KR20080006980A - Substrate processing apparatus improving temperature gradient between chamber and exhaust line - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus improving a temperature gradient between a chamber and an exhaust line is provide to reduce a possibility of generation of a pollutant due to a countercurrent of an exhaust gas inside the chamber. A substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber(11), a substrate receiving rod, a gas supplying device, an air outlet(18), an adapter pipe(30), an exhaust line(20), a vacuum sealing member, and a heat transferring member. The chamber defines a reaction space. The substrate receiving rod is installed inside the chamber. The gas supplying device supplies a raw material to an upper part of the substrate receiving rod. The air outlet is formed on the chamber to exhaust an exhaust gas. The adapter pipe is coupled with an outside unit of the chamber and communicates with the air outlet. The exhaust line is connected to an end of the adapter pipe. The vacuum sealing member is installed between the adapter pipe and the exhaust line. The heat transferring member is installed between the adapter pipe and the exhaust line and is in contact with the adapter pipe and the exhaust line.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus improving temperature gradient between chamber and exhaust line}

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional PECVD apparatus

2 is a view showing a connection structure of a conventional exhaust line

3 is a view showing a connection structure of the exhaust line according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a perspective view showing an example of a heat transfer member

5 is a view showing a state in which a gap retaining member is installed between the first and second flanges;

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG.

7 is a view showing a connection structure of an exhaust line provided with a second heat transfer member between an adapter tube and a chamber;

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

11 chamber 20 exhaust line

22: first flange 30: adapter tube

32: second flange 34: third flange

40: bolt 50: O-ring

60: heat transfer member 62: opening

64: bolt hole 70: spacing member

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a wafer or glass (hereinafter referred to as a substrate) for manufacturing a semiconductor device or a flat panel display (FPD), and more specifically, between a chamber and an exhaust line. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus having an improved temperature gradient.

In general, in order to manufacture a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), or a semiconductor device, a predetermined circuit pattern is performed by performing a process such as thin film deposition, photolithography, and etching on a substrate as a base material. Etc., and each of these processes is performed in a substrate processing apparatus designed for an optimal environment for the process.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a general configuration of a Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) apparatus 10 for depositing a thin film using plasma among such substrate processing apparatuses.

The PECVD apparatus 10 includes a chamber 11 that forms a reaction space and maintains a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, and places a substrate s inside the chamber 11 while serving as a lower electrode for plasma generation. The substrate stabilizer 12 includes a plasma electrode 14 provided above the substrate stabilizer 12, and an exhaust port 18 provided below the substrate stabilizer 12.

The substrate support 12 may be moved up and down by a support 12a coupled to the center portion of the lower surface.

An RF power source 17 is connected to the plasma electrode 14, and a matching circuit 16 for matching impedance is provided between the RF power source 17 and the plasma electrode 14.

A gas supply pipe 15 is connected to a central portion of the plasma electrode 14, and a gas distribution plate 13 is coupled to a lower portion of the plasma electrode 14 with a gas diffusion space communicating with the gas supply pipe 15 interposed therebetween. .

The gas distribution plate 13 is electrically connected to have the same potential as the plasma electrode 14, so that the gas distribution plate 13 serves as a substantial electrode that faces the substrate support 12.

An exhaust line 20 is connected to the exhaust port 18, and reaction gas, unreacted gas, and reaction by-products inside the chamber are discharged through the exhaust line 20.

Therefore, the exhaust pressure must be concentrated in the vicinity of the exhaust port 18 in the chamber 11, which may result in uneven flow of gas, resulting in process unevenness.

In order to prevent concentration of exhaust pressure and to obtain a uniform exhaust flow around the substrate stabilizer 12, an exhaust plate 19 is provided on the side of the substrate stabilizer 12 or the lower portion of the substrate stabilizer 12. do.

The exhaust plate 19 is provided with a plurality of exhaust holes so that the exhaust conductance becomes smaller as it is closer to the exhaust port 18, and the exhaust conductance becomes larger as it is farther from the exhaust port 18.

On the other hand, the exhaust line 20 connected to the exhaust port 18 is in most cases not directly connected to the bottom or side of the chamber 11, the adapter pipe 30 between the exhaust line 20 and the chamber 11 This is installed.

2, a first flange 22 is formed at one end of the exhaust line 20, and a second flange 32 and a third flange (at one end and the other end of the adapter pipe 30). 34) are formed respectively.

First, the third flange 34 of the adapter tube 30 is fixed to the bottom of the chamber 11, and then the first and second flanges 22 and 32 are connected to the exhaust line 20 and the adapter tube 30. ) And fasten using bolts (40).

The O-ring 50 is installed between the first and second flanges 22 and 32 for the vacuum seal.

On the other hand, the reaction line, unreacted gas, reaction by-products, etc. generated inside the chamber passes through the exhaust line 20, unwanted deposition or deposition occurs, when the resulting particles flow back into the chamber acts as a pollution source Done.

