Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0152501, filed on Nov. 15, 2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and entitled: “Plasma Processing Apparatus,” is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Embodiments relate to a plasma processing apparatus.
Plasma is widely used in manufacturing processes of semiconductor devices, plasma display panels (PDPs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), solar cells, etc. Representative plasma processes may include dry etching, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), sputtering, and aching.
The embodiments may be realized by providing an apparatus for plasma processing an object, the apparatus including a chamber that includes an outer wall and a window, the outer wall defining a reaction space in which plasma is formed, and the window covering an upper portion of the outer wall; a coil antenna positioned above the window, the coil antenna including at least two coils; and an electrostatic chuck (ESC) positioned in a lower portion of the chamber, wherein the object to be processed is supportable on a top surface of the ESC and an electrode is located inside the ESC, the electrode includes a first electrode for holding the object and at least one second electrode, the first electrode provided in an internal central portion of the ESC so as to be parallel with the top surface of the ESC, and the at least one second electrode provided at an edge of the inside of the ESC so as to have a tilt with respect to the top surface of the ESC.
The embodiments may be realized by providing an apparatus for plasma processing an object, the apparatus including a chamber that includes an outer wall and a window, the outer wall defining a reaction space in which plasma is formed, and the window covering an upper portion of the outer wall; a coil antenna positioned above the window, the coil antenna including at least two coils; an electrostatic chuck (ESC) positioned in a lower portion of the chamber; and an ESC support configured to support the ESC, wherein the object to be processed is supportable on a top surface of the ESC and an electrode is located inside the ESC; and a dielectric insertion layer is formed inside the ESC support, and a high-k dielectric in a solid state or a fluid state is provided in the dielectric insertion layer to be moveable or to be adjustable in level.
The embodiments may be realized by providing an apparatus for plasma processing an object, the apparatus including a chamber that includes an outer wall and a window, the outer wall defining a reaction space in which plasma is formed, and the window covering an upper portion of the outer wall; a coil antenna positioned above the window, the coil antenna including an inner coil, an outer coil, and an additional coil; and an electrostatic chuck (ESC) positioned in a lower portion of the chamber, wherein the object to be processed is supportable on a top surface of the ESC and an electrode is located inside the ESC, the window includes a groove at an edge of a top surface thereof, the additional coil being in the groove.
Features will be apparent to those of skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Referring to
The ESC 100 may be positioned in a lower portion of the chamber 500 (e.g., as shown in
An edge ring 150 may be provided around the ESC 100 to surround the wafer 2000. The edge ring 150 may be formed of silicon. The edge ring 150 may have an effect of expanding a silicon region of the wafer 2000, thereby reducing or preventing plasma from being concentrated on the edge of the wafer 2000. The edge ring 150 may be a single-ring type or a dual-ring type. The single-ring type may be called a focus ring and the dual-ring type may be called a combo ring.
The edge ring 150 may also be etched together with the wafer 2000 during a plasma process, and a change may occur over time. For example, the change occurring over time may be a nonuniform distribution of an electric field (E-field) and/or plasma at an edge region inside the chamber 500, and the nonuniform distribution could occur due to performance deterioration caused by etching of the edge ring 150. Here, the edge region inside the chamber 500 may correspond to an edge of the wafer 2000. The nonuniform distribution of plasma could cause an error in a plasma process for the wafer 2000 and eventually a failure of semiconductor devices manufactured from the wafer 2000.
