WO2025063554A1 - Substrate processing apparatus for atomic layer etching - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is disclosed. The substrate processing apparatus may comprise: an upper chamber in which plasma treatment is performed on a substrate; a lower chamber in which heat treatment is performed on the substrate; a microwave heat treatment device, which generates microwaves in the lower chamber so as to transfer heat to the substrate; and a stage which supports the substrate, and which can ascend and descend so that the substrate can be moved to a predetermined position according to the process of the substrate.

Description

Substrate processing device for atomic layer etching

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method, and more specifically, to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate using microwaves for high-speed heat treatment.

As semiconductor devices become more highly integrated, very precise etching and deposition processes are required in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Accordingly, processes using atomic layer etching (ALE), which etches at the atomic level, and atomic layer deposition (ALD), which deposits at the atomic level, are required.

These atomic layer etching processes and atomic layer deposition processes can perform etching or deposition by repeating the process cycle, allowing for more precise thickness control than existing processes. However, they have the disadvantage that the process time can be long, which can reduce productivity compared to existing processes.

Meanwhile, various films that make up semiconductor devices are sometimes composed of single atoms, such as silicon single crystals, polysilicon, and copper films, and sometimes contain various types of atoms, such as silicon oxide films, silicon nitride films, silicon oxynitride films, metal oxide films, metal nitride films, and silicon germanium films.

The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of shortening a process time while providing uniform and precise etching.

The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus capable of minimizing volume while providing high-speed heat treatment.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for achieving the above-described task, a substrate processing device is disclosed. The substrate processing device may include: an upper chamber in which plasma processing is performed on a substrate; a lower chamber in which heat processing is performed on the substrate; a microwave heat processor that generates microwaves in the lower chamber to transfer heat to the substrate; and a stage that supports a substrate and is capable of moving up and down to move the substrate to a predetermined position according to a process for the substrate.

Alternatively, the upper chamber may include a gas supply section including a buffer and showerhead for the plasma process.

Alternatively, the showerhead of the gas supply unit may have a sloped structure from the center of the substrate to the periphery of the substrate.

Alternatively, the showerhead of the gas supply unit may supply gas to the upper chamber through at least one of an inclined hole or a buffer hole.

Alternatively, the upper chamber may include an upper plasma generating unit for generating plasma in the upper chamber.

Alternatively, the upper chamber may include a gas exhaust port through which process gases are exhausted on the side.

Alternatively, the gas exhaust section may be provided with a coating that maintains the plasma within the upper chamber and prevents adsorption of by-products.

Alternatively, the gas exhaust portion may be configured symmetrically around the substrate.

Alternatively, the upper chamber may be configured to have a height of 0.1 cm to 5 cm to accelerate gas supply and exhaust and to form plasma.

Alternatively, the stage step may further be included, protruding in the stage direction between the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

Alternatively, the stage step may include a gasket to prevent gas exchange between the upper chamber and the lower chamber during processing of the substrate in the upper chamber.

Alternatively, the inner surface of the lower chamber may include a coating that prevents adsorption of byproducts or particles.

Alternatively, the lower chamber may further include a gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas to the lower chamber.

Alternatively, the lower chamber may be supplied with the inert gas at a higher pressure than the upper chamber to prevent the process gas from flowing into the upper chamber during the process treatment of the substrate in the upper chamber.

Alternatively, the microwave heat treater may be positioned at least on one of the side of the lower chamber, underneath the stage step, or above the upper chamber gas supply portion.

Alternatively, the microwave heat treater comprises a plurality of microwave sources, wherein the plurality of microwave sources can be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically about the substrate.

Alternatively, the plurality of microwave sources can be switched between different microwave supply modes to generate microwaves within the lower chamber to transfer heat to the substrate.

Alternatively, the various microwave supply modes may be a mode in which microwaves are supplied into the lower chamber by a combination of at least one of the plurality of microwave supply sources.

Alternatively, the stage may support the substrate by electrostatic bonding or mechanical bonding.

Alternatively, the stage may include an upper plasma generating section and a lower plasma generating section for generating plasma or applying a bias to the plasma.

Alternatively, the stage may be moved up or down by an elevator and support the substrate at a first position where a plasma process is performed or at a second position where a heat treatment process is performed.

Alternatively, a surface modification process and an adsorption layer formation process may be performed during an atomic layer etching (ALE) process for the substrate in the upper chamber, and a heat treatment process may be performed during the atomic layer etching process in the lower chamber.

Alternatively, in the upper chamber, surface modification for atomic layer etching of the substrate is performed through plasma treatment in an atomic layer etching process for the substrate, thereby forming a modified layer on the substrate, and in the lower chamber, heat treatment using a microwave heat processor can be performed on the substrate to promote formation of the modified layer.

Alternatively, in the upper chamber, an adsorption layer may be formed by gas treatment on a substrate having a modified layer formed thereon, the modified layer and the adsorption layer may be removed by plasma treatment, and in the lower chamber, the removal of the modified layer and the adsorption layer may be promoted by heat treatment using a microwave heat treatment device on the substrate.

Alternatively, a substrate processing apparatus is disclosed. The substrate processing apparatus includes at least one substrate processing device including an upper chamber in which plasma treatment is performed on a substrate; a lower chamber in which heat treatment is performed on the substrate; a microwave heat treatment device generating microwaves in the lower chamber to transfer heat to the substrate; and a stage supporting a substrate and capable of moving up and down to move the substrate to a predetermined position according to a process for the substrate; and may include a substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrate to the at least one substrate processing device.

The present disclosure can provide a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method capable of shortening a process time while providing uniform and precise etching.

The present disclosure can provide a substrate processing device capable of minimizing volume while providing high-speed heat treatment.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a substrate processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a stage being raised and lowered in a substrate processing device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a microwave heat processor arranged in multiple layers in a substrate processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4a is a conceptual diagram illustrating a microwave reflection structure in a substrate processing device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4b is an exemplary diagram illustrating in detail the microwave reflection structure of a substrate processing device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram showing a showerhead of a gas supply unit of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram showing the arrangement of a microwave supply device of one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating various combinations of microwave generation patterns of multiple microwave sources of a substrate processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram showing a series of process treatments performed in a substrate processing device of one embodiment of the present disclosure in chronological order.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 11 to 15 are conceptual diagrams of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 16 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a stage of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 18 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 19 is an enlarged drawing of section 'B' of the substrate processing device illustrated in Figure 18.

FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a substrate processing device according to the embodiment of FIG. 20.

FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 22 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 23 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is an exemplary diagram of a substrate processing device including a substrate processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 25 is an exemplary diagram of a substrate processing device including a substrate processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Various embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, various descriptions are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent that these embodiments may be practiced without these specific descriptions.

The terms "component," "module," "system," and the like, as used herein, refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, firmware, software, a combination of software and hardware, or an execution of software. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a procedure running on a processor, a processor, an object, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. For example, an application running on a computing device and a computing device may both be components. One or more components may reside within a processor and/or a thread of execution. A component may be localized within a single computer. A component may be distributed between two or more computers. Furthermore, such components may execute from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored therein. The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes, for example, by a signal comprising one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and/or data transmitted via a network such as the Internet to another system via the signal).

Additionally, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean either of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, "X employs A or B" can apply to any of these cases. Furthermore, the term "and/or" as used herein should be understood to refer to and include all possible combinations of one or more of the associated items listed.

Also, the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" should be understood to mean the presence of the features and/or components. However, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, components, and/or groups thereof. Also, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to refer to the singular form, the singular form as used in the specification and claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more."

And, the term “at least one of A or B” should be interpreted to mean “including only A,” “including only B,” or “combined as a composition of A and B.”

Those skilled in the art should additionally recognize that the various illustrative logical blocks, configurations, modules, circuits, means, logics, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as combinations of electronic hardware, computer software, or both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, configurations, means, logics, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application. However, such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

The description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to a person skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein. The present invention is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a substrate processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The substrate (10) processed in the substrate processing device may include any semiconductor devices such as wafers, display panels, masks, and glass substrates for manufacturing semiconductor devices such as DRAM, NAND flash memory, CPU, NPU, GPGPU, and PIM, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The process for the substrate (10) performed in the substrate processing device (100) may include atomic layer etching (ALE) or atomic layer deposition (ALE).

The substrate processing device (100) may be composed of an upper chamber (1000) and a lower chamber (2000) for processing different processes. The upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be viewed broadly as parts of one chamber. The substrate (10) may be transported to the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) according to the up and down movement of the stage (4000), and a scheduled process may be performed in each chamber.

In the upper chamber, a first process treatment can be performed on the substrate (10), and in the lower chamber (2000), a second process treatment different from the first process treatment can be performed on the substrate (10). The process treatment performed in the upper chamber (1000) can include a process using gas and plasma, such as a surface modification process and an adsorption layer formation process during an atomic layer etching process for the substrate (10). The process treatment performed in the lower chamber (2000) can include a heat treatment process during an atomic layer etching process for the substrate (10).

The upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be distinguished by a stage step (1160) protruding in the stage direction between the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000), and in the case of an embodiment without the stage step (1160), the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be distinguished by being composed of different pieces. In addition, the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be composed of one piece, but in this case, the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be distinguished by the process-specific position of the stage (4000). For example, if the stage (4000) is in the first position for the process treatment performed in the upper chamber (1000), the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be distinguished by this.

The upper chamber (1000) may include a gas supply unit (1100) for supplying process gas. The gas supply unit (1100) is composed of a showerhead (1130), a buffer (1120), and a gas supply line (1110), and may be located at the upper portion of the upper chamber (1000).

The showerhead (1130) of the gas supply unit may include a sloped structure from the center of the substrate to the outer edge of the substrate. As in the example of FIG. 5d, the showerhead of the gas supply unit (1100) may include a sloped structure in which the center is high and the outer edge is low. The structure of FIG. 5d is only an example, and the sloped structure of the showerhead (1130) may include a sloped structure in which the center is low and the outer edge is high, and may also have a curved cross-section.

