Semiconductor manufacturing equipment and method for manufacturing semiconductors
The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus recovers and reuses precursor gases through an accumulator and evaporators/condensers, addressing waste and cost issues in semiconductor fabrication by ensuring cleaner gas flow and reducing operating costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-07
AI Technical Summary
Existing semiconductor fabrication processes waste valuable precursor gases by exhausting them to the environment, which is environmentally wasteful and increases operating costs.
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with an accumulator and multiple evaporators/condensers recovers and reuses precursor gases by depositing them before they reach the pump, ensuring cleaner gas flow and reducing operating costs.
The apparatus recovers and reuses precursor gases, reducing environmental waste and lowering operational expenses while maintaining a clean gas flow for the manufacturing process.
Smart Images
Figure 2026059771000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor manufacturing equipment and methods for manufacturing semiconductors. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to the reuse of semiconductor precursor gases.
Background Art
[0002] For example, semiconductor fabrication processes for forming semiconductor device structures such as transistors, memory elements, and integrated circuits are extensive and may include deposition processes.
[0003] A deposition process may include flowing a precursor gas over a substrate, resulting in a layer being disposed on the substrate. During the deposition process, excess precursor that does not react with the substrate may be exhausted by a pump. Precursors can be very valuable, and exhausting the precursor through the pump to the exhaust of the reaction chamber can be environmentally wasteful.
[0004] Therefore, there may be a need to reuse the precursor gas exhausted to the pump in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment from the exhaust of the reaction chamber.
Summary of the Invention
[0005] The summary of the present invention is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form. These concepts will be further described in more detail in the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify the main 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.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is disclosed. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus of one embodiment includes a reaction chamber, and one or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber to provide a precursor gas into the reaction chamber, and The apparatus comprises an accumulator connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets described above. The apparatus may also comprise three evaporators / condensers. A first evaporator / condenser may be connectable to an accumulator and heated to provide vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator. A second evaporator / condenser may be connectable to a bulk precursor storage and cooled to deposit precursor into it from a heated bulk precursor storage. A third evaporator / condenser may be connectable between the exhaust of the reaction chamber and a pump and cooled to deposit precursor from the exhaust before it reaches the pump. Any precursor gas remaining in the exhaust gas can be deposited inside the third evaporator / condenser. In this way, the gas connected to the pump can be cleaner, which is an environmental advantage. The expensive precursor recovered in the third evaporator / condenser may be reused in this sense, which can reduce the operating costs of the apparatus. At the same time, the second evaporator / condenser may be refilled so that the apparatus can always have an evaporator / condenser ready for use.
[0007] In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be disclosed. The apparatus may include a reaction chamber for charging a substrate, one or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber for supplying a precursor gas into the reaction chamber to deposit a layer on the substrate, and an accumulator connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets. The method may include connecting a first evaporator / condenser to an accumulator and heating the first evaporator / condenser to supply vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator; connecting a second evaporator / condenser to a bulk precursor storage section and heating the bulk precursor storage section while cooling the second evaporator / condenser to deposit precursor from the storage section into the second evaporator / condenser; and connecting a third evaporator / condenser between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and a pump and cooling the third evaporator / condenser to deposit precursor from the exhaust into the third evaporator / condenser before the exhaust reaches the pump.
[0008] For the purpose of summarizing the advantages of the present invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objectives and advantages of the present invention are described above herein. Naturally, it will be understood that not all of these objectives or advantages are necessarily achieved according to any particular embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be embodied or practiced in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or a group of advantages as taught or suggested herein, without necessarily achieving other objectives or advantages that may be taught or suggested herein.
[0009] All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the present invention disclosed herein. These embodiments and other embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” of certain embodiments with reference to the following appended drawings, and the present invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed.
