Gas distribution device and heat treatment apparatus including the same

Abstract

To provide a gas distribution device and a heat treatment apparatus including the gas distribution device.SOLUTION: A gas distribution device includes at least two regions having different hole distribution densities. Specifically, the gas distribution device includes a first region defined by extending radially outward from a geometric center by only a first distance, and a second region defined by extending radially from an outermost edge toward the geometric center by only a second distance, and the first region and the second region have holes having different distribution densities, respectively. According to the gas distribution device, a small amount of gas in a reaction chamber of a heat treatment apparatus can form a uniform airflow in the chamber under a low-pressure environment, and the difference between the center and the edge portion on the surface of a workpiece to be treated can be eliminated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a gas distribution element and a thermal processing apparatus including the gas distribution element. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional atmospheric annealing devices, the gas intake modes can be from the top of the reaction chamber, or from the side of the reaction chamber, or from both the top and side, but in low-pressure devices, the gas volume is small, so the above gas intake methods often cannot meet the process needs. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The present invention provides a gas distribution element and a thermal processing apparatus including the gas distribution element. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gas distribution element comprising at least two regions with different hole distribution densities, the gas distribution element comprising a first region defined by extending radially outwardly from a geometric center a first distance and a second region defined by extending radially from an outermost edge toward the geometric center a second distance, the first region and the second region each having holes with different distribution densities.

[0005] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a thermal processing apparatus including a gas distribution element as described above, said gas distribution element being provided on an inner side wall of an intake end of said thermal processing apparatus.

[0006] It should be understood that the contents described herein are not intended to describe key points or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be used to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention can be understood through the following specification.

[0007] The accompanying drawings are provided for a better understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gas distribution element according to the prior art; [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a gas distribution element according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 4 is a cross-sectional view of a gas distribution element according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of a gas distribution element according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, and various details of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be included in the description to facilitate understanding, but these should be considered as merely illustrative. Therefore, those skilled in the art should recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Similarly, in the following description, descriptions of well-known functions and structures are omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0010] In low-pressure heat treatment equipment for semiconductor workpieces, the pressure is relatively low, for example, 1 to 20 Torr, so the amount of gas in the device is small, so that unevenness in the distribution of gas flow is likely to occur, which has a significant impact on the process. In addition, as shown in Figure 1, when gas is sucked from the side end in a low-pressure device, in the prior art, an intake plate is provided at the side end of the low-pressure device, holes 1 with the same hole diameter are provided at equal intervals on the intake plate, and multiple escape slots 2, 3, 4 are generally provided at the edge of the low-pressure device. If the intake holes are provided evenly, the distribution of airflow at the center and edge of the wafer will be different, and as a result, the uniformity of the process cannot meet the requirements. Therefore, the problem of uniformity in the low-pressure process can be solved by providing a grid intake distribution plate that performs uneven intake according to the cavity of the annealing device.

[0011] Gas Distribution Element

[0012] The present invention provides a gas distribution element that may include at least two regions with different hole distribution densities. The gas distribution element may further include a first region defined by extending radially outward from a geometric center by a first distance, and a second region defined by extending radially from an outermost edge toward the geometric center by a second distance. The first region and the second region each have holes with different distribution densities.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the gas distribution element can be disposed on the inside of one side of the heat treatment device, i.e., the heat treatment device has an intake manner including side intake, or side intake and top intake. Furthermore, the gas distribution element can adopt any stable material suitable for use in the reaction chamber of the semiconductor heat treatment device, but preferably adopts a transparent quartz plate with a predetermined hole distribution.

[0014] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gas distribution element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes multiple regions R1, R2, R3 with holes 5 of different distribution densities, a relief region 6 for avoiding other intake piping, and relief slots 2, 3, 4 for avoiding the air floating block, acceleration block, and deceleration block, respectively.

