Flow homogenizing structure, process chamber, and semiconductor process device

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a flow homogenizing structure, a process chamber, and a semiconductor process device. The flow homogenizing structure comprises: a flow homogenizing body provided with a gas inlet flow homogenizing hole, a first flow homogenizing cavity and a plurality of gas outlet flow homogenizing holes, the gas inlet flow homogenizing hole and the gas outlet flow homogenizing holes being respectively located on two sides of the first flow homogenizing cavity and being in communication with the first flow homogenizing cavity; and an annular baffle movably arranged in the first flow homogenizing cavity, wherein in the axial projection direction of the annular baffle, the projection of the gas inlet flow homogenizing hole and the projection of part of the gas outlet flow homogenizing holes are located in the inner ring of the annular baffle, and the projection of the other part of the gas outlet flow homogenizing holes is located on the annular baffle. The present application can adjust flow field distribution and improve the utilization efficiency of process gas.

Description

A uniform flow structure, a process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology, specifically to a flow uniform structure, a process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] The current gas homogenization method of semiconductor etching equipment is as follows: after the process gas enters the process chamber, it flows through the homogenization holes on the homogenization plate to reach the process area. The homogenization holes can homogenize the process gas to improve the uniformity of etching.

[0003] However, the flow field distribution of process gases is limited by the existing uniform flow orifice design and cannot be adjusted, resulting in low gas utilization when performing small-size wafer processes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a flow uniform structure, a process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment, which can improve the problem of low gas utilization in existing process chamber flow uniform plates when switching to small-size wafer processes.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, in a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a flow uniformity structure, comprising:

[0006] The flow equalization body is provided with an air inlet flow equalization hole, a first flow equalization cavity and multiple air outlet flow equalization holes. The air inlet flow equalization hole and the air outlet flow equalization hole are respectively located on both sides of the first flow equalization cavity and are connected to the first flow equalization cavity.

[0007] An annular baffle is movably disposed in the first flow equalization cavity; along the axial projection direction of the annular baffle, the projection of the inlet flow equalization hole and part of the projection of the outlet flow equalization hole are located inside the inner ring of the annular baffle, and the projection of another part of the outlet flow equalization hole is located on the annular baffle.

[0008] In some embodiments, the flow uniform body includes:

[0009] Spacer ring;

[0010] An intake flow equalizer is disposed on one end face of the partition ring along the axial direction, and the intake flow equalizer is provided with the intake flow equalizer hole;

[0011] An outlet flow equalizer is disposed on the other end face of the partition ring along the axial direction, and together with the partition ring and the inlet flow equalizer, forms the first flow equalizer cavity. The outlet flow equalizer is provided with a plurality of outlet flow equalizer holes.

[0012] In some embodiments, multiple air inlet flow equalization holes are provided, and the multiple air inlet flow equalization holes are evenly distributed around the axial center line of the first flow equalization cavity.

[0013] In some embodiments, the diameter of the inlet uniform flow hole is 5 to 15 times the diameter of the outlet uniform flow hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, a central heating zone and at least one annular heating zone are provided in the flow equalization body and on the side of the air inlet flow equalization hole located in the first flow equalization cavity.

[0015] The center of the central heating zone coincides with the axial centerline of the first uniform flow cavity, and the at least one annular heating zone surrounds the outer side of the central heating zone in sequence.

[0016] In some embodiments, the heating temperatures of the central heating zone and the at least one annular heating zone increase sequentially from the axial centerline of the first uniform flow cavity toward the edge.

[0017] In some embodiments, the plurality of outlet flow equalization holes are uniformly distributed on the outlet flow equalization plate, and the outlet flow equalization holes projected into the inner circle of the annular baffle along the axial projection direction of the annular baffle include:

[0018] Multiple first flow equalization holes projected to the center of the inner inner region of the annular baffle and multiple second flow equalization holes located at the edge of the inner inner region of the annular baffle, wherein the diameter of the first flow equalization holes is larger than the diameter of the second flow equalization holes; and / or,

[0019] The diameter of the second uniform flow orifice is equal to the diameter of the outlet uniform flow orifice projected onto the annular baffle.

