Semiconductor process apparatus and plasma source thereof

Abstract

Provided in the present disclosure are a semiconductor process apparatus and a plasma source thereof. The plasma source comprises a dielectric sleeve, a Faraday cylinder, a coil assembly and an ignition driving device. The dielectric sleeve is configured to be arranged at the top of a process chamber of the semiconductor process apparatus, and is in communication with the process chamber; the Faraday cylinder is sleeved on the periphery of the dielectric sleeve, and an opening structure is provided on the peripheral wall of the Faraday cylinder; the coil assembly is sleeved on the periphery of the Faraday cylinder, and the coil assembly comprises a first coil and a movable member, wherein the movable member is movably arranged on the first coil and is electrically connected to the first coil; the ignition driving device is configured to drive the movable member to move between a first position and a second position; when in the first position, the movable member is located in the opening structure; and when in the second position, the movable member is farther away from the dielectric sleeve than when in the first position.

Description

Semiconductor process equipment and its plasma source Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor processing technology, and more specifically, to a semiconductor process apparatus and its plasma source. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of semiconductor processing technology, photoresist removal is a critical process that requires rapid removal of photoresist to ensure overall production efficiency. Currently, plasma technology is commonly used to remove photoresist from wafer surfaces; therefore, the plasma source needs to meet the requirements of high speed and high power. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure addresses the shortcomings of existing methods by proposing a semiconductor process apparatus and its plasma source, which can achieve stable and rapid ignition to improve the etching rate of photoresist.

[0004] To achieve the objectives of this disclosure, a plasma source is provided for use in semiconductor process equipment, comprising:

[0005] A dielectric sleeve is disposed on top of the process chamber of the semiconductor process equipment and communicates with the process chamber;

[0006] A Faraday cylinder, wherein the Faraday cylinder is sleeved on the outer periphery of the medium sleeve, and an opening structure is provided on the peripheral wall of the Faraday cylinder;

[0007] A coil assembly, the coil assembly being sleeved on the outer periphery of the Faraday cylinder, and the coil assembly including a first coil and a movable member, the movable member being movably disposed on the first coil and electrically connected to the first coil; and

[0008] An ignition drive device is used to drive the movable part to move between a first position and a second position;

[0009] Wherein, when the movable part is in the first position, the movable part is at least partially located in the opening structure;

[0010] Wherein, when the movable member is in the second position, the movable member is further away from the medium sleeve than when the movable member is in the first position.

[0011] As another technical solution, this disclosure also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, the semiconductor process apparatus comprising: a process chamber; and the aforementioned plasma source for providing plasma to the process chamber.

[0012] This disclosure has the following technical effects:

[0013] The plasma source disclosed herein, applied to semiconductor process equipment, includes: a dielectric sleeve, a Faraday cylinder, a coil assembly, and an ignition drive device. The semiconductor process equipment disclosed herein includes a process chamber and the aforementioned plasma source for supplying plasma to the process chamber. The dielectric sleeve is disposed on top of the process chamber of the semiconductor process equipment and communicates with the process chamber. The Faraday cylinder is sleeved on the outer periphery of the dielectric sleeve, and an opening structure is formed in the peripheral wall of the Faraday cylinder. The coil assembly is sleeved on the outer periphery of the Faraday cylinder, and the coil assembly includes a first coil and a movable member. The movable member is movably disposed on and electrically connected to the first coil. Thus, the movable member can serve as an extension of the first coil, thereby allowing adjustment of the overall electric field distribution near the first coil as needed. The ignition drive device is used to move the movable member between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the movable member is located within the opening structure. In the second position, the movable member is further away from the dielectric sleeve compared to the first position. In the ignition step, the movable component is in the first position. In this position, the movable component is located in the open structure of the Faraday cage, close to the dielectric sleeve and unaffected by the Faraday cage. At this time, the electric field generated at the movable component, which is electrically connected to the first coil, increases the internal electric field strength of the corresponding part of the dielectric sleeve, i.e., it increases the local electric field strength inside the dielectric sleeve, thereby improving ignition efficiency and solving the technical problem of difficult ignition. In particular, it solves the problem of further ignition difficulties caused by the reduced electric field due to the Faraday cage. After the ignition step, the main process steps need to be performed. Therefore, the movable component can be quickly moved to the second position by the ignition drive device. In the second position, the movable component is away from the dielectric sleeve. At this time, the electric field generated at the movable component does not damage the dielectric sleeve, thus ensuring the safe execution of the main process steps. Therefore, the plasma source provided in this disclosure can adjust the electric field near the first coil as needed to meet the electric field strength requirements of each stage of the semiconductor process, so as to improve ignition efficiency without damaging the dielectric sleeve due to excessive electric field strength during the process. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a semiconductor process apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a plasma source according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the plasma source according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a plasma source according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the coil assembly and ignition drive device of the plasma source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the coil assembly of the plasma source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the moving parts of the coil assembly of the plasma source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 is a partial schematic diagram of the movable part of the coil assembly of the plasma source in a first position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 9 is a partial schematic diagram of the movable part of the coil assembly of the plasma source in the second position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the transmission structure of the ignition drive device of the plasma source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the opening structure of the Faraday tube of the plasma source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the first coil of the coil assembly of the plasma source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 13 is a partial schematic diagram of the support structure of the plasma source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 14 is a comparison of the ignition time of plasma sources in related technologies and plasma sources in embodiments of this disclosure under the same number of ignitions.

