Patent Application
20050257747
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a worktable device, film formation apparatus, and film formation method for a semiconductor process. The term “semiconductor process” used herein includes various kinds of processes which are performed to manufacture a semiconductor device or a structure having wiring layers, electrodes, and the like to be connected to a semiconductor device, on a target substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate used for an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or FPD (Flat Panel Display), by forming semiconductor layers, insulating layers, and conductive layers in predetermined patterns on the target substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits, a number of predetermined semiconductor devices are formed by repeating film formation and pattern etching on a semiconductor wafer, such as a silicon substrate. In order to connect the devices or to form electrical contact with the devices, inter-connection layers are used each along with a barrier layer disposed therebelow. The barrier layer is utilized to prevent an inter-connection material and a contact metal from causing counter diffusion relative to each other, or to prevent an inter-connection layer from separating from an underlying layer. The barrier layer should be made of a material with good adhesive-ness, heat resistance, barrier property, and corrosion resistance, as well as low electrical resistivity, as a matter of course. In order to meet these requirements, a TiN film is frequently used as the material of a barrier layer.
Where a barrier layer consisting of a TiN film is formed, TiCl4 gas and NH3 gas are used to deposit a TiN film with a predetermined thickness by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). In this case, before a semiconductor wafer is loaded into a process container, a pre-coat layer consisting of a TiN film is formed on the surface of a worktable in advance. The pre-coat layer is utilized to maintain thermal planar uniformity in the wafer, and to prevent metal contamination from metal elements contained in the worktable.
The pre-coat layer is removed every time the process container is cleaned. Accordingly, a pre-coat layer is formed on the surface of the worktable after the cleaning and before a semiconductor wafer is loaded into the process container. For example, a TiN pre-coat layer is formed by a step of forming a Ti film by CVD, and a step of nitriding the Ti film by NH3 gas.
In this respect, the following three publications are listed as conventional arts.
Patent publications 1 and 2 disclose a technique for forming a pre-coat layer consisting of a Ti film or TiN film on the surface of a worktable. Patent publication 3 discloses a problem in a film formation process after an idling operation, in which the process is unstable when the first substrate is processed, thereby deteriorating the reproducibility and inter-substrate uniformity of film thickness. Patent publication 3 discloses a technique for solving this problem by supplying either a source gas or reduction gas for a short period of time after the idling operation and immediately before the film formation process is performed on the first substrate.
As regards single-substrate processes for forming a Ti film, it is necessary to improve the planar uniformity and inter-substrate uniformity in the film thickness of the Ti film (with a very small film thickness), in order to decrease the film thickness and to improve electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices. The term “planar uniformity” is the uniformity in the film thickness of the Ti film on one wafer. The term “inter-substrate uniformity” is uniformity in the film thickness of the Ti film among a plurality of wafers (which may be also referred to as reproducibility).
Conventionally, in order to increase the operation rate of an apparatus, a pre-coat layer with a small thickness is formed on a worktable before a film formation process is performed on a wafer. For example, the thickness of a conventional pre-coat layer is about 0.36 μm. This pre-coat layer is formed by repeating a predetermined cycle about 18 times, each cycle comprising a step of depositing a very thin Ti film by plasma CVD, and a step of nitriding the Ti film. In this case, however, a problem has been found in that the film thickness and resistivity of a Ti film deposited on the first several wafers are inconstant and vary.
An object of the present invention is to provide a worktable device, film formation apparatus, and film formation method for a semiconductor process, which can improve at least the inter-substrate uniformity of a film formed on target substrates.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a film formation method for a semiconductor process, which can improve the planar uniformity and inter-substrate uniformity of a film formed on target substrates.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a worktable device configured to be installed in a film formation process container for a semiconductor process, the device comprising:
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film formation apparatus for a semiconductor process, comprising:
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film formation method for a semiconductor process, comprising:
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method according to the third aspect, wherein
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film formation method for a semiconductor process, comprising:
According to the first to third aspects, since the worktable thermally stabilizes while a film formation process is repeated to process respective target substrates, the reproducibility of the film formation process is improved. Accordingly, the inter-substrate uniformity (reproducibility) of a film formed on the target substrates is improved in terms of characteristics, such as the film thickness and resistivity.
