Semiconductor processing device, ignition-of-plasma control method and related apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a semiconductor processing device, an ignition-of-plasma control method and a related apparatus. In the semiconductor processing device, during ignition of plasma, a processing gas is first supplied to a processing chamber, and a direct-current voltage is applied to a target electrode, so as to form a target electric field; and the target electric field is used to accelerate charged particles, such that the free charged particles in the processing chamber obtain energy and then bombard the processing gas to form a first plasma, thereby completing a pre-ignition-of-plasma process. In an initial phase of plasma discharge, electrons having relatively high energy are mainly required. Therefore, by means of using the target electric field, which is formed by the direct-current voltage, to accelerate the charged particles, the charged particles can obtain relatively high energy, thereby facilitating an improvement in the success rate of ignition of plasma. In addition, other hardware structures, such as a matcher, are not required when the direct-current voltage is applied to the electrode, thereby having the characteristics of simplicity and ease of implementation. Once pre-ignition-of-plasma is completed, the application of the direct-current voltage to the target electrode can be stopped, and radio frequency power is supplied to the processing chamber, thereby completing a full ignition-of-plasma and processing process.

Description

A semiconductor process equipment, a ignition control method, and related apparatus. Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, specifically to ignition control technology in the field of semiconductor technology, and more specifically to a semiconductor process equipment, ignition control method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Plasma is the fourth fundamental state of matter, in addition to solid, liquid, and gas. It can consist of ionized gas composed of ions, free radicals, and free electrons, which are macroscopically electrically neutral. Plasma exhibits high electrical conductivity and reactivity, and is widely used in various technologies, including semiconductor technology.

[0003] Taking semiconductor process equipment as an example, plasma can be applied to various semiconductor processes such as etching, cleaning, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and physical vapor deposition (PVD). Ignition of Plasma refers to the process of transforming a gas from a gaseous state to a plasma state by applying external energy under certain conditions. Ignition is a key step in the semiconductor process, especially in plasma discharge equipment (such as plasma etching machines and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition equipment), where the success of ignition directly affects the progress and actual effect of the process.

[0004] In some cases, the start-up process of semiconductor process equipment has a certain probability of failure, which adversely affects the normal use of the semiconductor process equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a semiconductor process equipment, a start-up control method, and related devices to improve the start-up success rate.

[0006] To achieve the above technical objectives, the embodiments of this application provide the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, one embodiment of this application provides a semiconductor process apparatus, including: a process chamber body, a target electrode, and a DC power supply, wherein...

[0008] The target electrode is connected to the DC power supply and is insulated from the process chamber body. The target electrode is used to receive the DC voltage provided by the DC power supply before the radio frequency power is turned on, so as to pre-ignite the process chamber.

[0009] Secondly, one embodiment of this application provides a ignition control method applied to semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment including: a process chamber body, a target electrode, and a DC power supply, the target electrode being connected to the DC power supply and insulated from the process chamber body; the ignition control method includes:

[0010] In response to the ignition command, the process chamber is pre-ignited based on the target electrode; the pre-ignition process is then executed.

[0011] Thirdly, one embodiment of this application also provides a computing device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the start-up control method as described above.

[0012] Fourthly, one embodiment of this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the start-up control method as described above.

[0013] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product or a computer program, the computer program product including a computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium; the processor of the computer device reads the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the above-described start-up control method.

[0014] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, in the semiconductor process equipment provided in this application embodiment, during ignition, the process chamber is pre-ignited by receiving a DC voltage from a DC power supply through the target electrode. Since high-energy electrons are primarily needed in the initial stage of plasma discharge, accelerating charged particles (e.g., electrons) through a target electric field formed by the DC voltage can enable the charged particles to obtain higher energy, which is beneficial for improving the success rate of ignition. Furthermore, applying a DC voltage to the electrode does not require a matching converter or other hardware structures, making it simple and easy to implement. Once pre-ignition is complete, the application of DC voltage to the target electrode can be stopped, and radio frequency power can be provided to the process chamber, completing the full ignition and process process. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor process apparatus provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor process apparatus provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor process apparatus provided in another embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a light intensity detection module provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the principle of a photosensitive unit outputting an electrical signal according to one embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a ignition control method according to one embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a start-up control method according to another embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computing device provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this application shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the embodiments of this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to avoid confusion of the constituent elements.

