Dry etching apparatus and method

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a dry etching apparatus and method, wherein the dry etching apparatus includes a vacuum reaction chamber, a workpiece carrier driven by a rotary assembly, and a plasma excitation source installed within the vacuum reaction chamber to emit plasma toward an etching region, the etching region surrounding the axis of the workpiece carrier and located on one side of the axis, and a plasma density modifying system installed between the plasma excitation source and the etching region. The present application utilizes the uniform area of the plasma excitation source to etch the workpiece as it rotates into the etching region, and by rotating the workpiece carrier during etching, the workpiece rotates around the center of the workpiece carrier, so that each position on the workpiece passes through the etching region sequentially. Therefore, in this embodiment, the etching region does not need to cover the entire workpiece, but only a portion of the workpiece can be covered to perform segmented etching of the workpiece, which significantly reduces the volume of the apparatus compared to conventional dry etching systems.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority from a Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on September 28, 2022, bearing application number 202211202559.3 and entitled "Dry etching apparatus and method," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of etching, and more particularly to dry etching apparatus and methods. [Background technology]

[0003] Dry etching is a technique for etching thin films using plasma. When gas exists in a plasma state, the active radicals in the plasma are significantly more chemically active than normal gas. By selecting the appropriate gas depending on the material to be etched, the reaction with the material proceeds more quickly, resulting in removal by etching. Furthermore, by using an electric field to guide and accelerate the plasma and give it a certain amount of energy, when the plasma collides with the surface of the object to be etched, atoms of the material are knocked out, thereby achieving etching using physical energy transfer.

[0004] When the etching area increases (diameter 500mm or more), problems such as uneven etching gas distribution and decreased stability and uniformity become encountered, making it difficult to achieve uniform etching transfer of large-area micro- and nanostructure patterns. Furthermore, in a large-volume chamber, the gas diffusion retardation effect causes residual etching gas to remain in the etching area, making it difficult to form a large-area uniform gas composition in a dynamic equilibrium state. This results in a large difference in etching rate between the edge and center of the substrate. Therefore, reducing the chamber volume of the etching equipment is effective for achieving uniform etching of the substrate.

[0005] For large-diameter workpieces, there are conventional etching apparatuses that etch the workpiece section by section by generating relative movement between the plasma excitation source and the workpiece. However, these apparatuses still have the following problems: When the plasma excitation source is fixed and the workpiece is moved, the required volume of the etching chamber is large, and the etching chamber must cover an area at least twice the size of the workpiece. When the workpiece is fixed and the plasma excitation source is moved, the components of the plasma excitation source are relatively complex, so it is necessary to ensure the etching chamber is airtight during movement, which increases the difficulty and cost of processing the etching apparatus. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In view of this, the present application is proposed. Objects of the present application include, for example, providing a dry etching apparatus and method that can reduce the volume of the etching apparatus and that is particularly useful for processing large-diameter workpieces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to a first aspect, the present application provides a dry etching apparatus including a vacuum reaction chamber, in which a workpiece carrier driven by a rotating assembly, an etching region, and a plasma excitation source for emitting plasma toward the etching region are disposed, the etching region covers an axis of the workpiece carrier and is located on one side of the axis, and a plasma density modification system is disposed between the plasma excitation source and the etching region.

[0008] In an alternative embodiment, the plasma density modifying system includes a modifying grid and a motion assembly that rotates and moves the modifying grid; Preferably, the mesh coverage of the correction grid gradually decreases in a direction away from the axis of the workpiece carrier; Preferably, the angle between the correction grid and the workpiece carrier is between 0 and 75 degrees; Preferably, the correction grid is a metallic or polymeric material.

[0009] In an alternative embodiment, a pressure monitoring device and a vacuum acquisition facility may be provided within the vacuum reaction chamber; Preferably, a pressure controller is further provided to control a valve opening diameter of the vacuum acquisition facility based on the pressure monitored by the pressure monitoring device; Preferably, the pressure controller is a PID controller; Preferably, there are four or more vacuum acquisition facilities, and the four or more vacuum acquisition facilities are evenly arranged around the plasma excitation source.

