PEALD Reaction Chamber Feedback for SiO2 Thickness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) method for depositing SiO2 thin films in semiconductor processing is prone to ignition delays and failures, leading to inconsistencies in film thickness and poor product quality due to deviations from the target thickness.
Innovation Solution
A reaction chamber equipped with a monitoring module that tracks plasma light source brightness during deposition, generating signals to detect abnormalities, and a control module that adjusts the process to compensate for thickness deviations by complementing deposition steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If radio frequency electric field is applied to break macromolecules and form plasma for PEALD deposition, then thin film coverage rate and thickness control are improved, but ignition delay and ignition failures occur leading to thickness deviation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of plasma ignition state before the deposition cycle completes, monitoring brightness during the process. When ignition delay or failure is detected in advance, the system can trigger compensatory deposition cycles to ensure the final film thickness meets requirements, preventing thickness deviation before it becomes a defect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the brightness of the plasma light source is monitored in real-time during deposition. The monitoring module generates signals based on brightness levels, and the control module uses this feedback to determine whether compensatory deposition is needed, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains thickness precision despite ignition variations.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple deposition cycles are repeated to achieve target film thickness, then film thickness precision is improved, but any abnormal cycle causes deviation from target thickness and poor consistency
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring module continuously detects plasma brightness during each deposition cycle and provides feedback to the control module. This enables real-time identification of abnormal cycles, allowing the system to trigger compensatory deposition only when necessary, thereby maintaining thickness consistency without requiring overly complex process control for every cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-diagnosis through automated brightness monitoring and automatically determines whether compensatory deposition is needed. The control module autonomously decides when to execute additional deposition cycles based on detected abnormalities, reducing the need for external intervention and simplifying process management despite the complexity of multiple cycles.
3Temperature
If traditional oxidation process is used for SiO2 thin film deposition, then high temperature deposition is achieved, but adverse byproducts are produced affecting coverage rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the deposition parameters by using PEALD instead of traditional oxidation, operating at lower temperatures (70°C-300°C) while maintaining high film quality. By adjusting the temperature parameter and using plasma enhancement, the system achieves good coverage rate without the adverse byproducts associated with high-temperature oxidation processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures consistent film thickness by automatically correcting deviations in the deposition process, improving the stability and uniformity of the film layer formation, with deviations less than 0.4% and thickness variations less than 0.4 Å.
Implementation Method 1
monitoring module is connected with the chamber body, and configured to monitor brightness of a plasma light source generated in the chamber body
Implementation Method 2
the upper electrode apparatus is configured to apply a radio frequency electric field to the chamber body, so as to motivate the precursor in the chamber body to form plasma
Implementation Method 3
deposition module is configured to execute multiple deposition steps within a deposition period... motivate the precursor to form plasma, thereby depositing a target film layer
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure provides a reaction chamber of a semiconductor process device, the semiconductor process device and a film layer deposition method. The reaction chamber includes: a chamber body, a monitoring module, a deposition module and a control module; wherein the deposition module is configured to execute multiple deposition steps within a deposition period in the chamber body; the monitoring module is connected with the chamber body, and configured to monitor brightness of a plasma light source generated in the chamber body when the deposition module executes each deposition step, and generate a first signal according to the brightness of the plasma light source; and the control module is connected with the monitoring module, and configured to judge whether a thickness of a target film layer obtained after executing the multiple deposition steps is abnormal according to the first signal corresponding to at least one of the deposition steps, and if yes, execute an abnormality processing flow. By the adoption of the present disclosure, a deviation between the thickness of the target film layer and a target thickness can be improved.