[0025] Unless the context otherwise requires, throughout this specification, "a plurality of" means "at least two," and "including" is interpreted as open-ended or encompassing, that is, "including, but not limited to." In the description of this specification, terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "exemplary embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic associated with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. The illustrative representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0026] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] Overview

[0028] In semiconductor manufacturing, taking ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) equipment as an example, it typically includes a coil, an upper RF power supply, an upper matching unit, a wafer carrier, a lower matching unit, and a lower RF power supply, with the wafer carrier mounted on a base. In this type of equipment, applying a certain RF power to the coil to ionize the process gas and achieve successful plasma ignition is a crucial step in ensuring smooth process operation.

[0029] However, in some cases, the ignition process of semiconductor manufacturing equipment has a certain probability of failure, which adversely affects the normal use of the equipment. The reasons for this failure probability in the ignition process include at least the following:

[0030] In some cases, such as when there is water, polymers, or other contaminants from previous processes on the substrate (the contaminants can be molecular or polymer residues or volatile substances), these contaminants will competitively absorb radio frequency energy. This causes the radio frequency energy that should be applied to the process gas to be applied to these contaminants instead. Since these contaminants are difficult to ionize, the energy is dissipated and plasma cannot be formed effectively. This significantly reduces the success rate of plasma ignition, which in turn causes the process to fail.

[0031] Furthermore, certain process requirements may limit the ignition and the radio frequency power applied to the electrodes or the gas pressure introduced into the chamber during the process. Research has revealed that during plasma ignition, in the initial gas discharge phase, ionization primarily relies on high-energy "initial electrons" triggering an avalanche effect through collisions. However, under low radio frequency power conditions, the limited ionization energy provided by the gas results in poor acceleration of charged particles such as electrons by applying radio frequency power to the electrodes. These charged particles cannot acquire sufficient energy to bombard the process gas. Simultaneously, under low pressure conditions, the gas molecule density decreases, leading to an increase in the mean free path of charged particles (especially electrons). While theoretically beneficial for electron acceleration and ionization, in practice, the reduced gas density decreases the chances of particle collisions, making it difficult for electrons to accumulate sufficient kinetic energy between collisions. These low-energy electrons cannot effectively ionize process gas molecules through bombardment, reducing the probability of particle ionization, slowing down the plasma formation process, and lowering the success rate of plasma ignition.

[0032] To improve the success rate of ignition, the inventors discovered that a pre-ignition process can be performed before applying radio frequency power to the electrodes. Specifically, during ignition, process gas is first supplied to the process chamber, and a DC voltage is applied to the target electrode to create a target electric field. This target electric field accelerates charged particles, allowing the ionized charged particles in the process chamber to gain energy and bombard the process gas, forming the first plasma and completing the pre-ignition process. Since high-energy electrons are primarily needed in the initial stage of plasma discharge, accelerating charged particles (e.g., electrons) with a target electric field formed by a DC voltage allows the charged particles to acquire higher energy, thus improving the success rate of ignition. Furthermore, applying DC voltage to the electrodes requires no matching circuitry or other hardware, making it simple and easy to implement. Once pre-ignition is complete, the application of DC voltage to the target electrode can be stopped, and radio frequency power can be supplied to the process chamber, completing the full ignition and process.

[0033] Based on the above concept, this application provides a semiconductor process equipment and a ignition control method. The semiconductor process equipment and ignition control method provided by this application will be described exemplarily below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Exemplary device

[0035] This application provides a semiconductor process apparatus, as shown in FIG1, including: a process chamber, the process chamber including: a target electrode, a DC power supply 29, and a process chamber body 30, the process chamber body 30 including chamber sidewalls; wherein;

[0036] The target electrode is connected to the DC power supply 29. The target electrode is used to receive the DC voltage provided by the DC power supply 29 to pre-ignite the process chamber.

