KR100872994B1 - Plasma generator - Google Patents

Abstract

The plasma generating apparatus includes a plasma generating unit, a top plate structure including a plurality of induction tubes formed below and providing a plasma chamber together with the plasma generating unit below the plasma generating unit, and positioned below the lower end of the induction tube. And a lower plate structure including a plurality of source gas injection holes, wherein the upper plate structure and the lower plate structure provide a source gas moving space for source gas supply, and the lower plate structure partially surrounds an outer surface of the induction pipe. A shower head including a lower plate blocking wall to block the source gas moving space at portions other than the source gas injection port, a reaction gas supply unit supplying a reaction gas to the plasma generating unit, and a source gas to the source gas moving space in the shower head. It includes a source gas supply unit for supplying.

Plasma, Reflector, Induction Pipe, Barrier Wall

Description

Plasma Generator {APPARATUS FOR GENERATING PLASMA}

1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a conventional plasma generator.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a plasma generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a portion of the shower head of FIG. 3;

5 is a cross-sectional view of a plasma generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a portion of the shower head of FIG. 5;

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

200: plasma generator 210: plasma generator

220: support part 230: reaction gas supply part

240: source gas supply part 250: shower head

260 ： top plate structure 262 ： induction pipe

270: bottom plate structure 278: barrier wall

The present invention relates to a plasma generating apparatus, and more particularly, to a plasma generating apparatus capable of generating a plasma uniformly for surface treatment and thin film formation.

1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a conventional plasma generator.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional plasma generator includes a plasma generator 10, a reaction gas supply unit 30, a source gas supply unit 40, and a shower head 50, and these devices may be disposed on the support unit 20. It is attached to. A plasma chamber for forming plasma is provided between the plasma generator 10 and the shower head 50, and the plasma formed in the plasma chamber is shower head through a plurality of reaction gas injection holes 63 formed in the shower head 50. 50 can be moved to the bottom. As the plasma by the reaction gas passes through the shower head 50, the plasma is converted into a state such as ions or radicals, and the ions or radicals of the converted reaction gas are lowered at the lower end of the induction pipe 62 of the shower head 50. Can be sprayed on.

The lower portion of the shower head 50 is provided with a processing space, and the processing space may be positioned to perform plasma processing such as thin film formation and cleaning. The plasma generating device and the processing space are generally maintained in a vacuum state, and the object to be processed may be mounted on a heater (not shown).

The plasma generating unit 10 is composed of an upper plasma plate 12 and a lower plasma plate 14, and associated pipes and source gas of the reaction gas supply unit 30 by the upper plasma plate 12 and the lower plasma plate 14. An oil pipe of the supply part 40 may be formed. The reaction gas supplied through the reaction gas supply unit 30 is converted into a plasma state while passing through the plasma generation electrode 18 mounted on the bottom of the plasma generation unit 10, and a plurality of holes are provided in the plasma generation electrode 18. Can be formed to effectively pass the reaction gas.

In the conventional plasma generator, the shower head 50 is formed by the upper plate structure 60 and the lower plate structure 70, and the induction pipe 62 defining the reaction gas injection hole 63 is formed in the upper plate structure 60. The lower plate structure 70 is provided with a source gas injection port 74 for source gas injection. The reaction gas ions or radicals passing through the reaction gas injection port 63 may react with the source gas passing through the source gas injection port 74, and a thin film or the like may be formed on the object to be processed by the reaction.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the conventional shower head 50, the source gas injection hole 74 is located at a position higher than the reaction gas injection hole 63. In general, since the amount of the source gas supplied through the source gas injection port 74 is smaller than the amount of the reaction gas through the induction pipe 62, the supply of the source gas may be interrupted by the reaction gas, and as a result, the source gas Is difficult to reach to the workpiece.

As described above, if the source gas does not normally reach the workpiece, even if a thin film formed on the workpiece or a thin film is formed, the quality of the thin film formed may be significantly reduced.

The present invention provides a plasma generator that can effectively reach a target gas regardless of injection of a reaction gas.

The present invention can form a nozzle so that the reaction gas is evenly injected in the injection of the reaction gas, and provides a plasma generator that can be efficiently mixed with the reaction gas and the source gas.

