PLASMA BOAT FOR RECEIVING WAFERS WITH REGULATED PLASMA DEPOSITION

Abstract

A plasma boat for receiving wafers with partial damping of the plasma deposition comprises a number of boat plates spaced apart in parallel, which are provided with wafer holders for receiving upright wafers, in order to securely hold the wafers during transport and during the depositing process in a coating chamber, and wherein the boat plates are mechanically connected to one another by electrically insulating spacers. This provides a plasma boat, with regulated plasma deposition, which ensures a deposition on wafers that is uniform over the surface area thereof and has a constant layer thickness. This is achieved by a damping element (12) being respectively arranged between the wafer holders (16) located parallel to one another, between adjacent boat plates (15), and electrically insulated with respect to the latter on spacer elements (2).

Claims

1.-9. (canceled)

10. A plasma boat for receiving wafers (1) with partial attenuation of a plasma deposition, comprising: a plurality of boat plates (15) arranged parallel and at a distance from one another, which are provided with wafer receptacles (16) for upright reception of the wafers (1), which respectively comprise a lower frame element (3) and holding arms (10) protruding from the latter with reception elements (11) oriented inward which respectively enclose circumferential edges of the wafers (1), in order to hold the wafers (1) securely during transport and during a deposition process in a coating chamber, the boat plates (15) being mechanically connected to one another by electrically insulating spacers (2), wherein between the wafer receptacles (16) located parallel next to one another, an attenuation element (12) is in each case arranged between neighboring boat plates (15) while being electrically insulated from them, the attenuation elements (12) corresponding to the wafer receptacles (16) without reception elements (11) or being configured as plates with a large area, which cover the lower region of the wafers (1).

11. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 10, wherein the attenuation elements (16) are arranged on or between the insulating spacers (2) respectively between two neighboring boat plates (15).

12. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 10, wherein the attenuation elements (16) respectively consist of a lower frame element (4) and two vertical bars (13), which protrude from the lower frame element (4) at a distance from one another and which respectively extend into a gap between two wafer receptacles (16) located parallel next to one another.

13. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the attenuation elements (16) respectively cover an area which corresponds approximately to the lower half of the wafers (1) located in the wafer receptacles (16).

14. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the bars (13) and the lower frame element (4) of the attenuation element (12) enclose an area which corresponds greater than or equal to a contour of the lower half of the wafers (1) fitted into the wafer receptacles (16).

15. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the area enclosed by the bars (13) and the lower frame element (4) is less than a contour of the lower half of the wafers (1) fitted into the wafer receptacles (16).

16. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 10, wherein the attenuation element (12) as a plate with a large area covers approximately one third or half of a contour of the wafers (1) located in the wafer receptacles (16).

17. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 16, wherein the attenuation element (12) in the form of a plate is recessed in the shape of an arc so that only the lower and the lateral edge regions of the wafers (1) located in the wafer receptacles (16) are covered.

18. The plasma boat as claimed in claim 10, wherein the attenuation elements (12) consist of ceramic, porcelain, graphite, metal.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment. In the associated figures of the drawing,

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a detail of a wafer boat with a plurality of wafers arranged next to and behind one another, on which regions with an excessively thick coating are visible in the edge region at the bottom and laterally;

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a perspective representation of a wafer boat with attenuation elements in the form of frames, respectively consisting of a lower frame element and two vertical bars;

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a detail representation of a wafer boat according to FIG. 2; and

[0024] FIG. 4 shows a wafer boat, partially represented in section, with an attenuation element in the form of a frame and insulating spacers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the wafer boat 14 consists of a plurality of boat plates 15 located parallel next to one another and oriented edge-up, having a lower frame element 3, 5 and holding arms 10 protruding from the latter with fork-, u- or v-shaped reception elements 11 oriented inward, which form the wafer receptacles 16 for receiving wafers 1 (FIG. 4), the reception elements 11 respectively enclosing the circumferential edges of the wafers 1 and securing them in the wafer receptacles 16 so that they do not fall out (FIG. 2). Each of the boat plates 15 contains a plurality of such wafer receptacles 16 arranged behind one another.

[0026] The length of the holding arms 10 is dimensioned in such a way that they reach approximately to half the height of the wafers 1 fitted into the wafer receptacles 16. In principle, it is also possible respectively to fit two wafers 1 back-to-back in the wafer receptacles 16.

