Shower head and substrate processing apparatus

• US 8,236,106 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Iizuka, Hachishiro, Kiriishi, Fumiko, Komiyama, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US12/403,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20090229754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 118/728, 118/50, 156/345.29, 156/345.33, 156/345.34, 156/345.35, 156/345.36
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45508 Radial flow
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow

Abstract

A shower head is provided in a processing chamber for processing a substrate therein. Further, the shower head has a facing surface facing a mounting table for mounting thereon the substrate and serves to supply one or more gases through the facing surface toward the substrate. The shower head includes a central gas supply unit for supplying a first gas through a central portion of the facing surface toward the substrate, a peripheral gas supply unit for supplying a second gas through a peripheral portion of the facing surface toward the substrate and a gas exhaust unit, provided with a plurality of gas exhaust holes formed between the central gas supply unit and the peripheral gas supply unit, for exhausting the first and the second gas from the facing surface.

Claims

1. A shower head provided in a processing chamber for processing a substrate therein, the shower head having a facing surface facing a mounting table for mounting thereon the substrate and serving to supply a gas through the facing surface toward the substrate, the shower head comprising:

a central gas supply unit for supplying the gas through the center of the facing surface toward the substrate;

a peripheral gas supply unit for supplying the gas through a peripheral portion of the facing surface toward the substrate; and

a gas exhaust unit, provided with a plurality of gas exhaust holes formed between the central and the peripheral gas supply unit, for exhausting the gas through the facing surface,

wherein the central gas supply unit includes a plurality of central gas injection openings provided at the center of the facing surface to supply the gas toward the substrate, a central gas diffusion space formed in the shower head to directly face the central gas injection openings, and a gas inlet portion connected to the central gas diffusion space to supply the gas thereto,

wherein the peripheral gas supply unit includes a plurality of peripheral gas injection openings provided at the peripheral portion of the facing surface to supply the gas toward the substrate and a peripheral gas diffusion space formed in the shower head to directly face the peripheral gas injection openings, and

wherein a plurality of gas channels are formed radially from the center toward the peripheral portion of the shower head, so that the central gas diffusion space communicates with the peripheral gas diffusion space.

2. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the shower head is a facing electrode facing the mounting table.

7. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the peripheral gas injection openings have a ring shape.

9. The shower head of claim 1, wherein each of the gas channels consists of a first gas channel exit area free of exhaust holes at the central gas injection openings and a second gas channel exit area free of exhaust holes at the peripheral gas injection openings.

11. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the central gas injection openings are radially surrounded by a circle consisting of gas exhaust holes, and wherein the circle consisting of gas exhaust holes is radially surrounded by a ring consisting of peripheral gas injection openings.

13. The shower head of claim 11, wherein the ring consisting of peripheral gas injection holes has an inner circumference and an outer circumference, and wherein the peripheral gas injection openings extend radially outward from the inner circumference to the outer circumference.

15. The shower head of claim 11, wherein a ring which is free of holes or openings is formed between a circumference of the circle consisting of gas exhaust holes and an inner circumference of the ring consisting of peripheral gas injection openings.

17. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the gas inlet portion is provided above the center of the facing surface to supply the gas toward the substrate.

19. The shower head of claim 1, wherein the gas supplied through the gas inlet portion is guided from the central gas diffusion space to the peripheral gas diffusion space via the gas channels.

3. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber for processing a substrate therein;

a mounting table provided in the processing chamber for mounting thereon the substrate; and

a shower head having a facing surface facing the mounting table and serving to supply a gas in a shower head through the facing surface to the substrate,

wherein the shower head includes;

a central gas supply unit for supplying the gas through the center of the facing surface toward the substrate;

a peripheral gas supply unit for supplying the gas through a peripheral portion of the facing surface toward the substrate; and

a gas exhaust unit, provided with a plurality of gas exhaust holes formed between the central and the peripheral gas supply units, for exhausting the gas through the facing surface,

wherein the central gas supply unit includes a plurality of central gas injection openings provided at the center of the facing surface to supply the gas toward the substrate, a central gas diffusion space formed in the shower head to directly face the central gas injection openings, and a gas inlet portion connected to the central gas diffusion space to supply the gas thereto,

wherein the peripheral gas supply unit includes a plurality of peripheral gas injection openings provided at the peripheral portion of the facing surface to supply the gas toward the substrate and a peripheral gas diffusion space formed in the shower head to directly face the peripheral gas injection openings, and

wherein a plurality of gas channels are formed radially from the center toward the peripheral portion of the shower head, so that the central gas diffusion space communicates with the peripheral gas diffusion space.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the shower head has a facing electrode facing the mounting table.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein a high frequency power is applied between the shower head and the mounting table to generate a plasma, and the substrate is processed by using the plasma.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the substrate is etched by the plasma.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the peripheral gas injection openings have a ring shape.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the gas channels consists of a first gas channel exit area free of exhaust holes at the central gas injection openings and a second gas channel exit area free of exhaust holes at the peripheral gas injection openings.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the central gas injection openings are radially surrounded by a circle consisting of gas exhaust holes, and wherein the circle consisting of gas exhaust holes is radially surrounded by a ring consisting of peripheral gas injection openings.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the ring consisting of peripheral gas injection holes has an inner circumference and an outer circumference, and wherein the peripheral gas injection openings extend radially outward from the inner circumference to the outer circumference.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein a ring which is free of holes or openings is formed between a circumference of the circle consisting of gas exhaust holes and an inner circumference of the ring consisting of peripheral gas injection openings.

18. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the gas inlet portion is provided above the center of the facing surface to supply the gas toward the substrate.

20. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the gas supplied through the gas inlet portion is guided from the central gas diffusion space to the peripheral gas diffusion space via the gas channels.