[0015] Here, the gas distribution element comprises a central region, i.e. a first region R1 defined by a first distance extending radially outwards from the geometric center of the gas distribution element, for example, in said first region, said first distance may be 1-50 mm, preferably 3-45 mm, more preferably 5-40 mm, such as 8 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm and 40 mm, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of the holes in the first region may be such that the distance between the centers of adjacent holes is 1.4 to 2 cm, for example, 1.5 cm, 1.6 cm, 1.7 cm, 1.8 cm, and 1.9 cm.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the gas distribution element may further comprise an outermost region, i.e. a second region R2 defined by a second distance extending radially from the gas distribution element towards the geometric centre, for example, in said second region, said second distance may be 30-50 mm, preferably 32-45 mm, more preferably 35-43 mm, such as 37 mm, 38 mm, 39 mm, 40 mm, 41 mm and 42 mm, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of the holes in the second region is higher than the distribution density of the holes in the first region, for example, the distance between the centers of adjacent holes may be 1 cm.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the gas distribution element may further include a third region R3, which is an intermediate region located between the first and second regions, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1 to 10 mm, preferably 2 to 8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 7 mm.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of the holes in the third region may be higher than the distribution density of the holes in the first region and lower than the distribution density of the holes in the second region, for example, the distance between the centers of adjacent holes may be about 0.5 cm.

[0021] In order to ensure that a uniform gas flow can be formed in the reaction chamber, the hole density in different regions of the gas distribution element should be set in a certain ratio. Specifically, the ratio of the hole density of the first region to the third region can be 1:(2-8), such as 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7. Furthermore, the ratio of the hole density of the first region to the second region can be 1:(2-4), such as 1:3. Moreover, the hole density of the third region is higher than that of the second region.

[0022] In the case of the low pressure heat treatment device of the present invention, in order to maintain a low pressure environment, the amount of gas introduced into the reaction chamber of the heat treatment device is small, and the airflow distribution in the center area of ​​the chamber tends to be greater than that in the edge area, so that the growth rate of the oxidation product is faster in the center area of ​​the surface of the semiconductor workpiece (e.g., silicon wafer) and slower in the edge area, so that the thickness of the oxide layer finally formed in the center area is greater than that in the edge area. Therefore, in the gas distribution element of the present invention, holes with different distribution densities, especially holes with low density in the center and high density in the edge area, are provided at the side ends of the reaction chamber, so that a uniform airflow is supplied into the reaction chamber, and an oxide layer with high uniformity and few defects is formed on the surface of the semiconductor workpiece during the heat treatment process, and the oxidation treatment time is shortened.

[0023] 3 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a gas distribution element according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes multiple regions R1, R2, R3, R4 with holes 5 of different distribution densities, a relief region 6 to avoid other intake piping, and relief slots 2, 3, 4 to avoid the air floating block, acceleration block, and deceleration block, respectively.

[0024] Here, the gas distribution element comprises a central region, i.e. a first region R1 defined by a first distance extending radially outwards from the geometric center of the gas distribution element, for example, in said first region, said first distance may be 1-50 mm, preferably 3-45 mm, more preferably 5-40 mm, such as 8 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm and 40 mm, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of the holes in the first region may be such that the distance between the centers of adjacent holes is 1.4 to 2 cm, for example, 1.5 cm, 1.6 cm, 1.7 cm, 1.8 cm, and 1.9 cm.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the gas distribution element further comprises an outermost region, i.e. a second region R2 defined by a second distance extending radially from the gas distribution element towards the geometric centre, for example, in said second region, said second distance may be 30-50 mm, preferably 32-45 mm, more preferably 35-43 mm, such as 37 mm, 38 mm, 39 mm, 40 mm, 41 mm and 42 mm, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of the holes in the second region is higher than the distribution density of the holes in the first region, for example, the distance between the centers of adjacent holes may be 1 cm.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the above gas distribution element may further include at least two intermediate regions, a third region R3 and a fourth region R4, located between the first region and the second region, and the holes in the same region may have the same hole diameter, for example, in the range of 1 to 10 mm, preferably 2 to 8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 7 mm.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of the holes in the third region may be higher than the distribution density of the holes in the first region and lower than the distribution density of the holes in the second region, for example, the distance between the centers of adjacent holes may be about 0.5 cm.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of holes in the fourth region may be higher than the distribution density of holes in the first region, lower than the distribution density of holes in the second region, and lower than the distribution density of holes in the third region, for example, the distance between the centers of adjacent holes may be about 1 cm.