This deposition or deposition phenomenon in the exhaust line 20 is known to be accelerated by the temperature difference between the chamber 11 and the exhaust line 20.

Actually, a temperature difference of 10 to 20 degrees or more occurs between the exhaust line 20 and the chamber 11, and the temperature difference is due to the coupling method of the adapter pipe 30 and the exhaust line 20.

Specifically, the first and second flanges 22 and 32 are spaced apart from each other to the exhaust line 20 due to the presence of the O-ring 50 installed between the first and second flanges 22 and 32 for the vacuum seal. This is because heat transfer is not performed smoothly.

The present invention is to solve this problem, it is an object to minimize the deposition of the exhaust gas inside the exhaust line by reducing the temperature gradient of the chamber and the exhaust line.

The present invention to achieve the above object, a chamber defining a reaction space; A substrate support installed in the chamber; Gas supply means for supplying a raw material to an upper portion of the substrate stabilizer; An exhaust port formed in the chamber to exhaust the exhaust gas; An adapter pipe coupled to an outer side of the chamber and communicating with the exhaust port; An exhaust line connected to an end of the adapter tube; A vacuum seal member installed between the adapter pipe and the exhaust line; It is provided between the adapter tube and the exhaust line, and provides a substrate processing apparatus including a heat transfer member in contact with both the adapter tube and the exhaust line.

The heat transfer member may be made of the same material as the adapter tube, preferably made of aluminum.

A first flange is formed at an end of the exhaust line and a second flange is formed at one end of the adapter tube, and the heat transfer member and the vacuum seal member may be installed between the first flange and the second flange. .

The heat transfer member may have a ring shape having an opening in the center thereof, and the vacuum seal member may be an O-ring installed inside or outside the heat transfer member.

A plurality of bolt holes may be formed at an edge of the ring-shaped heat transfer member, and bolts for coupling the first and second flanges may pass through the bolt holes.

A spacing member may be provided between the first flange and the second flange to prevent the O-ring from being damaged due to excessive compression.

The gap maintaining member is a ring-shaped member installed inside the O-ring, and may be made of SUS material.

A second heat transfer member and a second vacuum seal member in contact with both the chamber and the adapter tube may be installed between the adapter tube and the chamber, wherein the adapter tube is formed with a flange and the second A heat transfer member and a second vacuum seal member are provided between the chamber and the flange.

In addition, a gap retaining member may be further provided between the chamber and the flange to prevent damage of the second vacuum seal member due to excessive compression.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a view illustrating a connection structure of an exhaust line according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and the same names and symbols are used for the same parts as those of FIG. 1.

Looking at this, the adapter tube 30 which is in communication with the exhaust port 18 is connected to the bottom of the chamber 11, the exhaust line 20 is connected to the end of the adapter tube (30).

The exhaust line 20 has a first flange 22 at one end, and the adapter pipe 30 has second and third flanges 32 and 34 at both ends, respectively.

Therefore, after first fixing the third flange 34 of the adapter tube 30 to the bottom of the chamber 11, the first flange 22 of the exhaust line 20 and the second flange 32 of the adapter tube 30 ) Is coupled using the bolt 40, and the O-ring 50 is installed between the first and second flanges 22 and 32 for the vacuum seal.

In the present invention, the heat transfer member 60 is installed between the first and second flanges 22 and 32 for the heat transfer from the adapter pipe 30 to the exhaust line 20 as well as the O-ring 50.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the heat transfer member 60 has a ring shape having an opening 62 at the center thereof, and includes a plurality of bolt holes 64 at an edge thereof.

The opening 62 communicates with the adapter pipe 30 and the exhaust line 20 to form an exhaust passage, and the bolt hole 64 bolts 40 to which the first and second flanges 22 and 32 are fastened. Is the part that penetrates.

The heat transfer member 60 is preferably made of the same material as the adapter pipe (30).

In general, since the chamber 11 is made of aluminum, if the adapter tube 30 and the heat transfer member 60 are both made of aluminum, heat transfer may be better.

In addition, since the heat transfer member 60 is for heat transfer from the adapter pipe 30 to the exhaust line 20, the first and second flanges 22 and 32 of the adapter pipe 30 and the exhaust line 20 after installation. Both sides should be in close contact with each other.

Therefore, the thickness of the heat transfer member 60 is determined in consideration of the thickness when the O-ring 50 interposed between the first and second flanges 22 and 32 is pressed.

On the other hand, the heat transfer member 60 may be installed inside the O-ring 50, but for more stable vacuum sealing, it is preferable to be installed outside the O-ring 50.

The heat transfer member 60 is not limited to the circular ring shape as described above, but may be another shape. That is, even if not in the form of a circular ring, a plurality of flat metal pieces may be interposed between the first and second flanges 22 and 32 and both surfaces closely contact the first and second flanges 22 and 32. In addition, depending on the cross-sectional shape of the exhaust line 20 may be a polygonal ring shape.