The showerhead (1130) of the gas supply unit can supply the process gas to the upper chamber (1000) through at least one hole of an inclined hole structure, a buffer hole structure, and a straight hole structure. The example of FIG. 5A is an example of a buffer hole structure of a showerhead hole (1131), and FIGS. 5B and 5C are examples of an inclined hole structure of a showerhead hole (1131). The buffer hole structure is a structure in which the hole sizes of a surface close to the substrate and the hole sizes of the opposite surface are different from each other, and may be a hole structure including a portion having a buffer effect in the showerhead hole (1131). The shape of the showerhead and the shape of the showerhead hole illustrated in FIG. 5 are only examples, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The showerhead hole (1131) may be configured to a size through which microwaves cannot pass.

The lower surface of the showerhead (1130) of the gas supply unit may include a first microwave reflection structure (2401) that reflects microwaves generated by the microwave heat treatment device (3000) in a commercial direction to ensure uniformity of the substrate.

In an embodiment where the microwave heat treater is positioned in the lower chamber (2000), the showerhead (1130) may be constructed of a material that is impermeable to microwaves. In an embodiment where the microwave heat treater is positioned above the upper chamber (1000), the showerhead (1130) may be constructed of a material that is permeable to microwaves.

The gas supply line (1110) may be connected to one or more gas tanks to supply process gases for each process. The process gases supplied may vary depending on the material and/or recipe of the substrate being processed.

The buffer (1120) can increase the uniformity of the substrate by providing an area where gas supplied through the gas supply line (1110) can stay for a while before passing through the showerhead (1130).

The upper chamber (1000) may include an upper plasma generating unit (1150) for generating plasma (20) in the upper chamber. The upper plasma generating unit (1150) may generate plasma (20) in the supplied process gas. In addition, a bias may be applied to the plasma (20) generated by the upper plasma generating unit (1150) by the lower plasma generating unit (4200) to accelerate the action of the plasma (20) on the substrate (10). Additionally, only the lower plasma generating unit (4200) may be operated to generate plasma (20). In each case, the energy applied to the upper plasma generating unit (1150) or the lower plasma generating unit (4200) may be different depending on the etching target, the material of the substrate, and/or the recipe.

A gas exhaust port (1140) for exhausting process gas may be positioned on the side of the upper chamber (1000). The gas exhaust port (1140) may be made of a material or have a coating (1141) added thereto that maintains plasma inside the upper chamber (1000) and prevents adsorption of byproducts. The material and coating (1141) of the gas exhaust port may be composed of, for example, quartz, synthetic glass, alumina, yttria, Si, SiC, etc., but these are merely examples and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The gas exhaust (1140) may include an exhaust microwave reflective structure (1143). The exhaust microwave reflective structure (1143) may be formed of holes of a size that is impermeable to microwaves, thereby allowing gas to pass through but blocking microwaves from passing through.

The gas exhaust section (1140) may further include a material or coating (1145) that prevents adsorption of byproducts and has etching resistance.

The gas exhaust unit (1140) may include a third susceptor (not shown) that absorbs microwaves and generates heat. The third susceptor is located at the rear end of the coating (1141) in the gas exhaust line and may absorb microwaves and generate heat to secondarily prevent adsorption of byproducts to the coating (1141).

The gas exhaust unit (1140) may be located at one or more sides of the upper chamber (1000) and may be configured symmetrically around the substrate (10) to ensure uniformity of the substrate (10).

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the gas exhaust unit (1140) may further include an intake for accelerating gas exhaust.

The upper chamber (1000) may be configured to have a height of 0.1 cm to 5 cm during a process in the upper chamber (1000) (for example, when the stage (4000) is in the first position) to accelerate gas supply and exhaust and to form plasma. The height of the upper chamber (1000) described above may refer to the distance between the lower surface of the showerhead (1130) and the stage (4000), and may vary depending on the position of the stage (4000). However, the height may be the height when the stage (4000) is in a position (for example, a first position) for a process in the upper chamber (1000). The volume of the upper chamber (1000) may be changed by the height of the stage (4000), and the volume of the upper chamber (1000) may be configured as a minimum volume for maintaining plasma in order to accelerate gas supply and discharge. In addition, depending on the process performed in the upper chamber (1000), the minimum volume when plasma is required and the minimum volume in a process when only gas is required may be different, and in this case, the stage (4000) may be raised and lowered to optimize the volume of the upper chamber (1000) according to the process. For example, the upper chamber (1000) may be configured as a first position for a plasma process. The volume can be changed by raising and lowering the stage (4000) into a first volume for a gas process and a third volume for gas discharge, so as to be optimized for each process. The heights mentioned above are only examples and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The substrate processing device (100) may include a stage step (1160) protruding toward the stage (4000) between the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000). The stage step (1160) may be configured to separate the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000), and the diameters of the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be set to be different from each other by the stage step (1160). As described above, since the supply and discharge speed of gas can be accelerated as the volume of the upper chamber (1000) is smaller, the upper chamber (1000) may have a smaller diameter than the lower chamber (2000) by the stage step (1160).

The stage step (1160) may include a gasket (not shown) to prevent gas exchange between the upper chamber and the lower chamber during a process for a substrate in the upper chamber. In the example of FIG. 1, a path through which fluid flow is possible between the stage step (1160) and the stage (4000) is illustrated, but in an embodiment with a gasket (not shown), gas exchange between the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may not occur due to the gasket when the stage (4000) is in the first position (position of FIG. 2a). The gasket may be made of a soft material or may be fixed in a form that can be opened and closed to allow gas to flow from the lower chamber (2000) to the upper chamber (1000) during a purge process in the upper chamber (1000).

The substrate processing device (100) includes a lower chamber (2000) in which heat treatment is performed on the substrate. As described above, the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) are connected to each other and are regions separated according to the process in one chamber. For convenience, the region below the first position (position in FIG. 2A) of the stage (4000) is described as the lower chamber (2000).

The lower chamber (2000) performs heat treatment on the substrate, and when heat treatment is required for the substrate during a process treatment cycle for the substrate, the substrate (10) can be transported by lowering the stage (4000) so that the substrate can be positioned in the lower chamber (2000).

The inner surface (2001) of the lower chamber may include a second susceptor capable of being heated by microwaves to prevent adsorption of byproducts or particles on the inner surface of the lower chamber. The second susceptor may be composed of a material capable of absorbing microwaves supplied from a microwave heat processor and generating heat, and the susceptor may include, for example, at least one of a metal thin film coated on ceramic or a carbon-based material. The material of the susceptor described above is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The second susceptor can be heated by microwaves during the heat treatment process in the lower chamber (2000) to prevent adsorption to the inner surface of the lower chamber (2000), and can also be preheated by microwaves to maintain the temperature of the lower chamber (2000) at a constant level while the substrate is being processed in the upper chamber (1000).

The lower chamber (2000) may be heated by a microwave heat processor during a purge process for the substrate. During the heating of the lower chamber (2000) by the microwave heat processor, the second susceptor (2100) may be heated by microwaves to make the temperature of the lower chamber (2000) at a predetermined level, thereby preventing adsorption of the lower chamber (2000). The temperature of the lower chamber (2000) heated during the purge process in the upper chamber may be, for example, a temperature different from the heat treatment temperature in the lower chamber and the preheating temperature of the lower chamber. Although not shown, the inner surface (2001) of the lower chamber may also include a material or coating that prevents adsorption of at least one of byproducts or particles.

The substrate processing device (100) may include an inert gas supply unit (2200) for supplying an inert gas to the lower chamber. The inert gas supplied by the inert gas supply unit (2200) may be exhausted to a gas exhaust unit (1140) of the upper chamber.

In the inert gas supply unit (2200), an inert gas may be supplied so that the lower chamber (2000) has a higher pressure than the upper chamber (1000) in order to prevent the process gas from flowing into the upper chamber while the substrate (10) is being processed in the upper chamber. When a process using gas is performed in the upper chamber (1000), the inert gas supply unit may supply an inert gas so that the lower chamber (2000) has a first pressure higher than the upper chamber (1000).

In addition, the substrate processing device (100) may additionally include an inert gas discharge unit (not shown) for discharging an inert gas according to an embodiment. The inert gas supply unit (2200) and the inert gas discharge unit (not shown) may be configured as separate gas lines from the gas supply unit (1100) and the gas exhaust unit (1140) of the upper chamber. The inert gas supply unit (2200) and the inert gas discharge unit (not shown) may be located on the side or the lower surface of the lower chamber. For example, the inert gas supply unit (2200) and the inert gas discharge unit (not shown) may be located on the side or the lower surface of the lower chamber.

In the inert gas supply unit (2200), an inert gas may be supplied so that the lower chamber (2000) has a higher pressure than the upper chamber (1000) in order to prevent the process gas from flowing into the upper chamber while the substrate (10) is being processed in the upper chamber. The inert gas supplied in this way may be used to lock the inert gas discharge unit (not shown) during the process of the upper chamber (1000) in another embodiment where the inert gas discharge unit is applied, and supply the inert gas from the inert gas supply unit (2200) so that the pressure of the lower chamber is higher than that of the upper chamber (1000). In addition, the inert gas discharge unit (not shown) may be opened so that the inert gas is circulated without accumulating in the lower chamber (2000), and the supply pressure of the inert gas supply unit (2200) may be increased so that the pressure of the lower chamber is higher than that of the upper chamber (1000).

In addition, the inert gas supply unit (2200) and the inert gas exhaust unit (not shown) may operate according to the process performed in the upper chamber (1000). For example, during a purge process for removing the process gas inside the upper chamber (1000), the inert gas exhaust unit (not shown) may be closed so that the gas is exhausted only to the gas exhaust unit (1140) on the side of the upper chamber (1000). In addition, for example, during the purge process in the upper chamber (1000), the inert gas supply unit (2200) may supply the inert gas at a second pressure. In this case, the second pressure for supplying the inert gas in the purge process of the upper chamber (1000) may be a pressure higher than the first pressure, which is the pressure of the lower chamber (2000), during the gas utilization process of the upper chamber (1000).

