Film deposition device

Abstract

Provided in the present invention is a film deposition device, comprising: a processing chamber comprising an internal space enclosed by the processing chamber, wherein during film deposition, a substrate is held in a vertical orientation within the processing chamber; a first movable clamping member and a second movable clamping member, which are located within the processing chamber and are used for clamping the substrate in the vertical orientation; a first showerhead arranged opposite a first surface of the substrate and used for supplying a protective gas for purging the first surface of the substrate to the first surface of the substrate during film deposition; a second showerhead arranged opposite a second surface of the substrate and used for supplying a process gas for depositing a film to the second surface of the substrate; and a controller configured to control the two movable clamping members to move toward and contact two opposite sides of the substrate in the vertical direction so as to hold the substrate in the vertical orientation.

Description

Membrane deposition device Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and in particular relates to film deposition apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Film deposition apparatuses are used to deposit films on substrates using techniques such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), and plasma-enhanced pulsed deposition (PEPDL). One type of film deposition apparatus has an upper electrode and a lower electrode, with radio frequency (RF) power applied between the electrodes to excite the process gas into a plasma for depositing films on the substrate.

[0003] In semiconductor film deposition processes, the substrate surface undergoes multiple thin film deposition steps. The adhesion of multiple layers of thin films to the substrate can lead to undesirable stress, resulting in uneven surface stress. Microscopically, this manifests as substrate warping or bending, which affects the accuracy of subsequent processes and consequently the substrate yield.

[0004] Therefore, in view of the problems existing in the prior art, the inventor of this application, based on his many years of experience in this industry, actively researched and improved the technology, and thus the membrane deposition device of this application was developed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this application is to provide a film deposition apparatus to solve the problem of unwanted stress generated after film deposition on the surface of a substrate in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above and other related objectives, this application provides a membrane deposition apparatus, comprising:

[0007] A processing cavity, including an internal space enclosed by the processing cavity, wherein the substrate is held in a vertical position within the processing cavity during the deposition of a film on the second surface of the substrate;

[0008] The first movable clamping member and the second movable clamping member are located in the processing cavity and are used to clamp the substrate in a vertical position.

[0009] A first spray head is directed toward a first surface of the substrate and is used to provide a protective gas to the first surface during the deposition of the film;

[0010] The second spray head faces the second surface and is used to provide process gas for depositing the film onto the second surface;

[0011] The controller is configured to control the first movable clamp and the second movable clamp to move closer to or further away from the substrate in the vertical direction.

[0012] Optionally, the protective gas includes an inactive gas, which includes at least one of N2 and Ar.

[0013] Optionally, it also includes a heating unit disposed within the second spray head for heating the substrate.

[0014] Optionally, the second spray head is connected to a moving mechanism for moving the second spray head, and the controller controls the moving mechanism to drive the second spray head to move so that the distance between the second spray head and the substrate is less than the distance between the first spray head and the substrate.

[0015] Optionally, the system also includes a robotic arm coupled to the controller, which is configured to control the robotic arm to transfer the substrate into the processing cavity before depositing the film, and to control the robotic arm to hold the substrate in a vertical position within the processing cavity.

[0016] Optionally, the robotic arm has at least one electrostatic chuck for adsorbing and holding the substrate.

[0017] Optionally, there are multiple processing chambers, and at least some of the second spray heads in adjacent processing chambers are arranged opposite each other. The two oppositely arranged second spray heads are connected to a common second gas supply source, and the second gas supply source supplies process gas to the two oppositely arranged second spray heads.

[0018] Optionally, there are two processing chambers, and the second gas supply source simultaneously supplies gas to the two second spray heads arranged opposite each other to simultaneously deposit a film on the second surface of the substrate located in the respective processing chamber.

[0019] Optionally, a film may have been deposited on the first surface before the film is deposited on the second surface.

[0020] Optionally, after depositing a film on the second surface, a film is deposited on the first surface.

