KR20100003788A - Vacuum processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A vacuum processing device is provided to facilitate a manufacture and a transport by separating a shower head into a plurality of shower head blocks. CONSTITUTION: A vacuum chamber includes a process space for a vacuum process. A shower head(40) is installed on an upper side of the process space, receives the gas from the outside, and sprays the gas to the process space. The shower head includes a plurality of separated shower blocks(42). The shower blocks form one spray surface. The spray surface of the shower head is comprised of two spray regions with different spray quantity according to a plurality of spray holes spraying the gas to the process space. The spray holes have different diameters according to the spray area. The shower head blocks include one shape or more.

Description

Vacuum Processing Apparatus {Vacuum Processing Apparatus}

The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a vacuum processing apparatus capable of processing a substrate such as a wafer, a glass substrate for an LCD panel, and the like in a vacuum state.

A vacuum processing apparatus is a device that performs a predetermined process, such as depositing or etching a substrate by injecting a gas into a processing space under a predetermined vacuum pressure through a shower head and applying power to form a plasma.

Glass panel for LCD panel, which is one of the main substrates processed by such a vacuum processing apparatus, has been enlarged for the large-scale and mass production of LCD, and the vacuum processing apparatus for treating the substrate to be enlarged and the shower head installed therein It is becoming larger.

However, as the vacuum processing apparatus including the shower head is enlarged, the following problems are pointed out.

First of all, there are cost and technical difficulties in the manufacture of a large vacuum processing apparatus.

In addition, there is a problem in transportation due to the increase in size and weight as the vacuum processing apparatus is enlarged.

In addition, there is a problem that the strain of thermal deformation, deflection, etc. of the installation, including the shower head installed in the vacuum processing apparatus increases, which adversely affects the plasma treatment of the substrate.

In addition, in order to support the installation including the shower head installed in the vacuum processing apparatus, the size of the thickness, etc. is further increased, and additional support elements are required, resulting in a structural complexity.

In addition, the enlargement of the vacuum processing apparatus, and therefore, improvement of installations including the showerhead is needed to make the density of plasma uniform throughout the processing space.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that is easy to install and manufacture is composed of a plurality of shower head blocks separated from the shower head.

Another object of the present invention is that the shower head is composed of a plurality of shower head blocks separated from each other, each shower head block is connected to the gas supply pipe for supplying gas from the outside, thereby forming a uniform plasma in the processing space To provide a vacuum processing apparatus that can.

Still another object of the present invention is that the shower head is composed of a plurality of shower head blocks separated from each other, each shower head block is provided with the injection hole of the optimized pattern to form an optimal plasma in the vacuum treatment To provide a vacuum processing apparatus.

The present invention to solve the above problems is a vacuum chamber having a processing space for the vacuum treatment; A shower head installed at an upper side of the processing space and receiving gas from the outside to inject gas into the processing space; The shower head includes a plurality of shower head blocks separated from each other, and the plurality of shower head blocks present a vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that one spray surface is formed.

The spraying surface of the shower head may be formed of two or more spraying regions having different spraying amounts depending on the positions of the plurality of spraying holes for injecting gas into the processing space.

In addition, at least one of the plurality of shower head blocks may include two or more injection regions having different injection amounts according to positions of a plurality of injection holes for injecting gas into the processing space.

At least one of the plurality of shower head blocks may have a plurality of injection holes different in diameter according to the injection area, or the plurality of injection holes may be configured to have different intervals between the injection holes according to the injection area. have.

The plurality of shower head blocks may be configured to have one or more shapes.

Each of the shower head blocks may include: a diffusion plate installed at an upper side of the processing space to form a diffusion space in which a gas supplied from the outside is diffused; It may be configured to include an injection plate provided on the lower side of the diffusion plate and formed with a plurality of injection holes to inject the gas diffused in the diffusion space into the processing space.

The diffusion plate and the injection plate may be separated or integrally formed.

It may be configured to further include a shower head support frame installed in the processing space for supporting the plurality of shower head blocks together.

