Showerhead with branched gas receiving channel and apparatus including the same for use in manufacturing semiconductor substrates

• US 20060011298A1
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bae, Byoung-Jae, Lim, Ji-Eun, Choi, Young-Bae
• Application Number:
  US11/177,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20060011298A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.340
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45514 Mixing in close vicinity to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45574 Nozzles for more than one gas

Abstract

Showerheads for use in an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate include an injection plate defining a bottom face of a gas receiving space in the showerhead and a gas receiving channel extending within the injection plate. A plurality of exhausting holes in the injection plate are coupled to the gas receiving channel. The exhausting holes are configured to exhaust gas from the gas receiving channel to the bottom face of the gas receiving space. A plurality of channels extend through the injection plate from the bottom face of the gas receiving space configured to flow gas from the bottom face of the gas receiving space out of the space.

Claims

1. A showerhead for use in an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate, the showerhead comprising:

an injection plate defining a bottom face of a gas receiving space in the showerhead;

a gas receiving channel extending within the injection plate;

a plurality of exhausting holes in the injection plate coupled to the gas receiving channel, the exhausting holes being configured to exhaust gas from the gas receiving channel to the bottom face of the gas receiving space; and

a plurality of channels extending through the injection plate from the bottom face of the gas receiving space configured to flow gas from the bottom face of the gas receiving space out of the space.

2. The showerhead of claim 1, wherein the showerhead is configured to be received in a chamber of the apparatus and wherein a portion of the gas receiving channel is defined by an air gap defined by a side wall of the chamber and an outer wall of the injection plate positioned adjacent thereto.

3. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the gas receiving channel comprises a branched channel including a plurality of respective division lines extending to respective ones of the plurality of exhausting holes.

4. The showerhead of claim 3 wherein the division lines are symmetrically arranged extending through the injection plate.

5. The showerhead of claim 4 wherein a single receiving line configured to receive a gas into the gas receiving channel is coupled to the gas receiving channel and wherein the division lines are symmetrically arranged with respect to the receiving line.

6. The showerhead of claim 3 wherein a plurality of the division lines comprise curved line portions extending in an arc circumferentially around the injection plate.

7. A substrate treating apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate including the showerhead of claim 1, the apparatus further comprising:

a chamber; and

a supporting stand positioned in the chamber and configured to receiver a semiconductor wafer substrate thereon.

8. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gas receiving channel comprises:

a receiving line configured to receive a gas from outside the chamber;

exhausting lines extending to the exhausting holes; and

connection lines that branch from the receiving line and connect to the exhausting lines.

9. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the connection lines comprise two connection lines and wherein the connection lines are symmetrically arranged with respect to the receiving line.

10. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of the connection lines comprises:

a first division line divided from the receiving line; and

two second division lines divided from each of the first division lines, wherein each pair of the second division lines are symmetrically arranged with respect to the associated one of the first division line.

11. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the first division lines comprises:

a curved line portion extending in an arc circumferentially around the injection plate; and

a straight line portion that extends from the curved line portion in an inward radial direction of the injection plate to define a straight line of a predetermined length;

wherein the curved line portion of each of the first division line is an arc having a central angle of about 90°

such that the straight line portions of each of the first division lines are arranged on a straight line.

12. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the two second division lines divided from one of the first division lines comprises:

a curved line portion that extends in an arc circumferentially around the injection plate; and

a straight line portion that extends from the curved line portion of the second division line in the radial direction of the injection plate in the inward radial direction to define a straight line of predetermined length;

wherein the curved line portion of the second division line is an arc having a central angle of about 45°

.

13. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 10, wherein the curved line portion of the first division line comprises an air gap formed between a side wall of the process chamber and an outer wall of the first injection plate.

14. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the connection lines are arranged in the apparatus so that gas flows horizontally therein and wherein the exhausting lines are arranged in the apparatus so that gas flows vertically therein.

15. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 8, wherein the connection lines connecting the receiving line to the exhausting lines are arranged in a repeating pattern of dividing one line into two lines and of dividing each of the divided lines into two lines again a plurality of times between the receiving line and the exhausting lines.

16. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 15, wherein the connection lines are configured to provide a substantially uniform pressure of gas injected from each of the plurality of exhausting holes.

17. The showerhead of claim 1, wherein the shower head further comprises:

a second injection plate defining a bottom face of a second gas receiving space configured to receive a second gas, the second injection plate being positioned proximate the first injection plate, and

wherein the second injection plate includes a second gas receiving channel configured to flow the second gas therein to the second space and a plurality of second channels extending through the second injection plate from the bottom face of the second gas receiving space configured to flow gas from the bottom face of the second gas receiving space out of the second gas receiving space.

18. The showerhead of claim 17, wherein the first gas receiving space is defined by a groove formed in a top surface of the first injection plate that defines a bottom face of the first gas receiving space, and wherein the second gas receiving space is formed by a groove formed in a top surface of the second injection plate that defines the bottom face of the second gas receiving space.

19. The showerhead of claim 17, further comprising projections having a gas passage therein extending from the second injection plate to outlets of the plurality of channels extending through the first injection plate.

20. The showerhead of claim 19, wherein the shower head further comprises:

a first side wall arranged to surround the first injection plate and protrude above the first injection plate;

a second side wall arranged to surround the second injection plate and protrude above the second injection plate; and

wherein the projections comprise insertion pipes.

21. The showerhead of claim 17, wherein the second gas receiving channel comprises:

a receiving line configured to connect to a gas supplying pipe;

exhausting lines connected to a plurality of exhausting holes in the second injection plate that are configured to exhaust gas into the second gas receiving space; and

connection lines extending from the receiving line to the exhausting lines that are arranged in a repeating pattern of dividing one line into two lines and of dividing each of the divided lines into two lines again a plurality of times between the receiving line and the exhausting lines.

22. The showerhead of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is a deposition apparatus.

23. The showerhead of claim 22, wherein the first gas comprises a material having larger atomic weight than an atomic weight of a material that comprises the second gas.

24. The showerhead of claim 22, wherein the first gas is a metal organic source gas.

25. The showerhead of claim 24, wherein the first gas comprises lead (Pb), zirconium (Zr), and/or titanimum (Ti), and wherein the second gas comprises oxygen.

26. The showerhead of claim 25, wherein the second injection plate comprises aluminum.

27. A substrate treating apparatus for performing a deposition process of forming a thin film on a substrate, the substrate treating apparatus comprising:

a chamber;

a supporting stand arranged in the chamber such that a substrate is placed thereon; and

a shower head arranged in the chamber to supply a gas onto the substrate placed on the supporting stand,

wherein the shower head comprises injection plates arranged to form a plurality of layers such that spaces to which the gas is received are formed on the top surfaces of the injection plates, and

wherein each of the respective injection plates comprises a gas receiving channel through which the gas is supplied to the space formed in the top surface thereof and holes that are channels through which the gas is exhausted from the space.

28. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 27, wherein the gas receiving channel comprises:

a receiving line connected to an outer supplying pipe;

exhausting lines connected to the exhausting holes formed on the bottom of the second space; and

connection lines divided from the receiving line to be connected to the exhausting lines,

wherein the gas receiving line comprises the two connection lines, and

wherein the connection lines are symmetrical with each other based on the receiving line.

29. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 28, wherein the connection lines are formed by repeating processes of dividing one line into two lines from the receiving line and of dividing each of the divided lines into two lines symmetrical with each other again at least once.

30. The substrate treating apparatus of claim 27, wherein the shower head comprises:

a first injection plate arranged in the upper portion; and

a second injection plate arranged below the first injection plate,

wherein protrusions inserted into the holes formed in the first injection plate and having holes inside are formed on the top surface of the second injection plate.