阅读说明：本技术 等离子体产生组件、等离子体处理装置和方法 (Plasma generating assembly, plasma processing device and method ) 是由 不公告发明人 于 2019-09-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种等离子体产生组件、等离子体处理装置和方法,所述组件用于半导体处理装置中,包括内线圈组和外线圈组；所述外线圈组包括至少两个呈环状绕制且同轴的线圈,各线圈形成独立闭合回路；任意一个外线圈组的线圈的直径,大于任意一个内线圈组的线圈的直径,且所述外线圈组被设置为相对于所述内线圈组可移动。由于将外线圈设置成分别包括若干个呈环状绕制的线圈的形式,各线圈可以分别独立控制,且外线圈组可移动,以改变等离子体产生组件产生的磁场分布,进而控制局部分布浓度较高的等离子体均匀扩散,解决了被处理基片局部蚀刻过度或蚀刻不足的问题,改善蚀刻缺陷,提高了产品的质量。(The invention relates to a plasma generating assembly, a plasma processing device and a method, wherein the assembly is used in a semiconductor processing device and comprises an inner coil group and an outer coil group; the outer coil group comprises at least two coils which are annularly wound and coaxial, and each coil forms an independent closed loop; the diameter of the coils of any one of the outer coil sets is larger than the diameter of the coils of any one of the inner coil sets, and the outer coil set is arranged to be movable relative to the inner coil set. Because the outer coil is arranged to respectively comprise a plurality of annularly wound coils, each coil can be independently controlled, and the outer coil group can move to change the magnetic field distribution generated by the plasma generating assembly, further control the uniform diffusion of the plasma with higher local distribution concentration, solve the problem of excessive local etching or insufficient local etching of the processed substrate, improve the etching defect and improve the quality of the product.)

1. A plasma generation assembly for use in a semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising an inner coil assembly and an outer coil assembly, wherein:

the outer coil group comprises at least two coils wound in a ring shape and respectively and independently form a closed loop; each coil of the outer coil group is coaxially arranged;

the diameter of the coil in any one outer coil group is larger than that of the coil in any one inner coil group, and the outer coil group is arranged to be movable relative to the inner coil group.

2. The plasma generation assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the diameters of the coils of the outer coil group are sequentially increased from inside to outside.

3. The plasma generation assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

and the moving device is used for driving each coil in the outer coil group to move in a linkage manner or independently.

4. The plasma generation assembly of claim 3, wherein the moving means comprises:

the guide rail is arranged along the periphery of the outer coil group and does not contact each coil in the outer coil group;

a control unit;

and the movable part is arranged on the guide rail, is used for being connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group based on the control signal of the control part, and moves along the guide rail to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move.

5. The plasma generation assembly of claim 4, wherein the movable portion comprises:

the connecting part is connected with the guide rail and moves along the guide rail; and

and the supporting part is connected with the connecting part and is used for being elastically connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group.

6. A plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma to process a substrate, comprising:

a lower electrode;

an upper electrode of the plasma generation assembly of any of claims 1-5;

and a processing chamber located between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, the processing chamber being provided with an accommodation space for plasma generated between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, the substrate being disposed in the accommodation space.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a monitoring and control module, wherein the monitoring and control module is communicatively coupled to the moving device in the upper electrode, and the monitoring and control module monitors a processing condition of the substrate in real time and controls the moving device to move the coils in the outer coil assembly according to the processing condition of the substrate.

8. The plasma processing apparatus of claim 7 further comprising an alarm module communicatively coupled to the monitoring and control module.

9. A plasma processing method comprising generating plasma using the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8 to perform an etching process on a substrate, and controlling each coil of the outer coil set to move relative to the inner coil set based on a relationship between a real-time etching rate and a preset etching rate.

10. The plasma processing method according to claim 9, characterized in that:

each coil in the outer coil group moves obliquely or in parallel with respect to the inner coil group.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of plasma processing technology, and more particularly, to a plasma generating assembly, a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method.

Background

In a process for manufacturing a semiconductor device, a technique of generating plasma from a reaction gas and applying the plasma to a substrate to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer, to perform a process such as etching on the substrate has become an important part of a semiconductor manufacturing process. In the single-wafer type plasma processing, a capacitive coupling type plasma processing apparatus is generally used.

In a conventional capacitively-coupled plasma processing apparatus, an upper electrode and a lower electrode are arranged in parallel in a processing chamber configured as a vacuum chamber, a semiconductor wafer is placed on the lower electrode, and high-frequency power is applied between the electrodes. In this way, plasma of the process gas generated by the high-frequency discharge is generated between the electrodes, and the radicals and ions in the plasma etch the surface of the substrate in a desired pattern. In a capacitively-coupled plasma processing apparatus, a plasma processing module is mainly controlled to generate closed-loop magnetic lines that penetrate a processing space in a processing chamber through a predetermined path, and an electric field is controlled to control a plasma density distribution in the processing chamber, thereby changing an etching effect.

