Apparatus for conducting plasma surface treatment, board treatment system having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11728142-B2
Application number	US-202016883392-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2020
Priority date	Aug 29, 2019
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A surface treatment apparatus and a surface treatment system having the same are disclosed. The surface treatment apparatus includes a process chamber in which the surface treatment process is conducted, a plasma generator for generating process radicals as a plasma state for the surface treatment process, the plasma generator being positioned outside of the process chamber and connected to the process chamber by a supply duct, a heat exchanger arranged on the supply duct and cooling down temperature of the process radicals passing through the supply duct and a flow controller controlling the process radicals to flow out of the process chamber. The flow controller is connected to a discharge duct through which the process radicals are discharged outside the process chamber. The plasma surface treatment process is conducted to the package structure having minute mounting gap without the damages to the IC chip and the board.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for conducting a surface treatment process, comprising:
a process chamber configured that the surface treatment process is conducted to a package structure;
a plasma generator configured to generate process radicals as a plasma state for the surface treatment process, the plasma generator being positioned outside of the process chamber and connected to the process chamber by a supply duct;
a heat exchanger arranged on the supply duct and configured to cool down temperature of the process radicals passing through the supply duct;
a flow controller configured to control the process radicals to flow out of the process chamber, the flow controller being connected to a discharge duct configured that the process radicals are discharged outside the process chamber through the discharge duct;
a supply baffle including a plurality of inlet hole rows within the process chamber, each of the plurality of inlet hole rows including a plurality of inlet holes arranged in a horizontal direction;
a discharge baffle including a plurality of outlet hole rows within the process chamber, each of the plurality of outlet hole rows including a plurality of outlet holes arranged in the horizontal direction;
a first inlet hole cover configured to open and close a corresponding inlet hole row, the first inlet hole cover including a first cover driver and a first cover bar, the first cover driver configured to move the first cover bar; and
a first outlet hole cover configured to open and close a corresponding outlet hole row, the first outlet hole cover including a second cover driver and a second cover bar, the second cover driver configured to move the second cover bar,
wherein the first inlet hole cover and the first outlet hole cover are positioned at the same height and configured to be simultaneously operated to simultaneously open or close the corresponding inlet and outlet hole rows,
wherein a treatment space of the process chamber is defined between the supply baffle and the discharge baffle,
wherein each of the plurality of outlet hole rows is positioned at the same height as a corresponding one of the plurality of inlet hole rows for the process radicals to flow uniformly along a height from the supply baffle to the discharge baffle;
wherein the first inlet hole cover is positioned to cover a single inlet hole row of the plurality of inlet hole rows, and
wherein the first outlet hole cover is positioned to cover a single outlet hole row of the plurality of outlet hole rows.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the process chamber includes:
a body having a first wall and a second wall spaced apart from each other in a first direction and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and a rear wall extending in the first direction and connected to both of rear end portions of the first wall and the second wall at a rear portion, the first wall being connected to the supply duct and the second wall being connected to the discharge duct;
the supply baffle positioned in the body near the supply duct such that the supply baffle is spaced apart from the first wall and a supply buffer space is defined by the first wall and the supply baffle;
the discharge baffle positioned in the body near the discharge duct such that the discharge baffle is spaced apart from the second wall and a discharge buffer space is defined by the second wall and the discharge baffle; and
a holder positioned at a bottom of the body and configured to secure the package structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the body includes a gate at a front portion opposite to the rear portion such that the treatment space defined by the supply baffle and the discharge baffle is selectively closed or opened by the gate for loading and unloading the package structure into/from the treatment space.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the supply baffle extends in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction such that the supply baffle is in contact with a bottom and a ceiling of the body, and the discharge baffle extends in the third direction such that the discharge baffle is in contact with the bottom and the ceiling of the body.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of inlet holes is arranged into a matrix in such a configuration that a plurality of the inlet holes arranged in series in the second direction is provided as one of the plurality of inlet hole rows and adjacent inlet hole rows of the plurality of inlet hole rows are spaced apart from each other by a same gap distance in the third direction.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of outlet holes is arranged into a matrix in such a configuration that a plurality of the outlet holes arranged in series in the second direction is provided as one of the plurality of outlet hole rows and adjacent outlet hole rows of the plurality of outlet hole rows are spaced apart from each other by a same gap distance in the third direction.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first inlet hole cover and the first outlet hole cover are arranged on the supply baffle and the discharge baffle respectively in such a configuration that one of the plurality of inlet hole rows and one of the plurality of outlet hole rows are covered by the first inlet hole cover and the first outlet hole cover, so that the process radicals are selectively prohibited from inflow to the treatment space and/or from outflow to the discharge buffer space.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first and second cover drivers are secured to the rear wall and the first and second cover bars extend from the first and second cover drivers along the second direction and configured to cover one of the plurality of inlet hole rows and one of the plurality of outlet hole rows.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the process chamber includes:
a plurality of inlet hole covers, including the first inlet hole cover, movably arranged at a first area of the rear wall adjacent to the supply baffle in correspondence to the plurality of inlet hole rows by one to one such that each inlet hole cover is individually operated irrespective of the rest of the plurality of inlet hole covers, so that at least one of the plurality of inlet hole rows is covered by a corresponding inlet hole cover and the process radicals are interrupted from flowing into the treatment space at a predetermined height of the process chamber in the third direction; and
a plurality of outlet hole covers, including the first outlet hole cover, movably arranged at a second area of the rear wall adjacent to the discharge baffle in correspondence to the plurality of outlet hole rows by one to one such that each outlet hole cover is individually operated irrespective of the rest of the plurality of outlet hole covers, so that at least one of the plurality of outlet hole rows is covered by a corresponding outlet hole cover and the process radicals are interrupted from flowing into the discharge buffer space from the treatment space at a predetermined height of the process chamber in the third direction.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 ,
wherein a first cover bar of each inlet hole cover extending in the second direction has a height in the third direction corresponding to a height of the inlet hole rows in the third direction and corresponding to a height of an inter-row area between two directly neighboring inlet hole rows in the third direction, and movement of the cover bar of each inlet hole cover is restricted to a half of a row pitch of the inlet hole rows, and
wherein a second cover bar of each outlet hole cover extending in the second direction has a height in the t

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• New Power Plasma Co Ltd

Inventors

• Oh Junyoung
• Kwak Jaeho
• Jang Boeun
• Hwang Seokyeon
• Seo Yongseok
• Kim Sangsoo
• Kim Seunghwan
• Park Jongho
• Lee Yongkwan
• Lee Jongho
• Kim Daewook
• Lee Wonpil
• Choi Changkyu

Classifications

• H10P72/15

  Horizontal carrier comprising wall type elements whereby the substrates are vertically supported, e.g. comprising sidewalls · CPC title

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/32449 Primary

  Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow · CPC title

• C23C16/45504

  Laminar flow · CPC title

• C23C16/45589

  Movable means, e.g. fans · CPC title