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CN-122003520-A - Plasma source for patterned deposition

CN122003520ACN 122003520 ACN122003520 ACN 122003520ACN-122003520-A

Abstract

A plasma source (100) includes a plasma deposition head (110) having an orifice (111) for delivering an atmospheric pressure plasma to a substrate (50). An electrode plate (120) is mounted in a slot cavity (112) of the deposition head. A gas supply system (130) is arranged for supplying a mass flow of gas through a gap (G) between the electrode plate and the deposition head towards the substrate. A removable insert (140) is removably mounted in the gap, the removable insert being arranged to pattern an atmospheric pressure plasma flow toward the substrate by partially blocking a section of the slot cavity to form a patterning channel between the gas supply system and the aperture.

Inventors

  • V. Dylan
  • J. A. Smeltenko
  • P. Bert

Assignees

  • 斯帕尔克纳诺有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20240906
Priority Date
20230908

Claims (14)

  1. 1. A plasma source (100), comprising: -a plasma deposition head (110) comprising an aperture (111) arranged for delivering atmospheric pressure plasma from the deposition head to a substrate (50) and comprising a slot cavity (112) extending from the aperture (111), and -An electrode plate (120) mounted in the slot cavity (112) and extending from the interior of the deposition head (110) towards the aperture (111); -a gas supply system (130) arranged for supplying a gas mass flow towards the substrate (50) through a gap (G) between the electrode plate (120) and the deposition head (110), wherein the electrode plate (120) is arranged for generating an atmospheric pressure plasma in the gas mass flow; Wherein a removable insert (140) is removably mounted in the gap (G), the removable insert (140) being arranged for patterning the atmospheric pressure plasma stream onto the substrate (50) by locally blocking a section of the slot cavity (112) thereby forming a patterning channel between the gas supply system (130) and the aperture (111).
  2. 2. The plasma source of claim 1, wherein the removable insert (140) comprises one or more cutouts (141) extending between the gas supply system (130) and the aperture (111).
  3. 3. The plasma source (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the removable insert (140) comprises a plurality of shims arranged in a stack.
  4. 4. The plasma source (100) of claim 3, wherein at least one of the plurality of shims is provided with a slit (141) extending between the gas supply system (130) and the orifice (111).
  5. 5. The plasma source (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the removable insert (140) forms one or more first channels (142) adjacent to the electrode plate (120) for guiding a first portion of the gas mass flow, and one or more second channels (143) isolated from the electrode plate (120) for guiding a second portion of the gas mass flow, wherein the one or more first channels (142) and the one or more second channels (143) are arranged in an alternating pattern across a width of the electrode plate (120).
  6. 6. The plasma source (100) of claim 5, wherein the gas supply system (130) is arranged for supplying the first portion of the gas mass flow through the one or more first channels (142) and the second portion of the gas mass flow through the second channel (143), wherein the first portion is equal to the second portion.
  7. 7. The plasma source (100) of claim 5 or 6, wherein the first channel (142) is defined by a first cutout (141-1) in one or more first shims (140-1), and wherein the second channel (143) is defined by a second cutout (141-2) in one or more second shims (140-2).
  8. 8. The plasma source (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the removable insert (140) is clamped between the electrode plate (120) and the deposition head (110).
  9. 9. The plasma source (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the removable insert (140) comprises an alignment arrangement (145) configured to align the removable insert (140) with respect to the electrode plate (120) and/or the deposition head (110).
  10. 10. The plasma source (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the removable insert (140) is made of an electrically conductive material for locally providing an electrical connection between the electrode plate (120) and the deposition head (110).
  11. 11. The plasma source (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the electrode plate (120) comprises a high voltage electrode (121) that substantially spans the width of the electrode plate (120) in a continuous manner.
  12. 12. The plasma source (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the electrode plate (120) is suspended at a distance from each parallel wall (113, 114) of the slot cavity (112), wherein the gas supply system (130) is arranged for supplying the gas mass flow and the first and second portions through respective first and second gaps (G1, G2) on opposite sides of the electrode plate (120), wherein a removable insert (140) is removably mounted in the first and second gaps (G1, G2).
  13. 13. The plasma source (100) according to any preceding claim, wherein the plasma deposition head (110) comprises a further aperture for delivering a precursor gas flow from the deposition head to the substrate (50), and a further slot cavity (112 ') extending from the further aperture, wherein the gas supply system (130) is arranged for supplying the precursor gas flow towards the substrate (50) through the further slot cavity (112'), wherein a further removable insert (140 ') is removably mounted in the further slot cavity (112'), the further removable insert (140 ') being arranged for patterning the precursor gas flow towards the substrate (50) by locally blocking a section of the further slot cavity (112') thereby forming a further patterning channel between the gas supply system and the further aperture.
  14. 14. The plasma source of claim 13, wherein the further removable insert (140') forms a further patterned channel identical to the patterned channel formed by the removable insert (140).