[0021] Optionally, the membrane material on the first surface is different from that on the second surface.

[0022] Optionally, the process gas includes SiH4 and NH3, or the process gas includes SiH4 and N2O.

[0023] As described above, the film deposition apparatus provided in this application compensates for undesirable stress generated by the film deposition on the first surface of the substrate by depositing a film on the second surface of the substrate, and simultaneously purges protective gas onto the first surface of the substrate during the deposition of the film on the second surface to prevent the process gas of the film deposition on the second surface from spreading to the first surface of the substrate.

[0024] Overview of the attached figures

[0025] The features and performance of the present invention are further described by the following embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a membrane deposition apparatus with multiple processing chambers in one embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first spray head and the second spray head of the membrane deposition apparatus in one embodiment of this application.

[0028] Preferred embodiments of the present invention

[0029] The terms "front", "back", "front", "rear", "upper", "lower", "left", and "right" are used in this specification for ease of explanation and to indicate the position and orientation of the illustrated figures on the paper. The actual configuration of the device during use may differ.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, a film deposition apparatus is typically used to perform the process step of depositing a film on a semiconductor substrate W. The film deposition apparatus shown in Figure 1 includes processing cavities 100 and 200. The number of processing cavities can be two (100 and 200) as shown in the specific embodiment of Figure 1, or a single number or other number of processing cavities. Each processing cavity includes an internal space defined by the walls of the processing cavity. Each processing cavity performs the film deposition operation on a single substrate W within its internal space. The structure within each processing cavity is substantially the same, but slight differences are allowed, such as differences in the structural arrangement within each processing cavity. The following description focuses only on a single processing cavity.

[0031] The processing cavity 100 includes a first movable clamping member 151 and a second movable clamping member 152 located on opposite sides of the substrate W. The two movable clamping members 151 and 152 are configured to approach and contact the opposite sides of the substrate W in a vertical direction to keep the substrate W in an upright position. Before depositing a film on the substrate using the film deposition apparatus described in this application, a robot (not shown) first transfers the substrate W into the processing cavity 100 and holds the substrate W in an upright position within the processing cavity 100. The robot is coupled to and controlled by a controller 300. In some embodiments, the robot is provided with multiple electrostatic chucks for adsorbing and holding the substrate W. The controller 300 controls the robot to adsorb and hold the substrate W using the electrostatic chucks and then transfer the substrate W to a target position within the processing cavity 100. At the target position of the substrate W, the two movable clamping members 151 and 152 are located on opposite sides (e.g., the upper and lower sides) of the vertically positioned substrate W. At this time, the two movable grippers 151 and 152 approach and contact the substrate W in the vertical direction to keep the substrate W vertical, and then the robot arm exits the processing cavity 100. Each movable gripper 151 and 152 is connected to a corresponding vertical motion drive mechanism 153, which is coupled to and controlled by the controller 300. The controller 300 is configured to control the vertical motion drive mechanism 153 to drive the two movable grippers 151 and 152 to approach and contact the opposite sides of the substrate W in the vertical direction to keep the substrate W in a vertical position. To prevent interference between the robot arm and the movable grippers 151 and 152 during the transfer of the substrate, the distance between the two movable grippers 151 and 152 is greater than the distance between the two movable grippers 151 and 152 when the substrate is held by the two movable grippers 151 and 152 during the transfer of the substrate into the processing cavity 100.