The present invention provides several methods that can effectively block the line reaction between the source gas and the reaction gas.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plasma generating apparatus includes a plasma generating unit, a shower head, a reaction gas supply unit and a source gas supply unit. In particular, the shower head is located below the plasma generator, the induction pipe for moving the plasma generated by the plasma generator to the lower portion of the shower head, a plurality of source gas injection holes formed on the bottom of the shower head to inject the source gas and And a source gas moving space formed inside the shower head to communicate with the source gas injection port. The induction pipe forms all or part of the reaction gas injection hole penetrating the shower head up and down, and the lower end of the induction pipe is located at a higher position than the source gas injection hole.

Reaction gas ions or radicals injected by the induction tube start to be injected at a higher position than the source gas, and can be efficiently mixed with the source gas. In addition, the source gas is injected in a relatively small amount compared to the reaction gas, it is less affected by the reaction gas than the conventional because the source gas begins to be injected in a relatively lower position.

Since the source gas starts to be injected at a lower position than the reaction gas, the source gas can easily reach the object to be treated, and minimize the movement of the source gas to the object to be disturbed by the reaction gas. Can be.

In fact, there is a problem in that the structure of the shower head needs to be changed in order to keep the source gas at a lower position than the reaction gas. However, as shown in FIG. 1, when the lower plate structure of the shower head is moved downward, the source gas moving space is opened from around the induction pipe so that the shower head may not function properly. In order to overcome this problem, in the present invention, a barrier wall may be formed on the lower plate, and the source gas moving space may be effectively blocked even when the lower plate structure moves downward from the upper plate structure by using the barrier wall.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plasma generating apparatus also includes a plasma generating unit, a shower head, a reaction gas supply unit and a source gas supply unit, but in particular, the shower head is positioned below the plasma generating unit and is disposed together with the plasma generating unit. A lower plate structure including a top plate structure including a plurality of induction pipes formed downward and a plurality of source gas injection holes positioned lower than a lower end of the induction pipe, wherein the top plate structure and the bottom plate structure are source gas supplies. To provide a source gas moving space for, the lower plate structure includes a lower plate blocking wall to partially cover the outer surface of the induction pipe to block the source gas moving space in the portion except the source gas injection port.

In the lower plate structure, the lower plate blocking wall may be formed longer than the induction pipe so that the source gas injection hole is located lower than the lower end of the induction pipe. In addition, even if the lower plate blocking wall is not longer than the induction pipe may be formed to a length that can partially wrap the lower portion of the induction pipe.

In addition, the inner cross section of the lower plate blocking wall may be formed to have a larger area than the inner cross section of the induction pipe, and a nozzle space may be provided below the induction pipe to function as an expansion nozzle. In this case, the reaction gas ions or radicals passing through the induction pipe may be widely injected by the nozzle space as soon as they leave the induction pipe, and the reaction gas may be effectively mixed with the source gas.

In the present specification, the barrier wall and the guide tube may be generally formed in a cylindrical or cylindrical shape, but are not limited thereto and may be formed in various shapes such as a polygonal column shape. Therefore, in the present specification, 'inner cross section' means an inner size of each cylinder or column shape, and when the barrier wall and the guide tube are formed in a cylinder or cylinder shape, they can be compared based on the inner diameter.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or limited by the embodiments. For reference, in the present description, the same numbers refer to substantially the same elements, and may be described by quoting the contents described in other drawings under the above rules, and the contents repeated or deemed apparent to those skilled in the art may be omitted.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the plasma generator 100 includes a plasma generator 110, a shower head 150, a reaction gas supply unit 130, and a source gas supply unit 140. The shower head 150 and the plasma generator 110 are mounted on the supporter 120, and the supporter 120 provides an empty hole in the center thereof, so that the plasma generated by the plasma generator 110 may provide an empty hole. Can be delivered to the workpiece.

The plasma generator 110 includes an upper plasma plate 112, a lower plasma plate 114, and a space plate 116. The upper plasma plate 112 and the lower plasma plate 114 are mounted up and down, and holes or grooves are formed in the upper plasma plate 112 and the lower plasma plate 114 so that the reaction gas supply unit 130 and the source gas supply unit ( A gas flow path of 140 may be formed.

The plasma generating unit 110 includes a plasma generating electrode 118, and the plasma generating electrode 118 is mounted on the bottom surface of the lower plasma plate 114. The reaction gas is supplied from the reaction gas supply unit 130 to the plasma generation electrode 118, and a plurality of holes (not shown) are formed in the plasma generation electrode 118 to allow the reaction gas to pass through the plasma chamber. The plasma generating unit 110 may generate plasma according to an inductive coupled plasma (ICP) or capacitive coupling plasma (CCP) scheme, and an RF power source or the like may be applied to the plasma generating electrode 118.

