One or more embodiments relate to a substrate support plate, and more particularly, to a substrate support plate, a substrate processing apparatus including the substrate support plate, and a substrate processing method using the substrate support plate.
In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a substrate surface is planarized while a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process is performed after a through-silicon via (TSV) process. However, during this process, there is a problem that a film deposited on a bevel edge of a substrate edge is lost more quickly. The lost film may act as a contaminant in a reactor and make it difficult to utilize the substrate edge.
Since the TSV process includes a process of stacking a plurality of substrates, the adhesion between the substrates is important for the TSV process to be performed smoothly. However, as described above, when the SiO2 film is lost at the bevel edge of the substrate edge, the adhesion between the substrates becomes weak.
One or more embodiments include a deposition apparatus and a method thereof for recovering the thickness of a thin film lost at a bevel edge of a substrate edge.
One or more embodiments include a deposition apparatus and a method thereof for preventing thin film deposition on a lower surface of a substrate that may occur when forming a thin film on a bevel edge of a substrate edge.
Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure.
According to one or more embodiments, a substrate support plate, which is configured to support a substrate to be processed, includes: an inner portion having an upper surface less than the area of the substrate to be processed; a first step formed by a side surface of the inner portion; and a second step surrounding the first step, wherein at least one path may be formed on an upper surface of the substrate support plate between the first step and the second step.
According to an example of the substrate support plate, the distance from the center of the substrate support plate to the second step may be less than the radius of the substrate to be processed.
According to an example of the substrate support plate, the substrate support plate may further include a recess formed by the first step and the second step, and the at least one path may be formed in the recess.
According to another example of the substrate support plate, the substrate support plate may further include a third step formed outside the recess.
According to another example of the substrate support plate, at least a portion of the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the path may be below the upper surface of the inner portion.
According to another example of the substrate support plate, an upper surface of the second step outside the path may be below an upper surface of the first step inside the path.
According to another example of the substrate support plate, the substrate support plate may further include a third step formed outside the second step, and a lower surface of the third step may be below the upper surface of the inner portion.
According to one or more embodiments, a substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate support plate including a recess and at least one path formed in the recess; and a gas supply unit on the substrate support plate, wherein a first distance between the gas supply unit and a portion of the substrate support plate inside the recess may be less than a second distance between the gas supply unit and the other portion of the substrate support plate outside the recess.
According to an example of the substrate processing apparatus, the gas supply unit may include a plurality of injection holes, and the plurality of injection holes may be distributed over the area of an upper surface of the substrate support plate or more extending from the center of the substrate support plate to the recess.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, the plurality of injection holes may be distributed over the area of the substrate to be processed or more.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus may supply a first gas through the gas supply unit, and supply a second gas different from the first gas through the path.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, a reaction space may be formed between the substrate support plate and the gas supply unit, and the reaction space may include a first reaction space between the gas supply unit and a portion of the substrate support plate inside the recess; and a second reaction space between the gas supply unit and the other portion of the substrate support plate outside the recess.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, plasma may be generated by supplying power between the gas supply unit and the substrate support plate, and the plasma of the first reaction space may be less than the plasma of the second reaction space.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the recess may be below the upper surface of the substrate support plate inside the recess, and the second reaction space may extend from the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the recess to the gas supply unit.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate support plate may further include a third step formed outside the recess, and the second reaction space may extend from the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the third step to the gas supply unit.
According to another example of the substrate processing device, the substrate support plate may further include a protrusion formed between the recess and the third step.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, an upper surface of the third step may be disposed to correspond to an edge region of the substrate to be processed.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate support plate may further include at least one pad on the upper surface of the substrate support plate inside the recess, and the upper surface of the third step may be below an upper surface of the pad.
According to another example of the substrate processing apparatus, the gas supply unit may include a step, and the second reaction space may extend from the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the recess to the step of the gas supply unit.
According to one or more embodiments, a substrate processing method includes: mounting a substrate to be processed on a substrate support plate of the substrate processing apparatus described above; supplying a first gas through the gas supply unit and supplying a second gas through the path; generating plasma by supplying power between the gas supply unit and the substrate support plate; and forming a thin film on an edge region of the substrate to be processed using the plasma, wherein during the generating of the plasma, plasma in a first space between the gas supply unit and a portion of the substrate support plate inside the recess may be less than plasma in a second space between the gas supply unit and the other portion of the substrate support plate outside the recess.