The inert gas supply unit (2200) may supply an inert gas to control the temperature of the lower chamber (2000). For example, when the lower chamber (2000) is to be cooled to an appropriate temperature after a heat treatment process of the lower chamber (2000), an inert gas may be supplied from the inert gas supply unit (2200) and discharged to the gas exhaust unit (1140) to cool the lower chamber. In addition, in another embodiment where the inert gas exhaust unit is applied to the lower chamber, the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply unit (2200) may be discharged to the inert gas exhaust unit (not shown) of the lower chamber to cool the lower chamber. Such temperature control of the lower chamber (2000) may reduce the waiting time between process cycles, thereby increasing productivity.

The inner surface (2001) of the lower chamber (2000) may include a second microwave reflection structure (2400) that reflects microwaves generated by the microwave heat treatment device (3000) toward the substrate. Hereinafter, the microwave reflection structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. The position and number of the second microwave reflection structures (2400) illustrated in FIG. 4A are merely examples and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Although the second microwave reflection structures (2400) are illustrated as including different reflection structures in FIG. 4A, they may include the same reflection structures. Although not illustrated in FIG. 4A, the second microwave reflection structure (2400) may move up and down, or the angle of the reflection surface may be adjusted. The second microwave reflection structure (2400) may be easily detachable and replaced depending on the process or recipe. Although not shown in the drawing, the orientation of the reflection surface of the second microwave reflection structure (2400) can be controlled by the second microwave reflection structure driving unit, such as by lifting, horizontal movement, and rotation. The second microwave reflection structure is driven by the second microwave reflection structure driving unit, so that the position or direction, etc., can be changed to variously control the transmission pattern of microwaves transmitted to the substrate (10). The second microwave reflection structure driving unit can adjust the reflection surface to a predetermined position or direction according to the microwave supply pattern of the microwave heat treatment device.

The second microwave reflection structure (2400) may include a reflection surface (2410) provided to have an inclination angle of 15 to 75 degrees with respect to the inner surface of the lower chamber. In the example of FIG. 4b, the angle of A2 may be 15 to 75 degrees. As described above, the second microwave reflection structure may reflect microwaves to the substrate (10) or the stage (4000) on which the substrate is positioned, and may have an appropriate inclination angle for reflecting microwaves to the substrate depending on the installation position of the second microwave reflection structure (2400) and the position of the substrate (10). The microwave reflection structure may be configured in a triangular shape. The microwave reflection structure may include a curved structure having a curvature at the tip portion (2420) to prevent arcing. The radius of curvature (R1) of the cutting edge portion (2420) is preferably designed to be, for example, 100 ㎛ or more, and more specifically, may be 500 ㎛ or more. The second microwave reflection structure (2400) may include a plurality of reflection structures along the upper and lower direction of the inner surface (2001) of the lower chamber, and each reflection structure may extend in a ring shape along the circumferential direction of the lower chamber. The second microwave reflection structure (2400) may include a plurality of reflection structures, and some of the reflection structures may have a reflection surface configured at a different inclination angle from that of the other reflection structures. For example, the second microwave reflection structure provided on the upper edge side of the lower chamber may be designed to have a gentler inclination angle than the second microwave reflection structure provided on the lower side.

Although not shown in the drawing, the lower inner surface of the lower chamber may also have a shape designed to take into account reflection of microwaves. For example, the lower inner surface of the lower chamber (2000) may include a curved reflective structure.

The microwave heat processor (3000) can generate microwaves in the lower chamber (2000) to transfer heat to the substrate (10). The microwave heat processor (3000) can be placed on at least one of the side of the lower chamber (2000), the lower surface of the stage step (1160), or the upper surface of the gas supply unit (1100) of the upper chamber. FIG. 1 is an example in which the microwave heat processor (3000) is installed on the side of the lower chamber. Since a vacuum process may be performed in the chamber, the location where the microwave heat processor (3000) is attached in the chamber may be made of a material that allows microwaves to pass through (for example, ceramic, quartz, Y ₂ O ₃ , Al ₂ O ₃ , Mica, glass, acrylic, etc.). In another embodiment of the present invention, a heat processor of a type other than microwaves can be used in the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention. For example, an infrared lamp (IR lamp), a flash lamp, a laser (LASER), an electron beam (E-beam), plasma, microwaves, etc. may be used as a heat source for the heat treatment device of the substrate treatment device of the present invention, and a combination of similar or different heat sources may also be employed.

The microwave heat treatment device (3000) can heat the substrate to the process temperature more quickly by heating the substrate through microwaves, and can also lower the temperature of the substrate from the process temperature more quickly by stopping the supply of microwaves, cooling using the stage (4000), circulating an inert gas, etc. Through the high-speed heat treatment using microwaves, the substrate treatment device of one embodiment of the present disclosure can reduce the time required for an atomic layer etching process cycle and provide a high-speed atomic layer etching process, thereby increasing UPH (unit per hour). Through this, the productivity limitations of the existing atomic layer etching or atomic layer deposition can be overcome.

The microwave heat treatment device (3000) includes a plurality of microwave suppliers (3100), and through a plurality of microwaves supplied from the plurality of microwave suppliers (3100), the heating time can be freely adjusted according to the recipe, the uniformity of the substrate can be increased, and the reliability of the substrate treatment device can be improved. The plurality of microwave suppliers (3100) can be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically with respect to the substrate. FIGS. 6A and 6B are exemplary diagrams of the arrangement of the plurality of microwave suppliers (3100). As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the chamber of the substrate treatment device (100) can have a square or circular shape. The plurality of microwave suppliers (3100) can be arranged at the edge of the chamber to supply microwaves in a form surrounding the substrate.

Each of the microwave sources (3100) may include known components capable of supplying microwaves. For example, each of the microwave sources (3100) may include a magnetron, a waveguide, a cooling module (e.g., a cooling fan or a cooling path), a transformer, a capacitor, a diode, etc., and the above description is only exemplary and may include any known components.

The microwave heat treater (3000) may be composed of one or more layers (3001, 3002). The example of FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment in which the microwave heat treater is composed of one layer. The example of FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which the microwave heat treater (3000) is composed of two layers. Although not illustrated, the microwave heat treater (3000) may be composed of three or more layers, and the configuration of a plurality of microwave heat treaters (3000) may be arbitrarily set according to requirements such as process temperature and heating time and constraints such as the volume of the microwave supply and the height of the chamber. In the case of having a two-layer microwave heat treater as in the example of FIG. 3, each microwave supply may be configured to be stacked equally by layer, or the microwave supply units included in each layer may be arranged to intersect by layer. For example, the microwave supply (3002) of the second layer on the lower side and the microwave supply (3001) of the first layer on the upper side may be arranged so that the x and y axes are the same but the z coordinate is different, or they may be arranged in a zigzag manner so that the x and y axes are different. By arranging a plurality of microwave supply units, the uniformity of the substrate can be secured, and by controlling the output of the microwaves supplied using a plurality of microwave supply units, the time taken to reach the process temperature can be reduced, and more precise heat control is possible.

The microwave heat processor (3000) may include a microwave controller (3200) that independently drives each of the plurality of microwave sources (3100) to control a microwave generation pattern of each of the microwave sources. The plurality of microwave sources (3100) may be controlled by the microwave controller (3200) to switch between various microwave supply modes to generate microwaves within the lower chamber to transfer heat to the substrate (10). The various microwave supply modes may be modes in which microwaves are supplied within the lower chamber by a combination of at least one of the plurality of microwave sources. The microwave controller (3200) may control each of the plurality of microwave sources according to a predetermined microwave supply pattern, or may control each of the plurality of microwave sources according to at least one of a temperature distribution of the substrate or a temperature distribution of the lower chamber measured during a process treatment for the substrate. The microwave controller (3200) may control the microwave supply according to a predetermined pattern according to a recipe or process to supply microwaves, and may control the supply of microwaves according to data measured by a sensor or the like during the progress of the process. The microwave controller (3200) may determine the output of each microwave supply or the number of microwave supply units to supply microwaves according to at least one of a process target temperature and a process target temperature reaching time. When heating is required more rapidly, the microwave controller (3200) may increase the output of each microwave supply unit, and may increase the heating speed for heat treatment by increasing the number of operating microwave supply units. By including a plurality of microwave supply units, heating for process treatment can be controlled more precisely, and heat can be evenly supplied to the substrate, thereby increasing the productivity of the substrate while increasing uniformity.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating various combinations of microwave generation patterns of a plurality of microwave supply units (3100) of a substrate processing device of an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 (a) to (n) illustrate microwave generation patterns of a plurality of microwave supply units in the order arranged along the circumferential direction of the lower chamber.

The microwave controller (3200) can control the microwave heat treatment device in at least one of a first supply mode for driving a plurality of microwave suppliers (3100) at once, a second supply mode for driving a plurality of microwaves sequentially according to a predetermined pattern, a third supply mode for driving a pair of opposing microwave suppliers among the plurality of microwave suppliers at once and driving the microwave suppliers sequentially, a fourth supply mode for driving a plurality of pairs of opposing microwave suppliers among the plurality of microwave suppliers at once and driving the microwave suppliers sequentially, a fifth supply mode for driving all of the microwave suppliers sequentially by driving at least some of the adjacent microwave suppliers among the plurality of microwave suppliers at once, or a sixth supply mode for controlling at least some of the microwave suppliers among the plurality of microwave suppliers according to a temperature distribution of a substrate or a lower chamber. In addition, the microwave controller (3200) can control the microwave heat processor in at least one of a seventh supply mode that controls a plurality of microwave suppliers arranged in a plurality of layers in at least one of the first to sixth supply modes for each layer, an eighth supply mode that controls a plurality of microwave suppliers arranged in a plurality of layers in at least one of the first to sixth supply modes by integrating all layers, or a ninth supply mode that uses only at least some layers of the plurality of microwave suppliers arranged in a plurality of layers. For example, when the substrate (10) is being processed in the upper chamber (1000), and the lower chamber (2000) needs to be preheated, the lower chamber (2000) can be preheated using the microwave suppliers of some of the layers among the plurality of layers.

