Wafer processing apparatus

Abstract

The present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus. 【Solution means】The wafer processing apparatus A1 includes a processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20, a shower head 30 installed at the upper part of the processing chamber, a first upper gas source 401 connected above the processing chamber via a first upper supply pipe 4011 and having a first upper supply valve 4012 installed in the first upper supply pipe, a second upper gas source 402 connected via a second upper supply pipe 4021, with the supply gas being different from that of the first upper gas source and having a second upper supply valve 4022 installed in the second upper supply pipe, a first side gas source 501 connected to the side wall of the processing chamber via a first side supply pipe 5011 and having a first side supply valve 5012 installed in the first side supply pipe, and a second side gas source 502 connected via a second side supply pipe 5021, with the supply gas being different from that of the first side gas source and having a second side supply valve 5022 installed in the second side supply pipe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wafer processing apparatus and a wafer processing method, and particularly to a wafer film forming apparatus and a wafer film forming method.

Background Art

[0002] In the wafer processing process, usually, etching, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), pulsed deposition layer (PDL), plasma enhanced pulsed deposition layer (PEPDL), and photoresist removal are used for wafer processing.

[0003] For example, in the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition method, a plurality of excited precursors are injected into a processing chamber in which a wafer is installed so as to form a film on the wafer. In the prior art, since a heating platform that supports the wafer heat-treats the wafer, a hot zone is formed in the vicinity of the heating platform, and a cold zone is formed in the vicinity of the shower head platform. Therefore, when the precursor enters the chamber, there is a tendency to diffuse from the hot zone to the cold zone, and there is a problem that the reaction uniformity of the wafer on the platform does not result in an ideal result.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, in order to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks, how to avoid the non-uniformity of the gas distribution in the processing chamber and improve the film forming uniformity by improving the structural design has become one of the important technical problems to be solved in this industry.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a wafer processing apparatus in view of the deficiencies of the prior art. The wafer processing apparatus includes a processing chamber which is an accommodation space for processing a wafer, a wafer support heating unit installed in the processing chamber and electrically connected to a bias device for supporting the wafer, a shower head installed above the processing chamber corresponding to the wafer support heating unit, a first upper gas source connected above the processing chamber through a first upper supply pipe with a first upper supply valve installed in the first upper supply pipe, a second upper gas source connected to the first upper supply pipe through a second upper supply pipe, the gas to be supplied being different from the gas supplied by the first upper gas source, with a second upper supply valve installed in the second upper supply pipe, a first side gas source connected to the side wall of the processing chamber through a first side supply pipe with a first side supply valve installed in the first side supply pipe, and a second side gas source connected to the first side supply pipe through a second side supply pipe, the gas to be supplied being different from the gas supplied by the first side gas source, with a second side supply valve installed in the second side supply pipe.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first upper gas source and the first side gas source supply a carrier gas, and the second upper gas source and the second side gas source supply a precursor.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier gas is argon gas, helium gas, nitrogen gas or a mixture thereof, and the precursor is bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2, BDEAS), bis(t-butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, BTBAS), tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H, 3DMAS), trimethylsilane (SiC3H 10 , TMS) or a mixture thereof.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the supply amount of the carrier gas is 10 sccm to 100 sccm.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second upper gas source and the first side gas source supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously, and the first side gas source and the second side gas source do not supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the wafer processing apparatus further includes an exhaust device installed on the other side wall in the processing chamber with respect to the first side gas source and the second side gas source.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust device is indirectly connected to the processing chamber via a low-pressure chamber, and the pressure of the low-pressure chamber is lower than the pressure of the processing chamber.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the chamber temperature of the processing chamber is 80°C to 350°C.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing pressure of the processing chamber is 0.1 torr to 10 torr.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the wafer processing apparatus further includes a first upper heater thermally coupled to the first upper gas source, a second upper heater thermally coupled to the second upper gas source, a first side heater thermally coupled to the first side gas source, and a second side heater thermally coupled to the second side gas source.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first upper gas source and the second side gas source supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously, and the first upper gas source and the second upper gas source do not supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] As one of the beneficial effects of the present invention, the wafer processing apparatus provided by the present invention includes "a first upper gas source connected above the processing chamber through a first upper supply pipe, with a first upper supply valve installed in the first upper supply pipe; a second upper gas source connected above the processing chamber through a second upper supply pipe, with a second upper supply valve installed in the second upper supply pipe; a first side gas source connected to the side wall of the processing chamber through a first side supply pipe, with a first side supply valve installed in the first side supply pipe; and a second side gas source connected to the side wall of the processing chamber through a second side supply pipe, with a second side supply valve installed in the second side supply pipe", and by the technical means that "the second upper supply pipe is connected to the first upper supply pipe, the gases supplied by the first upper gas source and the second upper gas source are different, the second side supply pipe is connected to the first side supply pipe, and the gases supplied by the first side gas source and the second side gas source are different", the gas distribution in the processing chamber can be made uniform, and the uniformity of film formation can be improved.

