TWI901951B - semiconductor processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

This application relates to a semiconductor processing apparatus. In one embodiment of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus includes a process chamber, a vaporization device, and a gas line. The vaporization device is used to vaporize a liquid reaction source substance that enters the vaporization device via a first line. The gas line is coupled between the vaporization device and the process chamber for delivering the vaporized reaction source substance generated by the vaporization device to the process chamber.

Description

Semiconductor processing device

This application is generally related to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and more specifically to semiconductor processing devices.

In the semiconductor manufacturing field, atomic layer deposition (ALD) is one of the most widely used deposition processes. In the ALD process, a small amount of reaction source material (such as a precursor or reactant) is typically placed in a small steel cylinder. A carrier gas is passed into the liquid reaction source material, which in turn carries the vapor of the reaction source material into the process chamber, where thin film deposition takes place. To meet the deposition requirements, the following two methods are typically used to increase the vapor volume of the reactant: First, increase the flow rate of the carrier gas to increase the evaporation rate of the reactant by increasing the amount of bubbling inside the reactant liquid; Second, heat the reactant liquid to a certain temperature (e.g., by covering the cylinder containing the reactant with a heating jacket). Since the reactant has a higher saturated vapor pressure at higher temperatures, the evaporation rate of the reactant can be increased by raising the temperature. However, some reaction source materials (such as Zr-based or Ta-based reaction source materials) have relatively low saturated vapor pressures at room temperature (e.g., 0.01 Torr to 1 Torr), and their saturated vapor pressures do not change significantly with temperature. It is difficult to obtain high vapor concentrations using the two methods mentioned above. Therefore, when using such reaction source materials for thin film deposition, in order to ensure that the deposition reaction has a sufficient vapor concentration so that the wafer surface can be saturated with a layer of reaction source material molecules, a longer reaction source material injection time is often required. Otherwise, it will cause the problem of uneven film growth. However, because these types of reaction source materials have lower activity and lower film deposition rates, ALD equipment using these reaction source materials has lower production capacity and higher film deposition costs.

Furthermore, when depositing films in deeper grooves, shape retention and bottom coverage are important performance indicators. Existing ALD equipment typically achieves sidewall and bottom step coverage of less than 90% for this type of film, which cannot meet the process requirements.

Therefore, improved semiconductor processing devices are needed to meet the requirements for deposition rate, film quality, capacity and economy.

This application provides a semiconductor processing apparatus having a vaporization device for vaporizing liquid reactive material. Therefore, the vapor concentration of the reactive material can be increased during the process, thereby improving the effective utilization rate of the reactive material, thus improving the deposition rate and the shape retention of the film, shortening the film deposition cycle, improving the production quality and efficiency of the process, and creating good production economic value.

In the semiconductor processing apparatus of this application, the vapor of the reactant material generated by the carrier gas-assisted vaporization device can be rapidly introduced into the process chamber and assisted in its uniform diffusion within the process chamber, thereby effectively shortening the injection time of the reactant material, significantly increasing productivity, and improving film quality. The aforementioned carrier can be provided in the vaporization device, or at the front or back end of the vaporization device.

According to some embodiments of this application, a semiconductor processing apparatus may include: a process chamber; a vaporization device for vaporizing a liquid reaction source substance that enters the vaporization device via a first pipeline; and a gas pipeline coupled between the vaporization device and the process chamber for delivering the vaporized reaction source substance generated by the vaporization device to the process chamber.

According to some embodiments of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a first gas source, which is coupled to the vaporization device via the first pipeline, and the first pipeline is provided with a first valve near the vaporization device and a second valve near the first gas source.

According to some embodiments of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a reaction source material tank for containing liquid reaction source material. The reaction source material tank is coupled via a first branch line to the first pipeline located at the end of the second valve away from the first gas source, and via a second branch line to the first pipeline located at the end of the second valve near the first gas source. The end of the first branch line is below the liquid surface of the reaction source material in the reaction source material tank, and the end of the second branch line is above the liquid surface of the reaction source material in the reaction source material tank.

According to some embodiments of this application, a third valve is provided on the first branch line and/or a fourth valve is provided on the second branch line.

According to some embodiments of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a second gas source, which is coupled to the first pipeline between the first valve and the vaporization device via a second pipeline, or coupled to the air inlet of the vaporization device, or coupled to the gas pipeline.