[0020] In some embodiments, a drive mechanism is further included, connected to the annular baffle, for driving the annular baffle to move along the axial direction of the annular baffle.

[0021] In some embodiments, the drive mechanism includes:

[0022] A guide rod is movably passed through the flow equalization body from the side where the air inlet flow equalization hole of the first flow equalization cavity is located, enters the first flow equalization cavity, and is connected to the annular baffle.

[0023] The driving source, located outside the first flow equalization cavity and connected to the guide rod, is used to drive the guide rod to move the annular baffle along the axial direction of the annular baffle.

[0024] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide a process chamber, including the flow uniform structure described in the above embodiments, and,

[0025] The main body of the chamber has an open top;

[0026] A top cover is provided to seal the opening, and the top cover is provided with an air inlet.

[0027] The flow equalization body is disposed at the bottom of the upper cover and forms a second flow equalization cavity between it and the upper cover; the air inlet is connected to the second flow equalization cavity; the air inlet flow equalization hole is connected to the second flow equalization cavity, and each of the air outlet flow equalization holes is connected to the interior of the cavity body.

[0028] In some embodiments, the process chamber further includes an annular mounting base, which is disposed on the inner side of the inner wall of the chamber body. The flow equalization body is disposed on the inner side of the inner wall of the annular mounting base, and the top surface of the flow equalization body, the bottom surface of the upper cover, and the inner wall of the annular mounting base form a second flow equalization cavity.

[0029] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the chamber body is provided with a supporting step near the opening; the outer wall of the annular mounting seat is provided with a first flange, and the annular mounting seat is supported on the supporting step by the first flange; and / or,

[0030] The inner wall of the annular mounting base is provided with a second flange, and the flow equalization body is supported on the second flange.

[0031] Thirdly, embodiments of this application also provide a semiconductor process apparatus, including a plasma generator and a process chamber as described in the above embodiments;

[0032] The plasma generator is connected to the air inlet and is used to input process gas into the process chamber.

[0033] As described above, the flow equalization structure of this application, since the annular baffle is movably disposed in the first flow equalization cavity of the flow equalization body, allows the annular baffle to move to the side where the gas inlet flow equalization hole of the first flow equalization cavity is located during large-size wafer processing. Because the gas inlet flow equalization hole is exposed in the inner ring of the annular baffle, gas can be normally input into the first flow equalization cavity through the gas inlet flow equalization hole regardless of the position of the annular baffle. At this time, all gas outlet flow equalization holes are connected to the first flow equalization cavity, thus enabling the processing of large-size wafers. During small-size wafer processing, the annular baffle can move to the surface of the side where the gas outlet flow equalization hole of the first flow equalization cavity is located, blocking the gas outlet flow equalization holes corresponding to the edge of the first flow equalization cavity, preventing the process gas at the edge from being directly drawn away without participating in the reaction. Therefore, the uniform flow structure of this application can adjust the flow field distribution, thereby accurately accommodating the processes of large-size wafers and small-size wafers, and can greatly reduce the probability of process gases being directly extracted without reaction when processing small-size wafers, thereby improving the utilization rate of process gases. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a process chamber in a related technology;

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an air intake flow equalizer provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an air outlet uniform flow plate provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an annular baffle provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) is a front view and (b) is a bottom view;

[0040] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the axial overlap of an air intake baffle and an annular baffle provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0041] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the overlap of an air outlet flow equalizer and an annular baffle in the axial direction according to an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flow uniform plate in a related technology;

[0043] Figure 9 is a flow field and oxygen free radical distribution cloud map corresponding to the flow uniform plate in Figure 8;

[0044] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another process chamber structure in the related technology;

[0045] Figure 11 is a flow field and oxygen free radical distribution cloud map corresponding to a uniform flow structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0047] The realization of the objectives, functional features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings have illustrated specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0048] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0049] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, components, features, and elements with the same names in different embodiments of this application may have the same meaning or different meanings, the specific meaning of which must be determined by its interpretation in that specific embodiment or further in conjunction with the context of that specific embodiment.