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects of the present description. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to one of ordinary skill in the art.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes”, “comprises” and/or “including”, “comprising” used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layers, and/or sections, these members, components, regions, layers, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are only used to distinguish one component, region, layer, and/or section from another component, region, layer, and/or section. Thus, a first member, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second member, component, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of embodiments.
Embodiments of the disclosure will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings in which embodiments of the disclosure are schematically illustrated. In the drawings, variations from the illustrated shapes may be expected as a result of, for example, manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances. Thus, the embodiments of the disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but may include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing processes.
Referring to
The inner portion I may be defined as a central region of the substrate support plate. The inner portion I may be formed to have an upper surface less than the area of the substrate to be processed. An upper surface of the inner portion I may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the substrate to be processed. For example, when the substrate to be processed is a circular substrate having a first diameter, the inner portion I may have a circular upper surface having a second diameter that is less than the first diameter.
The peripheral portion P may be formed to surround the inner portion I. For example, when the inner portion I is a plate-like structure having a circular upper surface, the peripheral portion P may be a ring-shaped configuration that surrounds this plate-like structure. In an embodiment, a first step S1 may be formed between the peripheral portion P and the inner portion I. The first step S1 may be formed by a side surface of the inner portion I. In addition, a second step S2 may be formed in the peripheral portion P. The second step S2 may be formed to surround the first step S1.
A recess R may be formed by the first step S1 and the second step S2. That is, the recess R may be defined by a side surface of the first step S1 (i.e., the side surface of the inner portion I), an upper surface of a substrate support plate below the upper surface of the inner portion I, and a side surface of the second step S2. The recess R may function a buffer holding a gas supplied between the substrate to be processed and the substrate support plate.
At least one pad D may be on the inner portion I. For example, the at least one pad D may be plural, and the plurality of pads D may be symmetrically arranged with respect to the center of the substrate support plate. The substrate to be processed may be seated on the substrate support plate to be in contact with the at least one pad D. In an example, the at least one pad D may be configured to prevent horizontal movement of the substrate to be processed seated on the substrate support plate. For example, the at least one pad D may include a material having a certain roughness, and the roughness of the material may prevent slippage of the substrate to be processed.
The peripheral portion P may include at least one path F. For example, the at least one path F may be formed between the first step S1 and the second step S2. As a specific example, the at least one path F may be formed on an upper surface of the substrate support plate between the first step S1 and the second step S2. In more detail, the at least one path F may be formed in the recess R formed by the first step S1 and the second step S2.
The path F may extend from a portion of the peripheral portion toward the other portion of the peripheral portion. In another example, the path F may extend from a portion of the peripheral portion toward a portion of the inner portion I. In other words, the fact that the at least one path F is formed between the first step S1 and the second step S2 means that at least one end portion of the path F is formed between the first step S1 and the second step S2.
In an example where the path F extends from one portion of the peripheral portion P to the other portion of the peripheral portion P, the path F may be formed to penetrate the substrate support plate between the first step S1 and the second step S2. In an alternative example, the path F may include a first portion F1 extending from a side surface of the substrate support plate toward the peripheral portion P and a second portion F2 extending from the peripheral portion P toward the upper surface of the substrate support plate.
The path F may function as a moving path of gas. For example, an inert gas (e.g., argon) or a highly stable gas (e.g., oxygen) may be supplied through the path F. The gas is supplied through the path F while an upper surface of the peripheral portion P is disposed below the upper surface of the inner portion I, whereby partial processing of a thin film on an edge region (e.g., bevel edge) of the substrate to be processed seated on the substrate support plate may be achieved.
In an example, a distance from the center of the substrate support plate to the second step S2 may be less than the radius of the substrate to be processed. Therefore, when the substrate to be processed is seated on the substrate support plate, a channel may be formed between the second step S2 and the substrate to be processed. The gas supplied through the path F formed in the recess R may move to a reaction space through the channel formed between the substrate to be processed and the second step S2.
