Shower plate assembly and thin film deposition device

Abstract

The present invention provides a shower plate assembly and a thin film deposition device. The shower plate assembly comprises a shower plate and an upper cover plate. The upper cover plate is located above the shower plate; an air inlet is formed in the center of the upper cover plate; a plurality of rows of ventilation units are arranged on the upper cover plate radially from the air inlet in the radial direction; the lower parts of the plurality of rows of ventilation units pass through the lower surface of the upper cover plate, and the plurality of rows of ventilation units ventilate air towards the upper part of the shower plate.

Description

Shower plate assembly and thin film deposition equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and in particular to thin film deposition equipment. Background Art

[0002] During semiconductor processing, such as thin film deposition, a showerhead is used to spray gas onto the surface of the semiconductor to be processed. In the shower chamber inside the showerhead, enhancing the uniformity of gas flow within the chamber is crucial to improving the product's process quality.

[0003] Typically, when the gas pipeline is passed to the spray assembly, the gas slowly diffuses from the middle to the edge, resulting in a stepped thickness of the target film with poor thickness uniformity, generally thick in the middle and thin at the edges. This will affect product yield and even cause product abnormalities.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a shower plate assembly that can improve the uniformity of thin film deposition.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to improve the problems of uneven reaction gas flow and uneven film formation in a thin film deposition process of a thin film deposition device, the present invention provides a shower plate assembly.

[0007] The spray plate assembly includes a spray plate and an upper cover plate. The upper cover plate is located above the spray plate and has an air inlet at its center. Multiple rows of ventilation units are radially arranged on the upper cover plate from the air inlet. The lower portions of the multiple rows of ventilation units penetrate the lower surface of the upper cover plate and ventilate toward the upper portion of the spray plate.

[0008] In one embodiment, each row of ventilation units in the multiple rows of ventilation units includes a duct and multiple circular tubes, the axial direction of the duct is arranged along the radial direction of the upper cover plate, one end of the duct close to the center direction of the upper cover plate is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is sealed; the multiple circular tubes are arranged side by side, the axial directions of the multiple circular tubes are perpendicular to the axial direction of the duct, the upper end of each circular tube is connected to the duct, and the lower end passes through the bottom of the upper cover plate, and the aperture of the multiple circular tubes gradually increases from the center to the circumference of the upper cover plate.

[0009] In one embodiment, the air inlet is communicated with a lower portion of an air inlet pipe, and a side surface of the lower portion of the air inlet pipe is provided with a plurality of through holes, which are respectively communicated with the conduit.

[0010] In one embodiment, a plurality of circles of water drop-shaped spray holes are distributed on the spray plate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the number of the spray holes in the inner circle is less than that in the outer circle, and the spray holes on the spray plate are arranged in a swirl pattern as a whole.

[0012] In one embodiment, the tip of the teardrop shape faces toward the center of the shower plate.

[0013] The present invention also provides a thin film deposition device comprising the spray assembly.

[0014] The thin film deposition equipment includes an air inlet pipeline, a shower plate assembly, and a reaction chamber.

[0015] The spray plate assembly includes a spray plate and an upper cover plate.

[0016] Among them, the upper cover plate is located above the spray plate, and the spray plate is located above the reaction chamber. The center of the upper cover plate has an air inlet, and the air inlet pipeline is connected to the air inlet. The upper cover plate is radially arranged with multiple rows of ventilation units extending radially from the air inlet. The lower part of the multiple rows of ventilation units passes through the lower surface of the upper cover plate and ventilates toward the upper part of the spray plate.

[0017] In one embodiment, each row of ventilation units in the multiple rows of ventilation units includes a duct and multiple circular tubes, the axial direction of the duct is arranged along the radial direction of the upper cover plate, one end of the duct close to the center direction of the upper cover plate is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is sealed; the multiple circular tubes are arranged side by side, the axial directions of the multiple circular tubes are perpendicular to the axial direction of the duct, the upper end of each circular tube is connected to the duct, and the lower end passes through the bottom of the upper cover plate, and the aperture of the multiple circular tubes gradually increases from the center to the circumference of the upper cover plate.

[0018] In one embodiment, a plurality of through holes are provided on the side surface of the lower portion of the air inlet pipe, which are respectively communicated with the conduit.

[0019] In one embodiment, a plurality of circles of water drop-shaped spray holes are distributed on the spray plate.

[0020] In one embodiment, the number of the spray holes in the inner circle is less than that in the outer circle, and the spray holes on the spray plate are arranged in a swirl pattern as a whole.

[0021] In one embodiment, the tip of the teardrop shape faces toward the center of the shower plate.

