Substrate processing apparatus with temperature controller

Abstract

To provide a substrate processing apparatus with a temperature controller.SOLUTION: An apparatus for processing a substrate may comprise a reaction chamber defined in part by a chamber wall; a wall heating unit disposed in the chamber wall; a substrate support disposed within the reaction chamber to support a substrate; a showerhead constructed and arranged to face the substrate support; a showerhead heating unit disposed in the showerhead; and a controller configured to control temperatures of the wall heating unit and the showerhead heater unit; where a temperature of the wall heating unit is configured to be controlled between 50°C and about 150°C; where a temperature of the showerhead heating unit (20) is configured to be controlled between 150°C and about 300°C.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly to substrate processing apparatus having a temperature controller. [Background technology]

[0002] Integrated circuits comprise multiple layers of materials deposited by a variety of techniques, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), and plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD). As such, the deposition of materials on a semiconductor substrate is a critical step in the process of fabricating integrated circuits.

[0003] Although PECVD has a high deposition rate compared to that of PEALD, further improvements in process throughput are needed. One way to improve throughput is to use multiple depositions without a cleaning step.

[0004] Because cleaning and pre-coating are not performed on every wafer, the reactor chamber environment using multiple depositions may not be uniform for each deposition substrate. For example, if a cleaning step is performed after three depositions, the second and third substrates will have different chamber conditions compared to the first substrate.

[0005] This difference can cause particle instability and thickness non-uniformity. The reason for the instability may be due to the nature of the low-k dielectric material. Low-k dielectric materials typically contain Si, O, C, and H in an organic structure. To maintain a low dielectric constant, the organic structure may play an important role in forming porosity. However, the organic structure may degas or condense in the reaction chamber, resulting in particle and thickness instability.

[0006] Any discussion in this Background, including discussion of problems and solutions, is included in this disclosure solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure and is not an admission that any or all of the discussion was known at the time the invention was made or that it constitutes prior art. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are described in more detail below in the Detailed Description of Example Embodiments of this Disclosure. This Summary is not intended to identify 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.

[0008] In some embodiments, an apparatus for substrate processing is provided that may include a reaction chamber partially defined by chamber walls, a wall heating unit disposed within the chamber walls, a substrate support disposed within the reaction chamber for supporting a substrate, a showerhead constructed and arranged to face the substrate support, a showerhead heating unit disposed within the showerhead, and a controller configured to control the temperature of the wall heating unit and the showerhead heating unit, wherein the temperature of the wall heating unit is configured to be controlled between 50°C and about 150°C, and the temperature of the showerhead heating unit is configured to be controlled between 150°C and about 300°C.

[0009] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the difference between the temperature of the wall heating unit and the temperature of the showerhead heating unit may be at least 60°C.

[0010] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature of the wall heating unit may be configured to be controlled between 100°C and about 135°C.

[0011] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature of the showerhead heating unit may be configured to be controlled between 210°C and about 230°C.

[0012] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the wall heating unit may include a cartridge heater.

[0013] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the showerhead heating unit may include a cartridge heater.

[0014] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature of the substrate support may be in the range of 200°C to about 400°C.

[0015] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the pressure in the reaction chamber may be in the range of about 100 Pa to about 1100 Pa.

[0016] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the substrate processing apparatus may include a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus.

[0017] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio frequency (RF) power for generating the plasma may be in the range of 100W to 4500W.

[0018] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio frequency (RF) frequency of the plasma may be in the range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz.

[0019] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for depositing a thin film, the method may include: (a) placing a substrate on a substrate support in a reaction chamber partially defined by chamber walls; (b) introducing a gas into the reaction chamber through a showerhead; and (c) providing a plasma in the reaction chamber to form a thin film, wherein the temperature of the chamber walls is configured to be controlled between 50°C and about 150°C, and the temperature of the showerhead is configured to be controlled between 150°C and about 300°C.

[0020] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the gas may include a precursor, an oxygen-containing gas, and an inert gas.