[0010] In an alternative embodiment, an exhaust gas treatment device is connected to the exhaust port of the vacuum pump, a filter is installed in the exhaust gas treatment device, and an anticorrosion coating is applied to a position where the filter comes into contact with the exhaust gas; Preferably, the anticorrosion coating is a polytetrafluoroethylene coating; In an alternative embodiment, a temperature monitor and a heat exchanger are provided within the vacuum reaction chamber; Preferably, a temperature controller is further provided for controlling the switch of the heat exchanger based on the temperature monitored by the temperature monitoring device; Preferably, the temperature controller is a PID controller.

[0011] In an alternative embodiment, the plasma excitation source is provided with a translation assembly that can translate the plasma excitation source in X, Y, and Z directions; In the plasma excitation source, all parts that come into contact with the etching gas or plasma are made of duplex stainless steel. The distance in the Z-axis direction between the plasma excitation source and the etching region is 20 to 100 cm.

[0012] In an alternative embodiment, the rotation assembly includes a motor and a rotation shaft connected to a power output shaft of the motor, the workpiece carrier being mounted on the rotation shaft; Preferably, the motor is located in a vacuum reaction chamber, and the vacuum reaction chamber is provided with an escape hole for the rotation shaft to pass through, and a seal structure is provided between the escape hole and the rotation shaft.

[0013] In an alternative embodiment, the system further includes a purge device, the purge device including an air source, an air hose connected to the air source, and a purge port connected to the air hose, the purge port facing the workpiece carrier.

[0014] According to a second aspect, the present application provides a dry etching method using the apparatus of the above embodiment, comprising placing a substrate to be etched on a workpiece carrier, driving the workpiece carrier, filling the workpiece carrier with etching gas, activating a plasma excitation source, micro- or nano-machining the substrate by etching, and adjusting a plasma density modification system before or during etching to modify the density of plasma emitted from the plasma excitation source.

[0015] In an alternative embodiment, starting the plasma excitation source, and after the atmospheric pressure and plasma glow have stabilized, gradually increasing the output of the plasma excitation source to a predetermined range to perform micro- or nano-machining of the substrate by etching; Preferably, before filling the etching gas, first fill the vacuum reaction chamber with an inert gas to replace the flowing atmosphere therein, and stop filling the inert gas after the replacement is completed; The pressure in the vacuum reaction chamber is 3×10 -2 ~3×10 -1 Pa, Preferably, the temperature in the vacuum reaction chamber is 80 to 120°C; Preferably, the rotation speed of the workpiece carrier is 0 to 50 r / min; Preferably, after etching is completed, the purge device is started and the flow rate of the purge gas is 0 to 1 sccm / h. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present embodiments include, for example: During etching, the workpiece carrier is rotated, and the workpiece rotates around the center of the workpiece carrier, so that each location on the workpiece passes through the etching zone sequentially. Therefore, in this embodiment, the etching zone does not need to cover the entire workpiece, but only a portion of the workpiece can be covered to perform segmented etching of the workpiece. The volume of the equipment can be significantly reduced compared to conventional dry etching systems, especially for large-diameter workpieces. At the same time, the apparatus and method of the present application can also be used to process small-diameter workpieces, making the range of applications wider.

[0017] The present invention utilizes the uniform area of the plasma excitation source to etch the workpiece entering the etching region, but the time it takes for a unit area of the workpiece to pass through the uniform area of the plasma excitation source decreases with increasing distance from the axis of the workpiece carrier, resulting in non-uniform etching of the workpiece. Therefore, by installing a plasma density modifying system between the plasma excitation source and the etching region, the plasma density of the plasma excitation source and the plasma density at different positions of the rotating workpiece can be simultaneously modified, thereby adjusting and controlling the etching uniformity of large-diameter substrates.

