A remote plasma system and thin film deposition apparatus

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of remote plasma system and a kind of thin film deposition equipment.The remote plasma system includes: remote plasma source;Connecting column, its first end connects the remote plasma source;Base, its first end connects the second end of the connecting column, and its second end connects process chamber, wherein, sealing ring is equipped between the process chamber with the second end of the base;And temperature regulating device, including thermocouple, temperature controller and temperature adjustment module, wherein, the thermocouple is attached to the outside of the connecting column, to detect the temperature of its internal remote plasma, the temperature controller is according to the temperature measured by the thermocouple, drives the temperature adjustment module to adjust the temperature of the base.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a remote plasma system and a thin film deposition apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor thin film deposition processes, the remote plasma source (RPS) is one of the core components of the thin film deposition equipment. Its main function is to generate active plasma for thin film deposition. By exciting and ionizing the process gas, it provides the necessary reactive species for thin film deposition, directly affecting key properties such as the deposition rate, composition, and structure of the thin film. The remote plasma source base, as an important support and mounting foundation for the remote plasma source, not only secures the core components of the remote plasma source, ensuring its stable operation during the process, but also connects related pipelines and facilitates the transmission of process gases and cooling media. It is a critical structural component for maintaining the normal operation of the remote plasma source.

[0003] Existing remote plasma systems typically employ a sealing ring at the connection between the base and the process chamber. This sealing ring effectively isolates the external environment from the internal process channels, preventing process gas leakage and the intrusion of external impurities, thus ensuring the sealing and stability of the internal process environment of the thin film deposition equipment. However, the base temperature of thin film deposition equipment is usually high, making the sealing ring more susceptible to corrosion. This leads to a decrease in its sealing performance, resulting in problems such as process gas leakage and the entry of external impurities, adversely affecting the thin film deposition process.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the existing technology, there is an urgent need in the field for a remote plasma technology to control the temperature of the remote plasma source base to reduce the corrosion of the sealing ring, thereby avoiding the problem of particles in the cavity environment caused by the corrosion of the sealing ring, so as to improve the consistency of the deposition film process. Utility Model Content

[0005] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of them. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0006] To overcome the aforementioned deficiencies in the existing technology, this utility model provides a remote plasma system and a thin film deposition device for controlling the temperature of the remote plasma source base, thereby reducing the corrosion of the sealing ring and avoiding particulate problems in the cavity environment caused by the corrosion of the sealing ring.

[0007] Specifically, the remote plasma system provided according to the first aspect of this utility model includes: a remote plasma source; a connecting column, the first end of which is connected to the remote plasma source; a base, the first end of which is connected to the second end of the connecting column, and the second end of which is connected to a process chamber, wherein a sealing ring is provided between the process chamber and the second end of the base; and a temperature control device, including a thermocouple, a temperature controller, and a temperature adjustment module, wherein the thermocouple is attached to the outside of the connecting column to detect the temperature of the remote plasma inside it, and the temperature controller drives the temperature adjustment module to adjust the temperature of the base according to the temperature measured by the thermocouple.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the temperature regulation module includes: a cooling water channel disposed on the outer surface of the base; and a water cooler for controlling the flow rate of the cooling water channel according to the command of the base temperature, so as to regulate the temperature of the base.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the cooling water channel is disposed on the water-cooling assembly, the water-cooling assembly is detachably installed on the outside of the base and fits against the outer surface of the base, or the base integrates a remote plasma cavity and the cooling water channel, the cooling water channel surrounding the outside of the remote plasma cavity.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the remote plasma system further includes: a proportional valve, used to adjust the opening degree according to the command of the base temperature, so as to control the flow rate of the cooling water channel.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the temperature regulation module includes: a thermoelectric cooler, which is fitted and installed with the connecting post; and a voltage regulator connected to the thermoelectric cooler for adjusting the input voltage of the thermoelectric cooler to control the temperature of the thermoelectric cooler.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the temperature regulation module includes a plurality of semiconductor cooling chips, which are respectively installed at multiple positions of the connecting post to regulate the temperature at the corresponding positions.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of this utility model, the sealing ring is made of fluororubber.

[0014] Furthermore, the thin film deposition apparatus provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber; and a remote plasma system as described in any one of the first aspects of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The above-described features and advantages of this invention can be better understood after reading the following detailed description of the embodiments of this disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar related characteristics or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0016] Figure 1 A scatter plot showing the relationship between intracavity temperature and non-uniformity according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a remote plasma system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a remote plasma system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure label:

[0020] 10 Remote Plasma Sources

[0021] 20 Connecting Posts

[0022] 30 bases

[0023] 40 thermocouples

[0024] 50 Thermostat

[0025] 60 cooling water channel

[0026] 61 Water cooler

[0027] 62 proportional valve

[0028] 70 Semiconductor Cooling Chip

[0029] 71 Voltage Regulator Detailed Implementation

[0030] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of this utility model will be presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this utility model are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the utility model in conjunction with the embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of this utility model. To provide a deep understanding of this utility model, many specific details will be included in the following description. This utility model may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of this utility model, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0031] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; 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; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0032] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in the relevant paragraphs and accompanying drawings. These relative terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply that the described device must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this invention.

