Shower Head Buffer Chamber Plasma Cleaning for Semiconductor Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate processing apparatuses face challenges in maintaining high working efficiency due to gas diffusion issues in the shower head, leading to remnant gas accumulation and deposit formation, which degrades substrate quality and increases downtime during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus with a shower head unit that includes a buffer chamber connected to gas supply systems for source, reactive, and cleaning gases, featuring a gas guide and plasma generation unit for efficient gas flow and plasma cleaning, allowing for controlled plasma generation in both the buffer and process chambers to remove deposits and maintain apparatus efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a common buffer space is used for supplying source gas, reactive gas, and purge gas in the shower head, then the system structure is simplified, but remnant gases react with each other and deposits accumulate on inner walls
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer space is divided into multiple regions: a first buffer space for source gas, a second buffer space for reactive gas, and a third buffer space for purge gas. This segmentation prevents harmful reactions between remnant gases while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure compared to completely separate systems.
2Productivity
If exhaust holes are installed in the shower head to remove remnant gases, then gas removal efficiency is improved, but process gas diffuses toward exhaust holes and remains as deposits
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the shower head are assigned different functions: exhaust holes are positioned in specific locations to remove remnant gases, while gas guides are strategically placed to direct process gas flow away from exhaust holes. This local differentiation optimizes both gas removal and prevents deposit formation in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Gas guides are introduced as intermediary structures that mediate between the gas supply and exhaust holes. These guides direct the flow of source gas, reactive gas, and purge gas away from the exhaust holes, preventing process gas diffusion and deposit accumulation while allowing remnant gases to be effectively removed.
3Manufacturing precision
If alternate supply method of source gas and reactive gas is used to form high step coverage film, then film uniformity is improved, but film forming time increases due to required purge processes
Solution Approach 1:
The purge gas is supplied in advance through a dedicated third buffer space before the source gas and reactive gas are alternately supplied. This preliminary purging action removes remnant gases more efficiently, reducing the required purge time between gas supply cycles and thereby shortening the overall film forming time while maintaining film uniformity.
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 apparatus effectively removes remnant gases and deposits, enhancing substrate quality and reducing downtime by enabling efficient cleaning and maintenance, thus maintaining high working efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a plasma generation unit configured to generate plasma from a cleaning gas supplied into the buffer chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes (a) loading a substrate into a process chamber; (b) processing the substrate by supplying a process gas into the process chamber via a shower head disposed above the process chamber and including a buffer chamber; (c) unloading the substrate from the process chamber; and (d) cleaning the buffer chamber and the process chamber after performing the step (c), wherein the step (d) comprises: (d-1) cleaning the buffer chamber by a plasma generation from a cleaning gas in the buffer chamber by a plasma generation unit including a plasma generation region switching unit; and (d-2) cleaning the process chamber by switching the plasma generation from the cleaning gas in the buffer chamber to a plasma generation from the cleaning gas in the process chamber by the plasma generation region switching unit.