[0018] In order to more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly describe the drawings that need to be used in the embodiments. However, the following drawings only illustrate certain embodiments of the present application and should not be considered as limiting the scope. It is understood that those skilled in the art can obtain other related drawings based on these drawings without performing any creative work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a dry etching apparatus according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below clearly and completely in conjunction with the drawings included in the embodiments of the present application, but it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments of the present application. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations.

[0021] Therefore, the detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings below is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative work are all included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0022] It should be noted that like numerals and letters represent like items in the following drawings, so that once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further defined or explained in subsequent drawings.

[0023] It should be made clear in the description of this application that when orientations or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer" appear, these are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings or the orientations or positional relationships customarily placed when the product of the present invention is used, and are merely for the purpose of making this application easier to explain and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the indicated device or part must have a specific orientation, configuration, or operation, and should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0024] Furthermore, where terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used, they are used only to distinguish between descriptions and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] It should be noted that, unless a contradiction occurs, the features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, this embodiment provides a dry etching apparatus 100 including a vacuum reaction chamber 110, in which a workpiece carrier 120 driven by a rotation assembly 121, an etching region, and a plasma excitation source 130 for emitting plasma toward the etching region are installed. The etching region covers the axis of the workpiece carrier 120 and is located on one side of the axis. A plasma density adjustment system is installed between the plasma excitation source 130 and the etching region.

[0027] When using the dry etching apparatus 100 provided in this embodiment, the positions of the workpiece carrier 120 and the plasma excitation source 130 are first adjusted, and then the plasma density adjusting system is adjusted to adjust the density of the plasma emitted by the plasma excitation source 130. After the adjustment of the apparatus is complete, the workpiece is fixed to the workpiece carrier 120, and then the plasma excitation source 130 is turned on to begin etching.

[0028] The workpiece is attached to the center of the workpiece carrier 120, and by rotating the workpiece carrier 120 during etching, the workpiece rotates around the center of the workpiece carrier 120, and each position on the workpiece passes through the etching area sequentially and is etched. Therefore, in this embodiment, the etching area does not need to cover the entire workpiece, and it is possible to perform segmented etching of the workpiece by covering only a portion of the workpiece, which significantly reduces the volume of the equipment compared to conventional dry etching systems.

[0029] The plasma generated by the plasma excitation source 130 can be considered uniform within a certain range, and in this embodiment, the uniform area of the plasma excitation source 130 is mainly used to etch the workpiece that enters the etching region. For the workpiece, the time it takes for a unit area to pass through the uniform area of the plasma excitation source 130 decreases as the distance from the axis of the workpiece carrier 120 increases, resulting in non-uniform etching of the workpiece. Therefore, a plasma density adjustment system is installed between the plasma excitation source 130 and the etching region.

[0030] The plasma density modifying system further includes a modifying grid 141 and a motion assembly for rotating and moving the modifying grid 141; Preferably, the mesh coverage of the correction grid 141 gradually decreases in a direction away from the axis of the workpiece carrier 120; Preferably, the angle between the correction grid 141 and the workpiece carrier 120 is between 0 and 75 degrees; Preferably, the correction grid 141 is a metallic or polymeric material.

[0031] The plasma density modifying system in this embodiment includes a modifying grid 140, which is provided with a mesh. When the plasma collides with the modifying grid 140, it is blocked. When the plasma passes through the mesh, it continues to advance to the etching region and etch the workpiece. By adjusting the size and arrangement of the mesh, the density of the plasma passing through the modifying grid 140 can be adjusted. In order to effectively block the plasma, the modifying grid 140 is preferably made of a metal material or a polymer material, and particularly preferably made of stainless steel.

[0032] In order to adjust the traveling trajectory of the plasma generated by the plasma excitation source 130, the correction grid 140 is set rotatably, so that the traveling trajectory of the plasma can be adjusted on the one hand, and the etching rate can be adjusted on the other hand.