The plasma processing apparatus 1000 may use the ESC 100 including a first plasma distribution control structure PCS1 (which may help prevent a nonuniform plasma distribution by controlling the density of an E-field and/or plasma in the edge region inside the chamber 500). When the ESC 100 includes the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, a change occurring over time due to etching of the edge ring 150 may be prevented. For example, the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1 may be or may include a tilting electrode positioned inside the ESC 100. The first plasma distribution control structure PCS1 will be described in detail with reference to
In an implementation, the ESC support 200 may support the ESC 100 positioned thereon and may be formed of, e.g., a metal such as aluminum. In an implementation, the ESC support 200 may be formed of a ceramic insulator such as alumina. When the ESC support 200 is formed of a metal, heat transfer to the ESC 100 or the wafer 2000 or heat release from the ESC 100 or the wafer 2000 may be increased. For example, a heating element (e.g., a heater) may be provided inside the ESC support 200 and heat from the heater may be readily transferred to the ESC 100 or the wafer 2000. An insulator 205 may be provided to surround an outer circumference of the ESC support 200. A power-applying electrode may be provided under a center of the ESC support 200 to apply power to an electrode inside the ESC 100.
The plasma processing apparatus 1000 may use the ESC support 200 including a second plasma distribution control structure PCS2 (which may help reduce or prevent a nonuniform plasma distribution at an edge region). When the ESC support 200 includes the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2, a change occurring over time due to etching of the edge ring 150 may be prevented. For example, the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2 may include a dielectric insertion layer inside the ESC support 200 and a high-k dielectric inside the dielectric insertion layer. The second plasma distribution control structure PCS2 will be described in detail with reference to
The chamber 500 may include an outer wall 300 and a window 400.
The outer wall 300 may define a reaction space in which plasma is formed and may seal the reaction space from the outside air or environment. The outer wall 300 may be formed of a metallic material and may maintain a ground state to block noise from outside the chamber 500 during a plasma process. An insulating liner may be provided at an inside of the outer wall 300. The insulating liner may help protect the outer wall 300 and cover metallic structures protruding from the outer wall 300, thereby preventing arcing or the like from occurring inside the chamber 500. The insulating liner may be formed of ceramic or quartz.
In an implementation, at least one viewport may be formed at the outer wall 300, and the inside of the chamber 500 may be monitored through the viewport. For example, a probe or an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) device may be coupled to the viewport and electrically connected to an analyzer. The analyzer may analyze a plasma state such as the density or uniformity of plasma inside the chamber 500 using an analysis program, based on plasma data received from the probe or the OES device.
In an implementation, the window 400 may have a circular plate shape covering an upper portion of the outer wall 300 (e.g., an open end of the reaction space formed by the outer wall 300). In an implementation, the shape of the window 400 may vary with the structure of a chamber including the window 400. In an implementation, the window 400 may have an elliptic plate shape or a polygonal plate shape or a convex dome shape. When the window 400 has a dome shape, a horizontal cross section of the window 400 may be a circular ring, an elliptic ring, or a polygonal ring.
The window 400 may be formed of a dielectric material having relatively lower permittivity. For example, the window 400 may be formed of alumina (Al2O3), quartz, silicon carbide (SiC), silicon oxide (SiO2), Teflon, G10 epoxy, or other dielectric, nonconductive or semiconductive material. In an implementation, the window 400 may be formed of alumina or quartz. When the window 400 is formed of alumina, the window 400 may have a thickness of about 20 mm. When the window 400 is formed of quartz, the window 400 may have a thickness of about 30 mm. The diameter of the window 400 may be about 400 mm to about 500 mm. In an implementation, the material and the size of the window 400 may vary with the function or structure of a chamber including the window 400.
In the plasma processing apparatus 1000, the window 400 may include a third plasma distribution control structure PCS3 (which may help reduce or prevent a nonuniform plasma distribution at an edge region). When the window 400 includes the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3, a change occurring over time due to etching of the edge ring 150 may be prevented. In an implementation, the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3 may include a coil insertion groove at an edge of the top surface of the window 400, and an additional coil provided at the coil insertion groove. The third plasma distribution control structure PCS3 will be described in detail with reference to
Process gases may be supplied to the chamber 500 through a supply pipe and a gas ejection head. The term “process gases” may refer to all gases including a source gas, a reactant gas, and a purge gas that are used for a plasma process. A pump may be coupled to the chamber 500 through an exhaust pipe. The pump may discharge gas by-products, which have been produced inside the chamber 500, through vacuum pumping. The pump may also control the inner pressure of the chamber 500. Although the ESC 100 and the ESC support 200 are described as separate elements from the chamber 500 in the current embodiment, in an implementation, the ESC 100 and the ESC support 200 may be considered as being included in the chamber 500.
