Apparatus and method for fabricating semiconductor devices

Abstract

Disclosed is apparatus and method for fabricating semiconductor devices, in particular comprising a wafer chuck for holding a semiconductor wafer on which a predetermined thin layer is deposited; a processing chamber for injecting etching gas toward the wafer to form a predetermined pattern; and a clamp or a shadow ring provided on an edge of the wafer being held by the wafer chuck and preventing the edge from being etched, and thereby forming a protective step around the edge. Therefore, during a subsequent CMP process, the pattern adjacent to the edge of the wafer can be prevented from being over-polished, and reliability as well as productivity of the semiconductor devices can be improved.

1 . An apparatus for fabricating semiconductor devices, comprising: 
 a wafer chuck for holding a semiconductor wafer on which various thin layers has been deposited;    a processing chamber for injecting etching gas toward the wafer to form a predetermined pattern; and    a clamp, attached to an edge of the wafer being held by the wafer chuck, for preventing the edge from being etched.    
   
   
       2 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the clamp forms a protective step on the edge by constraining the edge from being etched.  
   
   
       3 . An apparatus for fabricating semiconductor devices comprising: 
 a wafer chuck for holding a semiconductor wafer on which various thin layers has been deposited;    a processing chamber for injecting etching gas toward the wafer to form a predetermined pattern; and    a shadow ring, provided in the chamber upwardly spaced apart from the wafer being held by the wafer chuck, for preventing the edge from being etched.    
   
   
       4 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the shadow ring forms a protective step on the edge by constraining the edge from being etched.