[0033] As for the motion assembly, those skilled in the art can select from conventional techniques. Specifically, a rotation axis can be installed inside the vacuum reaction chamber 110, and a push rod can be installed on one side of the rotation axis to rotate the correction grid 140 along the rotation axis. Here, the push rod can be an electric or pneumatic telescopic rod, and the angle of the correction grid 140 can be controlled by controlling the length of the telescopic rod. In addition, both the rotation axis and the push rod can be installed on a base, and the base can move inside the vacuum reaction chamber through a transmission structure such as a turbine worm gear, but care must be taken to keep the vacuum reaction chamber sealed.

[0034] As mentioned above, the time it takes for a unit area to pass through the uniform region of the plasma excitation source decreases as the distance from the axis of the workpiece carrier 120 increases. Therefore, to correct for this positional non-uniformity, the mesh coverage at different positions of the correction grid 140 is also different, which can be calculated specifically based on discrete mathematics.

[0035] Another point to consider is that the plasma generated by the plasma excitation source 130 will have non-uniform plasma density distribution due to non-uniformities in the magnetic field strength generated by the coil and the diffusion of the etching gas. This non-uniformity is usually manifested as the plasma density being highest at the center of the source and decreasing radially along the center. Therefore, the uniform region of the plasma excitation source is actually approximately uniform. Taking into account the non-uniformity of the plasma excitation source, the correction grid 140 needs to be "custom-made" according to the actual conditions of the plasma excitation source 130.

[0036] In the etching process, different gases need to be selected to suit different material workpieces, so the plasma excitation source 130 can be equipped with multiple gas storage tanks 131, and the flow rates of the gases in the gas storage tanks 131 are controlled by gas mass flow controllers MFC.

[0037] Furthermore, a pressure monitoring device 150 and a vacuum acquisition facility 151 are installed in the vacuum reaction chamber 110; Preferably, a pressure controller is further provided to control the valve opening diameter of the vacuum acquisition facility 151 based on the pressure monitored by the pressure monitoring device 150; Preferably, the pressure controller is a PID controller; Preferably, there are four or more vacuum acquisition devices 151 , and the four or more vacuum acquisition devices 151 are evenly arranged around the plasma excitation source 130 .

[0038] In order to ensure the vacuum level in the vacuum reaction chamber 110, a pressure monitoring device 150 and a vacuum acquisition device 151 are installed. If the pressure monitoring device 150 detects that the pressure in the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is too high, the vacuum acquisition device 151 is activated. The pressure monitoring device 150 and the vacuum acquisition device 151 in this embodiment only need to meet the requirements of the device, and those skilled in the art can reasonably select them from the prior art.

[0039] The opening diameter of the vacuum acquisition device 151 can be manually controlled by an operator. However, considering the possibility of the device operating for a long time, a pressure controller is installed to reduce the operator's workload and save manpower. When the pressure in the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is monitored to exceed a predetermined value, the pressure controller controls the vacuum acquisition device 151 to increase the opening diameter and increase the evacuation speed. When the pressure in the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is within a predetermined range, the pressure controller controls the vacuum acquisition device 151 to decrease the opening diameter. The pressure controller in this embodiment can be selected from conventional technology and simply determines whether the pressure transmitted from the pressure monitoring device 150 is within a predetermined range and increases or decreases the evacuation speed of the vacuum acquisition device 151 based on the determination result. Specifically, this embodiment can employ a PID controller, which is superior in terms of control accuracy, response speed, system stability, and adaptability. Furthermore, a vacuum pump of an appropriate specification can be selected for the vacuum acquisition device.

[0040] To reduce disturbance to the airflow in the reaction chamber when the vacuum attainment facilities 151 perform evacuation, the vacuum attainment facilities 151 can be distributed as evenly as possible around the plasma excitation source 130 .

