A lower electrode assembly and semiconductor processing equipment

Abstract

This invention discloses a lower electrode assembly and a semiconductor processing device. The lower electrode assembly includes: an electrostatic chuck with its upper surface for adsorbing wafers; an edge ring assembly surrounding the electrostatic chuck; the edge ring assembly includes: an edge adjustment ring with a built-in DC electrode and an RF electrode; a focusing ring disposed on the edge adjustment ring and fixed by electrostatic adsorption via the DC electrode during the process; and a dielectric channel disposed between the upper surface of the edge adjustment ring and the lower surface of the focusing ring, through which a heat-conducting gas is introduced during the process. This invention can improve cooling capacity, increase the power applied to the edge adjustment ring, reduce the maintenance difficulty of the focusing ring, and reduce the difficulty of controlling the parallelism between the upper layer of the focusing ring and the wafer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and in particular to a lower electrode assembly and semiconductor processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In plasma etching equipment, to adjust the plasma direction at the wafer edge and improve the perpendicularity of deep holes at the wafer edge, a focus ring and an edge adjustment ring (AEIT ring) are typically placed at the edge of the electrostatic chuck (ESC). Existing connection methods for the focus ring and edge adjustment ring present several problems. One common method is to bond the focus ring to the edge adjustment ring with double-sided adhesive, but this method is difficult to maintain and suffers from poor thermal conductivity, uneven adhesive layer thickness, and difficulty in controlling the parallelism between the upper surface of the focus ring and the wafer. Another method is to mechanically clamp the focus ring onto the edge adjustment ring, but this method also suffers from contact and thermal conductivity issues. As etching processes increasingly demand high aspect ratios and high etching rates, the etching power and the power applied to the edge adjustment ring also increase. This results in existing edge adjustment rings failing to meet the requirements of current etching processes in terms of cooling capacity and precision.

[0003] The statements herein provide only background information relating to this invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a lower electrode assembly and semiconductor processing equipment that improves cooling capacity, increases the power applied to the edge adjustment ring, reduces the maintenance difficulty of the focusing ring, and reduces the difficulty of controlling the parallelism between the upper layer of the focusing ring and the wafer.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model is implemented through the following technical solution:

[0006] A lower electrode assembly includes: an electrostatic chuck with its upper surface for adsorbing a wafer; an edge ring assembly surrounding the electrostatic chuck; the edge ring assembly includes: an edge adjustment ring having a built-in DC electrode and an RF electrode; a focusing ring disposed on the edge adjustment ring and fixed by electrostatic adsorption through the DC electrode during the process; and a dielectric channel disposed between the upper surface of the edge adjustment ring and the lower surface of the focusing ring, wherein a heat-conducting gas is introduced into the dielectric channel during the process.

[0007] Optionally, the edge ring assembly is spaced apart from the electrostatic chuck.

[0008] Optionally, the edge adjustment ring includes: a metal base layer and a dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer is disposed on the upper surface of the metal base layer; the DC electrode and the radio frequency electrode are both disposed within the dielectric layer.

[0009] Optionally, the DC electrode is located above the RF electrode.

[0010] Optionally, the dielectric layer is connected to the metal substrate via an adhesive layer.

[0011] Optionally, the thickness of the adhesive layer is no greater than 0.1 mm.

[0012] Optionally, the surface roughness of the dielectric layer is not greater than 0.4 μm.

[0013] Optionally, the flatness of the upper surface of the dielectric layer is not greater than 0.05 mm.

[0014] Optionally, the metal base layer is provided with a cooling channel, and the electrostatic chuck is provided with a cooling flow channel. The refrigerant in the cooling channel and the cooling flow channel can be independently controlled.

[0015] Optionally, it also includes a heating electrode disposed within the dielectric layer.

[0016] Optionally, an insulating material is filled between the edge ring assembly and the electrostatic chuck.

[0017] Optionally, it also includes a temperature sensor inserted from the bottom atmospheric side through the metal substrate into the interior of the dielectric layer to measure the temperature of the focusing ring.