In the plasma generating assembly, the inner and outer coils for generating closed-loop magnetic lines are limited by matching current and the appearance structure of the coils, so that the condition of uneven etching can be generated under the condition that the power supply and the current proportion of the inner and outer coils are determined, and the etching defect of a product is difficult to improve.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, there is a need to provide a plasma generation assembly, a plasma processing apparatus and a method thereof, which can solve the problems in the prior art that the plasma processing product is easy to generate local over-etching and difficult to improve the etching defect of the product.

One aspect of the present application provides a plasma generation assembly for use in a semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising an inner coil assembly and an outer coil assembly,

the outer coil group comprises at least two coils wound in a ring shape and respectively and independently form a closed loop; each coil of the outer coil group is coaxially arranged;

the diameter of the coil in any one outer coil group is larger than that of the coil in any one inner coil group, and the outer coil group is arranged to be movable relative to the inner coil group.

In the plasma generating assembly, because the outer coil group and the inner coil group which comprise at least two coils wound in a ring shape are adopted, each coil of the outer coil group forms a closed loop independently and is coaxially arranged; the diameter of the coil of any one outer coil group is larger than that of the coil of any one inner coil group. The coils can be respectively input with voltages with different voltage amplitudes and/or frequencies to independently control the coils, and the outer coil group is controlled to move relative to the inner coil group to change the magnetic field distribution generated by the plasma generating assembly, so that the plasmas with higher local distribution concentration are controlled to uniformly diffuse, the problem of local over-etching or under-etching of the processed substrate is solved, the etching defect is improved, and the quality of an etching product is improved. In addition, the currents in the same direction can be respectively input into the inner coil group and the outer coil group, so that the magnetic induction lines respectively generated by the inner coil group and the outer coil group are in the same direction, and the electric energy waste and the equipment loss caused by the reverse directions of the magnetic induction lines respectively generated by the inner coil group and the outer coil group are avoided.

In one embodiment, the diameters of the coils of the outer coil group are increased from inside to outside.

In one embodiment, the plasma generation assembly further comprises:

and the moving device is used for driving each coil in the outer coil group to move in a linkage manner or independently.

In one embodiment, the mobile device comprises:

the guide rail is arranged along the periphery of the outer coil group and does not contact each coil in the outer coil group;

a control unit;

and the movable part is arranged on the guide rail, is used for being connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group based on the control signal of the control part, and moves along the guide rail to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move.

In one embodiment, the movable portion includes:

the connecting part is connected with the guide rail and moves along the guide rail; and

and the supporting part is connected with the connecting part and is used for being elastically connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group.

In one embodiment, the outer coil assembly includes:

a first coil;

a second coil; the second coil is positioned outside the first coil; and

a third coil located outside of the second coil.

In one embodiment, the guide rail comprises:

the first guide rail is distributed along the periphery of the first coil and does not contact the first coil;

second guide rails distributed along the outer circumference of the second coil without contacting the second coil; and

and a third guide rail distributed along an outer circumference of the third coil without contacting the third coil.

In one embodiment, the movable portion includes:

a first movable portion provided along the first guide rail;

a second movable portion provided along the second guide rail;

a third movable portion provided along the third guide rail;

wherein the first movable portion, the second movable portion, and the third movable portion move in a linked manner or independently from each other.

In one embodiment, the first movable portion, the second movable portion and the third movable portion include at least two linked or independent sub-movable portions, and the sub-movable portions are configured to move based on a control signal of the control portion to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move.

Another aspect of the present application provides a plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma to process a substrate, comprising:

a lower electrode;

an upper electrode comprising a plasma generating assembly according to any of the embodiments of the present application;

and a processing chamber located between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, the processing chamber being provided with an accommodation space for plasma generated between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, the substrate being disposed in the accommodation space.

Another aspect of the present application provides a plasma processing method comprising generating a plasma using the plasma generation assembly according to any one of the embodiments of the present application to perform an etching process on a substrate, and controlling each coil of the outer coil set to move relative to the inner coil set based on a relationship between a real-time etching rate and a preset etching rate.

In one embodiment, each coil in the outer coil set moves obliquely or parallel with respect to the inner coil set.

In one embodiment, the plasma processing apparatus further includes a monitoring and control module, the monitoring and control module is in communication connection with the outer coil assembly in the upper electrode, and the monitoring and control module monitors the processing condition of the substrate in real time and controls the outer coil assembly to move according to the processing condition of the substrate.

In one embodiment, the plasma processing apparatus further comprises an alarm module, wherein the alarm module is in communication with the monitoring and control module.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain drawings of other embodiments based on these drawings without any creative effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma generation assembly provided in a first embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a comparison diagram of etching effects under the same conditions using the plasma processing apparatus of the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1 and a conventional plasma processing apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma generation assembly according to a second embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a comparison graph of etching effects under the same conditions using the plasma processing apparatus of the exemplary embodiment of fig. 2 and a conventional plasma processing apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma generation assembly provided in a third embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a comparison between the etching effect of the plasma processing apparatus using the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4 and the etching effect of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma generation assembly provided in a fourth embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a comparison between the etching effect of the plasma processing apparatus using the exemplary embodiment of fig. 7 and the etching effect of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma generation assembly provided in a fifth embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a comparison between the etching effects of the plasma processing apparatus using the exemplary embodiment of fig. 9 and the etching effects of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions.