Meanwhile, FIG. 3 shows an insertion groove into which the O-ring 50 is inserted into the joint surfaces of the first and second flanges 22 and 32, and the O-ring 50 is placed in the insertion groove in order to increase the vacuum seal performance. It is shown.

By the way, if the insertion groove is not formed in the joint surface of the first and second flanges 22 and 32, it is preferable to install the space keeping member 70 as shown in FIG.

The gap retaining member 70 is provided between the first and second flanges 22 and 32 so that the O-ring 50 is no longer compressed when the O-ring 50 is properly compressed in order to prevent the O-ring 50 from being damaged when the bolt 40 is fastened. It serves to maintain the minimum spacing, and is made of a hard material at least than the O-ring 50, such as SUS.

The space maintaining member 70 is preferably a ring shape like the O-ring 50, but is not necessarily limited to this, as long as it can keep the distance of the first and second flanges 22 and 32 constant. It may also be in the form.

Since the space keeping member 70 is preferably installed in close proximity to the O-ring 50 so as to protect the O-ring 50 as much as possible, it is preferable to install the inside of the O-ring 50 as shown.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 5, the space keeping member 70, the O-ring 50, and the heat transfer member 60 are disposed between the first and second flanges 22 and 32. It is arranged in order from the center to the periphery.

In view of the fastening strength of the bolt, the gap retaining member 70 may be provided outside the O-ring 50.

Meanwhile, although the heat transfer member 60 is installed only between the exhaust line 20 and the adapter tube 30, the second heat transfer member may be installed between the adapter tube 30 and the chamber 11.

When the third flange 34 of the adapter tube 30 is tightly fixed to the bottom or side surface of the chamber 11 by welding or the like, there is no need to interpose such a heat transfer member 60.

However, when the third flange 34 of the adapter tube 30 is fixed to the chamber 11 by using bolts as shown in FIG. 7, the O-ring 50 must be interposed for the vacuum seal, which causes the gap. Since the heat transfer characteristics are inevitably deteriorated, it is preferable to install the heat transfer member 60 between the third flange 34 of the adapter tube 30 and the chamber 11.

Accordingly, the heat of the chamber 11 is transferred to the adapter tube 30 through the second heat transfer member 60, and then to the exhaust line 20 through the first heat transfer member 60.

The shape, material, and installation position of the heat transfer member 60 are as described above, and thus description thereof will be omitted. As described above, the spacing member 70 may be installed around the O-ring 50.

According to the present invention, since the heat transfer from the chamber to the exhaust line can be made smoothly, the temperature gap between the chamber and the exhaust line is greatly reduced.

Therefore, due to the temperature difference between the chamber and the exhaust line, the deposition or deposition of reaction by-products generated in the exhaust line, or the occurrence of particles are reduced. Consequently, the possibility of contaminants generated in the chamber due to the backward flow of exhaust gas is minimized. do.

Claims (11)

A chamber defining a reaction space; A substrate support installed in the chamber; Gas supply means for supplying a raw material to an upper portion of the substrate stabilizer; An exhaust port formed in the chamber to exhaust the exhaust gas; An adapter pipe coupled to an outer side of the chamber and communicating with the exhaust port; An exhaust line connected to an end of the adapter tube; A vacuum seal member installed between the adapter pipe and the exhaust line; A heat transfer member disposed between the adapter tube and the exhaust line and in contact with both the adapter tube and the exhaust line; Substrate processing apparatus comprising a The method of claim 1, The heat transfer member is a substrate processing apparatus made of the same material as the adapter tube The method of claim 2, The heat transfer member and the adapter tube is a substrate processing apparatus made of aluminum The method of claim 1, A first flange is formed at an end of the exhaust line and a second flange is formed at one end of the adapter tube, and the heat transfer member and the vacuum seal member are disposed between the first flange and the second flange. Device The method of claim 4, wherein The heat transfer member has a ring shape having an opening in the center thereof, and the vacuum seal member is an O-ring installed inside or outside the heat transfer member. The method of claim 5, A plurality of bolt holes are formed at the edge of the ring-shaped heat transfer member, and the bolts joining the first and second flanges pass through the bolt holes. The method of claim 5, A substrate treating apparatus is provided between the first flange and the second flange to prevent the O-ring from being damaged due to excessive compression. The method of claim 7, wherein The gap holding member is a ring-shaped member installed inside the O-ring, and is formed of a SUS material. The method of claim 1, A substrate processing apparatus having a second heat transfer member and a second vacuum seal member in contact with both the chamber and the adapter tube between the adapter tube and the chamber. The method of claim 9, The adapter tube is formed with a flange, the second heat transfer member and the second vacuum seal member is disposed between the chamber and the flange substrate processing apparatus The method of claim 10, A substrate processing apparatus further comprising a gap holding member disposed between the chamber and the flange to prevent damage of the second vacuum seal member due to excessive compression.

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