[0050] It should be further understood that the terms "comprising" or "including" indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types, and / or groups, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, types, and / or groups. The terms "or," "and / or," and "comprising at least one of the following," as used in this application, can be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. For example, "comprising at least one of the following: A, B, C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C," and similarly, "A, B, or C" or "A, B, and / or C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A and B and C." Exceptions to this definition only occur when the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0051] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe various types of information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this document, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” used in this document are intended to also include the plural forms, unless the context indicates otherwise.

[0052] It should be understood that the terms "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application.

[0053] For ease of description, the following embodiments are all illustrated using an orthogonal space defined by a horizontal plane and a vertical direction. This premise should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a process chamber in the related technology. Process gas enters the chamber from the top cover 10a, flows through the flow equalization holes 21a on the flow equalization plate 20a, and reaches the surface of the wafer 101a located on the lifting base 30a to etch the wafer. The figure uses an 8-inch wafer as an example. However, when performing the process on a 6-inch wafer, the flow field distribution of the process gas is limited by the existing flow equalization hole design. The gas at the edges is not fully utilized and is extracted, resulting in low gas utilization. Based on this, this application provides a flow equalization structure, a process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of a process chamber provided in an embodiment of this application. The flow equalization structure may include a flow equalization body 100a and an annular baffle 40. The flow equalization body 100a is provided with an inlet flow equalization hole 21, a first flow equalization cavity 110 and a plurality of outlet flow equalization holes 31. The inlet flow equalization hole 21 and the outlet flow equalization hole 31 are respectively located on both sides of the first flow equalization cavity 110 and communicate with the first flow equalization cavity 110. The annular baffle 40 is movably disposed in the first flow equalization cavity 110. Along the axial projection direction of the annular baffle 40, the projection of the inlet flow equalization hole 21 and the projection of part of the outlet flow equalization hole 31 are located inside the inner ring of the annular baffle 40, and the projection of another part of the outlet flow equalization hole 31 is located on the annular baffle 40.

[0056] Please refer to Figures 3-7 simultaneously. Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an inlet flow equalizer provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of an outlet flow equalizer provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of an annular baffle provided in an embodiment of this application, wherein (a) is a front view and (b) is a bottom view. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the overlap of an inlet flow equalizer and an annular baffle in the axial direction provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the overlap of an outlet flow equalizer and an annular baffle in the axial direction provided in an embodiment of this application. The annular baffle 40 is disposed in the first flow equalizer cavity 110. Along the axial projection direction of the annular baffle 40, the projection of the inlet flow equalizer hole 21 and the projection of part of the outlet flow equalizer hole 31A are located within the inner ring of the annular baffle 40, while the projection of another part of the outlet flow equalizer hole 31B is located on the annular baffle 40. In other words, along the axial direction of the annular baffle 40, the inlet equalization hole 21 and the outlet equalization hole 31A near the center are exposed in the inner ring of the annular baffle 40, while the outlet equalization hole 31B near the edge is blocked by the annular baffle 40. By positioning the projection of a portion of the outlet equalization hole 31 onto the annular baffle 40, the annular baffle 40 can be moved to disconnect or connect the outlet equalization hole 31 projected onto the annular baffle 40 with the first equalization cavity 110.

[0057] The working principle of the flow equalization structure in this embodiment is as follows: Referring to Figure 2, gas enters the first flow equalization cavity 110 through the inlet flow equalization hole 21, and then flows out through the outlet flow equalization hole 31 to reach the process area for processing. When processing a large-size wafer 101 (e.g., 8-inch), the annular baffle 40 moves to the top of the first flow equalization cavity 110, for example. Since the inlet flow equalization hole 21 is exposed in the inner ring of the annular baffle 40, gas can be normally input into the first flow equalization cavity 110 through the inlet flow equalization hole 21 regardless of the position of the annular baffle 40. At this time, all outlet flow equalization holes 31 are connected to the first flow equalization cavity 110, thus enabling the processing of the large-size wafer 101. When performing the process of small-sized wafer 102, the annular baffle 40 moves to the bottom of the first uniform flow cavity 110, for example, to block the gas outlet uniform flow hole 31B corresponding to the edge of the first uniform flow cavity 110, so as to prevent the process gas at the edge from being directly drawn away without participating in the reaction, thereby improving the utilization rate of the process gas.

