Substrate processing apparatus including shared RF generator

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus including a shared RF generator.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus is disclosed. An exemplary substrate processing apparatus comprises a plurality of anneal chambers and a shared RF generator configured to generate plasma in the plurality of anneal chambers, the shared RF generator being electrically connected to the anneal chambers via an RF distributor, the RF distributor comprising a plurality of RF cables, each of the RF cables being electrically connected to each of the anneal chambers.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a substrate processing apparatus. More specifically, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a substrate processing apparatus having a shared RF generator.

Background Art

[0002] Substrate processing apparatuses are widely used, for example, to process substrates for forming thin films on substrates. Semiconductor processing apparatuses often include (i) a plurality of process modules, (ii) a substrate handling chamber having a substrate handling robot, and (iii) a load lock chamber for loading or unloading substrates.

[0003] Each process module may be configured with four reaction chambers. An exemplary substrate processing apparatus known as a quad chamber module (QCM) with four reaction chambers is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 10,777,445, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Each chamber may be configured with a susceptor for supporting a substrate. Processes such as film formation, film modification, etching, annealing, etc. may be performed on the substrate within each chamber. These processes may be carried out by plasma apparatuses such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) apparatuses, plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process (PEALD) apparatuses, etc.

[0005] An RF generator generates RF power within a plasma apparatus. The RF power is supplied to an electrode via a matching unit and an RF cable within the reaction chamber, thereby generating plasma within the reaction chamber.

[0006] Currently, each chamber has its own RF generator and matching unit, thereby increasing the cost of the process module.

[0007] Any discussion, including that of the problems and solutions described in this section, is included in this disclosure only for the purpose of providing the background of the disclosure, and it should not be considered as an admission that any or all of the discussions were known at the time the invention was made or that they otherwise constitute prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The summary of the invention is provided to introduce the selected concepts in a simplified form. These concepts will be described in more detail in the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure below. This "Summary of the Invention" is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of annealing chambers and a shared RF generator configured to generate plasma in the plurality of annealing chambers. The shared RF generator is electrically connected to the annealing chambers via an RF distributor. The RF distributor includes a plurality of RF cables, and each of the plurality of RF cables is electrically connected to each of the plurality of annealing chambers.

[0010] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the plasma may be generated before the substrate is provided in the annealing chamber.

[0011] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the temperature of the annealing chamber may be between 100°C and 800°C.

[0012] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the annealing chamber may further include a susceptor heater constructed and arranged to support a substrate, and the susceptor heater may be configured to include ceramic. The ceramic may be configured to include at least one of Al2O3, AlN, SiC, or Si3N4.

[0013] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the shared RF matcher may be arranged between the shared RF generator and the RF distributor.

[0014] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the ammeter may be arranged between the shared RF generator and the RF distributor.

[0015] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the ammeter may be configured to measure current.

[0016] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the controller may be electrically coupled to the ammeter, and the controller may be configured to generate an alarm when the output of the ammeter deviates from a normal value.

[0017] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the controller may be configured to stop the operation of the shared RF generator based on the output of the ammeter.

[0018] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the substrate processing apparatus may further include a plurality of deposition chambers and a plurality of RF generators configured to generate a second plasma in the deposition chambers, and each of the plurality of RF generators may be electrically connected to the deposition chamber.

[0019] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the second plasma may be generated when performing a gap fill deposition process in the deposition chamber.

[0020] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the temperature of the deposition chamber may be from 50°C to 550°C.

[0021] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the deposition chamber may further include a second susceptor heater configured and arranged to support a substrate, and the second susceptor heater may be configured to include aluminum.

[0022] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the annealing chamber module may include a plurality of annealing chambers, and the deposition chamber module may include a plurality of deposition chambers.

[0023] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the substrate processing apparatus may include a substrate handling chamber having a plurality of sides, wherein the annealing chamber module is attached to one of the plurality of sides, and the deposition chamber module is attached to one of the plurality of sides, a back-end robot for transporting the substrate, the back-end robot being disposed within the substrate handling chamber, and a load lock chamber for loading or unloading the substrate, the load lock chamber being attached to one of the sides.

[0024] A more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be obtained by referring to the "Mode for Carrying Out the Invention" and the "Claims" while considering the following exemplary figures.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

[0026] It will be appreciated that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to assist in understanding the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the present invention, as well as their obvious modifications and equivalents. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should not be limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described below.