A space plate 116 is provided at a bottom of the lower plasma plate 114, and the space plate 116 is spaced apart from the lower plasma plate 114 and the shower head 150 by a predetermined interval to provide a chamber for plasma generation. can do. In addition, the space plate 116 may be used as an insulating member for electrically separating the plasma generator 110 and the shower head 150. To this end, the space plate 116 may itself be formed using an insulating material or may have an insulating property by forming an insulating coating on an outer surface thereof.

As illustrated, a gas flow path as the source gas supply unit 140 may be formed in the space plate 116, and the source gas supply unit 140 may be connected to the periphery of the shower head 150 through the space plate 116. have.

The shower head 150 includes an induction pipe 162, a source gas moving space 152, and a source gas injection hole 174. The induction pipe 162 is formed to penetrate up and down to provide a reaction gas injection hole 163. The plasma may be delivered to the lower portion of the shower head 150 through the reaction gas injection hole 163, and the plasma may be converted into an ionic or radical state in the process of being delivered. The nozzle space 164 is provided below the induction pipe 162, and the reaction gas injection hole 163 may be provided by the internal space and the nozzle space 164 of the induction pipe 162.

The lower end of the induction pipe 162 is at a higher position than the source gas injection port 174. Therefore, the source gas starts to be injected at a relatively lower position than the reaction gas, and even if a relatively small amount of the source gas is supplied, the process gas does not interfere with the reaction gas, thereby effectively reaching the target object.

When source gas is supplied into the shower head 150 by the source gas supply unit 140, the source gas may be injected through the source gas injection hole 174 formed at the bottom of the lower plate structure 170. The injected source gas can form a thin film or the like on the workpiece with the reaction gas ions.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a plasma generator according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of the shower head of Figure 3 cut out.

3 and 4, the plasma generator 200 includes a plasma generator 210, a shower head 250, a reaction gas supply unit 230, and a source gas supply unit 240. The shower head 250 and the plasma generator 210 are mounted on the supporter 220, and the supporter 220 provides an empty hole in the center thereof, so that the plasma generated by the plasma generator 210 may provide an empty hole. Can be delivered to the workpiece.

The plasma generator 210 includes an upper plasma plate 212, a lower plasma plate 214, and a space plate 216, and the upper plasma plate 212 and the lower plasma plate 214 are mounted up and down. Holes or grooves are formed in the upper plasma plate 212 and the lower plasma plate 214 to form gas flow paths of the reaction gas supply unit 230 and the source gas supply unit 240. The plasma generator 210 includes a plasma generator electrode 218 and a space plate 216.

The shower head 250 includes an upper plate structure 260 and a lower plate structure 270. The upper plate structure 260 is formed in a disk or other plate shape, and includes a guide tube 262 protruding downward. The induction pipe 262 is formed to penetrate up and down to provide a reaction gas injection hole 263. The plasma may be delivered to the lower portion of the shower head 250 through the reaction gas injection hole 263, and in the process, the plasma may be converted into an ionic or radical state. The lower plate structure 270 is mounted below the upper plate structure 260 and includes a lower plate through hole, a source gas injection hole 274, and a lower plate blocking wall 278 corresponding to the induction pipe 262. The lower end of the induction pipe 262 may be exposed to the lower portion of the shower head 250 through the lower plate through hole, and the source gas injection hole 274 is formed below the induction pipe 262.

In the lower plate structure 270, the source gas injection hole 274 is located at a lower position than the lower end of the induction pipe 262. Therefore, the source gas injected from the source gas injection port 274 starts to be injected at a relatively lower position than the reaction gas, and even though a relatively small amount of the source gas is supplied, the process gas is not disturbed by the reaction gas. Can be reached effectively.

In addition, since the inner diameter of the lower plate blocking wall 278 is larger than the inner diameter of the induction pipe 262, a wide nozzle space 264 may be formed around the lower plate through hole, that is, below the induction pipe 262. The lower plate blocking wall 278 is formed in a cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the induction pipe 262, and the inner surface of the blocking wall 278 is formed to have substantially the same or finer size to contact the outer surface of the induction pipe 262. . Above all, since the lower plate blocking wall 278 surrounds the induction pipe 262 and the lower outer surface, the source gas moving space 252 inside the shower head 250 may still be blocked. The blocking wall 278 may basically prevent the reaction gas ions or radicals injected through the reaction gas injection hole 263 from entering the shower head 250, and the reaction gas and the source gas may be prevented in advance in an unintentional region. The reaction can be prevented.