[0058] Understandably, the inner and outer diameters of the annular baffle 40 can be set according to the dimensions of small and large wafers. For example, the inner diameter can be slightly larger than the diameter of the small wafer, and the outer diameter can be slightly larger than the diameter of the large wafer. This baffle also blocks the outlet flow equalization holes 31B at the edge of the outlet flow equalization plate 30. The flow equalization structure of this embodiment can adjust the flow field distribution, thereby accurately accommodating both large and small wafer processes. Furthermore, it can significantly reduce the probability of process gases being directly extracted without reaction during small wafer processes, thus improving the utilization rate of process gases.

[0059] In some embodiments, the flow equalization body 100a may include a partition ring 10, an inlet flow equalization plate 20, and an outlet flow equalization plate 30. Considering the actual application scenario, the axial direction of the partition ring 10 is defined as the vertical direction, so the two end faces of the partition ring 10 along the axial direction are arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction. The inlet flow equalization plate 20 is disposed on one end face (i.e., the upper end face) of the partition ring 10, and the inlet flow equalization plate 20 is provided with inlet flow equalization holes 21. One or more inlet flow equalization holes 21 can be provided; this embodiment does not impose a particular limitation. The outlet flow equalization plate 30 is disposed on the other end face (i.e., the lower end face) of the partition ring 10, and together with the partition ring 10 and the inlet flow equalization plate 20, forms a first flow equalization cavity 110. The outlet flow equalization plate 30 is provided with multiple outlet flow equalization holes 31. It should be noted that the intake flow equalizer 20, the partition ring 10 and the outlet flow equalizer 30 can be separate components assembled to form the first flow equalizer cavity 110, or two of them can be an integrated structure. For example, the partition ring 10 and the intake flow equalizer 20 are integrally formed, or the partition ring 10 and the outlet flow equalizer 30 are integrally formed, etc.

[0060] In this embodiment, the specific structure of the inlet flow equalizer 20 and the outlet flow equalizer 30 is not particularly limited, and existing mature flow equalizers can be used. As an example, please refer to Figures 1 and 8. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flow equalizer of related technology. The diameter of the flow equalizer holes 21a on the flow equalizer 20a increases radially, that is, the hole diameter at the center is small and the hole diameter at the edge is large. This arrangement can improve the airflow uniformity inside the chamber, but it will make the flow field velocity at the center of the wafer slow. Taking the process gas as N2+O2 as an example, please refer to Figure 9. Figure 9 is the flow field and oxygen free radical distribution cloud map corresponding to the flow equalizer in Figure 8. The process gas enters from the center, and the oxygen (O) free radical concentration at the center of the flow equalizer 20a is high. O free radicals will accumulate at the center of the wafer, which makes the center resist removal rate too fast, the uniformity poor, and the failure phenomenon such as pitting easy to occur.