[0018] Optionally, the upper surface of the dielectric layer is provided with a downwardly recessed groove, and the lower surface of the focusing ring covers the groove to form the dielectric channel.

[0019] Optionally, it further includes: a base, the base comprising:

[0020] First sub-base;

[0021] The second sub-base is provided on the first sub-base, and the two are detachably connected;

[0022] The electrostatic chuck and the edge ring assembly are disposed on the upper surface of the first sub-base and are both detachably connected to the first sub-base.

[0023] Optionally, it further includes: a plurality of first connectors, the plurality of first connectors being arranged at circumferential intervals along the base; each first connector being integrally embedded inside the first sub-base and the second sub-base, with one end disposed in the first sub-base and the other end extending into the second sub-base to connect the first sub-base and the second sub-base.

[0024] A plurality of second connectors are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the electrostatic chuck. Each second connector is integrally embedded inside the first sub-base and the electrostatic chuck, with one end disposed in the first sub-base and the other end extending into the electrostatic chuck to connect the first sub-base and the electrostatic chuck.

[0025] A plurality of third connectors are provided, spaced circumferentially along the edge adjusting ring. Each third connector is integrally embedded within the first sub-base and the edge adjusting ring, with one end disposed within the first sub-base and the other end extending into the edge adjusting ring, thereby connecting the first sub-base and the edge adjusting ring. Optionally, the system further includes a plurality of lifting holes spaced at intervals along the edge of the first sub-base.

[0026] Optionally, it further includes: a medium passage, which connects to the medium channel from the bottom atmospheric side through the base, so as to introduce the heat-conducting gas into the medium channel;

[0027] The cooling passage connects from the bottom atmospheric side through the base and the cooling channel within the edge adjustment ring to introduce a cooling medium into the cooling channel.

[0028] Optionally, it further includes: a plurality of first sealing rings respectively arranged around the cooling passage, located between the first sub-base and the second sub-base, and between the edge adjusting ring and the first sub-base; a plurality of second sealing rings respectively arranged around the medium passage, located between the first sub-base and the second sub-base, and between the edge adjusting ring and the first sub-base; and a plurality of third sealing rings located between the edge adjusting ring and the first sub-base.

[0029] On the other hand, this utility model also provides a semiconductor processing device, including: a reaction chamber, a lower electrode assembly as described above, disposed at the bottom of the interior of the reaction chamber; a gas supply device, located at the top of the reaction chamber and disposed opposite to the lower electrode assembly, for supplying reaction gas into the reaction chamber; and a radio frequency power supply device, electrically connected to the lower electrode assembly and / or the gas supply device, to ionize the reaction gas to form plasma.

[0030] This utility model has at least one of the following technical effects:

[0031] This invention uses electrostatic adsorption to fix the focusing ring. Both the focusing ring and the edge adjustment ring are precision-machined parts with good flatness and roughness. After adsorption and fixation, the flatness of the upper surface of the focusing ring is improved, thereby improving the etching uniformity. Combined with the matching Chuck (adsorption) / De-Chuck (de-adsorption) process, the focusing ring can be easily disassembled and maintained.

[0032] This invention improves the cooling effect of the focusing ring by allowing the focusing ring and the edge adjustment ring to be in direct contact and by providing a medium channel through which heat-conducting gas is introduced, thereby increasing the heat conduction between the focusing ring and the edge adjustment ring located below it. This enables the edge adjustment ring and the focusing ring to operate under high-power conditions.

[0033] In this invention, after the dielectric layer and the metal base layer are connected by an adhesive layer, the upper surface of the dielectric layer is ground to ensure that the roughness of the upper surface of the dielectric layer is no greater than 0.4 μm, thereby enabling the focusing ring to make close contact or even achieve a seal when it is adsorbed on the upper surface of the dielectric layer.

[0034] This invention further improves the cooling effect of the edge adjustment ring and the focusing ring by providing a cooling channel.

