Spray plate for electric heating, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a spray plate for electric heating, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. An annularly embedded groove is formed inside the spray plate, a heating wire for electric heating is embedded in the embedded groove, the heating wire is externally connected to alternating current to implement heating, the spray plate is externally connected to a radio frequency (RF) power supply to form an RF electrode, the spray plate is further provided with a sampling circuit for collecting direct-current bias voltage generated on the surface of the spray plate in the manufacturing process, and an isolation layer made of an insulating material is arranged between the heating wire and the spray plate so as to achieve electric isolation between the heating wire and the spray plate.

Description

Electrically heated shower plate and semiconductor process equipment Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor process equipment, and in particular to an electrically heated shower plate and semiconductor process equipment. Background Art

[0002] The shower plate is a critical component in thin-film deposition equipment, used to spray external reactant gases onto the wafer to deposit thin films. Inside the shower plate, components such as heating filaments heat the reactant gases, bringing them to a specific temperature and promoting the deposition reaction. The shower plate is also typically equipped with RF electrodes, which operate by generating a high-frequency electric field within the shower plate. As the reactant gases pass through the shower plate, the RF electrodes apply a high-frequency electric field, causing the gas molecules to vibrate and generate heat. This vibration increases collisions between gas molecules, thereby enhancing heat transfer. The RF electrodes also control the flow of the reactant gases within the shower plate. By generating an electric field force, they guide the reactant gases along a specific path, ensuring that the reactant gases are evenly sprayed onto the wafer surface.

[0003] In the prior art, to reduce particle deposition in thin film deposition equipment and increase production capacity, electrically heated showerheads are often used as RF electrodes. Since the RF electrodes need to be insulated from the ground, the showerheads usually operate in an electrically suspended state. At the same time, industrial frequency heating wires are installed inside the showerheads for self-heating. Typically, the heating wires are protected by metal armor that is in direct contact with the showerheads. This structure results in industrial frequency signal coupling to the showerhead surface, and this coupling can be strong, causing interference and affecting the quality and stability of thin film deposition.

[0004] In addition, since a DC bias sampling circuit is provided on the surface of the shower plate for directly collecting the DC voltage on the shower head surface during plasma deposition, power frequency coupling will further cause the DC bias sampling circuit of the device to not work properly.

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the field is in urgent need of an electrically heated shower plate and semiconductor process equipment. By adding an isolation layer of insulating material between the heating wire and the shower plate and grounding the armor at the same time, the mutual interference between the heating wire, RF electrode and DC voltage in the shower plate is eliminated or reduced, thereby improving the performance and stability of the equipment operation and improving the control accuracy and quality of thin film deposition.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The following is a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceivable aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0008] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides an electrically heated spray plate, wherein an annular embedded groove is provided inside the spray plate, and a heating wire for electric heating is embedded in the embedded groove. The heating wire is externally connected to an alternating current to achieve heating, and the spray plate is externally connected to a radio frequency power supply to form an RF electrode. The spray plate is also provided with a sampling circuit to collect the DC bias generated on the surface of the spray plate during the process, wherein an isolation layer made of insulating material is provided between the heating wire and the spray plate to achieve electrical isolation between the heating wire and the spray plate.

[0009] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, the isolation layer is provided on the inner surface of the embedded groove, and the side wall thickness of the isolation layer exceeds 3 mm.

[0010] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, the isolation layer is made of a low dielectric constant material having a relative dielectric constant in the range of 1 to 10.

[0011] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, the outside of the heating wire is provided with an armor made of a metal material, and the armor is electrically connected to the ground.

[0012] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, the armor is a sleeve structure, which is sleeved and wrapped around the heating wire and then embedded in the embedded groove together with the heating wire.

[0013] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, the armor is connected to a grounded cavity shell on the equipment platform to achieve grounding of the armor.