The path F may include a plurality of paths. In an example, the plurality of paths may be symmetrically arranged with respect to the center of the substrate support plate. Also, the plurality of paths may extend to face a rear surface of the substrate to be processed. For example, a distance from the center of the substrate support plate to the path F of the peripheral portion P may be less than the radius of the substrate to be processed. Therefore, the gas may be uniformly supplied onto the rear surface of the substrate to be processed seated on the substrate support plate through the plurality of symmetrically arranged paths.
The upper surface of the substrate support plate may have different levels. For example, based on the path F, at least a portion of the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the path F (e.g., outside the second step S2) may be below the upper surface of the substrate support plate inside the path F (e.g., inside the first step S1). In more detail, an upper surface of the second step S2 outside the path F may be below an upper surface of the first step S1 inside the path F.
By such surface arrangement of the substrate support plate, partial processing for an edge region (e.g., bevel edge) of the substrate to be processed may be achieved. A reaction space is formed between the substrate support plate and the gas supply unit when the substrate support plate is face-sealed with a reactor wall of a substrate processing apparatus described later below. In this case, since the substrate support plate has different levels of upper surfaces for each position, a reaction space with different heights may be formed, thereby generating different amounts of plasma for each position of the reaction space.
The through hole TH may be formed in the inner portion I. The through hole TH (of
Referring to
A lower surface of the third step S3 may be below an upper surface of the inner portion I. When the substrate support plate is face sealed with a reactor wall of the substrate processing apparatus to form a reaction space, the reaction space may include a first reaction space between the gas supply device and the upper surface of the inner portion and a second reaction space between the gas supply device and the lower surface of the third step S3.
In some embodiments, the inner portion I of the substrate support plate 103 may protrude from the peripheral portion P of the substrate support plate 103, and thus the inner portion I may form a convex portion of the substrate support plate 103. Further, in some embodiments, although not shown in the drawings, a portion of the substrate support plate 103 face sealing with a reactor wall 101 may protrude from an upper surface of the peripheral portion P, thereby forming a concave portion in the peripheral portion P of the substrate support plate 103. Due to the convex structure of the peripheral portion P, an additional recess may be formed outside the recess R (see
The gas supply unit 109 may include a plurality of injection holes 133. The plurality of injection holes 133 may be formed to face the inner portion I of the substrate support plate 103. In an example, the plurality of injection holes 133 may be distributed over at least the area of the upper surface of the substrate support plate (i.e., the upper surface of the inner portion I) extending from the center of the substrate support plate 103 to the recess R. In some examples, the plurality of injection holes 133 may be distributed over the area of the substrate to be processed or more. Such a distribution shape of the injection holes 133 may contribute to facilitating partial processing (e.g., deposition) of a thin film on an edge region of the substrate to be processed.
A first gas may be supplied through the plurality of injection holes 133 of the gas supply unit 109. In addition, as described above, a second gas different from the first gas may be supplied through the path F of the substrate support plate 103. The first gas may include a material used to deposit a thin film on the substrate to be processed. The second gas may include a material reactive with the first gas. The first gas and/or the second gas may include an inert gas (e.g., argon) or a highly stable gas (e.g., nitrogen).
The substrate support plate 103 may include at least some of the configurations of the substrate support plate 103 according to the above-described embodiments. For example, the substrate support plate 103 may include the inner portion I having an upper surface of an area less than that of the substrate to be processed and the peripheral portion P surrounding the inner portion I. In addition, the substrate support plate 103 may include the first step S1, the second step S2, and the path F between the first step S1 and the second step S2. In addition, as described above, the substrate support plate 103 may include the recess R formed by the first step S1 and the second step S2, and the path F may be formed in the recess R.
The upper surface of a portion of the substrate support plate 103 inside the recess R may be above the upper surface of the other portion of the substrate support plate 103 outside the recess R. Therefore, a first distance between the gas supply unit 109 and the portion of the substrate support plate inside the recess R may be less than a second distance between the gas supply unit 109 and the other portion of the substrate support plate outside the recess R.
