Atomic layer deposition apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to an atomic layer deposition apparatus. The atomic layer deposition apparatus includes a transition chamber, a diffusion chamber, and one or more exhaust structures. The transition chamber has an air inlet for introducing gas. The diffusion chamber extends from a first end to a second end. The width of the first end in the radial direction is smaller than that of the second end. The diffusion chamber communicates with the transition chamber. The diffusion chamber houses a semiconductor wafer to be deposited. The one or more exhaust structures communicate with the diffusion chamber. Since the chamber structure of the present atomic layer deposition apparatus and the raw material supply method of the deposition apparatus are superior to those of the prior art, the time of each cycle of the deposition process can be shortened and the deposition efficiency can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to an atomic layer deposition apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Atomic layer deposition is a technique for depositing and growing thin films in a self-limiting manner by alternately introducing gas-phase reactants into a chamber and alternately performing surface saturation reactions. Atomic layer deposition has advantages such as high bond strength, good film uniformity, and good composition uniformity, and is widely applied in many fields such as microelectronic systems, memory dielectric layers, and optical thin films.

[0003] Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition can expand the selection range of precursor sources in a normal atomic layer deposition system, increase the thin film deposition rate, and lower the deposition temperature, so it can be widely used for depositing thin films on temperature-sensitive raw materials and flexible substrates. Therefore, plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition is a desirable complement to atomic layer deposition.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in order to meet the requirement of plasma energy uniformity, the volume of a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition chamber is usually designed to be relatively large. As a result, each cycle of the atomic layer deposition process takes a relatively long time, and the deposition efficiency decreases, so the production capacity of atomic layer deposition in industrial applications is significantly limited.

[0005] Therefore, in order to solve such problems existing in the prior art, it is necessary to improve the atomic layer deposition apparatus of the prior art.

[0006] An object of the present application is to provide an atomic layer deposition apparatus that solves the problems such as a relatively long time taken for each cycle of the deposition process and low deposition efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present application, an atomic layer deposition apparatus is provided. The atomic layer deposition apparatus has a transition chamber, a diffusion chamber, and one or more exhaust structures. The transition chamber has an air inlet for introducing gas. The diffusion chamber extends from a first end to a second end, and the width of the first end in the radial direction is smaller than the width of the second end. The diffusion chamber communicates with the transition chamber and houses a semiconductor wafer to be deposited. The one or more exhaust structures communicate with the diffusion chamber.

[0008] The chamber structure in the atomic layer deposition apparatus provided in the present application and the raw material supply method of the deposition apparatus are superior to the prior art, so the time of each cycle of the deposition process can be shortened and the deposition efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, the deposition apparatus provided in the present application can be used for both plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition and atomic layer deposition.

[0009] To facilitate the description of the embodiments of the present application, the accompanying drawings necessary for describing the embodiments of the present application or the prior art are briefly described below. It is obvious that the accompanying drawings in the following description only show some embodiments of the present application. A person skilled in the art could obtain the drawings of other embodiments based on the examples shown in these accompanying drawings without creative work.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] To better understand the gist of the present application, the present application will be further described below based on some preferred embodiments of the present application.

[0012] Various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. Although specific aspects are described, it should be understood that those aspects are used for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand that other members and configurations may be used without departing from the gist and scope of rights of the present application.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram showing an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1. The atomic layer deposition apparatus 10 has a transfer chamber 102, a spraying unit 104, a plasma generation device 106, an annular raw material supply structure 108, a diffusion chamber 110, an annular exhaust structure 112, and a wafer support platform 114.

[0015] The transfer chamber 102 has an air inlet 102a for introducing gas. The gas may be a process gas or a non-process gas.

[0016] The spraying part 104 is disposed within the transition chamber 102 and has a plurality of diffusion holes 104a. FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic structural diagrams showing two spraying parts 104 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the diffusion holes 104a are uniformly distributed in the spraying part 104. The difference between FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B is only that there are no diffusion holes 104a in the central region 105 of FIG. 2A. Since the spraying part 104 with the diffusion holes 104a uniformly distributed is disposed in the transition chamber 102, the gas can be uniformly introduced into the transition chamber 102 from the air inlet 102a, thereby promoting the uniform distribution of the composition in the chamber and facilitating uniform deposition. It should be understood that the spraying part 104 having the uniformly distributed diffusion holes 104a is only a preferred embodiment of the present application. In other embodiments of the present application, the diffusion holes 104a do not necessarily have to be uniformly distributed in the spraying part 104.