[0017] To further understand the features and technical content of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings of the present invention. However, the provided drawings are for reference and illustration purposes only and are not used to limit the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the "wafer processing apparatus" disclosed in the present invention will be described with specific examples. A person skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of the present invention from the disclosed content. The present invention can be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various detailed descriptions in this specification can also be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the idea of the present invention based on different viewpoints and applications. Also, it should be explained in advance that the drawings of the present invention are only schematically shown and not drawn based on actual dimensions. The following embodiments are used to explain the technical content related to the present invention in more detail, but the disclosed content is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

[0020] In the specification, terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used to describe various elements or signals, but it should be understood that these elements or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are mainly used to distinguish one element from another or one signal from another. Also, the term "or" in this specification should be understood to include any one or a combination of multiple of the related listed items according to the actual situation.

Example

[0021] [First Embodiment] As shown in FIG. 1, the first embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus A1 including a processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20, a shower head 30, an upper gas source 40, a side gas source 50, and an exhaust device 60. The processing chamber 10 may be an accommodation space for processing the wafer W. In the processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20 for supporting the wafer W may be installed. The shower head 30 may be installed above the processing chamber 10 (i.e., above the wafer support heating unit 20) corresponding to the wafer support heating unit 20. The upper gas source 40 may be connected to the upper part of the processing chamber 10, and the side gas source 50 may be connected to the side wall of the processing chamber 10. The exhaust device 60 may be installed on the other side wall of the processing chamber 10 with respect to the side gas source 50.

[0022] In an embodiment, the wafer W may have blind holes or trenches. Further, the wafer W may have a high aspect ratio (AR). For example, the aspect ratio of the wafer W is 10:1, 11:1, 12:1, 13:1, 14:1, or 15:1. However, the above examples are merely possible embodiments and do not limit the present invention. The wafer support heating unit 20 may be electrically connected to a power source (not shown). For example, the power source may be a bias device. In this case, the precursor is easily attracted to the wafer W by the action of the bias voltage to form a high aspect ratio structure, contributing to the improvement of the coating efficiency and uniformity.

[0023] The upper gas source 40 may include a first upper gas source 401 and a second upper gas source 402. The first upper gas source 401 and the second upper gas source 402 can inject gas into the processing chamber 10 evenly along the first direction D1. The first upper gas source 401 is connected above the processing chamber 10 via a first upper supply pipe 4011. In order to control the gas supply of the first upper gas source 401, a first upper supply valve 4012 may be installed in the first upper supply pipe 4011. The second upper gas source 402 is connected above the processing chamber 10 via a second upper supply pipe 4021. In order to control the gas supply of the second upper gas source 402, a second upper supply valve 4022 may be installed in the second upper supply pipe 4021. Specifically, the second upper gas source 402 is connected to the first upper supply pipe 4011 via the second upper supply pipe 4021, so as to control the opening and closing of the first upper supply valve 4012 and the second upper supply valve 4022, and supply different gases to the processing chamber through the first upper supply pipe 4011 connected to the processing chamber 10.