[0010] This specification specifically points out embodiments of the present invention and concludes in the claims as explicitly stated, while the advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure can be more readily identified from the description of certain embodiments of the embodiments of this disclosure, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a layer deposition system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0012] The examples presented herein are not intended to represent the actual appearance of any particular material, structure, or device, but are merely idealized representations used to illustrate embodiments of the herein.
[0013] While certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention, as well as obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Therefore, the scope of the invention disclosed is not intended to be limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0014] As used herein, the term “substrate” may refer to any substrate material (singular or plural) on which a device, circuit, or layer may be used or formed.
[0015] As used herein, the term “periodic chemical vapor deposition” may refer to any process in which a substrate is successively exposed to one or more volatile precursors, the precursors reacting and / or decomposing on the substrate to produce a desired deposit.
[0016] As used herein, the term "precursor" may refer to molybdenum halide precursors such as molybdenum chloride precursors, molybdenum iodide precursors, or molybdenum bromide precursors, or molybdenum chalcogenides such as molybdenum oxychloride, molybdenum oxyiodide, molybdenum dichloride dioxide (MoO2Cl2) precursors, or molybdenum oxybromide.
[0017] As used herein, the term “atomic layer deposition” (ALD) can refer to a deposition process in which deposition cycles, preferably multiple consecutive deposition cycles, are carried out in a reaction chamber. Typically, during each cycle, a precursor is chemisorbed onto the deposition surface (e.g., the surface of a substrate or a previously deposited underlayment, e.g., a material deposited using a previous ALD cycle) to form a monolayer or sub-monolayer that does not readily react with additional precursors (i.e., a self-controlled reaction). Subsequently, if necessary, a reactant (e.g., another precursor or reaction gas) may be introduced into the process chamber for use in converting the chemisorbed precursor into the desired material on the deposition surface. Typically, this reactant can further react with the precursor. Furthermore, a purging step may also be utilized during each cycle to remove excess precursor from the process chamber and / or excess reactant or reaction byproducts after the conversion of the chemisorbed precursor. Furthermore, as used in this disclosure, the term “atomic layer deposition” also means that the process is represented by related terms such as “chemical vapor deposition atomic layer deposition,” “atomic layer epitaxy” (ALE), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), gas source MBE, or organometallic MBE, as well as chemical beam epitaxy when carried out with alternating pulses of precursor composition, reactive gas, and purge gas (e.g., inert carrier).
[0018] As used herein, the term “layer” may refer to any continuous or discontinuous structure and material formed by the methods disclosed herein. For example, “layers” and “thin films” may include 2D materials, nanolaminates, nanorods, nanotubes, or nanoparticles, or planar partial or complete molecular layers, or partial or complete atomic layers, or clusters of atoms and / or molecules. “Layers” and “thin films” may include materials or layers having pinholes, but are still at least partially continuous.
[0019] It should be noted that while many exemplary materials are given through embodiments of this disclosure, the chemical formulas given to each of these materials should not be interpreted as limiting, and the non-limiting exemplary materials given should not be limited by any exemplary stoichiometry.
[0020] This disclosure includes semiconductor manufacturing equipment capable of carrying out a molybdenum layer deposition process. Molybdenum thin films can be used in many applications, such as low electrical resistivity gap fills, liner layers for 3D-NAND and DRAM word line features, metal gates, DRAM top electrodes, memory, or interconnect materials for CMOS logic.
[0021] Figure 1 shows a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus may comprise a reaction chamber 1, one or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber for supplying a precursor gas into the reaction chamber, and an accumulator 3 connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets. The apparatus may comprise three evaporators / condensers, the first evaporator / condenser 5 being connectable to the accumulator 3 and configured to be heated to supply a vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via a first valve 4 and the accumulator 3. The first evaporator / condenser 5 may be heated to 50 to 200°C, preferably 100 to 180°C, to supply a sublimated / vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via the accumulator. The temperature may be pressure-dependent.