The coil antenna 600 may include an inner coil 610 and an outer coil 620. The coil antenna 600 may be positioned above the window 400 (e.g., outside of the chamber 500), as shown in
The inner coil 610 and the outer coil 620 may be connected to the RF power supply 700 through a wiring circuit 750. For example, the outer coil 620 may be connected to the wiring circuit 750 through an inner connecting terminal and an outer connecting terminal. The inner connecting terminal of the outer coil 620 may be connected to a matcher 720 and an RF generator 710 through a variable capacitor or the like of the wiring circuit 750. The outer connecting terminals of the outer coil 620 may be connected to a capacitor connected to a ground. The inner coil 610 may be connected to the RF power supply 700 through an inner connecting terminal and an outer connecting terminal. The inner connecting terminal of the inner coil 610 may be connected to the RF power supply 700 through a variable capacitor and an inductor. The outer connecting terminals of the inner coil 610 may be connected to the ground.
The structure of the coil antenna 600 and the connection between the coil antenna 600 and the RF power supply 700 through the wiring circuit 750, which have been described above, may be just an example. In an implementation, the structure of the coil antenna 600 and the connection between the coil antenna 600 and the RF power supply 700 through the wiring circuit 750 may vary with a plasma process.
When a coil insertion groove is formed in the window 400, the coil antenna 600 may also include the additional coil, which is provided at the coil insertion groove as an element of the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3. The additional coil will be described in detail with reference to
The RF power supply 700 may tune power that is provided to the inner coil 610 and the outer coil 620, through dynamic tuning of variable capacitors. In an implementation, the coil antenna 600 and the wiring circuit 750 may be tuned to supply more power to one of the inner coil 610 and the outer coil 620 than to the other or to uniformly supply power to the inner coil 610 and the outer coil 620. In an implementation, current may be tuned to flow in the inner coil 610 and the outer coil 620 at a predetermined ratio using variable capacitors.
The RF power supply 700 may include the RF generator 710 and the matcher 720. The RF generator 710 may generate RF power and the matcher 720 may control impedance, thereby stabilizing plasma. At least two RF generators 710 may be provided. When a plurality of RF generators 710 are provided, different frequencies may be used to realize various tuning characteristics. The matcher 720 may be connected to the coil antenna 600 through the wiring circuit 750. The matcher 720 may be considered as being included in the wiring circuit 750.
In an implementation, a lower RF power supply may be provided to supply RF power to a power-applying electrode of the ESC 100. The lower RF power supply may also include an RF generator and a matcher and may supply RF power to the wafer 2000 through the power-applying electrode. The lower RF power supply may also include a plurality of RF generators, and different frequencies may be used to realize various tuning characteristics.
The plasma processing apparatus 1000 may include the ESC 100 including the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, the ESC support 200 including the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2, and/or a group of the window 400 and the coil antenna 600, which includes the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3. For example, the plasma processing apparatus 1000 may include all of the three elements described above, i.e., the ESC 100 including the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, the ESC support 200 including the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2, and the group of the window 400 and the coil antenna 600, which includes the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3, only one of the three elements described above, or only two of the three elements described above.
When the plasma processing apparatus 1000 includes the ESC 100, the ESC support 200, and/or the group of the window 400 and the coil antenna 600, of which each includes a plasma distribution control structure, the plasma processing apparatus 1000 may control the density of an E-field and/or plasma at an edge region, thereby preventing a nonuniform plasma distribution in the edge region. Due to the improved plasma distribution in the edge region, the plasma processing apparatus 1000 may perform a stable plasma process. As a result, the plasma processing apparatus 1000 may produce excellent and reliable semiconductor devices based on the stable plasma process. In addition, the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1 of the ESC 100, the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2 of the ESC support 200, and the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3 of the group of the window 400 and the coil antenna 600 may be isolated from the inside of the chamber 500, in which plasma is generated, and the first through third plasma distribution control structures PCS1 through PCS3 may not be damaged, contaminated, or transformed by the plasma inside the chamber 500 and may not have a physical influence on a flow of plasma inside the chamber 500.