According to some embodiments of this application, a fifth valve is provided on the gas pipeline.

According to some embodiments of this application, the gas pipeline further includes a branch, one end of which is coupled to the gas pipeline between the fifth valve and the vaporization device, and the other end is coupled to a vacuum pump, and an exhaust valve is provided on the branch.

According to some embodiments of this application, the semiconductor processing device further includes a second gas source, which is coupled to the gas pipeline between the vaporization device and the branch via a second pipeline, or coupled to the air inlet of the vaporization device, or coupled to the first pipeline.

According to some embodiments of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a controller configured to: close the second valve and open the first, third and fourth valves during the reaction source material injection phase, so that the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank enters the vaporization device under the impetus of the first gas from the first gas source.

According to some embodiments of this application, the controller is further configured to control the duration during which the first valve remains open during the reaction source material injection phase, so as to control the amount of liquid reaction source material entering the vaporization device.

According to some embodiments of this application, the controller is further configured to: keep the third valve and the fourth valve open and close the first valve and the second valve during the purification phase, so that the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank enters the first pipeline under the push of the first gas and does not enter the vaporization device.

According to some embodiments of this application, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes a controller configured to: close the exhaust valve and open the fifth valve during the reaction source material injection phase, so that the second gas from the second gas source carries the vaporized reaction source material generated by the vaporization device into the process chamber.

According to some embodiments of this application, the controller is further configured to: close the fifth valve and open the exhaust valve during the purification phase, so that the second gas carries the residual reaction source material in the gas pipeline into the vacuum pump.

According to some embodiments of this application, a heating device is provided on the gas pipeline to maintain the vaporized reaction source material in the gas pipeline at a certain temperature.

This application also provides a method for operating the above-mentioned semiconductor processing apparatus, which can effectively shorten the deposition time, significantly increase production capacity and improve film quality.

Details of one or more examples of this application are illustrated in the following figures and description. Other features, objectives and advantages will become apparent from the foregoing description and figures and from the scope of the patent application.

To better understand the spirit of this application, the following examples of some of its embodiments will be used to further illustrate it.

The use of the terms "in one embodiment" or "according to one embodiment" in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same specific embodiment, and the use of "in other (some/certain) embodiments" or "according to other (some/certain) embodiments" does not necessarily refer to different specific embodiments. The purpose is to, for example, ensure that the claimed subject matter includes combinations of all or some of the specific embodiments of the examples. The meaning of "up" and "down" as used herein is not limited to the relationship directly presented in the diagrams; it may include descriptions with other clearly corresponding relationships, such as "left" and "right," or the opposite of "up" and "down." The term "connection" as used herein should be understood to encompass both "direct connection" and "connection via one or more intermediate components." The term "wafer" used in this document should be understood as interchangeable with terms such as "chip," "substrate," "material substrate," and "base," referring to any component on which a deposition process is performed, rather than a specific component with a particular structure and composition. The names of the various components used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting; different manufacturers may use different names to refer to components with the same function.

The various embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Although specific embodiments are described, it should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. The embodiments of this application do not necessarily need to include all components or steps described in the embodiments, and the execution order of each step can be adjusted according to the actual application.

As mentioned above, current semiconductor processing devices used in ALD processes suffer from drawbacks such as low deposition rate, long deposition time, high deposition cost, low productivity, and poor form retention. This application provides an improved semiconductor processing device and method to solve at least one of the above problems.

The semiconductor processing apparatus and method of this application can be used to form thin films such as _SnO2 , _InO2 , TaN, _HfO2 , and _ZrO2 , but this application is not limited to these. The semiconductor processing apparatus of this application can be used in ALD processes including but not limited to thermal atomic layer deposition (TALD) and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), and can also be used in other similar processes.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 includes a process chamber 1, a vaporization device 2, and a gas line 3. The process chamber 1 is used to house a wafer, and deposition processes can be performed on the wafer within it. The vaporization device 2 is used to vaporize the liquid reaction source material that enters the vaporization device 2 via the first line 4. In some embodiments, the reaction source material entering the vaporization device 2 may be a precursor or a reactant. The gas line 3 is coupled between the vaporization device 2 and the process chamber 1 to deliver the vaporized reaction source material generated by the vaporization device 2 to the process chamber 1. In some embodiments, the vaporization device 2 may vaporize the liquid reaction source material by heating. In some embodiments, the temperature of the vaporization device 2 may be less than or equal to 200°C. Those skilled in the art will be familiar with various devices and methods that can be used to vaporize liquids, and these devices and methods can be used to implement the vaporization device 2.