[0017] The plasma generating device 106 is disposed on the outer periphery of the transition chamber 102. In one embodiment of the present application, the plasma generating device 106 may be a high-frequency coil. The high-frequency coil may surround the outer periphery of the transition chamber 102. After a high-frequency current passes through the high-frequency coil, the process gas passing through the spraying part 104 can be plasmaized. In other embodiments of the present application, the plasma generating device 106 may also be a remote plasma source.

[0018] The annular raw material supply structure 108 is disposed between the transition chamber 102 and the diffusion chamber 110.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram showing an annular raw material supply structure according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the annular raw material supply structure 108 has an annular main body 116, a raw material supply hole 118, an annular groove 120, a seal groove 122, and an intake duct 124. A plurality of raw material supply holes 118 are provided and distributed on the inner peripheral surface of the annular main body 116 and communicate with the diffusion chamber 110. The uniformly distributed raw material supply holes 118 on the inner peripheral surface can ensure a uniform distribution of the precursor in the diffusion chamber 110. In some embodiments of the present application, the number of the raw material supply holes 118 is 4 to 40, and the hole diameter of each raw material supply hole 118 is 1 mm to 2 mm.

[0020] FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view of the structure A shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, in an embodiment of the present application, the included angle between the raw material supply hole 118 and the horizontal plane is 30 degrees. In some other embodiments of the present application, the included angle between the raw material supply hole 118 and the horizontal plane may further be within the range of 0 degrees to 30 degrees. By clearly setting the number and hole diameter of the raw material supply holes 118 and the included angle between each raw material supply hole 118 and the horizontal plane, the atomic layer deposition apparatus 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve the excellent effect that the precursor is uniformly diffused. Thereby, it promotes the uniform distribution of the composition in the cavity and facilitates uniform deposition. The annular groove 120 is provided in the annular main body 116 and communicates with the raw material supply hole 118. The annular groove 120 can ensure that the precursor is introduced into the diffusion chamber 110 along the raw material supply hole 118. The seal groove 122 is provided in the annular main body 116. By arranging a seal ring (not shown) in the seal groove 122, it is ensured that the precursor in the annular groove 120 does not diffuse to the outside. In other embodiments of the present application, the seal ring may be an O-ring. The intake duct 124 is arranged on the annular main body 116 and extends into the annular groove 120. The intake duct 124 is configured to receive the precursor and the carrier gas.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view showing another annular raw material supply structure according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the annular raw material supply structure 108' has an annular main body 116', a raw material supply hole 118', an annular groove 120', a seal groove 122', and intake ducts 124', 125. The annular raw material supply structure 108' is substantially the same as the annular raw material supply structure 108 shown in FIG. 3, but is different in that it has two intake ducts 124', 125. Depending on the arrangement of the two intake ducts and the composition from the transition chamber 102, not only the A+B reaction mode achievable during the use of a single intake duct, but also reaction modes such as A+B+C, (A+B)+(A+C), or A+(B+C) can be realized.

[0022] The diffusion chamber 110 communicates with the transition chamber 102 and is configured to accommodate the semiconductor wafer 126 to be deposited. The diffusion chamber 110 extends from a first end 110a to a second end 110b, and the width of the first end 110a in the radial direction is smaller than the width of the second end 110b. The diffusion chamber 110 having such a structure can facilitate a uniform distribution of the composition in the diffusion chamber 110. By communicating the raw material supply hole 118 of the annular raw material supply structure 108 with the first end 110a, a carrier gas and a precursor can be introduced into the diffusion cavity 110 from the annular raw material supply structure 108. In one embodiment of the present application as shown in FIG. 1, the diffusion chamber 110 adopts a trumpet-shaped structural design. By adopting the trumpet-shaped structural design, a uniform distribution of the composition in the diffusion chamber 110 can be further facilitated, and the replacement of the composition in the diffusion chamber 110 can also be further facilitated. (That is, excess reactants in the diffusion chamber 110 are quickly sucked out of the chamber). More specifically, a curved structure having angled edges affects the gas flow field. The smooth angled edge structure promotes a smooth flow of gas in the diffusion chamber 110. The gas and reactants can be introduced into the diffusion chamber 110 in an orderly manner, or can be sucked out of the diffusion cavity 110 regularly. However, in other embodiments of the present application, the diffusion chamber 110 may have other structural forms, such as, for example, a trapezoidal structure or a structure like a dome.

[0023] The annular exhaust structure 112 is arranged to surround the diffusion chamber 110 and communicates with the diffusion chamber 110.

[0024] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a partial structure of the atomic layer deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, the annular intake structure 112 has an annular body 128, an annular exhaust channel 130, and an exhaust pipe 132. The annular exhaust channel 130 is arranged in the annular body 128 to form an annular air discharge path.