The microwave generation pattern illustrated in FIG. 7 is only an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the microwave generation pattern may be variously changed so that an appropriate level of heat for a reaction can be uniformly, effectively, and quickly transferred to the substrate (10). Although FIG. 7 illustrates an example in which a plurality of microwave generation patterns are sequentially changed in time series, it is also possible to drive a plurality of microwave suppliers with a single microwave generation pattern, or to drive a microwave supplier by repeating two or more microwave generation patterns. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the heat supply to the substrate by the plurality of microwave suppliers can be adjusted at a high speed, precisely, and uniformly. In addition, since there is no need to rotate and drive a stage or a microwave heat treatment device by the plurality of microwave suppliers, the manufacturing cost of the process equipment can be reduced, and the maintenance and repair costs can be reduced, and the volume of the process equipment can be reduced so that the equipment can be arranged more compactly, thereby configuring a space-efficient process.

At least one of the plurality of microwave sources (3100) can supply microwaves of a different frequency than the other microwave sources. For example, the plurality of microwave sources (3100) can supply microwaves of the same frequency (e.g., 2.45 GHz), but at least some of them can be configured to generate microwaves of different frequencies (e.g., 2.5 GHz, 2.4 GHz, etc.). By making the frequencies of some of the microwave sources different, the influence of constructive interference and destructive interference of microwaves generated from the plurality of microwave sources (3100) can be reduced, and thermal imbalance of the substrate caused by such interference can be prevented.

The stage (4000) supports the substrate (10) and can be raised and lowered to move the substrate to a predetermined position according to a process for the substrate. The example of FIG. 2a is an example in which the stage (4000) is positioned at a first position for a process treatment for the substrate in the upper chamber, the example of FIG. 2b is an example in which the stage (4000) is positioned at a second position for a process treatment for the substrate in the lower chamber, and the example of FIG. 2c is an example in which the stage is positioned at a third position for loading or unloading the substrate. The first position is for a process in the upper chamber (1000) as described above, and may be, for example, a case in which the stage (4000) is positioned at a position spaced apart from the lower surface of the showerhead (1130) by 0.1 cm to 5 cm, but the numerical range described above is only an example, and the first position is a position for an optimized volume of the upper chamber required for a process in the upper chamber (1000), and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. When the stage (4000) is positioned at the third position, the pin (2002) may be introduced into the pinhole (4600) of the stage so that the substrate (10) may be separated from the stage. In addition, although not shown in FIG. 2, the stage (4000) may also support the substrate at the 0 position that is raised from the first position by the elevator. The 0 position is a position, for example, when it is necessary to reduce the volume of the upper chamber, and the stage (4000) may be raised from the first position to the 0 position by the elevator (4400) for a purge process in the upper chamber so as to reduce the volume of the upper chamber and enable rapid gas exhaust.

The stage (4000) can be moved up or down by the elevator (4400) to a first position for a process in the upper chamber (1000) or a second position for a process in the lower chamber.

When the substrate is moved to the upper chamber by the stage (4000), a surface modification process and an adsorption layer formation process during an atomic layer etching process for the substrate can be performed in the upper chamber, and when the substrate is moved to the lower chamber by the stage (4000), a heat treatment process during the atomic layer etching process can be performed.

The stage (4000) can support the substrate by electrostatic coupling or mechanical coupling. For example, when the process is performed in a vacuum state in the upper chamber or the lower chamber, the stage (4000) can support the substrate by electrostatic coupling. In this case, the stage (4000) can include a power supply line (4700) for electrostatic coupling. In addition, the stage (4000) can also support the substrate by vacuum coupling or mechanical coupling such as a chuck pin.

The stage (4000) may include a lower plasma generating unit (4200) for generating plasma. The lower plasma generating unit (4200) may include an electrode for generating plasma or providing a bias. The electrode may be positioned on the stage (4000). The lower plasma generating unit (4200) may generate plasma (20) and apply a bias to the plasma (20) as described above.

The stage (4000) may include a first susceptor (4100) that generates heat by microwaves and transfers heat to a substrate. The first susceptor (4100) may include at least one of a metal film or a carbon-based material coated on ceramics and may generate heat in response to microwaves. For the heat generation effect by microwaves, the concentration of the carbon-based material of the susceptor is preferably 0.5 wt% or more, and in the case of the metal film, the thickness is preferably 800 μm or less. The above description is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Heat may be more effectively transferred to the substrate (10) by the heat generation of the first susceptor, so that the time required for heat treatment may be reduced. The stage (4000) may further include a protective film covering the first susceptor (4100). The protective film may be composed of, for example, quartz, synthetic glass, alumina, yttria, Si, SiC, etc., and the above description is only an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The stage (4000) may include a coolant passage (4300) capable of controlling the temperature of the stage. In addition, a coolant may be supplied through the coolant passage (4300) to enable a low-temperature process for etching various materials. A coolant of a flow rate for lowering the temperature of a substrate at a predetermined speed may be supplied through the coolant passage (4300). The flow rate of the coolant supplied to the coolant passage (4300) may be controlled according to the speed at which the temperature of the substrate is to be controlled. The coolant may be supplied from outside the substrate processing device (100) to the coolant passage (4300) by a coolant supply line (4310). When the substrate is to be cooled at a higher speed, a coolant of a lower temperature or a coolant of a higher speed may be supplied through the coolant passage, and when the substrate is to be cooled at a lower speed, a coolant of a higher temperature or a coolant of a lower speed may be supplied through the coolant passage. The coolant supplied through the coolant conduit can be controlled according to the recipe or process requirements. The coolant conduit (4300) can supply the coolant before, during, or after the heat treatment process for the substrate. For example, the coolant conduit (4300) can supply the coolant during the heat treatment process for the substrate to lower the temperature of the substrate at a predetermined rate after the heat treatment process for the substrate. As described above, the speed of the heat treatment in the atomic layer etching process can be a factor that determines the speed of the process. The coolant can be supplied through the coolant conduit to cool the substrate (10) supported on the stage (4000) more quickly, thereby increasing the speed of the process. This coolant supply can be started during the heat treatment, and when the coolant supply is started, the microwave heat treatment device can increase the microwave supply to maintain thermal equilibrium with the coolant supply (for example, perform a control operation such as increasing the microwave supply operated by the microwave controller or increasing the intensity of the microwave). After that, if the microwave supply is stopped after the heat treatment process is completed, the temperature of the substrate can be lowered more quickly, and the process time can be shortened. The coolant supply of the stage (4000) and the microwave controller can operate in conjunction as described above. The temperature of the coolant supplied to the stage (4000) can be, for example, -80°C to 30°C, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and coolants of various temperatures can be supplied for high-speed heat treatment.

The stage (4000) may include a baffle (4500) positioned at an edge of the stage to control gas flow between the upper chamber and the lower chamber when the substrate is in the upper chamber. The baffle (4500) includes a baffle hole (4510), through which gas may flow. When the stage (4000) is in the first position, the baffle (4500) may contact the stage step (1160) or may be spaced apart from it. In an embodiment where the baffle (4500) contacts the stage step (1160) and there is no baffle hole (4510), gas flow between the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) may be blocked.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method performed in a substrate processing device will be described with reference to FIG. 8.

As described above, atomic layer etching and atomic layer deposition can be performed on a substrate in a substrate processing device. The substrate (10) can be processed by moving between the upper chamber (1000) and the lower chamber (2000) by a stage.

The substrate (10) can be introduced into the chamber (1000, 2000) through the gate (2300) on one side of the lower chamber. The substrate (10) introduced into the lower chamber (2000) can be transferred to the first position of the upper chamber (1000) by the stage.

A process for a substrate (10) transferred to a first position by a stage (4000) can be performed in the upper chamber (1000). In the upper chamber (1000), a surface modification treatment of the substrate can be performed for an atomic layer etching process. For the surface modification treatment, a first process gas can be supplied to the upper chamber (1000). As described above, the upper chamber (1000) has an optimized volume, so that the amount of the supplied first process gas can be reduced, and the time required for supplying the first process gas can be reduced.

The first process gas is supplied and plasma (20) is generated by the plasma generating unit (1150, 4200), and accordingly, a modified layer (11) can be formed on the surface of the substrate (10) so that it can react with the precursor.

After the surface modification step, a purge process may be performed to remove the first process gas and by-products from the upper chamber (1000) through the gas exhaust portion (1140) on the side of the upper chamber. In order to accelerate the purge process, the stage (4000) may be moved to the 0 position, which is a position higher than the first position, to reduce the volume of the upper chamber (1000), and the inert gas supply portion (2200) of the lower chamber (2000) may supply an inert gas at a second pressure to accelerate the purge process of the upper chamber (1000), and the inert gas exhaust portion (not shown) of the lower chamber may be closed to prevent by-products of the modification process from flowing into the lower chamber (2000).

An adsorption layer forming process may be performed to form an adsorption layer (12) on a substrate by supplying a second process gas to the substrate on which surface modification treatment has been performed in the upper chamber. At this time, a bias may be applied by a plasma generating unit (1150, 4200) to form the adsorption layer or to ensure smooth reaction, and, if necessary, plasma (20) may be generated in the upper chamber (1000).

After the adsorption layer formation process, a purge process may be performed to remove the second process gas and dispersions from the upper chamber through the gas exhaust unit (1140) on the upper chamber side. Like the purge process after the surface modification process described above, the stage for accelerating the gas purge, the operation of the inert gas supply unit, and the inert gas exhaust unit may be performed.

If heating of the substrate is required before or after performing the surface modification process and the adsorption layer formation process, the substrate may be transferred to the lower chamber (2000) by the stage (4000) and heated by the microwave heat processor (3000). If the required process temperature is below a certain level, the substrate processing device (100) may position the substrate (10) at the first position of the upper chamber (1000) and heat the lower chamber (2000) by the microwave heat processor (3000) of the lower chamber so that heat is transferred to the substrate (10).

In addition, during the process in the upper chamber, the lower chamber (2000) may be preheated by a microwave heat processor (3000). The preheating temperature at this time may be a first process temperature lower than the second process temperature, which is a heat treatment temperature for the substrate in the lower chamber (2000). As described above, during the purge process in the upper chamber, the lower chamber (2000) may be heated by microwaves. The temperature for preventing adsorption of the lower chamber in the purge process of the upper chamber may be a third process temperature. The third process temperature is not merely a temperature different from the first and second process temperatures, but rather a temperature higher than the second process temperature.