Fig. 11 is a comparison graph of etching effects generated by applying the plasma generation assembly illustrated in fig. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 respectively under the same conditions.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma generation assembly provided in a sixth embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, the invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Where the terms "comprising," "having," and "including" are used herein, another element may be added unless an explicit limitation is used, such as "only," "consisting of … …," etc. Unless mentioned to the contrary, terms in the singular may include the plural and are not to be construed as being one in number.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "central axis", "length", "width", "up", "down", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", "axial", and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used merely for convenience in describing the present invention and for simplicity in description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In this application, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can include, for example, fixed connections, removable connections, or integral parts; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the conventional plasma processing apparatus, since the magnetic lines of force generated by the exciting coil are generally higher in density at a position near the center of the coil, and the distribution of the magnetic lines of force is gradually weakened in a region away from the center point. The electric field force distribution induced by the changed magnetic force lines is influenced by the distribution density of the magnetic force lines, so that the density distribution of plasma on the surface of the processed substrate is uneven, the local plasma etching rate is higher, and the local etching of the product is excessive. And the structures of the coil and other components in the plasma processing device are generally fixed, so that the plasma processing device which is easy to generate local over-etching or under-etching is difficult to improve or process so as to improve the yield of the plasma processing device.

In one embodiment of the present application, a plasma generating assembly is provided, which is used in a semiconductor processing apparatus, and includes an inner coil assembly and an outer coil assembly, wherein the outer coil assembly includes at least two coils wound in an annular shape and respectively and independently forming a closed loop, and each coil of the outer coil assembly is coaxially disposed; the diameter of the coil of any one outer coil group is larger than that of the coil of any one inner coil group; and the outer coil assembly is configured to move relative to the inner coil assembly. In other embodiments of the present application, the inner coil assembly may also be configured in a similar manner to the outer coil assembly, that is, including at least two coils wound in a ring shape and independently forming a closed loop, and the coils of the inner coil assembly are coaxially configured.

When any one of the coils is excited or energized, a magnetic field effect is achieved in which the plasma density is increased in a region of the plasma processing chamber shifted radially inward from the energized coil and the plasma density is decreased in a region immediately below the energized coil. Therefore, for example, when etching unevenness occurs in a local region on a substrate to be processed for a certain reason, one of the coils is selectively energized, or the coils in the outer coil group are controlled to move relative to the inner coil group, and the above-described magnetic field effect is exerted around the coils, so that plasma having a high local region concentration is diffused to a region having a low local plasma concentration, thereby avoiding the occurrence of a local over-etching phenomenon.

In the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, since the outer coil group including at least two annularly wound coils is adopted, the coils of the outer coil group independently form a closed loop respectively and the coils are coaxially arranged; the diameter of the coil of any one outer coil group is larger than that of the coil of any one inner coil group. The coils can be respectively input with voltages with different voltage amplitudes and/or frequencies so as to independently control the coils. The magnetic field intensity generated after the single coil is electrified is that the magnetic field intensity of a nearby area close to the central axis is larger than the magnetic field intensity right below the coil; the magnetic field distribution generated by the plasma generating assembly is changed by selectively electrifying the coils in the inner coil group and the outer coil group or controlling the coils in the outer coil group to move relative to the inner coil group, so that the plasma with higher local distribution concentration is controlled to be uniformly diffused, the problem of local over-etching or under-etching of the processed substrate is solved, the etching defect is improved, and the quality of an etching product is improved.

As shown in fig. 1, a plasma generation assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application includes an outer coil assembly 20 and an inner coil assembly 10; the outer coil group 20 comprises a plurality of coils wound in a ring shape, and each coil is coaxially arranged; the diameter of the coil of any one of the outer coil sets 20 is larger than the diameter of the coil 11 of any one of the inner coil sets 10, and the central axis of the outer coil set 20 and the central axis 111 of the inner coil set 10 are located on the same straight line. In the present embodiment, the outer coil group 20 includes a first coil 21, a second coil 22, and a third coil 23; the inner coil assembly 10 includes 1 coil 11. The outer coil assembly 20 is arranged to be movable relative to the inner coil assembly 10. The diameters of the first coil 21, the second coil 22, and the third coil 23 increase in this order.