Referring to
The central electrode 110 may be provided extensively at an internal central portion of the body 101. For example, the central electrode 110 may have a relatively large circular plate shape corresponding to the wafer 2000 to be processed in a plasma process. The central electrode 110 may be a chucking electrode for electrically fixing the wafer 2000 to the ESC 100a. The central electrode 110 may also perform a function of applying bias to plasma. DC power or RF power may be supplied to the central electrode 110. DC power and RF power may be supplied in a pulse form.
The first tilting electrode 120 may correspond to the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1. The first tilting electrode 120 may be positioned at or near an edge of the inside of the body 101. As shown in
The first tilting electrode 120 may be separated or spaced apart from the central electrode 110 in a horizontal direction, e.g., an X direction or the radial direction, and may be electrically independent or isolated. For example, the first tilting electrode 120 may be supplied with power through an additional power supply 160 separate from a main power supply (that supplies power to the central electrode 110). Accordingly, independent DC or RF power (different from DC or RF power supplied to the central electrode 110) may be supplied to the first tilting electrode 120.
When the ESC 100a includes the first tilting electrode 120 as the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, the plasma processing apparatus 1000a may help control the density of an E-field and/or plasma at an edge region inside the chamber 500, thereby preventing a nonuniform plasma distribution in the edge region. For example, when power is applied to the first tilting electrode 120 having the above-described structure, the E-field and/or plasma may be prevented from being concentrated on the edge region, and therefore, the distribution of plasma may be improved in the edge region. Plasma distribution control in the edge region using the first tilting electrode 120 will be described in detail with reference to
Referring to
The tilting electrode segments 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 may be spaced apart from one another. For example, the tilting electrode segments 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 may be electrically isolated from one another. Independent DC or RF power different from DC or RF power supplied to the central electrode 110 may be supplied from an additional power supply 160a to each of the tilting electrode segments 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3. In an implementation, DC or RF power supplied to each of the tilting electrode segments 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 through the additional power supply 160a may be different and independent among the tilting electrode segments 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3. In an implementation, the same DC or RF power may be supplied to at least two of the tilting electrode segments 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3.
As shown in
When the ESC 100b includes the second tilting electrode 120a as the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, the plasma processing apparatus 1000b may control the density of an E-field and/or plasma at an edge region inside the chamber 500, thereby preventing a nonuniform plasma distribution in the edge region.
Referring to
The third tilting electrode 120b may be similar to the first tilting electrode 120 in that the third tilting electrode 120b may be formed integrally. The third tilting electrode 120b may also be similar to the first tilting electrode 120 in that independent DC or RF power different from DC or RF power supplied to the central electrode 110 may be supplied from one additional power supply 160 to the third tilting electrode 120b.
Meanwhile, the third tilting electrode 120b may be similar to the second tilting electrode 120a in that the third tilting electrode 120b may have flat top surfaces in the stair-shaped structure. For example, if the tilting electrode segments 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 of the second tilting electrode 120a were extended in the horizontal direction, i.e., the x direction or radial direction, and connected to one another, the second tilting electrode 120a may have substantially the same structure as the third tilting electrode 120b.
When the ESC 100c includes the third tilting electrode 120b as the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, the plasma processing apparatus 1000c may control the density of an E-field and/or plasma at an edge region inside the chamber 500, thereby preventing a nonuniform plasma distribution in the edge region.