[0037] In this embodiment, during ignition, a DC voltage supplied by a DC power supply is received through the target electrode to pre-ignite the process chamber. Since high-energy electrons are primarily required in the initial stage of plasma discharge, accelerating charged particles (e.g., electrons) using a target electric field formed by the DC voltage allows these particles to acquire higher energy, thus improving the success rate of ignition. Furthermore, applying a DC voltage to the electrode requires no matching circuitry or other hardware, making it simple and easy to implement. Once pre-ignition is complete, the DC voltage applied to the target electrode can be stopped, and radio frequency power can be supplied to the process chamber, completing the full ignition and process process.

[0038] In one feasible implementation, the semiconductor process apparatus further includes a controller for specifically executing a pre-ignition process, specifically configured to execute the pre-ignition process in response to an ignition command;

[0039] The pre-ignition process includes: supplying process gas to the process chamber and applying a DC voltage to the target electrode to form a target electric field, which is used to accelerate charged particles to bombard the process gas to form a first plasma;

[0040] After pre-ignition is completed and the DC voltage applied to the target electrode is stopped, radio frequency power is supplied to the process chamber to form a target electromagnetic field, which is used to ionize the process gas to form a second plasma.

[0041] The controller can be a lower-level machine of the semiconductor process equipment, and the target electrode can be a reused electrode or conductive structure in the semiconductor process equipment, or it can be a newly added electrode or conductive structure in the semiconductor process equipment. For example, referring to Figure 2, for ICP equipment, the target electrode can be the adjustment bracket 27 or the upper electrode (specifically, coil 21) in the semiconductor process equipment. When coil 21 is reused as the target electrode, during the pre-ignition process, coil 21 can receive the DC voltage provided by DC power supply 29 to pre-ignite the process chamber. After the pre-ignition is completed, coil 21 can receive RF power to perform the subsequent ignition process. Since the adjustment bracket 27 is in contact with the process chamber body 30, and the process chamber body 30 is generally in a grounded state, in order to avoid short circuit of the power supply when applying DC voltage to the adjustment bracket 27, insulation treatment can be performed in the area where the adjustment bracket 27 is in contact with the process chamber body 30, while the part where the adjustment bracket 27 is electrically connected to DC power supply 29 does not need to be insulated. In addition, when the coil 21 is reused for pre-ignition, DC voltage can be applied to the coil 21 during the pre-ignition process. After the pre-ignition is completed, the application of DC voltage to the coil 21 is stopped, and RF power is applied to the coil 21 instead. For example, referring to Figure 3, for CCP (Capacitively Coupled Plasma) equipment, the target electrode can reuse the showerhead 32 in the semiconductor process equipment. Similarly, the showerhead 32 is in contact with the process chamber body 30. To avoid short circuits caused by the applied DC voltage power supply, the portion of the showerhead 32 in contact with the process chamber body 30 needs to be insulated, while the portion of the showerhead 32 electrically connected to the power supply does not need to be insulated. When the target electrode reuses an existing electrode or conductive structure in the semiconductor process equipment, it helps to simplify the process chamber structure and avoid introducing additional structures that could negatively impact the process chamber (for example, additional structures introduced into the process chamber may affect the uniformity of plasma distribution inside the process chamber; furthermore, the introduced additional structures may require complex operations such as impedance matching).

[0042] The ignition command can be triggered by maintenance personnel via button presses or by responding to timed tasks. The ignition command instructs the controller to execute the ignition task. In this embodiment, before providing RF power to the process chamber, the ignition task first involves supplying process gas to the process chamber and applying a DC voltage to the target electrode to form a target electric field. This target electric field accelerates charged particles to bombard the process gas, forming a first plasma. Thus, the DC voltage forming the target electric field is not limited by RF power constraints, meeting the ignition requirements under low RF power and low gas pressure conditions. Accelerating charged particles (e.g., electrons) through the target electric field formed by the DC voltage allows the charged particles to acquire higher energy, improving the ignition success rate. Furthermore, applying DC voltage to the electrode requires no matching circuit or other hardware, making it simple and easy to implement. Once pre-ignition is complete, the application of DC voltage to the target electrode can be stopped, and RF power can be supplied to the process chamber, completing the full ignition and process process.

