Shower head of a wafer treatment apparatus having a gap controller

Abstract

A shower head for adjusting distribution of a reactant gas in a process region of a semiconductor manufacturing reaction chamber, wherein a top plate has a gas port for introducing the reactant gas into the reaction chamber; a face plate, having through holes, disposed opposite the process region; a first baffle plate, having through holes, disposed between the top plate and the face plate and capable of moving up or down, wherein the first baffle plate has a top surface that defines a first gap for forming a first lateral flow passage; a second baffle plate, having through holes, disposed between the first baffle plate and the face plate and capable of moving up or down, wherein the second baffle plate has a top surface that defines a second gap for forming a second lateral flow passage; and a gap controller for determining widths of the first and second gaps.

1 - 55 . (canceled)  
   
   
       56 . The shower head of  claim 93 , wherein the shower head supplies a reactant gas to a process region within a reaction chamber, the shower head further comprising: 
 a top plate having a gas port for introducing the reactant gas supplied from an outside source into the reaction chamber;    a face plate disposed opposite the process region, the face plate having a plurality of through holes, the first baffle plate being disposed between the top plate and the face plate    and the second baffle plate being disposed between the first baffle plate and the face plate, the second baffle plate having a top surface of the second baffle plate defining the gap for forming a lateral flow passage of the reactant gas between the first and second baffle plates;    the plurality of piezoelectric elements being disposed on the second baffle plate; and    a power supply unit for applying voltage to each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements.    
   
   
       57 . The shower head of  claim 56 , wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements comprises: 
 a piezoelectric layer which vibrates in a thickness extensional mode according to the application of voltage, the piezoelectric layer having two main surfaces;    first and second electrode layers, each of which is formed on one of the two main surfaces of the piezoelectric layer; and    an insulating layer formed on the first electrode layer adjacent to the first baffle plate.    
   
   
       58 . The shower head of  claim 57 , wherein the piezoelectric layer is formed of one selected from the group consisting of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), PbTiO 3 , BaTiO 3 , and poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer.  
   
   
       59 . The shower head of  claim 57 , wherein the second electrode layer is constructed by the second baffle plate.  
   
   
       60 . The shower head of  claim 56 , wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements are formed at positions corresponding to those at which the plurality of through holes of the first baffle plate are formed.  
   
   
       61 . The shower head of  claim 56 , wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements controls the amount of the reactant gas flowing from the through holes of the first baffle plate into the gap using a thickness expansion rate of the piezoelectric element adjusted according to the level of voltage applied from the power supply unit.  
   
   
       62 . The shower head of  claim 56 , wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements selectively opens or closes the plurality of through holes using a thickness expansion rate of the piezoelectric element adjusted according to the level of voltage applied from the supply unit.  
   
   
       63 . The shower head of  claim 56 , wherein the plurality of through holes of the first baffle plate are formed at a first position spaced apart from a central axis of the first baffle plate by a predetermined radius, and 
 wherein one of the plurality of piezoelectric elements includes an annular element formed at a position corresponding to the first position on the second baffle plate.    
   
   
       64 . The shower head of  claim 56 , wherein the first and second baffle plates are formed of aluminum.  
   
   
       65 . The shower head of  claim 56 , further comprising a guide baffle plate disposed on the first baffle plate coaxially with respect to the first baffle plate, the guide baffle plate having a bottom face opposing the first baffle plate, 
 wherein an upper gap for providing a lateral flow passage of the reactant gas is formed between the guide baffle plate and the first baffle plate, and    wherein the guide baffle plate has an inlet for introducing the reactant gas supplied through the top plate, and a plurality of outlets for flowing the reactant gas introduced through the inlet out into the upper gap through a plurality of passages.    
   
   
       66 . The shower head of  claim 65 , wherein the plurality of outlets formed in the guide baffle plate are formed at a position spaced apart in a radial direction from a central axis of the guide baffle plate by a predetermined distance.  
   
   
       67 . The shower head of  claim 56 , further comprising a third baffle plate disposed between the second baffle plate and the face baffle plate, the third baffle plate having a plurality of through holes.  
   
   
       68 . The shower head of  claim 67 , wherein the third baffle plate is formed of high resistance material whose resistivity is sufficiently high to electrically stabilize the shower head.  
   
   
       69 . The shower head of  claim 68 , wherein the third baffle plate is formed of silicon carbide (SiC).  
   