[0029] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the electric field intensity inside the dielectric sleeve of the plasma source in the related technology during the ignition step.

[0030] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the electric field intensity of the dielectric sleeve of the plasma source in this embodiment of the present disclosure during the ignition step.

[0031] List of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Semiconductor process equipment; 2. Plasma source; 3. Process chamber; 4. Support device; 10. Dielectric sleeve; 20. Faraday cylinder; 21. Opening structure; 22. First opening; 23. Second opening; 30. Coil assembly; 31. First coil; 32. Moving part; 321. Ignition part; 322. Sleeve part; 323. Bias part; 324. Connecting section; 34. Sub-moving part; 35. Second coil; 36. Input end; 37. Output end; 40. Ignition drive device; 41. Linear drive source; 42. Transmission structure; 43. Drive shaft; 50. Air intake assembly; 60. Support structure; P1. First position; P2. Second position. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The present disclosure is described in detail below. Examples of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components or components having the same or similar functions throughout. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of known technologies that are unnecessary for the features of the present disclosure illustrated are omitted. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are used only to explain the present disclosure, and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0033] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have the same meaning as in the context of the prior art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless specifically defined as herein.

[0034] In related technologies, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) sources are used for photoresist stripping processes. An ICP source includes a coil, a Faraday cage, and a dielectric sleeve. The coil is wound around the outer periphery of the dielectric sleeve and, when energized, generates an electromagnetic field around the sleeve, ionizing the process gas inside the sleeve to form plasma. The plasma is input into the process chamber to perform a dry photoresist stripping process on the wafer. The Faraday cage is positioned between the dielectric sleeve and the coil to reduce capacitive coupling, thereby minimizing the risk of damage to the delicate surface structure of the wafer and ensuring processing quality.

[0035] Because the main etching step in the resist stripping process is extremely short, requiring a high resist etching rate within a short time, it places extremely high demands on the reliability and stability of the entire system. Therefore, the plasma source needs to have rapid ignition capability. However, directly using high-power ignition during the ignition process would subject the coil to extremely high voltage, posing a risk of damage. To avoid this, actual production typically employs a power transition process that gradually switches from a low-power ignition step to a high-power main etching step, which significantly impacts the ignition speed. Furthermore, while Faraday cages can effectively reduce capacitive coupling and protect the wafer, their arrangement and operating mechanism also lead to difficulties in ignition and poor ignition repeatability.

[0036] The technical solutions of this disclosure and how they solve the above-mentioned technical problems will be described in detail below with specific embodiments.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, this embodiment of the present disclosure provides a plasma source 2, applied to a semiconductor process apparatus 1. As shown in Figure 1, the semiconductor process apparatus 1 includes a process chamber 3. The process chamber 3 is used to provide a vacuum process environment.

[0038] In some embodiments, semiconductor process equipment 1 can be used to perform a photoresist stripping process.

[0039] In some embodiments, the process chamber 3 may be made of an insulating material. In some embodiments, the cavity of the process chamber 3 may be vertical.

[0040] In this embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 to 13, the plasma source 2 includes a dielectric sleeve 10, a Faraday cylinder 20, a coil assembly 30, and an ignition drive device 40. The dielectric sleeve 10 is disposed on top of the process chamber 3 of the semiconductor process equipment 1 and communicates with the process chamber 3. The Faraday cylinder 20 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the dielectric sleeve 10. An opening structure 21 is formed on the peripheral wall of the Faraday cylinder 20. The coil assembly 30 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the Faraday cylinder 20. The coil assembly 30 generates an electric field around the dielectric sleeve 10. The coil assembly 30 includes a first coil 31 and a movable member 32. The movable member 32 is movably disposed on the first coil 31 and electrically connected to the first coil 31. The ignition drive device 40 is used to drive the movable member 32 to move between a first position P1 and a second position P2. When the movable member 32 is in the first position P1, the movable member 32 is located in the opening structure 21. When the movable part 32 is in the second position P2, the movable part 32 is further away from the medium sleeve 10 compared to when the movable part 32 is in the first position P1.

[0041] In some embodiments, when the movable member 32 is in the second position P2, the movable member 32 may be located outside the opening structure 21.

[0042] In some embodiments, the movable element 32 is made of a conductive material.

[0043] Ignition efficiency is related to the electric field strength inside the dielectric sleeve, which is affected by the coil voltage and the path the electric field takes. For example, the relationship between the electric field strength and the coil voltage and path the electric field takes can be expressed by the following formula:

[0044] Formula 1: E=U / d

[0045] Where E represents the electric field strength, U represents the coil voltage (e.g., the first coil 31), and d represents the electric field path that the electric field generated by the coil takes to reach the interior of the dielectric sleeve. With the coil voltage U remaining constant, the electric field strength E is negatively correlated with the electric field path d. The shorter the distance between the coil and the dielectric sleeve, the shorter the electric field path d, and the higher the electric field strength E inside the dielectric sleeve. In other words, the closer the dielectric sleeve is to the coil, the higher the electric field strength inside it.