[0043] Referring again to Figure 1, which uses an ICP (Integrated Circuit) device as an example, Figure 1 illustrates a feasible structure of a semiconductor process equipment. In addition to the coil 21, adjustment bracket 27, process chamber body 30, and controller mentioned earlier, Figure 1 also shows an inlet assembly 20A, an upper electrode assembly 20B, and a lower electrode assembly 20C. The controller can open the valve of the inlet assembly 20A to introduce the corresponding process gas into the process chamber 20; the controller can also control the opening degree of the valve of the inlet assembly 20A to control the flow rate of the process gas. The controller can also control the evacuation assembly (not shown in Figure 1) to evacuate the interior of the process chamber, for example, by controlling the valve opening degree of the evacuation assembly or the speed of the evacuation pump, thereby controlling the pressure inside the process chamber and removing reaction byproducts.

[0044] The upper electrode assembly 20B may include a coil 21, an upper RF power supply 23, and an upper matching unit 25. A controller may be used to control the upper RF power supply 23 to provide RF power to the coil 21 through the upper matching unit 25, so that the coil 21 excites the process gas inside the process chamber 20 to generate plasma (indicated by reference numeral 100 in Figure 1).

[0045] The lower electrode assembly 20C may include a wafer carrier 22. This wafer carrier 22 may include, for example, an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, or a vacuum adsorption chuck. In some embodiments, the lower electrode assembly may also include a lower RF power supply and a lower matching unit. For ICP equipment, a bias electrode may be provided within the wafer carrier 22. During operation, the lower RF power supply and the lower matching unit can be used to apply RF power to the bias electrode to adjust the sheath voltage and accelerate the plasma.

[0046] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, a case where the adjustment bracket 27 is reused as the target electrode is illustrated. Specifically, in one embodiment, the target electrode includes the adjustment bracket 27, which, in conjunction with the process chamber body 30, forms the sidewall of the process chamber. The process chamber body 30 includes a sidewall with an opening at the top. The adjustment bracket 27 is disposed on the sidewall of the process chamber body 30, and an insulating layer exists between the adjustment bracket 27 and the sidewall of the process chamber body 30. A dielectric window 31 is provided on the adjustment bracket 27 to close the opening. The process chamber body 30, the adjustment bracket 27, and the dielectric window 31 are sealed together. The semiconductor process equipment also includes a wafer carrier 22. A first region of the adjustment bracket 27 is covered with an insulating layer, and a second region of the adjustment bracket 27 is connected to a DC power supply 29. The first region includes the area where the adjustment bracket 27 contacts the process chamber body 30. The controller provides radio frequency power to the process chamber specifically for providing radio frequency power to the upward electrode.

[0047] In this embodiment, the adjustment bracket 27 and the dielectric window 31 disposed on the adjustment bracket 27, together with the process chamber body 30, enclose the process chamber to form a process chamber. The DC power supply 29 is electrically connected to the target electrode through the filter 28. Except for the area electrically connected to the DC power supply 29, the other areas of the adjustment bracket 27 can be covered with an insulating layer to ensure a good connection with the DC power supply 29 while ensuring insulation between the adjustment bracket 27 and the process chamber body 30. The filter 28 can achieve the purpose of removing ripple voltage and suppressing power supply noise. In this embodiment, the adjustment bracket 27 is closer to the process gas, and there is no structural barrier with a large dielectric constant, such as the dielectric window 31, between it and the process gas. The target electric field formed can directly act on the charged particles. By fully utilizing the effect of the target electric field during the pre-ignition process, a good pre-ignition effect is achieved.