[0031] In order to ensure that a uniform gas flow can be formed in the reaction chamber, the hole density in different regions of the gas distribution element needs to be set in a certain ratio. Specifically, the ratio of the hole density of the first region to the third region may be 1: (2-8), for example, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7. Furthermore, the ratio of the hole density of the first region to the second region may be 1: (2-4), for example, 1:3. The ratio of the hole density of the first region to the fourth region may be 1: (2-4), for example, 1:3. Moreover, the hole density of the third region is higher than that of the second region, and the hole density of the fourth region is lower than that of the third region, and the hole density of the second region and the hole density of the fourth region may be the same or different.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, the gas distribution element according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure includes multiple regions R1, R2, R3 with holes 5 of different hole diameters, a relief region 6 for avoiding other intake piping, and relief slots 2, 3, 4 for avoiding the air floating block, the acceleration block, and the deceleration block, respectively. According to one specific embodiment, the intervals of these regions are different.

[0033] Here, the gas distribution element comprises a central region, i.e. a first region R1 defined by a first distance extending radially outwards from the geometric center of the gas distribution element, for example, in said first region, said first distance may be 1-50 mm, preferably 3-45 mm, more preferably 5-40 mm, such as 8 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm and 40 mm, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the distribution density of the holes in the first region may be such that the distance d1 between the centers of adjacent holes is 1.4 to 2 cm, for example, 1.5 cm, 1.6 cm, 1.7 cm, 1.8 cm, and 1.9 cm.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the gas distribution element further comprises an outermost region, i.e. a second region R2 defined by extending radially from the outermost edge of the gas distribution element towards its geometric centre by a second distance, for example in said second region, said second distance may be 30-50 mm, preferably 32-45 mm, more preferably 35-43 mm, such as 37 mm, 38 mm, 39 mm, 40 mm, 41 mm and 42 mm, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1-10 mm, preferably 2-8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm and 7 mm.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the inner diameter of the holes in the second region is larger than the inner diameter of the holes in the first region, for example, the distance d2 between the centers of adjacent holes may be 1 cm, and preferably, the inner diameter of the holes in the second region may be 1 to 7 mm.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the gas distribution element may further include a third region R3, which is an intermediate region located between the first and second regions, and the holes in said region may have the same hole diameter, for example in the range of 1 to 10 mm, preferably 2 to 8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 7 mm.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the inner diameter of the holes in the third region may be larger than the inner diameter of the holes in the first region and larger than the inner diameter of the holes in the second region, for example, the distance d3 between the centers of adjacent holes may be about 0.5 cm, and preferably, the inner diameter of the holes in the second region may be 1-2 mm.

[0039] In order to ensure that a uniform gas flow can be formed in the reaction chamber, the change in the inner diameter of the hole in each region of the gas distribution element needs to be set at a certain ratio. Specifically, the ratio of the inner diameter of the hole in the first region to the inner diameter of the hole in the third region can be 1:(2-8), for example, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7. Furthermore, the ratio of the inner diameter of the hole in the first region to the inner diameter of the hole in the second region can be 1:(2-4), for example, 1:3.

[0040] Furthermore, the gas distribution element according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention may further include a fourth region R4 located between the third region and the first region based on the gas distribution element of the third embodiment described above, and the holes in this region may have the same hole diameter, for example, in the range of 1 to 10 mm, preferably 2 to 8 mm, such as 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, and 7 mm.

[0041] Specifically, the ratio of the inner diameter of the holes in the first region to the third region may be 1: (2 to 8), for example, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, or 1:7. Furthermore, the ratio of the inner diameter of the holes in the first region to the second region may be 1: (2 to 4), for example, 1:3. The ratio of the inner diameter of the holes in the first region to the fourth region may be 1: (2 to 4), for example, 1:3. Moreover, the inner diameter of the holes in the third region is larger than the inner diameter of the holes in the second region, the inner diameter of the holes in the fourth region is smaller than the inner diameter of the holes in the third region, and the inner diameter of the holes in the second region may be the same as or different from the inner diameter of the holes in the fourth region. In the fourth region, the distance d4 between the centers of adjacent holes may be 0.5 cm.