[0046] In related technologies, plasma sources, due to the presence of a Faraday cage to reduce capacitive coupling, cannot restrict the shortening of the electric field path d. Therefore, the electric field strength E can only be increased by increasing the coil voltage U. Related technologies typically increase the electric field strength E by increasing the coil voltage U. However, because the Faraday cage's effect in reducing capacitive coupling is very significant, even with increased coil voltage U, related technologies still suffer from ignition difficulties and poor ignition repeatability. For example, as shown in Figure 14, during 20 ignition attempts, the ignition time of existing plasma sources ranged from 0.8 s to 3 s, exhibiting long ignition times and large fluctuations. Furthermore, during the ignition process of existing plasma sources, the coil impedance is high due to the incomplete plasma formation, resulting in an extremely high coil voltage U. To prevent equipment damage (e.g., breakdown of insulating components), the increase in coil voltage U in related technologies is limited by equipment limitations. Therefore, the increase in electric field strength E by related technologies is limited. For example, as shown in Figure 15, the maximum electric field strength E inside the dielectric sleeve of a plasma source in the prior art is approximately 2000 V / m.

[0047] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 to 9, the movable member 32 can serve as an extension of the first coil 31, thereby allowing adjustment of the overall electric field distribution near the first coil 31 as needed. As shown in Figure 16, during the ignition step, when the movable member 32 is in the first position P1, it is located at least partially within the opening structure 21 of the Faraday cylinder 20, close to the dielectric sleeve 10 and unaffected by the Faraday cylinder 20. At this time, the electric field generated at the movable member 32, which is electrically connected to the first coil 31, is sufficiently close to the dielectric sleeve 10 to reduce the electric field path d, thereby increasing the electric field strength E of the corresponding portion of the dielectric sleeve 10. In other words, in this embodiment, the plasma source 2 can position the movable member 32 in the first position P1 during the ignition step to increase the local electric field strength inside the dielectric sleeve 10, allowing seed electrons (i.e., the electrons required for initial ignition) to quickly move to the region with high electric field strength inside the dielectric sleeve 10, thereby shortening the ignition time, improving ignition efficiency, and solving the technical problem of difficult ignition.

[0048] Furthermore, in the plasma source 2 of this embodiment, when a Faraday cylinder 20 is provided, the extension portion (i.e., the movable member 32) of the first coil 31 is inserted into the interior of the Faraday cylinder 20, effectively solving the problem of ignition difficulties further exacerbated by the reduction of the electric field caused by the Faraday cylinder 20 during the ignition process. Compared with related technologies, the plasma source 2 of this embodiment can stably shorten the ignition time and has a small fluctuation range in the ignition time for each time, thereby increasing the ignition repeatability.

[0049] After the ignition step is completed, the main process steps (e.g., the main etching step) need to be performed. For this purpose, the ignition drive device 40 can quickly move the movable part 32 to the second position P2. In the second position P2, the movable part 32 is further away from the dielectric sleeve 10 compared to the first position P1. For example, the movable part 32 in the second position P2 may be outside the opening structure 21 of the Faraday cylinder 20, and therefore the movable part 32 is relatively far away from the dielectric sleeve 10 and affected by the Faraday cylinder 20. At this time, the electric field generated at the movable part 32 does not damage the dielectric sleeve 10, thereby ensuring the safe execution of the main process steps, for example, by gradually switching the power supply to a high power for the main etching step.

[0050] The plasma source 2 of this embodiment can adjust the electric field distribution near the first coil 31 as needed to meet the electric field strength requirements of each stage of the semiconductor process, so as to improve the ignition efficiency without damaging the dielectric sleeve 10 due to excessive electric field strength during the main process steps.

[0051] In some embodiments, when the movable member 32 is in the first position P1, the minimum distance between the movable member 32 and the dielectric sleeve 10 is in the range of 2 mm to 5 mm. Thus, as shown in FIG14, the embodiments of this disclosure can ensure that the electric field strength E is increased to control the ignition time within 1 second to meet the requirement of ignition repeatability.

[0052] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the movable member 32 may include an ignition portion 321. The ignition portion 321 has an ignition surface. When the movable member 32 is in the first position P1, the ignition surface faces the medium sleeve 10.

[0053] In some embodiments, the ignition surface may be a plane. In some embodiments, when the movable member 32 is in the first position P1, at least a portion of the plane may be kept within the aforementioned minimum distance from the medium sleeve 10.

[0054] In some embodiments, the ignition surface may be curved.

[0055] In some embodiments, the ignition surface can be a cylindrical curved surface. When the movable member 32 is in the first position P1, the cylindrical curved surface is configured to be concentric with the medium sleeve 10, and each position of the cylindrical curved surface can be maintained within the aforementioned minimum distance range from the medium sleeve 10.