   
       70 - 92 . (canceled)  
   
   
       93 . A shower head comprising: 
 a first baffle plate having a plurality of through holes;    a second baffle plate disposed below the first baffle plate with a gap having a predetermined width interposed between the first and second baffle plates, the second baffle plate having a plurality of through holes; and    a plurality of piezoelectric elements disposed between the first and second baffle plates for controlling the amount of a reactant gas flowing through the plurality of through holes formed in the first baffle plate.    
   
   
       94 . The shower head of  claim 93 , wherein the first baffle plate is circular and the plurality of through holes formed in the first baffle plate comprises: 
 a plurality of first through holes formed at a position spaced apart from a central axis of the first baffle plate by a first radius;    a plurality of second through holes formed at a position spaced apart from the central axis of the first baffle plate by a second radius greater than the first radius; and    a plurality of third through holes formed at a position spaced apart from the central axis of the first baffle plate by a third radius greater than the second radius.    
   
   
       95 . The shower head of  claim 94 , wherein the second baffle plate is circular and the plurality of through holes formed in the second baffle plate comprises: 
 a fourth through hole formed at a position corresponding to a central axis of the second baffle plate;    a plurality of fifth through holes formed at a position spaced apart from a central axis of the second baffle plate by a fourth radius;    a plurality of sixth through holes formed at a position spaced apart from the central axis of the second baffle plate by a fifth radius greater than the fourth radius; and    a plurality of seventh through holes formed at a position spaced apart from the central axis of the second baffle plate by a sixth radius greater than the fifth radius.    
   
   
       96 . The shower head of  claim 93 , wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements is comprised of an annular element disposed on the second baffle plate.  
   
   
       97 . The shower head of  claim 93 , wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements are bonded to the second baffle plate.  
   
   
       98 . The shower head of  claim 94 , wherein the plurality of piezoelectric elements comprise: 
 a first piezoelectric element disposed at a position on the second baffle plate corresponding to a position at which the plurality of first through holes of the first baffle plate are formed;    a second piezoelectric element disposed at a position on the second baffle plate corresponding to a position at which the plurality of second through holes of the first baffle plate are formed; and    a third piezoelectric element disposed at a position on the second baffle plate corresponding to a position at which the plurality of third through holes of the first baffle plate are formed.    
   
   
       99 . The shower head of  claim 93 , further comprising a power supply unit for applying voltage to each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements.  
   
   
       100 . The shower head of  claim 98 , further comprising a power supply unit for applying voltage to each of the first, second, and third piezoelectric elements, 
 wherein the power supply unit applies different levels of voltage to each of the first, second, and third piezoelectric elements.    
   
   
       101 . The shower head of  claim 98 , further comprising a power supply unit for applying voltage to the first piezoelectric element, 
 wherein the first piezoelectric element has a thickness expansion rate that can be adjusted according to the level of voltage applied from the power supply unit in order to control a distance between the first through hole and the first piezoelectric element.    
   
   
       102 . The shower head of  claim 98 , further comprising a power supply unit for applying voltage to the second piezoelectric element, 
 wherein the second piezoelectric element has a thickness expansion rate that can be adjusted according to the level of voltage applied from the power supply unit in order to control a distance between the plurality of second through holes and the second piezoelectric element.    
   
   
       103 . The shower head of  claim 98 , further comprising a power supply unit for applying voltage to the third piezoelectric element, 
 wherein the third piezoelectric element has a thickness expansion rate that can be adjusted according to the level of voltage applied from the power supply unit in order to control a distance between the plurality of third through holes and the third piezoelectric element.    
   
   
       104 . The shower head of  claim 93 , wherein the first and second baffle plates are formed of aluminum.  
   
   
       105 . The shower head of  claim 93 , wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric elements comprises: 
 a piezoelectric layer which vibrates in a thickness extensional mode according to the application of voltage, the piezoelectric layer having two main surfaces;    first and second electrode layers, each of which is formed on one of the two main surfaces of the piezoelectric layer; and    an insulating layer formed on the first electrode layer adjacent to the first baffle plate.    
   
   
       106 . The shower head of  claim 105 , wherein the piezoelectric layer is formed of one selected from the group consisting of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), PbTiO 3 , BaTiO 3 , and poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer.  
   
   
       107 . The shower head of  claim 105 , wherein the second electrode layer is constructed by the second baffle plate.  
   
   
       108 . The shower head of  claim 107 , wherein each of the plurality of piezoelectric element further comprises a bonding surface between the piezoelectric layer and the second baffle plate.