According to the fourth aspect, there is essentially no temperature difference of the showerhead between the pre-coat layer formation step and main film formation process. Accordingly, the planar uniformity (particularly on the first target substrate) and the inter-substrate uniformity of a film formed on the target substrates are improved in terms of characteristics, such as the film thickness and resistivity.
According to the fifth aspect, abnormal electrical discharge is prevented from occurring between the worktable and target substrate. Accordingly, the planar uniformity (particularly on the first target substrate) and the inter-substrate uniformity of a film formed on the target substrates are improved in terms of characteristics, such as the film thickness and resistivity.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the process of developing the present invention, the inventors studied a pre-coat layer formed on a worktable. As a result, the inventors have arrived at the findings given below.
When the thickness of a pre-coat layer reaches a certain thickness (threshold) or more, the amount of radiant heat from the top surface and side surface of a worktable comes to show no change (substantial saturation). The thickness of a pre-coat layer by which the amount of radiant heat is substantially saturated does not depend on the temperature of a worktable, as long as the temperature is within a range commonly used for film formation processes (for example, 350 to 750° C. for nitride films of high melting point metals).
Where the thickness of a pre-coat layer is set to be equal to the threshold or more described above, the amount of radiant heat from the top surface and side surface of a worktable does substantially not change even if by-products are further deposited thereon in processing a wafer. In other words, without regard to the number of repetitions of a single-substrate process on wafers, the amount of radiant heat from the worktable is maintained as a constant condition (thermal stability). Accordingly, a thermal condition of the process can be maintained constant for a plurality of wafers, so as to improve the inter-substrate uniformity of a film formed on the wafers. This will be described later in more detail.
Embodiments of the present invention achieved on the basis of the findings given above will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the constituent elements having substantially the same function and arrangement are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a repetitive description will be made only when necessary.
As shown in
The process container 4 is provided with a worktable 16 disposed therein and formed of a circular plate configured to place a target substrate or semiconductor wafer W thereon. The worktable 16 is supported by a strut 14 extending upward from the bottom 6 of the exhaust chamber 9 into the process container 4. Specifically, the worktable 16 is made of a ceramic material, such as AlN, with a resistance heater 18 embedded therein as heating means. The resistance heater 18 is connected to a power supply 22 through a feed line 20 extending inside the strut 14. The resistance heater 18 is formed of a plurality of heating zones divided (not shown) on a plane, which can be controlled independently of each other. The worktable 16 is provided with lift pins 23 movable up and down through pin holes 21 to assist transfer of a wafer W to and from the worktable 16. The lift pins 23 are moved up and down by an actuator 27, which is connected to the container bottom 6 via a bellows 25.
The worktable 16 is also provided with a lower electrode 24 formed of, e.g., a mesh buried near the top surface. The lower electrode 24 is connected to a matching circuit 27 and an RF power supply 29 through a feed line 26. An RF power is applied to the lower electrode 24 to give a self bias to the target substrate. The surface of the worktable 16 is countersunk to form a recess for guiding the target substrate.
The surface of the worktable 16 is covered with a pre-coat layer 28 to improve the thermal stability. As shown in
In this embodiment, the pre-coat layer 28 is formed using the same gas as the source gas used for the film formation performed on the semiconductor wafer W in this apparatus. Namely, the pre-coat layer 28 consists of a TiN-containing film. The pre-coat layer 28 is designed to have a thickness T1 not less than a thickness which can substantially saturate the amount of radiant heat originating from heating of the heater 18 and radiated from the top surface, side surface, and bottom surface of the worktable 16 (at least from the top surface and side surface). In other words, the thickness T1 of the pre-coat layer 28 is set to be within a range by which the amount of radiant heat from the worktable remains almost constant, even if the film thickness is changed within the range, as long as the temperature of the worktable is set to be substantially constant.
