Apparatus for atomic layer deposition on multiple layers of substrates

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for atomic layer deposition on multiple layers of substrates, comprising a reaction inner cavity, a guide cavity, an integrated gas inlet mechanism, and a plurality of substrate carriers, wherein the reaction inner cavity comprises a gas inlet end, an inner cavity main body, and a gas outlet end, the gas inlet end and the gas outlet end are respectively arranged at two ends of the inner cavity main body, and a gas inlet grille is arranged on the inner cavity main body at the gas inlet end; the integrated gas inlet mechanism comprises a mechanism main body and an adjustable nozzle; the mechanism main body is located outside the reaction inner cavity and arranged corresponding to the gas inlet end, a gas flow channel is formed in the mechanism main body, and a gas guide end of the gas flow channel is separately connected to precursor gas inlets, purging gas inlets, and a purging gas outlet; the guide cavity is arranged between the mechanism main body and the gas inlet grille, the adjustable nozzle is connected to the mechanism main body, and at least part of the adjustable nozzle extends into the guide cavity; the substrate carriers are arranged in the reaction inner cavity in a penetrating mode, so that parts of the substrate carriers are located in the inner cavity main body.

Description

Multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition device

[0001] This application claims priority from application number 202410263348.3 filed with the China Patent Office on March 8, 2024; the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular to a multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition device. Background Art

[0003] Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a specialized chemical vapor deposition technique that forms thin films by alternately introducing pulses of vapor precursors into a reaction chamber, where they undergo a chemical adsorption reaction on the surface of the deposition substrate. ALD boasts excellent three-dimensional conformality, uniformity over large areas, and precise sub-monolayer thickness control. After more than four decades of development, ALD technology has made significant progress in the variety of precursors and deposition materials, as well as in the expansion and improvement of specific deposition methods, demonstrating promising commercial prospects in numerous fields.

[0004] Currently, the mainstream vertical flow reactor on the market is also called a top-injection or shower reactor. As shown in Figure 1, the precursor vapor inlet is distributed at the top of the reactor, and the uniformity is controlled by the ALD self-limiting growth mechanism.

[0005] The specific working principle is as follows: After precursor A enters the chamber vertically from the top of the reaction chamber, it is evenly sprayed onto the exposed substrate or film surface through the shower head to cause chemical adsorption reaction A. The purge gas sweeps the substrate from the top of the reaction chamber, and the excess precursor A and reaction by-products that are not adsorbed by the surface are purged out of the reaction chamber; after precursor B enters the chamber vertically from the top of the reaction chamber, it is evenly sprayed onto the exposed substrate or film surface through the shower head to cause chemical adsorption reaction B. The purge gas sweeps the substrate from the top of the reaction chamber, and the excess precursor B and reaction by-products that are not adsorbed by the surface are purged out of the reaction chamber. This forms an ALD cyclic growth process, and each cyclic process contains two half reactions, A and B, which are self-limiting and complementary. The existing technology has at least the following disadvantages:

[0006] (1) Due to the design of the shower head, the existing technical solution makes the reaction chamber volume large and the overall space utilization rate low. During the process reaction, it not only greatly reduces the precursor utilization rate, but also increases the cleaning pulse duration;

[0007] (2) Due to the reaction chamber structure, the existing technical solution can only complete ALD deposition coating of one substrate at a time, and the deposition coating efficiency is low.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure provides a multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus, comprising a reaction chamber, a guide chamber, an integrated gas inlet mechanism, and a plurality of substrate carriers, wherein:

[0010] The reaction cavity comprises an air inlet end, an inner cavity body and an exhaust end, wherein the air inlet end and the exhaust end are respectively arranged at two ends of the inner cavity body, and the air inlet end of the inner cavity body is provided with an air inlet grid plate;

[0011] The integrated air intake mechanism includes a mechanism body and an adjustable nozzle; the mechanism body is located outside the reaction cavity and is arranged corresponding to the air intake end, and an air flow channel is provided in the mechanism body, and the air guide end of the air flow channel is respectively connected to the precursor air intake inlet, the purge gas inlet and the purge gas outlet;

[0012] The guide cavity is provided between the mechanism body and the air intake grille, the adjustable nozzle is connected to the mechanism body, and at least a portion of the adjustable nozzle extends into the guide cavity; the guide cavity is configured to communicate with the adjustable nozzle and the air intake grille, and one end of the guide cavity facing the air intake grille is adapted to the shape of the air intake grille;

[0013] The substrate carrier is arranged through the reaction inner chamber so that a portion of the substrate carrier is located in the inner chamber body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or descriptions of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0015] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a vertical flow reaction chamber in the prior art;

[0016] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an atomic layer deposition apparatus for a multi-layer substrate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of an atomic layer deposition apparatus for a multi-layer substrate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the lateral structure of the integrated air intake mechanism in FIG3 ;

[0019] FIG5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the integrated air intake mechanism in FIG3 ;

[0020] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of the reaction cavity in FIG3 ;

[0021] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the reaction cavity in FIG3 ;

[0022] FIG8 is a left side view of FIG6;

[0023] FIG9 is a left side view of the multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus shown in FIG3 ;

[0024] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of the substrate carrier in FIG3 ;

[0025] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of the telescopic sealing assembly in FIG3 ;

