EP0714998A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
CVD processing chamber
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1995-11-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-11-13
Abstract
Abstract A process chamber 133 is disclosed which provides a 360° circular gas/vacuum distribution over a substrate being processed. The substrate being processed is supported on a heated and optionally cooled pedestal assembly 135. The substrate faces a one-piece gas distribution faceplate 122 being connected to an RF power supply outside the vacuum environment of the processing chamber 133. A pumping channel view port is provided to verify and confirm instrumentation readings concerning the degree of surface deposition on process chamber internal surfaces 265. All process chamber wall surfaces 265 facing the region 141 where plasma will be present during processing (except the gas distribution faceplate) are ceramic 234, 236 and therefore highly resistant to corrosion. The pedestal 136, an un-anodized metal, is also covered with a loosely fitting ceramic surface having alignment features to maintain concentricity between the wafer support surface of the pedestal and the wafer being processed. A valve body 226 is contained within the wall of the processing chamber 133 helping to reduce the surface area available for condensation of volatile process gas constituents which condense or cool in vacuum passage surfaces and can contaminate the process chamber 133 if allowed to migrate back to it through the vacuum piping.
Inventors
- 👤 Jun Zhao
- 👤 Tom Cho
- 👤 Charles Dornfest
- 👤 Stefan Wolff
- 👤 Kevin Fairbairn
- 👤 Xin Sheng Guo
- 👤 Alex Schreiber
- 👤 John M. White
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 02:45
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32431; H01J37/32458; H01J37/32477; C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/455; C23C16/45502; C23C16/4401; C23C16/4412; C23C16/458; C23C16/4582; C23C16/4583; C23C16/4586; C23C16/46; C23C16/463; C30; C30B; C30B25/00; C30B25/02; H01J37/32715; H01J37/32724; H01J37/32798; H01J37/32816; H01J37/32834; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/70; H10P72/76; H10P72/7604; H10P72/7612; H10P72/7624; H01J2237/00; H01J2237/02; H01J2237/022; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/909
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
An apparatus comprising: a vacuum processing chamber (133) for processing a substrate at a substrate processing location (141) therein; a substrate support (135) for supporting the substrate at said substrate processing location (141); and a gas distribution faceplate (122) opposite and generally parallel to said substrate support (135) for directing process gas toward said substrate processing location (141), wherein said chamber includes an inner chamber surface (265) adjacent to and surrounding said substrate processing location (141), wherein one or more openings (131) in said inner chamber surface (265) communicate with a vacuum duct (222) in a wall of said chamber (133), said duct (222) generally surrounding said substrate processing location (141), said vacuum duct (222) being connected to a vacuum system, said one or more openings (131) being equally distributed about 360 of a perimeter of a central axis of a substrate supported at said wafer processing location (141); wherein a choke region of flow through each of said one or more openings is generally equally distributed from said central axis of said substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as in Claim 1, wherein said one or more openings (131) in said inner chamber surface (265) are configured to be generally equidistant from a center of the substrate located a said substrate processing location (141).
Claim 3
Independent Claim
76 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 1 or 2, wherein said one or more openings (131) in said inner chamber wall (265) is a 360 slot (131) between a lid (221) and a body (134) of said chamber (133), said vacuum duct (222) beyond said slot (131) being configured between a top surface of said body (134) of said chamber (133) and a bottom surface of said lid (221) of said chamber (133).
Claim 4
Independent Claim
140 words
A method for controlling process gas distribution across the surface of a semiconductor substrate in a semiconductor process chamber having top and bottom regions, comprising the steps of: a) providing a process chamber with (i) a process gas source; (ii) an exhaust plenum located in the top region of the process chamber, which is continuously disposed about the periphery of the top chamber region and (iii) a vacuum port in communication with the exhaust plenum for drawing process gas from the process chamber into the exhaust plenum and out of the process chamber; b) introducing process gas into the process chamber; and c) drawing process gas directly from said process chamber into the continuous peripheral exhaust plenum, wherein the location and configuration of the exhaust plenum generally provides gas flow uniformity across a surface of the substrate during substrate processing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 4 wherein the continuous peripheral exhaust plenum has a generally circular configuration.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
30 words
A method according to at least one of claims 4 or 5, wherein said top region contains the top electrode and said bottom region contains a susceptor and the substrate.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
194 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3 comprising: a vacuum processing chamber (133) for processing a substrate; a substrate support (135) for supporting the substrate at a substrate processing location (141) in said vacuum processing chamber (133); a gas inlet for supplying process gas to said processing chamber (133) for processing said substrate; wherein said chamber (133) includes one or more openings (131) in an inner chamber surface (265) which communicates with a vacuum duct (222) in a wall of said chamber (133), said vacuum duct (222) being connected to a vacuum system, wherein a connection from said duct (222) to said vacuum system being at least partially configured to pass through a vacuum duct lateral extension portion (245) of said processing chamber (133), wherein a surface of said lateral extension portion (245) includes a view window port (232) through a wall of said chamber (133), said view window port (232) being sealed so that the inside of the lateral extension portion (245) of the vacuum passage can be viewed by looking through a window (230) acting as part of the seal for said view window port (232).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus as in Claim 7, wherein said window (230) acting as part of the seal through which viewing can take place is sapphire.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
44 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 7 or 8, wherein said processing chamber (133) includes a lid portion (221) and a body portion (134), wherein said vacuum duct (222) is disposed between said lid portion (221) and said body portion (134);
Claim 10
Independent Claim
29 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 7 to 9, wherein said lateral extension (245) is disposed between said lid portion (221) and said body portion (134).
