KR101094644B1 - Plasma Generator and Substrate Processing Equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a hollow cathode having a plurality of inner grooves in which plasma is generated on one surface thereof, a plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner grooves; And a power supply source electrically connected to the hollow cathode. According to the present invention, since the hollow cathode effect and the electron emission effect are increased by the hollow cathode and the needle disposed in the inner groove of the hollow cathode, a high density plasma can be provided.

Plasma, hollow cathode, needle, electrode, power supply

Description

Apparatus for generating hollow cathode plasma and apparatus for treating substrate by hollow cathode plasma}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma generating apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plasma generating apparatus capable of performing ashing, cleaning, and etching processes on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate using a hollow cathode plasma. And a substrate processing apparatus.

In order to manufacture a semiconductor device, various processes such as etching, ashing, and cleaning are required. Recently, the above process is performed using plasma.

Inductively coupled plasma sources are mainly used as plasma sources. 1 is a plan view showing such an inductively coupled plasma etching apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method includes installing a circular or spiral antenna 12 on the chamber 11 and applying a high frequency power 13 to a current on a coil. As a result, the magnetic field is formed, an induced electric field is generated inside the chamber 11 by the generated magnetic field, and the plasma is generated by accelerating electrons.

The inductively coupled plasma method can generate a plasma even at a very low pressure, which is very advantageous for etching fine patterns.

However, the inductively coupled plasma method is difficult to control radicals at high pressures, and thus, fine patterns may be processed only at low pressures. In other words, in recent years, as the size of a semiconductor substrate is increased, uniform distribution of process gases on the substrate is required, but a plasma etching apparatus using an ICP type plasma source is difficult to make a large area and difficult to control plasma at high pressure. There is a characteristic.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma generator and a substrate processing apparatus capable of generating a high density hollow cathode plasma.

Plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hollow cathode (Hollow cathode) is formed with a plurality of inner grooves for generating plasma on one surface; A plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner groove; And a power supply electrically connected to the hollow cathode.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention provides a space in which the substrate processing process is performed, the process chamber is formed with an exhaust port for the exhaust of the gas; A gas supply member supplying a gas into the process chamber; A substrate support member disposed in the process chamber to support a substrate; A hollow cathode disposed inside the process chamber and having a plurality of inner grooves formed at one surface thereof to generate plasma; A plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner groove; And a power supply source for applying power to the hollow cathode.

The substrate supporting member may further include a lower electrode, and the power supply source may be electrically connected to at least one of the hollow cathode and the lower electrode to apply power.

In addition, the needle may be provided only to a part of the inner groove.

In addition, an inflow hole extending to penetrate the needle to the other surface of the hollow cathode may be further formed.

Furthermore, the inlet hole may be formed only in a part of the needle.

Further, the inner groove may be formed so that the inner edge is curved.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention provides a space in which the substrate processing process is performed, the process chamber formed with an exhaust port for the exhaust of the gas; A gas supply member supplying a gas into the process chamber; A plurality of substrate support members disposed in the process chamber to support a substrate; A plurality of hollow cathodes disposed between the substrate supporting members in the process chamber and having a plurality of inner grooves on which plasma is generated; A plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner groove; And a power supply for applying power to the hollow cathodes.

The substrate supporting members may further include a lower electrode, and the power supply source may be electrically connected to at least one of the hollow cathode and the lower electrode to apply power.

Furthermore, the needle may be provided only in a part of the inner groove.

In addition, the inner groove may be formed so that the inner edge is curved.

According to the plasma generating apparatus and substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention,

First, the hollow cathode and the electron emission effect are increased by the needles disposed in the hollow cathode and the inner groove of the hollow cathode, thereby providing a high density plasma.

Secondly, because the high density plasma can be provided, the process time is reduced.

Third, since the plasma can be uniformly provided over a wide area, it can be applied to a large area semiconductor process.

Fourth, it can be used for the silicon deposition process of the solar cell that requires a high-speed process, it is advantageous in terms of the installation cost of the process chamber when a plurality of hollow cathodes are arranged.