The substrate (10) on which the adsorption layer (12) is formed is transferred to the second position of the lower chamber by the stage (4000) and heat treatment is performed so that atomic layer etching can be performed on the substrate. Since the bonding force between the modified layer (11) on the substrate surface and the adsorption layer (12) is stronger than the energy to remove the layer (13) adsorbed on the substrate, the modified layer (11) on the substrate surface is removed together with the adsorption layer of the process gas, and the substrate can be etched.

In the etching process, a plurality of microwave supply units of the microwave heat treatment unit (3000) can heat the substrate by providing microwaves so that the etching/removal process can be performed efficiently. The substrate (10) can be transferred from a first position to a second position on the stage for heat treatment. At this time, the substrate processing device (100) can preheat at least one of the substrate (10) or the lower chamber (2000) by supplying microwaves using the microwave heat treatment unit (3000) while the substrate is transferred from the first position to the second position.

For the etching/removal process, at least one of the inert gas exhaust (not shown) of the lower chamber (2000) or the gas exhaust (1140) of the upper chamber (1000) may be subjected to negative pressure to remove process byproducts.

After the heat treatment on the substrate is performed, the substrate treatment device (100) can perform a cooling step of supplying a coolant to the stage (4000) to adjust the temperature of the substrate to a temperature lower than the heat treatment temperature. As described above, the supply of the coolant can be performed after the heat treatment process or during the process, and if performed during the process, the microwave heat treatment device (3000) can operate so as to maintain a thermal balance with the coolant supplied to maintain the heat treatment temperature.

In addition, if there is a need to lower the temperature of the lower chamber (2000) after heat treatment on the substrate is performed, the temperature of the lower chamber (2000) can be controlled by the inert gas flow through the inert gas supply unit (2200) and the inert gas discharge unit (2300) as described above, so that the process cycle can be accelerated.

The substrate processing device (100) can repeat the etching process cycle including the surface modification process, the adsorption layer formation process, and the heat treatment process as described above until the etching target is reached.

A substrate that has reached the etching target can be transferred to a third position and taken out of the substrate processing device (100).

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiment of FIG. 9 illustrates a substrate processing device (10000) having a dual chamber. Referring to FIG. 9, the substrate processing device (10000) may include a first process chamber (11000), a second process chamber (12000), and a substrate transfer device (1300) for transferring a substrate (10) between the first process chamber (11000) and the second process chamber (12000).

The first process chamber (11000) may be a process chamber that performs a first process treatment on a substrate (10). The substrate (10) processed by the substrate processing device (100) may include various substrates, such as wafers for manufacturing semiconductor devices such as DRAM, NAND flash memory, and CPU, display panels such as liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels, masks, and glass substrates, but is not limited to the listed types of substrates.

The first process treatment performed in the first process chamber (11000) may include, for example, a modification process during an atomic layer etching (ALE) process, an adsorption process during an ALE process, a removal process during an ALE process, a plasma deposition process during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a thermal curing process after an ALD process, etc., but may also include various processes requiring heat treatment.

For example, the first process chamber (11000) may be a reaction chamber in which a modification/modification process for modifying the surface of a substrate (10) by plasma treatment is performed during an ALE process in which a cycle including a modification/modification process, a purging process, a removal process, and a purging process is repeatedly performed, an adsorption process for adsorbing a precursor onto the surface of a substrate by supplying a process gas into the reaction chamber, or a removal process for removing a layer adsorbed onto the surface of a substrate is performed.

The first process treatment performed in the first process chamber (11000) may be performed at a first process temperature. The first process temperature may be a process temperature that is optimized for the first process treatment (e.g., a modification/reformation process or an adsorption process) of the substrate (10). The first process temperature may be set to a temperature at which a precursor can be effectively adsorbed on an exposed surface layer of the substrate (10) depending on the type of material constituting the substrate (10), the type of precursor gas, etc. The first process temperature does not necessarily mean a specific temperature value, but encompasses a process temperature range or a process temperature profile, or a statistical processing value (e.g., an average value) thereof.

The second process chamber (12000) may be a process chamber that performs a second process treatment on the substrate (10). The second process treatment may be a different process from the first process treatment. The second process treatment performed in the second process chamber (12000) may be performed at a second process temperature that is different from the first process temperature at which the first process treatment is performed. This is because the process temperature suitable for the second process treatment is different from the process temperature suitable for the first process treatment.

Accordingly, the first process chamber (11000) and the second process chamber (12000) can perform processing on the substrate (10) at different process temperatures. For example, the second process chamber (12000) can be a reaction chamber in which a modification/modification process for modifying the surface of the substrate (10) by plasma treatment during the ALE process or a removal process for removing (desorption) a layer adsorbed on the surface of the substrate (10) (e.g., an adsorption layer formed by a reaction between silicon, etc. and a gas or precursor on the surface of the substrate) is performed.

The second process temperature may be a process temperature that is optimized for the second process treatment (e.g., a removal process) of the substrate (10). The second process temperature may be set according to the type of material constituting the substrate (10), the type of gas or precursor, etc. For example, when the second process treatment is a removal process, it may be set to a temperature at which an adsorption layer can be effectively removed from a surface layer of the substrate (10). The second process temperature does not necessarily mean a specific temperature value, but encompasses a process temperature range or a process temperature profile, or a statistical processing value (e.g., an average value) thereof.

The first process chamber (11000) may include a first reaction chamber (11100), a first stage (11200), a first stage driver (11300), and a microwave heat processor (11400). The first reaction chamber (11100) may be configured to accommodate the first stage (11200), the first stage driver (11300), and the microwave heat processor (11400). Although not illustrated, the first reaction chamber (11100) may be provided with a gas supply (not illustrated) for supplying a first process gas such as a precursor gas, an exhaust device for performing a purging process for exhausting residual gas within the first reaction chamber (11100), and the like.

In one embodiment, the inner wall of the first reaction chamber (11100) may be provided as a liner. The liner may be composed of, for example, quartz, synthetic glass, alumina, yttria, Si, SiC, etc., but this is merely exemplary and may be composed of other materials or such materials coated on the surface. The first reaction chamber (11100) may include a first upper chamber (11110) and a first lower chamber (11120) provided below the first upper chamber (11110). The first upper chamber (11110) may be a chamber in which a first process treatment for the substrate (10) is performed. The first lower chamber (11120) may be provided below the first upper chamber (11110) to provide a space for lowering the first stage (11200). To reduce consumption of supply gas and to achieve a quick response, the upper and lower widths of the first upper chamber (11110) can be configured to be approximately 3 mm to 15 cm, and it is preferable to design it as thin as possible.

The first stage (11200) may be provided to support the substrate (10). The first stage (11200) may be provided with a first heat treatment device (11210). The first heat treatment device (11210) may serve to uniformly maintain the temperature of the substrate (10). The first heat treatment device (11210) may control the temperature of each region of the substrate (for example, each concentrically divided region) by controlling the temperature or flow rate of a coolant (coolant), or may uniformly control the temperature of the substrate (10) by another cooling method.

The first stage driving unit (11300) can drive the first stage (11200) upward and downward. When the first stage (11200) is lowered and the substrate (10) is transported through the first inlet/outlet (13100) by the substrate transport device (13000) and placed on the first stage (11200), the first stage driving unit (11300) can drive the first stage (11200) upward toward the first upper chamber (11110).

The first stage driving unit (11300) can drive the first stage (11200) downward toward the first lower chamber (11120) for subsequent second process processing after the first process processing is performed on the substrate (10). Thereafter, the substrate (10) supported on the first stage (11200) can be transferred to the second process chamber (12000) for performing the second process processing through the first inlet/outlet (13100) and the second inlet/outlet (13200) by the substrate transfer device (13000).

The microwave heat processor (11400) can generate microwaves within the first reaction chamber (11100) to transfer heat to the substrate for high-speed heat treatment. The microwave heat processor (1140) can perform high-speed heat treatment by generating microwaves for a set time (for example, about 0.1 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less). In one embodiment, the microwave heat processor (1140) can be configured to generate microwaves having a frequency of 2.45 GHz corresponding to a standard frequency of microwaves, but the frequency of the microwaves may be changed. The microwave heat processor (11400) is as described above.

The second process chamber (12000) may include a second reaction chamber (12100), a second stage (12200), a second stage driver (12300), and a plasma processor (12400). The second reaction chamber (12100) may be configured to accommodate the second stage (12200), the second stage driver (12300), and the plasma processor (12400). Although not shown, the second reaction chamber (12100) may be provided with a gas supply (not shown) for supplying a second process gas for plasma generation, an exhaust device for performing a purging process for exhausting residual gas within the second reaction chamber (12100), and the like.

In one embodiment, the second reaction chamber (12100) may include a second upper chamber (12110) and a second lower chamber (12120) provided below the second upper chamber (12110). The second upper chamber (12110) may be a chamber in which a second process treatment for the substrate (10) is performed. The second lower chamber (12120) may be provided below the second upper chamber (12110) to provide a space for lowering the second stage (12200). In order to reduce the consumption of the supply gas and achieve a fast reaction, the upper and lower widths of the second upper chamber (12110) may be configured to be approximately 3 mm to 15 cm, and it is preferable to design the chamber as thin as possible.

The second stage (12200) may be provided to support the substrate (10). The second stage (12200) may be provided with a second heat treatment device (12210). The second heat treatment device (12210) may serve to maintain the temperature of the substrate (10) uniformly. The second heat treatment device (12210) may control the temperature of each region of the substrate (for example, each region concentrically partitioned) by controlling the temperature or flow rate of a coolant (coolant), or may control the temperature of the substrate (10) uniformly by using another cooling method.

The second stage driving unit (12300) can drive the second stage (12200) upward and downward. When the second stage (12200) is lowered and the substrate (10) is transported through the second inlet/outlet (13200) by the substrate transport device (13000) and placed on the second stage (12200), the second stage driving unit (12300) can drive the second stage (12200) upward toward the second upper chamber (12110).

After the second process treatment for the substrate (10) is performed, the second stage driving unit (12300) can drive the second stage (12200) downward toward the second lower chamber (12120) for subsequent process treatment (first process treatment in the first process chamber). Thereafter, the substrate (10) supported on the second stage (12200) can be transferred to the first process chamber (11000) where the first process treatment is performed through the second inlet/outlet (13200) and the first inlet/outlet (13100) by the substrate transfer device (13000).