Referring to
Consequently, in the plasma processing apparatus using the ESC not having a tilting electrode, a change may occur over time during a plasma etching process due to etching of the edge ring 150. For example, a nonuniform distribution of an E-field or plasma may occur in an internal chamber edge region corresponding to the edge portion of the wafer 2000. The nonuniform distribution of plasma in the edge region may cause an error in the plasma etching process, leading to a failure of a semiconductor device.
Referring to
Consequently, in the plasma processing apparatus using the ESC 100a including the first tilting electrode 120, DC power or RF power may be supplied to the first tilting electrode 120, so that a change occurring over time may be prevented during a plasma etching process, despite of etching of the edge ring 150. For example, a nonuniform plasma distribution in the edge region inside the chamber 500 may be prevented.
Referring to
Referring to
In the graphs shown in
Meanwhile, the graph of a DC pulse voltage or an RF pulse voltage may be more biased to the left when a bias voltage is applied than when a bias voltage is not applied and is more biased to the left as the bias voltage increases. This result may be inferred from the relation between an E-field and a voltage, to some extent.
Consequently, when DC pulse power is supplied to the first tilting electrode 120 in the plasma processing apparatus 1000a, a nonuniform plasma distribution in the edge region may be effectively prevented. In an implementation, results of supplying DC pulse power and RF pulse power to the first tilting electrode 120 may vary with the shape of the edge ring 150 or RF power supplied from the coil antenna 600.
Referring to
The metal plate 201 may be positioned right below the ESC 100 to support the ESC 100. The metal plate 201 may correspond to an ESC support in other types of plasma processing apparatuses. In an implementation, the metal plate 201 may be formed of, e.g., aluminum. In an implementation, the metal plate 201 may be formed of an insulator such as alumina.
The insertion body 210 may be positioned below the metal plate 201 (e.g., opposite to the ESC 100) and may have the dielectric insertion layer 220 formed therein, the dielectric insertion layer 220 corresponding to an empty space therein. The insertion body 210 may be formed of an insulator. In an implementation, the insertion body 210 may be formed of, e.g., alumina. In an implementation, when both the metal plate 201 and the insertion body 210 are formed of alumina, the metal plate 201 and the insertion body 210 may be formed integrally and thus not be distinguished from each other.
The dielectric insertion layer 220 may have two levels inside the insertion body 210. In an implementation, the dielectric insertion layer 220 may include a first dielectric insertion layer 220-1 at a lower level (e.g., distal to the ESC 100) and a second dielectric insertion layer 220-2 at an upper level (e.g., proximate to the ESC 100). In an implementation, the dielectric insertion layer 220 may have, e.g., a single level or at least three levels.
In an implementation, the first dielectric insertion layer 220-1 and the second dielectric insertion layer 220-2 may be segmented into, e.g., four, sections in a circumferential direction by a barrier wall 215. The barrier wall 215 may be part of the insertion body 210. In an implementation, the first dielectric insertion layer 220-1 and the second dielectric insertion layer 220-2 may be segmented into, e.g., two or three sections or at least five sections. In an implementation, the first dielectric insertion layer 220-1 may be segmented differently than the second dielectric insertion layer 220-2. In an implementation, the first dielectric insertion layer 220-1 may be segmented into three sections and the second dielectric insertion layer 220-2 may be segmented into four sections.
The high-k dielectric 230 may be provided in a solid state at the dielectric insertion layer 220 and may be movable inside the dielectric insertion layer 220. When the dielectric insertion layer 220 has two levels and is segmented into four sections at each level, the high-k dielectric 230 may include a first high-k dielectric 230-1 and a second high-k dielectric 230-2 which are segmented into four sections, corresponding to the dielectric insertion layer 220.