[0022] The second evaporator / condenser 7 can be connected to the bulk precursor storage unit 9 via the second valve 6 and may be structured to be cooled in order to deposit the precursor from the heated bulk precursor storage unit 9 therein. The second evaporator / condenser 7 can be cooled / heated to less than 150 °C, preferably less than 130 °C, to deposit the precursor therein. The temperature may depend on the pressure.
[0023] The third evaporator / condenser 11 can be connected between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and the pump 13 via the third valve 8 and the fourth valve 10 and is structured to be cooled in order to deposit the precursor from the aforementioned exhaust before the exhaust reaches the pump 13. The third evaporator / condenser 11 can be cooled / heated to less than 150 °C, preferably less than 130 °C, and may have any precursor gas remaining in the exhaust gas deposited inside the third evaporator / condenser. The temperature may depend on the pressure. In this way, the gas connected to the pump can be made cleaner, which is an environmental advantage. The expensive precursor recovered by the third evaporator / condenser may be reused in this sense and can reduce the operating cost of the apparatus. At the same time, the second evaporator / condenser may be refilled so that the apparatus can always have a vaporizer / condenser ready for use.
[0024] In one embodiment, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus may be structured and arranged to switch between the vaporizers / condensers 5, 7, 11. For example, when one of the evaporators / condensers is empty. The apparatus may be provided with a controller operably connected to the valves. The controller may be provided with a processor and a memory. The memory may be provided with a program for switching functions between the evaporators / condensers.
[0025] In one embodiment, the second evaporator / condenser 7 and / or the third evaporator / condenser 11 may be connected to the accumulator 3 via the fifth valve 12 and the sixth valve 14, and may be structured to be heated to provide the sublimated / vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via the accumulator. The latter may be required when the first evaporator / condenser 5 is substantially empty and / or when the second and third evaporators / condensers are substantially filled with the precursor. The second evaporator / condenser 7 may be disconnected from the bulk precursor storage 9 by closing the second valve 6, and the third evaporator / condenser may be disconnected from the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and the pump 13 by closing the third valve 8 and the fourth valve 10 simultaneously. The first evaporator / condenser 5 may be simultaneously disconnected from the accumulator 3 and the reaction chamber 1 by closing the first valve 4. The second evaporator / condenser 7 and / or the third evaporator / condenser 11 may be heated to 50 to 200 °C, preferably 100 to 180 °C, to provide the sublimated / vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber 1 via the accumulator. The temperature may depend on the pressure.
[0026] Meanwhile, the first evaporator / condenser 5 may be connected between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber 1 and the pump 13 via the seventh valve 16 and the eighth valve 18. The first evaporator / condenser may be structured to be cooled to deposit the precursor from the aforementioned exhaust before the exhaust reaches the pump 13. The first evaporator / condenser 5 may be cooled / heated to less than 150 °C, preferably less than 130 °C, and may have any precursor gas remaining in the exhaust gas deposited inside the first evaporator / condenser. The temperature may depend on the pressure. In this way, the gas connected to the pump can be cleaner, which is an environmental advantage. The expensive precursor recovered in the first evaporator / condenser can be reused to reduce the operating cost of the device.
[0027] In one embodiment, the first evaporator / condenser 5 may also be connected to a bulk precursor storage unit 9 via a ninth valve 20 and cooled / heated to less than 150°C, preferably less than 130°C, to deposit precursors into it from the heated bulk precursor storage unit 9. This may be required when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty.
[0028] When the second evaporator / condenser is empty, it may be connected between the exhaust of the reaction chamber and the pump via the tenth valve 22 and the eleventh valve 24. The second evaporator / condenser may be cooled / heated to below 150°C, preferably below 130°C, to deposit precursors from the exhaust before the exhaust reaches the pump 13 when the second evaporator / condenser 7 is substantially empty. The temperature may be pressure-dependent. Any precursor gases remaining in the exhaust gas can be deposited inside the second evaporator / condenser. In this way, the gas connected to the pump can be cleaner, which is an environmental benefit. The expensive precursors recovered in the second evaporator / condenser can be reused to reduce the operating costs of the apparatus.