For example, the thickness T1 of the pre-coat layer 28 is set at 0.4 μm or more, and preferably at 0.5 μm or more. A method of forming this TiN-containing film and the reason for the value of 0.5 μm will be described later. In light of the process throughput, the thickness T1 of the pre-coat layer 28 is preferably set at 20 μm or less.
On the other hand, a showerhead 30 is airtightly attached on the ceiling of the process container 4 through an insulating member 32 to feed necessary process gases. The showerhead 30 faces the top surface of the worktable 16 almost entirely, and a process space S is defined between the showerhead 30 and worktable 16. The showerhead 30 introduces various gases into the process space S in a dispersive state. The showerhead 30 has an injection face 34 on the bottom with a number of injection holes 36A and 36B formed therein to inject gases. The showerhead 30 may be structured to be of a pre-mix type that mixes gases therein, or a post-mix type that separately feeds gases into the process space S where the gases are mixed for the first time. In this embodiment, the showerhead 30 is of the post-mix type, as described below.
The interior of the showerhead 30 is divided into two spaces 30A and 30B. The spaces 30A and 30B respectively communicate with sets of injection holes 36A and 36B. The showerhead 30 has gas feed ports 38A and 38B at the top to respectively feed gases into the spaces 30A and 30B inside the head. The gas feed ports 38A and 38B are respectively connected to supply passages 40A and 40B to supply the gases. The supply passages 40A and 40B are connected to a plurality of branch lines 42A and 42B.
The branch lines 42B on one side are respectively connected to an NH3 gas source 44 storing NH3 gas as a process gas, an H2 gas source 46 storing H2 gas, and an N2 gas source 48 storing N2 gas as an example of an inactive gas. The branch lines 42A on the other side are respectively connected to an Ar gas source 50 storing Ar gas as an example of an inactive gas, a TiCl4 gas source 52 storing TiCl4 gas as an example of a film formation gas, and a ClF3 gas source 51 storing ClF3 gas as a cleaning gas.
The flow rates of the gases are respectively controlled by flow rate controllers, such as mass flow controllers 54, disposed on the branch lines 42A and 42B. The branch lines 42A and 42B are respectively provided with valves 55, which switch gas supply by opening/closing actions. In this embodiment, gases used for film formation are mixed and supplied through each of the supply passages 40A and 40B. Alternatively, a gas supply structure of a so called post-mix type may be adopted such that part or all of the gases may be respectively supplied through different passages and then mixed in the showerhead 30 or process space S. The branch lines 42A from the TiCl4 gas source 52 is connected to the exhaust system 12 through a pre-flow line 69 with a switching valve 67 disposed thereon. TiCl4 gas is caused to flow through the pre-flow line 69 for several seconds to stabilize the flow rate immediately before the gas is supplied into the process container 4.
The showerhead 30 also functions as an upper electrode, and thus is connected to a radio frequency (RF) power supply 56 of, e.g., 450 kHz for plasma generation through a feed line 58. The frequency of the RF power supply 56 is set at a value within a range of, e.g., 450 kHz to 60 MHz. The feed line 58 is provided with a matching circuit 60 for impedance matching and a switch 62 for RF cutoff, disposed thereon in this order. The processing apparatus 2 can function as a thermal CVD apparatus if it is used for performing a process without plasma generation, by cutting off the radio frequency.
A gate valve 64 is disposed on one sidewall of the process container 4 to be opened/closed for wafer transfer. The worktable 16 is provided with a focus ring when utilizing plasma, or a guide ring when performing thermal CVD, disposed thereon, although this is not shown.
Next, an explanation will be give of a method of forming a pre-coat layer 28, using the processing apparatus described above, with reference to
At first, a method shown in
After the process container 4 is airtightly closed, Ar gas and H2 gas are supplied from the showerhead 30 into the process container 4 at predetermined flow rates. Further, the interior of the process container 4 is vacuum-exhausted by the vacuum pump 10 and maintained at a predetermined pressure.