According to an embodiment of this application, the liquid reactant is vaporized in the vaporization device 2, achieving a high vapor concentration. The vaporized, high-concentration reactant enters the process chamber 1 through the gas pipeline 3, increasing the deposition rate. Therefore, this application can shorten the deposition cycle, increase the number of process wafers that can be processed per hour, and significantly improve production capacity.

The gas pipeline 3 can have any length and shape. In some embodiments, the gas pipeline 3 has a length of 0.1 m to 10 m. In some embodiments, other devices not shown in FIG. 1, such as heating devices, can also be installed on the gas pipeline 3. In some embodiments, the heating device on the gas pipeline 3 can maintain the reactant vapor entering the gas pipeline 3 at a certain temperature (e.g., equal to or greater than the temperature of the vaporization device 2), so that the reactant vapor smoothly enters the process chamber 1 through the gas pipeline 3 and maintains good reactivity.

As shown in Figure 1, the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 further includes a first gas source 5. The first gas source 5 is coupled to the vaporization apparatus 2 via a first line 4. The first gas source 5 provides a first gas for propelling the liquid reaction source material into the vaporization apparatus 2. The first gas may also be referred to as a push gas. In some embodiments, the first gas includes an inert gas, such as argon (Ar), nitrogen (N2), or helium (He). In some embodiments, the first gas provided by the first gas source 5 may have a relatively high flow rate to meet the propulsion requirements. In some embodiments, the flow rate of the first gas provided by the first gas source 5 may be greater than or equal to about 0.1 L/min and less than about 10 L/min.

The first pipeline 4 is provided with a first valve 41 near the vaporization device 2 and a second valve 42 near the first gas source 5. In some embodiments, the first valve 41 may be a fast-opening pneumatic valve, and the amount of liquid flowing into the vaporization device 2 can be controlled by a controller to control the opening and closing time of the valve. In some embodiments, the first valve 41 may be an ALD valve, but it is not limited to this.

The first pipeline 4 can have any length and shape. In some embodiments, the first pipeline 4 has a length of 0.1 m to 10 m. In some embodiments, other devices not shown in Figure 1 may also be installed on the first pipeline 4.

In some embodiments, the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 further includes a reaction source material tank 6. The reaction source material tank 6 is used to contain a liquid reaction source material. The reaction source material tank 6 is coupled via a first branch line 7 to a first line 4 located at the end of the second valve 42 away from the first gas source 5, and via a second branch line 8 to the first line 4 located at the end of the second valve 42 near the first gas source 5. The end of the first branch line 7 is below the surface of the reaction source material liquid in the reaction source material tank 6, and the end of the second branch line 8 is above the surface of the reaction source material liquid in the reaction source material tank 6. In this configuration, the first gas entering the reaction source material tank 6 via the first line 4 and the second branch line 8 is concentrated above the surface of the reaction source material liquid and applies a certain pressure to the surface of the reaction source material liquid. The liquid reaction source material enters the vaporization device 2 through the first branch pipe 7 and the first pipeline 4 under the pressure of the first gas. In some embodiments, the end of the first branch pipe 7 is at the bottom of the reaction source material tank 6, and the end of the second branch pipe 8 is at the top of the reaction source material tank 6.

Referring to Figure 1, a third valve 71 is provided on the first branch line 7, and a fourth valve 81 is provided on the second branch line 8. When it is necessary to supply liquid reaction source material to the vaporization device 2 (for example, during the reaction source material injection stage), the second valve 42 can be closed and the first valve 41, the third valve 71 and the fourth valve 81 can be opened, so that the first gas from the first gas source 5 enters the reaction source material tank 6 through the first line 4 and the second branch line 8, and the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank 6 enters the vaporization device 2 through the first branch line 7 and the first line 4 under the push of the first gas. When it is not necessary to supply liquid reactant to vaporization device 2 (e.g., during the purification phase), the first valve 41 and the second valve 42 can be closed while the third valve 71 and the fourth valve 81 remain open, allowing the reactant to enter the first pipeline 4 under the impetus of the first gas without entering the vaporization device 2; when the next reactant injection phase begins, the reactant in the first pipeline 4 can quickly enter the vaporization device 2. In some process stages (e.g., when it is necessary to remove residual reactant in the first pipeline 4), the second valve 42 can be opened while the third valve 71 and the fourth valve 81 are closed, allowing the first gas from the first gas source 5 to directly enter the first pipeline 4 downstream of the second valve 42. In some embodiments, one of the third valve 71 and the fourth valve 81 may be omitted. For example, the first branch line 7 may have a third valve 71, while the second branch line 8 may not have a valve; or the second branch line 8 may have a fourth valve 81, while the first branch line 7 may not have a valve.