[0024] The side gas source 50 may include a first side gas source 501 and a second side gas source 502. The first side gas source 501 and the second side gas source 502 can inject gas into the processing chamber 10 evenly along the second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The first side gas source 501 is connected above the processing chamber 10 via a first side supply pipe 5011. To control the gas supply of the first side gas source 501, a first side supply valve 5012 may be installed in the first side supply pipe 5011. The second side gas source 502 is connected above the processing chamber 10 via a second side supply pipe 5021. To control the gas supply of the second side gas source 502, a second side supply valve 5022 may be installed in the second side supply pipe 5021. Specifically, the second side gas source 502 is connected to the first side supply pipe 5011 via the second side supply pipe 5021, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the first side supply valve 5012 and the second side supply valve 5022, and supplying different gases to the processing chamber via the first side supply pipe 5011 connected to the processing chamber 10.

[0025] The first upper gas source 401 and the first side gas source 501 may supply carrier gas to the processing chamber 10. For example, the carrier gas may be argon gas, helium gas, nitrogen gas, or a mixture thereof. The second upper gas source 402 and the second side gas source 502 may supply precursors to the processing chamber 10. For example, the precursors may be bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2, BDEAS), bis(t-butylamino)silane (SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, BTBAS), tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H, 3DMAS), trimethylsilane (SiC3H 10 , TMS), or a mixture thereof.

[0026] Furthermore, the gases supplied by the first upper gas source 401 and the second upper gas source 402 may be uniformly mixed in the space surrounded above the processing chamber 10 and the shower head 30 and then supplied to the wafer W.

[0027] In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the wafer processing method of the present invention includes at least: opening the first upper supply valve 4012 to supply a first carrier gas to the processing chamber 10, and opening the second side supply valve 5022 to supply a first precursor to the processing chamber 10 in step S10; closing the first upper supply valve 4012 and the second side supply valve 5022 in step S20; opening the second upper supply valve 4022 to supply a second precursor to the processing chamber 10, and opening the first side supply valve 5012 to supply a second carrier gas to the processing chamber 10 in step S30; closing the second upper supply valve 4022 and the first side supply valve 5012 in step S40; repeating steps S10 to S40 a predetermined number of times, and exhausting using the exhaust device 60 in step S50. The exhaust device 60 can generate an exhaust flow in the second direction D2. When the film formation step is completed, by activating the exhaust device 60, excess gas may be discharged from the processing chamber 10.

[0028] As can be understood from the above, when the second upper gas source 402 and the first side gas source 501 simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10, the second upper gas source 402 injects a precursor from the first direction D1, and the first side gas source 501 injects a carrier gas from the second direction D2. The amount of the carrier gas used is set to about 10 sccm to 100 sccm (for example, any positive integer between 10 sccm and 100 sccm) so as to form an air curtain and improve the diffusion of the precursor to the side gas source due to the influence of temperature. That is, the second upper gas source 402 and the first side gas source 501 simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10, and the first side gas source 501 and the second side gas source 502 do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10. It should be noted that sccm (Standard Cubic Centimeter per Minute) is a unit of gas mass flow rate and represents the standard milliliter per minute.

[0029] In one embodiment, an ellipsometer is used to measure the film thickness (measuring the film thickness on the upper, lower, left, right, and central sides). When the usage amount of the carrier gas is low, the film thickness on the right side of the wafer W becomes thicker than that on the left side, and the film thickness non-uniformity is 4.29%. When the usage amount of the carrier gas is high, the film thickness on each side of the wafer W becomes substantially uniform, and the film thickness non-uniformity is only 0.23%. It should be noted that as the usage amount of the carrier gas increases, the film thickness uniformity improves. However, if the usage amount is too high, the process cost increases, and the improvement effect of the film thickness uniformity is also limited. Therefore, the usage amount of the carrier gas is preferably about 10 sccm to 100 sccm. In other words, if the usage amount of the carrier gas is less than 10 sccm, the problem of film thickness non-uniformity cannot be solved, and if the usage amount of the carrier gas exceeds 100 sccm, the process cost increases.

[0030] Similarly, when the first upper gas source 401 and the second side gas source 502 simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10, the second side gas source 502 injects the precursor from the second direction D2, and the first upper gas source 401 injects the carrier gas from the first direction D1. The usage amount of the carrier gas is set to about 10 sccm to 100 sccm to form an air curtain and improve the diffusion of the precursor to the shower head 30 due to the influence of temperature. That is, the first upper gas source 401 and the second side gas source 502 may simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10. On the other hand, the first upper gas source 401 and the second upper gas source 402 do not simultaneously supply gas to the processing chamber 10. Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the chamber temperature of the processing chamber may be 80°C to 350°C (for example, any positive integer between 80°C and 350°C), and the processing pressure of the processing chamber may be 0.1 torr to 10 torr (for example, any positive integer between 0.1 torr and 10 torr). Preferably, the chamber temperature of the processing chamber is 100°C to 300°C, and the processing pressure of the processing chamber is 1 torr to 5 torr.