[0027] For secure reception of the wafers 1 in the wafer receptacles 16, three reception elements 11 are sufficient in each case, specifically at the upper end of the holding arm 10 respectively on the left according to the drawing, approximately in the middle of the right holding arm 10, and in the lower frame element 3, 5.

[0028] The boat plates 15 oriented parallel to one another, which consist of graphite, CFC or titanium, are mechanically connected to one another and held at a distance from one another by electrically insulating spacers 2 (FIG. 4).

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, for example, four boat plates 15 are connected to one another by means of the insulating spacers 2, so that in each case four wafers 1 can be fitted parallel next to one another into the wafer receptacles 16. Furthermore, in each case the first and the third as well as the second and the fourth boat plates 15 are respectively connected electrically conductively to one another by means of connecting elements 6, which are connected in a latching fashion to different voltage potentials by means of contact elements 7, 8 when introduced into a coating chamber (not represented). That is to say, the first and the third boat plates 15 and the second and the fourth boat plates 15 are respectively at the same electrical potential.

[0030] Of course, more than four boat plates 15 may also be arranged next to one another, in which case all the odd-numbered and all the even-numbered boat plates 15 are respectively to be connected electrically to one another by the connecting elements 6.

[0031] During the PECVD coating process in a coating chamber, a plasma must also burn in the gap between the wafers 1, the wafers 1 being coated by supplying gases comprising the materials to be deposited. In this case, it has been found that the wafers 1 are coated nonuniformly, and specifically that, particularly in the edge region, excessively coated regions 9 are formed at the bottom and laterally, i.e. in the region of the holding arms 10 and of the lower frame element 3, 5 of the boat plate 15 (see FIG. 1). The reason for this effect is apparently is a nonuniform intensity distribution of the plasma burning between the wafers 1.

[0032] It has now been found that particularly uniform coating of the wafer 1 may be achieved with simple means.

[0033] To this end, in each case an attenuation element 12 consisting of ceramic, porcelain, graphite, metal is respectively inserted between two neighboring boat plates 15 in the region between the wafer receptacles 16. What is functionally important in this case is that the attenuation elements 12 are necessarily arranged so that they are insulated from the boat plates on or between the spacing elements 2 between two neighboring boat plates 15.

[0034] The attenuation elements 12 are in principle constructed in a similar way to the boat plates 15, but without reception elements 11, and consist of a lower frame element 4 and two vertical bars 13, which respectively extend from the lower frame element 4 at a distance from one another into the gap between two neighboring wafers, specifically in such a way that a position of the bars 13 corresponds approximately to the position of the holding arms 10 for the reception the wafers 1, the lower frame element 4 of the attenuation element 12 corresponding to the lower frame element 3, 5 of the wafer receptacle 16. The bars 13 and the lower frame element 4 of the attenuation element 12 enclose an area corresponding to the contour of the wafers 1 fitted in the wafer boat 14, although the enclosed area may also be less than the contour of the wafer 1 (FIG. 4).

[0035] The attenuation element 12 may also be configured as a plate with a large area, which covers the lower region of the wafers 1, i.e. approximately one third or half of the gap between neighboring wafers 1.

[0036] Alternatively, the attenuation element 12 may also be recessed in the shape of an arc so that only the lower and the lateral edge regions of the wafers 1 are covered.

[0037] The effect achieved by the attenuation elements 12 is that the plasma can no longer burn over the entire area between the neighboring wafers 1 and is partially attenuated by the attenuation elements 12, particularly in the regions 9 which are otherwise exposed to excessive coating. The result is regularization of the coating of the surface of the wafers over the entire area.

[0038] A further advantage of the attenuation elements 12 between the wafer receptacles 16 is that the heating and homogenization times of the plasma boat equipped with wafers 1 are not significantly influenced.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0039] 1 wafer

[0040] 2 spacer

[0041] 3 lower frame element

[0042] 4 lower frame element of the attenuation element

[0043] 5 lower frame element

[0044] 6 connecting element

[0045] 7 contact element

[0046] 8 contact element

[0047] 9 excessively coated region

[0048] 10 holding arm

[0049] 11 reception element

[0050] 12 attenuation element

[0051] 13 vertical bar

[0052] 14 wafer boat

[0053] 15 boat plate

[0054] 16 wafer receptacle