[0014] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated spray plate provided by the present invention, the main body of the heating wire is annular, the shape of the heating wire matches the shape of the embedded groove, the two ends of the heating wire are bent outward to connect to an external power supply, the shape of the armor matches the shape of the heating wire, so that the heating wire is passed through the sleeve of the armor, and the armor is also bent outward at the end positions of both ends to completely wrap the heating wire.

[0015] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, an isolation layer composed of an electrical isolation material is filled between the armor and the heating wire, and the electrical isolation material includes magnesium oxide.

[0016] In one embodiment, preferably, in the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, the frequency of the externally connected alternating current to the heating wire is 50 Hz.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor processing equipment for a thin film deposition process in semiconductor processing, comprising an electrically heated shower plate as described in any one of the above items. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or characteristics may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0019] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the internal circuit structure of a shower plate with a heating wire and RF radio frequency according to an example of the prior art;

[0020] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the heating wire, armor and spray plate according to an example in the prior art;

[0021] 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal circuit structure of an insulating armored shower plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the heating wire, the armor and the spray plate according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0023] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure of a shower plate installed in an equipment platform according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] For the sake of clarity, a brief description of the reference numerals is given below: 101 spray plate 102 heating wire 103 armor 200 spray plate 201 embedded groove 202 heating wire 203 armor 204 electrical isolation material 300 spray plate 301 heating wire 302 isolation layer 400 spray plate 401 embedded groove 402 isolation layer 403 heating wire 404 armor 405 electrical isolation material 501 armor 502 connection 503 cavity shell DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following specific embodiments illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. 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 a deep 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or portions. Thus, a first component, region, layer, and / or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer, and / or portion without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal circuit structure of a shower plate with a heating wire and RF radio frequency according to an example in the prior art.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, a heating filament 102 is installed within the shower plate 101 for heating. A metal sheath 103 is placed outside the heating filament 102. The heating filament 102 is connected to an AC power source operating at a 50Hz frequency, and the shower plate 101 is externally connected to an RF AC power source. Furthermore, when the shower plate performs a plasma process, a DC current is generated on its surface. (Not shown in the figure), the shower plate 101 is also connected to a sampling circuit to collect the DC bias voltage generated on the surface of the shower plate during the process.

[0031] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure of a heating wire, an armor, and a spray plate according to an example in the prior art.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, in the prior art, a shower plate 200 is provided with an annular internal groove 201. A heating wire 202 is inserted into a metal armor 203, with an electrical isolation material 204 sometimes placed between the two. The metal armor 203 is then placed directly into the internal groove 201 of the shower plate 200. In this assembly method, the electrical isolation material 204 cannot effectively isolate the heating wire 202. The metal armor 203 is in direct contact with the shower plate electrodes, inevitably generating coupling interference.

[0033] Understandably, the showerhead's operation can be susceptible to coupling issues between circuits operating at different frequencies, such as the potential for coupling interference between the RF electrode and heater power circuits. Because the showerhead contains multiple circuits, such as the heater and DC circuits, operating at different frequencies, these circuits may interfere with each other. These power-frequency coupling issues can lead to signal distortion, noise interference, and decreased circuit stability, disrupting the normal operation of the equipment and, in turn, affecting the quality and stability of thin film deposition.

[0034] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the field is in urgent need of an electrically heated shower plate and semiconductor process equipment. By adding an isolation layer of insulating material between the heating wire and the shower plate and grounding the armor at the same time, the mutual interference between the heating wire, RF electrode and DC voltage in the shower plate is eliminated or reduced, thereby improving the performance and stability of the equipment operation and improving the control accuracy and quality of thin film deposition.

[0035] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the internal circuit structure of an insulating armored shower plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Referring to Figure 3 , in this embodiment of the electrically heated shower plate provided by the present invention, the heating filament 301 is connected to an external 50Hz alternating current to achieve heating, while the shower plate 300 is connected to an external radio frequency power supply to form an RF electrode. Furthermore, a sampling circuit is provided on the shower plate 300 to collect the DC bias voltage generated on the surface of the shower plate 300 during the process. An insulating layer 302 made of an insulating material is provided between the heating filament 301 and the shower plate 300 to reduce the mutual interference between the power frequency of the heating filament 301 and the radio frequency power used in the process on the shower plate 300, thereby achieving a certain degree of electrical isolation between the heating filament 301 and the shower plate 300.