The high-k dielectric 230 may be opposite to a low-k dielectric and may be defined as a material having higher permittivity than silicon oxide (SiO2) having a relative permittivity of about 3.9 to about 4.2. In an implementation, the high-k dielectric 230 may include alumina, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-ceramic, or silicon. The high-k dielectric 230 may be formed of a hafnium (Hf)-based or zirconium (Zr)-based material. In an implementation, the high-k dielectric 230 may include hafnium oxide (HfO2), hafnium silicon oxide (HfSiO), hafnium silicon oxynitride (HfSiON), hafnium oxynitride (HfON), hafnium aluminum oxide (HfAlO), hafnium lanthanum oxide (HfLaO), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), or zirconium silicon oxide (ZrSiO). In an implementation, the high-k dielectric 230 may include other material such as lanthanum oxide (La2O3), lanthanum aluminum oxide (LaAlO3), tantalum oxide (Ta2O5), titanium oxide (TiO2), strontium titanium oxide (SrTiO3), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), red scandium tantalum oxide (PbSc0.5Ta0.5O3), or red zinc niobate (PbZnNbO3).
Permittivity of dielectric materials may usually decrease as a frequency increases. Permittivity of dielectric materials in a solid state may increase as temperature increases. Contrarily, permittivity of dielectric materials in a fluid state may decrease as temperature increases.
As shown in
In the balanced state of permittivity, the density of an E-field and/or plasma above the wafer 2000 may be uniform and the distribution thereof may also be uniform. However, when the edge ring 150 (see
As shown in
In the plasma processing apparatus 1000d, the high-k dielectric 230 may be in a solid state and may be movable between the central portion and the edge portion in the dielectric insertion layer 220. In an implementation, the plasma processing apparatus 1000d may include a mover that moves the high-k dielectric 230 in a solid state. In an implementation, the high-k dielectric 230 may be manually movable in the dielectric insertion layer 220.
When the ESC support 200a includes the dielectric insertion layer 220 and the high-k dielectric 230 movable in a solid state as the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2, the plasma processing apparatus 1000d may control the density of an E-field and/or plasma at an edge region inside the chamber 500, thereby preventing a nonuniform plasma distribution in the edge region. For example, when the ESC support 200a having the structure shown in
Referring to
Meanwhile, as shown in
Consequently, when the density of an E-field and/or plasma is biased to an edge portion, causing a nonuniform plasma distribution in an edge region, it may be expected that the nonuniform plasma distribution at the edge region may be improved by producing a high permittivity state at the edge portion by positioning a high-k dielectric material at the edge portion.
For reference, when permittivity of a support layer below a wafer is decreased, and therefore, impedance is increased, a current flowing in the support layer may decrease while a current transmitted to plasma may increase, so that the density of plasma increases. Contrarily, when the permittivity of the support layer is increased, and therefore, the impedance is decreased, the current flowing in the support layer increases while the current transmitted to the plasma decreases, so that the density of plasma may decrease. When permittivity of the edge portion inside the ESC support 200 is changed based on this principle, the density of plasma and the distribution of plasma corresponding thereto may be controlled at the edge region inside the chamber 500.
Referring to
In the plasma processing apparatus 1000e, the high-k dielectric 230a may be in a fluid state like gas or liquid. Accordingly, permittivity of the dielectric insertion layer 220a may be controlled by controlling the level of the high-k dielectric 230a when the high-k dielectric 230a is supplied to the dielectric insertion layer 220a.
For example, when the high-k dielectric 230a is not supplied to any of the inner dielectric insertion layer 220-in and the outer dielectric insertion layer 220-out, as shown in
Meanwhile, when the high-k dielectric 230a is supplied to only the outer dielectric insertion layer 220-out as shown in
Referring to
As described above, permittivity of dielectric materials in a solid state may increase as temperature increases. Accordingly, when dielectric in a solid state is inserted to fully fill the dielectric insertion layer 220 and the edge portion of the dielectric is heated using the heating element 260, the edge portion may be changed into a high-permittivity state.
Referring to
As described above, permittivity of dielectric materials in a fluid state may decrease as temperature increases. Accordingly, when the high-k dielectric 230a in a fluid state is supplied to both the inner dielectric insertion layer 220-in and the outer dielectric insertion layer 220-out and the high-k dielectric 230a only in the inner dielectric insertion layer 220-in may be heated using the heating element 260, permittivity of the central portion may be decreased, and therefore, the edge portion may be changed into a high-permittivity state.