The first stage drive unit (11300) and/or the second stage drive unit (12300) may include drive devices such as a hydraulic cylinder drive, a drive motor/screw shaft drive, a drive motor/drive belt drive, a wire drive, a rack/pinion gear combination drive, etc.; however, it is also possible to elevate the stage by various drive devices other than the listed drive devices.

The substrate transfer device (13000) may be provided by means such as a hand supporting the substrate (10) and a hand driving unit moving the hand between the first process chamber (11000) and the second process chamber (12000) through the first inlet/outlet (13100) and the second inlet/outlet (13200). Since the substrate transfer device (13000) may be implemented by a hand robot transfer device well known to those skilled in the art of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The plasma processor (12400) can generate plasma (P) in the second process chamber (12000) to perform a plasma process treatment on the substrate (10). The plasma processor (12400) can be configured to generate plasma in various ways. The plasma processor (12400) can be configured to generate plasma, for example, by a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) method or an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) method, but plasma methods other than those listed may be used. In the illustrated embodiment, an upper bias device (12410) and a lower bias device (12420) are respectively provided, but a device for applying an upper bias or a lower bias may be omitted as needed.

The order of the first process treatment and the second process treatment is not particularly limited. That is, the second process treatment may be performed in the second process chamber (12000) after the first process treatment is performed in the first process chamber (11000), or alternatively, the second process treatment may be performed in the second process chamber (12000) after the first process treatment is performed in the first process chamber (11000).

In an embodiment, the first process temperature at which the first process treatment is performed in the first process chamber (11000) may be higher than the second process temperature at which the second process treatment is performed in the second process chamber (12000). This is because it may be advantageous to quickly transfer more heat to the substrate (10) by the microwave heat treatment device (11400) provided in the first process chamber (11000) to treat the substrate (10) at a high process temperature.

Meanwhile, a microwave heat treatment device may be provided not only in the first process chamber (11000) but also in the second process chamber (12000), in which case, heat may be supplied to the substrate (10) at high speed not only during the first process treatment but also during the second process treatment, thereby enabling efficient substrate treatment. In this case, the second process temperature at which the second process treatment is performed in the second process chamber (12000) may be higher than the first process temperature at which the first process treatment is performed in the first process chamber (11000).

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing device (20000) according to the embodiment of FIG. 10 is different from the embodiment of FIG. 9, which is configured with dual chambers (a first process chamber and a second process chamber), in that it is implemented with a single chamber. The substrate processing device (20000) illustrated in FIG. 10 is configured with a single process chamber (21000), and does not need to be provided with a substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate between the dual chambers. Therefore, according to the embodiment of FIG. 10, the time required to transfer the substrate (10) between the dual chambers can be reduced, thereby shortening the process time.

The process chamber (21000) may be provided to perform a first process treatment on a substrate (10) at a first process temperature and to perform a second process treatment on the substrate (10) at a second process temperature different from the first process temperature. For example, the process chamber (21000) may be a reaction chamber in which a series of ALE (atomic layer etching) processes are performed, in which cycles including a modification process, an adsorption process, a purging process, a removal process, and a purging process are repeatedly performed.

Similar to the embodiment described in FIG. 9, the first process temperature may be a process temperature that is optimized for the first process treatment, such as the modification/reformation process, adsorption process, and removal process of the substrate (10). The first process temperature may be set to a temperature at which the precursor can be effectively adsorbed on the exposed surface layer of the substrate (10) depending on the type of material constituting the substrate (10), the type of precursor gas, and the like.

The first process treatment performed in the process chamber (21000) may include, for example, a modification/modification process for modifying/reforming the surface of the substrate (10) during an ALE process, an adsorption process for adsorbing a precursor onto the surface of the substrate (10), a removal process for removing an adsorption layer formed by a reaction between modified silicon, etc. of the substrate (10) and the precursor, etc. The second process treatment performed in the process chamber (21000) may include a different process from the first process treatment during an ALE process.

Similar to the embodiment described in FIG. 9, the second process temperature at which the second process treatment is performed may be a process temperature set to be optimized for the removal process of the substrate (10). The second process temperature may be set to a temperature optimized for the second process treatment, for example, a temperature at which an adsorption layer can be effectively removed from a surface layer of the substrate (10), depending on the type of material constituting the substrate (10), the type of precursor gas, etc.

The process chamber (21000) may include a reaction chamber (21100), a stage (21200), a stage driver (21300), a microwave heat processor (21400), and a plasma processor (21500). The reaction chamber (21100), the stage (21200), the stage driver (21300), the microwave heat processor (21400), and the plasma processor (21500) are different from the embodiment of FIG. 9 described above in that they are implemented in a single chamber. The description of components of the embodiment of FIG. 10 that are identical or corresponding to those of the embodiment of FIG. 9 may be equally applied to the embodiment of FIG. 10, and thus any duplicate description may be omitted.

The reaction chamber (21100) may be provided with an exhaust device (21600) for performing a purging process to exhaust residual gas within the reaction chamber (21100), a gas supply device (not shown) for supplying process gases such as precursor gas and plasma process gas, etc. The stage driving unit (21300) may drive the stage (21200) upward and downward to remove a substrate that has been processed or to remove a substrate before substrate processing. The reaction chamber (21100) may be provided with an inlet/outlet (21700) for introducing/removing a substrate (10). A hand robot (transport robot) for introducing/removing a substrate (10) may be provided in an area adjacent to the inlet/outlet (21700) around the reaction chamber (21100).

Hereinafter, a process treatment process performed in the substrate treatment device of Fig. 11 will be described. The substrate treatment device of Fig. 11 can perform the process treatment process of Fig. 8. When the substrate (10) is supported on the stage (21200) through the inlet/outlet (21700) while the stage (21200) is lowered toward the lower chamber (21120), the stage (21200) is driven upward toward the upper chamber (21110) by the stage driving unit (21300).

Process gas A is supplied into the reaction chamber (21100) and plasma (P) is generated by the plasma processor (21500), whereby a modified layer (11) that is modified to be able to react with a precursor can be formed on the surface of the substrate (10) (S10). A plurality of microwave supply units of the microwave heat processor (21400) can generate microwaves in a first microwave supply pattern that is set or controlled according to the real-time temperature of the substrate so that the modification/reformation process can be efficiently performed at the first process temperature.

When the surface of the substrate (10) is modified, a purging process (S20) for removing unreacted residual process gas A can be performed. Next, process gas B that undergoes an adsorption reaction on the surface of the substrate (10) is supplied into the reaction chamber (21100), and an adsorption process in which a layer (12) in which the process gas B is adsorbed on the surface of the substrate (10) is formed can be performed (S30). A plurality of microwave supply units of the microwave heat treatment unit (21400) can generate microwaves in a second microwave supply pattern that is set or controlled according to the real-time temperature of the substrate so that the adsorption process can be efficiently performed at the second process temperature.

The process gas is uniformly adsorbed onto the modified layer (11) on the exposed surface of the substrate (10) by the self-control principle, and the residual process gas can be removed from the reaction chamber (21100) by a purging process (S40). Next, the layer (13) adsorbed onto the substrate (10) can be removed by plasma treatment, heat treatment, or the like (S50). At this time, since the bonding force between the modified layer (11) on the surface of the substrate (10) and the process gas is stronger than the removal energy, the modified layer (11) on the surface of the substrate (10) is also removed together with the adsorption layer of the process gas.

In the removal process, multiple microwave supply units of the microwave heat treatment unit (21400) can generate microwaves in a third microwave supply pattern that is set or controlled according to the real-time temperature of the substrate so that the removal process can be efficiently performed at the third process temperature. By repeating a series of cycles of steps S10 to S50 as described above multiple times, the surface of the substrate (10) can be uniformly etched in atomic layer units.

According to the substrate processing device according to the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 10, the effect of being able to very precisely and uniformly control the amount of heat supplied to the substrate (10) by the microwave heat processor (21400) can be provided, and the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost or maintenance/repair cost of the process equipment can be provided because a mechanical system for rotating the stage or the microwave heat processor is not required.

In addition, according to the embodiment of FIG. 10, since plasma treatment and heat treatment can be performed continuously within a single process chamber (21000) without the need to transfer the substrate (10) between dual chambers (the first process chamber and the second process chamber), the process time can be shortened by reducing the time required to transfer the substrate (10) between the dual chambers. In addition, according to the embodiment of FIG. 10, the size of the process facility can be reduced, and the process facility cost and the process facility maintenance/repair time and cost can also be reduced. This is possible because, as described above in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the process temperature required for plasma, heat treatment, etc. can be quickly controlled in various microwave supply modes by a plurality of microwave supplyers constituting the microwave heat treatment device (21400).

FIGS. 11 to 15 are conceptual diagrams illustrating substrate processing devices according to further embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments of FIGS. 11 to 15 differ from the previously described embodiments in that they additionally include a microwave reflection structure (31110, 31120, 32110, 33120, 34120, 32200, 33200, 34200, 35200) that effectively reflects microwaves toward the substrate (10) within a process chamber (31000, 32000, 33000, 34000, 35000) constituting the substrate processing device (30000).

In an embodiment, the microwave reflecting structure (31110, 31120, 32110, 33120, 34120, 32200, 33200, 34200) may include a curved reflecting structure (31110, 31120, 32110, 33120, 34120), such as a semicircle or an ellipse, at an upper edge and/or a lower edge area within the reaction chamber (31100, 32100, 33100, 34100) and/or a reflecting structure (32200, 33200, 34200) that protrudes obliquely from an inner surface or an upper or lower edge of the reaction chamber (31100, 32100, 33100, 34100).

Microwave reflecting structures (31110, 31120, 32110, 33120, 34120, 32200, 33200, 34200) may be provided with a material capable of reflecting microwaves, and may be provided with, for example, a metal material. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, curved reflecting structures (31110, 31120), such as semicircles or ellipses, having a radius of curvature larger than a reference radius of curvature (for example, 2 mm or more) are provided at upper and lower edges of the reaction chamber (31100). Such curved reflecting structures (31110, 31120) may have a function of reflecting microwaves toward the substrate (10) so that the substrate (10) may be heat-treated at high speed by the microwaves.