[0061] Based on this, please refer to Figure 6. As an improved example, multiple air inlet equalization holes 21 can be provided on the air inlet equalization plate 20, and these multiple air inlet equalization holes 21 are evenly distributed around the axial center line of the first equalization cavity 110. That is, the multiple air inlet equalization holes 21 are evenly distributed on a circle with the center of the air inlet equalization plate 20 as the center. In Figure 6, there are 6 air inlet equalization holes 21. By setting the center of each air inlet equalization hole 21 off-center relative to the axial center line of the first equalization cavity 110, excessive O free radicals can be avoided from entering the first equalization cavity 110 from the center and then directly entering the center of the process chamber through the exhaust equalization plate 30. This can reduce the resist removal rate at the wafer center and improve etching uniformity.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of another process chamber structure in the related technology. The flow equalization structure includes an upper flow equalization plate 11b and a lower flow equalization plate 12b. Both the upper and lower flow equalization plates 11b and 12b employ a multi-hole distribution structure, with the upper and lower flow equalization holes arranged alternately to adjust the flow field distribution inside the chamber. By setting up dual flow equalization plates, a more uniform flow field can be obtained at the outlet end of the lower flow equalization plate 12b. However, this structure leads to a decrease in the flow rate of the process gas, and the number of O free radicals passing through will also decrease accordingly, resulting in a decrease in the overall descaling rate.

[0063] Based on this, please refer to Figures 3, 4, and 7. As an improved example, the diameter D1 of the inlet uniform flow hole 21 can be set to be larger than the diameter D2 of the outlet uniform flow hole 31. Preferably, D1 = (5~15)D2. For example, D1 = 15~25mm, D2 = 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm, etc. By setting a larger diameter inlet uniform flow hole 21, sufficient process gas can be input to improve the overall descaling rate. If the diameter D1 of the inlet uniform flow hole 21 is set too small, the flow rate will decrease, the amount of gas passing through will decrease, and thus the descaling rate cannot be improved; if the diameter D1 is too large, the number of inlet uniform flow holes 21 that can be set on the inlet uniform flow hole 21 will decrease, and the uniform flow effect will decrease. This embodiment achieves a good balance between descaling rate and uniform flow effect through reasonable hole diameter setting.

[0064] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 7, the outlet flow equalization holes 31 are uniformly distributed on the outlet flow equalization plate 30. For example, they can be distributed in a rectangular array as shown in Figure 7, or they can be uniformly distributed in a circular or polygonal pattern. Along the axial projection direction of the annular baffle 40, the outlet flow equalization holes 31A projected into the inner circle of the annular baffle 40 may include a plurality of first flow equalization holes 311 and a plurality of second flow equalization holes 312. The projection of the first flow equalization holes 311 is located at the center of the inner region of the inner circle of the annular baffle 40, and the projection of the second flow equalization holes 312 is located at the edge of the inner region of the inner circle of the annular baffle 40. The diameter of the first flow equalization holes 311 is larger than the diameter of the second flow equalization holes 312. That is, among the outlet flow equalization holes 31A exposed in the inner region of the inner circle of the annular baffle 40, the diameter of the first flow equalization hole 311 located near the center of the outlet flow equalization plate 30 is larger than the diameter of the second flow equalization hole 312 located near the edge of the outlet flow equalization plate 30. For example, the diameter of the outlet uniform flow hole 31B projected onto the annular baffle 40 can be equal to the diameter of the second uniform flow hole 312 to improve the uniformity of the flow field at the edge.

[0065] In this embodiment, the exhaust flow equalization plate 30 adopts densely and uniformly distributed exhaust flow equalization holes 31, which can effectively improve the flow field uniformity in the process chamber. Since the edge of the wafer is closer to the exhaust port, the exhaust flow equalization holes 31A projected in the inner circle of the annular baffle 40 adopt an inner-large and outer-small distribution pattern, which can prevent excessive gas from directly entering the chamber through the edge of the exhaust flow equalization hole 31 and being directly extracted, resulting in low utilization. At the same time, increasing the diameter of the central exhaust flow equalization hole 31 is beneficial to increasing the flow field velocity in the central region above the wafer, avoiding excessive accumulation of O free radicals in the central region of the wafer, and improving the uniformity of O free radical distribution above the wafer.

[0066] In addition, due to the limitations of the radio frequency source structure of the Qihui chamber, the plasma mainly bombards the gas inlet uniform plate 20 from the center, which will cause the center temperature of the gas inlet uniform plate 20 to be significantly higher than the edge temperature. This results in the O free radicals above the wafer having a high center temperature and a low edge temperature, which will also lead to the excessively fast removal rate of the resist at the center of the wafer, poor uniformity, and pitting failure.