Furthermore, the worktable 16 is heated and maintained at a predetermined temperature by the resistance heater 18 embedded in the worktable 16. In this state, the switch 62 is turned on to apply an RF power between the showerhead (upper electrode) 30 and worktable (lower electrode) 16, so that the mixture gas of Ar gas and H2 gas is turned into plasma within the process space S. With this state, TiCl4 gas is supplied for a short period of time of, e.g., about 5 to 120 seconds, and preferably of 30 to 60 seconds. In this way, a film formation step is performed to deposit a very thin Ti film having a thickness of about 10 nm or more, such as 20 nm, on the surface of the worktable 16 by plasma CVD. Then, while maintaining plasma generation (by supplying Ar/H2), the supply of TiCl4 gas is stopped. At the same time, NH3 gas is supplied for a short period of time of, e.g., about 5 to 120 seconds, and preferably of 30 to 60 seconds. In this way, a nitridation step is performed to nitride the Ti film. As a consequence, one cycle of a process for forming a TiN-containing film is completed.
Then, an inactive gas, such as N2 gas or Ar gas, is supplied for a short period of time to purge the process gases remaining within the process container 4. Then, the same process for forming a TiN-containing film as described above is repeated for the second to fiftieth cycles, thereby laminating a plurality of thin TiN-containing films. As a consequence, a pre-coat layer 28 consisting of a TiN-containing film is formed to have a thickness of 0.4 μm or more, and preferably of 0.5 μm or more, as a whole. The TiN-containing film may be formed of a Ti film nitrided only at the surface, or may be formed of a TiN film entirely. In consideration of the heat radiation characteristic, it is preferable for the entirety of the film to be a TiN film.
If the thickness of a Ti film deposited by one cycle is too large, it is difficult to sufficiently nitride the Ti film. Accordingly, the maximum thickness of a Ti film deposited by one cycle is preferably set at, e.g., 0.05 μm or less, and more preferably at 0.03 μm or less. However, as the thickness of a TiN-containing film deposited by one cycle is larger, the number of repetitions of the cycle can be smaller. In any case, a pre-coat layer 28 is formed to have a thickness of 0.4 μm or more, and preferably of 0.5 μm or more, as a whole.
If the thickness of the pre-coat layer 28 is set to be larger than the value described above, the amount of radiant heat from the worktable 16 does not change but remains almost constant. In other words, when a TiN-containing film is further deposited on the worktable 16 during a film formation process performed on a wafer, the amount of radiant heat does not change. In consideration of the process throughput, the thickness of the pre-coat layer 28 is set at 20 μm or less, preferably at 2 μm or less, and more preferably at less than 1.0 μm.
The pre-coating process shown in
After the pre-coating process is finished as described above, a film formation process of a Ti film is performed on wafers one by one.
For example, this step employs the following conditions. The process temperature is maintained at 640° C. The process pressure is maintained at a value of 66.6 to 1,333 Pa, such as 666.7 Pa or 667 Pa. The flow rate of TiCl4 gas is set to be 4 to 50 sccm, such as 12 sccm. The flow rate of Ar gas is set to be 100 to 3,000 sccm, such as 1,600 sccm. The flow rate of H2 gas is set to be 1,000 to 5,000 sccm, such as 4,000 sccm.
In STEP 2, i.e., “PrePLSM”, an RF(RF) of, e.g., 450 kHz is applied to the upper electrode or showerhead 30 to generate and stabilize plasma for about a couple of seconds (e.g., one second). STEP 2 dose not necessarily require plasma generation, so STEP 2 may be substantially omitted. In STEP 3, i.e., “Depo”, TiCl4 gas is supplied into the process container 4 to form a Ti film. This film formation time is set to be 30 seconds.