Fifth, if the inner edge of the inner groove is formed to form a curved surface, there is an effect that can prevent the generation of arc (arc).

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the common or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various equivalents that may be substituted for them at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be water and variations.

Hereinafter, a plasma generator and a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the plasma generating apparatus includes a hollow cathode 40, a plurality of needles 50, and power sources 61 and 62. It may also optionally include an electrode 70.

The hollow cathode 40 is plate-shaped, and the metal which can be used as an electrode is used as material. In addition, a plurality of inner grooves 41 in which plasma is generated by the hollow cathode effect are formed on one surface of the hollow cathode 40. The needle 50 has a conical or truncated cone shape and is fixedly disposed in the inner groove 41. Of course, the needle 50 may have a different pyramid shape as needed. The electrode 70 is spaced apart from the hollow cathode 40.

Of course, the hollow cathode 40 and the needle 50 may be manufactured in the same manner as described above, and after the needles 50 are previously manufactured to be fixed to be spaced apart from each other on the circular plate, the inner groove 41 after the fixing. It may be manufactured by overlapping the other plate formed with a plurality of holes.

The power supplies 61 and 62 are electrically connected to at least one of the hollow cathode 40 and the electrode 70 to supply power. In this case, the power supply source 61 connected to the hollow cathode 40 and the power supply source 62 connected to the electrode 70 may selectively connect any one. The frequency of the power supplied by the power sources 61 and 62 can be used in the range of several hundreds of kHz to several tens of MHz.

 3A to 3E are cross-sectional views illustrating another embodiment of the hollow cathode shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIGS. 3A-3E, the hollow cathode 40 and the needle 50 are applicable to various embodiments as needed.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the needle 50 having a conical or truncated cone shape may be fixed to each inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40.

In addition, the needle 50 may be provided only to a part of the inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40, as shown in FIG. 3A.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, an inflow hole 42 extending through the needle 50 to penetrate the other surface of the hollow cathode 40 may be formed to flow gas from the top of the hollow cathode 40. .

In addition, the inlet hole 42 may be formed even when the needle 50 is provided only to a part of the inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40, as shown in FIG. 3C, and the needle (as shown in FIG. 3D). 50 is fixedly disposed for each inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40, the inlet hole 42 may be formed only on a part of the needle (50).

In addition, when the inner edge 41a of the inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40 forms a right angle, an arc may occur. The plasma may behave unpredictably during the arcing, resulting in poor etching results and unwanted contamination.

Thus, as shown in Figure 3e, the inner edge 41a of the inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40 may be formed to form a curved surface. In FIG. 3E, only the inner edge of the inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40 illustrated in FIG. 3D is curved, but the inner groove 41 of the hollow cathode 40 illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 3C is illustrated. The inner edge may also be formed into a curved surface.

Next, FIGS. 4 to 8 are cross-sectional views illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 4, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a process chamber 110, a gas supply member 120, a substrate support member 130, a hollow cathode 140, a plurality of needles 150, and a power supply source. (161, 162). 4 includes the hollow cathode 140 and the needle 150 described with reference to FIG. 2.

The process chamber 110 provides a space in which a substrate treatment process is performed, and an exhaust port 111 for exhausting gas is formed at one side thereof. The exhaust port 111 is connected to the pump and the exhaust line to discharge the reaction by-products in the process chamber 110, to maintain the process chamber 110 at a process pressure. The gas supply member 120 is disposed at the side of the process chamber 110 to supply gas into the process chamber 110.

The substrate support member 130 is disposed inside the process chamber 110 to support the substrate W. If necessary, the substrate support member 130 may include an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, and the like.

The substrate support member 130 may be fixed and may be selectively rotated or vertically moved on a horizontal plane as necessary. The substrate support member 130 generally includes a support plate 131 for supporting the substrate W, a drive shaft 132, a driver 133, and the like. The substrate W is placed side by side with the support plate 131. The lower portion of the support plate 131 is coupled to the upper end of the drive shaft 132, the lower end of the drive shaft 132 is coupled to the driver 133. The rotational force generated by the driver 133 is transmitted to the drive shaft 1323, and the drive shaft 132 is rotatable together with the support plate 131.