[0028] As used in the present disclosure, the term "substrate" may refer to any single or plurality of underlying materials, including any single or plurality of underlying materials that may be modified or on which a device, circuit, or film may be formed. A "substrate" may be continuous or discontinuous, rigid or flexible, solid or porous, and combinations thereof. The substrate may be in any form such as a powder, plate, or workpiece. Substrates in the form of plates include, for example, wafers of various shapes and sizes. The substrate may be made of, for example, semiconductor materials including silicon, silicon germanium, silicon oxide, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide.

[0029] As an example, a substrate in powder form may have an application for pharmaceutical manufacturing. The porous substrate may include a polymer. Examples of workpieces may include medical devices (e.g., stents, and syringes), jewelry, touring devices, components for battery manufacturing (e.g., anodes, cathodes, or separators), or components of a photovoltaic cell.

[0030] The continuous substrate may extend beyond the boundaries of the process chamber where the deposition process occurs. In some processes, the continuous substrate may move through the process chamber, whereby the process continues until it reaches the end of the substrate. The continuous substrate may be supplied from a continuous substrate supply system in any suitable form to enable the manufacture and output of the continuous substrate.

[0031] Non-limiting examples of continuous substrates may include sheets, non-woven membranes, rolls, foils, webs, flexible materials, bundles of continuous filaments or fibers (e.g., ceramic fibers, or polymer fibers). Also, the continuous substrate may include a carrier, or a sheet, on which a discontinuous substrate is placed.

[0032] The examples presented in this disclosure do not mean the actual form of any particular material, structure, or device, but are merely conceptual representations used to illustrate the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0033] The specific implementations illustrated and described are examples of the invention and its best mode, and are not intended to limit the scope of the aspects and implementations at all. Also, for the sake of brevity, conventional manufacturing, related, preparation, and other functional aspects of the system may not be described in detail. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical connections between the various elements. Many alternative or additional functional relationships, or physical connections, may exist in the actual system and / or may not exist in some embodiments.

[0034] The configurations and / or approaches described in this disclosure are exemplary in nature, and it should be understood that these specific embodiments or examples should not be considered in a limiting sense because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described in this disclosure may represent one or more of any number of process strategies. Therefore, the various operations illustrated may be performed in the order illustrated, in other orders, or in some cases, omitted.

[0035] The subject matter of this disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various processes, systems, and configurations disclosed in this disclosure, as well as other configurations, functions, operations, and / or characteristics, and any and all equivalents thereof.

[0036] In this disclosure, "gas" may include materials that are gases, vaporized solids, and / or vaporized liquids at normal temperature and pressure, and may consist of a single gas or a mixture of gases depending on the situation. For example, gases introduced without passing through a gas supply unit, such as a shower plate, may be used, for example, to seal a reaction space and may contain a sealing gas such as a noble gas or other inert gas. The terms inert gas, carrier gas, and diluent gas refer to gases that do not participate to a recognizable extent in a chemical reaction and / or gases that can excite precursors when plasma power is applied.

[0037] As used in this disclosure, the terms "membrane" and "thin film" may refer to any continuous or discontinuous structure and material deposited by the methods disclosed in this disclosure. Examples of "membrane" and "thin film" include, for example, 2D materials, nanorods, nanotubes or nanoparticles, or even partial or complete molecular layers, or partial or complete atomic layers, or clusters of atoms and / or molecules. "Membrane" and "thin film" may include materials or layers that have pinholes but are at least partially continuous.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus having a quad-chamber module according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus may include: (i) four process modules 20, 22, 24, 26 each having four reaction chambers RC1, RC2, RC3, RC4; (ii) a substrate handling chamber 30 including two back-end robots 32 (substrate handling robots); and (iii) a load lock chamber 40 for simultaneously loading or unloading two substrates. The load lock chamber 40 may be attached to an additional side surface of the substrate handling chamber 30, and each back-end robot 32 may be configured to be accessible to the load lock chamber 40. Each back-end robot 32 has at least two end effectors capable of simultaneously accessing two reaction chambers of each unit. The substrate handling chamber 30 may have a polygonal shape corresponding to and attached to the four process modules 20, 22, 24, 26, and an additional side surface for the load lock chamber 40, and all side surfaces may be arranged on the same plane. The interiors of each of the process modules 20, 22, 24, 26 and the interior of the load lock chamber 40 may be isolated from the interior of the substrate handling chamber 30 by gate valves.