[0037] For example, the heating filament 202 can use an AC power source with an operating frequency of 50 Hz as its heating power source. At the same time, the RF power source connected to the shower plate may be AC ​​power in the megahertz or kilohertz range. During the plasma process, DC current is generated on the shower plate surface. This inevitably causes coupling interference between electrical signals of different frequencies, affecting the quality and stability of thin film deposition. Therefore, the shower plate provided by the present invention includes an isolation layer 302 made of insulating material between the heating filament and the shower plate. This can provide a certain degree of isolation, reducing interference between different electrical signals and the DC signal test on the shower plate.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure of a heating wire, an armor, and a shower plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] With reference to Figure 4 , in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 , the present invention provides an electrically heated spray plate 400, which has an annular embedded groove 401 inside, and a heating wire 403 for electric heating is embedded in the embedded groove 401. The heating wire 403 is externally connected to an alternating current to achieve heating. Similarly, the spray plate 400 is also externally connected to an RF power supply to form an RF electrode. A sampling circuit is also provided on the spray plate 400 to collect the DC bias generated on the surface of the spray plate 400 during the process.

[0040] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, the heating wire 403 is provided with a metal armor 404. In particular, the armor 404 is electrically connected to the ground. It can be understood that the grounding of the metal armor can conduct away the power frequency AC power of the heating wire itself.

[0041] Further, please continue to refer to Figure 4. In the electrically heated spray plate 400 provided by the present invention, an isolation layer 402 made of insulating material is provided between the heating wire 403 and the spray plate 400. While reducing the mutual interference between different electrical signals, the isolation layer can also prevent the radio frequency electricity used for the process on the spray plate 400 from short-circuiting at the metal armor, and will not be conducted away along the grounded armor, thereby achieving a better electrical isolation effect.

[0042] Preferably, as shown in FIG4 , in this embodiment, the isolation layer 402 is provided on the inner surface of the embedded groove 401 , and the side wall thickness of the isolation layer 402 exceeds 3 mm, thereby ensuring the electrical isolation effect and preventing the radio frequency electricity used for the process on the spray plate from being short-circuited through the grounded metal armor or being conducted away from the ground end to affect the process.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, the isolation layer 402 may be made of a low dielectric constant material with a relative dielectric constant in the range of 1 to 10, such as ceramic, quartz, etc.

[0044] It can be understood that after the metal armor is grounded, the industrial frequency current electric field of the heating wire itself is conducted away through the ground, thereby avoiding the interference of the industrial frequency electric field of the heating wire on the process radio frequency and DC signal testing. At the same time, in order to prevent the process radio frequency from being short-circuited or conducted away through the grounded armor and affecting the process effect, an isolation layer of insulating material is added between the metal armor and the spray plate in the electrically heated spray plate provided by the present invention.

[0045] The isolation layer made of this insulating material can effectively prevent the radio frequency electricity used in the process on the spray plate from being directly short-circuited on the spray plate or being conducted away from the ground. At the same time, the industrial frequency current electric field of the heating wire itself will not affect the DC electric field formed by the RF electrode or plasma in the spray plate, reducing the coupling interference between electrical signals of different frequencies, improving the quality and stability of thin film deposition, and also improving the operating performance and stability of the equipment.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, referring to FIG. 4 , the armor 404 is a sleeve structure, which is sleeved around the heating wire 403 and then embedded in the embedded groove 401 together with the heating wire 403 .

[0047] In one embodiment, an electrical isolation material 405 is filled between the armor 404 and the heating wire 403 . The electrical isolation material 405 may include magnesium oxide.

[0048] Furthermore, more preferably, as shown in FIG4 , the main body of the heating wire 403 is annular, the shape of the heating wire 403 matches the shape of the embedded groove 401, and both ends of the heating wire 403 are bent outward to connect to an external power source. For example, the heating wire 403 can be electrically heated by an external alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz.