On the other hand, the gas supply pipe for supplying gas to the shower head from the outside, may be branched outside the vacuum chamber and connected to each of the shower head blocks.

The vacuum chamber, the chamber body is open at the upper side; An upper lead detachably coupled to an upper side of the chamber body; It may include a secondary lead installed between the chamber body and the upper lead to support the edge of the shower head.

The auxiliary lead may be integrally formed with a showerhead support frame supporting the plurality of showerhead blocks together.

The plurality of shower head blocks may be installed in a separated state or detachably coupled to each other.

The vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention has an advantage that the showerhead is manufactured and transported separately into a plurality of showerhead blocks, thereby facilitating manufacture and transportation.

In addition, the vacuum treatment apparatus according to the present invention can minimize the strain of the showerhead by separating the showerhead into a plurality of showerhead blocks, as a result can simplify the support structure of the showerhead, Due to this, there is an advantage in that the plasma is non-uniformly formed to prevent defects in the substrate.

In addition, the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention forms and arranges a plurality of shower head blocks so that the gas supplied from the outside can be injected in an optimal state, so that the plasma can be formed quickly and uniformly so that the yield of the substrate is improved. There is an advantage that can be improved.

In addition, the vacuum treatment apparatus according to the present invention can optimize the pattern of the plurality of injection holes of the shower head in response to the enlargement of the substrate, it is possible to form a plasma quickly and uniform density has the advantage that the yield of the substrate can be improved There is this.

In addition, the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention by branching the gas supply pipe for supplying gas from the outside and connected to each shower head block, it is possible to form a plasma quickly and uniform density, which can improve the yield of the substrate There is an advantage.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a vacuum processing apparatus including a shower head of the vacuum processing apparatus of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a vacuum of Figure 1 Bottom view of the shower head of the processing apparatus.

The vacuum processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention may perform a vacuum processing process such as etching a surface of a substrate 10, such as a glass substrate 10 for a wafer or an LCD panel, or forming a thin film having predetermined characteristics on the surface. As an apparatus to perform, it may be configured to form a plasma while injecting gas into the sealed processing space 20A.

The vacuum chamber 20 forming the processing space 20A includes a chamber body 22 having an upper side open for maintenance or repair of installations installed in the vacuum chamber 20, and a chamber body. It may be configured to include an upper lead 24 detachably coupled to the upper side of the 22 to form the processing space 20A. At least one side of the chamber body 22 is formed with a gate 22A, which is opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown) or the like, for entering and exiting the substrate 10. At least one gas supply hole 24A is formed in the upper lead 24 so that the gas supply pipe 60 to be described later is connected.

In addition, the vacuum chamber 20 is provided between the chamber body 22 and the upper lead 24 to prevent the upper lead 24 and the shower head 40 to be described later deformed due to the vacuum pressure The lead 26 may be further included. Of course, the upper lead 24 is installed detachably with the auxiliary lead (26).

The vacuum processing apparatus may include a substrate support part 30 installed in the processing space 20A to support the substrate 10. The substrate support 30 has an electrostatic chuck (not shown) for fixing the substrate 10, a lift pin (not shown) for raising and lowering the substrate 10 from the substrate support 30, and heating of the substrate 10. A heater (not shown) for the purpose may be installed.

In addition, the vacuum processing apparatus, in order to form a plasma in the processing space (20A), a power applying unit for applying power, shower head 40 that receives gas from the outside and sprays the processing space (20A), exhaust and pressure Various modules and devices (installation) may be installed, such as an exhaust system (not shown) for control.

The power supply unit may be configured in various ways according to a power supply method, and as an example, a part of the substrate support unit 30 may be configured. The power supply unit may include a lower electrode to which RF power is applied and an upper electrode installed above the substrate support unit 30. Can be. The upper electrode may be configured alone. Alternatively, the upper electrode may be formed of at least a portion of the shower head 40 or at least a portion of the auxiliary lead 26, and the shower head 40 and the auxiliary lead 26 may be grounded. It may be integrated with the showerhead 40 or the auxiliary lead 26.