In the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, the outer coil group is configured to include 3 annularly wound coils, wherein each coil in the outer coil group is coaxially disposed; the diameter of any one of the outer coil assembly coils is greater than the diameter of any one of the inner coil assembly coils and the outer coil assembly is configured to move relative to the inner coil assembly. The coils can be respectively input with voltages with different voltage amplitudes and/or frequencies so as to independently control the coils. The magnetic field intensity generated after the single coil is electrified is greater than the magnetic field intensity right below the coil in the area close to the central axis; the coils in the inner coil group and the outer coil group are electrified selectively, or the outer coil group is controlled to move, so that the magnetic field distribution generated by the plasma generating assembly is changed, the plasmas with higher local distribution concentration are controlled to be uniformly diffused, the problem of local over-etching or under-etching of the processed substrate is solved, the etching defect is improved, and the quality of an etching product is improved. In addition, the currents in the same direction can be respectively input into the inner coil group and the outer coil group, so that the magnetic induction lines generated by the inner coil group and the outer coil group are in the same direction, and the electric energy waste and the equipment loss caused by the reverse direction of the magnetic induction lines generated by the inner coil group and the outer coil group are avoided.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, the inner coil assembly may be configured to include at least two coils wound in a ring shape, and each coil of the inner coil assembly is coaxially disposed to form a closed loop. The inner coils can be respectively input with voltages with different voltage amplitudes and/or frequencies so as to independently control the inner coils.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly of the above embodiment, the inner coil assembly is configured to move in an inward contracting manner to increase the magnetic field intensity in a region close to the central axis after the inner coil is energized. For example, when the substrate directly below the inner coil is under-etched, the inner coil can be controlled to contract inward to increase the magnetic field intensity in the region close to the central axis after the inner coil is powered on, so as to increase the plasma concentration directly below the inner coil, further increase the etching rate of the substrate and improve the under-etched condition.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the etching effect of the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 1 and the etching effect of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions. Wherein, a in fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a conventional plasma processing apparatus, and b in fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a plasma processing apparatus to which the embodiment shown in fig. 1 is applied under the same conditions as employed in fig. a. As can be seen from a comparison between diagrams a and b in fig. 2, the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 1 has improved etching degree in the middle of the processed substrate compared to the conventional plasma processing apparatus. Under the same external conditions, the plasma processing device of the embodiment shown in fig. 1 can be applied to better improve the condition of local over-etching on the processed substrate.

As shown in fig. 3, a plasma generation assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application includes an outer coil assembly 20 and an inner coil assembly 10, wherein a diameter of a coil of any one of the outer coil assemblies 20 is larger than a diameter of a coil 11 of any one of the inner coil assemblies 10. In the present embodiment, the outer coil group 20 includes a first coil 21, a second coil 22, and a third coil 23; the inner coil assembly 10 includes 1 coil 11. The coils in the outer coil set 20 are coaxial, and the central axis of the outer coil set 20 and the central axis 111 of the inner coil set 10 are located on the same straight line in fig. 3. In the outer coil group 20, the projections of the adjacent two coils on the horizontal plane are concentric circles. The diameters of the first coil 21, the second coil 22, and the third coil 23 in the outer coil group 20 increase in order.

In the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, the coils may be respectively input with voltages with different voltage amplitudes and/or frequencies, so as to independently control the coils. The magnetic field intensity generated after the single coil is electrified is greater than the magnetic field intensity right below the coil in the area close to the central axis; because in the outer coil assembly, the orthographic projection of two adjacent coils on the horizontal plane is concentric ring, and the diameter of 3 coils reduces from top to bottom in proper order. The coils in the outer coil group are selectively electrified, so that the magnetic fields of the coils can be mutually influenced, uniform electric field force is further generated, the problem of local over-etching or under-etching of the processed substrate is solved, the etching defect is improved, and the quality of an etching product is improved.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the etching effect of the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and the etching effect of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions. Wherein, a in fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a conventional plasma processing apparatus, and c in fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a plasma processing apparatus to which the embodiment shown in fig. 3 is applied, which is intended to be under the same conditions as employed in fig. a. As can be seen from a comparison of the graphs a and c in fig. 4, the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 3 has improved etching degree in the middle of the processed substrate compared to the conventional plasma processing apparatus. Under the same external conditions, the plasma processing device of the embodiment shown in fig. 3 can be applied to better improve the condition of local over-etching on the processed substrate.

As shown in fig. 5, a plasma generation assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application is different from the embodiment illustrated in fig. 3 in that the diameters of three coils in the outer coil group 20 are sequentially increased from top to bottom.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the etching effect of the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 5 and the etching effect of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions. Wherein, a in fig. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a conventional plasma processing apparatus, and d in fig. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a plasma processing apparatus to which the embodiment shown in fig. 5 is applied, which is intended to adopt the same conditions as in fig. a. Comparing the graphs a and d of fig. 6, it can be seen that the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 5 has improved etching degree to the middle of the processed substrate compared to the conventional plasma processing apparatus. Under the same external conditions, the plasma processing device of the embodiment shown in fig. 5 can be applied to better improve the local over-etching condition of the processed substrate.

As shown in fig. 7, a plasma generation assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application includes an outer coil assembly 20 and an inner coil assembly 10, wherein a diameter of a coil of any one of the outer coil assemblies 20 is larger than a diameter of a coil 11 of any one of the inner coil assemblies 10. In the present embodiment, the outer coil group 20 includes a first coil 21, a second coil 22, and a third coil 23; the inner coil assembly 10 includes 1 coil 11. Each coil in the outer coil group 20 is coaxial, the orthographic projections of two adjacent coils on the horizontal plane are concentric rings, and the diameters of the first coil 21, the second coil 22 and the third coil 23 are sequentially increased from top to bottom. The central axis 211 of the outer coil assembly 20 is at an angle α greater than 0 with respect to the central axis 111 of the inner coil assembly 10.