[0033] It is understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer, and / or part discussed below may be referred to as the second component, region, layer, and / or part without departing from some embodiments of this utility model.

[0034] As mentioned above, in semiconductor thin film deposition processes, the remote plasma source (RPS) is one of the core components of the thin film deposition equipment. Its main function is to generate active plasma for thin film deposition. By exciting and ionizing the process gas, it provides the necessary reactive species for thin film deposition, directly affecting key properties such as the deposition rate, composition, and structure of the thin film. The remote plasma source base, as an important support and mounting foundation for the remote plasma source, not only secures the core components of the remote plasma source and ensures its stable operation during the process, but also connects related pipelines and facilitates the transmission of process gases and cooling media. It is a key structural component for maintaining the normal operation of the remote plasma source.

[0035] Existing remote plasma systems typically employ a sealing ring at the connection between the base and the process chamber. This sealing ring effectively isolates the external environment from the internal process channels, preventing process gas leakage and the intrusion of external impurities, thus ensuring the sealing and stability of the internal process environment of the thin film deposition equipment. However, the base temperature of thin film deposition equipment is usually high, making the sealing ring more susceptible to corrosion. This leads to a decrease in its sealing performance, resulting in problems such as process gas leakage and the entry of external impurities, adversely affecting the thin film deposition process.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A scatter plot showing the relationship between intracavity temperature and non-uniformity according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the cavity temperature is reduced by gas flow before thin film deposition. As can be seen from the figure, nu% represents the non-uniformity of the film thickness within the cavity, used to indicate the non-uniformity of the film thickness under the first and second temperature conditions, respectively. Here, the first temperature is the cavity temperature before gas flow, and the second temperature is the cavity temperature after gas flow; the first temperature is higher than the second temperature. Therefore, it can be seen that the non-uniformity of the film thickness within the cavity decreases significantly with decreasing temperature. In other words, after the cavity temperature is reduced by gas flow, the uniformity of the film deposition significantly improves with decreasing temperature.

[0038] To overcome the aforementioned deficiencies in the existing technology, this utility model provides a remote plasma system and a thin film deposition apparatus for controlling the temperature of the remote plasma source base to reduce corrosion of the sealing ring, thereby avoiding particle problems in the cavity environment caused by corrosion of the sealing ring, and improving the consistency of the deposited thin film process.

[0039] In some non-limiting embodiments, the remote plasma system provided in the first aspect of this invention can be implemented based on the thin film deposition apparatus provided in the second aspect of this invention. Specifically, the thin film deposition apparatus includes a process chamber and a remote plasma system as described in any of the first aspects of this invention.

[0040] Please refer to the details. Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a remote plasma system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, the remote plasma system includes a remote plasma source 10, a connecting column 20, a base 30, and a temperature control device. The first end of the connecting column 20 is connected to the remote plasma source 10. The first end of the base 30 is connected to the second end of the connecting column 20, and its second end is connected to the process chamber. A sealing ring is provided between the process chamber and the second end of the base 30. This sealing ring can be made of fluororubber. The temperature control device includes a thermocouple 40, a temperature controller 50, and a temperature adjustment module. The thermocouple 40 is attached to the outside of the connecting column 20 to detect the temperature of the remote plasma inside. The temperature controller 50 drives the temperature adjustment module to adjust the temperature of the base 30 based on the temperature measured by the thermocouple 40.

[0042] Therefore, by controlling the temperature of the base 30 of the remote plasma source 10, this solution can reduce the corrosion of the sealing ring, ensure its long-term good sealing performance, extend the service life of the sealing ring, and reduce the number of equipment downtime maintenance caused by sealing ring failure. At the same time, it can also avoid particle problems in the cavity environment caused by sealing ring corrosion, ensuring the stability of the thin film deposition process environment, which is conducive to improving the quality consistency of the deposited thin film and reducing the risk of increased production costs due to thin film quality problems.

[0043] Furthermore, by detecting the temperature of the connecting column 20, this solution can avoid temperature measurement errors caused by measuring the surface temperature of the base 30, thereby obtaining the actual internal temperature of the base 30 more accurately, and improving the accuracy of temperature control of the sealing ring between the base 30 and the process chamber.

[0044] In some embodiments, the remote plasma system further includes a transmission pipeline through which the base 30 delivers the deposition gas generated by the remote plasma source 10 to the process chamber, and a sealing ring is provided at least at the interface between the base 30 and the transmission pipeline.

[0045] In some embodiments, the temperature controller 50 may be configured to: generate a corresponding temperature adjustment command based on the temperature measured by the thermocouple 40, and send the temperature adjustment command to the temperature adjustment module; and the temperature adjustment module may perform closed-loop feedback adjustment of the temperature of the base 30.