[0022] According to the technical solution of the present invention, after the reaction gas enters the top of the thin film deposition equipment chamber, it passes through the circular tubes with gradually increasing apertures on the upper cover plate and the impedance of the spray holes. The airflow rate gradually increases from the center to the edge of the spray plate, evenly reaching the sample stage in the chamber. The air pressure uniformity in the spray channel is improved, and the air flow ejected from each area of ​​the outlet surface is also more balanced, thereby improving the uniformity of the sample coating. In addition, the spray plate is distributed with several circles of teardrop-shaped through-hole spray holes; the number of holes in the inner circle of the spray holes is less than that in the outer circle, and the overall arrangement is swirling. This structure makes the air intake more sufficient and uniform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The above summary of the invention and the following detailed description of the present invention will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are only examples of the invention claimed. In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

[0024] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a thin film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG2 shows a bottom view of an upper cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG3 shows a cross-sectional view of an upper cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] FIG4 shows a cross-sectional view of an upper cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG5 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of spray holes on a spray plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG6 is a partial schematic diagram of a shower plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The detailed features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail below in the specific embodiments. The content is sufficient for any person skilled in the art to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and based on the description, claims and drawings disclosed in this specification, those skilled in the art can easily understand the relevant purposes and advantages of the present invention. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiment is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide an in-depth understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0032] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in that section and the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are used solely for convenience of description and do not necessarily imply that the devices described herein must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0033] It is understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, channels, assemblies, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, channels, assemblies, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, channels, assemblies, regions, layers, and / or portions. In addition, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0034] As used in this application and the claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "a," "an," "an," and / or "the" are not intended to refer to the singular but may include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "comprises" and "include" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements specifically identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. A method or apparatus may also include other steps or elements.

[0035] In some embodiments, the numerals describing the composition and the number of attributes are used. It should be understood that such numerals or numerical parameters used for the embodiment description can be approximate values, and the approximate values ​​can be changed according to the required characteristics of the individual embodiments. In certain embodiments, the numerical parameters should consider the significant digits of the regulations and adopt the method of retaining the general digits. Although the numerical domain and parameters used to confirm the breadth of the range in some embodiments of the present application are approximate values, in a specific embodiment, the setting of such numerical values ​​is as accurate as possible within the feasible range.

[0036] At the same time, this application uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of this application. For example, "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure, or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or multiple times in different locations in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this application may be appropriately combined.

[0037] When the gas pipeline is passed to the traditional spray assembly, the gas slowly diffuses from the middle to the edge, resulting in the target film thickness being stepped and poor thickness uniformity. It is generally thick in the middle and thin at the edge, which will affect the product yield and even cause product abnormalities.

[0038] In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a shower plate assembly for improving the uniformity of film formation in a chamber of a thin film deposition device (eg, chemical vapor deposition CVD) and a thin film deposition device including the shower plate assembly.

[0039] The thin film deposition equipment comprises an air inlet pipe, a spray plate assembly, and a reaction chamber. The spray plate assembly comprises an upper cover plate and a spray plate. The upper cover plate is located above the spray plate. The spray plate is located at the upper part of the reaction chamber. The air inlet pipe is connected to the center of the upper cover plate. A plurality of rows of ventilation units are arranged on the upper cover plate in a radial direction from the center position. Each row of ventilation units has a plurality of circular tubes, and the diameters of these circular tubes gradually increase from the center to the circumference. The circular tubes have downward openings connected to the upper part of the spray plate, so that the reaction gas entering the air inlet pipe enters from the center of the upper cover plate and is then transported from the circular tubes to the spray plate. After the reaction gas enters the top of the thin film deposition equipment chamber, it passes through the small holes in the upper cover plate and the impedance of the spray hole, and the air flow rate gradually increases from the center to the edge of the spray plate and evenly reaches the sample stage in the chamber. The air pressure uniformity in the spray channel is improved, and the air flow rate ejected from each area of ​​the outlet surface is also more balanced, thereby improving the coating uniformity of the sample. In addition, the spray plate is distributed with several circles of teardrop-shaped through-hole spray holes; and the number of holes in the inner circle of the spray holes is less than that in the outer circle, and the overall arrangement is in a swirl type. This structure makes the air intake more sufficient and uniform.

[0040] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a thin film deposition apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The thin film deposition apparatus of the present invention includes an air inlet line 103, a shower plate assembly, and a reaction chamber 104. The shower plate assembly includes an upper cover plate 101 and a shower plate 102. Upper cover plate 101 is positioned above shower plate 102. Shower plate 102 is positioned above reaction chamber 104. Reactive gases enter upper cover plate 101 through air inlet line 103, then pass into shower plate 102, ultimately entering reaction chamber 104.

[0041] Figure 2 shows a bottom view of an upper cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upper cover 101 has an air inlet at its center. The upper cover 101 is radially provided with multiple rows of ventilation units (shown as multiple straight lines in Figure 2) extending radially from the center.