In the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, the coils may be respectively input with voltages with different voltage amplitudes and/or frequencies, so as to independently control the coils. The magnetic field intensity generated after the single coil is electrified is greater than the magnetic field intensity right below the coil in the area close to the central axis; because in the outer coil assembly, the projection of two adjacent coils on the horizontal plane is concentric ring, and the orthographic projection of two adjacent coils on the horizontal plane is concentric ring, and the diameter of 3 coils increases from top to bottom in proper order. The central axis of the outer coil group and the central axis of the inner coil group form an included angle larger than 0. The coils in the outer coil group are selectively electrified, so that the magnetic fields of the coils can be mutually influenced, uniform electric field force is further generated, the problem of local over-etching or under-etching of the processed substrate is solved, the etching defect is improved, and the quality of an etching product is improved.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison between the etching effect of the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 7 and the etching effect of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions. Wherein, a in fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a conventional plasma processing apparatus, and e in fig. 8 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a plasma processing apparatus to which the embodiment shown in fig. 7 is applied, which is intended to be under the same conditions as employed in fig. a. As can be seen from a comparison of the graphs a and e in fig. 8, the plasma processing apparatus employing the embodiment shown in fig. 7 has a lower degree of etching in the middle of the processed substrate than the conventional plasma processing apparatus. Under the same external conditions, the plasma processing device of the embodiment shown in fig. 7 can be applied to better improve the local over-etching condition of the processed substrate.

As shown in fig. 9, a plasma generation assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application includes an outer coil assembly 20 and an inner coil assembly 10, wherein a diameter of a coil of any one of the outer coil assemblies 20 is larger than a diameter of a coil 11 of any one of the inner coil assemblies 10. In the present embodiment, the outer coil group 20 includes a first coil 21, a second coil 22 and a third coil 23, and the diameters of the first coil 21, the second coil 22 and the third coil 23 are sequentially increased; the inner coil assembly 10 includes 1 coil 11. Normally, the first coil 21, the second coil 22 and the third coil 23 in the outer coil group 20 can be arranged in sequence from top to bottom, and since each coil in the outer coil group 20 can move relative to the inner coil group 10, each coil in the outer coil group 20 exhibits the arrangement sequence as illustrated in fig. 9.

In the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, since the magnetic field intensity generated after the single coil is energized is greater than the magnetic field intensity right below the coil in the area close to the central axis, the magnetic fields of the coils can be influenced by selectively moving the coils in the outer coil group up and down and/or horizontally and selectively energizing the coils in the outer coil group, so that a relatively uniform electric field force is generated, the problem of over-etching or under-etching of the processed substrate is solved, the etching defect is improved, and the quality of an etching product is improved.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing a plasma processing apparatus to which the plasma generating assembly of the embodiment shown in fig. 9 is applied, comparing an etching effect with that of a conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions. Wherein, a in fig. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a conventional plasma processing apparatus, and f in fig. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram of an etching effect of a plasma processing apparatus to which the embodiment shown in fig. 9 is applied, which is intended to be under the same conditions as employed in fig. a. As can be seen from a comparison of the graphs a and f in fig. 10, the plasma processing apparatus using the embodiment shown in fig. 9 has a lower degree of etching in the middle of the processed substrate than the conventional plasma processing apparatus. Under the same external conditions, the plasma processing device applying the plasma generating assembly of the embodiment shown in fig. 9 can better improve the condition of local over-etching on the processed substrate.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the comparison of the etching effect of the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment described in fig. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 with that of the conventional plasma processing apparatus under the same conditions. Wherein, a in fig. 11 illustrates a schematic view of an etching effect of the conventional plasma processing apparatus, and b in fig. 11 illustrates a schematic view of an etching effect of applying the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, which is intended to employ the same conditions as in fig. a; fig. 11 c is a schematic view illustrating an etching effect using the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in fig. 3, which is intended to be used under the same conditions as those employed in fig. a; fig. 11 d is a schematic view illustrating an etching effect using the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in fig. 5, which is intended to be used under the same conditions as those employed in fig. a; fig. 11 e illustrates a schematic diagram of the etching effect of applying the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, which is intended to be used under the same conditions as those employed in fig. a; fig. 11 f is a schematic view illustrating an etching effect of applying the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in fig. 9, which is intended to be used under the same conditions as those in fig. a. Comparing fig. 11 a, b, c, d, e and f, it can be seen that the plasma processing apparatus according to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 can improve the local over-etching of the processed substrate under the same external conditions. The embodiments described in the present application can be selected according to different etching degrees of specific products, and can be used alone or in combination to better improve the local over-etching condition of the processed substrate.

In one embodiment of the present application, there is provided a plasma generation assembly, further comprising:

and the moving device is used for driving each coil in the outer coil group to move.

Further, the moving means may include a guide rail and a movable portion. The movable part is used for being connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group based on a control signal of the control part and is used for moving along the guide rail so as to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move.

Specifically, the guide rail may be a linear slide rail, and the movable portion is configured to slide along the guide rail, so as to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move. The movable part can be set to be connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group based on the control signal of the control part, and move based on the control signal of the control part, so as to drive the coil connected with the movable part to move. In this embodiment, the movable portion may be driven by a stepping motor, and the stepping motor is connected to the control portion, and may move on the linear slide rail by receiving a control instruction of the control portion, so that the coil may accurately reach a predetermined position, and the control of the distribution density of magnetic induction lines induced by the coil is ensured while reducing an error, thereby diffusing plasma with a high local concentration, and improving the problem of local over-etching or under-etching of the processed substrate.

