Activated gas injector, film deposition apparatus, and film deposition method

• US 9,053,909 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2009
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kato, Hitoshi, Takeuchi, Yasushi, Kikuchi, Hiroyuki, Ushikubo, Shigehiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US12/547,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20100055347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,113 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723.E, 118/723.R, 156/345.43, 156/345.44, 156/345.45, 156/345.55
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/452 by activating reactive gas streams before their introduction into the reaction chamber, e.g. by ionisation or addition of reactive species
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45517 Confinement of gases to vicinity of substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45563 Gas nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45578 Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4584 the substrate being rotated
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/509 using internal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5093 Coaxial electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 1/00 Details of electrodes, of magnetic control means, of screens, or of the mounting or spacing thereof, common to two or more basic types of discharge tubes or lamps details of electron-optical arrangements or of ion traps H01J3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32559 Protection means, e.g. coatings

Abstract

An activated gas injector includes a flow passage defining member partitioned into a gas activation passage and a gas introduction passage by a partition wall; a gas introduction port through which a process gas is introduced into the gas introduction passage; a pair of electrodes to be supplied with electrical power to activate the process gas, wherein the electrodes extend along the partition wall in the gas activation passage; through-holes formed in the partition wall and arranged along a longitudinal direction of the electrodes, wherein the through-holes allow the process gas to flow from the gas introduction passage to the gas activation passage; and gas ejection holes provided in the gas activation passage along the longitudinal direction of the electrodes, wherein the gas ejection holes allow the process gas activated in the gas activation passage to be ejected therefrom.

Claims

1. An activated gas injector comprising:

a flow passage defining member having an enclosed space surrounded by circumferential walls extending longer in a first horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, the circumferential walls including a ceiling wall, a bottom wall and first and second side walls, the enclosed space being partitioned into a gas activation chamber and a gas introduction chamber by a partition wall, all of the gas activation chamber, the gas introduction chamber and the partition wall extending longer in the first horizontal direction than in the vertical direction, the gas introduction chamber being defined by the ceiling wall, the first side wall, the bottom wall of the circumferential walls and the partition wall along the first horizontal direction, the gas activation chamber being defined by the ceiling wall, the second side wall and the bottom wall of the circumference walls and the partition wall along the first horizontal direction, a first distance between the first side wall and the partition wall within the gas introduction chamber being longer than a second distance between the second side wall and the partition wall within the gas activation chamber in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction within a horizontal plane, the partition wall having a plurality of cut-out portions to form through-holes to allow the gas introduction chamber to be communicated with the gas activation chamber, the through-holes being defined by the ceiling wall of the circumferential walls and the cut-out portions of the partition wall arranged at predetermined first intervals in the first horizontal direction along the ceiling wall;

a gas introduction nozzle through which a process gas is introduced into the gas introduction chamber, the gas introduction nozzle being provided in the gas introduction chamber extending along an inner surface of the first side wall of the circumferential walls, the gas introduction nozzle extending along the first horizontal direction, the gas introduction nozzle having a plurality of gas discharge holes arranged at predetermined second intervals different from the first intervals along the first horizontal direction;

a pair of electrodes provided in the gas activation chamber and to be supplied with electrical power to activate the process gas so as to form a plasma generation portion therebetween, wherein the pair of electrodes extends along the first horizontal direction in parallel to each other within the horizontal plane in the gas activation chamber defined by the ceiling wall, the bottom wall and the second side wall of the circumferential walls and the partition wall, the pair of electrodes including a first electrode on the partition wall side and a second electrode on the second side wall side of the circumferential wall, a third distance between the gas introduction nozzle and the partition wall being longer than a fourth distance between the first electrode and the partition wall; and

gas ejection holes provided in the gas activation chamber along the longitudinal direction of the electrodes, the gas ejection holes being formed in one of the circumferential walls that are at the same distance from both of the electrodes and right under the plasma generation portion, wherein the gas ejection holes allow the process gas activated in the gas activation chamber to be ejected therefrom to outside of the circumferential walls.

2. The activated gas injector of claim 1, wherein each of the electrodes is covered by ceramics when the activating unit includes the pair of the electrodes.

3. The activated gas injector of claim 1, wherein the gas introduction nozzle is connected at a base end thereof to a gas introduction port.