In STEP 4, i.e., “AFTDepo”, the RF application is stopped, and the source gas inside the source gas feed line is exhausted. In STEP 5, i.e., “GasChang”, the flow rate of H2 gas is decreased from 4,000 sccm to 2,000 sccm and the H2 gas flow is stabilized, so that the process gases inside the process container 4 are replaced therewith and exhausted. In STEP 6, i.e., “PreNH3”, prior to plasma generation, NH3 gas is supplied at a flow rate of 500 to 3,000 sccm, such as 1,500 sccm, into the process container 4, so as to stabilize the flow of NH3, H2, and Ar gases.
In STEP 7, i.e., “Nitride”, an RF of 450 kHz is applied to the upper electrode or showerhead 30 to nitride the Ti film by plasma of NH3, H2, and Ar gases. This nitridation process time is set to be 5 to 120 seconds, such as 30 seconds. Then, in STEP 8, i.e., “RFStop”, the RF application is stopped, thereby finishing the nitridation process.
Then, such one cycle of the pre-coating process comprising sequential operations described above is repeated a plurality of times, such as 50 times, to form a multi-layered pre-coat layer. Then, a wafer is loaded into the process container 4, and a step of forming a Ti film on the wafer is performed by plasma CVD. By forming the pre-coat layer according to the embodiment, the film thickness, resistivity, planar uniformity, and inter-substrate uniformity can be improved on the first several wafers.
In the film formation method described above, the Ti film is nitrided by plasma, i.e., a plasma nitridation process. However, in place of the plasma nitridation process, a thermal nitridation process without plasma may be employed. According to this thermal nitridation process, a Ti film is formed by plasma CVD, and then the switch 62 is turned off to stop the RF power application. Further, a gas containing N (nitrogen), such as NH3 gas, is supplied, while TiCl4 gas is stopped and Ar gas and H2 gas are kept supplied, to perform a nitridation process. Alternatively, NH3 gas and H2 gas may be supplied at predetermined flow rates to perform a thermal nitridation process without plasma. For example, the gas containing nitrogen may be mixed with MMH (monomethylhydrazine) or may consist of MMH.
The thermal nitridation process employs the following process conditions. The flow rate of NH3 gas is preferably set to be about 5 to 5,000 sccm. The flow rate of H2 gas is preferably set to be about 50 to 5,000 sccm. The flow rate of Ar gas is preferably set to be about 50 to 2,000 sccm. The flow rate of N2 gas is preferably set to be about 50 to 2,000 sccm. The flow rate of MMH gas is preferably set to be about 1 to 1,000 sccm. The pressure and worktable temperature are the same as those of the film formation step performed by plasma CVD. At this time, the thickness of the pre-coat film is preferably set to be about 0.4 to 2 μm, and more preferably to be about 0.5 to 0.9 μm.
Next, a method shown in
Specifically, unnecessary deposited substances inside the process container 4 are cleaned while no wafer is loaded in the process container 4. Then, a TiN film is directly formed by thermal CVD without plasma. At this time, TiCl4 gas, NH3 gas, and N2 gas are used as film formation gases. Since the reaction rate of this TiN film formation by thermal CVD is high, the pre-coating process can be performed for a short period of time at a high film formation rate. Further, since the step coverage is good (high rate), it is possible to form a TiN film not only on the top surface of the worktable 16, but also sufficiently on the side surface and bottom surface.
Where a pre-coat film of a TiN film is formed by thermal CVD, the pre-coat layer 28 can be formed in one processing to have a thickness of 0.5 μm, without repeating a process cycle as in the method shown in
According to the method shown in
The method shown in
The method shown in
Further, the methods shown in
Next, an explanation will be given of the relationship between the thickness of the pre-coat layer 28 on the worktable 16 and reproducibility of the thickness of a TiN film deposited on semiconductor wafers. As described above, the pre-coat layer 28 is designed to have a thickness not less than a thickness which can substantially saturate the amount of radiant heat originating from heating of the heater 18 and radiated from the top surface, side surface, and bottom surface of the worktable 16. In other words, the thickness of the pre-coat layer 28 is set to be within a range by which the amount of radiant heat from the worktable 16 remains almost constant, even if the film thickness is changed within the range, as long as the temperature of the worktable is set to be substantially constant.