[0041] Furthermore, an exhaust gas treatment device 152 is connected to the exhaust port of the vacuum acquisition equipment 151, a filter is installed in the exhaust gas treatment device 152, and an anti-corrosion coating is applied to the position where the filter and the exhaust gas come into contact. Preferably, the anticorrosion coating is a polytetrafluoroethylene coating.

[0042] During the etching process, different gases need to be selected to suit different material workpieces, and these gases are exhausted from the vacuum reaction chamber 110 by the vacuum acquisition device 151. The exhausted gases undergo a series of reactions in the vacuum reaction chamber 110, and some of them will form toxic and harmful gases or fine particles. Therefore, in order to reduce environmental pollution, the exhaust gas treatment device 152 is installed.

[0043] A filter is installed in the exhaust gas treatment device 152 to filter out fine particles, and an anti-corrosion coating is applied to extend the service life of the filter.

[0044] Furthermore, a temperature monitoring device 160 and a heat exchanger 161 are installed in the vacuum reaction chamber 110. Preferably, a temperature controller is further provided to control the switch of the heat exchanger 161 based on the temperature monitored by the temperature monitoring device 160; Preferably, the temperature controller is a PID controller.

[0045] To ensure that the temperature in the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is within a predetermined range, a temperature monitoring device 160 and a heat exchanger 161 are installed. If the temperature monitoring device 160 detects that the temperature in the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is too high, the heat exchanger 161 is activated to cool the reaction chamber 110. If the temperature monitoring device 160 detects that the temperature in the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is too low, the heat exchanger 161 is activated to heat the reaction chamber 110. The temperature monitoring device 160 and the heat exchanger 161 in this embodiment may be any device that meets the requirements of the device and can be reasonably selected by those skilled in the art. Specifically, the heat exchanger may be a heating rod.

[0046] The opening and closing of the heat exchanger 161 can be manually controlled by an operator, but a temperature controller is installed to reduce the operator's workload and save manpower in consideration of the possibility of the device operating for long periods of time. If the temperature inside the vacuum reaction chamber 110 exceeds a predetermined value, the temperature controller activates the cooling function of the heat exchanger 161 to reduce the temperature. If the temperature inside the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is within a predetermined range, the temperature controller stops the heat exchanger 161 or reduces its output. The temperature controller in this embodiment can be selected from conventional technology and can simply determine whether the temperature transmitted from the temperature monitoring device 160 is within a set range, and based on the determination result, start, increase or decrease the output, or stop the heat exchanger 161.

[0047] Specifically, this embodiment can employ a PID controller, which is excellent in terms of control precision, response speed, system stability and adaptability.

[0048] Furthermore, the plasma excitation source 130 is provided with a moving assembly that can move the plasma excitation source 130 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction; In the plasma excitation source 130, all parts that come into contact with the etching gas or plasma are made of duplex stainless steel; The distance in the Z-axis direction between the plasma excitation source 130 and the etching region is 20 to 100 cm.

[0049] During etching, the distance between the plasma excitation source 130 and the workpiece carrier 120 needs to be adjusted depending on the condition of the workpiece, so a moving assembly is provided to move the plasma excitation source 130 .

[0050] The moving assembly in this embodiment only needs to be able to move the plasma excitation source in three-dimensional space, and the specific embodiment can be selected from conventional technologies, and the guide rail screw structure can be used as a reference, but attention must be paid to sealing because a certain degree of vacuum must be maintained within the vacuum reaction chamber 110.

[0051] Further, the rotating assembly 121 includes a motor and a rotating shaft connected to the power output shaft of the motor, and the workpiece carrier 120 is attached to the rotating shaft; Preferably, the motor is located in the vacuum reaction chamber 110, and the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is provided with an escape hole for the rotation shaft to pass through, and a seal structure is provided between the escape hole and the rotation shaft.

[0052] During operation, the motor drives the rotating shaft, thereby rotating the workpiece carrier 120, and the motor is installed outside the vacuum reaction chamber 110 so that the opening and closing of the motor can be easily controlled. To maintain a certain degree of vacuum within the vacuum reaction chamber 110, a sealing structure is provided between the escape hole and the rotating shaft.

