Wafer Bevel Plasma Cooling to Prevent Indium By-Product Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses face challenges in efficiently processing compounds containing indium, such as indium oxide, due to the generation of non-volatile by-products during plasma processing, which lead to downtime and reduced throughput, and the difficulty in etching these compounds without generating processing residues.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus with a bevel processing chamber that supplies cooling gases from both sides of the substrate to prevent by-products from adhering to the top plate and efficiently cool the bevel during plasma processing, using a configuration that includes a stage, top plate, and electrodes to control plasma processing and etching, thereby improving throughput and reducing residue formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If plasma processing is performed on indium oxide compounds, then the compounds can be processed, but non-volatile by-products are generated that adhere to the top plate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful by-products from the processing chamber through a shower head structure that provides downward airflow to blow away non-volatile by-products from the top plate and substrate surface, preventing adhesion and enabling continuous processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic flow from the shower head to control by-product removal. The downward airflow generated by the shower head effectively blows away non-volatile by-products, using gas flow dynamics to solve the adhesion problem without mechanical contact
2Device complexity
If cooling gas is supplied only from one side, then the structure is simple, but the bevel cannot be cooled efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independent gas supply paths: one from the front surface side and another from the back surface side. This segmentation allows each path to contribute to cooling the bevel region, achieving efficient temperature control while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling approach transitions from single-sided (one-dimensional) cooling to dual-sided (three-dimensional) cooling by adding a back surface gas supply path. This dimensional enhancement improves heat dissipation efficiency from the bevel region without significantly increasing system complexity
3Reliability
If downtime is allocated for cleaning, then by-products are removed, but throughput is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shower head structure enables continuous by-product removal during the plasma processing operation itself, eliminating the need for separate cleaning downtime. The downward airflow continuously clears by-products as processing occurs, maintaining both cleanliness and high throughput
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-cleaning during normal operation through the shower head's downward airflow that automatically removes by-products from the top plate and substrate surface without requiring external intervention or separate cleaning cycles, maintaining productivity while ensuring cleanliness
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 prevents by-product adherence, reduces downtime, and enhances the efficiency of etching processes by cooling the bevel from both sides, improving the removability of indium compounds and maintaining surface morphology during wet etching.
Implementation Method 1
a first gas supply pipe configured to supply a first gas to a first surface side of the substrate to cool a bevel of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
a second gas supply pipe configured to supply a second gas to a second surface side of the substrate to cool the bevel of the substrate
Implementation Method 3
a third gas supply pipe configured to supply a process gas used for plasma processing of the bevel
Implementation Method 4
When a non-volatile by-product generated by the plasma processing adheres to a top plate
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a bevel processing chamber, a stage on which a first surface of a substrate is to be placed, a first gas supply pipe configured to supply first gas to a first surface side of the substrate, a first ring surrounding the stage and having an outer diameter smaller than a diameter of the substrate, a top plate facing a second surface of the substrate, a second gas supply pipe configured to supply second gas to a second surface side of the substrate, a second ring surrounding the top plate and having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the substrate, a first electrode surrounding the first ring, a second electrode surrounding the second ring, a third gas supply pipe configured to supply process gas, and a control circuit that controls plasma processing of a bevel of the substrate using the process gas.