Since the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 vaporizes the reactant material via the vaporization device 2, the reactant material tank 6 can be kept at room temperature without heating. In some embodiments, the reactant material in the reactant material tank 6 may be a reactant material whose saturated vapor pressure does not change significantly with temperature, such as Zr-based or Ta-based reactant materials. Because it is difficult to obtain high vapor concentrations for such reactant materials using conventional methods to increase evaporation rate, it is difficult to obtain high deposition rates using existing semiconductor processing apparatuses. The semiconductor processing apparatus 100 of this application uses a first gas to push liquid reactive material into a vaporization device 2, where the reactive material is vaporized. The vaporized reactive material then enters the process chamber 1 through a gas line 3, thereby increasing the vapor concentration of the reactive material, thus increasing the deposition rate and shortening the deposition cycle. In some embodiments, the reactive material in the reactive material tank 6 may be a reactive material with a low vapor pressure (e.g., 0.01 Torr to 10 Torr) at room temperature (e.g., about 25°C).

Referring again to Figure 1, a fifth valve 31 is provided on the gas pipeline 3. When the fifth valve 31 is open, the gas in the gas pipeline 3 can enter the process chamber 1.

In some embodiments, the gas line 3 further includes a branch 9. One end of the branch 9 is coupled to the gas line 3 between the fifth valve 31 and the vaporization device 2, and the other end is coupled to the vacuum pump 10. A vent valve 91 is provided on the branch 9. When the vent valve 91 is open, the gas in the gas line 3 can be released to the vacuum pump 10 via the branch 9 (e.g., by suction from the vacuum pump 10). Other devices, not shown in FIG. 1, may also be provided on the branch 9. In some embodiments, a heating device may also be provided on the branch 9 so that the branch 9 can have a temperature equal to or greater than that of the vaporization device 2, so that the gas in the gas line 3 can be smoothly discharged through the branch 9 without condensing in the branch 9. During the operation of the semiconductor processing device 100, the vacuum pump 10 may be kept on continuously or only turned on when it is necessary to pump gas from the gas line 3.

In some embodiments, the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 further includes a second gas source 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the second gas source 11 is coupled to the inlet (not shown) of the vaporization device 2 via a second conduit 12. The second gas source 11 provides a second gas for carrying the reactant material. The second gas may also be referred to as a carrier gas. In some embodiments, the second gas includes an inert gas, such as argon (Ar), nitrogen (N2), or helium (He). On the one hand, the second gas provided by the second gas source 11 can assist the reactant material vapor generated by the vaporization device 2 to quickly enter the process chamber 1 and assist the reactant material to diffuse within the process chamber 1, so that the reactant material is more uniformly distributed within the process chamber 1, thereby resulting in better uniformity of the deposited film. On the other hand, the second gas provided by the second gas source 11 can be used to purge the gas line 3, accelerating its purification and releasing any residual reactant material within the gas line 3 to the vacuum pump 10 via the branch 9. This prevents residual reactant material from flowing into the process chamber 1 during subsequent operations and causing particle problems. In some embodiments, the second gas provided by the second gas source 11 has a higher flow rate to accelerate the transport of the vaporized reactant material. In some embodiments, the flow rate of the carrier gas provided by the second gas source 11 can be greater than or equal to about 0.5 L/min and less than about 30 L/min, for example, from about 0.5 L/min to about 10 L/min or from about 5 L/min to about 10 L/min. Other devices not shown in Figure 1 may also be installed on the second line 12. In some embodiments, the second pipeline 12 also includes a heating device to heat the second gas entering the second pipeline 12 to a certain temperature. In some embodiments, the temperature of the second gas may be less than or equal to 80°C.