In addition, the hollow cathode 140 is disposed in the process chamber 110 and a plurality of inner grooves 141 are formed on one surface thereof to generate plasma. The needle 150 has a conical or truncated cone shape and is fixedly disposed in the inner groove 141 of the hollow cathode 140.

When the substrate support member 130 does not include the lower electrode 170, the power supply 161 applies power only to the hollow cathode 140. If the substrate support member 130 includes the lower electrode 170, the power supply 162 may be electrically connected to the lower electrode 170 to apply power.

Next, referring to FIG. 5, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes the same hollow cathode 140 and the needle 150 as described in FIG. 3A. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, unlike FIG. 4, the needle 150 is provided only in a part of the inner groove 141 of the hollow cathode 140.

Similarly, referring to FIG. 6, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes the same hollow cathode 140 and needle 150 as described in FIG. 3B. As shown in FIG. 6, an inlet hole 142 is formed to extend through the needle 150 to penetrate the other surface of the hollow cathode 140 for the inflow of gas from the top of the hollow cathode 140.

4 and 5, the gas supply member 120 is disposed above the process chamber 110, and the hollow cathode 140 is spaced apart from the upper side of the process chamber 110 so that the gas injection space is spaced apart from the upper side of the process chamber 110. To provide. That is, since the inlet hole 142 may serve to inject gas, the gas supply member 120 may be disposed above the process chamber 110. Of course, if necessary, the gas supply member 120 may be disposed together with the side of the process chamber 110 as well as the upper side of the process chamber 110 to supply gas (same content in the embodiments of FIGS. 7 and 8 to be described later). This applies).

Referring to FIG. 7, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes the same hollow cathode 140 and the needle 150 as described in FIG. 3C. As shown in FIG. 7, the inflow hole 142 may be formed when the needle 150 is provided only in a part of the inner groove 141 of the hollow cathode 140.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 100 of FIG. 8 includes the same hollow cathode 140 and the needle 150 as described with reference to FIG. 3D. That is, the needle 150 is fixed to each inner groove 141 of the hollow cathode 140, the inlet hole 142 is formed only on a part of the needle 150.

Meanwhile, inner edges of the inner groove 141 of the hollow cathode 140 of FIGS. 4 to 8 may also be formed to form a curved surface as shown in FIG. 3E.

9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, the substrate processing apparatus 200 includes a process chamber 210, a gas supply member 220, a plurality of substrate support members 230, a plurality of hollow cathodes 240, a plurality of needles 250, and And a power supply 260. Although the substrate processing apparatus 100 illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 8 is for processing one substrate W, the substrate processing apparatus 200 illustrated in FIG. 9 may process a plurality of substrates W simultaneously. It is a device with a structure for. Accordingly, a plurality of substrate support members 230, hollow cathodes 240, and the like are provided.

The process chamber 210 provides a space in which a substrate treatment process is performed, and an exhaust port 211 for exhausting gas is formed at one side thereof. The number of the exhaust ports 211 can be increased or decreased as needed.

The gas supply member 220 supplies gas into the process chamber 210. As shown, the gas supply member 220 may be disposed above the process chamber 210. The position, number, etc. of the gas supply member 220 may also be changed as necessary.

The substrate supporting members 230 are disposed in the process chamber 210 to support the substrate W. The substrate support members 230 are disposed to be spaced apart from each other so as to face the hollow cathode 240, and the substrate support members 230 disposed at both ends of the substrate support members 230 are supported by one side of the substrate support members 230, and are disposed on the inside thereof. The supporting members 230 support the substrate W on both sides.

The hollow cathodes 240 are disposed between the substrate support members 230 in the process chamber 210, and a plurality of inner grooves 241 are formed on both surfaces of the hollow cathodes 240. Inner edges of the inner groove 241 of the hollow cathode 240 of FIG. 9 may also be formed to form a curved surface, as shown in FIG. 3E.

The needle 250 has a conical or truncated cone shape as described above and is fixedly disposed in the inner groove 241 of the hollow cathode 240. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the needle 250 may be provided only to a part of the inner groove 241. The hollow cathode 240 and the needle 250 may be formed with an inlet hole or the like as necessary based on the above description.