[0042] In the above third embodiment, according to one specific example, when the inner diameter of the hole changes, the distance between the centers of the holes can be kept constant, and the gap between adjacent holes changes with the change in the inner diameter of the hole. Specifically, considering the gap between the holes, preferably, the gap between adjacent holes is not less than 3mm, that is, the minimum width of the quartz material between adjacent holes is not less than 3mm.

[0043] According to another specific embodiment, when the inner diameter of the hole changes, the gap between adjacent holes is kept constant, i.e., the distance of the centers of circles between adjacent holes changes, but the distance of the centers of circles satisfies the above requirement.

[0044] According to the above-described embodiments, the gas distribution element of the present invention can achieve an effect similar to that of adjusting the hole density by adjusting the size of the inner diameter of the holes in different regions, so that the gas entering the reaction chamber can form a uniform airflow, and the surface of the semiconductor workpiece (e.g., wafer) exposed to the airflow can be uniformly oxidized to form an oxide film with a consistent thickness, reducing defects in the film, accelerating the oxidation process, and improving production efficiency.

[0045] Heat Treatment Equipment

[0046] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a thermal processing apparatus for thermally processing, for example oxidizing, a semiconductor workpiece, the thermal processing apparatus including the gas distribution element described above. According to one embodiment, the gas distribution element is provided on the inside of a side wall of an intake end of the thermal processing apparatus, with an exhaust port provided at the other end opposite to the end where the gas distribution element is present.

[0047] According to another embodiment, in addition to the gas distribution element at one end, an air inlet may also be provided at the top of the thermal processing device.

[0048] When a heat treatment apparatus having the above intake configuration is used for a low-pressure heat treatment process of a semiconductor workpiece, the process temperature may be 600 to 1200°C, and the process gas pressure in the reaction chamber of the heat treatment apparatus may be a low pressure of 1 to 20 Torr.

[0049] According to one specific embodiment, the process gas may include hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, where, based on the total flow rate of the process gas, the flow rate ratio of hydrogen gas may be less than 30% but not 0%, and the flow rate ratio of oxygen gas may be greater than 70% but not 100%.

[0050] The thermal processing apparatus according to the present invention can be used as a low pressure processing apparatus for rapid thermal processing, and can also be used as a remote plasma processing apparatus.

[0051] It should be understood that various forms of the above process can be used by rearranging, adding, or deleting steps. For example, but not limited to, each step described in this disclosure can be performed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the technical solutions disclosed in this disclosure can be achieved.

[0052] The above specific embodiments do not limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can understand that various modifications, combinations, subcombinations and substitutions are possible according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the gist of the present disclosure are all intended to be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A gas distribution element comprising: A gas distribution element comprising at least two regions with different hole distribution densities.

2. The gas distribution element comprises: a first region defined by extending radially outwardly from a geometric center a first distance, and a second region defined by extending radially from an outermost edge toward the geometric center a second distance; The first region and the second region each have holes with different distribution densities. The gas distribution element of claim 1 .

3. The gas distribution element comprises: and at least one third region located between the first region and the second region, the third region having a different pore distribution density than the first region and the second region.

3. The gas distribution element of claim 2.

4. The ratio of the hole distribution density of the first region to the hole distribution density of the second region is 1:(2 to 4); 3. The gas distribution element of claim 2.

5. The ratio of the hole distribution density of the first region to the hole distribution density of the third region is 1:(2 to 8); 4. The gas distribution element of claim 3.

6. The inner diameter of the hole is 1 to 10 mm. The gas distribution element of claim 1 .

7. The gas distribution element of claim 1 , wherein the inner diameters of the holes are different in different regions.

8. 3. The gas distribution element of claim 2, wherein the inner diameters of the holes are different in different regions.

9. 1. A heat treatment apparatus comprising: A heat treatment apparatus comprising a gas distribution element according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The gas distribution element is provided on an inside of a sidewall of an intake end of the heat treatment device. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9 .

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