[0056] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 9, the ignition drive device 40 can be used to apply a driving force to the movable member 32, causing the movable member 32 to move from a first position P1 to a second position P2. The movable member 32 is configured to return from the second position P2 to the first position P1 when the driving force is released. For example, the movable member 32 can be returned to its original position using gravity, elasticity, or other methods, detailed examples of which will be described below. In this embodiment, the movable member 32 is pre-set to the first position P1 before the ignition step begins, so that ignition can be performed directly during ignition. In semiconductor processing, a rapid transition from the ignition step to the main process step (e.g., the main etching step) is required, therefore the movable member 32 needs to move rapidly from the first position P1 to the second position P2. To address this, in this embodiment, the plasma source 2 applies a driving force to the movable member 32 via the ignition drive device 40, causing it to move rapidly from the first position P1 to the second position P2, thereby minimizing the interval between the completion time of ignition and the start time of the main process step. In addition, there are other steps such as changing the workpiece between the end of the main process step and the start of the next ignition step, and the interval is relatively long. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of the equipment, the movable part 32 does not need to be driven to reset to the first position P1 by the driving force of the ignition drive device 40.

[0057] In some embodiments, the movable member 32 can also be reset by the driving force (e.g., reverse driving force) of the ignition drive device 40. In this case, the movable member 32 can be pre-set to the second position P2 before the ignition step begins, and then quickly moved to the first position P1 by the driving force of the ignition drive device 40 after the ignition step begins to ignite, so as to avoid the dielectric sleeve 10 being damaged by excessively high electric field strength before the ignition step begins.

[0058] In some embodiments, the ignition drive device 40 can also be used to apply a driving force to the movable member 32 to move the movable member 32 from the second position P2 to the first position P1. Furthermore, the movable member 32 can be configured to return from the first position P1 to the second position P2 when the driving force is released.

[0059] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 5, the ignition drive device 40 may include a linear drive source 41 and a transmission structure 42. The linear drive source 41 provides linear power for axial movement of the first coil 31. A movable member 32 is rotatably disposed on the first coil 31. The transmission structure 42, when the linear drive source 41 provides linear power, contacts the drive shaft 43 of the linear drive source 41 and drives the movable member 32 to rotate from a first position P1 to a second position P2. When the linear drive source 41 stops providing linear power and the drive shaft 43 retracts, the transmission structure 42 separates from the drive shaft 43, causing the movable member 32 to reset from the second position P2 to the first position P1. Thus, the drive shaft 43 of the linear drive source 41 can remain in contact with the transmission structure 42 during the movement from the first position P1 to the second position P2, providing linear power to the transmission structure 42.

[0060] In some embodiments, the linear drive source 41 may be a drive device such as a cylinder or a hydraulic actuator.

[0061] In some embodiments, during the movement from the second position P2 to the first position P1, the drive shaft 43 of the linear drive source 41 can be separated from the transmission structure 42 to avoid hindering the resetting process of the movable member 32. In other embodiments, the drive shaft 43 of the linear drive source 41 can be slowly retracted to maintain contact with the transmission structure 42 during the movement from the second position P2 to the first position P1, allowing the movable member 32 to slowly reset to the first position P1.

[0062] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the movable member 32 can be rotated about its rotation axis to move between a first position P1 and a second position P2.

[0063] In some embodiments, the movable member 32 can be configured to be in an unbalanced state in the second position P2 and in a balanced state in the first position P1, thereby enabling it to reset to the first position P1. In this embodiment, the unbalanced state can be understood as the situation where, in the second position P2, the net external force and the net torque acting on the movable member 32 are not zero, causing the net forces acting on the movable member 32 in all directions to cause the movable member 32 to tend to return to the first position, thus placing the movable member 32 in an unbalanced state. For example, the unbalanced state can include a gravitational unbalanced state and an elastic unbalanced state.

[0064] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the movable member 32 achieves gravitational equilibrium when it is in the first position P1. At this time, when the linear drive source 41 stops providing linear power and the drive shaft 43 retracts, the movable member 32 generates a restoring force to return to the first position P1 due to gravitational imbalance (i.e., the gravitational imbalance state described above) under the action of gravity.

[0065] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 to 9, the movable member 32 can rotate about its rotation axis to move between a first position P1 and a second position P2. The movable member 32 can be configured such that, when in the second position P2, its center of gravity is higher than the center of gravity of the rotation axis. Thus, the movable member 32 can be rotated back to the first position P1 under the influence of gravity about its rotation axis.

[0066] In some embodiments, the transmission structure 42 may include an elastic element (not shown). The elastic element is configured to elastically deform when the movable element 32 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, thereby applying a restoring force to the movable element 32 to return it to the first position P1 (i.e., the elastic imbalance state described above). In this case, the elastic force applied by the elastic element is much smaller than the driving force provided by the ignition drive device 40, and therefore has no effect on the movement of the movable element 32 from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

[0067] In some embodiments, the transmission structure 42 may include an elastic element that provides a restoring force to the movable member 32. Simultaneously, the movable member 32 may also generate a restoring force under the influence of gravity due to gravitational imbalance.

