Substrate processing apparatus including impedance adjuster, substrate processing method, and impedance adjusting method

Abstract

The disclosed invention pertains to a substrate processing apparatus. An exemplary substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber; a base positioned within the reaction chamber and configured to support a substrate; a spray plate configured to face the base; and an RF generator electrically coupled to the spray plate via an RF board, wherein the base is electrically grounded; wherein the RF board is provided with a plurality of impedance adjusters.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to substrate processing equipment. More specifically, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure relate to substrate processing equipment including an impedance adjuster. [Previous Technology]

[0002] The reaction chamber is used to process the substrate therein (e.g., to deposit various material layers onto a semiconductor substrate). The substrate is placed on a base within the reaction chamber. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus. An exemplary substrate processing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 039874, which is incorporated herein by reference. This substrate processing apparatus has a parallel plate structure including a base 10 and a spray plate 14. The spray plate 14 is provided with a plurality of holes to supply gas to the substrate placed on the base 10, causing a thin film to be deposited on the substrate. The spray plate 14 is mounted on an exhaust duct 12 via an O-ring (not shown).

[0003] The relay ring 18 is placed on the upper body 16 and the spray plate 14. The RF plate 20 is connected to the relay ring 18. RF power is applied to the spray plate 14 via the RF plate 20 and the relay ring 18, and RF plasma is established between the spray plate 14 and the base 10.

[0004] The deposition or other treatment on the surface of the substrate may have a desired pattern. For example, it may be desirable to have multiple layers of deposited material of uniform thickness across the substrate surface. That is, uniform material deposition may be desirable. However, in some cases, it may be desirable that the material deposition at or near a portion of the substrate differs from the deposition at another portion of the substrate. Accordingly, it is desirable to have apparatus and methods that allow for the ability to adjust the amount of treatment on the substrate in certain areas (e.g., for promoting more uniform and / or homogeneous deposition on the substrate surface).

[0005] Any discussion (including discussion of problems and solutions) presented in this section is included in this disclosure for the purpose of providing context for this disclosure only, and should not be construed as an admission that any or all of the discussion was known at the time of making this invention or otherwise constitutes prior art. [Summary of the Invention]

[0006] This invention is provided to introduce a series of concepts in a simplified form. These concepts will be described in further detail below in the embodiments of the exemplary cases disclosed herein. This invention is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus may include a reaction chamber; a base positioned within the reaction chamber and configured to support a substrate; a spray plate configured to face the base; and an RF generator electrically coupled to the spray plate via an RF board, wherein the base is electrically grounded; wherein the RF board is provided with a plurality of impedance adjusters.

[0008] In various embodiments, the RF board may be a ring structure.

[0009] In various embodiments, impedance adjusters may be provided every 90 degrees on the RF board.

[0010] In various embodiments, the impedance regulator may include at least one of a capacitor and an inductor.

[0011] In various embodiments, the impedance adjuster may be a resonant circuit.

[0012] In various embodiments, the capacitor may include an adjustable capacitance, and the inductor may include an adjustable inductance.

[0013] In various embodiments, the spray plate may be provided with a plurality of holes for supplying gas to the substrate.

[0014] In various embodiments, a matching box may be disposed between the RF generator and the RF board.

[0015] In various embodiments, a relay loop may be disposed between the spray plate and the impedance regulator.

[0016] In various embodiments, a substrate processing apparatus may include one or more reaction chamber modules, each reaction chamber module including two or more reaction stations; a base positioned within each reaction station and configured to support a substrate; a spray plate positioned within each station and configured to face the base; and an RF generator electrically coupled to RF power via an RF board to provide communication to the spray plate, and the base being electrically grounded; wherein the RF board is provided with a plurality of impedance adjusters.

[0017] In various embodiments, a substrate processing method may include placing a substrate on a base; generating plasma between a spray plate and the base by applying a high-frequency power to a spray plate, while simultaneously supplying a gas from the spray plate facing the base between the spray plate and the base; wherein the high-frequency power is supplied to the spray plate through a plurality of impedance adjusters.

[0018] In various embodiments, the high-frequency power may include a frequency of 13.56 MHz or greater.

[0019] In various embodiments, a method may include adjusting an impedance of a first impedance regulator; adjusting a first electric field adjacent to a first portion of a spray plate coupled to the first impedance regulator in response to the impedance of the first impedance regulator; adjusting an impedance of a second impedance regulator; and adjusting a second electric field adjacent to a second portion of a spray plate coupled to the second impedance regulator in response to the impedance of the second impedance regulator.