Since the magnetic lines of force generated by the excitation coil are generally more dense near the center of the coil, and the distribution of the magnetic lines of force is gradually weakened in a region away from the center point. For example, by compressing the coils in the inner coil assembly toward the central axis, the magnetic field lines generated by the coils can be further concentrated in the area close to the central axis of the coils, so that the local induced electric field can be enhanced, the plasma concentration in the local electric field can be increased, and the local etching efficiency of the processed substrate can be improved; conversely, the local etching efficiency of the processed substrate may be reduced.

In the plasma generating assembly of the above embodiment, the moving device can be controlled to move to a predetermined position according to the actual etching condition of the substrate to be processed, so as to control the density of the magnetic field lines, and further control the plasma concentration in the inductive electric field, thereby improving the etching condition and yield of the plasma processing apparatus.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, the movable portion may include a connecting portion connected to the guide rail, and a supporting portion connected to the connecting portion. The supporting part is used for being elastically connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group. The supporting part can be arranged in an elastic form to realize telescopic connection or disconnection with the coils in the outer coil group; the support portion may be provided in a form including a fixed terminal and an elastic terminal, wherein one end of the fixed terminal is connected to one end of the elastic terminal, the other end of the fixed terminal is connected to the connection portion, and the other end of the elastic terminal is telescopically connected to or disconnected from the coil in the outer coil group.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, the outer coil set 20 includes a first coil 21, a second coil 22 and a third coil 23; the inner coil assembly 10 includes 1 coil 11. The coils in the outer coil group 20 are coaxial, and the central axis of the outer coil group 20 is aligned with the central axis 111 of the inner coil group 10. The diameters of the first coil 21, the second coil 22 and the third coil 23 in the outer coil group 20 are sequentially increased from top to bottom. The diameter of the coil of any one of the outer coil sets 20 is larger than the diameter of the coil 11 of any one of the inner coil sets 10. The moving means includes a first moving means 71, a second moving means 72, and a third moving means 73. The outer coil group 20 includes a first coil 21, a second coil 22, and a third coil 23. Wherein the second coil 22 is located outside the first coil 21 and between the first coil 21 and the third coil 23; the third coil 23 is located outside the second coil 22. The first moving device 71 includes a first rail 711 and a first movable portion 712, the first movable portion 712 is disposed along the first rail 711, the first movable portion 712 is movable along the first rail 711, and the first rail 711 is distributed along the outer circumference of the first coil 21 without contacting the first coil 21. The second moving device 72 includes a second guide rail 721 and a second movable portion 722, the second movable portion 722 is provided along the second guide rail 721, the second movable portion 722 is movable along the second guide rail 721, and the second guide rail 72 is distributed along the outer periphery of the second coil 22 without contacting the second coil 22. The third moving device 73 includes a third guide rail 731 and a third movable portion 732, the third movable portion 732 is disposed along the third guide rail 731, the third movable portion 732 is movable along the third guide rail 731, and the third guide rail 731 is distributed along the outer circumference of the third coil 23 without contacting the third coil 23.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly in the above-described embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, the first movable portion 712 and the second movable portion 722 may be provided in a form of moving in conjunction or independently, in this embodiment, the first movable portion 712 may be provided to include a first connecting portion 7121 connected to the first guide rail 711 and a first supporting portion 7122 connected to the first connecting portion 7121, the first supporting portion 7122 may be provided in a form of having elasticity, to achieve the telescopic connection or disconnection with the first coil 21 in the outer coil group 20, the first supporting part 7122 may be provided in a form including a first fixed terminal and a first elastic terminal, one end of the first fixed terminal is connected to one end of the first elastic terminal, the other end of the first fixed terminal is connected to the first connection portion 7121, and the other end of the first elastic terminal is telescopically connected to or disconnected from the first coil 21 of the outer coil group 20.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, the second movable portion 722 may be provided to include a second connecting portion 7221 connected to the second guide rail 721, and a second supporting portion 7222 connected to the second connecting portion 7221, the second supporting portion 7222 may be provided in a form having elasticity to achieve the telescopic connection or disconnection with the second coil 22 in the outer coil group 20, and the second supporting portion 7222 may be provided in a form including a second fixed terminal and a second elastic terminal, wherein one end of the second fixed terminal is connected to one end of the second elastic terminal, the other end of the second fixed terminal is connected to the second connecting portion 7221, and the other end of the second elastic terminal is connected to or disconnected from the second coil 22 in the outer coil group 20.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 12, the third movable portion 732 may be configured to include a third connecting portion 7321 connected to the third guide rail 731, and a third supporting portion 7322 connected to the third connecting portion 7321, the third supporting portion 7322 may be configured to have an elastic form to realize telescopic connection or disconnection with the third coil 23 in the outer coil group 20, and the third supporting portion 7322 may be configured to include a third fixed terminal and a third elastic terminal, wherein one end of the third fixed terminal is connected to one end of the third elastic terminal, the other end of the third fixed terminal is connected to the third connecting portion 7321, and the other end of the third elastic terminal is connected to or disconnected with the third coil 23 in the outer coil group 20.