[0039] In some embodiments, a controller (not shown) may store software programmed to execute, for example, a substrate transfer sequence. The controller may also be configured to check the status of each process chamber, position substrates within each process chamber using a sensing system, control a gas box, control an electrical box of each module, control a front-end robot 56 of a front-end module of equipment based on the distribution status of substrates housed in a FOUP 52 and the load lock chamber 40, control the back-end robot 32, and control gate valves and other valves.

[0040] The device may be configured with one or more controllers programmed or configured to perform annealing or deposition processes described elsewhere in this disclosure, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the one or more controllers may be configured to communicate with various things such as a power supply, a heating system, a pump, a robot, a gas flow controller, or a valve.

[0041] In some embodiments, the device may be configured to have any number of chambers and processing modules greater than one (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7). In FIG. 1, the device has 16 reaction chambers, but the device may have 20 or more. In some embodiments, the reaction chambers of the modules may be any suitable reactor for processing or treating a wafer, such as an annealing reactor, a CVD reactor (such as a plasma-enhanced CVD reactor and a thermal CVD reactor), or an ALD reactor (such as a plasma-enhanced ALD reactor and a thermal ALD reactor). Typically, the reaction chamber may be a deposition chamber for depositing a film or layer on a wafer and an annealing chamber for annealing the film or layer. Process module 20 may be a deposition chamber module. Process module 22 may be an annealing chamber module.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a quad-chamber module having an annealing chamber according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The annealing chamber module 220 may be configured to include four annealing chambers 221, 222, 223, 224. The shared RF generator 225 may be configured to generate plasma in the annealing chambers 221, 222, 223, 224.

[0043] The shared RF generator 225 may be electrically connected to the annealing chambers 221, 222, 223, 224 via an RF distributor 228. The RF distributor 228 may be provided with four RF cables 229a - 229d. Each of the RF cables 229a - 229d may be electrically connected to each of the annealing chambers 221, 222, 223, 224 respectively. The shared RF matcher 226 may be arranged between the shared RF generator 225 and the RF distributor 228.

[0044] The plasma may be generated before the substrate is provided to the annealing chamber. A pre - coating process using the plasma may be carried out in the annealing chamber before the substrate is provided to the annealing chamber.

[0045] The temperature of the annealing chamber can be between 100°C and 800°C. The annealing process may be carried out after the substrate is provided to the annealing chamber.

[0046] An ammeter 227 may be provided between the shared RF generator 225 and the RF distributor 228. The ammeter 227 may be configured to measure current. The controller 300 may be electrically coupled to the ammeter 227. The controller 300 may be configured to generate an alarm when the output of the ammeter 227 deviates from a normal value. The output may deviate from the normal value, for example, when an RF cable is disconnected or the cable connection is loose. The controller 300 may be configured to stop the operation of the shared RF generator 225 based on the output of the ammeter 227.

[0047] The shared RF generator 225, the shared RF matcher 226, and the ammeter 227 may be configured as a single RF unit. The ammeter 227 may be built into the shared RF matcher 226.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a quad-chamber module having a deposition chamber according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The deposition chamber module 200 may include four deposition chambers 201, 202, 203, and 204. Each of the RF generators 211, 212, 213, and 214 may be configured to generate a second plasma in each of the deposition chambers 201, 202, 203, and 204, respectively.

[0049] It may be configured to generate a second plasma when a gap-fill deposition process is performed in the deposition chamber. After the gap-fill deposition process is completed, the substrate in the deposition chamber may be transferred to the annealing chamber module via the substrate handling chamber 30 by the back-end robot 32. The material on the substrate deposited by the gap-fill deposition process may be annealed in the annealing chamber. The material may include carbon, silicon carbide, silicon oxide (SiOx), and silicon nitride (SiNx). The temperature of the deposition chamber may be 50°C to 550°C, which may be lower than the temperature of the annealing chamber.

[0050] FIG. 4 shows a plasma device 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrated. The plasma device 500 may be used to perform one or more processes or sub-processes described in the present disclosure, and / or to form one or more structures or portions thereof described in the present disclosure.