At this time, when the upper electrode is integrally formed with the shower head 40 or the auxiliary lead 26 as described above, damaged or particles are damaged by etching in a portion including the surface exposed toward the processing space 20A by plasma. As it may adversely affect the vacuum treatment, such as deposition, a shield member 2 such as ceramic may be provided to protect the shower head 40 or the auxiliary lead 26 from plasma.

Hereinafter, the showerhead 40 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

The shower head 40 is preferably installed on the upper side of the processing space 20A in order to spray the gas supplied from the outside into the processing space 20A and simultaneously perform the function of the upper electrode. At this time, the shower head 40 may be installed such that its edge is supported by the auxiliary lead 26 as in this embodiment. Of course, the shower head 40 may be installed to be directly coupled to the bottom surface of the upper lead 24 in order to be installed on the upper side of the processing space 20A according to design conditions, etc., may be installed in other configurations.

The shower head 40 may be configured as an integrated structure, but it is more preferable that the showerhead 40 is configured as a separate structure so that the plurality of shower heads 40 may be separated and manufactured as well as manufactured in a plurality.

In particular, the showerhead 40 of the detachable structure is more preferably separated in a face-divided manner rather than being separated along the height direction, so as to reduce the size of manufacture and transportation.

In order to form the showerhead 40 having the same split type structure, the showerhead 40 is separated in a plane-dividing manner so as to form one spray surface 40A, and a plurality of showerheads sprayed into the processing space 20A. And may include blocks 42.

Each of the shower head blocks 42 is configured to inject a processing gas, a carrier gas, or the like into the processing space 20A according to each vacuum processing step, and various configurations are possible.

As an example, each of the shower head blocks 42 is installed above the processing space 20A, and is connected to a branch of the gas supply pipe 60 to form a diffusion space 50A in which gas supplied from the outside is diffused. A plurality of injections provided at a lower side of the diffusion plate 50, such as coupled to the diffusion plate 50 and the diffusion plate 50, to inject the gas diffused in the diffusion space 50A into the processing space 20A. The injection plate 52 may include the holes 52A formed therein.

Here, the diffusion plate 50 and the injection plate 52 may be of a separate structure, or may be of an integral structure. The present embodiment discloses an example in which the diffusion plate 50 and the injection plate 52 are configured in a separate structure.

The diffusion plate 50 may be variously configured to form one or more diffusion spaces 50A for gas diffusion. For example, the diffusion plate 50 may be spaced apart from the upper lead 24 and the injection plate 52. Can be configured.

A plurality of diffusion holes 50B are formed in the diffusion plate 50 so that the gas supplied from the outside may be injected through the plurality of injection holes 52A.

The plurality of shower head blocks 42 may be installed to be spaced apart from each other. At this time, the jaw portion 62 of the shower head support frame 60 to be described later is interposed between the plurality of shower head blocks 42, or in another embodiment, an elastically deformable insulating member may be interposed. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the plurality of shower head blocks 42 may be installed in a state in which they are attached to each other. In this case, the plurality of shower head blocks 42 may only be in contact with each other or may be coupled to be detachable from each other.

The plurality of shower head blocks 42 may be formed in various shapes for manufacturing and transportation, uniform processing of the substrate 10, and the like, and may be formed in one or more shapes such as the same shape as in the present embodiment.

The plurality of shower head blocks 42 may be configured to communicate with each of the diffusion spaces 50A. Alternatively, the plurality of shower head blocks 42 may be configured to allow each of the diffusion spaces 50A to be partitioned.

The plurality of shower head blocks 42 may be directly coupled to the vacuum chamber 20, but are simply supported together by the shower head support frame 60 installed in the processing space 20A, and thus, are simply connected to the processing space 20A. Can be installed.

