Substrate Processing Apparatus

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber having a sidewall, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering an upper surface of the chamber and made of a transparent dielectric material, and an antenna disposed on the upper dome for generating inductively coupled plasma. The antenna includes two one-turn unit antennas, each having an upper surface and a lower surface, and arranged so that the upper and lower surfaces of the two one-turn unit antennas overlap each other, the two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel to an RF power source, and the width direction of each one-turn unit antenna is vertical.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an epitaxial plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus that uses a lamp heater to rapidly heat a substrate at a high temperature to deposit a thin film.

Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, a silicon single crystal thin film having the same crystal structure as the substrate is deposited on a silicon single crystal substrate. When the silicon single crystal thin film is grown, an inorganic insulating substance such as silicon oxide is deposited and patterned so that a single crystal region is formed only in a portion where silicon is exposed on the substrate surface, which is called selective epitaxial growth (SEG).

[0003] In addition, in manufacturing a thin film solar cell on a large area substrate, a P layer that receives sunlight, an I layer that forms an electron-hole pair, and an N layer that serves as a counter electrode for the P layer are basic. Similarly, a liquid crystal display device is based on an array element and a color filter element formed on an array and a color filter substrate, respectively.

[0004] To fabricate thin film elements for solar cells and liquid crystal display devices, a photolithography process is required several times. Such a photolithography process includes a thin film deposition process, a photosensitive layer coating process, an exposure and development process, and an etching process, and in addition, involves various processes such as cleaning, bonding, and cutting.

[0005] The plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (hereinafter abbreviated as PECVD) method forms a thin film in a state where a reaction gas is excited into a plasma state by applying an RF (Radio Frequence) high voltage to an antenna or an electrode inside a chamber.

[0006] Recently, in order to prevent foreign substances and by-products generated during the deposition process using plasma chemical vapor deposition from adhering to the inner wall of the chamber, the inner wall is designed with quartz, and the upper dome and lower dome are designed with quartz at the upper and lower parts of the chamber.

[0007] In such a deposition process using plasma chemical vapor deposition, by maintaining the pressure inside the chamber at several mTorr and maintaining an ultra-high vacuum state at the level of 10E-9 Torr in the base vacuum state, the number of foreign substances and by-products generated during the deposition process can be minimized, the process time of the deposition process can be shortened, and there is an advantage of improving the production yield.

[0008] Such a plasma chemical vapor deposition method has a problem that the antenna disposed on the upper dome is heated by infrared rays, reducing plasma stability, and the antenna reduces the uniformity of the thin film through infrared reflection. Therefore, a new plasma source and thin film deposition method are required.

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0009] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an antenna that can stably form plasma even by external infrared heating and a substrate processing apparatus equipped with the antenna.

[0010] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that reduces contamination of the lower dome and the lower liner.

[0011] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that ensures uniformity by the shape of the clamp, the shape of the antenna housing, and uniform substrate heating by gold plating.

[0012] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that simultaneously provides uniform infrared heating and uniform plasma.

[0013] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that provides a uniform process using an antenna that forms a plasma and a resistive heater embedded in an antenna housing arranged to cover the antenna.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0014] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber having side walls, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, and an antenna disposed above the upper dome to form an inductively coupled plasma. The antenna includes two one-turn unit antennas, each of the two one-turn unit antennas has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the upper surfaces and lower surfaces of the two one-turn unit antennas are arranged to overlap each other. The two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel and connected to an RF power source. The width direction of each of the one-turn unit antennas is vertically oriented.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, further included are a funnel-shaped lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a concentric lamp heater disposed on the lower surface of the lower dome, a ring-shaped upper liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome and formed of a dielectric material, a ring-shaped lower liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the inner peripheral surface of the upper edge of the lower dome and formed of a dielectric material, and a reflector disposed on the lower surface of the concentric lamp heater.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the one-turn antenna has a strip line shape having a width larger than its thickness, and the ratio W / t of the width W to the thickness t is 10 or more.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the one-turn unit antenna includes a radial portion extending from the upper surface in the radial direction from the center of the one-turn unit antenna, a first curved portion extending from the upper surface by rotating 90 degrees clockwise along a circumference having a first radius at the radial portion, a first vertical extension portion changing the arrangement plane from the upper surface to the lower surface at the first curved portion, a second curved portion rotating 180 degrees clockwise along a circumference having the first radius at the first vertical extension portion, a second vertical extension portion continuously connected to the second curved portion, changing the radius from the first radius to a second radius smaller than the first radius, changing the arrangement plane from the lower surface to the upper surface, and changing the radius from the second radius to the first radius, and a third curved portion extending from the upper surface by rotating 90 degrees clockwise along a circumference having the first radius at the second vertical extension portion.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes an antenna housing disposed so as to surround the antenna and coated with a reflector.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes at least one process gas supply portion for supplying process gas through the side surface of the upper liner, and a flow path for supplying purge gas supplied through the lower dome.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper liner includes a first opening formed on one side of the upper liner for exhausting gas, and a second opening disposed on the upper liner so as to provide a passage for a substrate on the other side opposite to the first opening of the upper liner.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lamp heater includes a plurality of ring-shaped lamp heaters, the ring-shaped lamp heaters are arranged at regular intervals along the slope of the lower dome, and the ring-shaped lamp heaters are divided into three groups and receive power supply independently of each other.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a first substrate lifter disposed along the central axis of the lower dome and a second substrate lifter disposed coaxially with the first substrate lifter.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a ring-shaped heat insulating portion disposed between the lower surface of the chamber and the reflector.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a lower liner formed of an opaque dielectric material disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower dome.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower liner has an inner peripheral surface facing the space of the lower dome, and the inner peripheral surface of the lower liner has an inclination that becomes thicker from the lower region to the upper region of the chamber along the vertical direction.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a lower dome that covers the lower surface of the chamber, is formed of a transparent dielectric material, and has the same curvature as the upper dome, a lamp heater disposed on the lower surface of the lower dome, a ring-shaped upper liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome, and formed of a dielectric material, a ring-shaped lower liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the inner peripheral surface of the upper edge of the lower dome, and formed of a dielectric material, and a reflector disposed on the lower surface of the lamp heater.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes an antenna housing disposed so as to surround the antenna, and the antenna housing is heated by a separate heater.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the antenna housing is from 200 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees Celsius.