Referring to
As shown in
The plasma processing apparatus 1000h may include a mover that moves the additional coil 630 in the vertical direction, i.e., the Z direction (e.g., toward and away from the reaction space). Accordingly, the additional coil 630 may be moved in the vertical direction, i.e., the Z direction, as shown in
Meanwhile, the coil insertion groove 420 may be formed at the edge of the top surface of the window 400a in the plasma processing apparatus 1000h, as described above. Accordingly, the coil insertion groove 420 and the additional coil 630 may not be in contact with plasma generated inside the chamber 500 and thus may be prevented from being damaged or contaminated by the plasma.
Referring to
The wafer 2000 may be a device wafer on which a plasma process is to be actually performed to manufacture a plurality of semiconductor chips. In an implementation, the wafer 2000 may be a dummy wafer used to analyze the distribution of plasma in an edge region inside the chamber 500. For example, after the distribution of plasma inside the chamber 500 and the uniformity of plasma corresponding to the distribution are checked using a dummy wafer, a normal device wafer may be loaded into the chamber 500 and subjected to the plasma process.
Thereafter, process gases and RF power may be supplied to the chamber 500 to generate plasma in operation S120. The process gases may be provided to a gas ejection head of the chamber 500 through a supply pipe and may be ejected from the gas ejection head into the chamber 500. The RF power may be supplied from the RF power supply 700 to the coil antenna 600 through the wiring circuit 750. Together with the supply of the RF power, DC power or RF power may be supplied to the electrodes 110 and 120 (see
At this time, the generating of the plasma may refer to performing a plasma process on the wafer 2000 using the generated plasma. The plasma process may include performing etching, deposition, diffusion, or surface treatment on the wafer 2000. In an implementation, plasma may be used for a light source or synthesis of a new material.
For reference, plasma may be classified into low-temperature plasma and thermal plasma. Low-temperature plasma may be used in semiconductor processes such as semiconductor manufacturing, metal and ceramic thin film manufacturing, and material synthesis. Thermal plasma may be used to cut metals. Low-temperature plasma may be classified into atmospheric plasma, vacuum plasma, and next-generation plasma according to the fields of application. Vacuum plasma technology is generating low-temperature plasma with a gas pressure maintained at 100 Torr or less. The vacuum plasma technology may be used for dry etch, thin film deposition, photoresist (PR) ashing, atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth, etc. in a semiconductor process and may be used for etching or thin film deposition on a display panel in a display process.
Meanwhile, plasma may be classified into capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma, surface wave plasma (SWP), helicon wave plasma, and e-beam plasma according to plasma generating methods. In an implementation, the plasma processing apparatus 1000 may be an ICP processing apparatus, and therefore, plasma generated in the plasma processing apparatus 1000 may be ICP.
In the method of controlling the distribution of plasma, the plasma processing apparatus 1000 may include the ESC 100 including the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, the ESC support 200 including the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2, and/or a group of the window 400 and the coil antenna 600, which includes the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3, and therefore, the distribution of plasma inside the chamber 500, and more particularly, the distribution of plasma in the edge region inside the chamber 500 is improved. As a result, the plasma process may be stably performed.
Thereafter, the distribution of plasma inside the chamber 500 may be analyzed in operation S130. The analysis of the plasma distribution may be performed during or after the plasma process. The plasma distribution may be analyzed in an analyzer using an analysis program. For example, the analysis of the plasma distribution may be performed by detecting plasma inside the chamber 500 using a probe or an OES device, which may be coupled to a viewport of the chamber 500, and analyzing the density and distribution of the plasma based on detected plasma data using the analysis program in the analyzer.
The analysis of the plasma distribution may be performed after the plasma process through measurement of the wafer 2000. For example, when etching or deposition is performed using plasma, an etched state or a deposition state of the wafer 2000 may be measured, and the analyzer may calculate the density of plasma inside the chamber 500 based on measured data using the analysis program to analyze the plasma distribution.