The showerhead support frame 60 is preferably formed so as to support only the edge of each showerhead block 42 so as not to disturb the gas injected from the plurality of showerhead blocks 42.

The showerhead support frame 60 may be configured alone, but when the auxiliary lead 26 is included as described above, the shower head support frame 60 may be integrally formed with the auxiliary lead 26 for ease of manufacture and structural simplification. .

In the shower head support frame 60, the diffusion plate 50 and the injection plate 52 are separated from each other by the diffusion plate 50 and the injection plate 52 as shown in the present embodiment. It may have a jaw portion 62 interposed between the plurality of shower head blocks 42 and supporting the diffusion plate 50 and the injection plate 52 so as to form the diffusion space 50A.

When metal is used in the shower head support frame 60, the shield member 2 is formed on the bottom of the shower head support frame 60 in the same manner as the auxiliary lead 26 to protect the shower head support frame 60 from plasma. ) May be attached.

The spray surface 40A of the shower head 40 may be integrated by being installed so that the plurality of shower head blocks 42 are attached to each other, but as shown in the present embodiment, the plurality of shower head blocks 42 are spaced apart from each other. When installed in a state, it may be divided into a surface corresponding to the plurality of shower head block (42).

In addition, the spray surface 40A of the shower head 40 is preferably formed in a horizontal plane with respect to the horizontal plane because the substrate 10 is generally flat, and is not limited thereto, and may be variously formed, such as a curved surface. have.

In particular, the spray surface 40A of the shower head 40 is configured to optimize the pattern of the plurality of spray holes 52A so that the plasma can be formed quickly and uniformly in accordance with the size of the substrate 10. According to the position of the plurality of injection holes 52A, two or more injection regions D1 and D2 may have different injection amounts.

That is, the plurality of injection holes 52A are formed to have different diameters as shown in FIG. 3 according to the injection regions D1 and D2, or between the injection holes 52A as shown in FIG. 4. The gap may be formed differently, or as shown in FIG. 5, the gap between the diameter and the injection holes 52A may be different.

Meanwhile, in FIGS. 3 to 5, an example in which two or more spray regions D1 and D2 are formed in each shower head block 42 is illustrated. The spray surface 40A of the shower head 40 has two or more sprays. If it can be made of the region (D1, D2) is not limited to this, of course, can be configured in various ways.

The shower face 40A of the shower head 40 is formed by the shower head 40 having a plurality of shower head blocks 42, so that at least some of the shower head blocks 42 have two or more spray areas. It may be made of two or more injection areas (D1, D2) more easily.

As described above, by configuring a plurality of injection regions having different injection amounts of gas, it is possible to compensate for nonuniformity and asymmetry of plasma formation in the processing space of the vacuum chamber 20.

In particular, two or more spraying areas D1 and D2 are formed in the shower head blocks 42, and each shower head block 42 is combined to form two or more spraying areas D1 and D2 as a whole. The whole head can be configured to have a spray pattern of various patterns.

On the other hand, the shower head 40 is connected to the gas supply pipe 60 to receive gas from the outside, the gas supply pipe 60 is a plurality of shower head block, so that the plasma can be formed quickly and the density is uniform Branches corresponding to the branches 42 may be connected to the respective shower head blocks 42. That is, the gas supply pipe 60 is branched so that at least one gas supply pipe 60 may be connected to each shower head block 42.

The gas supply pipe 60 is preferably configured to branch from the outside of the vacuum chamber 20 for structural simplification and the like.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 7.

Prior to describing the second embodiment of the present invention, the second embodiment of the present invention may be configured in the same manner as the first embodiment of the present invention except for the configuration of each shower head block constituting the shower head. The same detailed description as that of the first embodiment of the present invention will be omitted, and the same elements as in the first embodiment of the present invention will be indicated by the same reference numerals.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, each shower head block 142, the diffusion plate having a diffusion space, and the injection plate formed with a plurality of injection holes 152A is formed of an integrated structure.