[0035] This invention prevents micro-arcing between the edge ring assembly and the electrostatic chuck by filling the space between the edge ring assembly and the electrostatic chuck with insulating material.

[0036] This invention includes a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the focusing ring. The feedback value of the temperature sensor can be used to adjust the power of the focusing ring, the temperature and flow rate of the cooling medium, the pressure of the heat-conducting gas, etc., to ensure that the temperature of the focusing ring is uniform.

[0037] This invention divides the base of the lower electrode assembly into two parts. When performing periodic maintenance on the lower electrode assembly, the first sub-base and the second sub-base can be directly disassembled, and the first sub-base, electrostatic chuck, and edge ring assembly can be removed together, further reducing the difficulty of maintenance. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lower electrode assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified structural diagram of part A in the middle;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lower electrode assembly provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 for Figure 3 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of the lower electrode assembly with the lifting components installed.

[0042] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor processing device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the lower electrode assembly 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.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a lower electrode assembly, including: an electrostatic chuck 100, the upper surface of which is used to adsorb a wafer W; an edge ring assembly 120, which is disposed around the electrostatic chuck 100; the edge ring assembly 120 includes: an edge adjustment ring 104, the edge adjustment ring 104 having a built-in DC electrode 106 and an RF electrode 107; a focusing ring 105, the focusing ring 105 being disposed on the edge adjustment ring 104 and fixed by electrostatic adsorption through the DC electrode 106 during the process; and a dielectric channel 108, disposed between the upper surface of the edge adjustment ring 104 and the lower surface of the focusing ring 105, and a heat-conducting gas is introduced into the dielectric channel 108 during the process.

[0045] In this embodiment, the focusing ring in the lower electrode assembly is fixed by electrostatic adsorption using a DC electrode. Existing solutions use double-sided adhesive to attach the focusing ring to the edge adjustment ring, which is complex to operate, has uneven adhesive layer thickness, makes it difficult to control the flatness of the focusing ring and the wafer surface, and is difficult to remove during periodic maintenance. Compared to existing solutions, this embodiment uses electrostatic adsorption to fix the focusing ring. Both the focusing ring and the edge adjustment ring are precision-machined parts with good flatness and roughness. After adsorption and fixation, the flatness of the upper surface of the focusing ring is improved, thereby improving the parallelism between the upper layer of the focusing ring and the wafer, and improving etching uniformity. Combined with the matching Chuck / De-Chuck process, the focusing ring can be easily disassembled and maintained.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a medium channel through which a heat-conducting gas is introduced is provided between the upper surface of the edge adjustment ring and the lower surface of the focusing ring. Existing solutions use double-sided adhesive to attach the focusing ring to the edge adjustment ring. The double-sided adhesive is thick, resulting in high thermal resistance and difficulty in dissipating heat. The thermal conductivity between the focusing ring and the edge adjustment ring is limited by the thermally conductive silicone material, thus limiting the power applied to both the edge adjustment ring and the focusing ring. This embodiment, by allowing direct contact between the focusing ring and the edge adjustment ring and providing a medium channel through which a heat-conducting gas is introduced, increases the thermal conductivity between the focusing ring and the edge adjustment ring below it, thereby improving the cooling effect of the focusing ring and increasing the power applied to both the edge adjustment ring and the focusing ring.

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the edge adjustment ring 104 includes: a metal base layer 1041; a dielectric layer 1042 disposed on the upper surface of the metal base layer 1041; and the DC electrode 106 and the radio frequency electrode 107 are both disposed within the dielectric layer 1042. As an example, the dielectric layer 1042 may be made of ceramic material.