[0068] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the movable member 32 may further include the aforementioned ignition portion 321, a biasing portion 323 extending radially from the rotation shaft, and a connecting portion 324. The ignition portion 321 may be arranged parallel to the biasing portion 323. One end of the connecting portion 324 is connected to the rotation shaft via the biasing portion 323, and the other end of the connecting portion 324 is connected to the ignition portion 321. The radial extension length of the biasing portion 323 in the rotation shaft direction is less than the radial distance between the ignition portion 321 and the rotation shaft. This ensures that the radial distance between the connecting portion 324 and the rotation shaft is less than the radial distance between the ignition portion 321 and the rotation shaft. Therefore, during the rotation of the movable member 32, the connecting portion 324 can avoid approaching the dielectric sleeve 10, thereby preventing the dielectric sleeve 10 from being damaged by excessively high electric field strength.

[0069] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7, the biasing portion 323, the connecting portion 324, and the ignition portion 321 together define a U-shaped biasing structure. The connecting portion 324 forms the lateral bottom edge of the biasing structure (U-shaped structure), and the biasing portion 323 and the ignition portion 321 respectively form the two longitudinal sides of the biasing structure. The connecting portion 324 may be perpendicular to both the biasing portion 323 and the ignition portion 321. In this case, the extension length of the connecting portion 324 between the biasing portion 323 and the ignition portion 321 is equal to the radial distance between the ignition portion 321 and the rotation axis. In other words, the radial extension length of the biasing portion 323 along the rotation axis is less than the aforementioned extension length of the connecting portion 324.

[0070] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7 to 9, the movable member 32 may include a sleeve portion 322 for being fitted onto the first coil 31, so as to be rotatably disposed on the first coil 31 via the sleeve portion 322. In this case, the sleeve portion 322 may be formed as a rotation shaft of the movable member 32.

[0071] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG12, the first coil 31 may have a ring-shaped structure.

[0072] In some embodiments, the material of the movable part 32 may be a conductive metal, such as copper, silver, gold, etc.

[0073] In some embodiments, the transmission structure 42 and the movable member 32 can be connected by threads. The transmission structure 42 may have a certain degree of elasticity. The transmission structure 42 can elastically deform when driving the movable member 32 to rotate, so as to cooperate with the rotation of the movable member 32 around the first coil 31.

[0074] In some embodiments, the transmission structure 42 and the movable member 32 can be slidably connected to the elongated hole structure via a connecting portion. When the transmission structure 42 drives the movable member 32 to rotate, the connecting portion between the movable member 32 and the transmission structure 42 slides in the elongated hole structure to accommodate the rotation of the movable member 32 around the first coil 31.

[0075] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, and 6, in the first position P1 and / or the second position P2, the drive shaft 43 of the linear drive source 41 can remain in contact with the transmission structure 42 to keep the movable member 32 stably and balanced in its current position. Furthermore, in response to the movable member 32 moving from the second position P2 to the first position P1, the linear drive source 41 stops providing linear power to the drive shaft 43 and retracts it, causing the movable member 32 to be in an unbalanced state in the second position P2, thereby resetting it to the first position P1.

[0076] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 6, there can be multiple opening structures 21, spaced apart circumferentially along the Faraday cylinder 20. There are multiple movable elements 32, each corresponding to one of the multiple opening structures 21. In other words, the movable elements 32 are spaced apart circumferentially along the Faraday cylinder 20. For example, as shown in Figure 15, in an embodiment of the plasma source 2 provided with multiple movable elements 32, the electric field strength E inside the dielectric sleeve can reach a maximum of approximately 12000 V / m, far exceeding the electric field strength achievable by related technologies. Furthermore, compared to related technologies, the plasma source 2 of this embodiment can stably shorten the ignition time to within 0.68 s to 1 s, with a small time fluctuation range, thereby increasing ignition repeatability. Thus, after the process begins, the movable element 32 can stably switch from the first position P1 to the second position P2 within 1 s.

[0077] In some embodiments, the opening structure 21 and the movable member 32 can be evenly spaced along the circumference of the Faraday cylinder 20.

[0078] In some embodiments, the number of opening structures 21 and movable members 32 is eight, but the specific number of opening structures 21 is not limited in this disclosure. Providing multiple movable members 32 can further accelerate the ignition speed.

[0079] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2, FIG5 and FIG10, the ignition drive device 40 can be used to synchronously drive multiple moving parts 32 to move between a first position P1 and a second position P2.

[0080] In some embodiments, the ignition drive device 40 includes a linear drive source 41 and a transmission structure 42. The transmission structure 42 can be used to drive multiple movable parts 32 to rotate synchronously from a first position P1 to a second position P2 when the linear drive source 41 provides linear power. Thus, multiple movable parts 32 can be driven by the same linear drive source 41 to rotate synchronously to the second position P2, so as to provide a uniformly distributed electric field to the dielectric sleeve 10, and at the same time simplify the structure used for ignition drive.

[0081] In some embodiments, the transmission structure 42 may include an annular structure around the outer periphery of the first coil 31, and when subjected to linear power provided by the linear drive source 41, the transmission structure 42 with the annular structure may move along the axial direction of the Faraday cylinder 20.