[0021] According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the precursor may include at least one of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), octamethoxydodecasiloxane (OMODDS), octamethoxycyclioiloxane, dimethyldimethoxysilane (DM-DMOS), diethoxymethylsilane (DEMS), dimethoxymethylsilane (DMOMS), phenoxydimethylsilane (PODMS), dimethyldioxosilylcyclohexane (DMDOSH), 1,3-dimethoxytetramethyldisiloxane (DMOTMDS), dimethoxydiphenylsilane (DMDPS), vinylmethyldimethoxysilane (VMDMOS), or dicyclopentyldimethoxysilane (DcPDMS).

[0022] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the oxygen-containing gas may be O2, O3, N2O, N2O4, N x O y , CO, CO2, H2O, or H2O2.

[0023] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may further include a step (d) of removing the substrate from the reaction chamber.

[0024] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the method may further include the step (f) of introducing a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber.

[0025] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, steps (a)-(d) may be repeated N times before step (f).

[0026] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the thickness of the thin film is at least 500 nm.

[0027] These and other embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although the invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.

[0028] A more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be obtained by reference to the detailed description and claims, with reference to the following illustrative drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a plasma device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 10 shows a schematic image of a test run of 10 wafers without a cleaning step according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 10 shows a schematic image of a test run of 10 wafers without a cleaning step according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] It should be understood that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] While certain specific embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention, and obvious variations and equivalents thereof, and therefore, the scope of the disclosed invention is not limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described below.

[0032] As used in this disclosure, the term "substrate" may refer to any single or multiple underlying materials, such as any single or multiple underlying materials that may be modified or upon 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. A substrate may be in any form, such as a powder, a plate, or a workpiece. Substrates in plate form may include wafers of various shapes and sizes. Substrates may be made of semiconductor materials, such as, for example, silicon, silicon germanium, silicon oxide, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide.

[0033] For example, a substrate in powder form may have applications in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The porous substrate may comprise a polymer. Examples of workpieces may include medical devices (e.g., stents and syringes), jewelry, tooling devices, components for battery manufacturing (e.g., anodes, cathodes, or separators), or components for photovoltaic cells, etc.

[0034] The continuous substrate may extend beyond the boundaries of the process chamber in which the deposition process occurs. In some processes, the continuous substrate may move through the process chamber, whereby the process continues until the end of the substrate is reached. The continuous substrate may be supplied from a continuous substrate supply system to enable the manufacture and production of the continuous substrate in any suitable form.

[0035] Non-limiting examples of continuous substrates may include sheets, nonwoven films, rolls, foils, webs, flexible materials, bundles of continuous filaments or fibers (e.g., ceramic or polymer fibers). Continuous substrates may also include carriers or sheets onto which discontinuous substrates are placed.

[0036] The examples presented in this disclosure are not meant to be the actual appearance of any particular material, structure, or device, but are merely idealized representations used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] The specific embodiments shown and described are illustrative of the present invention and its best mode and are not intended to limit the scope of the present aspects or implementations in any way. Also, for the sake of brevity, conventional manufacturing, association, preparation, and other functional aspects of the present system may not be described in detail. Furthermore, connecting lines shown in the various figures represent exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements. Many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an actual system and / or may not be present in some embodiments.

[0038] It should be understood that the configurations and / or approaches described in this disclosure are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be construed in a limiting sense, as numerous variations are possible. The particular routines or methods described in this disclosure may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. As such, various illustrated operations may be performed in the order illustrated, in other orders, or omitted in some cases.

[0039] 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 properties, and any and all equivalents thereof.

[0040] In this disclosure, "gas" may include materials that are gases, vaporized solids, and / or vaporized liquids at ambient temperature and pressure, and may consist of a single gas or a mixture of gases, depending on the circumstances. Gases introduced without passing through a gas supply unit, such as a shower plate, may be used, for example, to seal the reaction space and may include sealing gases such as noble gases or other inert gases. The terms inert gas, carrier gas, and diluent gas refer to gases that do not participate appreciably in chemical reactions and / or that can excite precursors when plasma power is applied.