[0048] Referring to Figure 2, in the embodiment shown in Figure 2, its structure is basically the same as that of the embodiment shown in Figure 1. The difference is that the target electrode includes a coil 21 of the upper electrode, which is located above the dielectric window 31. The dielectric window 31 is located on the top of the chamber sidewall of the process chamber body 30. The coil 21 is also connected to an upper RF power supply 23, which is used to turn on when the DC power supply 29 is turned off after the pre-ignition process ends. The DC power supply 29 is connected to the upper coil 21. After the pre-ignition process, the upper electrode (coil 21) needs to receive RF power. Therefore, in this embodiment, during the pre-ignition process, the DC power supply 29 provides DC voltage to the coil 21, multiplexing the coil 21 as the target electrode. After the pre-ignition process is completed, the upper RF power supply 23 provides RF power to the coil 21, realizing the time-division multiplexing of the coil 21. In some embodiments, when the target electrode is the adjustment bracket 27, the controller provides RF power to the process chamber specifically to provide RF power to the upper electrode.

[0049] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the coil 21 is located above the dielectric window 31, but this is not limiting. In some other embodiments, the coil 21 may also be arranged around the chamber sidewall of the process chamber body 30. When the coil 21 is arranged around the chamber sidewall of the process chamber body 30, the process chamber body 30 is made of insulating material.

[0050] Referring to Figure 3, in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, taking a CCP device as an example, another feasible structure for semiconductor process equipment is provided. In the CCP device, unlike the ICP device, the process chamber body 30 includes a chamber sidewall 30A and a top wall 30B, which enclose the process chamber. The upper electrode assembly 20B may include a flow equalization plate 32, which forms a flow equalization cavity with the top wall 30B of the process chamber body 30. Multiple flow equalization holes are evenly distributed on the flow equalization plate 32 to ensure uniform gas distribution within the cavity entering the process chamber. The lower electrode assembly 20C may include a wafer carrier 22, a matching unit 33, and an RF power supply 34. A controller can be used to control the RF power supply 34 to provide RF power to the wafer carrier 22 through the matching unit 33 to excite and generate plasma (denoted by reference numeral 100 in Figure 3). In other embodiments, the RF power supply 34 can also provide RF power to the current equalizer 32 through the matching unit 33. In this case, the current equalizer 32 can be insulated to ensure that it is insulated from the process chamber body 30. In this embodiment, the current equalizer 32 can be reused as the target electrode. The portion of the current equalizer 32 connected to the DC power supply 29 does not need to be insulated, while the portion of the current equalizer 32 in contact with the process chamber body 30 can be insulated. Specifically, in one embodiment, to improve the success rate of ignition and increase the energy received by charged particles during the pre-ignition process, the target electrode includes the current equalizer 32. The current equalizer 32 and the top wall 30B of the process chamber body 30 form a current equalization cavity, and the area of ​​the current equalizer 32 in contact with the process chamber body 30 is covered with an insulating layer. The semiconductor process equipment also includes an upper electrode and a wafer carrier device 22.

[0051] The controller is also used to provide radio frequency power to the wafer carrier 22 after pre-ignition is completed, ground the upper electrode or provide radio frequency power to the upper electrode.

[0052] To ensure insulation between the adjustment bracket 27 or the flow equalizer 32 and the process chamber body 30, in one embodiment of this application, the thickness of the insulating layer ranges from 80 μm to 100 μm. Experiments have shown that when the insulating layer includes a hard anodized film, a thickness within the aforementioned range can achieve a withstand voltage of 1500V to 2000V. During the pre-ignition process, applying a DC voltage of approximately 1000V (e.g., 1000V ± 100V) to the target electrode provides a good pre-ignition effect, which helps improve the ignition success rate. Therefore, an insulating layer thickness of 80 μm to 100 μm effectively ensures insulation between the adjustment bracket 27 or the flow equalizer 32 and the process chamber body 30.

[0053] In order to accurately detect whether the pre-ignition process is completed normally, in one embodiment, the semiconductor process equipment further includes: a DC power supply and a light intensity detection module 40, as shown in FIG4. The light intensity detection module 40 includes a light intensity detection array and a signal processing module, wherein;

[0054] A DC power supply is used to provide DC voltage;

[0055] The light intensity detection array includes multiple photosensitive devices, with at least two photosensitive devices having different characteristic wavelengths. The photosensitive devices are used to detect light intensity information in the process chamber and convert the light intensity information into electrical signals; the electrical signals are used to characterize the light intensity in the process chamber.