[0048] In this embodiment, the dielectric layer 1042 and the metal base layer 1041 can be bonded together by an adhesive layer ( Figure 2(Not shown in the image) Connection. It is understood that the connection between the dielectric layer 1042 and the metal base layer 1041 is fixed by an adhesive layer. First, liquid glue is applied to the lower surface of the dielectric layer 1042 or the upper surface of the metal base layer 1041. Then, the two are aligned and bonded and placed in a high-temperature oven for high-temperature curing. This fixes the dielectric layer 1042 and the metal base layer 1041. Afterward, the upper surfaces of the dielectric layer 1042 and the metal base layer 1041 can be ground so that the roughness Ra of the dielectric layer is no greater than 0.4 μm, thereby enabling the focusing ring 105 to make close contact when it is adsorbed on the upper surface of the dielectric layer 1042. It is understood that the adhesive layer in this embodiment is not simply bonded with double-sided tape (double-sided tape bonding is not tight, and gaps result in poor heat transfer; in addition, if the dielectric layer and the metal substrate bonded by double-sided tape are ground, the double-sided tape will be affected by the grinding fluid and particles, causing the double-sided tape to fail). Instead, an adhesive layer is used that allows the dielectric layer 1042 and the metal substrate 1041 to be connected more tightly and integrated, and the thickness of the adhesive layer (not greater than 0.1 mm) is thinner than that of the double-sided tape (at least 0.38 mm), resulting in better heat conduction.

[0049] In this embodiment, the flatness of the upper surface of the dielectric layer 1042 is no greater than 0.05 mm, which improves the flatness of the upper surface of the focusing ring 105 and makes the plasma sheath thickness uniformly distributed on the upper surface of the focusing ring 105, thereby improving the edge etching uniformity.

[0050] In this embodiment or some other embodiments, a cooling channel 103 is also included, which is disposed within the metal base layer 1041. This embodiment further improves the cooling effect of the edge adjustment ring 104 and the focusing ring 105 through the provided cooling channel 103.

[0051] In this embodiment, the heat-conducting gas is helium. Specifically, during the process, helium is introduced into the dielectric channel 108 to promote heat exchange between the focusing ring 105 and the dielectric layer 1042.

[0052] In this embodiment or some other embodiments, the DC electrode 106 is located above the RF electrode 107 to enhance the electrostatic attraction force on the focusing ring 105. However, this invention is not limited to this and the RF electrode 107 may also be positioned above the DC electrode 106.

[0053] In some other embodiments, the lower electrode assembly further includes: a heating electrode ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the image), it is disposed within the dielectric layer 1042 to better achieve temperature control of the focusing ring 105.

[0054] In this embodiment or some other embodiments, please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2The upper surface of the dielectric layer 1042 is provided with a downwardly recessed groove 1043, and the lower surface of the focusing ring 105 covers the groove 1043 to form the dielectric channel 108, which may be annular.

[0055] In this embodiment or some other embodiments, the edge ring assembly 120 and the electrostatic chuck 100 are spaced apart. An insulating material may be filled between the edge ring assembly 120 and the electrostatic chuck 100. Figure 1 (Not shown in the diagram) to prevent the generation of micro-arcs between the two. For example, an annular rubber is provided between the inner wall of the dielectric layer 1042 and the outer wall of the electrostatic chuck 100. Preferably, the insulating material can be polytetrafluoroethylene or polyetherimide.

[0056] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 2 The lower electrode assembly further includes a temperature sensor 110, which is inserted into the dielectric layer 1042 from the bottom atmospheric side through the metal substrate 1041 to measure the temperature of the focusing ring 105.

[0057] In this embodiment, a temperature sensor 110 is inserted into the edge adjustment ring 104 from the bottom atmospheric side, extending into the dielectric layer 1042, but not penetrating it. Since the dielectric layer 1042 and the focusing ring 105 are in close contact, the temperature sensor 110 can be used to detect the temperature of the focusing ring 105. Ideally, the temperature distribution across the focusing ring 105 is uniform. However, in reality, due to inconsistent inlet and outlet temperatures of the cooling channels 103, and the influence of different shapes, fluid flow rates, temperatures, and RF power of the cooling channels 103, the temperature at different locations on the surface of the focusing ring 105 will vary, affecting the etching effect. In this embodiment, feedback values ​​from multiple temperature sensors 110 can be used to adjust the power, cooling medium temperature, flow rate, and heat-conducting gas pressure of the focusing ring 105 to ensure a uniform surface temperature distribution of the focusing ring 105.

