooling channel 1102, thereby meeting the process requirements.

[0045] In addition, when the gas supply pipe 110’s inlet end is sealed to a device (e.g., a remote plasma source) through a sealing ring and the gas supply pipe 110’s outlet end is sealed to another device (e.g., a reaction chamber) through a sealing ring, the cooling channel 1102 can be used to cool the sealing ring, thereby preventing the sealing ring from failing due to excessive temperature. However, this utility model is not limited to this.

[0046] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 and Figure 3An insulating film 130 or an insulating coating is provided on the outside of the gas supply pipe 110 to electrically isolate the gas supply pipe 110, thereby preventing workers from being electrocuted by contacting the gas supply pipe, but this utility model is not limited thereto.

[0047] In some embodiments, if the axial length of the gas supply pipe 110 is relatively long, the number of nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy components 120 can be multiple, and the multiple nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy components 120 are distributed at intervals along the axial direction of the gas supply pipe 110. This can avoid the length of a single nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 in the axial direction of the gas supply pipe 110 being too long, thereby facilitating the processing and fabrication of each nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120. At the same time, it is also convenient to surround the outside of the gas supply pipe 110 in a predetermined manner, thereby improving the fabrication efficiency of the radio frequency choke 100.

[0048] Furthermore, during the fabrication of the RF choke 100, after the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 is installed on the outside of the gas supply pipe 110, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 can be annealed in a magnetic field to optimize the magnetic domain arrangement, thereby making the magnetic alignment direction of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 a circumferential direction to effectively support the magnetic flux path of the alternating magnetic field. Furthermore, when the magnetic domains (circumferential) of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 are neatly arranged, the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110 can be maximized.

[0049] It should be noted that the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy used in this embodiment is an existing material; and the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy has the advantages of low loss, small size, low heat generation, high thermal conductivity, good magnetic permeability temperature stability, high operating temperature (up to 135℃), and high Curie temperature. Specifically, low loss means that under the condition of a 20KW radio frequency signal power, the core loss and heat generation of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component is on the order of 10-100mW / cm². 3 The advantages of nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloys include: small size (more than half the volume of components using other magnetic materials) due to their high permeability and high saturation magnetic flux density, allowing for a more efficient increase in inductance in the gas supply pipe compared to components using other magnetic materials, while maintaining the same increase in inductance), low heat generation and high thermal conductivity eliminate the need for intentionally thin magnetic rings, eliminating the need for such designs, and high Curie temperature (unless overheating to below 500°C, allowing for continued use after cooling), and good temperature stability of permeability (resulting in minimal permeability fluctuations with temperature, improving batch-to-batch stability of coatings when used in semiconductor processing equipment).

[0050] Based on the same inventive concept, such as Figure 6As shown, this embodiment provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, including: a reaction chamber 210, a remote plasma source 240 located outside the reaction chamber 210, a radio frequency power source 250, and a radio frequency choke 100 as described above, wherein the remote plasma source 240 is grounded. The reaction chamber 210 includes a cavity 212 and a top cover 211 disposed on the top of the cavity 212, and an air inlet channel 2111 is provided inside the top cover 2111. The air inlet end of the gas supply pipe 110 in the radio frequency choke 100 is connected to the remote plasma source 240, and the air outlet end is connected to the air inlet channel 2111 inside the top cover 211; gas (including process gas and cleaning gas) is introduced into the reaction chamber 210 through the remote plasma source 240, the gas supply pipe 110, and the air inlet channel 2111. The radio frequency power source 250 is electrically connected to the top cover 211 and is used to apply a radio frequency signal to the reaction chamber 210 to ionize the process gas introduced into the reaction chamber 210 into plasma, thereby performing process processing on the wafer 200 in the reaction chamber 210.

[0051] Specifically, the bottom of the cavity 212 is provided with a base 220 for supporting the wafer 200; the bottom of the top cover 211 is provided with a spray head 230 opposite to the base 220, and the spray head 230 is connected to the air inlet channel 2111. More specifically, the air inlet and outlet of the gas supply pipe 110 are respectively sealed to the remote plasma source 240 and the top cover 211 through sealing rings (not shown in the figure), but this utility model is not limited thereto.

[0052] During the cleaning of the reaction chamber 210, a cleaning gas is introduced into the remote plasma 240. The remote plasma source 240 ionizes the cleaning gas (such as nitrogen trifluoride NF3, carbon tetrafluoride CF4, etc.) into active atoms (such as active fluorine atoms), which are then transported to the spray head 230 through the gas channel 1101 and the inlet channel 2111 in the gas supply pipe 110. From there, the gas diffuses into the reaction chamber 210, allowing the active atoms to clean the inner walls of the reaction chamber 210 and the surfaces of the components within it, thus maintaining a high level of cleanliness within the reaction chamber 210. It should be noted that the active atoms generated by the ionization of the remote plasma source 240 are at a relatively high temperature. As the active atoms flow through the gas channel 1101 in the gas supply pipe 110 (such as nitrogen trifluoride NF3, carbon tetrafluoride CF4, etc.), the temperature of the active atoms increases. Figure 1 and Figure 3 When (as shown), cooling channel 1102 (such as) can be used. Figure 1 and Figure 3 (As shown) Cooling the active atoms to bring them to a preset temperature; at the same time, the cooling channel 1102 can also cool the sealing ring to prevent it from failing due to excessive temperature, thereby ensuring the airtightness between the gas supply pipe 110 and the remote plasma source 240 and the top cover 211.