[0029] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a chamber housing disposed separately so as to surround the antenna housing, and the chamber housing is cooled by a refrigerant.

[0030] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber having sidewalls, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, an antenna disposed above the upper dome for forming inductively coupled plasma, a lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a ring-shaped upper liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome, and formed of a dielectric material, a ring-shaped lower liner disposed inside the chamber, covering the inner circumferential surface of the upper edge of the lower dome, and formed of a dielectric material, a lamp heater disposed below the lower dome, and an antenna housing disposed to cover the antenna and heated by a heater. The method of operating the substrate processing apparatus includes heating the antenna housing to a first temperature by the heater, accommodating the substrate at a home position of the susceptor, raising the susceptor to change to a process position, providing a process gas to the upper dome, providing a purge gas to the lower dome, heating the substrate using the lamp heater, and providing RF power to the antenna to form inductively coupled plasma and perform epitaxial growth on the substrate.

[0031] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber having sidewalls, an upper region, and a lower region, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, and a lower liner formed of an opaque dielectric material disposed on the inner circumferential surface of the upper edge of the lower dome.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a lamp heater disposed below the lower dome.

[0033] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower liner has an inner circumferential surface facing the space of the lower dome, and the inner circumferential surface of the lower liner has an inclination that becomes thicker from the lower region to the upper region of the chamber along the vertical direction.

[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, the lower liner is formed of a quartz material.

[0035] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber having a side wall, an upper region, and a lower region, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a substrate inlet / outlet disposed on one side of the side wall of the chamber, and an exhaust port disposed on the other side of the side wall of the chamber, and an upper surface of the exhaust port has the same or lower height as an upper surface of the substrate inlet / outlet.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a ring-shaped upper liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome, and formed of a transparent dielectric material, and a ring-shaped lower liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the inner circumferential surface of the upper edge of the lower dome, and formed of an opaque dielectric material.

[0037] In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper liner is aligned with the exhaust port, includes a first opening formed on one side of the upper liner for exhausting gas, and a second opening disposed on the upper liner so as to be aligned with the substrate inlet / outlet and provide a passage for the substrate on the other side opposite to the first opening of the upper liner. During the process, an upper surface of the susceptor is higher than lower surfaces of the exhaust port and the substrate inlet / outlet.

Advantages of the Invention

[0038] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can stably form plasma and perform selective epitaxial deposition even in a high-temperature process using a lamp heater.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0039] The present invention provides a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus including an antenna for inductively coupled plasma that has high translucency with respect to infrared rays emitted from a lamp heater, is not heated, and forms a uniform inductively coupled plasma.

[0040] To grow a silicon-germanium single crystal or a silicon single crystal on a substrate, a process temperature as high as about 900 degrees Celsius is required. In semiconductor manufacturing using such selective epitaxial growth, there is an advantage in that it is easy to fabricate semiconductor elements having a three-dimensional structure such as finFETs, which are difficult to fabricate with existing planar technologies.

[0041] When a lamp heater is applied due to a process temperature of about 900 degrees Celsius, an antenna for forming an inductively coupled plasma in a process chamber is heated by the lamp heater, and its resistance value increases as the temperature rises. Therefore, the antenna consumes energy by ohmic heating and does not form an efficient inductively coupled plasma. Further, the antenna forms a shadow with respect to infrared rays reflected from the antenna housing and provides temperature non-uniformity to the substrate.

[0042] Therefore, there is a need for an antenna for inductively coupled plasma that is not heated by a lamp heater and does not generate a shadow.