[0026] FIG12 is a simulation diagram of the air flow velocity in the reaction cavity according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Among them, the reaction outer chamber 100, the limiting pad 110, the air inlet end cover 200, the fixed end cover 300, the reaction inner chamber 400, the air inlet end 410, the inner chamber body 420, the exhaust end 430, the air inlet grid 440, the main air inlet 441, the sealing end cover 450, the guide block 460, the first exhaust hole 470, the main air channel 480, the main exhaust hole 481, the exhaust base 490, the second exhaust hole 491, the integrated air inlet mechanism 500, the first flange body 511, the second flange body 512, the third flange body 513, the nozzle end 514, the transverse channel 515, the precursor air inlet 516, the first annular air channel 517, the second annular Air duct 518, bypass channel 519, adjustable nozzle 520, purge gas outlet 530, second purge gas inlet 540, main channel 550, substrate carrier 600, carrier cover 610, fixing block 620, heat-resistant compression spring 630, heat insulation plate 640, carrier support shaft 650, carrier body 660, carrier connecting flange 670, tightening handle 680, lock 690, telescopic sealing assembly 700, adjusting screw 710, tightening nut 711, adjusting nut 712, annular limit block 713, bellows body 720, bellows connecting end 721, bellows extrusion end 722, air inlet flare 730, flare end 740. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present disclosure is further illustrated below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific examples. It should be understood that these examples are only used to illustrate the present disclosure and are not used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. After reading the present disclosure, various equivalent modifications of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art will fall within the scope defined by the claims attached to this application.

[0029] In response to the problems and shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a multi-layer atomic layer deposition apparatus to achieve multi-layer deposition and coating, significantly improving deposition efficiency and reducing production costs. Furthermore, the apparatus has the advantages of a compact structure, high space utilization, and high precursor utilization.

[0030] The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus disclosed herein may include a reaction inner chamber, a guide chamber, an integrated gas inlet mechanism, and a plurality of substrate carriers.

[0031] The reaction chamber includes an air inlet end, an inner chamber main body and an exhaust end, the air inlet end and the exhaust end are respectively arranged at the two ends of the inner chamber main body, and the air inlet end of the inner chamber main body is provided with an air inlet grid; the integrated air inlet mechanism includes a mechanism main body and an adjustable nozzle; the mechanism main body is located outside the reaction chamber and is arranged corresponding to the air inlet end, an air flow channel is provided in the mechanism main body, and the air guide ends of the air flow channel are respectively connected to the precursor air inlet inlet, the purge air inlet and the purge air outlet; the guide chamber is arranged between the mechanism main body and the air inlet grid, the adjustable nozzle is connected to the mechanism main body, and at least part of the adjustable nozzle extends into the guide chamber; the guide chamber is configured to connect the adjustable nozzle and the air inlet grid, and one end of the guide chamber facing the air inlet grid is adapted to the shape of the air inlet grid; the substrate carrier is passed through the reaction chamber so that part of the substrate carrier is located in the inner chamber main body.

[0032] In some embodiments, the guide cavity can be an air inlet flare, shaped like a gradually expanding tube. The air inlet flare connects the integrated air inlet mechanism and the reaction chamber, allowing the gas output from the integrated air inlet mechanism (e.g., a mixture of carrier gas and precursor) to be more evenly guided into the reaction chamber. More specifically, the air inlet flare connects an adjustable nozzle and an air inlet grid, allowing the mixture of carrier gas and precursor to be sprayed from the adjustable nozzle into the air inlet flare, and then uniformly enter the reaction chamber through the air inlet flare and the air inlet grid, thereby uniformly depositing on the substrate surfaces of multiple substrate carriers.

[0033] To further improve the uniformity of the carrier gas and precursor mixture entering the reaction chamber, in some embodiments, a guide block is provided on the inlet grid corresponding to the adjustable nozzle. It is understood that the guide block can disperse the carrier gas and precursor mixture entering the inlet flare from the adjustable nozzle, ensuring that it enters the reaction chamber evenly through the inlet grid.

[0034] To improve the sealing during the deposition process, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2-3 and FIG. 9 , the multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus provided by the present disclosure may include: an outer reaction chamber 100, an inner reaction chamber 400, an air inlet expansion port 730, an integrated air inlet mechanism 500, and a plurality of substrate carriers 600, wherein:

[0035] In some embodiments, an air inlet cap 200 and a fixed cap 300 are respectively provided at opposite ends of the outer reaction chamber 100. For example, during use, the air inlet cap 200 and the fixed cap 300 are respectively provided at both ends of the outer reaction chamber 100 in the horizontal direction. That is, in Figures 2-3 , the air inlet cap 200 is arranged on the left side, while the fixed cap 300 is arranged on the right side. That is, the horizontal direction of the outer reaction chamber 100 corresponds to the left-right direction in Figures 2-3 . Alternatively, the air inlet cap 200 and the fixed cap 300 are respectively provided at both ends of the outer reaction chamber 100 in the vertical direction.

[0036] The outer reaction chamber 100 provides a space for accommodating the inner reaction chamber 400 , the air inlet cover 200 provides a mounting position for the integrated air inlet mechanism 500 , and the fixed cover 300 provides a mounting position for the substrate carrier 600 .

[0037] The inner reaction chamber 400 is used to provide a space for the precursor deposition reaction. As shown in FIG3 , in some embodiments, the inner reaction chamber 400 is disposed within the outer reaction chamber 100 and includes an air inlet 410, an inner chamber body 420, and an exhaust port 430. The air inlet 410 and the exhaust port 430 are disposed at opposite ends of the inner chamber body 420. For example, the configuration of the inner reaction chamber 400 needs to be consistent with the configuration of the outer reaction chamber 100 described above, i.e., horizontally, the air inlet 410 and the exhaust port 430 are located at opposite ends of the inner chamber body 420. In other words, in FIG3 , the air inlet 410 is disposed on the left side of the inner chamber body 420, and the exhaust port 430 is disposed on the right side of the inner chamber body 420. The horizontal direction of the inner chamber body 420 corresponds to the left-right direction in FIG3 . Alternatively, vertically, the air inlet 410 and the exhaust port 430 are located at opposite ends of the inner chamber body 420. Regardless of the placement of the inner reaction chamber 400 and the outer reaction chamber 100 , it is necessary to ensure that the air inlet end cover 200 corresponds to the air inlet grid 440 , and the fixed end cover 300 corresponds to the sealing end cover 450 .