Here, the blocking wall 278 is not limited to being simply used to block the source gas moving space from the outside, and the source gas injection hole 274 may be located below the bottom of the induction pipe 262. It can be a structure. In order for the source gas injection hole 274 to be located below the induction pipe 262, the lower plate blocking wall 278 is formed longer than the induction pipe 262 so that the upper plate structure 260 and the lower plate structure 270 are installed at the same time. It can be spaced at regular intervals.

In the present embodiment, the guide tube is formed in the upper plate structure, but in some cases, the guide tube may be formed in the lower plate structure and a through hole may be provided in the upper plate structure. At this time, it is possible to form a height difference between the lower end of the induction pipe and the source gas injection port, it is possible to provide a nozzle space under the lower end of the induction pipe.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a plasma generator according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a portion of the shower head of Figure 5 cut away.

5 and 6, the plasma generator 300 includes a plasma generator 310, a shower head 350, a blocking plate 380, a reaction gas supply unit 330, and a source gas supply unit 340. do. The shower head 350 and the plasma generating unit 310 are mounted on the supporting unit 320, and the supporting unit 320 provides a central empty hole so that the plasma generated by the plasma generating unit 310 may store the empty hole. Can be delivered to the workpiece.

The plasma generator 310 includes an upper plasma plate 312, a lower plasma plate 314, and a space plate 316, and the upper plasma plate 312 and the lower plasma plate 314 are mounted up and down. Holes or grooves are formed in the upper plasma plate 312 and the lower plasma plate 314 to form gas flow paths of the reaction gas supply unit 330 and the source gas supply unit 340, but in some cases, the reaction gas supply unit and the source gas may be formed. The supply can be inserted or mounted through a separate hose or tube. The plasma generator 310 includes a plasma generating electrode 318 and a space plate 316.

The shower head 350 includes an upper plate structure 360 and a lower plate structure 370. The upper plate structure 360 is formed in a disk or other plate shape, and includes a guide tube 362 protruding downward. The induction pipe 362 is formed in a shape that penetrates up and down to provide a reaction gas injection hole 363. The plasma may be delivered to the lower portion of the shower head 350 through the reaction gas injection hole 363, and the plasma may be converted into an ionic or radical state in the process of being delivered. The lower plate structure 370 is mounted below the upper plate structure 360 and includes a lower plate through hole and a source gas injection hole 374 corresponding to the induction pipe 362. The source gas injection hole 374 may be formed around the lower plate through hole, that is, around the induction pipe 362 to inject the source gas.

The lower plate blocking wall 368 is formed around the lower plate through-hole 362, and the lower plate blocking wall 368 is formed to surround the circumference of the induction pipe so that the source gas or the reaction gas is formed in the induction pipe 362 and the lower plate structure ( 370 may be prevented from leaking out or entering. Therefore, the reaction gas ions or radicals injected through the reaction gas injection port 363 may be prevented from flowing into the shower head 350, and the reaction gas and the source gas may be prevented from reacting in advance in an unintended region. .

In particular, the source gas injection hole 374 in the lower plate structure 370 is located at a lower position than the lower end of the induction pipe 362. Therefore, the injected source gas starts to be injected at a relatively lower position than the reaction gas, and even if a relatively small amount of the source gas is supplied, the process gas is not disturbed by the reaction gas, thereby effectively reaching the target object. As a result, a thin film of good quality can be obtained without waste of the source gas, and the thin film can be prevented from being formed poorly due to the absence of the source gas.

Since the inner diameter of the lower plate blocking wall 378 is larger than the inner diameter of the induction pipe 362, a wide nozzle space 364 may be formed around the lower plate through-hole, that is, below the induction pipe 362. The nozzle space may be formed in a shape extending downward, and specifically, may be formed in a fallopian tube shape or a cylindrical shape extending stepwise. The reaction gas may be injected from the induction pipe 362 and injected into a wide area through the nozzle space 364, and the reaction gas widely injected may be effectively mixed with the source gas.