According to some embodiments of this application, the deposition process using the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 may include a reactant injection stage. During the reactant injection stage, the second valve 42 and the exhaust valve 91 may be closed, and the first valve 41, the third valve 71, the fourth valve 81, and the fifth valve 31 may be opened. In this configuration, the liquid reactant in the reactant tank 6 is propelled by the first gas from the first gas source 5 into the vaporization device 2 and vaporized in the vaporization device 2. At the same time, the second gas from the second gas source 11 enters the vaporization device 2 and carries the vaporized reactant through the gas line 3 into the process chamber 1.

According to some embodiments of this application, the deposition process may also include a purification stage. During the purification stage, the first valve 41, the second valve 42, and the fifth valve 31 may be closed, while the third valve 71, the fourth valve 81, and the exhaust valve 91 may be opened. In this configuration, the liquid reactant material in the reactant material tank 6 is propelled into the first pipeline 4 by the first gas from the first gas source 5 without entering the vaporization device 2, and the reactant material remaining in the gas pipeline 3 is drawn into the vacuum pump 10 along with the second gas. Typically, the deposition reaction of ALD needs to be repeated multiple times until the specified film thickness is reached. Therefore, during the entire deposition process, the reaction source material injection stage and the purification stage are repeated multiple times, and the time of each stage can be in the range of 0.01 ms to 10 s.

The semiconductor processing apparatus 100 increases the concentration of the reactant entering the process chamber 1 through the vaporization device 2. Furthermore, the carrier gas accelerates the diffusion of the reactant within the gas pipeline and process chamber, improving reaction efficiency and shortening the pulse time of reactant injection. This effectively increases the amount of reactant flowing into the process chamber 1 per unit time, thus shortening the deposition time in the process chamber 1. Therefore, this application can shorten the deposition cycle, increase the number of wafers that can be processed per hour, and significantly improve production capacity. In addition, the increased reactant concentration allows the deposited film to have high conformability, effectively improving film quality.

The semiconductor processing device 100 may further include a controller (not shown) for controlling and coordinating the operation of the various components. For example, data (also known as a "recipe") regarding the states (e.g., open or closed) that need to be set for each valve at each process stage can be stored in the controller (or memory coupled to the controller). The controller can generate individual control signals based on the stored data and the process stage to be performed to control the state of each valve, thereby executing the process.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to close the second valve 42 and open the first valve 41, the third valve 71 and the fourth valve 81 during the reaction source material injection phase, so that the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank 6 enters the vaporization device 2 under the impetus of the first gas from the first gas source 5.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: close the exhaust valve 91 and open the fifth valve 31 during the reaction source material injection phase, so that the second gas from the second gas source 11 carries the vaporized reaction source material generated by the vaporization device 2 into the process chamber 1.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to control the duration for which the first valve 41 remains open during the reactant injection phase, thereby controlling the amount of liquid reactant entering the vaporization device 2. The ALD reaction has a self-terminating characteristic; that is, once the monolayer adsorption reaches saturation, it can no longer adsorb excess reactant. Therefore, in each deposition cycle, once the adsorption of the reactant vaporized by the vaporization device 2 on the wafer surface reaches saturation, the remaining reactant cannot be effectively used and must be discharged. This application utilizes the reaction characteristics of ALD to design a method that uses a first valve 41 to control the vaporization time in order to control the amount of the reaction source substance. That is, as long as the amount of reaction source substance is sufficient, there is no need to use a more precise liquid flow meter to control the amount of reaction source substance. When using a liquid flow meter, it is necessary to wait for the liquid flow meter to stabilize (usually about 7 seconds) before the amount of reaction source substance liquid entering the vaporization device can be accurately controlled. That is, before the liquid flow meter stabilizes, the reaction source substance vapor generated by the vaporization device cannot flow into the process chamber and can only be discharged, which will cause expensive waste. To save deposition time and cost, the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 of this application can control the time and flow rate of the liquid reactant entering the vaporization device 2 by controlling the opening and closing of the first valve 41. When the first valve 41 is open, the liquid reactant directly enters the vaporization device 2 and vaporizes there. Therefore, the reactant can vaporize and flow into the process chamber 1 in a shorter time. Since the liquid reactant can enter the vaporization device 2 and vaporize under the control of the first valve 41 without waiting for additional stabilization time as with liquid flow meters, the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 of this application can be applied to ALD deposition processes with shorter deposition cycles and lower costs.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to keep the third valve 71 and the fourth valve 81 open and close the first valve 41 and the second valve 42 during the purification phase, so that the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank 6 enters the first pipeline 4 under the impetus of the first gas and does not enter the vaporization device 2.