[0043] In addition, an antenna housing disposed so as to surround the antenna reflects a part of the infrared rays emitted from the lamp heater, and the remaining infrared rays are absorbed and heated by the antenna housing, reducing reliability. The spatially non-uniform temperature distribution in the antenna housing provides a spatially non-uniform blackbody radiation. Therefore, the antenna housing uses a separate resistive heater to heat at a uniform temperature and provides a spatially uniform blackbody radiation.

[0044] A chemical vapor deposition apparatus having a normal upper dome and a lower dome injects a process gas into the upper dome and exhausts the process gas from the upper dome. Therefore, the gas flows with a certain directionality within the upper dome, reducing the thin film uniformity. The process gas supplied from the upper dome flows into the lower dome, depositing an abnormal thin film on the lower dome.

[0045] The present invention supplies a purge gas to the lower dome and a process gas to the upper dome, thereby preventing the process gas from flowing into the lower dome and suppressing the deposition of an abnormal thin film on the lower dome. Also, a uniform plasma is formed to form a uniform thin film without rotating the substrate.

[0046] A chemical vapor deposition apparatus having a normal upper dome and a lower dome uses a liner to prevent the deposition of an unnecessary thin film on the inner wall of the chamber. The liner is periodically alternated or cleaned.

[0047] In the present invention, the lower side of the upper liner and the lower liner have inclined surfaces such that the purge gas supplied from the lower dome is injected in the direction of the upper dome and more lamp heaters are mounted. The distance between the susceptor and the substrate is maintained narrow, and the purge gas supplied from the lower dome is injected in the direction of the upper dome to induce a pressure difference. Due to the narrow distance between the susceptor and the substrate, the process gas injected into the upper dome stays only inside the upper dome, preventing the contamination of the lower liner. The lower liner is made of an opaque quartz material, scattering the infrared rays of the heater lamp to provide uniform heating of the substrate.

[0048] In the present invention, the antenna for inductively coupled plasma is arranged separated from the upper dome, the conducting wires constituting the antenna are in the shape of a strip line, and the strip lines are vertically aligned in the width direction. Thus, the infrared rays incident from the direction of the lower dome are minimally incident on the antenna. Therefore, the antenna suppresses heating by infrared rays, and the infrared rays reflected from the antenna housing heat the substrate while minimizing the shadow.

[0049] In the present invention, the antenna housing that covers and electromagnetically shields the antenna is plated by gold plating, so it reflects infrared rays and makes them incident on the substrate again. Further, the antenna housing is cylindrical instead of dome-shaped to reduce the re-incident heating of the antenna due to infrared reflection.

[0050] In the present invention, the lamp heater disposed below the lower dome is a ring-shaped lamp heater and there are a plurality of them. The ring-shaped lamp heaters are grouped together and independently controlled in power to uniformly heat the substrate.

[0051] In the present invention, the turbo molecular pump (TMP) connected to the exhaust part of the chamber maintains a base vacuum inside the chamber and forms a stable plasma at a pressure of several Torr or less even during the process.

[0052] The plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition of the present invention reduces the performance degradation due to infrared heating of the inductively coupled plasma antenna disposed above the upper dome, and provides the infrared rays reflected by the antenna housing to the substrate again to form a high-speed and uniform thin film on the substrate.

[0053] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail by giving preferred embodiments. However, the embodiments of the present invention are for more specifically explaining the present invention, and it is self-evident to those having ordinary knowledge in the art that the present invention is not limited or restricted by experimental conditions, types of substances, etc. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described here and may be embodied in other forms. On the contrary, the embodiments introduced here are provided so that the disclosed content is thorough and complete, and the idea of the present invention is sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the components are exaggerated for clarity. Throughout the specification, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0054] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the home position in a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the ascending position in the plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0056] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram cut in another direction for explaining the plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0057] Figure 4 is a cutaway perspective view for explaining the upper liner, lower liner, and lower dome of the plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0058] Figure 5 is a perspective view for explaining the antenna of the plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0059] Figure 6 is a plan view for explaining the antenna of FIG. 5.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber 160 having a side wall, a susceptor 172 for mounting a substrate 174 inside the chamber 160, an upper dome 152 covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, and an antenna 110 disposed above the upper dome to form an inductively coupled plasma. The antenna 110 includes two one-turn unit antennas. Each of the two one-turn unit antennas has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the upper surfaces and lower surfaces of the two one-turn unit antennas are arranged to overlap each other. The two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel and connected to an RF power source 140, and the width direction of each of the one-turn unit antennas is set vertically.

[0061] The chamber 160 is formed of a conductor, the internal space is cylindrical, and the external shape is rectangular. The chamber 160 is cooled by cooling water. The chamber 160, the upper dome 152, and the lower dome 158 are combined to provide a sealed space. The chamber 160 includes a substrate entrance / exit 160a formed on a side surface of the chamber and an exhaust port 160b formed on a side surface opposite to the substrate entrance / exit. The exhaust port 160b is connected to a high-vacuum pump 190. The high-vacuum pump 190 is a turbo molecular pump. The high-vacuum pump maintains a low base pressure and also maintains a pressure of several torr or less during the process. The upper surface of the exhaust port 160b is the same as or lower than the upper surface of the substrate entrance / exit 160a.