The lower plate blocking wall 378 is formed in a cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the induction pipe 362, and the inner surface of the blocking wall 378 is formed in substantially the same or finely large dimensions so as to contact the outer surface of the induction pipe 362. . Above all, since the lower plate blocking wall 378 surrounds the induction pipe 362 and the lower outer surface, the source gas moving space 352 inside the shower head 350 may still be blocked. The blocking wall 378 may basically prevent the reaction gas ions or radicals injected through the reaction gas injection hole 363 from entering the shower head 350, and the reaction gas and the source gas may be prevented in advance in an unintentional region. The reaction can be prevented.

As shown, when the source gas is supplied into the shower head 350 by the source gas supply unit 340, the source gas may be injected through the source gas injection hole 374 via the blocking plate 380. The blocking plate 380 is interposed between the upper plate structure 360 and the lower plate structure 370, and since the source gas can move to the lower plate structure 370 only through the guide hole 386, it may be preferentially supplied to the center portion. .

The source gas supplied through the guide hole 386 may be evenly supplied from the blocking plate 380, and the source gas is uniformly injected through the source gas injection hole 374 in the lower plate structure 370. The thin film on the treatment may be formed to a uniform thickness.

An intermediate through hole for passing the induction pipe 362 is also formed in the blocking plate 380, and an intermediate blocking wall 388 may be formed around the intermediate through hole to surround the guiding pipe 362. The induction pipe 362 may be exposed to the lower portion of the shower head 350 through the middle barrier wall 388 and the lower plate barrier wall 368. The intermediate blocking wall 388 may prevent the source gas from being unintentionally transferred to the lower plate structure 370 by a gap between the blocking plate 380 and the induction pipe 362.

In the plasma generating apparatus of the present invention, since the position at which the source gas is injected is below the position at which the reaction gas ions are injected, the source gas can be stably delivered to the target object even if relatively less source gas is injected. Therefore, the thin film formation quality by a plasma process can be improved.

In addition, in the plasma generating apparatus of the present invention, by forming a nozzle space under the induction pipe, the reaction gas may be evenly injected when the reaction gas is injected.

The plasma generating apparatus of the present invention enables the source gas to reach the object to be processed without being disturbed by the reaction gas, thereby efficiently pre-reacting the reaction between the source gas and the reaction gas that may occur before the source gas reaches the object to be processed. Can be blocked by

In addition, the barrier wall in the bottom plate structure can block the source gas or the reaction gas to pass through the gap around the induction pipe to cause a line reaction. In addition, the barrier wall may be formed longer than the induction pipe so that the source gas injection hole may be positioned lower than the lower end of the induction pipe.

In addition, the inner cross section of the lower plate blocking wall may be formed to have a larger area than the inner cross section of the induction pipe, and a nozzle space may be provided below the induction pipe to function as an expansion nozzle so that the reaction gas ions or radicals may escape from the induction pipe. As soon as it can be sprayed wide by the nozzle space.

As described above, although described with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art various modifications and variations of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below I can understand that you can.

Claims (11)

delete delete delete delete A plasma generator; Located above the plasma generating unit to provide a plasma chamber with the plasma generating unit, and includes a top plate structure including a plurality of induction pipe formed downward and a plurality of source gas injection holes located lower than the lower end of the induction pipe And a lower plate structure, wherein the upper plate structure and the lower plate structure provide a source gas moving space for source gas supply, and the lower plate structure partially surrounds an outer surface of the induction pipe, except for the source gas injection hole. A shower head including a lower plate blocking wall to block a source gas moving space; A reaction gas supply unit supplying a reaction gas to the plasma generation unit; And And a source gas supply unit supplying a source gas to the source gas moving space in the shower head. The method of claim 5, And a nozzle space extending below the induction pipe. The method of claim 5, And the lower plate blocking wall is formed longer than the induction pipe. The method of claim 5, And a blocking plate interposed between the upper plate structure and the lower plate structure, dividing the source gas moving space up and down, and including a guide hole formed corresponding to an expected source gas distribution. The method of claim 5, The blocking plate includes an intermediate through hole corresponding to the induction pipe, wherein the intermediate through hole is formed to be in contact with the outer surface of the induction pipe, and the guide hole is formed corresponding to the center portion of the plasma. Generator. The method of claim 9, The blocking plate includes an intermediate blocking wall formed upwardly corresponding to the intermediate through hole, and the intermediate blocking wall covers an outer surface of the induction pipe. The method of claim 5, The plasma generation unit includes a plasma generation electrode mounted below, the plasma generation electrode includes a plurality of holes, and the reaction gas supply unit supplies a reaction gas to the upper portion of the plasma generation electrode. Device.

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