In some embodiments, the controller is further configured to: during the purification phase, close the fifth valve 31 and open the exhaust valve 91 so that the second gas carries the residual reaction source material in the gas line 3 into the vacuum pump 10.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor processing apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of this application. The only difference between the semiconductor processing apparatus 200 in Figure 2 and the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 in Figure 1 is that the second gas source 11 in Figure 2 is coupled to the downstream end of the vaporization device 2 (e.g., on the gas pipeline 3 between the vaporization device 2 and the branch 9) via a second pipeline 12a.

As shown in Figure 2, during the reaction source material injection stage, the second valve 42 and the exhaust valve 91 can be closed, while the first valve 41, the third valve 71, the fourth valve 81, and the fifth valve 31 can be opened. In this configuration, the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank 6 is propelled into the vaporization device 2 by the first gas from the first gas source 5, and vaporizes in the vaporization device 2. The vaporized reaction source material enters the gas pipeline 3. At the same time, the second gas from the second gas source 11 enters the gas pipeline 3 through the second pipeline 12a, and carries the vaporized reaction source material together through the gas pipeline 3 into the process chamber 1. During the purification phase, the first valve 41, the second valve 42, and the fifth valve 31 can be closed, while the third valve 71, the fourth valve 81, and the exhaust valve 91 can be opened. In this configuration, the liquid reactant material in the reactant material tank 6 enters the first pipeline 4 under the impetus of the first gas from the first gas source 5, but does not enter the vaporization device 2. The reactant material remaining in the gas pipeline 3 will be drawn into the vacuum pump 10 along with the second gas.

Similar to semiconductor processing device 100, semiconductor processing device 200 may further include a controller (not shown in the figure) for controlling and completing the operation and coordination of the various components.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor processing apparatus 300 according to another embodiment of this application. The only difference between the semiconductor processing apparatus 300 in Figure 3 and the semiconductor processing apparatus 100 in Figure 1 is that the second gas source 11 in Figure 3 is coupled to the front end of the vaporization device 2 (e.g., on the first pipeline 4 between the first valve 41 and the vaporization device 2) via the second pipeline 12b.

The state settings of each valve in the semiconductor processing device 300 can be similar to those in semiconductor processing devices 100 and 200, and will not be described in detail here. Similar to semiconductor processing devices 100 and 200, semiconductor processing device 300 may also further include a controller (not shown in the figure), which is used to control and complete the operation and coordination of each component.

According to some embodiments of this application, a method of operating a semiconductor processing apparatus (e.g., semiconductor processing apparatus 100, 200, or 300) may include: during a reactant injection phase, providing a liquid reactant to a vaporization apparatus (e.g., vaporization apparatus 2), vaporizing the liquid reactant in the vaporization apparatus, and providing the vaporized reactant through a gas line (e.g., gas line 3) to a process chamber (e.g., process chamber 1). (For example, by closing the second valve 42 and the exhaust valve 91, and opening the first valve 41, the third valve 71, the fourth valve 81, and the fifth valve 31); and during the purification phase, liquid reactant is supplied to the first pipeline (e.g., the first pipeline 4) but not to the vaporization device (e.g., by closing the second valve 42 and the first valve 41, and opening the third valve 71 and the fourth valve 81), and any reactant residue in the gas pipeline is released into the vacuum pump (e.g., the vacuum pump 10) (e.g., by closing the fifth valve 31 and opening the exhaust valve 91). The purification phase may immediately follow the reactant injection phase.

In some embodiments, the method of operating the semiconductor processing apparatus may further include: during the reactant injection phase, providing a second gas (e.g., a second gas from a second gas source 11) to carry the vaporized reactant into the process chamber; and during the purification phase, providing the second gas to carry the reactant vapor remaining in the gas line and being drawn to a vacuum pump. The second gas can assist the vaporized reactant in rapidly entering and exiting the process chamber, thus shortening the reactant injection and purification time, thereby shortening the deposition cycle and increasing productivity.