[0025] FIG. 7 is a schematic enlarged view of the structure B shown in FIG. 6. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a slit 134 is provided between the annular exhaust channel 130 and the diffusion chamber 110. In one embodiment of the present application, the slit 134 has a height h. In one embodiment of the present application, the height h of the slit 134 may be 1 mm to 3 mm. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments of the present application, the height h of the slit 134 may be other values and is not particularly limited herein. The slit 134 is used to communicate the annular exhaust channel 130 of the annular exhaust structure 112 with the diffusion chamber 110 so as to suck out the composition in the diffusion chamber 110. The exhaust pipe 132 is disposed on the annular body 128 and extends to the annular exhaust channel 130. The composition in the diffusion chamber 110 can be sucked out through the slit 134, the annular exhaust channel 130, and the exhaust pipe 132 in sequence. The exhaust pipe 132 may be further connected to an external exhaust portion (not shown) for vacuum suction. In one embodiment of the present application, the equivalent diameter of the annular exhaust channel 130 may be 20 mm to 100 mm. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments of the present application, the equivalent diameter of the annular exhaust channel 130 may be other values and is not particularly limited herein.

[0026] The wafer support platform 114 supports the semiconductor wafer 126 to be deposited. The wafer support platform 114 may have a heating member (not shown) for heating the semiconductor wafer 126 placed on the wafer support platform 114.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a partial structure of an atomic layer deposition apparatus having two annular raw material supply structures. As shown in FIG. 8, in another embodiment of the present application, the atomic layer deposition apparatus may have two annular raw material supply structures, namely, an annular raw material supply structure 108 and an annular raw material supply structure 109. The annular raw material supply structure 109 is disposed above the annular raw material supply structure 108. Since the annular raw material inlet structure 109 has the same structure as the annular raw material supply structure 108, a detailed description will not be repeated. The arrangement of the two annular raw material supply structures and the composition from the transition chamber 102 can realize not only the A + B reaction mode that can be achieved during the use of a single annular raw material supply structure, but also reaction modes such as A + B + C, (A + B) + (A + C), or A + (B + C).

[0028] FIG. 1 is used as an example. When atomic layer deposition is performed using the atomic layer deposition apparatus 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, during the cycle, it is first guaranteed that the carrier gas always passes through the diffusion chamber 110 stably and continuously through the intake duct 124 of the annular raw material supply structure 108. When deposition is started, the carrier gas and the precursor pass through the intake duct 124 of the annular raw material supply structure 108. The precursor is uniformly introduced into the diffusion chamber 110 together with the carrier gas. In this case, the non-process gas flows from the air intake 102a of the transition chamber 102 through the spraying part 104 into the upper part of the transition chamber 102 and quickly diffuses uniformly on the surface of the semiconductor wafer 126. As a result, the surface of the semiconductor wafer 126 reaches saturated adsorption. Next, the introduction of the precursor is stopped, and the carrier gas from the intake duct 124 of the annular raw material supply structure 108 and the non-process gas in the upper part of the transition chamber 102 are continuously passed through the diffusion chamber 110 until the unreacted precursor is completely discharged. Subsequently, the introduction of the non-process gas is stopped, and the process gas is passed through the air intake 102a of the transition chamber 102 (by this operation, the air pressure in the chamber can be surely stabilized). The process gas can be further uniformly introduced into the transition chamber 102 through the spraying part 104 in the transition chamber 102, and by simultaneously activating the remote plasma source or the high-frequency coil, the process gas is in an excited state with relatively high activation energy. Due to the gas flow, the excited process gas reaches uniformly on the surface of the semiconductor wafer 126 through the trumpet-shaped diffusion chamber 110 and can react with the precursor on the surface of the semiconductor wafer 126. Finally, the process gas, and the remote plasma source or the high-frequency coil are stopped, and the non-process gas is passed through until the excess process gas is completely discharged by the carrier gas (by this operation, the air pressure in the chamber can be surely stabilized). In this way, layer deposition can be performed. By repeating the above-described steps 1 to 4 times, atomic layer deposition is realized.

[0029] The atomic layer deposition apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application has at least the following advantages. 1. Since the process gas can be uniformly introduced into the transfer chamber, it promotes a uniform distribution of the composition in the chamber and facilitates uniform deposition. 2. Since the carrier gas can uniformly transport the precursor into the diffusion chamber, the precursor can be quickly and uniformly diffused onto the surface of the semiconductor wafer. 3. By improving the shape and structure of the diffusion chamber, a uniform distribution of the composition in the diffusion chamber can be promoted, and the rapid exchange of the composition in the diffusion chamber can be further facilitated. 4. The annular exhaust structure improves the fluidity of the gas in the horizontal direction on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, further ensures the consistency of the composition on the surface of the semiconductor wafer, and effectively improves the uniformity of the deposited thin film. 5. Compared with the prior art, in the embodiment of the present application, by arranging the annular exhaust structure, the conventional exhaust method is modified, and the bottom space of the atomic layer deposition apparatus is reduced.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the atomic layer deposition apparatus in the embodiment of the present application adopts a special chamber structure and raw material supply method, so that the gas exchange in the chamber is facilitated, the cycle time of each cycle is shortened, and the deposition efficiency is improved.