[0058] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 1 The electrostatic chuck 100 is provided with a cooling channel 102. The refrigerant in the cooling channel 102 and the cooling channel 103 in the edge adjusting ring 104 can be independently controlled (for example, the cooling channel 102 and the cooling channel 103 are connected to different refrigerant sources, thereby achieving independent control of the refrigerant flow rate or temperature), thus enabling independent control of the temperature of the electrostatic chuck 100 and the edge ring assembly 120. However, this invention is not limited to this; in other embodiments, the cooling channel 102 and the cooling channel 103 are not independently controlled. The refrigerant in the cooling channel 102 and the cooling channel 103 is preferably a fluid, such as water or a fluorinated inactive liquid.

[0059] The electrostatic chuck 100 is also provided with a ceramic disk 101, which is provided with a DC electrode for electrostatic adsorption of the wafer W. The DC electrode provided with the electrostatic chuck 100 is independently controlled with the DC electrode 106 in the edge adjustment ring 104.

[0060] like Figure 3 As shown, in some other embodiments, the lower electrode assembly further includes: a base 200, the base 200 including: a first sub-base 201; a second sub-base 202, the first sub-base 201 being disposed on the second sub-base 202 and the two being detachably connected; the electrostatic chuck 100 and the edge ring assembly 120 being disposed on the upper surface of the first sub-base 201 and both being detachably connected to the first sub-base 201. This embodiment divides the base 200 in the lower electrode assembly into two parts. When performing periodic maintenance on the lower electrode assembly, the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202 can be disassembled, and the first sub-base 201, the electrostatic chuck 100, and the edge ring assembly 120 can be removed together, further reducing maintenance difficulty.

[0061] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the lower electrode assembly further includes a plurality of first connectors 204. The plurality of first connectors 204 are spaced apart circumferentially along the base 200 and disposed near the edge of the base 200. Each first connector 204 is entirely embedded inside the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202, with one end disposed within the first sub-base 201 and the other end extending into the second sub-base 202, thereby connecting the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202. When it is necessary to disassemble the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202, the first connector 204 can be removed through the top surface of the first sub-base 201.

[0062] Multiple second connectors 205a are integrally embedded inside the first sub-base 201 and the electrostatic chuck 100, with one end disposed within the first sub-base 201 and the other end extending into the electrostatic chuck 100, thereby connecting the first sub-base 201 and the electrostatic chuck 100. The multiple second connectors 205a are spaced apart circumferentially along the electrostatic chuck 100 and positioned close to its edge.

[0063] Multiple third connectors 205b are integrally embedded inside the first sub-base 201 and the edge adjusting ring 104. One end of each connector is located within the first sub-base 201, and the other end extends into the edge adjusting ring 104 to connect the first sub-base 201 and the edge adjusting ring 104. The multiple third connectors 205b are spaced circumferentially along the edge adjusting ring 104.

[0064] Optionally, the first connector 204, the second connector 205a, and the third connector 205b are all screws.

[0065] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the top of the first sub-base 201 is also provided with a plurality of lifting holes 203a and a plurality of lifting components 203, and the plurality of lifting holes 203a are spaced apart at the edge of the first sub-base 201. The lifting holes 203a are used to connect with, for example, the electrode assembly during installation / removal. Figure 4 The lifting component 203b shown is used to lift or disassemble the entire lower electrode assembly.

[0066] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the lower electrode assembly further includes a dielectric passage 109, which connects to the dielectric channel 108 via the base 200 from the bottom atmospheric side, to introduce the heat-conducting gas into the dielectric channel 108. The lower electrode assembly also includes a cooling passage 111, which connects to the cooling channel 103 within the edge adjustment ring 104 via the base 200 from the bottom atmospheric side, to introduce a cooling medium into the cooling channel 103.