[0056] The signal processing module is used to determine whether pre-ignition is completed based on the electrical signal. When pre-ignition is completed, a control signal is generated. The control signal is used to instruct the controller to shut down the DC power supply to stop applying DC voltage to the target electrode, or to shut down the DC power supply to stop applying DC voltage to the target electrode.

[0057] In Figure 4, the control signal obtained by the signal processing module can be a signal based on EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology), DeviceNet, or Ethernet protocol. This control signal can be transmitted to the controller or other hardware through the communication module. Alternatively, the control signal obtained by the signal processing module can be an analog signal (e.g., high or low level). This control signal can be directly transmitted to the DC power supply to control the working state of the DC power supply.

[0058] In some embodiments, the signal processing module determines whether pre-ignition is completed based on electrical signals. Specifically, it determines whether the light intensity in the process chamber is greater than a preset threshold based on the electrical signals. If so, it determines that pre-ignition is completed.

[0059] In this embodiment, in order to accurately detect whether the pre-ignition process is completed normally, light intensity detection is performed in the process chamber based on a light intensity detection array. In the light intensity detection array, there are at least two photosensitive devices with different characteristic wavelengths. Taking Figure 4 as an example, photosensitive devices 1 to 7 can represent photosensitive devices with characteristic wavelengths of 300nm, 400nm, 500nm, 600nm, 700nm, 800nm ​​and 900nm, respectively. In this way, based on photosensitive devices with different characteristic wavelengths, the accurate judgment requirements for whether ignition has occurred can be met in different scenarios.

[0060] The number and characteristic wavelengths of photosensitive devices can be selected according to requirements. For example, the number and characteristic wavelengths of photosensitive devices can be selected according to the type of process gas.

[0061] When the process gas includes argon, argon has multiple characteristic spectral lines in the ultraviolet and visible light range, such as 488nm, 512nm and 752nm. In this case, the characteristic wavelength of the photosensitive device can be selected in the range of 400 to 800nm.

[0062] When the process gas includes helium, helium has multiple characteristic spectral lines in the ultraviolet and visible light ranges, such as 388.9 nm, 402.6 nm, and 587.6 nm. In this case, the characteristic wavelength of the photosensitive device can be selected in the range of 300–600 nm.

[0063] In some implementations, the process chamber body includes a transparent area;

[0064] The photosensitive surface of the photosensitive device faces the transparent area.

[0065] In this way, the photosensitive device can be placed outside the process chamber, avoiding the situation where the photosensitive device is placed inside the process chamber and interferes with the plasma distribution.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, a feasible method is provided for converting light intensity information detected by a photosensitive device into an electrical signal (specifically a voltage signal), as shown in Figure 5. The photosensitive device may include a phototransistor VT1. The collector of the phototransistor receives an operating voltage VCC, which can be 24V. The emitter of the phototransistor is connected to the base of a phototransistor VT2. After detecting sufficiently large light intensity information, the phototransistor VT1 conducts and outputs a current signal to node AO. The current signal at node AO can range from 0 to 10mA. The current signal is converted into a voltage signal through a 2.4K ohm resistor (Res) R2. This voltage signal is applied to the base of the phototransistor VT2, causing VT2 to conduct. VT2 amplifies the current signal at node AO and converts it into an electrical signal through a resistor R3.

[0067] In one implementation, to provide users with more options, the controller determines whether to execute the pre-ignition process based on a flag value before performing the pre-ignition process. If yes, the pre-ignition process is executed; otherwise, RF power is directly supplied to the process chamber. Thus, in this implementation, the user can decide whether to execute the pre-ignition process by configuring the flag value. In some cases, when the success rate of the conventional ignition process is high, the user can configure the flag value to decide not to execute the pre-ignition process and directly supply RF power to the process chamber. In other cases, when the success rate of the conventional ignition process is low (e.g., under low RF power and low air pressure conditions), the user can configure the flag value to decide to execute the pre-ignition process to improve the ignition success rate.