[0038] Specifically, as shown in Figures 6-7, the air inlet end 410 of the inner chamber body 420 is provided with an air inlet grid 440, and the air outlet end 430 of the inner chamber body 420 is provided with a sealing end cap 450. To facilitate limiting the installation position of the inner reaction chamber 400 in the outer reaction chamber 100, two limiting blocks 110 are fixed to the bottom of the outer reaction chamber 100, one of which is used to support the air inlet grid 440, and the remaining one is used to support the sealing end cap 450.

[0039] To isolate the airflow between the inner reaction chamber 400 and the outer reaction chamber 100, the present disclosure arranges an air intake flare 730 between the air intake end cap 200 and the air intake grille 440. One end of the air intake flare 730 is a closed end connected to the air intake end cap 200, and the other end is a flared end 740 that covers the outside of the air intake grille 440.

[0040] To further ensure the airtightness between the air inlet flare 730 and the air inlet grille 440, the flared end 740 of the air inlet flare 730 is pressed or loosened against the air inlet grille 440 by a number of circumferentially evenly distributed telescopic sealing assemblies 700. The specific structure of the telescopic sealing assembly 700 is shown in FIG11. The utility model comprises an adjusting screw assembly and a bellows; the bellows comprises a bellows body 720 and a bellows connecting end 721 and a bellows extruding end 722 respectively arranged at both ends of the bellows body 720; the bellows connecting end 721 is located on the outside of the air intake end cover 200 and is fixedly connected to the air intake end cover 200, the bellows extruding end 722 is fixedly connected to one side of the flared end 740, and the other side of the flared end 740 is in contact with the edge of the air intake grille 440; the adjusting screw assembly comprises an adjusting screw 710 and a clamping nut 711 and an adjusting nut 712 respectively threadedly connected to the adjusting screw 710; the adjusting screw 710 is arranged in the inner cavity of the bellows, and one end of the adjusting screw 710 is fixed to the inner cavity of the bellows The bellows extrusion end 722 is connected, and the other end passes through the bellows connection end 721 and is threadedly connected to the adjusting nut 712 and the tightening nut 711 in sequence, and the adjusting nut 712 is axially limited to the bellows connection end 721. Specifically, the outer end face of the bellows connection end 721 is provided with a mounting groove, and the inner end of the adjusting nut 712 is embedded in the mounting groove, and the adjusting nut 712 is provided with an annular limiting groove on the side wall near the inner end, and an annular limiting block 713 is embedded in the annular limiting groove. The outer edge of the annular limiting block 713 is connected to the bellows connection end 721, so that the adjusting nut 712 can be axially limited while maintaining free rotation in the radial direction.

[0041] In other words, the adjusting nut 712 remains stationary relative to the air intake end cover 200 (i.e., does not move in the left-right direction). When the adjusting nut 712 is rotated, the adjusting screw 710 threadedly connected to the adjusting nut 712 will move axially relative to the adjusting nut 712, that is, the adjusting screw 710 will drive the bellows extrusion end 722 (flared end 740) to move toward or away from the air intake grille 440; during loading and unloading, the air intake flare 730 and the air intake grille 440 can be tightened or loosened by rotating the adjusting nut 712.

[0042] During installation, the air inlet grid 440 and sealing end cap 450 of the reaction chamber 400 are placed on the limiting spacer 110. The air inlet flare 730 is pressed against the air inlet grid 440 by turning the adjusting nut 712, thereby securing the reaction chamber 400. During disassembly, the substrate carrier 600 and the fixed end cap 300 are removed in sequence, and the air inlet flare 730 and the air inlet grid 440 are loosened by turning the adjusting nut 712 to remove the reaction chamber 400. The design of the telescopic sealing assembly 700 avoids the need to remove both the left and right end caps of the reaction chamber 100 (i.e., the air inlet end cap 200 on the left and the fixed end cap 300 on the right) during maintenance, thus reducing workload and improving efficiency. It also further strengthens the airtightness between the air inlet flare 730 and the air inlet grid 440.

[0043] In order to achieve uniform air intake in the reaction cavity 400, the air intake grid 440 disclosed herein is provided with a plurality of main air intakes 441 corresponding to the expanded end 740 of the air intake expansion opening 730. The main air intakes 441 are symmetrically arranged in the horizontal or vertical direction. The specific structure of the air intake grid 440 can be referred to FIG8 .

[0044] In order to exhaust the reaction chamber 400, as shown in Figures 6 and 8, a plurality of first exhaust holes 470 are provided on the circumferential wall of the sealing end cover 450 of the present disclosure. The outer periphery of each first exhaust hole 470 is also provided with a main air channel 480 connected to the plurality of first exhaust holes 470. The bottom of the main air channel 480 is provided with a main exhaust hole 481. The bottom of the sealing end cover 450 is fixedly connected to an exhaust base 490 corresponding to the main exhaust hole 481. The bottom of the exhaust base 490 is connected to a vacuum suction device. It can be seen that the present disclosure adopts vacuum exhaust. The direction of the airflow in the reaction chamber 400 is to enter from the air inlet grid plate 440, flow through the first exhaust hole 470, the main air channel 480, the main exhaust hole 481, and the exhaust base 490 in sequence, and then be extracted by the vacuum suction device.