[0062] For example, when the upper surface of the exhaust port 160b is the same as the upper surface of the substrate entrance / exit 160a, during the process, the upper surface of the susceptor is changed to a position higher than the lower surfaces of the exhaust port 160b and the substrate entrance / exit. Thus, the symmetry inside the chamber is improved, the flow of the process gas is improved, and uniform thin-film deposition is provided.

[0063] When the substrate 174 is drawn through the substrate entrance / exit 160a formed on the side surface of the chamber, the susceptor 172 mounts the substrate 174. The susceptor 172 is in the same plate shape as the substrate and is made of a metal with excellent thermal conductivity or a graphite material. The susceptor 172 is heated by infrared rays and heats the substrate 174 by heat transfer. During the process, the upper surface of the susceptor is higher than the lower surfaces of the exhaust port and the substrate entrance / exit. The susceptor 172 rotates.

[0064] The first lifter 184 extends along the central axis of the lower dome 158 and includes a first lifter body and a first lift pin in a tripod form. The first lifter 184 and the second lifter 182 have a coaxial structure. When the substrate 174 is transferred into the chamber, the first lifter 184 rises from the storage position or the home position to support the substrate. Next, the first lifter 184 descends to lower and place the substrate on the susceptor 172. The material of the first lifter 184 is quartz or metal. The first lifter 184 moves vertically by a drive shaft.

[0065] The second lifter 182 extends along the central axis of the lower dome 158 and includes a second lifter body and a second lift pin in a tripod form. The second lifter 182 raises the susceptor 172 with the substrate mounted thereon to the process position or the raised position. The process position is arranged substantially in the same plane as the upper surface of the second opening 154b for the inflow of the substrate from the upper liner 154. Also, the process position is arranged substantially in the same plane as the lower surface of the opening 154a for gas exhaust in the upper liner 154. Thus, the distance between the susceptor 172 and the upper liner 154 is minimized at the process position. The material of the second lifter 182 is quartz or metal. The second lifter 182 moves vertically by a drive shaft.

[0066] The upper dome 152 is a transparent dielectric such as quartz or sapphire. The upper dome 152 is inserted into and coupled to a recess formed in the upper surface of the chamber 160. The coupling portion of the upper dome 152 that is coupled to the chamber 160 for vacuum sealing is in the shape of a washer. The upper dome 152 is arc-shaped or elliptical. The upper dome 152 transmits infrared rays incident from below. The infrared rays reflected from the antenna housing 130 pass through the upper dome 152 and are incident on the substrate 174.

[0067] The lower dome 158 is a transparent dielectric such as quartz or sapphire. The lower dome 158 includes a funnel-shaped lower dome body 158b, a washer-shaped coupling portion 158a that couples to a recess formed in the lower surface of the chamber, and a cylindrical pipe 158c connected to the center of the lower dome body 158b. The lower dome 158 is inserted into and coupled to a recess formed in the lower surface of the chamber. The lower dome has a washer shape at the coupling portion 158a that couples to the chamber for vacuum sealing. The drive shafts of the first lifter and the second lifter are inserted and disposed within the cylindrical pipe 158c. The purge gas supplied through the lower dome is supplied through a flow path. The flow path is the cylindrical pipe 158c. The purge gas is an inert gas such as argon.

[0068] The upper liner 154 is a transparent dielectric material. The upper liner 154 is quartz, alumina, sapphire, or aluminum nitride. The upper liner 154 is selected as a substance that suppresses the deposition of abnormal thin films. When the upper liner 154 is contaminated, it is decomposed and cleaned. The upper liner 154 is generally ring-shaped, and the upper surface is a curved surface having the form of the upper dome. The upper liner 154 includes a first opening 154a formed on one side of the upper liner to exhaust gas and a second opening 154b formed on the side surface of the upper liner to provide a passage for the substrate on the other side opposite to the first opening 154a of the upper liner. The first opening 154a is aligned with the exhaust portion, and the second opening is aligned with the substrate entrance / exit. The inner surface of the upper liner 154 extends vertically and is connected to a tapered portion 154c tapered from the lower surface of the first opening 154a. The inner surface of the tapered portion has the same inclination as the inner surface of the lower liner 156. The inclination angle θ of the inclined surface is about 70 degrees. Thus, the purge gas is stably supplied to the upper region of the chamber.

[0069] The upper liner 154 includes at least one process gas supply portion 159a, 159b that supplies process gas through the side surface of the upper liner. The process gas supply portion protrudes from the side surface of the upper liner. For example, the process gas supply portion includes a first process gas supply portion that supplies a first process gas such as SiH4 and a second process gas supply portion that supplies a second process gas.

