

In the manufacturing process of integrated circuit devices, as the scale of microscopic devices is reduced to less than 14 nanometers, 10 nanometers, 7 nanometers, and 5 nanometers, due to the wavelength limitation of lithography, the processing of microscopic structures with the smallest scale is increasingly dependent on ldquo; double pattern rdquo;, ldquo; quadruple pattern rdquo;(one lithography requires three thin film and five etching steps), and even ldquo; eightfold pattern rdquo;(one lithography requires four thin film and seven etching steps). Plasma etching equipment is playing an increasingly important role in the production process, and has become the most critical integrated circuit equipment with the largest investment cost. 7-5 Nano-etching equipment is currently the peak in the field of etching equipment in the world. There is currently only one 7-nanometer production line and 5-nanometer experimental line in the world. The development results of this project have been successfully used in these two production lines representing the highest technological level. This project is based on the research of a 14-7 nanometer capacitive-coupled (CCP) plasma dielectric etching machine by China Micro, and through technology upgrades and transformation, it has successfully advanced the dual reaction table CCP plasma dielectric etching machine (Primo AD-RIE) to the application of 7-5 nanometer node process. Innovations and advantages of the results of this project: 1) Excellent control of particulate pollutants: Special materials with high purity and corrosion resistance are used for the inner wall of the reaction chamber, such as non-conductive upper electrode plate coated with yttrium oxide vacuum, and particle defects are controlled at a low level. There is no exposed metal in the entire reaction chamber in the vacuum, thus fundamentally curbing the possibility of metal pollution. 2) Excellent uniformity: Through the application of dynamic, segmented reactive gas injection systems, process gases and conditioning gases can be injected into the etch chamber regionally to adjust the uniformity of etching. The lower electrode also adopts a four-zone dynamic adjustment electrostatic chuck, each zone can be controlled separately, and during the process, different temperatures can be set at each step, effectively improving intra-chip uniformity. 3) Stable and controllable plasma: CMI has designed and developed process components with plasma confinement functions to confine the plasma within a specific range and ensure the stability of the plasma during the etching process. While confining the plasma, the process components also have good gas conductivity, ensuring that the reaction products during the etching process can be carried away in a timely and effective manner. 4) Wide process window: Through in-depth research on etching materials and etching gases, and continuous optimization of etching conditions, an etching process with a high selection ratio of photoresist to organic mask layers has been developed, which can meet the requirements of etching shape, size, and in-plane uniformity, while having a sufficiently wide process window. 5) High production efficiency: The equipment uses dual reaction stations reaction chambers, and the system is highly integrated. Up to 3 reaction chambers (six reaction stations) can be hung. While ensuring the process capabilities of the etching system, equipment costs and floor area are minimized, and production efficiency per unit area is maximized. A total of 75 domestic and foreign patents have been applied for this project, including 74 invention patents; 20 patents have been authorized, including 19 invention patents. This equipment has been used by leading international logic chip manufacturers. Since the third quarter of 2016, it has been shipped to the customer's factory for installation and debugging. The machine has reached the customer's production target of 7-nanometer organic mask layer etching, and has achieved repeated orders. Subsequently, some applications of 5 nm have basically met customers 'process requirements. As of the end of 2018, more than 90 reaction stations have been shipped, resulting in sales of 138.68 million yuan.
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