[0045] An exhaust interface connected to a vacuum suction device is provided at the bottom of the exhaust base 490, and a plurality of second exhaust holes 491 are provided on the exhaust interface. The second exhaust holes 491 are connected to the partition wall between the reaction inner cavity 400 and the reaction outer cavity 100, and an air pressure regulating port is provided at the bottom of the reaction outer cavity 100, so that impurities in the reaction inner cavity 400 and the partition wall can be discharged simultaneously by the vacuum suction device before the reaction, and the reaction inner cavity 400 and the partition wall are filled with purge gas (nitrogen is selected). The total exhaust area of ​​the plurality of second exhaust holes 491 is smaller than the total area of ​​the plurality of first exhaust holes 470, so that during the reaction process, the air pressure in the partition wall is always higher than the air pressure in the reaction inner cavity 400, thereby preventing the free leakage of the airflow in the reaction inner cavity 400 and improving the sealing of the inner cavity.

[0046] The first exhaust holes 470 located at the top of the sealing end cover 450 are arranged at equal intervals, and the first exhaust holes 470 located at both ends (both sides) of the sealing end cover 450 are arranged at equal intervals, and the apertures increase sequentially in the opposite direction of the main exhaust hole 481, that is, the apertures of the multiple first exhaust holes 470 therein are different, and they increase sequentially in the direction away from the main exhaust hole 481. The first exhaust holes 470 located at the bottom of the sealing end cover 450 are arranged at equal intervals, and the apertures increase sequentially in the direction away from the main exhaust hole 481, that is, the apertures of the multiple first exhaust holes 470 therein are different, and they increase sequentially in the direction away from the main exhaust hole 481. In the present disclosure, the different aperture distributions of the first exhaust holes 470 on different sides of the sealing end cover 450 are intended to make the internal velocity field of the reaction chamber 400 more uniform, so that the thickness of the substrate film layer on each layer of the substrate carrier 600 after the ALD reaction is more uniform.

[0047] In order to introduce each precursor into the reaction chamber 400 one by one through the same convergence position, the present disclosure provides an integrated air intake mechanism 500, as shown in Figures 3-5, comprising a mechanism body and an adjustable nozzle 520. The mechanism body is fixed to the air intake end cover 200, and the adjustable nozzle 520 is mounted in the middle area of ​​the closed end of the air intake flare 730 and is sealed between the closed end of the air intake flare 730. The fixed portion of the adjustable nozzle 520 is connected to the mechanism body by a threaded connection, and the nozzle of the adjustable nozzle 520 is arranged toward the air intake grid 440. It can be seen that by rotating the adjustable nozzle 520, the distance between the nozzle of the adjustable nozzle 520 and the air intake grid 440 can be adjusted, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the diffusion injection angle of the precursor and the carrier gas. Of course, in the present disclosure, in order to adjust the distance between the nozzle of the adjustable nozzle 520 and the air inlet grid 440, the connection method between the fixed part of the adjustable nozzle 520 and the main body of the mechanism can also be replaced with other retractable adjustment methods, such as the common positioning groove-positioning pin installation method.

[0048] An air flow channel is provided in the main body of the mechanism, and the air inlet end of the air flow channel is respectively connected to the precursor air inlet 516, the purge gas inlet and the purge gas outlet 530. In Figure 4, the air inlet end of the air flow channel is connected to 8 precursor air inlets 516, and the 8 precursor air inlets 516 are evenly arranged around the circumference, which can realize 8 different types of precursor coatings and save space. In addition, the area enclosed between the air inlet flare 730 and the air inlet grid 440 disclosed in the present invention can provide a uniformly distributed space for the air flow (precursor + carrier gas) ejected by the adjustable nozzle 520 through the integrated air inlet mechanism 500, thereby providing a guarantee for the uniformity of subsequent coating. A guide block 460 is provided at the position corresponding to the adjustable nozzle 520 on the air inlet grid 440 to break up the air flow ejected by the adjustable nozzle 520 and further improve the uniformity of the precursor flowing into the reaction cavity 400.

[0049] The reaction chamber 400 disclosed herein, based on the aforementioned air inlet expansion 730, air inlet grid 440, and the guide block 460 located in the middle of the air inlet grid 440, can ensure uniform fluid inflow. Furthermore, based on the distribution of the exhaust holes (first exhaust hole 470, second exhaust hole 491) on the aforementioned sealing end cap 450, it can ensure uniform fluid outflow from the reaction chamber 400. In other words, the specific configuration of the reaction chamber 400 at the front and rear ends of the fluid flow effectively ensures a uniform flow field within the reaction chamber 400, thereby effectively ensuring a more uniform thickness of the substrate film layer on each carrier after the ALD reaction. Figure 12 discloses the velocity field simulation results of the reaction chamber 400 disclosed herein.

[0050] The main body of the mechanism includes a flow channel integrated block and a nozzle end 514; the purpose of the flow channel integrated block is to provide an integrated space for the input and output of purge gas / carrier gas and the input of multiple precursors, while the purpose of the nozzle end 514 is to ensure that all precursors are output through the adjustable nozzle 520 after convergence, effectively ensuring the identity of the input conditions of various precursors and further improving the uniformity of subsequent film formation.

