EP1237177A2

Apparatus and method for etching semiconductor wafers

Abstract

A batch-type etching device and a method, which enable a stable process with high reproducibility by preventing contamination of CVD equipment by effectively removing H2O, CH3OH or CH3COOH and byproducts adsorbing and remaining on the surface of a semiconductor wafer after etching is completed, are provided. The device comprises a reaction chamber, an exhaust port for evacuating the air inside the reaction chamber, a wafer-supporting boat for supporting at least one batch of semiconductor wafers inside the reaction chamber, a gas inlet port for introducing a reaction gas into the reaction chamber, and a microwave generator. The microwave generator is adapted to introduce microwaves into reaction chamber so that substances which adsorb and remain on the semiconductor wafers are desorbed and removed after etching is completed.

EP1237177A2, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 3

Term

Term ended

Projected expiry passed 11 February 2022, 4.6 years ago.

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  2. Filed
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11 claims: 2 independent, 9 dependent

  1. 1
    A device for etching semiconductor wafers, comprising:a reaction chamber, an exhaust port adapted to evacuate said reaction chamber, a wafer-supporting boat adapted to support said semiconductor wafers inside said reaction chamber, an inlet port adapted to introduce a reaction gas into said reaction chamber, and a microwave generator adapted to apply microwaves to said reaction chamber after etching is completed so that substances that adsorb and remain on said semiconductor wafers are desorbed and removed.
  2. 2
    The device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said reaction chamber and said wafer-supporting boat means are comprised of a material having corrosion resistance against HF and which is transparent to microwave radiation.
  3. 3
    The device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said reaction chamber and said wafer-supporting boat means are comprised of either Al 2 O 3 or polypropylene.
  4. 4
    The device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said microwaves are applied at a frequency of 2.45GHz.
  5. 5
    The device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said reaction gas comprises HF gas and at least one type of H 2 O gas, CH 3 OH gas, or CH 3 COOH gas.
  6. 6
    A method for etching semiconductor wafers using a batch-type etching device comprising:providing a reaction chamber, an exhaust port, a wafer supporting boat, a microwave generator, and an inlet port, evacuating said reaction chamber using said exhaust port, introducing a reaction gas using said inlet port until a pressure is attained, etching said semiconductor wafers for a first time period, evacuating said reaction chamber after said first time period, and applying microwaves to said semiconductor wafers for a second time period using said microwave generator.
  7. 7
    The method of Claim 6, wherein said reaction chamber and said wafer-supporting boat are comprised of a material which has corrosion resistance against HF and which is transparent to microwave energy.
  8. 8
    The method of Claim 6, wherein said reaction chamber and said wafer-supporting boat are comprised of Al 2 O 3 or polypropylene.
  9. 9
    The method of Claim 6, wherein the frequency of said microwaves is 2.45 GHz.
  10. 10
    The method of Claim 6, wherein said reaction gas comprises HF gas and at least one type of H 2 O gas, CH 3 OH gas, or CH 3 COOH gas.
  11. 11
    The method of Claim 6, further comprising purging said reaction chamber with N 2 gas after applying said microwaves.