[0042] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of an upper cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upper cover's air inlet is connected to the lower portion of the air intake duct 103. However, the air intake duct does not extend through the bottom of the upper cover, but instead terminates within the upper cover. Multiple through-holes are provided on the side of the lower portion of the air intake duct 103, connecting to the multiple rows of ventilation units in the upper cover. Each through-hole is connected to a conduit in a row of ventilation units.

[0043] Each row of ventilation units consists of a duct and multiple circular tubes. The duct's axis extends radially along the upper cover plate. One end of the duct, near the center of the upper cover plate, connects to the air inlet, and the other end is sealed. The tubes are arranged side by side, their axes perpendicular to the duct's axis. Each tube's upper end connects to the duct, while its lower end passes through the bottom of the upper cover plate and leads to the upper portion of the spray plate. The diameter of the tubes increases gradually from the center to the circumference.

[0044] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an upper cover plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the diameter of the first circular tube closest to the air inlet is 1.2 mm, the diameter of the second circular hole is 1.22 mm, and the diameter increases radially to the last hole of 1.98 mm.

[0045] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the spray hole arrangement on a spray plate according to one embodiment of the present invention. The spray plate features several circles of teardrop-shaped through-hole spray holes (see the teardrop shape in Figure 6). The inner circle of spray holes has fewer holes than the outer circle, and the overall arrangement forms a swirling pattern. Airflow is injected directly into the reaction chamber, while the outer holes of the swirling pattern are more evenly distributed, ensuring more adequate air intake.

[0046] Figure 6 shows a partial schematic diagram of a spray plate according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 6, the spray holes on the spray plate are in the shape of water drops.

[0047] In one embodiment, the tip of the teardrop shape faces toward the center of the shower plate.

[0048] The present invention provides a spray plate assembly. The spray plate assembly includes a spray plate and an upper cover plate. The upper cover plate is positioned above the spray plate and has an air inlet at its center. Multiple rows of ventilation units are radially arranged on the upper cover plate from the air inlet. The lower portions of the multiple rows of ventilation units extend through the lower surface of the upper cover plate to ventilate toward the upper portion of the spray plate.

[0049] In one embodiment, each row of ventilation units in the multiple rows of ventilation units includes a duct and multiple circular tubes, the axial direction of the duct is arranged along the radial direction of the upper cover plate, one end of the duct close to the center direction of the upper cover plate is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is sealed; the multiple circular tubes are arranged side by side, the axial directions of the multiple circular tubes are perpendicular to the axial direction of the duct, the upper end of each circular tube is connected to the duct, and the lower end passes through the bottom of the upper cover plate, and the aperture of the multiple circular tubes gradually increases from the center to the circumference of the upper cover plate.

[0050] In one embodiment, the air inlet is communicated with a lower portion of an air inlet pipe, and a side surface of the lower portion of the air inlet pipe is provided with a plurality of through holes, which are respectively communicated with the conduit.

[0051] In one embodiment, a plurality of circles of water drop-shaped spray holes are distributed on the spray plate.

[0052] In one embodiment, the number of the spray holes in the inner circle is less than that in the outer circle, and the spray holes on the spray plate are arranged in a swirl pattern as a whole.

[0053] In one embodiment, the tip of the teardrop shape faces toward the center of the shower plate.

[0054] The present invention also provides a thin film deposition device comprising the spray assembly.

[0055] The thin film deposition equipment includes an air inlet pipeline, a shower plate assembly, and a reaction chamber.

[0056] The spray plate assembly includes a spray plate and an upper cover plate.

[0057] Among them, the upper cover plate is located above the spray plate, and the spray plate is located above the reaction chamber. The center of the upper cover plate has an air inlet, and the air inlet pipeline is connected to the air inlet. The upper cover plate is radially arranged with multiple rows of ventilation units extending radially from the air inlet. The lower part of the multiple rows of ventilation units passes through the lower surface of the upper cover plate and ventilates toward the upper part of the spray plate.

[0058] In one embodiment, each row of ventilation units in the multiple rows of ventilation units includes a duct and multiple circular tubes, the axial direction of the duct is arranged along the radial direction of the upper cover plate, one end of the duct close to the center direction of the upper cover plate is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is sealed; the multiple circular tubes are arranged side by side, the axial directions of the multiple circular tubes are perpendicular to the axial direction of the duct, the upper end of each circular tube is connected to the duct, and the lower end passes through the bottom of the upper cover plate, and the aperture of the multiple circular tubes gradually increases from the center to the circumference of the upper cover plate.

[0059] In one embodiment, a plurality of through holes are provided on the side surface of the lower portion of the air inlet pipe, which are respectively communicated with the conduit.

[0060] In one embodiment, a plurality of circles of water drop-shaped spray holes are distributed on the spray plate.

[0061] In one embodiment, the number of the spray holes in the inner circle is less than that in the outer circle, and the spray holes on the spray plate are arranged in a swirl pattern as a whole.