That is, each of the shower head blocks 142 is integrated with the diffusion plate and the injection plate to form a shower head body 150, the shower head body 150 is connected to the gas supply pipe to receive gas from the outside At least one first passage 152 and a plurality of injection holes 152A formed at the bottom of the shower head body 150 to branch from the first passage 152 and allow gas to be injected into the processing space 20A. At least one second passage 154 may be formed to be connected to the second passage.

Therefore, the gas supplied from the outside is diffused while flowing along the first passage 152 and the second passage 154 of the shower head body 150, and the diffused gas is processed through the plurality of injection holes 152A. It is sprayed toward 20A.

Meanwhile, the first passage 152 and the second passage 154 of each shower head block 142 communicate with the first passage 152 and the second passage 154 of the neighboring shower head block 142. It may be formed to have, or may have an independent flow path.

Meanwhile, the shower head block 142 having the structure as described above is drilled according to design conditions such as horizontal, vertical, and vertical directions using a drill or the like, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and then inserts a sealing member or welds it without injection. The first passage 152, the second passage 154, and the injection hole 152A may be formed by sealing a portion by the sealing or the like.

Since the above has been described only with respect to some of the preferred embodiments that can be implemented by the present invention, the scope of the present invention, as is well known, should not be construed as limited to the above embodiments, the present invention described above It will be said that both the technical idea and the technical idea which together with the base are included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the vacuum processing apparatus including the shower head of the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1.

3 is a bottom view of the showerhead of the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG.

4 is a bottom view illustrating a modification of the showerhead of the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view illustrating another modification of the showerhead of the vacuum processing apparatus of FIG. 1.

6 is a cross-sectional view of a showerhead block of a showerhead according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a cutaway view taken along the line A-A of FIG.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

10; Substrate 20; Vacuum chamber

22; Chamber body 24; Upper lead

26; Auxiliary lead 30; Board Support

40; Showerhead 40A; Spray plane

42; Shower head block 50; Diffusion Plate

52; Spray plate 60; Gas supply pipe

Claims (14)

A vacuum chamber having a processing space for vacuum processing; A shower head installed at an upper side of the processing space and receiving gas from the outside to inject gas into the processing space; The showerhead includes a plurality of showerhead blocks separated from each other, the plurality of showerhead blocks vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that forming a single spray surface. The method according to claim 1, And the spray surface of the shower head comprises at least two spray regions having different spray amounts according to positions of a plurality of spray holes for injecting gas into the processing space. The method according to claim 1, At least one of the plurality of shower head block is a vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that consisting of two or more injection zones with different injection amounts according to the position of the plurality of injection holes for injecting gas into the processing space. The method according to claim 2 or 3, And the plurality of injection holes have different diameters according to the injection area. The method according to claim 2 or 3, The plurality of injection holes are vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that the interval between the injection holes different from each other according to the injection area. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, And the plurality of shower head blocks has one or more shapes. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Each shower head block, A diffusion plate installed at an upper side of the processing space to form a diffusion space in which a gas supplied from the outside is diffused; And a spraying plate provided below the diffusion plate and having a plurality of injection holes formed therein so as to spray the gas diffused from the diffusion space into the processing space. The method according to claim 7, And the diffusion plate and the injection plate are separated or integrally formed. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, And a showerhead support frame installed in the processing space to support the plurality of showerhead blocks together. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, And a gas supply pipe for supplying gas from the outside to the shower head is branched outside the vacuum chamber and connected to the respective shower head blocks. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The vacuum chamber, A chamber body having an upper side open; An upper lead detachably coupled to an upper side of the chamber body; An auxiliary lead installed between the chamber body and the upper lead to support the edge of the shower head Vacuum processing apparatus comprising a. The method according to claim 11, The auxiliary lead is vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that formed integrally with the shower head support frame for supporting the plurality of shower head blocks together. The method according to claim 11, The plurality of shower head block is installed in a separated state or a vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that installed detachably coupled to each other. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The plurality of shower head block is installed in a separated state or a vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that installed detachably coupled to each other.

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