[0068] Exemplary methods

[0069] Taking the application to a controller as an example, some embodiments of this application exemplify the ignition control method. The controller can be a lower-level machine or a higher-level machine of a semiconductor process equipment, and this application does not limit it in this regard. The semiconductor process equipment also includes a process chamber, which includes a target electrode, a DC power supply, and a process chamber body. The process chamber body serves as a sidewall of the process chamber. As shown in Figure 6, the ignition control method includes:

[0070] S601: Receives DC voltage from DC power supply through the target electrode to pre-ignite the process chamber.

[0071] Specifically, still referring to Figure 6, step S601 includes:

[0072] S6011: The controller responds to the ignition command and executes the pre-ignition process;

[0073] The pre-ignition process includes: supplying process gas to the process chamber, applying a DC voltage to the target electrode to form a first target electric field, the target electric field being used to ionize the process gas to form charged particles, and accelerating the charged particles to bombard the process gas to form a first plasma;

[0074] S6012: After pre-ignition is completed and the DC voltage applied to the target electrode is stopped, radio frequency power is supplied to the process chamber to form a mixing field. The mixing field is used to ionize the process gas to form a second plasma. The mixing field includes a second target electric field and a target electromagnetic field.

[0075] Referring to Figure 7, Figure 7 illustrates a feasible flow of the ignition control method provided in an embodiment of this application, the process including:

[0076] S1. At the start of the process, the controller determines whether to execute the pre-ignition process based on the value of the flag bit; if yes, then execute step S2; otherwise, execute step S5.

[0077] S2. Turn on the DC power supply and apply a DC voltage to the target electrode;

[0078] S3. The light intensity detection module detects the light intensity in the process chamber and determines whether the light intensity in the process chamber is greater than a preset threshold based on the electrical signal. If so, the DC power supply is turned off, the DC voltage applied to the target electrode is stopped, and radio frequency power is provided to the process chamber. If not, the ignition time is determined to be greater than a predetermined time threshold (e.g., 3 seconds). If the ignition time is greater than the predetermined time threshold, an alarm is triggered.

[0079] S4, Etching begins timing;

[0080] S5, Normal execution process.

[0081] For specific limitations on the ignition control method, please refer to the relevant description of semiconductor process equipment above; this application does not impose any limitations on it.

[0082] Exemplary computing device

[0083] Another embodiment of this application also provides a computing device. Referring to FIG8, an exemplary embodiment of this application also provides a computing device, including: a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the steps of the start-up control method according to various embodiments of this application as described in the above embodiments.

[0084] The internal structure of the computing device is shown in Figure 8. The computing device includes a processor, memory, network interface, and input devices connected via a system bus. The processor provides computing and control capabilities. The memory includes a non-volatile storage medium and internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores the operating system and computer programs. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and computer programs in the non-volatile storage medium. The network interface is used to communicate with external terminals via a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it follows the steps of the start-up control method according to various embodiments of this application described in the above embodiments.

[0085] The processor may include the main processor, as well as baseband chips, modems, etc.

[0086] The memory stores a program that executes the technical solution of this invention, and may also store an operating system and other critical business functions. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. More specifically, the memory may include read-only memory (ROM), other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM), other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and instructions, disk storage, flash memory, etc.

[0087] The processor can be a general-purpose processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, etc., or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present invention. It can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0088] Input devices may include devices that receive data and information input by the user, such as keyboards, mice, cameras, scanners, light pens, voice input devices, touch screens, pedometers, or gravity sensors.

[0089] Output devices may include devices that allow information to be output to the user, such as displays, printers, speakers, etc.

[0090] The communication interface may include any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

[0091] The processor executes the program stored in the memory and calls other devices, which can be used to implement each step of any of the start-up control methods provided in the above embodiments of this application.

[0092] The computing device may also include a display component and a voice component. The display component may be a liquid crystal display screen or an e-ink display screen. The input device of the computing device may be a touch layer covering the display component, or a button, trackball or touchpad set on the casing of the computing device, or an external keyboard, touchpad or mouse, etc.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will understand that the structure shown in Figure 8 is merely a block diagram of a portion of the structure related to the present application and does not constitute a limitation on the computing device to which the present application is applied. The specific computing device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0094] Exemplary computer program products and storage media

[0095] In addition to the methods and devices described above, the ignition control method provided in the embodiments of this application can also be a computer program product, which includes computer program instructions. When the computer program instructions are run by a processor, they cause the processor to perform the steps in the ignition control method according to various embodiments of this application as described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above.