[0062] In one embodiment, the tip of the teardrop shape faces toward the center of the shower plate.

[0063] According to the technical solution of the present invention, after the reaction gas enters the top of the thin film deposition equipment chamber, it passes through the circular tubes with gradually increasing apertures on the upper cover plate and the impedance of the spray holes. The airflow rate gradually increases from the center to the edge of the spray plate, evenly reaching the sample stage in the chamber. The air pressure uniformity in the spray channel is improved, and the air flow ejected from each area of ​​the outlet surface is also more balanced, thereby improving the uniformity of the sample coating. In addition, the spray plate is distributed with several circles of teardrop-shaped through-hole spray holes; the number of holes in the inner circle of the spray holes is less than that in the outer circle, and the overall arrangement is swirling. This structure makes the air intake more sufficient and uniform.

[0064] The terms and expressions used above are for descriptive purposes only, and the present invention is not limited to these terms and expressions. The use of these terms and expressions is not intended to exclude any equivalent features shown and described (or portions thereof), and it should be recognized that various modifications that may exist are also intended to be included within the scope of the claims. Other modifications, variations, and substitutions are also possible. Accordingly, the claims should be deemed to cover all such equivalents.

[0065] Similarly, it should be noted that in order to simplify the description of the present disclosure and thus facilitate understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure sometimes combines multiple features into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the subject matter of the present disclosure requires more features than those mentioned in the claims.

[0066] Similarly, it should be pointed out that although the present invention has been described with reference to the current specific embodiments, ordinary technicians in this technical field should realize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, and various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, as long as the changes and modifications to the above embodiments are within the scope of the essential spirit of the present invention, they will fall within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A shower plate assembly, characterized in that: include: Sprinkler panels; An upper cover plate is located above the spray plate, and has an air inlet at the center. Multiple rows of ventilation units are radially arranged on the upper cover plate from the air inlet. The lower parts of the multiple rows of ventilation units penetrate the lower surface of the upper cover plate to ventilate toward the upper part of the spray plate.

2. The shower plate assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each row of ventilation units in the multiple rows of ventilation units includes a duct and multiple circular tubes. The axial direction of the duct is arranged along the radial direction of the upper cover plate. One end of the duct close to the center direction of the upper cover plate is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is sealed. The multiple circular tubes are arranged side by side, and the axial directions of the multiple circular tubes are perpendicular to the axial direction of the duct. The upper end of each circular tube is connected to the duct, and the lower end passes through the bottom of the upper cover plate. The apertures of the multiple circular tubes gradually increase from the center to the circumference of the upper cover plate.

3. The shower plate assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air inlet is communicated with the lower part of an air inlet pipeline, and a plurality of through holes are arranged on the side surface of the lower part of the air inlet pipeline, which are communicated with the conduit respectively.

4. The shower plate assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spray plate is provided with a plurality of circles of water drop-shaped spray holes.

5. The shower plate assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of holes in the inner circle of the spray holes is less than that in the outer circle, and the spray holes on the spray plate are arranged in a swirl pattern as a whole.

6. The shower plate assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The tip of the water drop shape faces the center direction of the spray plate.

7. A thin film deposition device, characterized in that: include: Inlet pipeline, spray plate assembly, reaction chamber; The spray plate assembly comprises: a spray plate and an upper cover plate; Among them, the upper cover plate is located above the spray plate, and the spray plate is located above the reaction chamber. The center of the upper cover plate has an air inlet, and the air inlet pipeline is connected to the air inlet. The upper cover plate is radially arranged with multiple rows of ventilation units extending radially from the air inlet. The lower part of the multiple rows of ventilation units passes through the lower surface of the upper cover plate and ventilates toward the upper part of the spray plate.

8. The thin film deposition device according to claim 7, characterized in that: Each row of ventilation units in the multiple rows of ventilation units includes a duct and multiple circular tubes. The axial direction of the duct is arranged along the radial direction of the upper cover plate. One end of the duct close to the center direction of the upper cover plate is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is sealed. The multiple circular tubes are arranged side by side, and the axial directions of the multiple circular tubes are perpendicular to the axial direction of the duct. The upper end of each circular tube is connected to the duct, and the lower end passes through the bottom of the upper cover plate. The apertures of the multiple circular tubes gradually increase from the center to the circumference of the upper cover plate.

9. The thin film deposition device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The side surface of the lower part of the air inlet pipeline is provided with a plurality of through holes which are respectively communicated with the conduit.

10. The thin film deposition device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The spray plate is provided with a plurality of circles of water drop-shaped spray holes.

11. The thin film deposition device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The number of holes in the inner circle of the spray holes is less than that in the outer circle, and the spray holes on the spray plate are arranged in a swirl pattern as a whole.

12. The thin film deposition device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The tip of the water drop shape faces the center direction of the spray plate.

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