[0053] The seal structure in this embodiment can be selected from the prior art, for example, a seal bearing.

[0054] In order to easily adjust the distance between the workpiece carrier 120 and the plasma excitation source 130, the workpiece carrier 120 is configured to be height adjustable; specifically, an electric telescopic rod can be installed between the rotation axis and the workpiece carrier 120.

[0055] Furthermore, the apparatus further includes a purge device 170 , which includes an air source, an air hose connected to the air source, and a purge port connected to the air hose, the purge port being disposed toward the workpiece carrier 120 .

[0056] After etching is completed, the purge device 170 is activated to purge the workpieces on the workpiece carrier 120, thereby cleaning and cooling the workpieces.

[0057] The purge region and etching region of the purge device 170 may be overlapped or separated, but mutual interference between the purge device 170 and the plasma excitation source 130 must be avoided.

[0058] Another embodiment of the present application provides a dry etching method using the apparatus of the above embodiment, including placing a substrate to be etched on the workpiece carrier 120, driving the workpiece carrier 120, filling the workpiece carrier with etching gas, activating the plasma excitation source 130, micro- or nano-machining the substrate by etching, and adjusting the plasma density modification system before or during etching to modify the plasma density emitted from the plasma excitation source 130.

[0059] Furthermore, the plasma excitation source 130 is activated, and after the atmospheric pressure and plasma glow have stabilized, the output of the plasma excitation source 130 is gradually increased to a predetermined range, and the substrate is subjected to micro- or nano-processing by etching. Preferably, before filling the etching gas, first fill the inert gas to replace the flowing atmosphere in the vacuum reaction chamber 110, and stop filling the inert gas after the replacement is completed. The pressure in the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is 3×10 -2 ~3×10 -1 Pa, Preferably, the temperature inside the vacuum reaction chamber 110 is 80 to 120°C. Preferably, the rotation speed of the workpiece carrier 120 is 0 to 50 r / min; Preferably, after etching is completed, the purge device 170 is started and the flow rate of the purge gas is 0 to 1 sccm / h.

[0060] In this embodiment, the large-diameter workpiece is placed at the center of the workpiece carrier 120, and the large-diameter workpiece passes through the etching region area by area as the workpiece carrier 120 rotates, thereby etching the large-diameter workpiece in sections. The plasma density is adjusted through the plasma density correction system to reduce non-uniformity caused by the difference in the time it takes different positions on the workpiece to pass through the uniform region of the plasma excitation source.

[0061] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present application, and the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or replacements that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be determined by the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The present application provides a dry etching apparatus and method, wherein the dry etching apparatus includes a vacuum reaction chamber, in which a workpiece carrier driven by a rotary assembly and a plasma excitation source for emitting plasma toward an etching region are installed, the etching region covers the axis of the workpiece carrier and is located on one side of the axis, and a plasma excitation source and an etching region are installed between the plasma excitation source and the etching region. The present application utilizes the uniform area of the plasma excitation source to etch the workpiece entering the etching region, and rotates the workpiece carrier during etching so that the workpiece rotates around the center of the workpiece carrier, and each position on the workpiece passes through the etching region sequentially. In this embodiment, the etching region does not need to cover the entire workpiece, but only a portion of the workpiece can be covered to perform segmented etching of the workpiece, which significantly reduces the volume of the apparatus compared to conventional dry etching systems.