[0041] As used in this disclosure, the terms "film" and "thin film" may refer to any continuous or discontinuous structure and material deposited by the methods disclosed in this disclosure. "Films" and "thin films" can include, for example, two-dimensional (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. "Films" and "thin films" include materials or layers that have pinholes, but may still be at least partially continuous.

[0042] 1 shows a plasma apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The plasma apparatus 100 can be used to perform one or more steps or substeps described in the present disclosure and / or to form one or more structures or portions thereof described in the present disclosure.

[0043] The apparatus 100 may include a reaction chamber 3 partially defined by a chamber wall 5, a substrate support 2 disposed within the reaction chamber 3 for supporting a substrate 1, and a showerhead 4 constructed and arranged to face the substrate support 2. The temperature of the substrate support 2 may be within a range of 200°C to about 400°C. The pressure within the reaction chamber 3 may be within a range of about 100 Pa to about 1100 Pa.

[0044] The substrate support 2 and showerhead 4 may function as conductive flat-plate electrodes. Plasma can be excited in the reaction chamber 3, for example, by applying RF power from an RF generator through an RF matcher to one electrode (e.g., showerhead 4) and electrically grounding the other electrode (e.g., substrate support 2). The RF power may be in the range of 100 W to 4,500 W. The RF frequency of the plasma may be in the range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz (e.g., 13.56 MHz, 27 MHz, or 60 MHz).

[0045] Gases may be introduced into the reaction chamber 3 through the showerhead 4. A circular duct 13 having an exhaust line may be provided in the reaction chamber 3, through which gases in the reaction chamber 3 may be exhausted.

[0046] The gas may include a precursor, an oxygen-containing gas, and an inert gas.

[0047] The precursor may include at least one of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), octamethoxydodecasiloxane (OMODDS), octamethoxycyclioiloxane, dimethyldimethoxysilane (DM-DMOS), diethoxymethylsilane (DEMS), dimethoxymethylsilane (DMOMS), phenoxydimethylsilane (PODMS), dimethyldioxosilylcyclohexane (DMDOSH), 1,3-dimethoxytetramethyldisiloxane (DMOTMDS), dimethoxydiphenylsilane (DMDPS), vinylmethyldimethoxysilane (VMDMOS), or dicyclopentyldimethoxysilane (DcPDMS).

[0048] Oxygen-containing gases include O2, O3, N2O, N2O4, and N x O y , CO, CO2, H2O, or H2O2.

[0049] The apparatus 100 may further include a wall heating unit 10 disposed within the chamber wall 5, a showerhead heating unit 20 disposed within the showerhead 4, and a controller 50 configured to control the temperature of the wall heating unit 10 and the showerhead heating unit 20. The wall heating unit 10 may include a cartridge heater. The showerhead heating unit 20 may also include a cartridge heater.

[0050] The temperature of the wall heating unit 10 may be configured to be controlled between 50°C and 150°C, preferably between 100°C and 135°C. The temperature of the showerhead heating unit 20 may be configured to be controlled between 150°C and about 300°C, preferably between 210°C and 230°C. The difference between the temperature of the wall heating unit 10 and the temperature of the showerhead heating unit 20 may be at least 60°C.

[0051] The apparatus 500 can perform a process for forming a thin film. The process may include step (a) of placing a substrate 1 on a substrate support 2 in a reaction chamber 3, step (b) of introducing a gas into the reaction chamber 3 through a showerhead 4, and step (c) of providing a plasma in the reaction chamber 3 to form a thin film. The temperature of the chamber wall may be configured to be controlled between 50°C and about 150°C, and the temperature of the showerhead may be configured to be controlled between 150°C and about 300°C.

[0052] The method may further include a step (d) of removing the substrate 1 from the reaction chamber 3. The method may further include a step (f) of introducing a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber 3. Steps (a) to (d) may be repeated N times before step (f). The thickness of the thin film may be at least 500 nm.

[0053] To prevent particles, a relatively low temperature of the chamber wall 5 can be effective. When the temperature of the wall heating unit 10 is 130°C, unreacted precursors can be retained on the chamber wall 5 due to vapor pressure, rather than at a temperature of 150°C. Therefore, particles in the reaction chamber 3 can be reduced.