[0020] For the purpose of summarizing this disclosure and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain objectives and advantages of this disclosure have been described above. It should be understood, of course, that all such objectives or advantages may not be achieved based on any specific embodiment of this disclosure. Therefore, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or a set of advantages as taught or suggested herein without necessarily achieving other objectives or advantages that may be taught or suggested herein.

[0021] All of these embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily understand these and other embodiments from the following detailed description of some embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure is not limited to any of the specific embodiments discussed.

Implementation Method

[0023] While certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure extends beyond the specific embodiments and / or uses disclosed herein, as well as obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the specific embodiments described herein.

[0024] The illustrations presented herein are not intended to be actual views of any particular material, device, structure or apparatus, but are merely representations used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] In this disclosure, "gas" may include materials that are gaseous at room temperature and pressure, vaporized solids and / or vaporized liquids, and may consist of a single gas or a mixture of gases depending on the context. Gases other than process gases (i.e., gases not introduced through a gas supply unit (such as a spray plate) or the like) may be used, for example, to seal the reaction space, and may include a sealing gas, such as a rare gas or other inert gas. The term inert gas refers to a gas that does not participate in a chemical reaction to a perceptible degree, and / or a gas that can excite precursors when plasma power is applied. The terms precursor and reactant may be used interchangeably.

[0026] As used herein, the term "substrate" may refer to any one or more underlying materials on which a device, circuit, or membrane may be used or formed.

[0027] As used herein, the terms "film" and "thin film" can refer to any continuous or discontinuous structure and material deposited by the methods disclosed herein. For example, "film" and "thin film" can include 2D materials, nanorods, nanotubes, or nanoparticles, or even partial or complete molecular layers, or partial or complete atomic layers, or atomic and / or molecular clusters. "Film" and "thin film" can contain materials or layers with pinholes, but are still at least partially continuous.

[0028] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber 100; a base 110 positioned within the reaction chamber 100 and configured to support a substrate 150; a spray plate 140 configured to face the base 110; and an RF generator 160 electrically coupled to the spray plate 140 via an RF board 120, such that the base 110 is electrically grounded. The RF board 120 is provided with a plurality of impedance adjusters 170.

[0029] Applying a high radio frequency ("HRF") power (e.g., 13.56 MHz or 27 MHz) to the spray plate 140 can stimulate plasma between the spray plate 140 and the base 110. A temperature regulator may be provided in the base 110 to maintain a constant temperature of the substrate. The spray plate 140 may be provided with a plurality of holes for supplying gas to the substrate 150.

[0030] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary substrate processing apparatus. The RF plate 120 may be a ring structure. Impedance adjusters 170 may be provided at 90-degree intervals along the RF plate 120. Other embodiments are feasible, for example, in which impedance adjusters 170 are provided at 60-degree intervals along the RF plate 120, or at other intervals along the RF plate 120. Additional impedance adjusters 170 along the RF plate 120 may allow for additional impedance control along the entire RF plate 120.

[0031] Figures 4A to 4C are schematic diagrams of an exemplary substrate processing apparatus including an impedance adjuster. The impedance adjuster 170 may include at least one of a capacitor 172 and an inductor 174, thereby forming a resonant circuit if the impedance adjuster 170 includes both capacitor 172 and inductor 174. The capacitor 172 may include an adjustable capacitance, and the inductor 174 may include an adjustable inductance. Figure 4A illustrates an example embodiment where the impedance adjuster 170 includes both capacitor 172 and inductor 174. Figure 4B illustrates an example embodiment where the impedance adjuster 170 includes only capacitor 172. Figure 4C illustrates an example embodiment where the impedance adjuster 170 includes only inductor 174.

[0032] Referring to Figure 2, a matching box 200 may be disposed between the RF generator 160 and the RF board 120. The matching box 200 can generate an impedance that matches the impedance within the reaction chamber 100 with the impedance of the RF generator 160. Furthermore, a relay ring 180 may be disposed between the spray plate 140 and the impedance regulator 170 to transmit RF power to the spray plate 140.