[0049] At the same time, the shape of the armor 404 matches the shape of the heating wire 403, so that the heating wire 403 is inserted into the sleeve of the armor 404, and the armor 404 is also bent outward at both ends to completely wrap the heating wire 403.

[0050] It should be noted that the appearance of the heating wire and its armor is only exemplified here, and is intended to clearly illustrate that the electrically heated spray plate provided by the present invention provides comprehensive and effective electrical isolation for the heating wire therein, rather than limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. Possible shapes and styles of heating wires, similar solutions of being covered with armor and electrical isolation materials while adding an insulating isolation layer to form effective electrical isolation can all be applied to the electrically heated spray plate provided by the present invention, and should also be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure of a shower plate installed in an equipment platform according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Referring to Figure 5 , in a preferred embodiment, the outwardly bent end of the armor 501 is connected to the grounded cavity housing 503 of the equipment. Since the cavity housing 503 is also grounded, the armor 501 is electrically grounded through the connection 502 between the two. As can be understood, the grounding of the metal armor conducts away the power-frequency AC current of the heater wire itself, reducing the noise interference of the power-frequency current electric field of the heater wire on other electrical signals and further enhancing the electrical isolation between the heater wire and the shower plate.

[0053] It should be noted that this grounding method is merely an example and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In fact, the electrical grounding method of the armor can be set specifically according to the specific application scenario or equipment, and similar methods should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0054] Another aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor process equipment, which includes an electrically heated spray plate as described in any of the above items. The spray plate adds an isolation layer of insulating material between the heating wire and the spray plate, and grounds the armor. The grounding conducts away the industrial frequency current of the heating wire itself, while preventing the short circuit or conduction of the radio frequency electricity, thereby eliminating or reducing the mutual interference between the heating wire, radio frequency electrode and DC voltage in the spray plate, thereby improving the performance and stability of the equipment operation and improving the control accuracy and quality of thin film deposition.

[0055] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An electrically heated spray plate, wherein an annular embedded groove is provided inside the spray plate, a heating wire for electrically heating is embedded in the embedded groove, the heating wire is externally connected to an alternating current to achieve heating, the spray plate is externally connected to an RF power supply to form an RF electrode, and a sampling circuit is also provided on the spray plate to collect the DC bias generated on the surface of the spray plate during the process, wherein: An isolation layer made of insulating material is provided between the heating wire and the shower plate to achieve electrical isolation between the heating wire and the shower plate.

2. The shower plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The isolation layer is arranged on the inner surface of the embedded groove, and the side wall thickness of the isolation layer exceeds 3 mm.

3. The shower plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The isolation layer is made of a low dielectric constant material with a relative dielectric constant in the range of 1 to 10.

4. The shower plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: An armor made of metal material is arranged outside the heating wire, and the armor is electrically connected to the ground.

5. The shower plate according to claim 4, characterized in that: The armor is connected to a cavity shell that is grounded on a device platform to achieve grounding of the armor.

6. The shower plate according to claim 4, characterized in that: The armor is a sleeve structure, which is sleeved and wrapped around the heating wire and then embedded in the embedded groove together with the heating wire.

7. The shower plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: The main body of the heating wire is annular, the shape of the heating wire matches the shape of the embedded groove, both ends of the heating wire are bent outward to connect to an external power source, the shape of the armor matches the shape of the heating wire, so that the heating wire is inserted into the sleeve of the armor, and the armor is also bent outward at the end positions of both ends to completely wrap the heating wire.

8. The shower plate according to claim 6, characterized in that: An electrical isolation material is filled between the armor and the heating wire, and the electrical isolation material includes magnesium oxide.

9. The shower plate according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frequency of the alternating current externally connected to the heating wire is 50 Hz.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, used for thin film deposition process of semiconductor processing, characterized in that: The invention comprises an electrically heated spray plate as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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