[0054] Furthermore, to prevent particles, a relatively higher temperature of the showerhead 4 may be effective. If the temperature of the showerhead 4 is low, the showerhead 4 may have a thick film thereon, which may increase the amount of outgassing from the showerhead 4, making it more likely to generate particles.

[0055] Our test results show that a showerhead heating unit at about 220° C. in combination with a wall heating unit at about 130° C. performs well. Higher particle counts may result from multiple depositions without cleaning.

[0056] 2 and 3 show schematic images of the results of a consecutive run of 10 wafers without a cleaning step according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The results in Fig. 2 are shown when the showerhead heating unit temperature is about 220°C, while the results in Fig. 3 are shown when the showerhead heating unit temperature is about 230°C.

[0057] Even after eight wafers have been processed, the number of particles is limited when the showerhead heating unit temperature is 220°C. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, when the showerhead heating unit temperature is 230°C, large particles are generated after three wafers. The absorption and desorption rates of deposition species on the showerhead depend on the showerhead temperature. More desorption occurs at 230°C than at 220°C. Desorption of deposition species from the showerhead can increase particle generation in the plasma. The results indicate that a balance between the desorption rate on the showerhead and the absorption rate on the chamber walls is key to controlling particle generation in the plasma.

[0058] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described above do not limit the scope of the present invention, as these embodiments are merely examples of embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, various modifications of the present disclosure in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this description, including alternative useful combinations of the described elements. All such modifications and embodiments are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a reaction chamber defined in part by a chamber wall; a wall heating unit disposed within the chamber wall; a substrate support disposed within the reaction chamber for supporting a substrate; a showerhead constructed and arranged to face the substrate support; a showerhead heating unit disposed within the showerhead; a controller configured to control the temperature of the wall heating unit and the showerhead heating unit; The temperature of the wall heating unit is controlled between 50°C and 150°C; The apparatus is configured such that the temperature of the showerhead heating unit is controlled between 150°C and 300°C.

2. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the difference between the temperature of the wall heating unit and the temperature of the showerhead heating unit is at least 60°C.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the wall heating unit is configured to be controlled between 100°C and 135°C.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature of the showerhead heating unit is configured to be controlled between 210°C and 230°C.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wall heating unit comprises a cartridge heater.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the showerhead heating unit comprises a cartridge heater.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the substrate support is in the range of 200°C to 400°C.

8. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pressure in the reaction chamber is in the range of 100 Pa to 1100 Pa.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the RF power for generating the plasma is in the range of 100W to 4500W.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the RF frequency of the plasma is in the range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz.

12. 1. A method for depositing a thin film, comprising: (a) placing a substrate on a substrate support within a reaction chamber defined in part by chamber walls; (b) introducing gas into the reaction chamber through a showerhead; and (c) providing a plasma in the reaction chamber to form a thin film; The temperature of the chamber wall is controlled between 50°C and 150°C; The method is configured to control the temperature of the showerhead between 150°C and 300°C.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the gas comprises a precursor, an oxygen-containing gas, and an inert gas.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the precursor comprises at least one of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), octamethoxydodecasiloxane (OMODS), octamethoxycyclioiloxane, dimethyldimethoxysilane (DM-DMOS), diethoxymethylsilane (DEMS), dimethoxymethylsilane (DMOMS), phenoxydimethylsilane (PODMS), dimethyldioxosilylcyclohexane (DMDOSH), 1,3-dimethoxytetramethyldisiloxane (DMOTMDS), dimethoxydiphenylsilane (DMDPS), vinylmethyldimethoxysilane (VMDMOS), or dicyclopentyldimethoxysilane (DcPDMS).

15. The oxygen-containing gas is O ２ , O ３ , N ２ O, N ２ O ４ , N ｘ O ｙ , CO, CO ２ , H ２ O or H ２ O ２ The method of claim 13 , comprising at least one of:

16. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising step (d) removing the substrate from the reaction chamber.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step (f) of introducing a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber.

18. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein steps (a), (b), (c), and (d) are repeated N times before step (f).

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the film has a thickness of at least 500 nm.

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