According to some examples, when the substrate to be processed is mounted on the inner portion I, a distance between the substrate to be processed and the gas supply unit 109 may be about 2 mm or less, and the second distance between the peripheral portion P and the gas supply unit 109 may be about 3 mm or more. As such, by forming a sufficient distance between the peripheral portion P and the gas supply unit 109, partial processing of the thin film on the edge region of the substrate to be processed seated on the substrate support plate 103 may be achieved.
Among the above-described embodiments, when a lower surface of the gas supply unit 109 is flat and a difference between the first distance and the second distance is realized, further technical advantages may be achieved. In more detail, when a first lower surface of the gas supply unit 109 in a region where the plurality of injection holes are distributed is on one plane (see
In this case, a distance between the upper surface of the substrate to be processed and the first lower surface and a distance between the upper surface of the substrate to be processed and the second lower surface are constant. As a result, processing of the thin film on the edge region of the substrate to be processed between the peripheral portion P and the gas supply unit 109 may be performed without a separate alignment operation. For example, by adjusting a flow rate ratio of the first gas supplied through the gas supply unit 109 and the second gas supplied through the at least one path F, processing (e.g., deposition) of the thin film on the edge region of the substrate to be processed in an unaligned state may be performed.
Meanwhile, when the lower surface of the gas supply unit 109 in an area where the plurality of injection holes are distributed is on two or more planes, that is, when the lower surface of the gas supply unit 109 includes lower surfaces of different levels (see, e.g.,
In the semiconductor processing apparatus 100, the reactor wall 101 may be in contact with the substrate support plate 103. In more detail, a reaction space 125 may be formed between the substrate support plate 103 and the gas supply unit 109 while a lower surface of the reactor wall 101 is in contact with the substrate support plate 103 serving as a lower electrode. The reaction space 125 may include a first reaction space 125-1 between the gas supply unit 109 and a portion of the substrate support plate inside the recess R (e.g., the inner portion I), and a second reaction space 125-2 between the gas supply unit 109 and the other portion of the substrate support plate outside the recess R (e.g., the peripheral portion P).
In some embodiments, the height of the second reaction space 125-2 may be greater than the height of the first reaction space 125-1. In more detail, the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the recess R may be below the upper surface of the substrate support plate inside the recess R. Accordingly, the second reaction space 125-2 may extend from the upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the recess R to the gas supply unit 109. The height of the second reaction space 125-2 may be greater than the height of the first reaction space 125-1.
In some embodiments, the first reaction space 125-1 may be configured to process a thin film on a central region of the substrate to be processed. The second reaction space 125-2 may be configured to process a thin film on the edge region of the substrate to be processed. For example, in order to process the thin film on the substrate, power may be supplied between the gas supply unit 109 and the substrate support plate 103, and plasma may be generated in the second reaction space 125-2 by the power supply. In some additional examples, plasma may be generated in the first reaction space 125-1 and the second reaction space 125-2 by the power supply.
As described above, since a distance between the substrate support plate 103 and the gas supply unit 109 in the first reaction space 125-1 is less than the distance between the substrate support plate 103 and the gas supply unit 109 in the second reaction space 125-2, less plasma may be formed in the first reaction space 125-1 with a less distance by Paschen's law. In other words, the plasma of the first reaction space 125-1 may be less than the plasma of the second reaction space 125-2. In the present specification, it should be noted that the plasma in the first reaction space 125-1 is less than the plasma in the second reaction space 125-2 includes a case where plasma is formed in the second reaction space 125-2 and no plasma is formed in the first reaction space 125-1.
The substrate support plate 103 may be configured to face seal with the reactor wall 101. The reaction space 125 may be formed between the reactor wall 101 and the substrate support plate 103 by the face sealing. In addition, a gas exhaust path 117 may be formed between a gas flow control device 105 and the gas supply unit 109 and the reactor wall by the face sealing.
The gas flow control device 105 and the gas supply unit 109 may be disposed between the reactor wall 101 and the substrate support plate 103. The gas flow control device 105 and the gas supply unit 109 may be integrally formed, or may be configured in a separate type in which portions having injection holes 133 are separated. In the separate structure, the gas flow control device 105 may be stacked on the gas supply unit 109. Optionally, the gas supply unit 109 may also be configured separately, in which case the gas supply unit 109 may include a gas injection device having a plurality of through holes and a gas channel stacked on the gas injection device.