[0082] In some embodiments, the transmission structure 42 may further include an extension for form-fitting contact with the drive shaft 43 of the linear drive source 41. It should be noted that the transmission structure 42 may also include multiple sub-transmission structures, each of which can respectively move a corresponding individual moving member 32.

[0083] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 4 and Figure 11, the opening structure 21 may include at least two first openings 22. The at least two first openings 22 are spaced apart along the axial direction of the Faraday cylinder 20. There are at least two first coils 31, each corresponding to one of the at least two first openings 22. The movable member 32 includes at least two sub-movable members 34. The at least two sub-movable members 34 are movably disposed in relation to the at least two first coils 31. When the ignition drive device 40 moves the movable member 32 between a first position P1 and a second position P2, the ignition drive device 40 is used to move each sub-movable member 34 between the first sub-position and the second sub-position. In other words, when the movable member 32 is in the first position P1, the sub-movable member 34 is in the first sub-position. When the movable member 32 is in the second position P2, the sub-movable member 34 is in the second sub-position. In the first sub-position, the at least two sub-movable members 34 are located in the at least two first openings 22 in a one-to-one correspondence. In the second sub-position, at least two sub-moving elements 34 are further away from the dielectric sleeve 10 compared to the first sub-moving element position. As a result, the first coil 31 can be closer to the top and bottom ends of the Faraday cylinder 20, respectively. The electric field strength at both ends along the axial direction inside the dielectric sleeve 10 is increased, the electric field strength in the dissociation region is enhanced, and the gas entering the interior from the top of the dielectric sleeve 10 is fully dissociated, thereby improving the ignition efficiency of the plasma source 2 and the main process efficiency (e.g., the efficiency of the main etching step).

[0084] It should be noted that in embodiments with sub-moving element 34, the above description of moving element 32 can also be applied to sub-moving element 34. In this case, the ignition drive device 40 may include at least two linear drive sources 41 to drive the sub-moving element 34 respectively, or the sub-moving element 34 may be driven synchronously by the same linear drive source 41.

[0085] In some embodiments, at least two first coils 31 may be connected in parallel so that when power is applied, the current direction in each first coil 31 is the same, thereby making the temperature rise of the dielectric sleeve 10 more uniform.

[0086] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG11, the ignition part 321 can be matched with the shape of the first opening 22 to increase the area facing the dielectric sleeve 10, thereby obtaining a sufficiently high electric field strength inside the dielectric sleeve 10 in a larger area. It should be noted that since the coil assembly 30 has an extremely high voltage, and the Faraday cylinder 20 is a grounded structure, the size of the ignition part 321 is set to have a gap with the edge of the first opening 22 to avoid breakdown, thus meeting the overall withstand voltage requirements of the device. Based on this, when the movable part 32 moves between the first position P1 and the second position P2, it will not contact the Faraday cylinder 20, thereby avoiding problems such as short circuits or electromagnetic interference.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first opening 22 can be a rectangular structure, and the ignition part 321 can also be a rectangular structure, especially a square structure.

[0088] In some embodiments, the width of the ignition part 321 is set to 35 mm to 45 mm and the thickness is set to 2 mm to 20 mm, so that the ignition part 321 has a sufficient cross-sectional perimeter, thereby ensuring the flow resistance of the ignition part 321.

[0089] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 4 and Figure 11, the opening structure 21 may further include a second opening 23. The second opening 23 extends axially along the Faraday cylinder 20 and communicates with the first opening 22.

[0090] In some embodiments, the second opening 23 is in communication with at least two first openings 22.

[0091] In some embodiments, there may be two first openings 22 and two first coils 31, with the two first openings 22 located at the top and bottom of the second opening 23, respectively.

[0092] In some embodiments, the circumferential dimension of the second opening 23 in the Faraday cylinder 20 is different from the circumferential dimension of the first opening 22 in the Faraday cylinder 20. In some embodiments, the circumferential dimension of each first opening 22 in the Faraday cylinder 20 is greater than the circumferential dimension of the second opening 23 in the Faraday cylinder 20.

[0093] In some embodiments, the coil assembly 30 further includes a second coil 35, which is disposed corresponding to the second opening 23. The second coil 35 can be fed with an electric field through the second opening 23. In related technologies, plasma sources use power supplies up to 5000W in the main etching step. Simply increasing the power supply is insufficient to improve the overall rate of free radical dissociation, and improving efficiency is extremely costly. In contrast, the plasma source 2 of this embodiment can achieve a higher efficiency inductively coupled plasma source with the same power.

[0094] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 4 and Figure 11, the second opening 23 can be a rectangular structure.

[0095] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 6 and 11, the second coil 35 can be a three-layered coil structure, which can be a spiral structure integrally formed from a copper tube.

[0096] In an embodiment providing two first coils 31, as shown in FIG6, the second coil 35 may include an input terminal 36 and an output terminal 37. The input terminal 36 is connected to one of the two first coils 31, and the output terminal 37 is connected to the other of the two first coils 31. Thus, the first coils 31 and the second coil 35 are connected in series.

[0097] In some embodiments, the first coil 31 has a coil connection portion for connection with the input terminal 36 and the output terminal 37 of the second coil 35.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first coil 31 and the second coil 35 may be connected in parallel.