[0033] During substrate processing (e.g., during atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and / or similar processes), an electric field can be formed around the substrate 110 as electrons travel from the spray head plate 140 to the substrate. The electric field around different portions of the substrate 110 can differ, resulting in different processing results on different portions of the substrate 150 corresponding to different adjacent electric fields. To avoid these differences, the impedance of the resonant circuit 170 can be adjusted. Adjusting the impedance of the resonant circuit 170 can adjust the power flowing through the spray head plate 140. For example, to adjust the impedance of the resonant circuit 170, the inductance of the inductor in the resonant circuit can be adjusted, and / or the capacitance of the capacitor in the resonant circuit can be adjusted. As a further example, to adjust the electric field around a portion of the spray head plate 140, the capacitance of one of the four capacitors can be adjusted. This allows adjustment of the impedance of one of the four resonant circuits, thereby changing the power flow. Furthermore, adjusting the impedance can result in a more uniform film deposited on the substrate 150.

[0034] In some embodiments, multi-chamber modules (two or four chambers or stations arranged close to each other for processing substrates) may be used, wherein reactant gases may be supplied through a common pipeline and precursor gases may be supplied through a non-common pipeline.

[0035] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the apparatus includes one or more controllers that are programmed or otherwise configured to cause the deposition and reactor cleaning processes described elsewhere herein to be performed. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the controllers may communicate with various power sources, heating systems, pumps, robots, and gas flow controllers or valves of the reactor.

[0036] The exemplary embodiments described above do not limit the scope of the present invention, as these embodiments are merely examples of embodiments of the present invention. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention. In fact, in addition to those shown and described herein, those skilled in the art will understand from this specification various modifications of the present disclosure, such as alternative useful combinations of the described elements. Such modifications and embodiments are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0022] A more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein can be obtained by referring to the embodiments and the claims when considering the following illustrative drawings. FIG1 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus. FIG2 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary substrate processing apparatus according to various embodiments. FIG3 is a cross-sectional top view of an exemplary substrate processing apparatus according to various embodiments. FIG4A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary substrate processing apparatus including an impedance adjuster according to various embodiments. FIG4B is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus including an impedance adjuster according to various embodiments. FIG4C is a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus including an impedance adjuster according to various embodiments. It should be understood that the elements in the drawings are drawn for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the drawings may be particularly enlarged relative to other elements to aid in the understanding of the illustrated embodiments of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a reaction chamber; a base positioned within the reaction chamber and configured to support a substrate; a spray plate configured to face the base, wherein the spray plate includes a plurality of portions; and an RF generator electrically coupled to the spray plate via an RF board, and the base being electrically grounded; wherein the RF board is provided with a plurality of impedance adjusters; wherein the impedance adjusters are configured such that each of the impedance adjusters responds to its respective impedance, thereby adjusting the electric field adjacent to a corresponding portion of the portions.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF board is a ring structure.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the impedance adjusters are provided every 90 degrees on the RF board.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impedance adjusters include at least one of a capacitor and an inductor.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the impedance adjusters are resonant circuits.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the capacitor includes an adjustable capacitance and the inductor includes an adjustable inductance.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spray plate is provided with a plurality of holes for supplying gas to the substrate.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mating box disposed between the RF generator and the RF board.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a relay loop disposed between the spray plate and the impedance adjusters.

10. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: one or more reaction chamber modules, each reaction chamber module comprising two or more reaction stations; a base positioned within each reaction station and configured to support a substrate; a spray plate positioned within each reaction station and configured to face the base, wherein the spray plate comprises a plurality of portions; and an RF generator electrically coupled to RF power via an RF board to provide communication to the spray plate, and the base being electrically grounded; wherein the RF board is provided with a plurality of impedance adjusters; wherein the impedance adjusters are configured such that each of the impedance adjusters responds to its respective impedance, thereby adjusting the electric field adjacent to a corresponding portion of one of the portions.

11. A substrate processing method comprising: placing a substrate on a base; generating plasma between the spray plate and the base by applying a high-frequency power to a spray plate comprising a plurality of portions, while simultaneously supplying a gas from the spray plate facing the base between the spray plate and the base, wherein the high-frequency power is supplied to the spray plate through a plurality of impedance adjusters; adjusting the impedance of each of the impedance adjusters; and adjusting the electric field adjacent to a corresponding portion of one of the portions in response to the impedance of each of the impedance adjusters.

12. The substrate processing method of claim 11, wherein the high-frequency power includes a frequency of 13.56 MHz or greater.

13. An impedance adjustment method comprising: adjusting an impedance of a first impedance adjuster; adjusting a first electric field adjacent to a first portion of a spray plate coupled to the first impedance adjuster in response to the impedance of the first impedance adjuster; adjusting an impedance of a second impedance adjuster; and adjusting a second electric field adjacent to a second portion of a spray plate coupled to the second impedance adjuster in response to the impedance of the second impedance adjuster.

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