The gas flow control device 105 may include a plate and a sidewall 123 protruding from the plate. A plurality of holes 111 penetrating a side wall 123 may be formed in the side wall 123.
Grooves 127, 129, and 131 for accommodating a sealing member such as an O-ring may be formed between the reactor wall 101 and the gas flow control device 105 and between the gas flow control device 105 and the gas supply unit 109. By the sealing member, an external gas may be prevented from entering the reaction space 125. In addition, by the sealing member, a reaction gas in the reaction space 125 may exit along a designated path (i.e., the gas exhaust path 117 and a gas outlet 115, see
The gas supply unit 109 may be used as an electrode in a plasma process such as a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) method. In this case, the gas supply unit 109 may include a metal material such as aluminum (Al). In the CCP method, the substrate support plate 103 may also be used as an electrode, so that capacitive coupling may be achieved by the gas supply unit 109 serving as a first electrode and the substrate support plate 103 serving as a second electrode.
In more detail, plasma generated in an external plasma generator (not shown) may be transmitted to the gas supply unit 109 by an RF rod 313 (of
Optionally, the gas supply unit 109 is formed of a conductor while the gas flow control device 105 includes an insulating material such as ceramics so that the gas supply unit 109 used as a plasma electrode may be insulated from the reactor wall 101.
As shown in
In addition, as shown in
In an alternative embodiment, the gas supply unit 109 may be formed to have a step (see
Due to the location of the edge portion of the gas supply unit 109 on the lower surface of the gas supply unit 109, the height of the second reaction space 125-2 may be further extended. That is, outside the recess R, the second reaction space 125-2 may extend from the upper surface of the substrate support plate to the step of the gas supply unit 109. As a result, by the above configuration, the function of allowing plasma not to be formed in the first reaction space 125-1 adjacent to the center of the gas supply unit 109 and allowing plasma to be formed in the second reaction space 125-2 adjacent to the edge of the gas supply unit 109 may be promoted.
Referring to the drawings (e.g.,
Thereafter, in operation S520, the substrate support plate 103 ascends to form the first reaction space 125-1 and the second reaction space 125-2. For example, the substrate support plate may be face sealed with a reactor wall of the substrate processing apparatus to form a reaction space. The first reaction space 125-1 may be defined as a space between the gas supply unit 109 and a portion of the substrate support plate inside the recess R, and the second reaction space 125-2 may be defined as a space between the gas supply unit 109 and the other portion of the substrate support plate outside the recess R.
In operation S530, after the reaction space is formed, the first gas is supplied through the gas supply unit 109, and the second gas is supplied through a path. In some embodiments, the first gas may include a material (e.g., a silicon precursor) to form a thin film, and the second gas may be a material (e.g., oxygen) that is reactive with the first gas when energy is applied thereto. In another example, the first gas may include a material for forming a thin film, and the second gas may include an inert gas.
In operation S540, in a state where the first gas and the second gas are supplied, power is supplied between the gas supply unit 109 on the substrate support plate 103 and the substrate support plate 103 to generate plasma. In this case, the upper surface of a portion of the substrate support plate (i.e., the inner portion of the substrate support plate 103) inside the recess R may be disposed on the upper surface of the other portion of the substrate support plate (i.e., a peripheral portion of the substrate support plate 103) outside the recess R. Therefore, a first distance between the inner portion and the gas supply unit 109 may be less than a second distance between the peripheral portion and the gas supply unit 109. As a result, while the amount of radicals generated in the first reaction space 125-1 with a less distance between the inner portion of the substrate support plate 103 and the gas supply unit 109 is relatively small or absent, the amount of radicals generated in the second reaction space 125-2 with a large distance between the peripheral portion of the substrate support plate 103 and the gas supply unit 109 will be relatively large.
In operation S550, the generated plasma is used to form a thin film on the edge region of the substrate to be processed. For example, a first gas and a second gas are supplied to the reaction space 125 through the gas supply unit 109, and then the second gas is ionized by a potential difference formed between the gas supply unit 109 and the substrate support plate 103 to generate a radical. The radical may be reactive with the first gas, and a thin film may be formed on the substrate by the reaction of the first gas and the radical.