In the embodiment of FIG. 12, a curved reflective structure (3211), such as a semicircle or an ellipse, having a radius of curvature larger than a reference radius of curvature (for example, 2 mm or more, more preferably 1 cm or more) may be provided at an upper edge of the reaction chamber (32100), and a reflective structure (32200) may be provided at a lower edge of the reaction chamber (32100) so as to protrude and be inclined with respect to the bottom and side surfaces of the reaction chamber (32100). In order for microwaves to be effectively reflected to the substrate (10), the reflective surface (32210) of the reflective structure (32200) may be provided to have an inclination angle (A1) of approximately 15° to 60° with respect to the bottom or horizontal plane of the reaction chamber (32100). The reflective structure (32200) may be provided so that its upper surface slopes downward from the outer diameter to the inner diameter.

In the embodiment of FIG. 13, a curved reflective structure (33120), such as a semicircle or an ellipse, having a radius of curvature larger than a reference radius of curvature (for example, 2 mm or more, more preferably 1 cm or more) is provided at a lower edge of the reaction chamber (33100), and a plurality of reflective structures (33200) are provided on an inner surface of the reaction chamber (33100) along a vertical direction (a third direction, Z, perpendicular to the first and second directions). Each reflective structure (33200) may extend in a ring shape along the circumferential direction of the reaction chamber (33100).

A plurality of reflective structures (33200) may have reflective surfaces (33210) that are inclined at an angle of about 15° to 60° with respect to the side (vertical plane) of the reaction chamber (33100), that is, an angle of about 30° to 75° with respect to the horizontal plane (reference numeral 'A2' of FIG. 4B). The reflective structures (33200) may have an approximately triangular shape. For arc prevention, it is preferable that the sharp tip portion (reference numeral '33220' of FIG. 11) of the reflective structures (33200) be designed to have a radius of curvature (R1) of 100 ㎛ or more, and a more preferable radius of curvature (R1) is 500 ㎛ or more.

In the embodiment of FIG. 14, a curved reflective structure (34120), such as a semicircle or an ellipse, having a radius of curvature greater than a reference radius of curvature (e.g., 2 mm or more) is provided at a lower edge of the reaction chamber (34100), and a plurality of reflective structures (34200) may be provided along an up-down direction on an inner surface of the reaction chamber (34100). Each reflective structure (34200) may extend in a ring shape along the circumferential direction of the reaction chamber (34100).

A plurality of reflective structures (34200) may have reflective surfaces (34210) inclined at an angle of approximately 15° to 60° with respect to a side surface (vertical surface) of the reaction chamber (34100). The reflective structures (34200) may have an approximately triangular shape. For arc prevention, it is preferable that the pointed tip portions of the reflective structures (34200) be designed to have a radius of curvature of 2 mm or more.

In the embodiment of FIG. 14, at least two of the plurality of reflective structures (34200) may be designed such that the reflective surfaces (34210) have different inclination angles. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper reflective structure (34200) provided on the upper edge side of the reaction chamber (34100) may be designed to have a gentler inclination angle than the lower reflective structure (34200) provided on the lower side.

FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing device (30000) according to the embodiment of FIG. 15 is different from the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 14 in that it further includes a reflective structure driving unit (35300) that adjusts the position or direction of a reflective structure (35200). The reflective structure driving unit (35300) can drive the reflective structure (35200) by driving it up and down, moving it horizontally, or rotating it up and down or horizontally.

The reflective structure drive unit (35300) may include, for example, a hydraulic cylinder drive, a drive motor/screw shaft drive, a drive motor/drive belt drive, a wire drive, a rack/pinion gear combination drive, etc. However, in addition to the listed drive devices, it is also possible to raise, level, move, rotate, and drive the reflective structure (35200) up and down by various drive devices.

As the reflective structure (35200) is driven by the reflective structure driving unit (35300), the position or direction of the reflective surface (35210) changes, and accordingly, the transmission pattern of microwaves transmitted to the substrate (10) can be variously controlled. The reflective structure driving unit (35300) can drive the reflective structure (35200) so that the reflective surface (35210) is arranged in a set position or direction according to the driving pattern (microwave supply mode) of a plurality of microwave supply units constituting the microwave heat treatment device (35400). According to the embodiment of FIG. 15, the reflective structure (35200) can be driven up and down to provide more diverse microwave heat treatment modes, and uneven heat supply due to interference (constructive interference, destructive interference) of microwaves can be prevented.

FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a stage constituting the substrate processing device illustrated in FIG. 16. The substrate processing device (40000) illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17 differs from the previously described embodiments in that it comprises a process chamber (41000) in which a susceptor (41230) that generates heat by microwaves is provided in an upper region of the stage (41200).

The stage (41200) may be provided to be liftable by a stage driving unit (41300). The stage (41200) may include a stage body (41220), a susceptor (41230) provided on the stage body (41220), and a protective film (41240) covering the susceptor (41230). A heat treatment device (41210) may be provided on the stage body (41220). The susceptor (41230) may be made of a metal film coated on ceramic or a carbon-based material. The protective film (41240) may be made of, for example, quartz, synthetic glass, alumina, yttria, Si, SiC, etc.

The susceptor (41230) can be heated by microwaves generated by the microwave heat processor (41400). According to the embodiments of FIGS. 16 and 17, the susceptor (41230) is heated by microwaves generated by the microwave heat processor (41400), and the heat generated by the susceptor (41230) can be more effectively transferred to the substrate (10).

Fig. 18 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 19 is an enlarged view of part 'B' of the substrate processing device illustrated in Fig. 18. The substrate processing device (50000) illustrated in Figs. 18 and 19 differs from the previously described embodiments in that a susceptor (51500) that generates heat by microwaves is provided on the inner wall surface of a reaction chamber (51100) constituting a process chamber (51000).

The reaction chamber (51100) may include chamber walls (51110, 51120, 51130) and a susceptor (51500) provided on the inner wall surface of the chamber walls (51110, 51120, 51130). The susceptor (51500) may include a heating layer (51500a) that is made of a metal film or a carbon-based material (e.g., a graphite material) coated on ceramic and generates heat by microwaves generated by a microwave heat processor (51400), and a protective film (51500b) that surrounds the heating layer (51500a). For the heating effect by microwaves, the concentration of the carbon-based material in the heating layer (51500a) is preferably 0.5 wt% or more. In addition, the thickness of the metal film is preferably 800 μm or less. The protective film (51500a) may be composed of, for example, quartz, synthetic glass, alumina, yttria, Si, SiC, etc.

The susceptor (51500) can be heated by microwaves generated by the microwave heat processor (51400). According to the embodiments of FIGS. 18 and 19, the susceptor (51500) is heated by microwaves generated by the microwave heat processor (51400), and heat is applied to the inside of the reaction chamber (51100) by the heat generation of the susceptor (51400), thereby preventing particles or byproducts from attaching (adsorbing) to the inner wall of the reaction chamber (51100).

The susceptor (51500) may include an upper wall susceptor (51510) provided on an upper wall (51110) of the reaction chamber (51100), a side wall susceptor (51520) provided on a side wall (51120) of the reaction chamber (51100), and an exhaust susceptor (51530) provided on a wall (51130) around an exhaust section (51140). The upper wall susceptor (51510) and the exhaust susceptor (51530) may be designed to have a higher temperature than the side wall susceptor (51520). Accordingly, particle contamination of the upper wall or exhaust section of the reaction chamber (51100) may be effectively prevented.

In an embodiment, the upper wall susceptor (51510) and the exhaust susceptor (51530) can be designed to have a higher carbon concentration than the side wall susceptor (51520). Accordingly, the carbon concentration of the side wall susceptor (51520) can be reduced by effectively preventing particles from being contaminated or byproducts from being adsorbed on the upper wall or exhaust of the reaction chamber (51100) due to heat generation of the susceptor, while reducing the cost of applying high-concentration carbon.

FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a plan view of a substrate processing device according to the embodiment of FIG. 20. The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21 differ from the previously described embodiments in that each microwave supply (61410) constituting the microwave heat treatment device (61400) has a shutter (61430) that can be opened and closed by a controller (61420).

The shutter (61430) can control the supply and blocking of microwaves. Each microwave supply (61410) may be configured to generate microwaves by a magnetron, or a plurality of microwave supplies (61410) may be configured to receive microwaves through a waveguide and supply them into the reaction chamber (61100) through the shutter (61430) in an open state.

FIG. 22 is a conceptual diagram of a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 22, the substrate processing device (70000) may be utilized in an atomic layer deposition process. Referring to FIG. 22, the substrate processing device (70000) may include a first process chamber (71000), a second process chamber (72000), and a substrate transfer device (73000) for transferring a substrate (10) between the first process chamber (71000) and the second process chamber (72000).

The first process chamber (71000) may be a process chamber that performs a first process treatment on a substrate (10) at a first process temperature. In one embodiment, the first process chamber (71000) may be a reaction chamber in which an etching process is performed to etch a substrate (10) on which an atomic layer deposition process using plasma has been performed by heat treatment. The first process temperature may be a process temperature that is set to be optimized for the etching process of the substrate (10).

The first process temperature may be set to a temperature at which the substrate (10) can be effectively etched, depending on the type of material constituting the substrate (10), the type of precursor gas, etc. The first process temperature does not necessarily mean a specific temperature value, but encompasses a process temperature range, a process temperature profile, or a statistical processing value (e.g., an average value) thereof.

The second process chamber (72000) may be a process chamber that performs a second process treatment on the substrate (10) at a second process temperature that is different from the first process temperature. Accordingly, the first process chamber (71000) and the second process chamber (72000) may perform treatment on the substrate (10) at different process temperatures. In one embodiment, the second process chamber (72000) may be a reaction chamber in which an atomic layer deposition process is performed on the substrate (10). The second process temperature may be a process temperature that is set to be optimized for an atomic layer deposition process using plasma (P).

The second process temperature may be set to a temperature at which the adsorption layer can be effectively removed from the surface layer of the substrate (10) depending on the type of material constituting the substrate (10), the type of precursor gas, etc. The second process temperature does not necessarily mean a specific temperature value, but encompasses a process temperature range or a process temperature profile, or a statistical processing value (e.g., an average value) thereof.