Figures 1 to 3 only illustrate gas lines and components in a semiconductor processing apparatus that supply a vaporized reaction source material (e.g., a precursor or reactant) to a process chamber. It should be understood that the semiconductor processing apparatus may also include gas lines and components that supply other reaction source materials (e.g., reactants or precursors) to the aforementioned process chamber, which may employ a structure similar to that of Figures 1 to 3. In some embodiments, the method of operating the semiconductor processing apparatus may include multiple process cycles, each process cycle including: a precursor injection stage, a precursor purification stage, a reactant injection stage, and a reactant purification stage. It should be understood that the method may also include other stages or steps (e.g., process chamber purification). The precursor injection and precursor purification stages are performed by providing the relevant gas lines and components for the precursor (e.g., according to the settings for the reactant injection and purification stages described herein). The reactant injection and reactant purification stages are performed by providing the relevant gas lines and components for the reactants (e.g., according to the settings for the reactant injection and purification stages described herein). Therefore, the precursor injection, precursor purification, reactant injection, and reactant purification stages do not necessarily have to be performed sequentially; some precursor and reactant-related operations can be performed simultaneously.

In a set of comparative experiments, zirconia films were prepared by a method using a vaporization device to vaporize the reaction source material (e.g., a precursor) (e.g., the method described in conjunction with any of Figures 1 to 3) and a conventional method without a vaporization device. In the experiments, the zirconia films prepared by both methods showed a growth rate of approximately 0.83 Å/cycle and a thickness uniformity of approximately 98%. However, the precursor injection time in the conventional method was 4 s, while the precursor injection time in the method using the vaporization device could be reduced to 1.5 s or even less. Therefore, the deposition method of vaporizing the source material using a vaporization device according to the embodiment of this application can make the vapor after vaporization of the liquid source have a higher temperature. This can not only effectively shorten the adsorption time, but also shorten the purging time. While ensuring the quality of the film, it can further shorten the cycle, thereby improving the effective utilization rate of the precursor and reducing the deposition cost.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the groove after a thin film has been deposited in the groove using a semiconductor processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application, taken with a scanning electron microscope. Figures 5A to 5C show enlarged views of the thin film at different locations in the groove of Figure 4. Specifically, Figure 5A shows an enlarged view of the thin film at the top 1 of the groove in Figure 4, Figure 5B shows an enlarged view of the thin film at the sidewall 2 of the groove in Figure 4, and Figure 5C shows an enlarged view of the thin film at the bottom 3 of the groove in Figure 4. Figures 5A to 5C show that the thickness of the thin film at the top 1 of the groove is 56.5 nm, the thickness of the thin film at the sidewall 2 of the groove is 54.2 nm, and the thickness of the thin film at the bottom 3 of the groove is 55.1 nm. It can be seen that the thickness of the thin film at different locations in the groove is basically similar. Therefore, the film is formed basically uniformly on the top, sidewalls and bottom of the groove, and has high shape retention.

The following table shows the depth-to-width ratio of the groove in Figure 4 and the step coverage of the film on the sidewalls and bottom of the groove. As shown in the table below, the semiconductor processing apparatus using the embodiment of this application deposits a film in a deep groove with a depth-to-width ratio of 10:1. The groove sidewalls have a step coverage of 95.9% (sidewall film thickness/top film thickness), and the bottom of the groove has a step coverage of 97.5% (bottom film thickness/top film thickness). Depth ratio (Side wall) Step coverage (%) (Bottom) Step Coverage (%) 10:1 95.9% 97.5%

Therefore, the apparatus and method provided in this application can improve the growth rate, thickness uniformity and shape retention of the deposited film.

The descriptions in this specification are provided to enable those skilled in the art to perform or use the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art will readily see various modifications to this application, and the general principles defined in this specification can be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the examples and designs described in this specification, but is given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed in this specification.