According to the conventional technique, a Ti film with a predetermined film thickness is formed on the surface of a worktable and is then nitrided to form a pre-coat film, each by one operation, while no wafer is placed in a process container. Then, a semiconductor wafer is loaded, and a Ti film is formed on the surface of the wafer by plasma CVD, and is then nitrided to form a TiN film. At this time, in the early stage of the process, the temperature of the showerhead 30 increases with increase in the number of processed wafers, and then becomes almost constant when the number of processed wafers reaches a certain value.
In this case, the temperature of the showerhead 30 significantly varies, depending on change in heat quantity due to plasma formed within the process space S, and change in the amount of radiant heat from the worktable 16. As the temperature of the showerhead 30 varies, the quantity of precursors (TiClx: X=1 to 3) of TiCl4 gas consumed near here fluctuates. As a consequence, the uniformity and reproducibility of the film thickness and resistivity of a Ti film formed on wafers are deteriorated. Accordingly, in order to improve the reproducibility of the Ti film formation process, it is necessary to stabilize the amount of radiant heat from the worktable 16.
As shown in
Further, the matching action of the matching circuit was examined to study the matching of plasma within the process container 4 relative to the film thickness of the pre-coat layer changed as described above.
As shown in
In consideration of the result described above, an experiment was conducted of forming a Ti film on 50 wafers, using a processing apparatus (method) according to this embodiment and a conventional processing apparatus (method).
In
As shown in
As described above, the line C representing use of thermal CVD shows a better characteristic than the line B representing use of plasma CVD, because of the following reason. Specifically, the film formation process by thermal CVD has better step coverage, and thus can make the pre-coat layer 28 sufficiently deposited over the worktable 16 down to the bottom surface (see
Further, as shown in
In order to prevent the jumping phenomenon from occurring, where the pre-coat layer 28 consisting of a TiN film is formed by thermal CVD, a control is performed to cancel the temperature difference of 10° C. on the surface of the showerhead 30. Specifically, the temperature of the worktable 16 is set to be slightly higher, such as about 20° C. higher (i.e., 670° C.) in the above described case. The temperature of the surface of the showerhead 30 can be thereby almost the same as that obtained by a case where the Ti film formation process is performed by plasma CVD. As a consequence, it is possible to prevent the jumping phenomenon from occurring on the first wafer.
In general, the processing apparatus is not necessarily continuously operated, such that, if there are no semiconductor wafers to be processed, it is not operated for a long period of time of, e.g., several hours to several days, while the worktable 16 has a pre-coat layer deposited thereon. In this case, the apparatus is set to be under a so-called idling operation, so that it can start a film formation process for a short period of time, as needed. Typically, during the idling operation of the apparatus the power supply is not turned off, and the worktable 16 is set at a high temperature while a small amount of inactive gas, such as Ar gas or N2 gas, is kept supplied into the process container 4. The same state also appears after a maintenance operation.
The present inventors have found that there is case where the resistivity of a deposited film becomes larger on, e.g., the first to fifth wafers processed by a film formation process started after an idling operation. The resistivity is far larger, beyond the acceptable range, than the resistivity of a deposited film formed on the subsequent wafers.
In order to solve this problem, when a film formation process is restarted after an idling operation is performed for a short period of time or a long period of time, a stabilization process is performed, as follows. Specifically, immediately before a wafer is loaded, the cycle shown in
In this case, a thin TiN-containing film is deposited by the operation described above on the surface of the pre-coat layer which has been oxidized during the idling operation. As a consequence, the surface of the pre-coat layer is stabilized, so that the amount of radiant heat from the worktable 16 remains almost constant. As a consequence, it is possible to prevent the resistivity of a deposited film from becoming excessively larger on the first several wafers processed by the film formation process started after the idling operation, thereby improving the planar and inter-substrate uniformities.