After the analysis of the plasma distribution, whether the plasma distribution is within a tolerance limit may be determined in operation S140. The determination may be performed by the analyzer. For example, the analyzer may prepare reference data for the plasma distribution in the plasma process and may compare the reference data with the analyzed plasma distribution to determine whether the plasma distribution is within the tolerance limit.
When the plasma distribution is within the tolerance limit (i.e., in case of YES), the method ends. When the plasma distribution is beyond the tolerance limit (i.e., in case of NO), the first through third plasma distribution control structures PCS1, PCS2, and/or PCS3 may be adjusted to control the plasma distribution in operation S150. For example, when the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1 is adjusted, the angle of the first tilting electrode 120 (see
Meanwhile, the adjustment of the first through third plasma distribution control structures PCS1, PCS2, and/or PCS3 may be based on E-field and/or plasma density analyzed by the analyzer. After the adjustment of the first through third plasma distribution control structures PCS1, PCS2, and PCS3, the method may go back to load a wafer into the chamber 500 in operation S110, to generate plasma in operation S120, and to analyze a plasma distribution in operation S130.
The method of controlling the distribution of plasma may perform a plasma process using the plasma processing apparatus 1000 which includes the ESC 100 including the first plasma distribution control structure PCS1, the ESC support 200 including the second plasma distribution control structure PCS2, and/or the group of the window 400 and the coil antenna 600, which includes the third plasma distribution control structure PCS3, thereby precisely controlling the distribution of plasma in an edge region during the plasma process. As a result, due to the improved plasma distribution in the edge region, the method may contribute to the stability of the plasma process and thus to the manufacture of excellent and reliable semiconductor devices.
Referring to
In
A subsequent semiconductor process may be performed on the wafer 2000 in operation S210. The subsequent semiconductor process on the wafer 2000 may include various processes. For example, the subsequent semiconductor process on the wafer 2000 may include a deposition process, an etching process, an ion process, and/or a cleaning process. The deposition process, the etching process, the ion process, and the cleaning process may or may not use plasma. When the processes use plasma, the plasma distribution control method described above may be applied to the processes. Integrated circuits and interconnection lines required for semiconductor devices may be formed by performing the subsequent semiconductor process on the wafer 2000. The subsequent semiconductor process may also include a process of testing semiconductor devices at a wafer level.
The wafer 2000 may be singulated or cut into semiconductor chips in operation S220. The singulation may be implemented by performing a sawing process using a blade or a laser.
Thereafter, a packaging process may be performed on the semiconductor chips in operation S230. The packaging process may refer to a process of mounting a semiconductor chip on a printed circuit board (PCB) and sealing the semiconductor chip with a sealing material. The packaging process may include forming a stack package by stacking a plurality of semiconductor chips in multiple layers on a PCB or forming a package-on-package (POP) structure by stacking a plurality of stack packages. A semiconductor device or a semiconductor package may be completed through the packaging process. In an implementation, after the packaging process, a testing process may be performed on a semiconductor package.
In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the current embodiment, a plasma process may be performed using one of the plasma processing apparatuses 1000 and 1000a through 1000h illustrated in
By way of summation and review, capacitively coupled plasma (CCP), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), helicon plasma, or microwave plasma may be used. A plasma process may be directly related to plasma parameters (e.g., electron density, electron temperature, ion flux, and ion energy). For example, plasma density and plasma uniformity may be closely related to throughput.
The embodiments may provide a plasma processing apparatus for controlling a distribution of plasma in an edge region of a chamber during a plasma process, thereby reliably performing the plasma process on a semiconductor substrate.
The embodiments may provide an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a plasma processing apparatus performing processes using plasma.
Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specific terms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. In some instances, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art as of the filing of the present application, features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment may be used singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/or elements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwise specifically indicated. Accordingly, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2017-0152501 | Nov 2017 | KR | national |