The power supply 260 applies power to the hollow cathodes 240. In addition, the substrate support members 230 may include a lower electrode 270, and the power supply 260 may be electrically connected to at least one of the hollow cathode 240 and the lower electrode 270 to apply power. You may.

According to the plasma generating apparatus and the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the hollow cathodes 40, 140, 240 and the inner grooves 41, 141, 241 of the hollow cathodes 40, 140, 240 are disposed. Since the hollow cathode effect and the electron emission effect are increased by the needles 50, 150, and 250, a high density plasma can be provided and a high density plasma can be provided, thereby reducing process time.

In addition, since the plasma can be uniformly provided over a large area, it can be applied to a large area semiconductor process, and can also be used for the silicon deposition process of a solar cell requiring a high-speed process, and the hollow cathodes 40, 140, and 240 are used. In the case of arranging a large number, the installation cost of the process chamber is advantageous. If the inner edges of the inner grooves 14, 141, and 241 are formed to have a curved surface, there is an effect of preventing the generation of arcs.

1 is a plan view showing an inductively coupled plasma etching apparatus.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A to 3E are cross-sectional views illustrating another embodiment of the hollow cathode shown in FIG. 2.

4 to 8 are cross-sectional views illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Brief description of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

40, 140, 240 ... hollow cathode 41, 141, 241 ... inner groove

50, 150, 250 ... needle 61, 62, 161, 162, 260 ... power supply

100, 200 ... substrate processing unit 110, 210 ... process chamber

Claims (15)

A hollow cathode of a conductive material having a plurality of inner grooves in which plasma is formed on one surface thereof; A plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner groove; A power supply electrically connected to the hollow cathode; And And an inlet hole extending through the needle to penetrate to the other surface of the hollow cathode. Claim 2 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. The method of claim 1, The needle, Plasma generator, characterized in that provided only a portion of the inner groove. Claim 3 was abandoned when the setup registration fee was paid. The method of claim 1, The inlet hole, And a plasma generating device formed only on a part of the needle. The method of claim 1, The inner groove, Plasma generator, characterized in that the inner edge formed to form a curved surface. A process chamber providing a space in which a substrate treatment process is performed and having an exhaust port for exhausting gas; A gas supply member supplying a gas into the process chamber; A substrate support member disposed in the process chamber to support a substrate; A hollow cathode disposed inside the process chamber and having a plurality of inner grooves formed at one surface thereof to generate plasma; A plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner groove; A power supply for applying power to the hollow cathode; And And an inflow hole extending through the needle to penetrate to the other surface of the hollow cathode. The method according to claim 5, The substrate support member further includes a lower electrode, And the power supply source is electrically connected to at least one of the hollow cathode and the lower electrode to apply power. Claim 7 was abandoned upon payment of a set-up fee. The method according to claim 5, The needle, Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that provided only a portion of the inner groove. Claim 8 was abandoned when the registration fee was paid. The method according to claim 5, The inlet hole, A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that formed on only part of the needle. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, The inner groove, Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the inner edge is formed to form a curved surface. A process chamber providing a space in which a substrate treatment process is performed and having an exhaust port for exhausting gas; A gas supply member supplying a gas into the process chamber; A plurality of substrate support members disposed in the process chamber to support a substrate; A plurality of hollow cathodes disposed between the substrate supporting members in the process chamber and having a plurality of inner grooves on which plasma is generated; A plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner groove; A power supply for applying power to the hollow cathodes; And And an inflow hole extending through the needle to penetrate to the other surface of the hollow cathode. The method of claim 10, The substrate support members further include a lower electrode, And the power supply source is electrically connected to at least one of the hollow cathode and the lower electrode to apply power. Claim 12 was abandoned upon payment of a registration fee. The method of claim 10, The needle, Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that provided only a portion of the inner groove. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, The inner groove, Substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that the inner edge is formed to form a curved surface. A hollow cathode of a conductive material having a plurality of inner grooves in which plasma is formed on one surface thereof; A plurality of needles having a cone or truncated cone shape and fixedly disposed in the inner groove; and And a power supply electrically connected to the hollow cathode. delete

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