[0099] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 to 6 and Figure 13, the plasma source 2 further includes a support structure 60 disposed on the outer periphery of the Faraday cylinder 20, and the coil assembly 30 is disposed on the Faraday cylinder 20 via the support structure 60. The support structure 60 extends axially along the Faraday cylinder 20, and its axial length is sufficient to cover all openings of the opening structure 21. In embodiments providing multiple support structures 60, the support structures 60 are evenly spaced circumferentially around the outer periphery of the Faraday cylinder 20. Specifically, the support structure 60 may be a support structure made of resin material, and the support structure 60 may be installed on the outer periphery of the Faraday cylinder 20 by multiple fasteners (e.g., threaded structures), and the support structure 60 has multiple grooves for accommodating and limiting the shape-fitting assembly of the coils (e.g., the first coil 31 and the second coil 35) of the coil assembly 30. This design simplifies the structure of the plasma source 2, thereby significantly improving the efficiency of disassembly and maintenance. It should be noted that the specific number of support structures 60 is not limited in the embodiments disclosed herein. For example, the number of support structures 60 can be four, and those skilled in the art can adjust the setting according to the actual situation.

[0100] The plasma source 2 of this embodiment can be used to perform a descaling process, but this embodiment is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can adjust the settings according to actual conditions. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dielectric sleeve 10 of the plasma source 2 is, for example, a tubular structure made of quartz material, but this embodiment is not limited thereto. The bottom end of the dielectric sleeve 10 is used to connect to the top end of the process chamber 3, and the top end of the dielectric sleeve 10 can be provided with an air inlet assembly 50 for introducing process gas into the dielectric sleeve 10. The coil assembly 30 can form an electromagnetic field around the dielectric sleeve 10 to ionize the process gas inside the dielectric sleeve 10 to form plasma. The Faraday cylinder 20 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the dielectric sleeve 10 to reduce the coupling of the electric field to the plasma, make the plasma sheath layer uniform, reduce local corrosion of the inner wall of the dielectric sleeve 10, and also reduce the ion energy in plasma generation.

[0101] As another technical solution, as shown in Figures 1 to 13, this disclosure also provides a semiconductor process apparatus 1. The semiconductor process apparatus 1 includes a process chamber 3 and the aforementioned plasma source 2, used to supply plasma to the process chamber 3. In this embodiment, the movable element 32 can serve as an extension of the first coil 31, thereby allowing adjustment of the overall electric field distribution near the first coil 31 as needed. As shown in Figure 16, during the ignition step, the movable element 32 is in a first position P1. In this case, the movable element 32 is located in the opening structure 21 of the Faraday cylinder 20, close to the dielectric sleeve 10 and unaffected by the Faraday cylinder 20. At this time, the electric field generated at the movable element 32, which is electrically connected to the first coil 31, is sufficiently close to the dielectric sleeve 10 to reduce the path d of the electric field, thereby increasing the intensity of the internal electric field E in the corresponding part of the dielectric sleeve 10. In other words, in this embodiment, the plasma source 2 can position the movable element 32 at the first position P1 during the ignition step to increase the local electric field strength inside the dielectric sleeve 10. This allows seed electrons (electrons required for initial ignition) to quickly move to the region with high electric field strength inside the dielectric sleeve 10, thereby shortening the ignition time, improving ignition efficiency, and solving the technical problem of difficult ignition. Furthermore, in the embodiment where the plasma source 2 includes a Faraday cylinder 20, the extension portion (movable element 32) of the first coil 31 can be inserted into the interior of the Faraday cylinder 20, thus solving the problem of ignition difficulties further exacerbated by the reduced electric field caused by the Faraday cylinder 20 during the ignition step. Compared with related technologies, the plasma source 2 in this embodiment can stably shorten the ignition time, and the fluctuation range of each ignition time is small, thereby increasing ignition repeatability. After the ignition step, a main process step (e.g., a main etching step) is required. For this purpose, the movable element 32 can be quickly moved to the second position P2 by the ignition drive device 40. In the second position P2, the movable member 32 is outside the opening structure 21 of the Faraday cylinder 20, and is therefore relatively far from the dielectric sleeve 10 and affected by the Faraday cylinder 20. At this time, the electric field generated at the movable member 32 does not damage the dielectric sleeve 10, thus ensuring the safe execution of the main process steps. Therefore, the plasma source 2 of this embodiment can adjust the electric field near the first coil 31 as needed to meet the electric field strength requirements of each stage of the semiconductor process, thereby improving ignition efficiency without damaging the dielectric sleeve 10 due to excessive electric field strength during the main process steps.

[0102] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1, a support device 4 is provided at the bottom of the process chamber 3. The top surface of the support device 4 can be used to support the wafer and can heat the wafer.

[0103] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of this disclosure, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of this disclosure, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0104] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms “center,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” and “outer,” 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 disclosure and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element 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 of this disclosure.

[0105] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0106] In the description of this disclosure, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this disclosure based on the specific circumstances.