[0051] The plasma device 500 may be configured to include a pair of conductive flat plate electrodes 4 and 2 that are parallel and opposed to each other inside the reaction chamber 3 (reaction region). The plasma can be excited in the reaction chamber 3, for example, by applying HRF power (e.g., 13.56 MHz, 27 MHz, or 60 MHz) and / or low-frequency power from the RF generator 25 to any electrode (e.g., electrode 4) via the RF matcher and electrically grounding the other electrode (e.g., the bias electrode 2).

[0052] The susceptor heater 2 may be disposed within the reaction chamber 3 and may be configured to maintain the temperature of the substrate 1 disposed thereon at a desired temperature. The susceptor heater may be configured to contain aluminum if the susceptor heater is used in a deposition process. The susceptor heater may be configured to contain ceramic if the susceptor heater is used in an annealing process. The ceramic may be configured to contain at least one of Al2O3, AlN, SiC, or Si3N4.

[0053] The electrode 4 may be configured to function as a gas distribution device such as a shower plate. Reactant gas, dilution gas (if present), precursor gas, and / or the like may be introduced into the reaction chamber 3 through the shower plate 4 using one or more of the gas lines 20, gas line 21, and gas line 22, respectively. Although illustrated as having three gas lines, the reactor system 500 may be configured to include any suitable number of gas lines.

[0054] The reaction chamber 3 may be provided with a circular duct 13 having an exhaust line 7 through which the gas inside the interior 11 of the reaction chamber 3 is exhausted. Further, the transfer chamber 5 disposed below the reaction chamber 3 is provided with a sealing gas line 24 for introducing a sealing gas into the interior 11 of the reaction chamber 3 through the interior 16 (transfer area) of the transfer chamber 5, and a separation plate 14 for separating the reaction area and the transfer area is provided (the gate valve through which the wafer passes when being transferred in and out of the transfer chamber 5 is omitted from this figure). The transfer chamber may also be provided with an exhaust line 6. In some embodiments, the deposition and processing steps are performed within the same reaction space, and thus, two or more (e.g., all) steps may be performed without exposing the substrate to air or other oxygen-containing atmospheres.

[0055] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described above do not limit the scope of the present invention because these embodiments are merely examples of the embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. Also, various modifications of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this description in addition to those illustrated and described in the present disclosure such as alternative useful combinations of the described components. Such modifications and embodiments are also intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a plurality of annealing chambers; a shared RF generator configured to generate plasma in the plurality of annealing chambers; and the shared RF generator is electrically coupled to the plurality of annealing chambers via an RF distributor; the RF distributor includes a plurality of RF cables, and each of the plurality of RF cables is electrically connected to each of the plurality of annealing chambers, respectively. The substrate processing apparatus.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plasma is generated before a substrate is supplied to the annealing chamber.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the annealing chamber is 100°C to 800°C.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the annealing chamber further includes a susceptor heater constructed and arranged to support a substrate, and the susceptor heater includes ceramic.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the susceptor heater includes at least one of Al2O3, AlN, SiC, or Si3N4.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a shared RF matcher disposed between the shared RF generator and the RF distributor.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ammeter disposed between the shared RF generator and the RF distributor.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ammeter is configured to measure current.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a controller electrically coupled to the ammeter, and the controller is configured to generate an alarm when the output of the ammeter deviates from a normal value.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to stop the operation of the shared RF generator based on the output of the ammeter.

11. a plurality of deposition chambers; a plurality of RF generators configured to generate a second plasma in the plurality of deposition chambers; and each of the plurality of RF generators is electrically coupled to each of the plurality of deposition chambers, respectively. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second plasma is generated when a gap fill deposition process is performed in the deposition chamber.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the temperature of the deposition chamber is 50°C to 550°C.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a second susceptor heater constructed and arranged to support a substrate, wherein the second susceptor heater contains aluminum.

15. The annealing chamber module includes a plurality of annealing chambers, The deposition chamber module includes a plurality of deposition chambers, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11.

16. A substrate handling chamber having a plurality of sides, wherein the annealing chamber module is attached to one of the plurality of sides, A substrate handling chamber in which the deposition chamber module is attached to one of the plurality of sides, and A back-end robot for transporting a substrate, the back-end robot being disposed within the substrate handling chamber, A load lock chamber for loading or unloading the substrate, the load lock chamber being attached to one of the plurality of sides, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising.

Images