[0031] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram showing another atomic layer deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the atomic layer deposition apparatus 20 includes a transfer chamber 202, a spraying unit 204, a plasma generation device 206, an annular raw material supply structure 208, a diffusion chamber 210, an annular exhaust structure 212, and a wafer support platform 214. The main structure of the atomic layer deposition apparatus 20 is the same as that of the atomic layer deposition apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, except that the atomic layer deposition apparatus 20 further has a bottom exhaust structure 216. The bottom exhaust structure 216 is disposed at the bottom of the diffusion chamber 210. By connecting the bottom exhaust structure 216 to an external suction unit (not shown), vacuum suction can be performed. In FIG. 9, the bottom exhaust structure 216 forms the shape of a bottom exhaust channel. However, in some other embodiments of the present application, the bottom exhaust structure 216 may have other structural forms as long as vacuum exhaust can be performed. By arranging both the annular exhaust structure 212 and the exhaust channel 216, the horizontal fluidity of the gas on the surface of the semiconductor wafer in a single intake mode can be further improved, the consistency of the composition on the surface of the semiconductor wafer can be further ensured, and the uniformity of the deposited thin film can be further improved. In addition, by combining two intake modes, the intake speed can be increased, the deposition time can be shortened, and the deposition speed can be further increased.

[0032] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present application, the annular exhaust structure 212 may not be arranged, and only the bottom exhaust structure 216 may be arranged. Even with such a structure, the consistency of the composition on the surface of the semiconductor wafer can be ensured, and the uniformity of the deposited thin film can be improved.

[0033] Throughout this specification, references to "an embodiment of the present application" or similar terms should be noted to mean that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in other embodiments are included in at least one embodiment, and may not necessarily be present in all of those embodiments. Thus, the occurrences of the phrase "an embodiment of the present application" or similar terms throughout this specification are not necessarily in the same embodiment. Further, the specific features, structures, or characteristics in a particular embodiment may be combined in a suitable manner with one or more other embodiments.

[0034] So far, the technical content and technical features of the present invention have been disclosed. However, those skilled in the art will be able to make various replacements and modifications without departing from the spirit of the present application based on the teachings and disclosures of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the rights of the present application is not limited to the content disclosed in the embodiments, but includes various replacements and modifications that do not depart from the present application, and is protected by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A transition chamber having an air inlet for introducing gas, extending from a first end to a second end, the width of the first end in the radial direction being smaller than that of the second end, communicating with the transition chamber, and configured to accommodate a semiconductor wafer to be deposited, a diffusion chamber; one or more exhaust structures communicating with the diffusion chamber; An atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising:

2. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diffusion chamber has a trumpet-shaped structure, a trapezoidal structure, or a dome-shaped structure.

3. The one or more exhaust structures include an annular exhaust structure surrounding the diffusion chamber and communicating with the diffusion chamber, The annular exhaust structure includes: an annular body; an annular exhaust channel disposed in the annular body; an exhaust pipe disposed in the annular body and extending to the annular exhaust channel. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a slit is provided between the annular exhaust channel and the diffusion chamber so that the annular exhaust structure communicates with the diffusion chamber.

5. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the one or more exhaust structures include a bottom exhaust structure disposed at the bottom of the diffusion chamber.

6. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a spraying part disposed in the transition chamber and having a plurality of diffusion holes.

7. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of diffusion holes are uniformly distributed on the surface of the spraying part.

8. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of diffusion holes are uniformly distributed outside the central region of the surface of the spraying part.

9. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plasma generation device disposed on the outer periphery of the transition chamber.

10. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising one or more annular raw material supply structures disposed between the transition chamber and the diffusion chamber, The one or more annular raw material supply structures include: an annular body; a plurality of raw material supply holes distributed on the inner peripheral surface of the annular body; an annular groove disposed in the annular body and communicating with the plurality of raw material supply holes; one or more intake ducts disposed in the annular body and extending into the annular groove. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one or more annular raw material supply structures further include a seal groove disposed in the annular body and a seal ring disposed in the seal groove.

12. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an included angle between each of the plurality of raw material supply holes and a horizontal plane is 0 degree to 30 degrees.

13. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a wafer support platform disposed in the diffusion chamber and configured to support the semiconductor wafer.

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