In another example, during operations S540 and S550, a first gas is supplied through the gas supply unit 109, and a second gas reactive with the first gas is supplied to the reaction space 125 through the path F. The second gas is then ionized by the potential difference formed between the gas supply unit 109 and the substrate support plate 103 to generate a radical. The radical may be reactive with the first gas, and a thin film may be formed on the substrate by the reaction of the first gas and the second gas.
As mentioned above, during the generating of the plasma, plasma in the first space between the gas supply unit 109 and a portion of the substrate support plate inside the recess R may be less than plasma in a second space between the gas supply unit 109 and the other portion of the substrate support plate outside the recess R. In other words, since radicals are relatively formed in the peripheral portion of the substrate support plate 103, most of the thin film may be formed in the edge region of the substrate to be processed.
As such, according to embodiments of the inventive concept, thin film deposition on an inclined surface of a substrate edge, such as a bevel edge, may be achieved. That is, by forming a sufficient distance between the peripheral portion of the substrate support plate and the gas supply unit, partial processing (e.g., deposition) of the thin film on the edge region of the substrate to be processed seated on the substrate support plate may be achieved.
Furthermore, according to embodiments of the inventive concept, by supplying a gas to a buffer region under the substrate through a gas inlet and a vertical through hole formed on the side of the susceptor, and by forming a gas barrier in a gap between a lower surface of the substrate and an upper surface of the susceptor, a thin film may be selectively deposited on the side and upper portions of a bevel edge while preventing a thin film from being deposited on the lower surface of the bevel edge.
In addition, according to embodiments of the inventive concept, regardless of whether or not the substrate is aligned on the substrate support plate, a thin film may be deposited on the bevel edge symmetrically with a uniform width along the bevel edge of the substrate. For example, a thin film processing region in the bevel edge of the substrate may be controlled according to the conditions of applied RF power, and selective formation of the thin film of the bevel edge of the substrate may be achieved without an alignment operation of the substrate.
Referring to
The second gas G2 may include a component different from the first gas G1. In an alternative embodiment, the second gas G2 may include a component that is reactive with the first gas G1. In another alternative embodiment, the second gas G2 may include an inert gas. The second gas G2 may be supplied through the path F of the substrate support plate 103. In addition, the second gas G2 may be supplied toward a rear surface of the substrate S to be processed, and the second gas G2 may be supplied toward the edge region of the substrate S to be processed.
As described above, the reaction space 125 may include the first reaction space 125-1 and the second reaction space 125-2. When power is applied, a relatively small amount of plasma is generated or no plasma is generated in the first reaction space 125-1 between the inner portion I and the gas supply unit 109. However, a relatively large amount of plasma may be generated in the second reaction space 125-2 between the peripheral portion P and the gas supply units 109.
Therefore, in the second reaction space 125-2 in which a relatively large amount of plasma is generated, a reaction between the first gas G1 and the second gas G2 may be promoted. As a result, a chemical reaction on the edge region of the substrate S to be processed may be performed, and the thin film on the edge region of the substrate S to be processed may be formed.
A residual gas after forming the thin film on the edge region is transmitted to the gas flow control device 105 through the gas exhaust path 117 formed between the reactor wall 101 and a side wall of the gas supply unit 109. The gas transmitted to the gas flow control device 105 may be introduced into an internal space of the gas flow control device 105 through the through holes 111 formed in the side wall 123 and then exhausted to the outside through the gas outlet 115.
In an alternative embodiment, at least a portion of the inner portion I of the substrate support plate 103 may be anodized. By the anodizing, an insulating layer 150 may be formed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the inner portion I. For example, the insulating layer 150 may include aluminum oxide. By an anodizing process, adhesion of a substrate may be achieved by electrostatic force.
The plate 301 may be surrounded by the protruding sidewall 123 and may have a concave shape. A portion of the gas flow control device 105 is disposed with the gas inlet 113, which is a path through which an external reaction gas is introduced. At least two screw holes 305 are provided around the gas inlet 113, and a screw, which is a mechanical connecting member connecting the gas flow control device 105 to a gas supply unit 109, passes through the screw hole 305. The other portion of the gas flow control device 105 is provided with the RF rod hole 303, and thus the RF rod 313 connected to an external plasma supply unit (not shown) may be mechanically connected to the gas supply unit 109 below the gas flow control device 105.