As shown in
In the embodiment described above, a pre-coating process is performed to stabilize the state inside the process container 4, immediately after a cleaning process is performed for the interior of the process container 4, or immediately before a wafer is loaded after the processing apparatus 2 undergoes an idling operation. In this case, it has been found that some problem arise if the pre-coating process comprises a Ti film formation process by plasma CVD and a nitridation process by plasma (particularly the cases shown in
This electrical discharge is thought to be caused by the following mechanism.
Then, as shown in
Under such conditions, when a wafer is placed on the surface of the worktable 16 and a Ti film is formed on the wafer by plasma CVD, the wafer body is electrically charged at this time. As a consequence, electrical discharge occurs between the wafer W and the worktable 16 charged with strong negative charge, and particularly at the periphery where the charge tends to concentrate, thereby deteriorating the film quality at the periphery.
Specifically, as the process uses a process gas entailing more negative ions, the worktable 16 is more electrically changed. In this case, the potential difference between the worktable and a subsequently processed wafer becomes larger, and thus causes electrical discharge. Examples of a gas apt to generate negative ions are halogenated compounds, such as halogenated metals, e.g., TiCl4 gas, and CF family gases. Such electrical discharge occurs only on the first processed wafer, and does not occur on the wafers subsequently processed in series.
In consideration of this, according to this embodiment, a stabilization process is performed to stabilize the state inside the process container 4, after the first process is performed by plasma CVD using a gas which brings about mostly first polarity ions by ionization within the process container. During the stabilization process, a stabilization process gas is supplied into the process container 4 and turned into plasma, wherein the stabilization process gas brings about mostly second polarity ions opposite the first polarity by ionization. The stabilization process electrically neutralizes the surface of the worktable 16 which has been electrically charged by the first process.
The above described example of the first process is a process for forming a CVD pre-coat layer to cover the top surface of the worktable 16, using a film formation gas. Another example of the first process is a process for forming a CVD film on a preceding substrate, using a film formation gas. In the latter case, it is typically supposed to set the apparatus under an idling operation between the first process and stabilization process.
In other words, when a wafer is processed after an idling operation of the processing apparatus, or when a wafer is processed after a pre-coating process, a stabilization process is performed to stabilize the surface of the worktable 16 immediately before the process of the wafer is started. As a consequence, the electrical charge on the surface of the worktable 16 is decreased and stabilized, and the material of the surface of the worktable 16 is also stabilized.
For example, this stabilization process can be performed by supplying a gas into the process container 4 and turning it into plasma, wherein the gas contains the same gases as the process gas used for a film formation process on a wafer, except that the metal-containing source gas is excluded therefrom. Specifically, according to this embodiment, the process gas excluding the metal-containing source gas or TiCl4 gas is supplied, i.e., NH3 gas, H2 gas, and Ar gas are supplied, to generate plasma. As a consequence, a thin film on the surface of the worktable 16 is nitrided and reformed, and the charge (electrical charge amount) on the surface of the worktable 16 is decreased. Alternatively, a mixture gas of at least one of N2, NH3, and MMH gases with Ar gas may be used to perform a plasma process. This process is also effective for another metal-containing source gas, such as an organic-metal compound gas, e.g., TiI4 gas or TaCl5 gas.
The idling operation of the apparatus may be set to automatically start when the blank time between two periods of the main film formation process on a target substrate is, e.g., 60 seconds or more. Typically, during the idling operation, the power supply of the apparatus is not turned off, and the worktable 16 is set at a high temperature while a small amount of inactive gas, such as Ar gas or N2 gas, is kept supplied into the process container 4.