[0051] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the flow channel integrated block is arranged on the outside of the reaction outer cavity 100, the nozzle end 514 is sealed and installed on the air inlet end cover 200, and one end of the nozzle end 514 is sealed and spliced ​​into one piece with the flow channel integrated block, and the other end is installed with an adjustable nozzle 520; there are two purge gas inlets, corresponding to the first purge gas inlet and the second purge gas inlet 540. The air flow channel includes a main channel 550, an air inlet channel, a jet channel and two annular air channels; wherein: the main channel 550 is arranged along the center line of the main body of the mechanism, and the outer end of the main channel 550 is provided with a first purge gas inlet, and the inner end is connected to the adjustable nozzle 520; there are a plurality of jet channels, each of which is set through the nozzle end 514 and is circumferentially arranged on the outer side of the main channel 550, and the front end of each jet channel is connected to the adjustable nozzle 520, and the distribution of each jet channel on the outer side of the main channel 550 is usually uniform, and can also be selected as a non-uniform arrangement; there are a plurality of air inlet channels, the number of which matches the number of jet channels; each air inlet channel is set through the flow channel integrated block and is circumferentially arranged on the outer side of the main channel 550, and the outer end of each air inlet channel is provided with a precursor air inlet 516, and the inner The side end portions are connected one-to-one with the tail ends of the injection channels, and the distribution of the intake channels outside the main channel 550 is usually uniform, but can also be non-uniform; the two annular air channels are both arranged in the flow channel integrated block, corresponding to the first annular air channel 517 and the second annular air channel 518; the first annular air channel 517 is connected to the purge gas outlet 530, and the first annular air channel 517 is connected to the intake channel one-to-one through the first bypass channel, that is, for each intake channel, a first bypass channel is provided to connect with the first annular air channel 517; the second annular air channel 518 is connected to the second purge gas inlet 540, and the second annular air channel 518 is connected to the intake channel one-to-one through the second bypass channel 519, that is, for each intake channel, a second bypass channel 519 is provided to connect with the second annular air channel 518.

[0052] To facilitate the forming of the annular air channel in the flow channel integrated block, the flow channel integrated block disclosed in the present invention includes a first flange body 511, a second flange body 512, and a third flange body 513 which are stacked in sequence. The first flange body 511, the second flange body 512, and the third flange body 513 are respectively provided with a plurality of transverse channels 515, and the plurality of transverse channels 515 are respectively connected to form a plurality of intake channels; the first flange body 511 is provided with a first circulation annular groove, and the second flange body 512 is provided with a plurality of first bypass channels connected to the first circulation annular groove; the second flange body 512 is provided with a second circulation annular groove, and the third flange body 513 is provided with a plurality of second bypass channels 519 connected to the second circulation annular groove. The number of the first bypass channels and the second bypass channels 519 is the same as and corresponds to the number of the intake channels, and in the first bypass channels and the second bypass channels 519, the channel openings close to one end of the intake channel are smaller than the channel openings of the intake channel.

[0053] When the first flange body 511, the second flange body 512, the third flange body 513, and the nozzle end 514 are sealed and overlapped in sequence, the first circulation annular groove forms a first annular air channel 517, which communicates with the air inlet channel through the first bypass channel. The second circulation annular groove forms a second annular air channel 518, which communicates with the air inlet channel through the second bypass channel 519. The purge gas outlet 530 is connected to the first annular air channel 517, and the second purge gas inlet 540 is connected to the second annular air channel 518. The main channel, the air inlet channel, the injection channel, the first annular air channel 517, the second annular air channel 518, the first bypass channel, and the second bypass channel 519 form an air flow channel. The main channel 550 is formed by connecting the channels provided through the centers of the first flange body 511, the second flange body 512, the third flange body 513, and the nozzle end 514.

[0054] In some embodiments, an air intake flange is further provided on the inner side of the air intake end cover 200, and the outer peripheral side of the adjustable nozzle 520 is connected via the air intake flange; the closing end of the air intake flare 730 is sleeved with the air intake flange.

[0055] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 9, each substrate carrier 600 is spaced apart along a first direction of the reaction chamber 400. According to the two placement methods of the reaction chamber 400 and the reaction chamber 100, each substrate substrate 600 also has two corresponding arrangement methods, including: Method 1, if the gas inlet end 410 and the exhaust end 430 of the reaction chamber 400 in this example are spaced apart along the horizontal direction, that is, the gas flow direction from the gas inlet end 410 to the exhaust end 430 is horizontal, and in order to ensure uniform deposition of the precursor on multiple substrate carriers 600, each substrate carrier 600 needs to be spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the gas flow direction, that is, arranged at intervals along the vertical direction of the reaction chamber 400 (that is, the up and down direction in Figures 3 and 9). In the second approach, if the inlet end 410 and the exhaust end 430 of the reaction chamber 400 in this example are spaced apart vertically, that is, the gas flow from the inlet end 410 to the exhaust end 430 is vertical, then to ensure uniform deposition of the precursor on the multiple substrate carriers 600, the substrate carriers 600 must be spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the gas flow, that is, arranged horizontally in the reaction chamber 400. One end of the substrate carrier 600 is slidably connected to the reaction chamber 100, and the other end sequentially passes through the fixed end cap 300 and the sealing end cap 450 and extends into the reaction chamber 400. The substrate carrier 600 is sealed to the fixed end cap 300 and the sealing end cap 450, respectively.

[0056] Specifically, the outer reaction chamber 100 is provided with several sets of sliding assemblies, as shown in Figure 2 . Each set of sliding assemblies corresponds to a substrate carrier 600. In Figure 2 , there are three sets of substrate carriers 600, so there are three sets of sliding assemblies, each corresponding to the other. The sliding assemblies include linear bearings fixed to opposite ends of the outer reaction chamber 100. Guide shafts are slidably connected within the linear bearings, and the guide shafts are connected to the substrate carriers 600. Thus, the substrate carriers 600 of the present disclosure are loaded onto the outer reaction chamber 100 via the sliding assemblies, facilitating the removal of the substrate carriers 600.