[0046] Furthermore, the steps of the temperature regulation module to perform closed-loop feedback regulation of the temperature of the base 30 include: comparing the temperature of the base 30 with a preset temperature threshold to obtain a temperature deviation value; calculating the temperature regulation amount based on the temperature deviation value using a PID control algorithm and generating a corresponding temperature regulation command; the temperature regulation module regulating the temperature of the base 30 according to the temperature regulation command; and feeding back the temperature of the base 30 after regulation by the temperature regulation module to the temperature controller 50 to perform closed-loop feedback regulation of the temperature of the base 30.

[0047] In some embodiments, the temperature regulation module includes a cooling water channel 60 and a water cooler 61. The cooling water channel 60 is disposed on the outer surface of the base 30 and is used to cool the base 30. The water cooler 61 is used to control the flow rate of the cooling water channel 60 according to the temperature command of the base 30, so as to regulate the temperature of the base 30.

[0048] Furthermore, the cooling water channel 60 is provided on the water cooling assembly, which is detachably installed on the outside of the base 30 and fits against the outer surface of the base 30, or the base 30 integrates a remote plasma cavity and the cooling water channel 60, with the cooling water channel 60 surrounding the outside of the remote plasma cavity.

[0049] Furthermore, the remote plasma system also includes a proportional valve 62. This proportional valve 62 can be used to adjust its opening according to the temperature of the base 30 to control the flow rate of the cooling water channel 60.

[0050] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described temperature regulation module structure is merely a non-limiting embodiment provided by this utility model, intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of this utility model and provide some specific solutions that are easy for the public to implement, rather than being used to limit the specific structure of the temperature regulation module.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a remote plasma system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, the temperature control module includes a thermoelectric cooler 70 and a voltage regulator 71. The thermoelectric cooler 70 is fitted and mounted to the connecting post 20. Here, the thermoelectric cooler 70 can cool the connecting post 20 by applying a voltage in a first direction, thereby controlling the temperature of the base 30.

[0053] The voltage regulator 71 is connected to the thermoelectric cooler 70 and is used to adjust the input voltage of the thermoelectric cooler 70 to control its temperature. Preferably, the voltage regulator 71 is a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) voltage regulator.

[0054] In some embodiments, the thermoelectric cooler 70 can also perform a heating function. By applying a voltage in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the thermoelectric cooler 70 is heated to regulate the temperature of the base 30.

[0055] Furthermore, the temperature control module may include multiple thermoelectric coolers 70, each of which is mounted at multiple locations on the connecting post 20 to adjust the temperature at its corresponding location. Thus, the temperature control module can achieve differentiated adjustment of the base 30 at multiple locations. The thermoelectric coolers 70 may also be mounted on the surface of the base.

[0056] In summary, the remote plasma system and thin film deposition equipment provided by this utility model can be used to control the temperature of the remote plasma source base, thereby reducing the corrosion of the sealing ring and avoiding particle problems in the cavity environment caused by the corrosion of the sealing ring.

[0057] Although the methods described above are illustrated and depicted as a series of actions for the sake of simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, as some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from the illustrations and descriptions herein or not illustrated and described herein but which may be understood by those skilled in the art, according to one or more embodiments.

[0058] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A remote plasma system, characterized in that, include: Remote plasma source; A connecting column, the first end of which is connected to the remote plasma source; A base, the first end of which is connected to the second end of the connecting column, and the second end of which is connected to the process chamber, wherein a sealing ring is provided between the process chamber and the second end of the base; and The temperature control device includes a thermocouple, a temperature controller, and a temperature adjustment module. The thermocouple is attached to the outside of the connecting column to detect the temperature of the remote plasma inside. The temperature controller drives the temperature adjustment module to adjust the temperature of the base based on the temperature measured by the thermocouple.

2. The remote plasma system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature regulation module includes: Cooling water channels are provided on the outer surface of the base; and A water cooler is used to control the flow rate of the cooling water channel according to the command of the base temperature, so as to regulate the temperature of the base.

3. The remote plasma system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The cooling water channel is located on the water-cooling assembly, which is detachably mounted on the outside of the base and fits against the outer surface of the base, or The base integrates a remote plasma cavity and the cooling water channel, with the cooling water channel surrounding the outer side of the remote plasma cavity.

4. The remote plasma system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A proportional valve is used to adjust its opening degree according to the command of the base temperature in order to control the flow rate of the cooling water channel.

5. The remote plasma system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature regulation module includes: A semiconductor cooling chip, which is fitted and mounted to the connecting post; and A voltage regulator, connected to the thermoelectric cooler, is used to adjust the input voltage of the thermoelectric cooler to control its temperature.

6. The remote plasma system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The temperature regulation module includes multiple semiconductor cooling chips, which are respectively installed at multiple positions of the connecting post to regulate the temperature at the corresponding positions.

7. The remote plasma system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing ring is made of fluororubber.

8. A thin film deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: Process chambers; as well as The remote plasma system as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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