Description

Plasma source for patterned deposition Technical Field The present invention relates to a plasma source, for example for spatial ALD. Background In spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), a substrate is sequentially exposed to half reactions, for example in plasma enhanced ALD, wherein one of the half reactions is formed from a plasma species. ALD plasma deposition heads typically include a high voltage electrode to generate a plasma that is supplied toward the substrate as the substrate moves relative to the deposition head or vice versa. In this way, the substrate may be additively manufactured by depositing various layers. A pattern or track may be made on the substrate by locally interrupting the half-reaction (e.g. by controlling the plasma supply towards the substrate). In general, in such patterned deposition, it is important that the dimensions of the pattern can be controlled within a small tolerance. This allows the resolution of the patterned substrate to be increased. Or in other words, the spacing between the pattern edges may be reduced. In this regard, the edges of the pattern need to be as sharp or sharply defined as possible. For example, the edge width, defined as the width of the transition between deposited and undeposited on the substrate, is preferably as small as possible, e.g. less than 0.5mm. It is known to create a pattern on a substrate by patterning the electrode plate itself. For example, the metal electrode inside the dielectric may be interrupted over the width of the electrode plate, for example by being constituted by separate parts. However, such patterned electrodes may create relatively broad (not sharp) edges in the pattern on the substrate, for example due to diffusion of radicals as they flow towards the substrate. In addition, since each patterned electrode is specifically designed to produce a specific pattern on the substrate, the electrode needs to be replaced to produce a different pattern for the plasma source. In general, electrode plates are expensive and fragile, so the use of patterned electrodes may not be preferred in practice. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and flexible solution to reduce the edge width of an ALD pattern. Disclosure of Invention In general, the present invention provides a plasma source that includes a plasma deposition head, an electrode plate, and a gas supply system. The plasma deposition head includes an aperture for delivering atmospheric pressure plasma from the deposition head to the substrate and includes a slot cavity extending from the aperture. The electrode plate is mounted in the slot cavity and extends from the interior of the deposition head toward the aperture. The gas supply system is arranged to supply a mass flow of gas to the substrate through a gap between the electrode plate and the deposition head, and the electrode plate is arranged to generate an atmospheric pressure plasma in the mass flow of gas. A removable insert is removably mounted in the gap. The removable insert is arranged to pattern an atmospheric pressure plasma flow toward a substrate by partially blocking a section of the slot cavity to form a patterning channel between the gas supply system and the aperture. Thus, the removable insert creates a patterned atomic layer deposition on the substrate by locally allowing and preventing the formation of a plasma along the electrode plate. By locally interrupting (e.g., blocking) the gas mass flow, radicals formed in the plasma are directed toward the substrate via different channels adjacent to the interruption, thereby minimizing diffusion of radicals and reducing the pattern edge width. Since the inserts are removable and therefore interchangeable, the airflow pattern towards the substrate can be changed by replacing the inserts with inserts of a different type or shape. In other words, by installing different types of inserts in the gap, the pattern of layer deposition can be selectively changed without modifying the electrode plate or the deposition head. The removable insert may be made, for example, of a material that is readily available and capable of high precision machining, such as a plate-like material, for providing the patterned channels in the gaps. For example, the removable insert may be provided with grooves, cutouts, holes or ribs. The patterned channel is at least partially formed by the removable insert. For example, some walls of the patterned channels may be formed by the walls of the slot cavities and/or the sides of the electrode plates, while other patterned channel walls are formed by removable inserts. Or the patterned channels may be fully integrated in the removable insert, for example through holes or slots in the removable insert. Preferably, the removable insert comprises one or more cutouts extending between the gas supply system and the aperture to direct the air mass flow. In some embodiments, the removable insert includes a plurality of shims a