[0057] In some embodiments, a substrate carrier 600, as shown in FIG10 , includes a carrier cover 610, a fixed block 620, a heat-resistant compression spring 630, a heat insulating plate 640, and a carrier body 660 for holding a substrate; wherein: a plurality of vertically arranged first through openings are opened on the fixed end cover; the carrier cover 610 is arranged corresponding to the first through openings, the carrier cover 610 is fixedly connected to the guide shaft, and a carrier connecting flange 670 is fixedly connected to one end of the carrier cover 610 close to the reaction chamber 400; a carrier supporting shaft 650 is fixedly connected to the one end of the carrier connecting flange 670 close to the reaction chamber 400; the carrier supporting shaft 650 passes through the fixed block 620, the heat-resistant compression spring 630, and the heat insulating plate 640 in sequence and is fixedly connected to the carrier body 660.

[0058] Specifically, the carrier body 660 and the carrier support shaft 650 are threadedly connected, which is convenient for disassembly and replacement. On the one hand, the carrier body 660 is easy to maintain, and on the other hand, the carrier body 660 can be matched with the carrier required by wafers of different sizes as needed. The fixing block 620 and the carrier support shaft 650 are connected by screw threads, which are convenient for disassembly and replacement. Fixed connection, one end of the heat-resistant compression spring 630 is fixedly connected to the fixed block 620, and the other end is fixedly connected to the heat insulation plate 640. Therefore, the pre-tightening force of the heat-resistant compression spring 630 can well ensure that the heat insulation plate 640 presses the outer wall of the reaction inner cavity 400, thereby improving the sealing effect of the installation site; the sealing end cover 450 is provided with a second opening near one end of the fixed end cover to allow the carrier body 660 to pass through, and the second opening is arranged corresponding to the heat insulation plate 640; a third opening is provided at both ends of the carrier cover 610, and both ends of the fixed end cover 300 are fixedly connected to a fixed seat through the third opening; a lock buckle 690 is installed on the fixed seat, and both ends of the carrier cover 610 are fixedly connected to a tightening handle 680. When closed, the tightening handle 680 is buckled with the lock buckle 690 at the corresponding end.

[0059] Compared with the prior art, the present disclosure has the following advantages:

[0060] (1) Since the integrated air intake mechanism and several substrate carriers are arranged horizontally, during the process reaction, the precursor is introduced into the air flow channel from the corresponding precursor air intake inlet using the purge gas as the carrier gas, and then sprayed into the reaction cavity from the adjustable nozzle, and evenly deposited on the substrate surface on several vertically arranged substrate carriers, thereby realizing multi-layer deposition coating and greatly improving the deposition coating efficiency.

[0061] (2) The integrated air intake mechanism disclosed herein can not only dynamically adjust the distance between the adjustable nozzle and the air intake grid according to the state of the process reaction, thereby controlling the diffusion injection angle of the precursor and purge gas, but also greatly reduce the volume of the integrated air intake mechanism, making the volume of the reaction chamber smaller. In conjunction with the reaction chamber and several substrate carriers, it not only effectively improves the overall space utilization and precursor utilization, but also effectively reduces the cleaning pulse duration. It has the advantages of compact, reasonable and beautiful structural layout design, and is easy to use and maintain.

[0062] (3) When cleaning the integrated air intake mechanism, close the precursor air inlet and the purge gas outlet, introduce purge gas into the first and second purge gas inlets, blow up the precursor particles adsorbed on the air flow channel and the adjustable nozzle after the process reaction, then close the purge gas inlet and the main channel, open the purge gas outlet, and discharge the blown precursor particles, so that the air flow channel and the adjustable nozzle can be cleaned.

[0063] (4) By setting up the air inlet expansion port and the guide block, the precursor using the purge gas as the carrier gas can be broken up and evenly enter the reaction cavity from the air inlet grid. At the same time, the plurality of first exhaust holes set on the circumferential wall of the sealing end cover can evenly discharge the purge gas and the precursor out of the reaction cavity along the main exhaust holes, thereby ensuring that the precursor is evenly deposited in the reaction cavity.

[0064] (5) When installing or disassembling the reaction chamber, the tightening or loosening between the air inlet flare and the air inlet grid is controlled by rotating the adjusting nut, thereby completing the installation and disassembly of the reaction chamber, which greatly improves the convenience of disassembly of the reaction chamber.

[0065] (6) The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition device disclosed in the present invention has a uniform airflow field inside the reaction chamber, which improves the uniformity between each layer and within a single wafer after the substrate ALD reaction. The structure is ingenious and easy to disassemble and install.

[0066] The specific working principle of the above-mentioned multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition device is as follows:

[0067] Before the deposition reaction, the first purge gas inlet, the second purge gas inlet 540, and the purge gas outlet 530 are closed, and the vacuum pumping device, the air pressure regulating port, and the eight precursor gas inlets 516 are opened. Under the action of the vacuum pumping device, carrier gas (nitrogen is selected as the carrier gas) is simultaneously introduced through the eight precursor gas inlets 516 and the air pressure regulating port until the vacuum level in the reaction chamber 400 and the partition wall between the reaction chamber 400 and the reaction chamber 100 meets the required level. Six of the precursor gas inlets 516 are then closed, and the remaining two precursor gas inlets 516 are kept open to serve as the inlets for the sequential introduction of precursors A and B during the subsequent deposition reaction. During the deposition reaction, under the action of the vacuum suction device, precursor A is input from the corresponding precursor gas inlet 516, passes through the corresponding gas inlet channel and injection channel (the gas flow flowing in the channel is a mixture of carrier gas and precursor A), and is then ejected from the adjustable nozzle 520. It then passes through the guide block 460 at the center of the gas inlet grid 440 and diffuses evenly on the sieve plate surface of the gas inlet grid 440 into the reaction chamber 400. Under the influence of the carrier gas flow, precursor A is uniformly adsorbed on each layer of the substrate, forming adsorption reaction A. The input of precursor A is then closed and the carrier gas input to the precursor gas inlet is maintained to clean the gas inlet channel and injection channel. At this time, the carrier gas serves as a purge gas. Precursor B undergoes a deposition reaction in the same manner, completing an ALD process. During the deposition reaction, the pressure regulating port is used to stabilize the pressure of the partition wall between the inner reaction chamber 400 and the outer reaction chamber 100 , so that the pressure of the partition wall is always higher than the pressure in the inner reaction chamber 400 .