Further, in the plasma generating assembly in the above embodiment, the first movable portion and the second movable portion may be configured to move in a linked manner or independently. The first movable part and the second movable part may include at least two linked or mutually independent sub-movable parts, and the sub-movable parts are configured to move based on a control signal of the control part to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move.

In one embodiment of the present application, there is provided a plasma generation assembly, further comprising:

an inner electrode assembly for energizing coils in the inner coil set;

and the outer electrode assembly is used for electrifying the coils in the outer coil group.

In one embodiment of the present application, the electrode assembly may be a rigid or flexible metal structure capable of electrically conducting a voltage. In one embodiment, the inner and outer electrode assemblies may be metal foils, metal conductive sheets, metal plates, metal rods, or electrode assemblies that provide an alternative path for the voltage. The inner electrode assembly is powered by a power source from the upper portion of the inner coil assembly and reaches the bottom in a faster time. Alternatively, the inner electrode assembly may be configured to maintain a distance from each winding in the inner coil assembly. By maintaining a distance between the windings and the inner electrode assembly, the supply voltage can be transferred directly from the inner electrode assembly to the coil. Similarly, the supply voltage may be caused to be transmitted directly from the outer electrode assembly into the coil.

In one embodiment of the present application, the inner and outer electrode assemblies may be fabricated from a conductive material, respectively, and the inner electrode assembly is capable of delivering a voltage from top to bottom to be applied to each coil of the inner coil assembly; the outer electrode assembly is capable of delivering a voltage from top to bottom that is applied to each coil in the outer coil set. In one embodiment, the inner and outer electrode assemblies are made of materials consisting of stainless steel, copper, aluminum, nickel, and alloys thereof, respectively.

The plasma generating assembly provided in the above embodiments can improve the distribution of plasma concentration in the processing chamber. The plasma generation assembly provides local concentration control of the plasma within the plasma processing chamber and may be used in etch, deposition, implant, and thermal processing systems, as well as other applications where it is desirable to control the location of the plasma. It is also contemplated that the plasma generation assembly may be beneficially used in other types of plasma processing chambers, including chemical vapor deposition chambers, physical vapor deposition chambers, implantation (implantation) chambers, nitridation chambers, plasma annealing chambers, plasma processing chambers, and ashing chambers, among others. Accordingly, the examples of the present application are provided for illustrative purposes and should not be used to limit the scope of use of the examples of the present application.

In an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus for generating plasma to process a substrate, as shown in fig. 13, including:

a lower electrode 30 disposed inside the processing chamber and used for supporting a substrate;

a process chamber 50 disposed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, the process chamber being provided with a receiving space for plasma generated between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, the substrate being disposed in the receiving space;

an upper electrode comprising a plasma generating assembly according to any of the embodiments of the present application;

specifically, the plasma generating assembly may be configured to include an outer coil assembly 20 and an inner coil assembly 10, the outer coil assembly 20 including at least two coils; the diameter of the coil of any one of the outer coil sets 20 is larger than the diameter of the coil of any one of the inner coil sets 10. The coils in the outer coil group 20 are coaxial, and the diameters of the coils are sequentially increased from top to bottom.

Further, in the above embodiment, a moving device (not shown) is further included for driving each coil in the outer coil group to move. The moving device may include a guide rail and a movable portion. The movable part is used for being connected or disconnected with each coil in the outer coil group based on a control signal of the control part and is used for moving along the guide rail so as to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move.

The electric field force distribution induced by the changed magnetic force lines is influenced by the distribution density of the magnetic force lines, so that the density distribution of the plasma on the surface of the processed substrate is uneven. In the embodiment of the application, the coil shrinkage of the inner coil group can be controlled, or the outer coil group is controlled to move in the vertical direction, or the outer coil group is controlled to do inclined motion, so that the horizontal component and the vertical component of the magnetic force lines generated by the coil of the outer coil group influence the horizontal component and the vertical component of the magnetic force lines generated by the inner coil group. By controlling the relative position of the inner coil group and the outer coil group, the magnetic induction linear density distribution generated by the combined action of the inner coil group and the outer coil group is controlled, and then the induction electric field is controlled, so that the density distribution of plasma in the induction electric field is changed, and the etching effect of the processed substrate is improved. According to the actual etching condition of the processed substrate, the moving device is controlled to move to a preset position to control the density of the magnetic force lines, and further the concentration of plasma in the induction electric field is controlled, so that the condition of over etching or under etching of the plasma processing device is improved, and the yield of the etching products is improved.

The plasma processing apparatus in the above embodiment may further include a monitoring and control module 60, as shown in fig. 13. The monitoring and control module 60 is in communication connection with the outer coil assembly in the upper electrode, for example, can be in communication connection with a control part in a mobile device, and the monitoring and control module 60 can monitor the processing condition of the substrate in real time and control the mobile device to drive each coil in the outer coil assembly 20 to move according to the processing condition of the substrate. The monitoring and control module 60 may include one or more microcomputers, and controls the respective operations of the components in the plasma processing apparatus, particularly, the high-frequency power matching box, the process gas supply unit, the electromagnet exciting circuit, the moving apparatus, the exhaust apparatus, and the like, and the operations and the sequence of the entire apparatus, according to software (program) and process recipe (recipe) information stored in an external memory or an internal memory.