[0031] [Second Embodiment] As shown in Fig. 2, the second embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus A2 including a processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20, a shower head 30, an upper gas source 40, a side gas source 50, and an exhaust device 60. The differences between the wafer processing apparatus A2 according to the second embodiment and the wafer processing apparatus A1 according to the first embodiment are as follows. The wafer processing apparatus A2 further includes a first upper heater 4013 thermally coupled to the first upper gas source 401, a second upper heater 4023 thermally coupled to the second upper gas source 402, a first side heater 5013 thermally coupled to the first side gas source 501, and a second side heater 5023 thermally coupled to the second side gas source 502.

[0032] Furthermore, the heater may provide energy required for the reaction of the carrier gas or the precursor with respect to the gas source. Specifically, the first upper heater 4013 may heat the first upper gas source 401, the second upper heater 4023 may heat the second upper gas source 402, the first side heater 5013 may heat the first side gas source 501, and the second side heater 5023 may heat the second side gas source 502.

[0033] [Third Embodiment] As shown in Fig. 3, the third embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer processing apparatus A3 including a processing chamber 10, a wafer support heating unit 20, a shower head 30, an upper gas source 40, a side gas source 50, and an exhaust device 60. The differences between the wafer processing apparatus A3 according to the third embodiment and the wafer processing apparatus A1 according to the first embodiment are as follows. The exhaust device 60 of the wafer processing apparatus A3 further includes a low-pressure chamber 61. The low-pressure chamber 61 is installed between the processing chamber 10 and the exhaust device 60. Thereby, the exhaust device 60 is not directly connected to the processing chamber 10, but is connected to the low-pressure chamber 61 and exhausts the low-pressure chamber 61.

[0034] Furthermore, the low-pressure chamber 61 may be maintained in a state close to vacuum, that is, the pressure in the low-pressure chamber 61 is lower than the pressure in the processing chamber 10. Therefore, by utilizing the pressure difference between the processing chamber 10 and the low-pressure chamber 61, gas can be flowed from the processing chamber 10 to the low-pressure chamber 61. Furthermore, a valve 62 may be installed between the processing chamber 10 and the low-pressure chamber 61 to control the gas flow. Specifically, when executing the film-forming step, the valve 62 may be closed to maintain the pressure in the processing chamber 10. After the film-forming step is completed, by opening the valve 62, excess gas may be discharged from the processing chamber 10.

[0035] Furthermore, the present invention does not particularly limit the numbers of the first upper gas source 401, the second upper gas source 402, the first side gas source 501, and the second side gas source 502. For example, in the present invention, a plurality of second upper gas sources 402 and / or a plurality of second side gas sources 502 may be employed to supply different types of precursors.

[0036] [Beneficial effects according to the embodiment] One of the beneficial effects of the present invention is that the wafer processing apparatus provided by the present invention includes "a first upper gas source connected above the processing chamber through a first upper supply pipe, and a first upper supply valve is installed in the first upper supply pipe; a second upper gas source connected above the processing chamber through a second upper supply pipe, and a second upper supply valve is installed in the second upper supply pipe; a first side gas source connected to the side wall of the processing chamber through a first side supply pipe, and a first side supply valve is installed in the first side supply pipe; and a second side gas source connected to the side wall of the processing chamber through a second side supply pipe, and a second side supply valve is installed in the second side supply pipe", and by the technical means that "the second upper supply pipe is connected to the first upper supply pipe, the gases supplied by the first upper gas source and the second upper gas source are different, the second side supply pipe is connected to the first side supply pipe, and the gases supplied by the first side gas source and the second side gas source are different", the gas distribution in the processing chamber can be made uniform, and the film formation uniformity can be improved.