[0070] The first process gas supply portion 159a protrudes further from the side surface of the upper liner so that the first process gas such as SiH4 is more exposed to the plasma. On the other hand, the second process gas supply portion 159b protrudes less from the side surface of the upper liner so that the second process gas such as H2 is less exposed to the plasma. Since the purge gas flows from the lower dome into the upper region of the chamber, it is supplied uniformly on the circumference and has a spatially uniform pressure distribution.

[0071] The lower liner 156 is coupled to the upper liner. The lower liner is disposed inside the chamber, surrounds the inner circumferential surface of the upper edge of the lower dome, and is in a ring shape formed of an opaque dielectric material. The upper liner 154 is disposed on the lower liner 156 and aligned and coupled. The lower liner 156 includes an inclined lower outer surface 156b for coupling to the lower dome 158 and an inclined lower inner surface 156a for maintaining a continuous inclination with the upper liner. The lower liner 156 is quartz of an opaque material. That is, the lower liner has an inner circumferential surface facing the space of the lower dome, and the inner circumferential surface of the lower liner has an inclination that becomes thicker from the lower region to the upper region of the chamber along the vertical direction. The inclination angle θ of the inner circumferential surface is about 70 degrees. The inclined inner circumferential surface exposes the lamp heater arranged at the uppermost part to provide more uniform heating and scatters the incident infrared rays to suppress the heating of the chamber.

[0072] The heat insulation part 162 is arranged between the lower surface of the chamber 160 and the reflector 160 and is ring-shaped. The heat insulation part 162 reduces the heat transfer from the heated reflector 160 to the chamber. The heat insulation part 162 is made of a ceramic material. The upper surface of the heat insulation part 162 has a recess. The recess of the heat insulation part and the recess of the lower surface of the chamber accommodate the washer-shaped coupling part 158a of the lower dome and make it vacuum-sealed.

[0073] The concentric lamp heater 166 includes a plurality of concentric ring-shaped lamp heaters and is connected to the power supply 164. The concentric ring-shaped lamp heaters are arranged at regular intervals along the inclined surface of the lower dome 158. The concentric lamp heater 166 is divided into three groups and receives power supply independently of each other. The concentric ring-shaped lamp heaters are inserted into and aligned with the ring-shaped grooves formed on the inclined surface of the reflector 160. For example, the concentric lamp heater 166 is a halogen lamp heater and there are eight of them. The three lower lamp heaters form the first group, the two middle lamp heaters form the second group, and the three upper lamp heaters form the third group. The first group is connected to the first power supply 164a, the second group is connected to the second power supply 164b, and the third group is connected to the third power supply 164c. The first to third power supplies 164a to 164c are controlled independently for uniform heating of the substrate.

[0074] The reflector 160 supports the lower surface of the heat insulation part 162 and mounts the lamp heater. The inclined surface for mounting the lamp heater 166 is conical so as to maintain a certain distance from the inclined surface of the lower dome 158. The reflector 160 is formed of a conductor and is cooled by cooling water.

[0075] The clamp 150 is arranged to cover the edge of the upper dome 152. The clamp 150 is formed of a conductor and is cooled by cooling water. The lower surface of the clamp 150 is provided with a recess so as to be coupled to the washer-shaped coupling portion of the upper dome, and includes a curved surface portion 150a so as to cover a part of the curved portion of the upper dome 152. The curved surface portion 150a of the clamp 150 is gold-plated to reflect infrared rays. The inner diameter of the clamp 150 is substantially the same as the inner diameter D of the upper liner. Also, the inner diameter of the clamp 150 is the same as the diameter of the antenna housing 130.

[0076] The antenna 110 includes two one-turn unit antennas 110a and 110b. The antennas 110 are arranged so as to overlap each other on the upper and lower surfaces. The one-turn unit antenna has a strip line shape with a width larger than the thickness, and the width direction of the one-turn antenna is set vertically. The two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel and connected to the RF power supply 140. The RF power supply 140 supplies RF power to the antenna 110 through the impedance matching box 142 and the power supply line 143. The antenna includes two one-turn unit antennas. The two one-turn unit antennas are arranged so as to overlap each other on the upper and lower surfaces. The two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel and connected to the RF power supply, and the width direction of the one-turn unit antenna is set vertically.

[0077] The antenna through which the RF current flows must ensure a sufficient cross-sectional area due to the high current and must form a closed loop to form a sufficient magnetic flux. Also, a plurality of turns are required to ensure a sufficient magnetic flux or a high inductance. Therefore, a laminated structure is required. However, an antenna with a vertically standing width occupies a lot of space and is disadvantageous for ensuring a sufficient magnetic flux and is not usually used.

[0078] In the present invention, the antenna 110 uses a stripline that is vertically erected to absorb infrared rays incident from the upper or lower part of the antenna and minimize the increase in resistance due to heating. The antenna 110 provides high light transmittance to infrared rays.

