Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – With treating means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2002-06-04
Lund, Jeffrie R. (Department: 1763)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
With treating means
C118S715000, C118S7230ER, C118S728000, C118S666000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06398873
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to method and apparatus for forming an HSG-Si (hemispherical grained silicon) layer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming an HSG-Si layer on a wafer in the manufacturing of semiconductor memory devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, semiconductor devices are manufactured by coating a silicon wafer with a thin film having predetermined electrical characteristics, using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The thin film is typically formed on the wafer by executing a series of semiconductor processes such as lithography, chemical and physical vapor deposition, plasma etching, HSG-Si manufacturing processes or the like. The wafer coated with the thin film is used for manufacturing semiconductor devices and chips.
Among the above-mentioned semiconductor manufacturing processes, the HSG-Si manufacturing process is widely used to increase the surface area of a capacitor, thereby increasing the capacitance. HSG-Si is commonly manufactured by depositing silicon under a predetermined deposition condition or by depositing amorphous silicon and transforming the silicon into HSG-Si. These types of HSG-Si manufacturing methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,869 (issued to Charles Turner et al. on Mar. 23, 1999) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,864 (issued to Homg-Huei Tseng et al. on Jun. 2, 1998).
FIG. 1
shows a semiconductor processing system
500
for carrying out a conventional HSG-Si manufacturing process. As shown in
FIG. 1
, the conventional semiconductor processing system
500
includes a process chamber
510
. A first heater
520
for heating a wafer
400
is installed in the process chamber
510
. The lower surface of the first heater
520
is supported by a support member
522
. The wafer
400
is introduced into the process chamber
510
through a guide slot
514
formed on one side of the process chamber
510
and is positioned on the first heater
520
.
A thermocouple
525
for detecting the temperature of the first heater
520
and a current supplying line
523
for supplying a current to the first heater
520
are provided beneath the first heater
520
. The thermocouple
525
and the current supplying line
523
are connected to a controller (not shown). The controller supplies the current to the first heater
520
through the current supplying line
523
based on the temperature of the first heater
520
detected by the thermocouple
525
, thereby maintaining the temperature of the first heater
520
within a predetermined range.
The wafer
400
is fed into the process chamber
510
by a handler (not shown), and a control section (not shown) operates a valve device
516
to open/close the guide slot
514
so that the wafer
400
can be guided into the process chamber
510
.
The process chamber
510
includes a dome-shaped roof
512
, and a second heater
521
is installed on an upper portion of the dome-shaped roof
512
in such a manner that it surrounds the dome-shaped roof
512
. The radiant heat created in the process chamber
510
by the first and second heaters
520
and
521
is directed to the wafer
400
by the dome-shaped roof
512
.
An RF (Radio Frequency) electrode
540
to which an RF current is applied is installed between the dome-shaped roof
512
and the second heater
521
. When a gas such as silane, disilane, or the like is injected from a gas injector
530
, RF electric waves are irradiated into the process chamber
510
through the RF electrode
540
to activate the gas. The gas injector
530
is connected to a gas supplying line
538
, and the gas is supplied to the gas injector
530
through the gas supplying line
538
from a gas source (not shown).
One side of the process chamber
510
communicates with a discharging port
532
. The discharging port
532
is connected to a vacuum pump
535
so that a vacuum can be created in the process chamber
510
.
A wafer holder
560
, which receives the wafer
400
guided toward first heater
520
and places the wafer
400
on the upper surface of the first heater
520
, is installed in the process chamber
510
. The wafer holder
560
includes a first arm portion
562
disposed at a peripheral portion of the upper surface of the first heater
520
, a second arm portion
564
engaged with a wafer holder driving apparatus
570
, and a support
566
connecting the first arm portion
562
and the second arm portion
564
. Although only one first arm portion
562
, one second arm portion
564
, and one support
566
are shown in
FIG. 1
, the wafer holder
560
comprises three or more sets of such components.
The wafer holder driving apparatus
570
comprises a cylinder
572
provided below the process chamber
510
. A bellows
580
provides a seal between the cylinder
572
and the process chamber
510
so that the vacuum state of the process chamber
510
is maintained.
A plunger
574
is disposed in the cylinder
572
and is movable in upward and downward directions. A shaft
576
is engaged with the upper surface of the plunger
574
, and the upper end portion of the shaft
576
is engaged with the end portion of the second arm portion
564
. A hydraulic pressure supplying section
578
supplies hydraulic pressure to the cylinder
572
to move the plunger
574
in the cylinder
572
.
In addition, the conventional semiconductor processing system
500
includes a heater moving apparatus
600
for moving the first heater
520
upward and downward. The heater moving apparatus
600
comprises a motor
608
generating a driving force and a lift
610
which is connected to the motor
608
in such a manner that it can move up and down.
The lift
610
is fixed to the lower surface of a bellows cover
620
, and moves the bellows cover
620
upward and downward when the motor
608
is operated. The bellows cover
620
includes an upper cover
622
fixedly attached to the bottom of the process chamber
510
and a lower cover
624
which is moved upward and downward by the lift
610
. When the lift
610
is moved upward, the upper cover
622
is maintained in a fixed state and the lower cover
624
is moved into the upper cover
622
. Further, the support member
522
of the first heater
520
is mechanically connected to the lower cover
624
so as to move together with the lower cover
624
, so that the first heater
520
can be moved upward and downward in the process chamber
510
.
Hereinafter, the operation of the of the above-described conventional semiconductor processing system
500
for manufacturing an HSG-Si will be explained.
When the HSG-Si manufacturing process starts, the valve device
516
opens the guide slot
514
whereupon the wafer
400
is moved into the process chamber
510
by the handler.
When the wafer
400
has been moved into a position over the upper surface of the first heater
520
, the wafer holder
560
is moved upward by the wafer holder driving apparatus
570
to receive the wafer
400
, and then is moved downward to position the wafer
400
on the upper surface of the first heater
520
. At the same time, the controller applies operation signals to the first and second heaters
520
and
521
so as to operate the first and second heaters
520
and
521
. At this time, the temperature of the first heater
520
is about 700 to 750° C., the temperature of the second heater
521
is about 315 to 325° C., and the temperature of the wafer
400
is about 600 to 610° C.
Then, the controller applies operation signals to the heater moving apparatus
600
in order to move the first heater
520
upward to a first position A in the process chamber
510
. Placing the first heater
520
at the first position A in the process chamber
510
improves the efficiency of heating the wafer
400
. At the first position A the first heater
520
is at a level corresponding to that of the gas injector
530
, and is vertically displaced upwardly from its initial position by about
80
mm.
At this time, the temperatures of the first and second heaters
520
and
52
Lund Jeffrie R.
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Volentine & Francos, PLLC
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