The gas supply unit 109 connected to the RF rod 313 may serve as an electrode in a CCP process. In this case, a gas supplied by a gas channel and a gas injection device of the gas supply unit 109 will be activated in a reaction space by the gas supply unit 109 serving as an electrode and injected onto a substrate on the substrate support plate 103.
In some embodiments, the injection hole 133 of the gas supply unit 109 may be distributed over an area greater than or equal to the area of the substrate S to be processed. Although not shown in the drawings, in a further embodiment, the injection hole 133 of the gas supply unit 109 may be distributed over an area having a ring shape corresponding to the shape of the substrate to be processed. By arranging the injection holes 133 as described above, a more intensive process for an edge region of the substrate S to be processed may be achieved. That is, by matching a supply region of a first gas supplied through the injection hole 133 with the edge region (e.g., bevel edge) of the substrate to be processed, selective deposition of the thin film on the edge region of the substrate to be processed may be more easily implemented. Alternatively, such an effect may be achieved by making the density or number of holes in a lower surface of the gas supply unit corresponding to a peripheral portion of the substrate higher or greater than the density or number of holes in the lower surface of the gas supply unit corresponding to an inner portion of the substrate.
The substrate support plate 103 of
Referring to
A protrusion may be formed by the second step S2 and the third step S3. In other words, the substrate support plate may include a protrusion formed between the recess R and the third step S3. An upper surface of the protrusion (i.e., the upper surface of the third step S3) may be disposed to correspond to an edge region of a substrate to be processed. The upper surface of the substrate support plate outside the protrusion may be below the upper surface of the pad of the substrate support plate. Therefore, the height of the second reaction space 125-2 may be greater than the height of the first reaction space 125-1, and more plasma may be generated in the second reaction space 125-2.
In some examples, the upper surface of the third step S3 may be below the upper surface of the substrate support plate in the recess R. In an alternative example, the upper surface of the third step S3 may be below the upper surface of the pad D of the substrate support plate 103. In either example, a channel through which the second gas from the path F may move may be formed between the upper surface of the third step S3 and the lower surface of the substrate S to be processed.
Referring to
The susceptor 3 includes a concave portion and a convex portion, wherein the concave portion may be formed in an inner surface of the susceptor 3, and the diameter of the concave portion may be greater than the diameter of the substrate 8. For example, as shown in
The concave portion and the convex portion may be connected to each other by a step 16, and the height of the step 16 may be d3. In an example, a portion of the convex portion of the susceptor may contact the lower surface of the reactor wall 2 to form the side surface of the reaction space. The substrate 8 may be seated on the concave portion of the susceptor 3, that is, the inner portion, and the inner portion of the susceptor may support the substrate 8. The first reaction space 12 may be formed between an upper surface of the substrate 8 on the susceptor 3 and the gas supply unit 1, and may have a distance of d1. The second reaction space 13 may be defined by a bevel edge of the substrate, a concave portion b of the susceptor on which the substrate is not seated, the step 16 of the susceptor 3, and the lower surface of the gas supply unit 1, and may have a distance of d2.
The first gas may be supplied to the first reaction space 12 and the second reaction space through a first gas inlet 5 of the gas supply unit 1. The second gas may be supplied to the second reaction space 13 below the bevel edge of the substrate through the second gas inlet 6 and a third gas inlet 7 formed in the susceptor 3. The first gas may include a reaction gas, for example, a source gas (e.g. precursor vapor) containing a raw material component of the thin film. The first gas may be supplied to the reaction space by a carrier gas. The carrier gas may be inert gas or another reactive gas, such as oxygen or nitrogen, or mixtures thereof, including a raw material component of the thin film.
The second gas may be a filling gas filled in an outer chamber (not shown) on which the reactor is mounted. In an embodiment, the second gas may be an inert gas, an oxygen gas, or a mixture thereof. The second gas may be supplied to the second reaction space 13 through the second gas inlet 6 and the third gas inlet 7.