[0067] Based on this, please continue to refer to Figures 3 and 6. As an improved example, in the flow equalization body 100a, a central heating zone 22 and at least one annular heating zone are provided on the side of the air inlet flow equalization hole 21 in the first flow equalization cavity 110. The center of the central heating zone 22 coincides with the axial center line of the first flow equalization cavity 110. The annular heating zones surround the outer side of the central heating zone 22 in sequence. For example, a central heating zone 22 and at least one annular heating zone are provided on the air inlet flow equalization plate 20. The central heating zone 22 is concentric with the air inlet flow equalization plate 20. In the figure, two annular heating zones 23A and 23B are provided as an example, where the dashed lines are the dividing lines between the zones. In other embodiments, only one or more annular heating zones may be provided. As an example, resistance wires can be provided in the areas corresponding to each heating zone inside the air inlet flow equalization plate 20 for individual heating and temperature control to compensate for the temperature unevenness of the air inlet flow equalization plate 20 from the center to the edge. For example, from the axial centerline of the first uniform flow cavity 110 towards the edge, the heating temperature settings of the central heating zone 22 and all annular heating zones 23 increase sequentially. For example, the temperature setting of the central heating zone 22 can be 80-100℃, the temperature setting of the middle annular heating zone 23A can be 100-120℃, and the temperature setting of the edge annular heating zone 23B can be 120-140℃.

[0068] Please refer to Figure 11. Figure 11 is a flow field and oxygen free radical distribution cloud map corresponding to a uniform flow structure provided in this application embodiment. In the figure, the inlet uniform flow plate 20, the outlet uniform flow plate 30, and the annular baffle 40 are shown in Figures 3-5 respectively. The simulation is performed for the process of 8-inch wafer. The annular baffle 40 rises to the bottom surface of the inlet uniform flow plate 20. The diameter of the inlet uniform flow hole 21 of the inlet uniform flow plate 20 is 20mm, and the diameter of the pitch circle tangent to the inlet uniform flow hole 21 is 100mm. The diameter of the outlet uniform flow hole 31 (first uniform flow hole 311) at the center of the outlet uniform flow plate 30 is 3mm, and the diameter of the outlet uniform flow hole 31 (second uniform flow hole 312 and the second uniform flow hole 312 blocked by the annular baffle 40) at the edge is 2mm. The diameter of the dividing circle between the large uniform flow hole and the small uniform flow hole is 100mm. Comparing Figures 9 and 11, it can be seen that the flow field distribution and O radical distribution of the uniform flow structure in this application are more uniform, thereby improving the uniformity of degumming.

[0069] In one embodiment, referring further to Figures 2 and 5, the flow equalization structure also includes a drive mechanism 50 connected to the annular baffle 40 for driving the annular baffle 40 to move axially along the annular baffle 40, enabling it to move between the inlet flow equalization plate 20 and the outlet flow equalization plate 30. The drive mechanism 50, for example, drives the annular baffle 40 to the surface of the inlet flow equalization plate 20 (the bottom surface of the inlet flow equalization plate 20 in Figure 2) or the surface of the outlet flow equalization plate 30 (the top surface of the outlet flow equalization plate 30 in Figure 2).

[0070] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the drive mechanism 50 may include a guide rod 51 and a drive source 52. The guide rod 51 movably passes through the flow equalization body 110a from the side where the air inlet equalization hole 21 of the first flow equalization cavity 110 is located, enters the first flow equalization cavity 110, and connects to the annular baffle 40. For example, the guide rod 51 movably passes through the air inlet equalization plate 20 and connects to the annular baffle 40. Specifically, a connection hole 41 may be provided on the annular baffle 40, and the guide rod 51 connects to the connection hole 41. Two or more sets of guide rods 51 may be provided to improve the stability of the drive mechanism. The drive source 52 is located outside the first uniform flow cavity 110 and is connected to the guide rod 51. It is used to drive the guide rod 51 to move the annular baffle 40 along the axial direction of the annular baffle 40, so that the annular baffle 40 can move between the inlet uniform flow plate 20 and the outlet uniform flow plate 30. This allows it to switch between blocking and opening the outlet uniform flow hole 31 at the edge of the outlet uniform flow plate 30 to adapt to the process of wafers of different sizes, and the process gas utilization rate is high.