[0079] Also, the antenna is coated with gold (Au) or silver (Ag) to increase infrared reflection. In addition, a two-layer structure antenna is used to ensure sufficient magnetic flux. The position where the one-turn unit antenna receives RF power supply is arranged on the upper surface to reduce power loss due to capacitive coupling. The aspect ratio (the ratio of the width W to the thickness t) W / t of the stripline is 10 or more. The thickness of the stripline is several millimeters, and the width is several centimeters. The erected stripline structure does not prevent the flow due to the inflow of air, so it provides smooth air cooling. Also, the infrared rays reflected from the antenna housing are minimized from being shaded by the antenna.

[0080] The lower surface of the antenna 110 is substantially in the same plane as the upper surface of the clamp 150 and higher than the highest position of the upper dome 152. Thus, since the antenna 110 does not directly contact the upper dome 152, the upper dome 152 is not directly heated by heat transfer. The two one-turn unit antennas 110a and 110b are arranged so as to overlap each other by rotating 180 degrees. Each of the one-turn unit antennas 110a and 110b is arranged on the lower surface in a predetermined section and on the upper surface in the remaining section.

[0081] The one-turn unit antennas 110a and 110b include radial portions 112a and 112b that extend from the upper surface in the radial direction from the center of the one-turn unit antenna, first curved portions 113a and 113b that rotate clockwise by 90 degrees along a circumference having a first radius R1 at the radial portions and extend from the upper surface, first vertical extension portions 114a and 114b that change the arrangement plane from the upper surface to the lower surface at the first curved portions, second curved portions 115a and 115b that rotate clockwise by 90 degrees along a circumference having a first radius R1 at the first vertical extension portions, second vertical extension portions 116a and 116b that are continuously connected to the second curved portions, change the radius from the first radius to a smaller second radius R2, change the arrangement plane from the lower surface to the upper surface, and then change the radius from the second radius to the first radius, and third curved portions 117a and 117b that rotate clockwise by 90 degrees along a circumference having the first radius from the second vertical extension portions and extend from the upper surface. The third curved portions 117a and 117b are connected to a ground portion that extends in the radial direction.

[0082] The antenna housing 130 is arranged to surround the antenna 110, and the inner surface of the antenna housing is coated with gold Au. The antenna housing 130 shields the electromagnetic waves radiated from the antenna and reflects the infrared rays radiated from the lamp heater.

[0083] The chamber housing 132 is arranged on the clamp 150 and arranged to cover the antenna housing. The chamber housing 132 is arranged to surround the antenna housing. The chamber housing 132 includes a flow path 132a for injecting and exhausting air into the antenna housing 130. The air injected into the antenna housing cools the antenna and the upper dome.

[0084] FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining an antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 7, the antenna 100' includes two one-turn unit antennas 110a and 110b. The one-turn unit antennas 110a and 110b include radial portions 112a and 112b extending from the upper surface in the radial direction from the center of the one-turn unit antenna, first curved portions 113a and 113b extending from the upper surface by rotating 90 degrees clockwise along a circumference having a first radius R1 at the radial portion, first vertical extension portions 114a and 114b changing the arrangement plane from the upper surface to the lower surface at the first curved portion, second curved portions 115a and 115b rotating 90 degrees clockwise along a circumference having a first radius R1 at the first vertical extension portion, second vertical extension portions 116a and 116b continuously connected to the second curved portion, changing the radius from the first radius to a second radius R2 larger than the first radius, changing the arrangement plane from the lower surface to the upper surface, and changing the radius from the second radius to the first radius, and third curved portions 117a and 117b extending from the upper surface by rotating 90 degrees clockwise along a circumference having the first radius at the second vertical extension portion. The third curved portions 117a and 117b are connected to a ground portion extending in the radial direction.

[0086] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 8, a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber 160 having side walls, a susceptor 172 for mounting a substrate 174 inside the chamber 160, an upper dome 152 covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, and an antenna 110 disposed above the upper dome to form an inductively coupled plasma. The antenna 110 includes two one-turn unit antennas. The two one-turn unit antennas are arranged to overlap each other on the upper surface and the lower surface. The two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel and connected to an RF power source 140. The width direction of the one-turn unit antenna is set vertically.

[0088] The lower dome 258 covers the lower surface of the chamber, is formed of a transparent dielectric material, and has a curvature like that of the upper dome 152. The lamp heater is disposed on the lower surface of the lower dome 258. The reflector is disposed on the lower surface of the lamp heater.

[0089] FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 9, a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber 160 having side walls, a susceptor 172 for mounting a substrate 174 inside the chamber 160, an upper dome 152 covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, and an antenna 110 disposed above the upper dome to form an inductively coupled plasma. The antenna 110 includes two one-turn unit antennas. Each of the two one-turn unit antennas has an upper surface and a lower surface, and is arranged so as to overlap with each other on the upper and lower surfaces of the two one-turn unit antennas. The two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel and connected to an RF power source 140. The width direction of each of the one-turn unit antennas is set vertically.

[0091] An antenna housing 330 is disposed so as to surround the antenna 110, and the inner surface of the antenna housing is coated with gold Au. The antenna housing 330 is a conductive material having a high reflectivity in the infrared band like a metal. Specifically, the antenna housing 330 is a cylindrical aluminum having a lid.

