Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Coating of substrate containing semiconductor region or of... – Insulative material deposited upon semiconductive substrate
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-13
2002-05-07
Niebling, John F. (Department: 2812)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Coating of substrate containing semiconductor region or of...
Insulative material deposited upon semiconductive substrate
C427S393400, C427S450000, C427S099300, C427S099300, C427S248001, C313S309000, C313S310000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06383953
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a plasma spray apparatus and a method for fabricating a semiconductor device using the plasma spray apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
A plasma spray coating refers to a technique that a metal or a ceramic material is melted by a high temperature plasma which is generated by an intense current passing through gas, which is sprayed on a substrate to form a strong coating film on the substrate. This technique is well known in the field of architecture and mechanic painting field as well as the semiconductor device fabrication field.
FIG. 1
illustrates a generally adopted plasma spray coating apparatus in accordance with a conventional art.
With reference to
FIG. 1
, a cathode bar in the shape of pintle of a hinge is fixed by an insulator
2
, and a hollow tube shape anode tube
3
surrounds the cathode bar
1
. The anode tube
3
is also fixed by the insulator
2
at one end portion thereof.
The anode tube includes a tube
3
a
having a larger diameter and a tube
3
b
having a relatively smaller diameter which are connected to each other, and the cathode bar
1
is positioned in the larger-diameter tube
3
a.
The acute tip portion
1
a
of the cathode bar
1
is positioned near the end of one side of the smaller-diameter tube
3
b.
The smaller-diameter tube
3
b
serves as an anode for generating plasma and as a passageway for discharging the generated plasma, that is, a nozzle
3
b.
A gas injection port
4
of gas for formation of plasma is formed at the anode tube
3
in the vicinity of the tip of the other side of the cathode bar
1
, through which plasma forming gas (inert gas such as Helium or Argon) is injected.
The other tip
1
b
of the cathode bar
1
is connected to a cathode terminal of a power source
7
by a conductor
6
, and an anode terminal of the power source
7
is connected with the anode nozzle
3
b
through an excitation power source
9
by a conductor
8
.
When the DC voltage coming from a power source
7
is applied between the anode and the cathode, to which a high frequency voltage is overlapped by the high frequency excitation power source
9
, and thus, plasma gas (mostly, inert gas such as Ar is used for plasma gas) flows into the anode nozzle
3
b
in the direction of arrow (
10
), an electric arc
11
is generated between the front end
1
a of
the cathode bar
1
and the inner wall face of the anode nozzle
3
b.
In this case, the short electric arc
11
have an impact on the wall face of the anode nozzle
3
b
. Accordingly, a large amount of plasma gas
5
is supplied so that the generated electric arc goes out as far as possible in the anode nozzle
3
b
to form an anode point
12
far distanced from the cathode bar
1
.
The plasma gas
5
flowing into the anode nozzle
3
b
is heated at a high temperature by the arc
11
, broken to be changed to a plasma state and sprayed from the front end portion of the anode nozzle
3
b
. At this time, a spray coating material
15
is supplied thereto from a coating material injection pipe
14
.
As indicated by an arrow
16
of
FIG. 1
, the coating material is mixed with the high temperature plasma
13
to instantly form a melting material. The melting material collides with the substrate
22
and a coating film
21
is formed on the surface of the substrate
22
.
According to circumstances, the spray coating material
15
coming out of the coating material injection pipe
14
may be injected at the very front portion
17
of the opening of the anode nozzle
2
or may be injected at the very back portion
18
as indicated by arrow.
The above described plasma spray apparatus has been employed to form the coating film on the exterior of a stuff.
The present invention, however, adopts such plasma spray coating apparatus to fabrication of a semiconductor device.
In this respect, however, the following problems arise to adopt the conventional plasma spray apparatus as it is to fabrication of a semiconductor device.
First, if a thin film (a coating layer) is formed on the surface of a large scale semiconductor substrate by using a single plasma nozzle channel, the thickness of the thin film formed on the area close to the opening of the anode nozzle and the thickness of the thin film formed on the area distant from the opening of the anode nozzle become different. That is, it is difficult to form a uniform thickness of thin film on the large area.
Secondly, since the coating material itself coming out of the coating material injection pipe is not activated, an electric arc should be intense, to which, thus, a high DC voltage should be supplied from a power source. Therefore, a unit cost of process is increased.
Thirdly, as the semiconductor device is more highly integrated and have more functions, a necessity is growing that the substrate is heated for a very short time with a high temperature-rising rate.
In order to rise the temperature of the semiconductor device, there have proposed a method in which a plurality of halogen lamps are put close to the semiconductor device and a method in which a heater is installed at the lower portion of a suscepter supporting the semiconductor device.
These methods, however, are disadvantageous. First, as for the method for heating the substrate rapidly, due to the attribute of the Halogen lamp, it is not possible to increase the temperature-rising rate with a RTP (rapid Thermal Process) which rapidly heats the substrate by putting a plurality of Halogen lamps close to the semiconductor substrate. Also, the temperature-rising rate is hardly controlled freely. Meanwhile, In case of installation of the heater for the suscepter, since the suscepter, the medium, exists between the semiconductor substrate and the heater, it is not easy to increase the semiconductor substrate rapidly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device that is capable of forming a thin film of an even thickness on a large substrate by using a plasma spray function.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device that is capable of rising the temperature of a semiconductor device rapidly at a even temperature by using a plasma spray function.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a chemical vapor deposition method and a rapid thermal processing method for a method for fabricating a semiconductor device using the plasma spray apparatus.
To achieve these and other advantages in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided to an apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device including: a plasma torch having a hollow convey tube of which one end portion is made of a conductor so as to serve as an inner electrode, for injecting plasma generating gas through one end portion, conveying and spraying a plasma frame through the other end portion; an energy applying unit for applying a microwave to the gas conveyed through the convey tube and adds an energy thereto; an outer electrode for surrounding the other end portion of the convey tube and its extended portion coaxially; an insulation tube positioned between the convey tube and the outer electrode for electrically insulating the other end portion of the convey tube and the outer electrode and surrounding partially the convey tube coaxially; a power source for applying a voltage to the inner electrode and the outer electrode; a suscepter installed facing the plasma frame sprayed from the plasma torch; a suscepter moving unit for moving the suscepter in the vertical and horizontal directions to the other end portion of the convey tube; and a reactive chamber for surrounding the other end portion of the convey tube and the suscepter and defining a reactive space.
In the apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device of the present invention, the
Jusung Engineering Co. Ltd.
Luk Olivia T
Niebling John F.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen
LandOfFree
Apparatus for fabricating semiconductor device and method... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for fabricating semiconductor device and method..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for fabricating semiconductor device and method... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2826104