[0071] This application embodiment also provides a process chamber. Please refer to Figures 2 and 12. Figure 12 is a structural schematic diagram of a semiconductor process apparatus provided in this application embodiment. In this semiconductor process apparatus, the process chamber may include the flow equalization structure 100, the chamber body 200, and the upper cover 300 as described in the above embodiments. The top of the chamber body 200 is open, and the upper cover 300 covers the open 210. The upper cover 300 is provided with an air inlet 310, and a nozzle can be provided at the air inlet 310 to connect to an air source. The flow equalization body 100a of the flow equalization structure 100 is disposed below the upper cover 300, and a second flow equalization cavity 120 is formed between the flow equalization structure 100 and the upper cover 300. The air inlet 310 communicates with the second flow equalization cavity 120; the air inlet flow equalization hole 21 communicates with the second flow equalization cavity 120, and each air outlet flow equalization hole 31 communicates with the interior of the chamber body 200.

[0072] In an embodiment where the flow equalization body 100a includes a partition ring 10, an inlet flow equalization plate 20, and an outlet flow equalization plate 30, the inlet flow equalization plate 20 is disposed below the upper cover 300, the outlet flow equalization plate 30 is disposed at the bottom of the inlet flow equalization plate 20, and the air inlet 310 of the upper cover 300 is connected to the second flow equalization chamber 120.

[0073] In one embodiment, please continue to refer to FIG12, the process chamber further includes an annular mounting base 400, which is disposed on the inner side of the inner wall of the chamber body 200. The flow equalization body 100a is disposed on the inner side of the inner wall of the annular mounting base 400. The top surface of the flow equalization body 100a, the bottom surface of the upper cover 300 and the inner wall of the annular mounting base 400 form a second flow equalization cavity 120.

[0074] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the inner wall of the chamber body 200 is provided with a support step 220 near the opening, and the outer wall of the annular mounting seat 400 is provided with a first flange 410. The annular mounting seat 400 is supported on the support step 220 by the first flange 410. In addition, in some embodiments, the top surface of the annular mounting seat 400 does not exceed the top surface of the chamber body 200. For example, the top surfaces of the two can be flush.

[0075] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the annular mounting base 400 is provided with a second flange 420, and the flow equalization body 100a (e.g., the air outlet flow equalization plate 30) is supported on the second flange 420. The air inlet flow equalization plate 20, the upper cover 300 and the inner wall of the annular mounting base 400 form a second flow equalization cavity 120.

[0076] This application also provides a semiconductor process apparatus. Please refer to FIG12. The semiconductor process apparatus may include a plasma generator 500 and a process chamber as described in the above embodiments. The plasma generator 500 is connected to the gas inlet 310 and is used to input process gas into the process chamber. The plasma generator 500 can dissociate the process gas outside the process chamber to form a remote plasma source.

[0077] For other working principles and processes of the process chamber and semiconductor process equipment in this embodiment, please refer to the description of the uniform flow structure in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0078] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of the uniform flow structure, process chamber, and semiconductor process equipment provided in this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. It should be noted that the descriptions of each embodiment in this application have different emphases; parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment can be referred to in the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0079] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. The technical features of the technical solution of this application can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are also included within the patent protection scope of this application, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other.

Claims

1. A uniform flow structure, characterized in that, include: The flow equalization body is provided with an air inlet flow equalization hole, a first flow equalization cavity and multiple air outlet flow equalization holes. The air inlet flow equalization hole and the air outlet flow equalization hole are respectively located on both sides of the first flow equalization cavity and are connected to the first flow equalization cavity. An annular baffle is movably disposed in the first flow equalization cavity; along the axial projection direction of the annular baffle, the projection of the inlet flow equalization hole and part of the projection of the outlet flow equalization hole are located inside the inner ring of the annular baffle, and the projection of another part of the outlet flow equalization hole is located on the annular baffle.

