SUBSTRATE-PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE-PROCESSING METHOD FOR SELECTIVELY INSERTING DIFFUSION PLATES

• US 20120135145A1
• Filed: 07/02/2010
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eugene Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Eugene Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Je, Sung Tae, Park, Chan Yong, Kim, Kyoung Hun
• Granted Patent: US 8,771,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/248.1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate-processing apparatus comprises: a lower chamber with an open top; an upper chamber which covers the top of the lower chamber, and which cooperates with the lower chamber to form an internal space for substrate-processing; a shower head arranged in a lower portion of the upper chamber to supply reaction gas to the internal space, and forming a buffer space between the shower head and the upper chamber; a gas supply port formed in the upper chamber to supply reaction gas to the buffer space; and a diffusion unit arranged in the buffer space to diffuse the reaction gas supplied through the gas supply port. The diffusion unit includes: a plurality of diffusion areas which are blocked from each other, in order to enable the reaction gas to be diffused therein; a plurality of diffusion holes for placing the gas supply port and the diffusion areas in communication; and one or more diffusion plates, the shapes of which correspond to the shapes of the diffusion areas, and which are selectively inserted into the respective diffusion areas.

Claims

1. A substrate-processing apparatus comprising:

a lower chamber having an opened upper side;

an upper chamber opening or closing the upper side of the lower chamber, the upper chamber cooperating with the lower chamber to define an inner space in which a process for processing a substrate is performed;

a shower head disposed in a lower portion of the upper chamber to supply a reaction gas toward the inner space, the shower head together with the upper chamber defining a buffer space therebetween;

a gas supply port disposed in the upper chamber to supply the reaction gas into the buffer space; and

a diffusion unit disposed in the buffer space to diffuse the reaction gas supplied through the gas supply port,

wherein the diffusion unit comprises;

a plurality of diffusion areas in which the reaction gas is diffused, the plurality of diffusion areas being blocked from each other;

a plurality of diffusion holes communicating with the gas supply port and the diffusion areas, respectively; and

one or more diffusion plates each having a shape corresponding to each of the diffusion areas, the one or more diffusion plates being selectively inserted into the diffusion areas.

2. The substrate-processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the diffusion areas comprises:

a block plate disposed parallel to and spaced from one surface of the shower head, the block plate having the diffusion holes; and

sidewalls protruding from one surface of the block plate facing injection holes defined in the shower head to partition a space spaced between the block plate and the one surface of the shower head into the diffusion areas.

3. The substrate-processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diffusion areas comprise:

a central area;

a plurality of first areas disposed about the central area; and

a plurality of second areas disposed about the plurality of first areas, respectively.

4. The substrate-processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a support plate disposed under the shower head to place the substrate thereon,

wherein the one or more diffusion plates are respectively inserted into the diffusion areas according to process rates of the corresponding substrate areas.

5. The substrate-processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of diffusion plates are stacked on the diffusion areas.

6. A substrate-processing apparatus comprising:

a chamber defining an inner space in which a process for processing a substrate is performed; and

a diffusion unit disposed in an upper portion of the chamber to diffuse a reaction gas supplied from the outside,

wherein the diffusion unit comprises;

a plurality of diffusion areas in which the reaction gas is diffused, the plurality of diffusion areas being blocked from each other; and

one or more diffusion plates selectively inserted into the diffusion areas.

7. The substrate-processing apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a support plate on which the substrate is placed thereon,

wherein the one or more diffusion plates are respectively inserted into the diffusion areas according to process rates of the corresponding substrate areas.

8. The substrate-processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of diffusion plates are stacked on the diffusion areas.

9. The substrate-processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the diffusion areas are disposed substantially parallel to the substrate.

10. A substrate-processing method using a diffusion unit comprising a plurality of diffusion areas disposed in an upper portion of a chamber to diffuse a reaction gas supplied from the outside and blocked from each other, the substrate-processing method comprising:

selectively inserting diffusion plates into the diffusion areas to control a process rate with respect to a substrate.

11. The substrate-processing method of claim 10, further comprising searching the process rate with respect to the substrate;

and

inserting the diffusion plate into a first diffusion area corresponding to an area having a high process rate of the diffusion areas.

12. The substrate-processing method of claim 10, further comprising searching the process rate with respect to the substrate;

and

inserting the diffusion plate into a second diffusion area corresponding to an area having a low process rate of the diffusion areas.

13. The substrate-processing method of claim 10, wherein the diffusion areas are disposed substantially parallel to the substrate.