The first process chamber (71000) may include a first reaction chamber (71100), a first stage (71200), a first stage driver (71300), and a microwave heat processor (71400). Although not shown, the first reaction chamber (71100) may be provided with a gas supply (not shown) for supplying a first process gas such as a gas or a precursor, an exhaust device for performing a purging process for exhausting residual gas within the first reaction chamber (71100), etc.

The second process chamber (72000) may include a second reaction chamber (72100), a second stage (72200), a second stage driving unit (72300), and a plasma treatment unit (72400). The second reaction chamber (72100) may be configured to accommodate the second stage (72200), the second stage driving unit (72300), and the plasma treatment unit (72400).

The plasma processor (72400) can perform a plasma atomic layer deposition process for the substrate (10) by generating plasma (P) within the second process chamber (72000). The plasma processor (72400) can be provided as a plasma generator of the CCP (capacitively coupled plasma) and/or ICP (inductively coupled plasma) type. In the illustrated embodiment, devices for applying upper and lower biases are respectively provided, but the device for applying the lower bias may be omitted as needed.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 22, after performing an atomic layer deposition process on a substrate (10) in a second process chamber (72000), an etching process on the substrate (10) can be performed in a first process chamber (71000). In the process of performing an atomic layer deposition process on a micro-groove on the substrate (10) in the second process chamber (72000), a void space may be generated within the micro-groove. However, by performing a process such as thermal curing and/or anisotropic etching (removing an upper entrance portion of the micro-groove) in the first process chamber (71000) after performing the atomic layer deposition process, the generation of a void space within the micro-groove on the substrate (10) can be prevented.

FIG. 23 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a substrate processing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 23, the substrate processing device (80000) is different from the previously described embodiments in that it further includes a heat treatment device driving unit (81500) that elevates and drives a microwave heat treatment device (81400). According to the embodiment of FIG. 23, by elevating and driving the microwave heat treatment device (81400), more diverse microwave heat treatment modes can be provided, and uneven heat supply due to interference (constructive interference, destructive interference) of microwaves can be prevented.

In Fig. 23, an embodiment of driving the microwave heat treatment device (81400) in an upward and downward direction is illustrated, but the microwave heat treatment device (81400) may be rotated and generated with various patterns of microwaves by a plurality of microwave supply devices. The microwave heat treatment device (81400) may include, for example, a driving device such as a hydraulic cylinder driving device, a driving motor/screw shaft driving device, a driving motor/driving belt driving device, a wire driving device, and a rack/pinion gear combination driving device. However, in addition to the driving devices listed above, the microwave heat treatment device (81400) may also be raised, moved horizontally, and driven in an upward and downward direction by various driving devices.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the microwave heat treatment device is configured with a plurality of microwave suppliers, and microwaves can be generated in various supply modes by controlling the operation of the plurality of microwave suppliers (controlling the microwave output). Accordingly, the process temperature can be controlled at high speed to perform the process treatment at an appropriate process temperature required for the substrate, and uniform treatment can be performed even on a large substrate.

Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be effectively utilized not only in the planar FET or FinFET process, but also in the manufacturing process of GAA (gate all around) FET, and further, MBC (multi-bridge channel) FET devices. The substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be effectively utilized in the process of, for example, etching the interspace between nanosheets of an MBC (multi-bridge channel) FET device at a fine nano-unit level at high speed, yet precisely and minutely.

FIGS. 24 and 25 illustrate substrate processing equipment including a substrate processing device.

The substrate processing equipment (1) may include one or more substrate processing devices (100) as described above. The substrate processing device (100) of one embodiment of the present disclosure can precisely and uniformly control the amount of heat supplied to the substrate by microwaves, and can perform a process using plasma and a heat treatment process in one chamber, so that, compared to the conventional technology in which the heat treatment process is performed in a separate chamber, the time required to transfer the substrate between the heat treatment process chamber and the plasma process chamber can be reduced, and the two processes can be processed in an integrated chamber, thereby being space-efficient. In addition, heat treatment using microwaves can be performed more rapidly, and there is an advantage in that the substrate processing device (100) can be made smaller compared to a case in which heat treatment is performed using light heating, a laser, etc. The substrate processing equipment (1) includes a plurality of miniaturized substrate processing devices (100) so as to implement a semiconductor processing facility in a space-efficient manner.

The substrate processing equipment (1) may include a substrate transfer unit (2) for transferring a substrate to one or more substrate processing devices (100). The substrate transfer unit (2) is configured as a robot arm having an arbitrary shape, and can obtain a substrate (10) from an import/export unit (5) and transfer it to the substrate processing device (100), and transfer a substrate whose process has been completed from the substrate processing device (100) to the import/export unit (5) so that the substrate can be transferred to the next process of the substrate processing equipment (1).

The import/export unit (5) may include an import unit (3) in which substrates are transferred from external equipment to the substrate processing equipment (1) and an export unit (4) in which substrates whose processes have been completed are exported to the external equipment. The import/export unit and the export unit may exchange substrates with an OHT (overhead hoist transport) facility.

As described above, the substrate processing device (100) of one embodiment of the present disclosure can perform all processes for atomic layer etching in one chamber, thereby saving horizontal space, and can also save vertical space by using a microwave heat source that is relatively miniaturized compared to light, heat rays, etc. Accordingly, the substrate processing equipment (1) may include a plurality of substrate processing devices (100) horizontally, as in the example of FIG. 9, and may include a plurality of substrate processing devices (100) that are vertically stacked, as in FIG. 10. Although not shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the substrate processing equipment (1) may have a gas line for supplying and discharging gas connected to the same floor as the substrate processing equipment (1) or to a basement of the substrate processing equipment (1).

It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes presented is an example of exemplary approaches. It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged within the scope of the present disclosure based on design priorities. The appended method claims provide elements of various steps in a sample order, but are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is to be construed in the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

As described above, the relevant contents have been described in the best form for carrying out the invention.

The present invention can be used in semiconductor manufacturing devices, etc.

Claims (25)

As a substrate processing device, An upper chamber where plasma treatment of the substrate is performed; A lower chamber in which heat treatment is performed on the above substrate; A microwave heat treatment device that generates microwaves within the lower chamber to transfer heat to the substrate; and A stage that supports a substrate and can be raised and lowered to move the substrate to a predetermined position according to a process for the substrate; Including, Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, The upper chamber is, A gas supply unit including a buffer and showerhead for plasma process. Substrate processing device. In the second paragraph, The showerhead of the above gas supply unit is, Having a sloped structure from the center of the substrate to the periphery of the substrate, Substrate processing device. In the second paragraph, The showerhead of the above gas supply unit is, Supplying gas to the upper chamber through at least one of the inclined holes or the buffer holes, Substrate processing device. In the first paragraph, The upper chamber is, Including an upper plasma generating unit for plasma generation in the upper chamber, Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, The upper chamber is, Including a gas exhaust section through which process gas is exhausted on the side; Substrate processing device. In paragraph 6, The above gas exhaust section, A coating is added to maintain plasma inside the upper chamber and prevent adsorption of by-products. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 6, The above gas exhaust section, It is configured symmetrically around the above substrate, Substrate processing device. In the first paragraph, The upper chamber is, Accelerates gas supply and discharge and is configured to have a height of 0.1 cm to 5 cm for plasma formation. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, A stage step protruding in the stage direction between the upper chamber and the lower chamber; Including more, Substrate processing device. In Article 10, The above stage step is, Including a gasket that prevents gas exchange between the upper chamber and the lower chamber during a process on the substrate in the upper chamber. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, The inner surface of the above lower chamber is, Comprising a coating that prevents adsorption of by-products or particles; Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, A gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas to the lower chamber; Including more, Substrate processing device. In Article 13, The above lower chamber, In order to prevent the process gas from flowing into the upper chamber during the process treatment of the substrate in the upper chamber, the inert gas is supplied at a higher pressure than the upper chamber. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, The above microwave heat treatment device, located at least on one of the side of the lower chamber, the lower surface of the stage step, or the upper surface of the upper chamber gas supply portion; Substrate processing device. In Article 15, The above microwave heat treatment device, A plurality of microwave sources, wherein the plurality of microwave sources are arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically around the substrate. Substrate processing device. In Article 16, The above plurality of microwave supply devices are, Switching between different microwave supply modes to generate microwaves within the lower chamber to transfer heat to the substrate; Substrate processing device. In Article 17, The above various microwave supply modes are modes in which microwaves are supplied into the lower chamber by a combination of at least one of the plurality of microwave supplyers. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, The above stage is, Supporting the substrate by electrostatic bonding or mechanical bonding, Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, The above stage is, Comprising an upper plasma generating unit and a lower plasma generating unit for generating plasma or applying a bias to the plasma, Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, The above stage is, Moving up or down by an elevator, and supporting the substrate at a first position where a plasma process is performed or a second position where a heat treatment process is performed. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 1, In the upper chamber, a surface modification process and an adsorption layer formation process are performed during an atomic layer etching (ALE) process for the substrate, and in the lower chamber, a heat treatment process is performed during the atomic layer etching process. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 22, In the upper chamber, surface modification for atomic layer etching of the substrate is performed through plasma treatment in an atomic layer etching process for the substrate, thereby generating a modified layer on the substrate, and In the lower chamber, the formation of the modified layer is promoted through heat treatment using a microwave heat treatment device for the substrate. Substrate processing device. In paragraph 23, In the upper chamber, an adsorption layer is formed by gas treatment on a substrate on which a modification layer is formed, and the modification layer and the adsorption layer are removed by plasma treatment, and In the lower chamber, the removal of the modified layer and the adsorption layer is promoted through heat treatment using a microwave heat treatment device for the substrate. Substrate processing device. As a substrate processing equipment, An upper chamber where plasma treatment of the substrate is performed; A lower chamber in which heat treatment is performed on the above substrate; A microwave heat treatment device that generates microwaves within the lower chamber to transfer heat to the substrate; and A stage that supports a substrate and can be raised and lowered to move the substrate to a predetermined position according to a process for the substrate; Comprising one or more substrate processing devices including: A substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrate to one or more of the substrate processing devices; Including, Substrate processing equipment.

Images