Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Differential fluid etching apparatus – With radio frequency antenna or inductive coil gas...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-14
2004-02-03
Alejandro-Mulero, Luz (Department: 1763)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Differential fluid etching apparatus
With radio frequency antenna or inductive coil gas...
C118S7230IR
Reexamination Certificate
active
06685800
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating ICP (inductively coupled plasma), and more particularly, to an apparatus for generating ICP, enabling to reduce occurrence of undesirable particles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor processing equipments using plasma are generally classified into etching equipment and depositing equipment. When a semiconductor process is performed in the semiconductor processing equipment, by-products are inevitably adhered to elements and inner wall of a chamber. The adhered by-product acts as a source that generates undesirable particles during the semiconductor process, thereby degenerating the productivity.
In order to restrain the generation of the particles, the adhesion of the by-product has to be restrained. Further, in order to restrain the adhesion of the by-product, there is used a method of heating the elements or the inner wall of the chamber. As examples of such the heating method, there are a radiant heating method using a halogen lamp, a heat conduction method using a heater, and a heat convection method using hot air. These methods are selectively used depending on kinds or situations of process.
FIG. 1
is a schematic view of a conventional apparatus for generating ICP. Referring to
FIG. 1
, a chamber
10
provides a hermetical space for performing a plasma process. The hermetical space is divided into three spaces horizontally by an antenna plate
20
and a gas distribution plate
30
. The gas distribution plate
30
is placed below the antenna plate
20
.
A plurality of injecting holes are formed in the gas distribution plate
30
. Between the antenna plate
20
and the gas distribution plate
30
, there is disposed a reaction gas supplying port (not shown). A reaction gas introduced through the reaction gas supplying port to a space between the antenna plate
20
and the gas distribution plate
30
is injected through the injecting holes of the gas distribution plate
30
to a space below the gas distribution plate
30
. At the lower space of the gas distribution plate
30
, there is formed a reaction gas discharging port (not shown). The reaction gas injected to the lower space of the gas distribution plate
30
is converted into a plasma state by an electromagnetic field formed by an RF antenna
25
mounted on the antenna plate
20
. Reflectance of RF power applied to the RF antenna
25
is minimized through a matching box
50
.
Since the gas distribution plate
30
, the inner wall of the chamber
10
and the antenna plate
20
are exposed to the plasma and the by-product such as polymer is deposited to surfaces of the inner wall and the antenna plate
20
during the process. The deposited by-product is served as a source that generates undesirable particles during the process. Therefore, in order to reduce the deposition of the by-product, a plurality of halogen lamps
45
for heating the elements of the chamber
10
, such as the gas distribution plate
30
, and the inner wall of the chamber
10
are disposed over the antenna plate
20
. The halogen lamp
45
is fixed by a lamp supporting plate
40
.
If the halogen lamp
45
is excessively apart from the antenna plate
20
, an intensity of the light arrived at the antenna plate
20
is rapidly reduced. Therefore, there occurs a problem in that the gas distribution plate
30
is not sufficiently heated. This is because the intensity of light arrived at the antenna plate
20
is inversely proportional to a square of a distance between the antenna plate
20
and the halogen lamp
45
. If the halogen lamp
45
is disposed to be adjacent to the antenna plate
20
in order to prevent the foregoing problem, an RF noise phenomenon occurs due to a high frequency generated from the RF antenna
25
. Further, there is a problem that a distribution of heat arrived at the antenna plate
20
and the gas distribution plate
30
is not uniform.
Therefore, in order to equally heat the gas distribution plate
30
while the halogen lamp
45
is not influenced by the RF noise, the halogen lamp
45
has to be apart from the antenna plate
20
at a proper distance. However, in this case, the gas distribution plate
30
is heated only at a temperature of 70~80° C. Therefore, there is a problem that the gas distribution plate
30
is not sufficiently heated.
According to the conventional apparatus for generating ICP, in order to sufficiently heat the elements within the chamber
10
, such as the gas distribution plate
30
, and the inner wall of the chamber
10
without the generation of the RF noise phenomenon, the halogen lamp
45
has to be apart from the antenna plate
20
at a long distance and the number of halogen lamps
45
also has to be increased. However, in this case, there are some problems that an operation and an installation of the halogen lamp
45
are complicated and fabrication and operation costs are increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for generating ICP, which is capable of heating the elements in the chamber and inner wall of the chamber without generation of the RF noise.
To achieve an aforementioned object of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for generating ICP, the apparatus comprising a chamber providing a hermetical space; an antenna plate disposed to horizontally divide the hermetical space; a gas distribution plate disposed to horizontally divide a space below the antenna plate and having a plurality of injecting holes; a reaction gas supplying port disposed at a space between the antenna plate and the gas distribution plate so as to inject a reaction gas through the injecting holes of the gas distribution plate to a space below the gas distribution plate; a reaction gas discharging port disposed to discharge the reaction gas injected to the lower space of the gas distribution plate; an RF antenna for forming plasma at the lower space of the gas distribution plate, which is mounted on the antenna plate; a heating plate for heating the chamber, which is disposed to horizontally divide a space above the antenna plate and which has a plurality of air holes; a heat transferring gas supplying port disposed at a space above the heating plate so as to inject a heat transferring gas through the air holes of the heating plate to a space between the heating plate and the antenna plate; and a heat transferring gas discharging port disposed to discharge the heat transferring gas injected to the space between the heating plate and the antenna plate.
Preferably, the heating plate is comprised of a two-layered aluminum plate having a recessed groove at a junction portion therebetween, a hot wire disposed in the recessed groove along the recessed groove, and an insulating member enclosing the hot wire. Alternatively, the heating plate is comprised of a two-layered aluminum plate, a plate type hot wire interposed between the two layers of the aluminum plate, and an insulating member enclosing the hot wire.
Meanwhile, it is preferable that the gas distribution plate is disposed according to an equation as follows;
10
×
(
ϵ
air
ϵ
p
)
×
D
≺
d
≺
100
×
(
ϵ
air
ϵ
p
)
×
D
,
where d is a distance between the heating plate and the antenna plate, &egr;
p
is an entire dielectric of the antenna plate and the gas distribution plate, &egr;
air
is a dielectric of air between the heating plate and the antenna plate, and D is an entire thickness of the antenna plate and the gas distribution plate.
Further, it is preferable that the air holes of the heating plate are disposed in two concentric circles respectively having radiuses r
a
and r
b
from a center of the heating plate, and a difference between the number of air holes disposed in the radius r
a
and the number of air holes disposed between the radiuses r
b
−r
a
is in an extent of 20%.
Preferably, the air holes of the heating plate is disposed according to a
Byun Hong Sik
Han Sun Seok
Kim Hong Seub
Kwon Gi Chung
Lee Choong Won
Alejandro-Mulero Luz
Jusung Engineering Co. Ltd.
Marger & Johnson & McCollom, P.C.
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