[0092] The antenna housing 330 is disposed on the clamp 150, shields the electromagnetic waves radiated from the antenna 110, reflects the infrared rays radiated from the lamp heater 166, absorbs the infrared rays of the lamp heater 166, and is heated in a relatively uniform manner. In order to heat the antenna housing 330 spatially uniformly, a separate heater 331 heats the antenna housing 330. The heater 331 is a resistive heater embedded in the antenna housing 330. The resistive heater is embedded in the lid of the antenna housing in a spiral form. For a spatially uniform temperature distribution, the heater spacing decreases by progressing radially. The uniformly heated antenna housing 330 additionally heats the substrate 174 through blackbody radiation. The heated antenna housing 330 does not provide a temperature difference due to the environment, thereby improving process reliability.

[0093] The temperature of the antenna housing 330 is higher than the temperature heated by the lamp heater 166. For example, the temperature of the antenna housing 330 is from 200 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees Celsius.

[0094] The antenna 110 is additionally heated by the heated antenna housing 110. However, the antenna 110 is in a standing strip form, absorbs less radiant heat without hindering the flow due to the inflow of air, and is cooled by a smooth air flow.

[0095] The chamber housing 332 is disposed on the clamp 150 and is disposed to cover the antenna housing 330. There is a space between the chamber housing 332 and the antenna housing, and the space reduces heat loss due to heat transfer. The space is at atmospheric pressure, and the air filling the space does not circulate. The chamber housing 332 includes a flow path 333 through which a refrigerant flows, and the chamber housing is cooled to room temperature. The chamber housing 332 has a cylindrical shape with a lid and is a conductive substance.

[0096] The air flow path penetrates through the chamber housing 332 and the antenna housing 330 and injects air into the space formed by the antenna housing. The air injected into the antenna housing 330 cools the antenna 110 and provides stable operation.

[0097] FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation method of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0098] As shown in FIG. 10, the substrate processing apparatus 300 includes a chamber 160 having side walls, a susceptor 172 for mounting a substrate 174 inside the chamber 160, an upper dome 152 covering the upper surface of the chamber 160 and formed of a transparent dielectric material, an antenna 110 disposed above the upper dome and forming an inductively coupled plasma, a lower dome 158 covering the lower surface of the chamber 160 and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a ring-shaped upper liner 154 disposed inside the chamber 160, surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome 152 and formed of a dielectric material, a ring-shaped lower liner 156 disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the inner circumferential surface of the upper edge of the lower dome and formed of a dielectric material, a lamp heater 166 disposed below the lower dome, and an antenna housing 330 disposed so as to cover the antenna 110 and heated by a heater 331.

[0099] The operation method of the substrate processing apparatus includes S100 of heating the antenna housing 330 to a first temperature by the heater 331. The first temperature is from 200 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees Celsius.

[0100] S110: Accommodate the substrate 174 at the home position of the susceptor 172 and raise the susceptor 172 to change it to the process position. The process position is arranged in a plane substantially the same as the upper surface of the second opening 154b for the inflow of the substrate by the upper liner 154. Also, the process position is arranged in a plane substantially the same as the lower surface of the opening 154a for gas exhaust by the upper liner 154. Thus, the distance between the susceptor 172 and the upper liner 154 is minimized at the process position. The distance between the susceptor 172 and the upper liner 154 is minimized at the process position.

[0101] S120: Provide process gas to the upper dome 152, provide purge gas to the lower dome 158, and heat the substrate 174 using the lamp heater 166. The temperature of the substrate 174 is between 550 degrees Celsius and 950 degrees Celsius.

[0102] S130: Form inductively coupled plasma by providing RF power to the antenna 110 and perform epitaxial growth on the substrate. The epitaxial growth is a single crystal of silicon.

[0103] As described above, the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to specific preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments and includes all embodiments in various forms that can be implemented without departing from the technical idea of the present invention claimed in the claims by those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0104]

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Claims

1. A chamber having side walls, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, an antenna disposed above the upper dome for forming inductively coupled plasma, comprising: the antenna includes two one-turn unit antennas, each of the two one-turn unit antennas has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the upper surfaces and lower surfaces of the two one-turn unit antennas are arranged to overlap each other, the two one-turn unit antennas are connected in parallel and connected to an RF power source, a substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the width direction of each of the one-turn unit antennas is vertically oriented.

2. a funnel-shaped lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a concentric lamp heater disposed on the lower surface of the lower dome, a ring-shaped upper liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome and formed of a dielectric material, a ring-shaped lower liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the inner peripheral surface of the upper edge of the lower dome and formed of a dielectric material, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reflector disposed on the lower surface of the concentric lamp heater.

3. the one-turn unit antenna has a strip line shape having a width larger than its thickness, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the ratio W / t of the width W to the thickness t is 10 or more.