1: Process Chamber 2: Vaporization Device 3: Gas Pipeline 4: First Pipeline 5: First Gas Source 6: Reaction Source Material Tank 7: First Branch Pipeline 8: Second Branch Pipeline 9: Branch Line 10: Vacuum Pump 11: Second Gas Source 12: Second Pipeline 12a: Second Pipeline 12b: Second Pipeline 31: Fifth Valve 41: First Valve 42: Second Valve 71: Third Valve 81: Fourth Valve 91: Exhaust Valve 100: Semiconductor Processing Device 200: Semiconductor Processing Device 300: Semiconductor Processing Device

The disclosure in this specification mentions and includes the following figures: Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to yet another embodiment of this application; Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a semiconductor processing apparatus according to yet another embodiment of this application; Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the groove after a thin film has been deposited in the groove using the semiconductor processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application, taken with a scanning electron microscope; Figure 5A shows a partially enlarged view of the thin film located at the top of the groove in Figure 4; Figure 5B shows a partially enlarged view of the thin film located on the side wall of the groove in Figure 4; and Figure 5C shows a partially enlarged view of the thin film located at the bottom of the groove in Figure 4.

As is customary, the features depicted in the illustrations may not be drawn to scale. Therefore, for clarity, the dimensions of various features may be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced. The shapes of the components depicted in the illustrations are merely illustrative and do not limit the actual shapes of the components. Furthermore, for clarity, the embodiments depicted in the illustrations may be simplified. Therefore, the illustrations may not show all components of a given device or apparatus. Finally, the same reference numerals may be used throughout the manual and illustrations to represent the same features.

1: Manufacturing Cavity

2: Vaporization device

3: Gas pipelines

4: First Pipeline

5: First gas source

6: Reaction Source Material Tank

7: First branch pipeline

8: Second branch pipeline

9: Side Road

10: Vacuum Pump

11: Second gas source

12: Second Pipeline

31: The Fifth Valve

41: First Valve

42: Second valve

71: The Third Valve

81: Fourth Valve

91: Exhaust valve

100: Semiconductor Processing Device

Claims (13)

A semiconductor processing apparatus includes: a process chamber; a vaporization device for vaporizing a liquid reactant material entering the vaporization device via a first line; a gas line coupled between the vaporization device and the process chamber for supplying the vaporized reactant material generated by the vaporization device to the process chamber; and a first gas source coupled to the vaporization device via the first line, the first line having a first valve near the vaporization device and a second valve near the first gas source, wherein the first valve is an atomic layer deposition (ALD) valve, and the first line does not include a liquid flow meter. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1 further includes: a reaction source material tank for containing a liquid reaction source material, the reaction source material tank being coupled via a first branch line to a first pipeline located at the end of the second valve away from the first gas source, and coupled via a second branch line to the first pipeline located at the end of the second valve near the first gas source, wherein the end of the first branch line is below the surface of the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank, and the end of the second branch line is above the surface of the liquid reaction source material in the reaction source material tank. As in claim 2, the semiconductor processing apparatus includes: a third valve provided on the first branch line, and/or a fourth valve provided on the second branch line. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1 further includes: a second gas source, which is coupled via a second line to the first line between the first valve and the vaporization device, or coupled to the inlet of the vaporization device, or coupled to the gas line. For example, in the semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, a fifth valve is provided on the gas pipeline. As in claim 5, the semiconductor processing apparatus further includes: a branch, one end of which is coupled to the gas line between the fifth valve and the vaporization device, and the other end of which is coupled to a vacuum pump, the branch having an exhaust valve. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 6 further includes: a second gas source, which is coupled via a second pipeline to the gas pipeline between the vaporization device and the branch, or coupled to the inlet of the vaporization device, or coupled to the first pipeline. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 3 further includes a controller configured to: close the second valve and open the first, third, and fourth valves during the reactant injection phase, so that the liquid reactant in the reactant tank is propelled into the vaporization device by a first gas from the first gas source. As in the semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 8, the controller is further configured to control the duration during which the first valve remains open during the reaction source material injection phase, so as to control the amount of liquid reaction source material entering the vaporization apparatus. As in the semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to: during the purification phase, keep the third and fourth valves open, and close the first and second valves, so that the liquid reactant in the reactant tank enters the first pipeline under the impingement of the first gas, but does not enter the vaporization device. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 7 further includes a controller configured to: close the exhaust valve and open the fifth valve during the reactant injection phase, so that a second gas from the second gas source carries the vaporized reactant generated by the vaporization device into the process chamber. As in the semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to: During the purification phase, close the fifth valve and open the exhaust valve to allow the second gas to carry residual reactant material from the gas line into the vacuum pump. As in the semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, a heating device is provided on the gas pipeline to maintain the vaporized reaction source material in the gas pipeline at a certain temperature.