[0067] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 In this embodiment, the lower electrode assembly further includes: a plurality of first sealing rings 206, which are respectively arranged around the cooling passage 111 and located between the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202, and between the edge adjustment ring 104 and the first sub-base 201.

[0068] Multiple second sealing rings 207 are respectively arranged around the medium passage 109, located between the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202, and between the edge adjusting ring 104 and the first sub-base 201.

[0069] Multiple third sealing rings 208 are located between the edge adjusting ring 104 and the first sub-base 201. For example, the third sealing rings 208 are provided at least at the inner and outer edges of the edge adjusting ring 104.

[0070] On the other hand, such as Figure 5 As shown, this embodiment also provides a semiconductor processing apparatus, including: a reaction chamber 300, with the lower electrode assembly as described above disposed at the bottom of the reaction chamber 300; a gas supply device 301 for supplying reaction gas into the reaction chamber; and a radio frequency power supply device (not shown) electrically connected to the lower electrode assembly and / or the gas supply device 301.

[0071] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 3 and Figure 5As shown, during the process, a wafer W to be processed is placed on the electrostatic chuck 100 in the lower electrode assembly. A DC voltage is applied to the electrostatic chuck 100 to electrostatically adsorb and fix the wafer W to be processed. At the same time, a DC voltage is applied to the DC electrode 106 in the edge adjustment ring 104 to electrostatically adsorb the focusing ring 105 onto the edge adjustment ring 104.

[0072] The interior of the reaction chamber 300 is set to a predetermined vacuum atmosphere (or reduced pressure atmosphere). Process gas is supplied to the reaction chamber 300 from the gas supply device 301. Simultaneously, a source-level radio frequency voltage is applied to the base 200 or the gas supply device 301 via a radio frequency power supply device to ionize the process gas and form plasma. This plasma contains a large number of active particles such as electrons, ions, excited-state atoms, molecules, and free radicals. These active particles can undergo various physical and / or chemical reactions with the surface of the wafer W to be processed, altering the morphology of the wafer W and thus completing the processing of the wafer W. At the same time, a bias-level radio frequency voltage is applied to the radio frequency electrodes 107 within the base 200 and the edge adjustment ring 104 to adjust the shape of the plasma sheath.

[0073] In addition, during the process, a coolant source is introduced into the cooling channel 102 of the electrostatic chuck 100 and the cooling channel 103 in the edge adjustment ring 104 to control the temperature of the electrostatic chuck 100 and the edge ring assembly 120. This embodiment also introduces a heat-conducting gas into the medium channel 108 during the process, increasing the thermal conductivity between the focusing ring 105 and the edge adjustment ring 104 located below it. This effectively directs the heat from the focusing ring 105 into the edge adjustment ring 104 and the base 200, thereby improving the cooling effect of the focusing ring 105. This allows the edge adjustment ring 104 and the focusing ring 105 to operate under high-power conditions, meeting the requirements of current etching processes for high aspect ratios and high etching rates.

[0074] In addition, when performing periodic maintenance on the lower electrode assembly, the first connector 204 can be directly removed, and the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202 can be disassembled. The first sub-base 201, the electrostatic chuck 100, and the edge ring assembly can then be removed from the reaction chamber 300 together using the lifting component 203, which can reduce the difficulty of maintenance.

[0075] When maintaining the electrostatic chuck 100 in the lower electrode assembly, since the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202 are separated, the second connector 205a can be removed from the bottom surface of the first sub-base 201, thereby removing the electrostatic chuck 100 from the first sub-base 201 for maintenance or replacement.

[0076] When maintaining the edge adjustment ring 104 in the lower electrode assembly, since the first sub-base 201 and the second sub-base 202 are separated, the third connector 205b can be removed from the bottom surface of the first sub-base 201, thereby removing the edge adjustment ring 104 from the first sub-base 201 for maintenance or replacement.