4. the one-turn unit antenna, a radial portion extending from the upper surface in the radial direction from the center of the one-turn unit antenna, a first curved portion extending from the upper surface by rotating 90 degrees clockwise along a circumference having a first radius at the radial portion, a first vertical extension portion for changing the arrangement plane from the upper surface to the lower surface at the first curved portion, a second curved portion rotating 180 degrees clockwise along a circumference having the first radius at the first vertical extension portion, a second vertical extension portion continuously connected to the second curved portion, changing the radius from the first radius to a second radius smaller than the first radius, changing the arrangement plane from the lower surface to the upper surface, and changing the radius from the second radius to the first radius. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third curved portion that rotates 90 degrees clockwise along a circumference having the first radius in the second vertical extension portion and extends from the upper surface.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an antenna housing that is disposed so as to surround the antenna and is coated with a reflector.

6. At least one process gas supply unit that supplies a process gas through the side surface of the upper liner, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a flow path that supplies a purge gas supplied through the lower dome.

7. The upper liner, A first opening formed on one side of the upper liner for exhausting gas, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second opening disposed in the upper liner so as to provide a passage for a substrate on the other side of the upper liner facing the first opening.

8. The lamp heater includes a plurality of ring-shaped lamp heaters, The ring-shaped lamp heaters are arranged at regular intervals along the slope of the lower dome, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ring-shaped lamp heaters are divided into three groups and are independently supplied with power.

9. A first substrate lifter disposed along the central axis of the lower dome, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second substrate lifter disposed coaxially with the first substrate lifter.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a ring-shaped heat insulating portion disposed between the lower surface of the chamber and the reflector.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a lower liner formed of an opaque dielectric material disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the lower dome.

12. The lower liner has an inner peripheral surface facing the space of the lower dome, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the inner peripheral surface of the lower liner has an inclination that becomes thicker from the lower region to the upper region of the chamber along the vertical direction.

13. A lower dome that covers the lower surface of the chamber, is formed of a transparent dielectric material, and has the same curvature as the upper dome, A lamp heater disposed on the lower surface of the lower dome, An annular upper liner that is disposed inside the chamber, surrounds the lower edge of the upper dome, and is formed of a dielectric material; An annular lower liner that is disposed inside the chamber, surrounds the inner peripheral surface of the upper edge of the lower dome, and is formed of a dielectric material; A reflector disposed on the lower surface of the lamp heater, the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

14. An antenna housing disposed so as to surround the antenna, further comprising; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna housing is heated by a separate heater.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the temperature of the antenna housing is from 200 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees Celsius.

16. A chamber housing disposed separately so as to surround the antenna housing, further comprising; The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the chamber housing is cooled by a refrigerant.

17. A chamber having side walls, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, an antenna disposed above the upper dome for forming an inductively coupled plasma, a lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, an annular upper liner disposed inside the chamber and surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome and formed of a dielectric material, an annular lower liner disposed inside the chamber and covering the inner peripheral surface of the upper edge of the lower dome and formed of a dielectric material, a lamp heater disposed below the lower dome, and an antenna housing disposed so as to cover the antenna and heated by a heater. In a method of operating a substrate processing apparatus including: Heating the antenna housing to a first temperature by the heater; Receiving the substrate at a home position of the susceptor and raising the susceptor to change to a process position; Providing a process gas to the upper dome, providing a purge gas to the lower dome, and heating the substrate using the lamp heater; A method of operating a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: providing RF power to the antenna to form an inductively coupled plasma and performing epitaxial growth on the substrate.

18. A chamber having side walls, an upper region, and a lower region, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a lower liner formed of an opaque dielectric material disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the upper edge of the lower dome, comprising, the lower liner has an inner peripheral surface facing the space of the lower dome, the inner peripheral surface of the lower liner has an inclination that becomes thicker from the lower region to the upper region of the chamber along the vertical direction, and a substrate processing apparatus characterized by this.

19. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a lamp heater disposed below the lower dome.

20. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the lower liner is formed of a quartz material.

21. A chamber having side walls, an upper region, and a lower region, a susceptor for mounting a substrate inside the chamber, an upper dome covering the upper surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a lower dome covering the lower surface of the chamber and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a substrate inlet / outlet disposed on one side of the side wall of the chamber, an exhaust port disposed on the other side of the side wall of the chamber, comprising, the upper surface of the exhaust port has the same or lower height as the upper surface of the substrate inlet / outlet, a ring-shaped upper liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the lower edge of the upper dome, and formed of a transparent dielectric material, a ring-shaped lower liner disposed inside the chamber, surrounding the inner peripheral surface of the upper edge of the lower dome, and formed of an opaque dielectric material, and further comprising a substrate processing apparatus characterized by this.

22. The upper liner, aligned with the exhaust port, having a first opening formed on one side of the upper liner for exhausting gas, aligned with the substrate inlet / outlet, and having a second opening disposed on the upper liner so as to provide a passage for the substrate on the other side facing the first opening of the upper liner, and during the process progress, the upper surface of the susceptor is higher than the lower surfaces of the exhaust port and the substrate inlet / outlet, and a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 21.

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