[0096] Computer program products can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​to perform the operations of the embodiments of this application. The programming languages ​​include object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's computing device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server.

[0097] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor of the steps in the start-up control method according to various embodiments of this application as described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above.

[0098] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the computer program can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Any references to memory, storage, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in various forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), RAMbus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and RAMbus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0099] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this application.

[0100] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed. However, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized by, include: The process chamber body, the target electrode, and the DC power supply, among which, The target electrode is connected to the DC power supply and is insulated from the process chamber body. The target electrode is used to receive the DC voltage provided by the DC power supply before the radio frequency power is turned on, so as to pre-ignite the process chamber.

2. The semiconductor process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The process chamber body has an opening at the top, and the target electrode includes an adjustment bracket. The adjustment bracket is disposed on the side wall of the process chamber body, and an insulating layer is provided between the adjustment bracket and the side wall of the chamber. A dielectric window is provided on the adjustment bracket to close the opening, and the process chamber body, the adjustment bracket, and the dielectric window are sealed together.

3. The semiconductor process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The target electrode includes a coil, which is located on a dielectric window at the top of the process chamber body or is disposed around the chamber sidewall of the process chamber body. When the coil is disposed around the chamber sidewall of the process chamber body, the process chamber body is made of insulating material. The coil is also connected to an radio frequency power supply, which is used to turn on when the DC power supply is turned off at the end of the pre-ignition process.

4. The semiconductor process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The process chamber body is used to enclose and form a process chamber. The target electrode includes a flow equalization plate. The flow equalization plate and the top wall of the process chamber form a flow equalization cavity. The portion of the flow equalization plate that contacts the process chamber body has an insulating layer.

5. The semiconductor process apparatus according to claim 4, wherein The current equalizer is also connected to an RF power supply, which is used to turn on when the DC power supply is turned off at the end of the pre-ignition process.

6. The semiconductor process apparatus according to any one of claims 2, 4 to 5, wherein The thickness of the insulating layer ranges from 80 μm to 100 μm.

7. The semiconductor process apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by Also includes: A light intensity detection module, comprising a light intensity detection array and a signal processing module, wherein; The light intensity detection array includes multiple photosensitive devices, at least two of which have different characteristic wavelengths. The photosensitive devices are used to detect light intensity information in the process chamber and convert the light intensity information into electrical signals. The electrical signal is used to characterize the light intensity in the process chamber; The signal processing module is used to determine whether the pre-ignition is completed based on the electrical signal. When the pre-ignition is completed, a control signal is generated. The control signal is used to turn off the DC power supply to stop applying DC voltage to the target electrode.

8. The semiconductor process apparatus according to claim 7, wherein The signal processing module determines whether the pre-ignition is completed based on the electrical signal. Specifically, it determines whether the light intensity in the process chamber is greater than a preset threshold based on the electrical signal. If so, it determines that the pre-ignition is completed.

9. The semiconductor process apparatus according to claim 7, wherein The process chamber body includes a transparent area; The photosensitive surface of the photosensitive device faces the transparent region.

10. The semiconductor process apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, 8 to 9, characterized by Also includes: Controller; The controller is configured to, in response to a ignition command, control the DC power supply to apply a DC voltage to the target electrode to pre-ignite the process chamber; or The controller is configured to shut down the DC power supply and turn on the RF power supply at the end of the pre-ignition process.

11. A glow-up control method, characterized by, An application is made in semiconductor process equipment, the semiconductor process equipment comprising: a process chamber body, a target electrode, and a DC power supply, wherein the target electrode is connected to the DC power supply and is insulated from the process chamber body; the ignition control method comprises: In response to the ignition command, the process chamber is pre-ignited based on the target electrode; the pre-ignition process is then executed.

12. A computing device, comprising: It includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the ignition control method according to claim 11.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the ignition control method according to claim 11.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is stored in a computer-readable storage medium; the processor of the computer device reads the computer program from the computer-readable storage medium, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the ignition control method according to claim 11.

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