[0032] Referring again to the embodiment in FIG1, the processing chamber 100 includes a first spray head 110 located on one side, which is connected to a first gas supply unit G1 via a pipeline, so that the first gas supply unit G1 supplies a first gas to the first spray head 110 via the pipeline. The processing chamber 100 is also provided with a second spray head 120 located on the other side, which is connected to a second gas supply unit G2 via a pipeline, so that the second gas supply unit G2 supplies a second gas to the second spray head 120 via the pipeline. As shown in FIG2, during the process, the substrate W is held vertically between the first spray head 110 and the second spray head 120, with the first surface w1 of the substrate W facing the first spray head 110 and the second surface w2 of the substrate W facing the second spray head 120. The first gas is supplied to the first gas spray head 110 by the first gas supply unit G1 and flows through the inflation cavity 111 from a plurality of air holes 112 to the first surface w1 of the substrate W. The second gas is supplied by the second gas supply unit G2 to the second gas spray head 120 and flows through the gas filling cavity 121 and multiple gas holes 122 to the second surface w2 of the substrate W. The film deposition apparatus of this application compensates for the warpage of the first surface w1 of the substrate W by forming a stress-adjusting film on the second surface w2 of the substrate W. Specifically, the second gas is the process gas for depositing the film on the second surface w2 of the substrate W. For example, if the deposited film is a silicon nitride film, the process gas is selected as SiH4 and NH3; or if the deposited film is a SiO2 film, the process gas is selected as SiH4 and N2O. During the film deposition process on the second surface w2 of the substrate W, the first gas acts as a protective gas, purging the first surface w1 to prevent the process gas from spreading to the first surface w1 of the substrate W. This prevents the film from wrapping around the first surface w1 during the deposition process on the second surface w2, which would cause contamination of the first surface w1. The protective gas can be an inactive gas, such as at least one of N2 and Ar. The film deposited on the second surface w2 can be the same as or different from the film on the first surface w1, as long as it can compensate for the stress generated by the film on the first surface w1. This application does not impose any restrictions on this. It should be noted that the film on the second surface w2 can be deposited after the film on the first surface w1 is deposited, or the film on the first surface w1 can be deposited after the film on the second surface w2 is deposited. Furthermore, the film on the first surface w1 can be deposited in the film deposition apparatus described in Figures 1 and 2 of this application, or it can be deposited in other film deposition apparatuses. This application does not impose any restrictions on this. Returning to Figure 1, in addition, the processing chamber 100 is also provided with a plurality of gas outlets 140 for discharging the gas inside the processing chamber 100.

[0033] Referring to the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the first gas supply unit G1 is further provided with a first gas supply source 11, and a switching valve 12 and a flow valve 13 for regulating the flow rate of the first gas. Similarly, the second gas supply unit G2 is also provided with a second gas supply source 21, and a switching valve 22 and a flow valve 23 for regulating the flow rate of the second gas. The controller 300 is coupled to the switching valve 12 and the flow valve 13, and the controller 300 controls the flow rate of the first gas supplied by the first supply source 11 to the first spray head 110 through the switching valve 12 and the flow valve 13; similarly, the controller 300 is coupled to the switching valve 22 and the flow valve 23, and the controller 300 controls the flow rate of the second gas supplied by the second gas supply source 21 to the second spray head 120 through the switching valve 22 and the flow valve 23.

[0034] The film deposition apparatus may include two processing chambers 100 and 200 as shown in the embodiment of Figure 1, but the number of processing chambers is not limited to this, and may be one or more. In embodiments with multiple processing chambers, the multiple processing chambers may share a gas supply source, but depending on the implementation method, at least some processing chambers may be provided with dedicated gas supply sources. In embodiments with a shared gas supply source, the gas supply unit is provided with a gas supply source for supplying at least one gas, multiple pipelines connected to the gas supply source, each pipeline communicating with one of the multiple processing chambers, and each pipeline is provided with a valve (including the aforementioned on / off valve and flow valve). A controller 300 coupled to the valve controls the gas supply source to supply gas to each of the multiple processing chambers respectively. In order to speed up product processing efficiency, in some embodiments, the number of processing chambers is two, and the second gas supply source simultaneously supplies gas to two second spray heads arranged in opposite directions to simultaneously deposit films on the second surface of the substrate located in each processing chamber.