[0107] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0108] The above description is only a partial embodiment of this disclosure. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of this disclosure, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A plasma source used in semiconductor process equipment, wherein, include: A dielectric sleeve is disposed on top of the process chamber of the semiconductor process equipment and communicates with the process chamber; A Faraday cylinder, wherein the Faraday cylinder is sleeved on the outer periphery of the medium sleeve, and an opening structure is provided on the peripheral wall of the Faraday cylinder; A coil assembly is sleeved on the outer periphery of the Faraday cylinder, and the coil assembly includes a first coil and a movable member, the movable member being movably disposed on the first coil and electrically connected to the first coil; as well as An ignition drive device is used to drive the movable part to move between a first position and a second position; Wherein, when the movable part is in the first position, the movable part is at least partially located in the opening structure; Wherein, when the movable member is in the second position, the movable member is further away from the medium sleeve than when the movable member is in the first position.

2. The plasma source according to claim 1, wherein, The ignition drive device is used to apply a driving force to the movable part, so that the movable part moves from the first position to the second position. The movable component is configured to be able to return from the second position to the first position when the driving force is released.

3. The plasma source according to claim 2, wherein, The movable element is rotatably disposed on the first coil, and the ignition drive device includes: A linear drive source, the linear drive source being used to provide linear power for axial movement along the first coil; and A transmission structure is provided for contacting the drive shaft of the linear drive source when the linear drive source provides the linear power, and for driving the movable part to rotate from the first position to the second position. The transmission structure is further configured to separate from the drive shaft when the linear drive source stops providing the linear power and the drive shaft retracts, so that the movable part is reset from the second position to the first position.

4. The plasma source according to claim 3, wherein, When the movable component is in the first position, it achieves gravitational balance. When the linear drive source stops providing the linear power and the drive shaft retracts, the movable component generates a restoring force to return to the first position due to gravitational imbalance under the action of gravity.

5. The plasma source according to claim 4, wherein, The movable element moves between the first position and the second position by rotating about its axis of rotation; When the movable part is in the second position, the center of gravity of the movable part is higher than the center of gravity of the rotation axis.

6. The plasma source according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein, The transmission structure includes: An elastic element is configured to produce elastic deformation when the movable element moves from the first position to the second position, thereby applying a restoring force to the movable element to return it to the first position.

7. The plasma source according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The movable member rotates about its axis of rotation to move between the first position and the second position, and the movable member further includes: A biasing portion extending radially from the rotation axis along the transmission shaft; An ignition section, wherein the ignition section is arranged parallel to the biasing section; and A connecting section, one end of which is connected to the rotating shaft via the biasing section, and the other end of which is connected to the ignition section; Wherein, the extension length of the biasing part in the radial direction of the rotating shaft is less than the radial distance between the ignition part and the rotating shaft.

8. The plasma source according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The Faraday cylinder has multiple opening structures on its peripheral wall; The coil assembly includes a plurality of movable parts, and the plurality of movable parts are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of opening structures; The ignition drive device is used to drive the plurality of moving parts to move between a first position and a second position.

9. The plasma source according to claim 8, wherein, The plurality of opening structures are evenly distributed and spaced apart along the circumference of the Faraday cylinder; The ignition drive device is used to synchronously drive the multiple moving parts to move between the first position and the second position.

10. The plasma source according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The opening structure includes at least two first openings, which are spaced apart along the axial direction of the Faraday cylinder. The coil assembly includes at least two first coils, and the at least two first coils are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least two first openings; The movable component includes at least two sub-movable components, and the at least two sub-movable components are movably disposed on the at least two first coils in a one-to-one correspondence. Wherein, when the ignition drive device drives the movable part to move between the first position and the second position, the ignition drive device is used to drive each of the at least two sub-movable parts to move between the first sub-position and the second sub-position. In the case of the first sub-position, at least two of the sub-moving elements are located in at least two of the first openings in a one-to-one correspondence; In the second sub-position, at least two of the sub-moving members are further away from the medium sleeve compared to the first sub-position.

11. The plasma source according to claim 10, wherein, The opening structure also includes: A second opening extends along the axial direction of the Faraday cylinder and communicates with the at least two first openings; The coil assembly further includes: The second coil is configured to correspond to the second opening.

12. The plasma source according to claim 11, wherein, The dimensions of each of the at least two first openings in the circumferential direction of the Faraday cylinder are greater than the dimensions of the second opening in the circumferential direction of the Faraday cylinder.

13. The plasma source according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The coil assembly includes two of the first coils; The second coil includes an input terminal and an output terminal. The input terminal is connected to one of the two first coils, and the output terminal is connected to the other of the two first coils.

14. The plasma source according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The opening structure also includes: The first opening is provided, and the first coil is positioned corresponding to the first opening; A second opening extends along the axial direction of the Faraday cylinder and communicates with the first opening. The circumferential dimension of the second opening in the Faraday cylinder is different from that of the first opening in the Faraday cylinder. The coil assembly further includes: The second coil is configured to correspond to the second opening.

15. A semiconductor process apparatus, wherein, The semiconductor process equipment includes: Process chambers; and The plasma source according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is used to supply plasma to the process chamber.

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