[0077] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0078] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center," "height," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0079] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0080] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0081] Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, 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 lower electrode assembly, characterized in that, include: An electrostatic chuck, the upper surface of which is used to hold wafers; An edge ring assembly is disposed around the electrostatic chuck; The edge ring assembly includes: an edge adjustment ring, wherein the edge adjustment ring has a built-in DC electrode and a radio frequency electrode; A focusing ring is disposed on the edge adjustment ring and is fixed by electrostatic adsorption of the DC electrode during the process. A medium channel is disposed between the upper surface of the edge adjustment ring and the lower surface of the focusing ring, and a heat-conducting gas is introduced into the medium channel during the process.

2. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The edge ring assembly is spaced apart from the electrostatic chuck.

3. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The edge adjustment ring includes a metal base layer and a dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer is disposed on the upper surface of the metal base layer; the DC electrode and the radio frequency electrode are both disposed within the dielectric layer.

4. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The DC electrode is located above the RF electrode.

5. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The dielectric layer is connected to the metal substrate through an adhesive layer.

6. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the adhesive layer is no greater than 0.1 mm.

7. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The surface roughness of the dielectric layer is no greater than 0.4 μm.

8. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The flatness of the upper surface of the dielectric layer is no greater than 0.05 mm.

9. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The metal base layer is provided with a cooling channel, and the electrostatic chuck is provided with a cooling flow channel. The refrigerant in the cooling channel and the cooling flow channel can be controlled independently.

10. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A heating electrode is disposed within the dielectric layer.

11. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, The edge ring assembly and the electrostatic chuck are filled with insulating material.

12. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A temperature sensor is inserted into the dielectric layer from the bottom atmospheric side through the metal substrate to measure the temperature of the focusing ring.

13. The lower electrode assembly as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The upper surface of the dielectric layer has a downwardly recessed groove, and the lower surface of the focusing ring covers the groove to form the dielectric channel.

14. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: Base, the base comprising: First sub-base; The second sub-base is provided on the first sub-base, and the two are detachably connected; The electrostatic chuck and the edge ring assembly are disposed on the upper surface of the first sub-base and are both detachably connected to the first sub-base.

15. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that, Also includes: A plurality of first connectors are arranged at circumferential intervals along the base; Each of the first connectors is embedded inside the first sub-base and the second sub-base, with one end disposed in the first sub-base and the other end extending into the second sub-base to connect the first sub-base and the second sub-base; Multiple second connectors are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the electrostatic chuck. Each second connector is entirely embedded inside the first sub-base and the electrostatic chuck, with one end disposed in the first sub-base and the other end extending into the electrostatic chuck to connect the first sub-base and the electrostatic chuck. Multiple third connectors are arranged at circumferential intervals along the edge adjustment ring. Each third connector is integrally embedded inside the first sub-base and the edge adjustment ring, with one end disposed in the first sub-base and the other end extending into the edge adjustment ring to achieve the connection between the first sub-base and the edge adjustment ring.

16. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that, Also includes: Multiple lifting holes are spaced apart at the edge of the first sub-base.

17. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that, Also includes: A medium passage connects to the medium channel from the bottom atmospheric side through the base, so as to introduce the heat-conducting gas into the medium channel; The cooling passage connects from the bottom atmospheric side through the base and the cooling channel within the edge adjustment ring to introduce a cooling medium into the cooling channel.

18. The lower electrode assembly as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that, Also includes: Multiple first sealing rings are respectively arranged around the cooling passage, located between the first sub-base and the second sub-base, and between the edge adjusting ring and the first sub-base; Multiple second sealing rings are respectively arranged around the medium passage, located between the first sub-base and the second sub-base, and between the edge adjusting ring and the first sub-base; Multiple third sealing rings are located between the edge adjusting ring and the first sub-base.

19. A semiconductor processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The reaction chamber, the lower electrode assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 18, is disposed at the bottom of the interior of the reaction chamber; A gas supply device for supplying reaction gas into the reaction chamber; A radio frequency power supply device is electrically connected to the lower electrode assembly and / or the gas supply device to ionize the reactive gas to form plasma.

Images