[0035] Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG2, the second spray head 120 is provided with a heating unit 400 for heating the substrate W. The heating unit 400 is coupled to and controlled by the controller 300. During the film deposition process on the second surface w2, the controller 300 controls the heating unit 400 to heat the substrate W and controls the second gas supply unit G2 to supply a second gas, so that the second gas flows through the second spray head 120 to the second surface w2 to deposit a film on the second surface w2. The second spray head 120 is also connected to a moving mechanism 500, which is coupled to and controlled by the controller 300. The controller 300 controls the moving mechanism 500 to move the second spray head to a position closer to the substrate W than the first spray head 110, so that the heating unit 400 of the second spray head can sufficiently heat the substrate W. In some embodiments, the moving mechanism 500 performs horizontal movement. In a specific embodiment with multiple processing chambers, as shown in FIG1, in order to share certain components, such as a shared gas supply source, the second spray heads 120 of at least some adjacent processing chambers are arranged opposite each other. The two second spray heads 120 can share a gas supply source, and the gas supply source can independently supply gas to each processing chamber. However, this application is not limited to this arrangement of the second spray heads in two adjacent processing chambers. In other embodiments, the first spray head 110 and the second spray head 120 in the same processing chamber are arranged in the left-right direction of the paper in FIG2, that is, the first spray head 110 in the same processing chamber is located on the left side of the paper in FIG2, and the second spray head 120 is located on the right side of the paper in FIG2.

[0036] In this application, the film deposition apparatus deposits a film on the second surface of a substrate to compensate for undesirable stress generated by the film on the first surface of the substrate. During the deposition of the film on the second surface, a protective gas is blown onto the first surface of the substrate to prevent process gases from spreading there, thereby preventing contamination of the first surface during the deposition of the film on the second surface. Furthermore, the second surface of the substrate in this application remains vertical during film deposition, saving internal space in the horizontal direction of the processing chamber.

[0037] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A membrane deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: A processing cavity, including an internal space enclosed by the processing cavity, wherein the substrate is held in a vertical position within the processing cavity during the deposition of a film on the second surface of the substrate; The first movable clamping member and the second movable clamping member are located in the processing cavity and are used to clamp the substrate in a vertical position. A first spray head is directed toward a first surface of the substrate and is used to provide a protective gas to the first surface during the deposition of the film; The second spray head faces the second surface and is used to provide process gas for depositing the film onto the second surface; The controller is configured to control the first movable clamp and the second movable clamp to move closer to or further away from the substrate in the vertical direction.

2. The membrane deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective gas includes an inactive gas, which includes at least one of N2 and Ar.

3. The membrane deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a heating unit disposed inside the second spray head for heating the substrate.

4. The membrane deposition apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second spray head is connected to a moving mechanism for moving the second spray head. The controller controls the moving mechanism to drive the second spray head to move so that the distance between the second spray head and the substrate is less than the distance between the first spray head and the substrate.

5. The membrane deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a robotic arm coupled to the controller, which is further configured to control the robotic arm to transfer the substrate into the processing cavity before depositing the film, and to control the robotic arm to hold the substrate in a vertical position within the processing cavity.

6. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The robotic arm has at least one electrostatic chuck for adsorbing and holding the substrate.

7. The membrane deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of processing chambers is multiple, and at least some of the second spray heads in adjacent processing chambers are arranged opposite each other. The two oppositely arranged second spray heads are connected to a common second gas supply source, and the second gas supply source supplies process gas to the two oppositely arranged second spray heads.

8. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The processing chamber consists of two parts, and the second gas supply source simultaneously supplies gas to the two second spray heads arranged in opposite directions to simultaneously deposit a film on the second surface of the substrate located in each processing chamber.

9. The membrane deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the film is deposited on the second surface, a film has already been deposited on the first surface.

10. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, After depositing a film on the second surface, a film is then deposited on the first surface.

11. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The film on the first surface is made of a different material than the film on the second surface. The membrane deposition apparatus according to claim 11 is characterized in that, The process gas includes SiH4 and NH3 or the process gas includes SiH4 and N2O.

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