[0068] After the deposition reaction is completed, the substrate is taken out and the vacuum suction equipment and the gas pressure regulating port are closed.

[0069] When cleaning the integrated air intake mechanism, close the precursor air inlet 516, the purge gas outlet 530 and the vacuum suction equipment, and introduce purge gas (nitrogen is selected) into the first purge gas inlet and the second purge gas inlet 540 respectively to blow up the precursor particles adsorbed on the air flow channel and the adjustable nozzle after the process reaction. Then close the second purge gas inlet 540 and the first purge gas inlet, and open the purge gas outlet 530. For example, a suction device can be connected to the purge gas outlet 530 to facilitate the discharge of the blown precursor particles, thereby cleaning the air flow channel and the adjustable nozzle.

Claims

1. A multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus, comprising a reaction chamber, a guide chamber, an integrated gas inlet mechanism, and a plurality of substrate carriers, wherein: The reaction cavity comprises an air inlet end, an inner cavity body and an exhaust end, wherein the air inlet end and the exhaust end are respectively arranged at two ends of the inner cavity body, and the air inlet end of the inner cavity body is provided with an air inlet grid plate; The integrated air intake mechanism includes a mechanism body and an adjustable nozzle; the mechanism body is located outside the reaction cavity and is arranged corresponding to the air intake end, and an air flow channel is provided in the mechanism body, and the air guide end of the air flow channel is respectively connected to the precursor air intake inlet, the purge gas inlet and the purge gas outlet; The guide cavity is provided between the mechanism body and the air intake grille, the adjustable nozzle is connected to the mechanism body, and at least a portion of the adjustable nozzle extends into the guide cavity; the guide cavity is configured to communicate with the adjustable nozzle and the air intake grille, and one end of the guide cavity facing the air intake grille is adapted to the shape of the air intake grille; The substrate carrier is arranged through the reaction inner chamber so that a portion of the substrate carrier is located in the inner chamber body.

2. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A guide block is also provided on the air intake grid plate at a position corresponding to the adjustable nozzle.

3. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus further includes an external reaction chamber, wherein two opposite ends of the external reaction chamber are respectively provided with an air inlet end cap and a fixed end cap; The inner reaction cavity is arranged in the outer reaction cavity, the exhaust end of the inner cavity body is provided with a sealing end cover, the sealing end cover and the fixed end cover are arranged correspondingly, and the air intake grid plate and the air intake end cover are arranged correspondingly; One end of the substrate carrier is slidably connected to the reaction outer chamber, and the other end passes through the fixed end cover and the sealing end cover in sequence and extends into the reaction inner chamber, and the substrate carrier is sealed with the fixed end cover and the sealing end cover respectively; The substrate carriers are arranged at intervals along a first direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to a gas flow direction from the gas inlet end to the gas exhaust end.

4. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The guide cavity is in a flared shape, including a closed end and a flared end; The closed end is connected to the air inlet end cover, and the expanded end cover is arranged on the outer side of the air inlet grid plate; The adjustable nozzle is loaded in the middle area of ​​the closing end and is sealed with the closing end. The fixed part of the adjustable nozzle is connected to the mechanism body. The nozzle of the adjustable nozzle is arranged toward the air inlet grid.

5. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The mechanism body is fixed on the air intake end cover; The main body of the mechanism includes a flow channel integrated block and a nozzle end; the flow channel integrated block is arranged on the outside of the reaction outer cavity, and the nozzle end is sealed and installed on the air inlet end cover, and one end of the nozzle end is sealed and spliced ​​into one piece with the flow channel integrated block, and the other end is installed with the adjustable nozzle; There are two purge gas inlets, corresponding to the first purge gas inlet and the second purge gas inlet; The air flow channel includes a main channel, an air inlet channel, an injection channel and two annular air channels; wherein: The main channel is arranged along the center line of the mechanism body, and the outer end of the main channel is provided with a first purge gas inlet, and the inner end is connected to the adjustable nozzle; There are a plurality of injection channels, each of which is set through the nozzle end and arranged circumferentially outside the main channel, and the front end of each injection channel is connected to the adjustable nozzle; There are a plurality of air inlet channels, the number of which matches the number of injection channels; each air inlet channel is set through the flow channel integrated block and is arranged circumferentially on the outside of the main channel, and the outer end of each air inlet channel is provided with the precursor air inlet, and the inner end is connected to the tail end of each injection channel one by one; Both annular air ducts are arranged in the flow channel integrated block, corresponding to the first annular air duct and the second annular air duct; the first annular air duct is connected to the purge gas outlet, and the first annular air duct is connected to the intake channel one-to-one through the first bypass channel; the second annular air duct is connected to the second purge gas inlet, and the second annular air duct is connected to the intake channel one-to-one through the second bypass channel.

6. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The flow channel integrated block includes a first flange body, a second flange body, and a third flange body stacked in sequence. The first flange body, the second flange body, and the third flange body are respectively provided with a plurality of transverse channels, and the plurality of transverse channels are respectively connected to form a plurality of intake channels; the first flange body is provided with a first circulation annular groove, and the second flange body is provided with a plurality of first bypass channels connected to the first circulation annular groove; the second flange body is provided with a second circulation annular groove, and the third flange body is provided with a plurality of second bypass channels connected to the second circulation annular groove, and the number of the first bypass channels and the second bypass channels are the same as and correspond to the number of the intake channels; When the first flange body, the second flange body, the third flange body and the nozzle end are sealed and overlapped in sequence, the first circulation annular groove forms a first annular air channel and is connected to the air inlet channel through the first bypass channel; the second circulation annular groove forms a second annular air channel and is connected to the air inlet channel through the second bypass channel; the purge gas outlet is connected to the first annular air channel, and the second purge gas inlet is connected to the second annular air channel.

7. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: In the first bypass channel and the second bypass channel, channel openings close to one end of the air intake channel are both smaller than the channel opening of the air intake channel.

8. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The main channel is formed by connecting the first flange body, the second flange body, the third flange body and a channel provided through the center of the nozzle end.

9. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: An air inlet flange is also provided on the inner side of the air inlet end cover, and the outer peripheral side of the adjustable nozzle is connected via the air inlet flange; The closed end is sleeved with the air inlet flange, and the flared end is used to compress or loosen the air inlet grid plate through a plurality of circumferentially evenly distributed telescopic sealing components; The telescopic sealing assembly includes an adjusting screw assembly and a bellows; The bellows includes a bellows body and a bellows connecting end and a bellows extrusion end respectively provided at both ends of the bellows body; the bellows connecting end is located outside the air intake end cover and is fixedly connected to the air intake end cover, the bellows extrusion end is fixedly connected to one side of the flared end, and the other side of the flared end is in contact with and connected to the edge of the air intake grille; The adjusting screw assembly includes an adjusting screw and a compression nut and an adjusting nut respectively connected with the adjusting screw thread; The adjusting screw is arranged in the inner cavity of the bellows, and one end of the adjusting screw is connected to the extrusion end of the bellows, and the other end passes through the connecting end of the bellows and is threadedly connected with the adjusting nut and the pressing nut in sequence, and the adjusting nut is axially limitedly connected to the connecting end of the bellows; During assembly and disassembly, the guide cavity and the air intake grid plate can be pressed or loosened by rotating the adjusting nut.

10. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The reaction outer chamber is provided with several groups of sliding assemblies, each group of sliding assemblies corresponds to a substrate carrier, and the sliding assemblies include linear bearings fixedly arranged at both ends of the reaction outer chamber, and a guide shaft is slidably connected in the linear bearing, and the guide shaft is connected to the substrate carrier.

11. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: The substrate carrier includes a carrier cover, a fixing block, a heat-resistant compression spring, a heat-insulating plate, and a carrier body, wherein the carrier body is configured to hold a substrate; wherein: The fixed end cover is provided with a plurality of vertically arranged first openings; The carrier cover is provided corresponding to the first opening, the carrier cover is fixedly connected to the guide shaft, and a carrier connection flange is fixedly connected to one end of the carrier cover close to the reaction inner cavity; The carrier connecting flange is fixedly connected to a carrier supporting shaft at one end close to the reaction inner cavity; The carrier support shaft passes through the fixed block, the heat-resistant compression spring and the heat insulation plate in sequence and is fixedly connected to the carrier body. The fixed block is fixedly connected to the carrier support shaft. One end of the heat-resistant compression spring is fixedly connected to the fixed block, and the other end is fixedly connected to the heat insulation plate. The sealing end cover is provided with a second opening at one end close to the fixed end cover, through which the carrier body can pass, and the second opening is provided corresponding to the heat insulation board; The two ends of the carrier cover are provided with third openings, and the two ends of the fixed end cover are fixedly connected to fixing seats passing through the third openings; A lock buckle is installed on the fixing seat, and tightening handles are fixedly connected to both ends of the carrier cover. When closed, the tightening handles are buckled with the lock buckles at the corresponding ends.

12. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: A plurality of first exhaust holes are provided on the circumferential wall of the sealing end cover, and a main air duct connected to the plurality of first exhaust holes is also provided on the periphery of each first exhaust hole. A main exhaust hole is provided at the bottom of the main air duct, and an exhaust base corresponding to the main exhaust hole is fixedly connected to the bottom of the sealing end cover, and the bottom of the exhaust base is connected to the vacuum suction equipment.

13. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The first exhaust holes at the top of the sealing end cover are arranged at equal intervals, the first exhaust holes at both ends of the sealing end cover are arranged at equal intervals and the aperture increases successively in the direction away from the main exhaust hole, and the first exhaust holes at the bottom of the sealing end cover are arranged at equal intervals and the aperture increases successively towards both ends.

14. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: The air inlet grid plate is provided with a plurality of main air inlets corresponding to the flared end, and the main air inlets are symmetrically arranged along the horizontal or vertical direction.

15. The multi-layer substrate atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 12, wherein: An exhaust interface connected to a vacuum suction device is provided at the bottom of the exhaust base, and a plurality of second exhaust holes are provided on the exhaust interface. The second exhaust holes are connected to the partition wall between the inner reaction cavity and the outer reaction cavity. The total exhaust area of ​​the plurality of second exhaust holes is smaller than the total area of ​​the plurality of first exhaust holes. An air pressure regulating port is provided at the bottom of the outer reaction cavity.

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