2. The uniform flow structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow uniform body includes: Spacer ring; An intake flow equalizer is disposed on one end face of the partition ring along the axial direction, and the intake flow equalizer is provided with the intake flow equalizer hole; An outlet flow equalizer is disposed on the other end face of the partition ring along the axial direction, and together with the partition ring and the inlet flow equalizer, forms the first flow equalizer cavity. The outlet flow equalizer is provided with a plurality of outlet flow equalizer holes.

3. The uniform flow structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The air inlet uniform flow holes are provided in multiple ways, and the multiple air inlet uniform flow holes are evenly distributed around the axial center line of the first uniform flow cavity.

4. The uniform flow structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The diameter of the air inlet uniform flow hole is 5 to 15 times the diameter of the air outlet uniform flow hole.

5. The uniform flow structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In the flow equalization body, a central heating zone and at least one annular heating zone are provided on the side where the air inlet flow equalization hole is located in the first flow equalization cavity. The center of the central heating zone coincides with the axial centerline of the first uniform flow cavity, and the at least one annular heating zone surrounds the outer side of the central heating zone in sequence.

6. The uniform flow structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, From the axial centerline of the first uniform flow cavity toward the edge, the heating temperature of the central heating zone and the at least one annular heating zone increases sequentially.

7. The uniform flow structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The plurality of air outlet equalization holes are evenly distributed on the air outlet equalization plate, and the air outlet equalization holes projected into the inner circle of the annular baffle along the axial projection direction of the annular baffle include: Multiple first flow equalization holes projected to the center of the inner inner region of the annular baffle and multiple second flow equalization holes located at the edge of the inner inner region of the annular baffle, wherein the diameter of the first flow equalization holes is larger than the diameter of the second flow equalization holes; and / or, The diameter of the second uniform flow orifice is equal to the diameter of the outlet uniform flow orifice projected onto the annular baffle.

8. The uniform flow structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It also includes a drive mechanism connected to the annular baffle for driving the annular baffle to move along the axial direction of the annular baffle.

9. The uniform flow structure according to claim 8, characterized in that, The drive mechanism includes: A guide rod is movably passed through the flow equalization body from the side where the air inlet flow equalization hole of the first flow equalization cavity is located, enters the first flow equalization cavity, and is connected to the annular baffle. The driving source, located outside the first flow equalization cavity and connected to the guide rod, is used to drive the guide rod to move the annular baffle along the axial direction of the annular baffle.

10. A process chamber, characterized in that, Including the flow uniform structure according to any one of claims 1-9, and, The main body of the chamber has an open top; A top cover is provided to seal the opening, and the top cover is provided with an air inlet. The flow equalization body is disposed at the bottom of the upper cover and forms a second flow equalization cavity between it and the upper cover; the air inlet is connected to the second flow equalization cavity; the air inlet flow equalization hole is connected to the second flow equalization cavity, and each of the air outlet flow equalization holes is connected to the interior of the cavity body.

11. The process chamber according to claim 10, characterized in that, The process chamber further includes an annular mounting base, which is disposed on the inner side of the inner wall of the chamber body. The flow equalization body is disposed on the inner side of the inner wall of the annular mounting base. The top surface of the flow equalization body, the bottom surface of the upper cover, and the inner wall of the annular mounting base form the second flow equalization cavity.

12. The process chamber according to claim 11, characterized in that, The inner wall of the chamber body is provided with a supporting step near the opening; the outer wall of the annular mounting seat is provided with a first flange, and the annular mounting seat is supported on the supporting step by the first flange; and / or, The inner wall of the annular mounting base is provided with a second flange, and the flow equalization body is supported on the second flange.

13. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, It includes a plasma generating device and a process chamber as described in any one of claims 10-12; The plasma generator is connected to the air inlet and is used to input process gas into the process chamber.

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