Further, the plasma processing apparatus in the above embodiment may further include an alarm module, and the alarm module is in communication connection with the monitoring and control module. The alarm module can perform alarm action based on the control signal of the monitoring and control module.

The monitoring and control module may be connected to an input device such as a keyboard, an operation panel for a human-machine interface including a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and an external storage device for storing or storing data such as various programs, processing schemes, and setting values.

In the plasma processing apparatus in the above embodiment, since each coil is independently controlled, a moving device capable of accurately moving the coil to a predetermined position is added, and compared to a plasma processing apparatus in which the coils in the inner coil set and/or the outer coil set are fixed and unadjustable, it is possible to avoid the problem that the output power of the power supply must be doubled when the currents input to the inner coil set and the outer coil set are reversed, so as to avoid the problems of energy consumption and equipment loss caused by the cancellation of the magnetic fields generated by the coils in the inner coil set and the outer coil set.

In an embodiment of the present application, a plasma processing method is provided, which includes generating plasma by using the plasma processing apparatus according to any one of the embodiments of the present application to process a substrate, and controlling each coil in the outer coil set to move relative to the inner coil set based on a relationship between a real-time etching rate and a preset etching rate in a process of etching the substrate. Each coil in the outer coil set can move obliquely or parallelly relative to the inner coil set.

Specifically, various parameters such as a change in etching rate, a type of corrosion product removed in etching, or a change in active reactant in gas discharge may be measured to perform end point detection, and based on information of the end point detection and a time of processing the substrate, a real-time etching rate in a process of etching the substrate may be acquired. The monitoring and control module can be in communication connection with a control part in the mobile device, and the monitoring and control module controls the mobile device to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move based on the relation between the real-time etching rate and the preset etching rate so as to monitor and improve the etching process or stop etching to reduce excessive etching on the following materials.

Further, in the plasma processing method according to the above embodiment, when the real-time etching rate is greater than the predetermined etching rate, the outer coil assembly is controlled to tilt and/or move horizontally with respect to the inner coil assembly.

Specifically, a mode of controlling the moving device to move to drive each coil in the outer coil group to move can be set. The moving device can comprise a stepping motor and a linear slide rail, and the coil can accurately reach a preset position by independently controlling the stepping motor to move on the preset linear slide rail. For example, when the real-time etching rate in the plasma processing apparatus is greater than the preset etching rate, the outer coil assembly may be controlled to tilt relative to the inner coil assembly, so as to drive the outer coil assembly to tilt to a preset direction by a preset angle. The angle is the angle between the central axis of the outer coil group and the central axis of the coil of the inner coil group. The horizontal component and the vertical component of the magnetic force lines generated by the outer coil group can influence the horizontal component and the vertical component of the magnetic force lines generated by the inner coil group. By controlling the included angle, the magnetic force lines generated by the combined action of the inner coil group and the outer coil group are controlled, and then the induction electric field is controlled, so that the density distribution of plasma in the induction electric field is changed, and the etching effect of the processed substrate is improved.

Further, in the plasma processing method in the above embodiment, when the real-time etching rate exceeds the preset first threshold range of the preset etching rate, an alarm device may be controlled to send an alarm message.

Specifically, when the real-time etching rate exceeds the first threshold range preset by the preset etching rate, the alarm device can be controlled to send out the sound of an alarm prompt, or a warning window is popped up in a human-computer interaction interface, or an alarm lamp is controlled to send out warning light, or an alarm prompt short message is sent, or a combination of multiple alarm modes is adopted, so that relevant workers are reminded to take corresponding treatment measures in time.

Further, in the plasma processing method according to the above embodiment, when the real-time etching rate exceeds a second threshold range preset by the preset etching rate, the power supply of the plasma generation assembly is controlled to be cut off to stop etching.

Specifically, when the real-time etching rate exceeds the preset second threshold range of the preset etching rate, it indicates that a fault may occur in the plasma processing apparatus, and a timely shutdown is required. By setting the automatic shutdown mode, the expansion of device faults can be avoided, unnecessary economic loss is caused, and meanwhile, the intelligence of the system is improved.

Further, in the plasma processing method in the above embodiment, when the real-time etching rate is greater than the preset etching rate, real-time etching process data is recorded, where the real-time etching process data includes etching rate data, power supply power data, substrate model data, and reaction gas data.

Specifically, when the etching abnormality is monitored, real-time etching process data is recorded, wherein the real-time etching process data comprises etching rate data, power supply power data, substrate model data and/or reaction gas data and the like. The method and the device not only facilitate workers to better find the reason of the abnormality so as to take reasonable processing measures, but also well store the abnormal data, facilitate the subsequent processing and analysis of the abnormal data, and further improve the method and/or the device for plasma processing so as to further improve the yield of the method and/or the device and the quality of processed products.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as being within the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept, which falls within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.