[0053] During the processing of wafer 200, process gas is introduced into remote plasma 240. Remote plasma 240 directly delivers the process gas to spray head 230 through gas supply pipe 110 and inlet channel 2111, and then diffuses it into reaction chamber 210 from spray head 230. It can be understood that spray head 230 also serves as upper electrode, and grounded base 220 also serves as lower electrode; and radio frequency power source 250 applies radio frequency signal to spray head 230 through top cover 211 to generate radio frequency electric field between upper and lower electrodes, thereby ionizing process gas in reaction chamber 210 into plasma, and plasma undergoes various physical and chemical reactions with the surface of wafer 200 to process wafer 200.

[0054] In one embodiment, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a gas source 260 connected to a remote plasma source 240 via a gas delivery pipe 261 for supplying gases, namely process gases and cleaning gases. In one embodiment, the gas delivery pipe 261 is grounded such that the remote plasma source 240 is grounded via the gas delivery pipe 261, and the inlet end of the gas supply pipe 110 is grounded via the remote plasma source 240.

[0055] As described in the background section, the gas pressure in the gas supply pipe 110 should not be too high, so as to avoid the active atoms from combining (for example, active fluorine atoms combining to form fluorine molecules F2) and losing their activity when cleaning the reaction chamber 210, thus affecting the cleaning efficiency and quality of the reaction chamber.

[0056] Understandably, when the gas pressure inside the gas supply pipe 110 cannot be too high, the RF power source 250 applies an RF signal to the spray head 230 through the top cover 211 to process the wafer 200. At this time, the RF signal generated by the RF power source 250 is also applied to the gas outlet of the gas supply pipe 110 through the top cover 211, and the RF signal applied to the gas supply pipe 110 will also generate an alternating magnetic field and naturally form a circumferential magnetic flux path (i.e., magnetic flux lines surround the gas supply pipe 110). In this embodiment, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component 120 surrounding the gas supply pipe 110 is used to enhance the magnetic flux of the alternating magnetic field, thereby increasing the inductance of the gas supply pipe 110, thereby increasing the impedance of the gas supply pipe 110, achieving the purpose of suppressing the transmission of the RF signal along the gas supply pipe 110, realizing the isolation of the RF signal, and thus preventing the gas inside the gas supply pipe 110 from being ionized into plasma (i.e., parasitic plasma), ensuring the fabrication yield of the wafer 200.

[0057] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the preferred embodiments above, it should be understood that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. Various modifications and substitutions to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above content. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A radio frequency choke, characterized in that, include: Gas supply pipe; A nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component is arranged around the gas supply pipe in a predetermined manner to suppress the transmission of radio frequency signals along the gas supply pipe; Furthermore, the preset method is at least one of the following: winding, stacking, and spiral.

2. The radio frequency choke as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the preset method is a winding type, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component includes a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet, which is wound in multiple layers around the outside of the gas supply pipe along the circumference of the gas supply pipe.

3. The radio frequency choke as described in claim 2, characterized in that, An insulating layer is provided between two adjacent layers of the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy sheet.

4. The radio frequency choke as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the preset method is a stacked type, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component includes multiple nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings, which are sleeved on the outside of the gas supply pipe and distributed along the axial direction of the gas supply pipe.

5. The radio frequency choke as described in claim 4, characterized in that, An insulating layer is provided between two adjacent nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy rings.

6. The radio frequency choke as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, When the preset mode is spiral, the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy component includes a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strip, which is spirally wound around the outside of the gas supply pipe.

7. The radio frequency choke as described in claim 6, characterized in that, An insulating layer is provided between two adjacent spirals formed by the nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy strip.

8. The radio frequency choke as described in claim 3, 5, or 7, characterized in that, The insulating layer is an insulating film or an insulating coating.

9. The radio frequency choke as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The gas supply pipe has a cooling channel inside.

10. The radio frequency choke as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The gas supply pipe is provided with an insulating film or coated with an insulating coating on its outer side.

11. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The reaction chamber includes a remote plasma source, a radio frequency power source, and a radio frequency choke as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, all located outside the reaction chamber. The radio frequency power source is electrically connected to the top cover of the reaction chamber, and the top cover is provided with an air inlet channel; the air inlet end of the gas supply pipe in the radio frequency choke is connected to the remote plasma source, and the air outlet end is connected to the air inlet channel in the top cover; the gas is introduced into the reaction chamber through the remote plasma source, the gas supply pipe and the air inlet channel.

12. The semiconductor processing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: A gas source, connected to the remote plasma source, is used to provide the gas.

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