[0029] In one embodiment, the second evaporator / condenser may also be connected to a bulk precursor storage unit via a 12th valve 26 and may be cooled / heated to less than 150°C, preferably less than 130°C, when the second evaporator / condenser is substantially empty, to deposit precursors into it from the heated bulk precursor storage unit. This may be done, for example, after refilling from exhaust to increase the filling rate.
[0030] In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor using semiconductor manufacturing equipment is disclosed. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment is A reaction chamber 1 for charging the substrate, One or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber are provided to supply a precursor gas into the reaction chamber and deposit a layer on the substrate, The semiconductor manufacturing method comprises an accumulator 3 connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets described above. The first evaporator / condenser 5 is connected to the accumulator 3, and the first evaporator / condenser 5 is heated to provide the vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator. The second evaporator / condenser 7 is connected to the bulk precursor storage unit 9, and the second evaporator / condenser 7 is cooled, causing the precursor to accumulate in the second evaporator / condenser 7 from the bulk precursor storage unit 9 while simultaneously heating the bulk precursor storage unit 9. The method includes connecting a third evaporator / condenser 11 between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber 1 and the pump 13, and cooling the third evaporator / condenser so that a precursor from the exhaust gas is deposited in the third evaporator / condenser 11 before the exhaust gas reaches the pump 13.
[0031] In one embodiment, the method includes, for example, switching between multiple vaporizers / condensers when one evaporator / condenser may be empty.
[0032] In one embodiment, the precursor gas is a vaporized liquid or solid precursor compound containing a metal or metalloid, wherein the metal is selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, and rare earth metals. The precursor compound may be a homoreptic or heteroreptic precursor.
[0033] In one embodiment, the precursor compound may include at least one compound selected from titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl4), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl5), molybdenum dichloride (MoO2Cl2), niobium pentachloride (NbCl5), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl5), aluminum trichloride (AlCl3), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl4), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl4), tetrakis(ethylmethylamide) zirconium (TEMAZr) or tetrakis(ethylmethylamide) hafnium (TEMAHf), trimethyl borate (TMB), fluorotriethoxysilane (FTES), tetrakis-dimethylaminotitanium (TDMAT), tetrakis-diethylamino (TDEAT), CuTMVS, diethylsilane, and triethyl phosphate (TEPO).
[0034] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure described above are merely examples of embodiments of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and do not limit the scope of the invention. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention. In fact, various modifications of this disclosure, in addition to those shown and described herein, such as useful alternative combinations of the elements described, may become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. These modifications and embodiments are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment, Reaction chamber and One or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber to supply a precursor into the reaction chamber, The system comprises an accumulator connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets, The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprises three evaporators / condensers: a first evaporator / condenser connected to the accumulator and structured to be heated to provide sublimated / vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator; a second evaporator / condenser connected to a bulk precursor storage section and structured to be cooled to deposit precursor from the bulk precursor storage section into the bulk precursor storage section when the bulk precursor storage section is heated; and a third evaporator / condenser connected between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and a pump and structured to be cooled to deposit precursor from the exhaust before the exhaust reaches the pump.
2. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is configured to allow switching between multiple evaporators / condensers and is arranged in such a manner.
3. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second evaporator / condenser and / or the third evaporator / condenser are connectable to the accumulator and are configured to be heated to provide sublimated / vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty and / or the second evaporator / condenser and the third evaporator / condenser are substantially filled with precursor.
4. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first evaporator / condenser is connectable between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and the pump, and is configured to be cooled to deposit a precursor from the exhaust before the exhaust reaches the pump when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty.
5. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first evaporator / condenser is connectable to the bulk precursor storage unit and is structured to be cooled in order to deposit a precursor into it from the heated bulk precursor storage unit when the first evaporator / condenser is substantially empty.
6. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second evaporator / condenser is connectable between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and the pump, and is configured to be cooled to deposit a precursor from the exhaust before the exhaust reaches the pump when the second evaporator / condenser is substantially empty.
7. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second evaporator / condenser is connectable to the bulk precursor storage unit and is configured to be cooled in order to deposit a precursor from the bulk precursor storage unit when the bulk precursor storage unit is heated while the second evaporator / condenser is substantially empty.
8. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first evaporator / condenser is connectable to the accumulator and is heated to 50 to 200°C to provide the vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator.
9. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second evaporator / condenser is connectable to the bulk precursor storage section and is structured to cool / heat to less than 150°C when the bulk precursor storage section is heated, thereby depositing the precursor from the bulk precursor storage section into it.
10. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third evaporator / condenser is connectable between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and the pump, and is cooled / heated to less than 150°C to deposit a precursor from the exhaust before the exhaust reaches the pump.
11. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the precursor comprises a vaporized liquid or solid precursor compound containing a metal or metalloid.
12. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the metal is selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, and rare earth metals.
13. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the precursor compound is a homoreptic or heteroreptic precursor.
14. The precursor compound is titanium tetrachloride (TiCl ４ ), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl ４ ), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl ５ ), molybdenum dioxide dichloride (MoO ２ Cl ２ ), niobium pentachloride (NbCl ５ ), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl ５ ), aluminum trichloride (AlCl ３ ), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl ４ ), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl ４ ), tetrakis(ethylmethylamide)zirconium (TEMAZr) or tetrakis(ethylmethylamide)hafnium (TEMAHf), trimethyl borate (TMB), fluorotriethoxysilane (FTES), tetrakis-dimethylaminotitanium (TDMAT), tetrakis-diethylamino (TDEAT), CuTMVS, diethylsilane, and triethyl phosphate (TEPO), and the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 11, comprising at least one compound selected from the group consisting of
15. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is a vertical furnace, and the reaction chamber is configured to receive a batch of wafers housed in a wafer boat.
16. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the vertical furnace is configured for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD).
17. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor using semiconductor manufacturing equipment, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing equipment, A reaction chamber for charging the substrate, One or more gas inlets connected to the reaction chamber are provided to supply a precursor into the reaction chamber and deposit a layer on the substrate, The method comprises an accumulator connected to at least one of the one or more gas inlets, The first evaporator / condenser is connected to the accumulator, and the first evaporator / condenser is heated to provide the vaporized precursor to the reaction chamber via the accumulator. The second evaporator / condenser is connected to the bulk precursor storage section, and the second evaporator / condenser is cooled, causing the precursor to deposit in the second evaporator / condenser from the bulk precursor storage section, while the bulk precursor storage section is heated. A method comprising connecting a third evaporator / condenser between the exhaust section of the reaction chamber and the pump, and cooling the third evaporator / condenser to deposit a precursor from the exhaust into the third evaporator / condenser before the exhaust reaches the pump.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the method includes switching between a plurality of evaporators / condensers.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the precursor is a vaporized liquid or solid precursor compound containing a metal or metalloid, and the metal is selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, and rare earth metals.
20. The aforementioned precursor compound is titanium tetrachloride (TiCl ４ ), vanadium tetrachloride (VCl ４ ), molybdenum pentachloride (MoCl ５ ), molybdenum chloride dioxide (MoO ２ Cl ２ ), niobium pentachloride (NbCl ５ ), tantalum pentachloride (TaCl ５ ), aluminum trichloride (AlCl ３ ), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl ４ ), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl ４ The method according to claim 19, comprising at least one compound selected from ), tetrakis(ethylmethylamide) zirconium (TEMAZr) or tetrakis(ethylmethylamide) hafnium (TEMAHf), trimethyl borate (TMB), fluorotriethoxysilane (FTES), tetrakis-dimethylaminotitanium (TDMAT), tetrakis-diethylamino (TDEAT), CuTMVS, diethylsilane, and triethyl phosphate (TEPO).