[0063] It will also be appreciated that the dry etching apparatus and method of the present application are reproducible and applicable to a variety of industrial applications, for example, the dry etching apparatus and method of the present application can be utilized in the etching industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 100: Dry etching equipment 110: Vacuum reaction chamber 120: Workpiece carrier 121: Rotating assembly 130: Plasma excitation source 131: Gas storage tank 140: Correction grid 150: Pressure monitoring device 151:Vacuum acquisition equipment 152: Exhaust gas treatment equipment 160: Temperature monitoring device 161: Heat exchanger 170: Purge device

Claims

1. 1. A dry etching apparatus including a vacuum reaction chamber, The vacuum reaction chamber includes a workpiece carrier driven by a rotating assembly, an etching region, and a plasma excitation source for emitting plasma toward the etching region; the etching area covers an axis of the workpiece carrier and is located on one side of the axis; A dry etching apparatus comprising: a plasma density modifying system disposed between the plasma excitation source and the etching region.

2. the plasma density modifying system includes a modifying grid and a motion assembly that rotates and moves the modifying grid; Preferably, the mesh coverage of the correction grid gradually decreases in a direction away from the axis of the workpiece carrier; Preferably, the angle between the correction grid and the workpiece carrier is between 0 and 75 degrees; 2. The dry etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction grid is preferably made of a metal material or a polymer material.

3. A pressure monitoring device and a vacuum acquisition device are installed in the vacuum reaction chamber, Preferably, a pressure controller is further provided to control a valve opening diameter of the vacuum acquisition equipment based on the pressure monitored by the pressure monitoring device; Preferably, the pressure controller is a PID controller; 2. The dry etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of vacuum acquisition devices is four or more, and the four or more vacuum acquisition devices are evenly arranged around the plasma excitation source.

4. An exhaust gas treatment device is connected to the exhaust port of the vacuum acquisition equipment, a filter is installed in the exhaust gas treatment device, and an anti-corrosion coating is applied to the position where the filter comes into contact with the exhaust gas, 4. The dry etching apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the anticorrosion coating is preferably a polytetrafluoroethylene coating.

5. A temperature monitoring device and a heat exchanger are installed in the vacuum reaction chamber, Preferably, a temperature controller is further provided for controlling the switch of the heat exchanger based on the temperature monitored by the temperature monitoring device; 2. The dry etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature controller is preferably a PID controller.

6. The plasma excitation source is provided with a moving assembly that can move the plasma excitation source in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions; Preferably, any parts in the plasma excitation source that come into contact with the etching gas or plasma are made of duplex stainless steel; 2. The dry etching apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance in the Z-axis direction between the plasma excitation source and the etching region is preferably 20 to 100 cm.

7. the rotating assembly includes a motor and a rotating shaft connected to a power output shaft of the motor, the workpiece carrier being mounted on the rotating shaft; Preferably, the motor is located in a vacuum reaction chamber, and an escape hole for a rotating shaft to pass through is provided in the vacuum reaction chamber, and a seal structure is provided between the escape hole and the rotating shaft.

8. 2. The dry etching apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a purge device, the purge device including an air source, an air hose connected to the air source, and a purge port connected to the air hose, the purge port being positioned toward the workpiece carrier.

9. A dry etching method using the apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A substrate to be etched is placed on a workpiece carrier, the workpiece carrier is driven, an etching gas is filled, a plasma excitation source is activated, and the substrate is subjected to micro- or nano-machining by etching; A dry etching method comprising adjusting a plasma density modification system before or during etching to modify the density of a plasma emitted from a plasma excitation source.

10. After activating the plasma excitation source and stabilizing the atmospheric pressure and plasma glow, the output of the plasma excitation source is gradually increased to a predetermined range, and the substrate is subjected to micro- and nano-machining by etching; Preferably, before filling the etching gas, first fill the vacuum reaction chamber with an inert gas to replace the flowing atmosphere therein, and stop filling the inert gas after the replacement is completed; The pressure in the vacuum reaction chamber is 3×10 －２ ~3 x 10 －１ Pa, Preferably, the temperature in the vacuum reaction chamber is 80 to 120°C; Preferably, the rotation speed of the workpiece carrier is 0.01 to 50 r / min; Preferably, the dry etching method according to claim 9, further comprising starting a purge device after etching is completed, and the flow rate of the purge gas is 0.01 to 1 sccm / h.

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