In
In
As a next operation, the source gas and the reaction gas introduced into the reaction space are activated by applying RF power to the gas supply unit 1. Here, the thin film is deposited only on the bevel edge of the substrate edge by preventing the generation of plasma in the first reaction space 12 and generating plasma in the second reaction space 13. To this end, a distance d1 of the first reaction space 12 may be maintained at a narrow interval so that no plasma may be generated, and a distance d2 of the second reaction space 13 may be maintained at an interval that allows plasma to be generated.
For example, d1 may be preferably 2 mm or less, and d2 may be preferably 3 mm or more. According to Paschen's law, plasma generation is determined by pressure p and a distance d in the reaction space. That is, when the pressure in the reaction space is constant, in the short distance reaction space, a mean free path of gas molecules is short, so the probability of collision between gas molecules is low and ionization is difficult. In addition, since the acceleration distance is short, the discharge is difficult, and thus plasma is hardly generated. In general, when the reaction space is about 2 mm or less, plasma generation is difficult. For example, in
Referring to
In addition, in
Referring to
As described above, the distance d1 of the first reaction space 12 may be within about 2 mm, and thus plasma generation is difficult in the first reaction space 12. Meanwhile, the distance d2 of the second reaction space 13 may be about 3 mm or more, and thus plasma is easily generated in the second reaction space 13. By changing a physical structure in the reaction space in this manner, the technical effect of properly controlling plasma generation locally in the reaction space may be achieved.
According to the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiments described above, symmetric bevel deposition of the same width is possible on the substrate, regardless of the position of the substrate 8 on the susceptor 3. That is, symmetric bevel deposition of the same width is possible along a bevel edge of a substrate edge, regardless of the alignment position of the substrate 8 on the susceptor 3.
In more detail, since the lower surface of the gas supply unit 1, that is, the surface facing the substrate, is flat without bending, the distance d1 between the upper surface of the substrate 8 defining the first reaction space 125-1 and the lower surface of the gas supply unit 1 may be constant. Therefore, regardless of the alignment state of the substrate, no plasma is generated in the first reaction space 12 and no thin film is deposited on the upper surface of the substrate. Meanwhile, since plasma is generated in the second reaction space 13 adjacent to the bevel edge of the substrate, symmetrical bevel edge film deposition of the same width is possible along the bevel edge of the substrate edge. In other words, since the thin film deposition on the bevel edge of the substrate is caused by the second reaction space 13 in contact with the bevel edge of the substrate, irrespective of the alignment state of the substrate on the susceptor 3 in the first reaction space 12, the symmetric bevel deposition of uniform width is possible.
Referring to
When there is a step in a portion of the gas supply unit 1, the distance between the substrate 8 and the gas supply unit 1 may be different for each point of the substrate depending on the alignment state of the substrate 8 on the susceptor 8, and the width of the film deposited on the bevel edge may be different for each point on the substrate. For example, the substrate 8 may be aligned on the susceptor 8 such that one end of the substrate 8 is in a step region of the second reaction space 12 and the other end of the substrate 8 is in the first reaction space 12. In this case, one surface of the bevel edge of the substrate is deposited, while the opposite surface of the bevel edge of the substrate may not be deposited, in which case the symmetry of the deposition film on the bevel edge may be destroyed. Therefore, in the case of
Table 1 above shows bevel deposition process conditions according to the disclosure. The following evaluation is performed by a PECVD method at a substrate temperature of 100° C., and proceeds in two ways, a first process condition and a second process condition. In the first process condition, a silicon source and carrier Ar are used as a first gas and oxygen is used as a second gas. As described above, the first gas is supplied to the first reaction space 125-1 through a first inlet of the gas supply unit, and the second gas, which is a filling gas of an outer chamber surrounding a reaction gas, is supplied to a lower space of a substrate edge through second gas inlet and third gas inlet formed in a susceptor.
According to some embodiments, under the first process condition, as shown in
According to another embodiment, under the second process condition, as shown in
Referring to
It is to be understood that the shape of each portion of the accompanying drawings is illustrative for a clear understanding of the disclosure. It should be noted that the portions may be modified into various shapes other than the shapes shown.
It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims.
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Patent Application No. 62/947,475 filed on Dec. 12, 2019, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62947475 | Dec 2019 | US |