[0037] Furthermore, the usage amount of the carrier gas is converted based on the usage amount of the precursor injected into the processing chamber from the second direction so as to form an air curtain, and is set to about 10 sccm to 100 sccm. This air curtain can prevent the situation where the reaction uniformity of the wafer decreases due to the diffusion of the precursor to the shower head in the step of injecting the precursor into the processing chamber from the second direction. Similarly, in the film formation step of injecting the precursor from the first direction, the carrier gas is supplied from the second direction to form an air curtain as well. The usage amount of the carrier gas is converted based on the usage amount of the precursor injected from the first direction and is set to about 10 sccm to 100 sccm. This air curtain can prevent the situation where the reaction uniformity of the wafer decreases due to the diffusion of the precursor to the side gas source in the step of injecting the precursor into the processing chamber from the first direction.

[0038] The above - disclosed content is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made using the specification and drawings of the present invention are included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0039] A1, A2, A3: Wafer processing apparatus D1: First direction D2: Second direction W: Wafer S10 - S50: Steps 10: Processing chamber 20: Wafer support heating unit 30: Shower head 40: Upper gas source 401: First upper gas source 4011: First upper supply pipe 4012: First upper supply valve 4013: First upper heater 402: Second upper gas source 4021: Second upper supply pipe 4022: Second upper supply valve 50: Side gas source 501: First side gas source 5011: First side supply pipe 5012: First side supply valve 5013: First side heater 502: Second side gas source 5021: Second side supply pipe 5022: Second side supply valve 5023: Second side heater 60: Exhaust device 61: Low - pressure chamber 62: Valve

Claims

1. A processing chamber which is an accommodation space for processing a wafer, A wafer support heating unit installed in the processing chamber and electrically connected to a bias device, for supporting the wafer, A shower head installed above the processing chamber corresponding to the wafer support heating unit, A first upper gas source connected above the processing chamber via a first upper supply pipe, with a first upper supply valve installed in the first upper supply pipe, A second upper gas source connected to the first upper supply pipe via a second upper supply pipe, the gas to be supplied being different from the gas supplied by the first upper gas source, with a second upper supply valve installed in the second upper supply pipe, A first side gas source connected to the side wall of the processing chamber via a first side supply pipe, with a first side supply valve installed in the first side supply pipe, A second side gas source connected to the first side supply pipe via a second side supply pipe, the gas to be supplied being different from the gas supplied by the first side gas source, with a second side supply valve installed in the second side supply pipe, Comprising, A wafer processing apparatus characterized by the above.

2. The first upper gas source and the first side gas source supply a carrier gas, and the second upper gas source and the second side gas source supply a precursor, The wafer processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The carrier gas is argon gas, helium gas, nitrogen gas, or a mixture thereof, and the precursor is bis(diethylamino)silane (Si[N(C ２ H ５ ), ２ ２ H ２ , BDEAS), bis(t-butylamino)silane (SiH ２ [NH(C ４ H ９ )] ２ , BTBS), tris(dimethylamino)silane (Si[N(CH ３ ) ２ 3H, 3DMAS), trimethylsilane (SiC ３ H １０ , TMS), or a mixture thereof, The wafer processing apparatus according to Claim 2.

4. The supply amount of the carrier gas is 10 sccm to 100 sccm, The wafer processing apparatus according to Claim 2.

5. The second upper gas source and the first side gas source supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously, and the first side gas source and the second side gas source do not supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously, The wafer processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

6. Further comprising an exhaust device installed on the other side wall in the processing chamber with respect to the first side gas source and the second side gas source, The wafer processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

7. The exhaust device is indirectly connected to the processing chamber via a low-pressure chamber, and the pressure of the low-pressure chamber is lower than the pressure of the processing chamber, The wafer processing apparatus according to Claim 6.

8. The chamber temperature of the processing chamber is 80°C to 350°C, The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The processing pressure of the processing chamber is from 0.1 torr to 10 torr. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. Further comprising a first upper heater thermally coupled to the first upper gas source, a second upper heater thermally coupled to the second upper gas source, a first side heater thermally coupled to the first side gas source, and a second side heater thermally coupled to the second side gas source. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The first upper gas source and the second side gas source supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously, and the first upper gas source and the second upper gas source do not supply gas to the processing chamber simultaneously. The wafer processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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