The steps in
It is assumed that, the worktable 16 first substantially reaches a predetermined process temperature. In STEP 1, i.e., “PreFlow”, Ar gas and H2 gas are supplied into the process container 4, and their flow rates are stabilized. At this time, the flow rate of Ar gas is set to be 500 to 3,000 sccm, such as 1,600 sccm, and the flow rate of H2 gas is set to be 1,000 to 5,000 sccm, such as 4,000 sccm. In STEP 2, i.e., “GasChang”, the flow rate of H2 gas is decreased from 4,000 sccm to 2,000 sccm to prepare for supply of NH3 gas in the next step. In STEP 3, i.e., “PreNH3”, NH3 gas starts being supplied and the gas flow rate is stabilized. The flow rate of NH3 gas is set to be 500 to 3,000 sccm, such as 1,500 sccm.
In STEP 4, i.e., “Nitride”, the gas flow rate described above in STEP 3 is maintained. Then, an RF (radio frequency) is applied to the upper electrode or showerhead 30 to generate plasma in the process container 4. As a consequence, a film deposited on the surface of the worktable 16 is nitrided or reformed, and is stabilized. In this case, unlike the pre-coating process shown in
One cycle consisting of these STEP 1 to STEP 5 may be repeated a plurality of times, or may be performed once. Immediately after this stabilization process, a film formation process is performed on ordinary wafers. This cycle may exclude STEP 1 and start from STEP 2 using it as pre-flow.
Since the surface of the worktable 16 is scarcely electrically charged, no problems arise when a Ti film is deposited on the first wafer by a plasma process. Specifically, the potential difference between the worktable 16 and wafer is not so large, thereby preventing electrical discharge from occurring therebetween. The stabilization process is preferably performed before a process on wafers without reference to the length of an idling operation.
In
On the other hand, in the case of
The stabilization process may be added to any one of the film formation methods shown in
Each of the methods according to the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13 is performed under the control of the control section 5 (see
Each of the methods according to the embodiments described above may be written as program instructions for execution on a processor, into a computer readable storage medium or media to be applied to a semiconductor processing apparatus. Alternately, program instructions of this kind may be transmitted by a communication medium or media and thereby applied to a semiconductor processing apparatus. Examples of the storage medium or media are a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk (a representative of which is a hard disk included in the storage section 212), etc.), an optical disk (CD, DVD, etc.), a magneto-optical disk (MO, etc.), and a semiconductor memory. A computer for controlling the operation of the semiconductor processing apparatus reads program instructions stored in the storage medium or media, and executes them on a processor, thereby performing a corresponding method, as described above.
The process conditions, such as gas flow rates, pressures, and temperatures, described above with reference to first and second embodiments are mere examples. Further, the structure of the processing apparatus is also a mere example. For example, the frequency of the power supply 56 for plasma generation may be set at a value other than 450 kHz. Alternatively, the plasma generation means may utilize a microwave.
In the first and second embodiments, a Ti film formation process is explained as an example. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to a film formation process of a metal film, such as tungsten (W), or a metal-containing film, such as tungsten silicide (WSix), tantalum oxide (TaOx: Ta2O5), or TiN. Alternatively, the present invention may be applied to a film formation process of a TiN film, HfO2 film, RuO2 film, or Al2O3 film.
The size of semiconductor wafers may be any one of 6 inches (150 mm), 8 inches (200 mm), 12 inches (300 mm), or a size exceeding 12 inches (e.g., 14 inches). The target substrate is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, and it may be glass substrate or LCD substrate. The worktable heating means is not limited to a resistance heater, and it may be a heating lamp.
According to the present invention, there is provided a worktable device, film formation apparatus, and film formation method for a semiconductor process, which can improve at least the inter-substrate uniformity of a film formed on target substrates.
Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-024264 | Jan 2003 | JP | national |
| 2003-199377 | Jul 2003 | JP | national |
This is a Continuation-in-Part Application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP03/16961, filed Dec. 26, 2003, which was published under PCT Article 21(2) in Japanese. This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2003-024264, filed Jan. 31, 2003; and No. 2003-199377, field Jul. 18, 2003, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP03/16961 | Dec 2003 | US |
| Child | 11192047 | Jul 2005 | US |
