ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION APPARATUS

• US 20100186669A1
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kctech Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: KC Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Shin, In Chul, Kim, Kyung Joon
• Granted Patent: US 8,968,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/719
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45546 specially adapted for a substrate stack in the ALD reactor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67754 horizontal transfer of a batch of workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate

Abstract

An atomic deposition apparatus is provided for simultaneously loading/unloading a plurality of substrates. The atomic deposition apparatus which may load/unload the plurality of substrates when transmitting the plurality of substrates to a process module, includes a loading/unloading module for loading/unloading a substrate, a process module including a plurality of process chambers for simultaneously receiving a plurality of substrates and performing a deposition process, each of the plurality of process chambers including a gas spraying unit having an exhaust portion by which an exhaust gas is drawn in from inside the process chamber and the drawn in gas is exhausted above the process chamber, and a transfer module including a transfer robot provided between the loading/unloading module and the process module, the transfer robot being adopted for simultaneously holding the plurality of substrates while transporting the substrate.

Claims

1. An atomic layer deposition apparatus, comprising:

a loading/unloading module for loading/unloading a substrate;

a process module including a plurality of process chambers for simultaneously receiving a plurality of substrates and performing a deposition process, each of the plurality of process chambers including a gas spraying unit having an exhaust portion by which an exhaust gas is drawn in from inside the process chamber and the drawn in gas is exhausted above the process chamber; and

a transfer module including a transfer robot provided between the loading/unloading module and the process module, the transfer robot being adapted for simultaneously holding the plurality of substrates while transporting the plurality of substrates.

2. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the loading/unloading module includes a load port where the plurality of substrates are stored and a buffer, and, when loading the substrate, the buffer provides the same number of substrates as a number of substrates that are lacking so that a number of substrates stored in the load port and a number of substrates received in the process chamber are in multiples of each other.

3. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 2, wherein the buffer is provided in a side of the transfer module, and an internal pressure of the buffer is selectively decompressed/pressurized to prevent a vacuum state of the transfer module from being broken when transporting the substrate to the transfer module.

4. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer robot includes a plurality of handling arms, each for holding a single piece of the substrates, and the plurality of handling arms is formed into a bar-shape or a ring-shape, each having a predetermined width and traversing a center portion of the substrate to correspond to a diameter of the substrate, so that the substrate is supported from a lower portion of the substrate.

5. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 4, wherein the plurality of handling arms are vertically overlapped when transporting the substrates, and laterally expanded in a ‘

V-shape’

when loading/unloading the substrates on the process chamber.

6. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 4, wherein the transfer module includes a sensor for checking whether the substrate is securely seated on the transfer robot, and the sensor checks whether the substrate is securely seated on the transfer robot in a state where the handling arms are laterally expanded in the ‘

V-shape’

to allow the substrates to be partially overlapped.

7. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein each process chamber includes:

a susceptor unit rotatably provided to allow the plurality of substrates to be laterally seated/supported and revolved, and being vertically movable in the process chamber;

the gas spraying unit being provided on an upper portion of the susceptor unit and including a plurality of spraying regions having at least one source region where a source gas is sprayed and at least one purge region where a purge gas is sprayed, the plurality of spraying regions being defined as a plurality of spraying hole groups by which a single gas of gases used to deposit a thin film on the substrate is provided;

the exhaust portion being provided on the gas spraying unit and adopted for drawing in the exhaust gas in the process chamber and exhausting the drawn in gas;

a heater unit provided on a lower portion of the susceptor unit and adopted for heating the substrate and the susceptor unit; and

a lift pin provided on the susceptor unit to allow the substrate to be seated on the lift pin, and the lift pin being vertically movable to be protruded to the upper portion of the susceptor unit by means of a vertical movement of the susceptor unit.

8. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 7, wherein the exhaust portion includes:

an exhaust line provided along a boundary of the plurality of spraying regions in the gas spraying unit, and defined as a plurality of exhaust hole groups by which the exhaust gas in the process chamber is drawn in and exhausted; and

a center exhaust block formed in a center portion of the gas spraying unit and connected with the exhaust line, the center exhaust block being adapted for drawing in and exhausting an exhaust gas in a center portion of the susceptor unit.

9. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 8, wherein the exhaust portion includes at least two exhaust lines formed to exhaust an exhaust gas drawn in from each of the at least one source region through different exhaust buffers of the at least two exhaust lines.

10. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 9, wherein each exhaust line is formed such that the exhaust gas drawn in from one of the at least one source region and an exhaust gas drawn in from one of the at least one purge region are together exhausted through a single exhaust buffer.

11. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 8, wherein the center exhaust block includes an exhaust path for exhausting an exhaust gas drawn in from the center exhaust block, and the exhaust path is connected with or disconnected from an exhaust buffer.

12. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 8, wherein the center exhaust block has a region having a size corresponding to that of the center portion of the susceptor unit.

13. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 8, wherein the center exhaust block is formed such that exhaust gas from each of the at least one source region is exhausted through a different exhaust path.

14. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 8, wherein the exhaust line further includes an auxiliary exhaust block formed thereon to traverse the plurality of spraying regions, and the auxiliary exhaust block includes an exhaust path for exhausting an exhaust gas drawn in from the auxiliary exhaust block, the exhaust path being connected with the exhaust line and the center exhaust block, or being formed separately from the exhaust line and the center exhaust block.

15. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 7, wherein the lift pin is formed in such a manner as to pass through the susceptor unit and to be extended to the lower portion of the susceptor unit, and a lower end of the lift pin is brought into contact with the heater unit when the susceptor unit descends, so that the lift pin is protruded to the upper portion of the susceptor unit, and the lift pin descends by its unladen weight when the susceptor unit ascends.

16. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 15, wherein the heater unit includes a pin guide hole for receiving the lower end of the lift pin when the susceptor unit descends to prevent the lift pin from being protruded, and the pin guide hole receives the lift pin with respect to seated positions corresponding to remaining substrates excluding two pieces of loaded/unloaded substrates when the susceptor unit descends.

17. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 7, wherein the lift pin of loaded positions corresponding to two pieces of loaded/unloaded substrates is protruded in heights different from one another to correspond to a difference in heights where the substrate is loaded/unloaded.

18. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 7, wherein the heater unit includes a heating element of a wire type or a filament type embedded in the heater unit for generating heat when power is applied in a sealed interior of a housing of the heater unit.

19. The atomic layer deposition apparatus of claim 18, wherein the heater unit includes at least one heating element disposed in a curved line-shape, so that a plurality of heating regions is created in locations corresponding to the plurality of substrates.