Claim 11
Independent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 7 to 10, wherein said view window port (232) is in said lid portion (221).
Claim 12
Independent Claim
84 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 7 to 11, wherein said lateral extension portion (245) of said bottom of said lid (221) includes a view window port (232) through said lid (221), said view window port (232) on a top of said lid (221) being sealed so that the inside of a lateral extension portion (245) of the vacuum passage can be viewed by looking through a window (230) acting as part of the seal for said view window port (232).
Claim 13
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of determining the surface condition on the inside of a substrate processing chamber comprising the steps of: providing a vacuum duct in the wall of said processing chamber through which process gas in said chamber is evacuated by a vacuum system; routing said process gas from said vacuum duct to said vacuum system through a vacuum duct lateral extension portion; viewing the surface condition on the inside of the lateral extension portion through the window of a view port opening to the lateral extension portion.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
303 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3 or 7 to 12 comprising: a wafer support plate (136); and a ceramic cover liner plate (148) supported on and substantially covering a central portion of a top surface of said wafer support plate (136), said cover liner plate (148) includes a central hub (168) which fits into a corresponding central hub receiving hole (171) in a top surface of said wafer support plate (136), said cover liner plate (148) includes wafer lift pin support features therein at locations corresponding to lift pin holes (164) in said wafer support plate (136), each feature of said features including a descending hub (166) protruding from a back side of said cover liner plate (148), at least one of the descending hubs (166) fits into an elongated hole (172) in said top side of said plate (148) having a width dimension perpendicular to a radial line from said central hub receiving hole (171) to said elongated hole (172) generally similar to the diametral dimension of the hub (168) in the same direction, while said elongated hole (172) has a length dimension along the direction of the aforementioned radial line substantially larger than a diametral dimension of said wafer lift support feature along said radial line such that the range of differential movement between the cover liner plate (148) and the wafer support plate (136) when said central hub (168) is positioned in said central hub receiving hole (171) due to differential thermal expansion between the cover liner plate (148) and the wafer support plate (136) when the cover liner plate (148) and wafer support plate (136) are exposed to the temperature conditions of a substrate processing environment accommodates the motion between the cover liner plate (148) and wafer support plate (136) without interference.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said wafer support plate is composed of a thermally conductive material having a heater element (183) embedded therein with wiring from said heater element (183) extending from a back side of said wafer support plate (136).
Claim 16
Independent Claim
35 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 14 or 15, wherein said wafer support plate (136) includes a temperature sensor receiving hole open to said back side of said wafer support plate (136).
Claim 17
Independent Claim
180 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3 or 7 to 12 or 14 to 16, further comprising a stem (190) having one or more openings therethrough to provide passage for said heater wiring (193) and a temperature sensor (211) extending into said temperature sensor receiving hole, said stem (190) being gas tightly sealed and fixed to said back side of said wafer support plate (136) to contain the locations where said heater wiring (193) extends from and said temperature sensor receiving hole is open to the back side of said wafer support plate (136), so that the apparatus can be fixed to and supported only by an apparatus support member attached to a bottom portion of said stem (190) and a central core (191) of said stem including said one or more openings can be exposed to atmospheric conditions while a substantial portion of an outside surface of said stem is exposed to vacuum conditions in a vacuum processing chamber (133) when said stem (190) is sealingly mounted in a vacuum processing chamber (133),
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
91 words
An apparatus as in Claim 17, wherein all of said descending hubs (166) other than said at least one descending hub configured to fit in said elongated hole (172) are received into wafer pin holes (164) which are configured to receive each of said all of said descending hubs (166) other than said at least one descending hub without any contact between a side of any of said all of said descending hubs (166) other than said at least one descending hub and edges of the wafer lift pin holes (164).
Claim 19
Independent Claim
77 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 14 to 18, further comprising: an edge ring (150) made of a ceramic material generally having an "L" shaped section such that a first leg of said "L" shaped section forms a peripheral ring which overlaps the outer edge of the cover liner plate (148) and a second leg of said "L" shaped section forms a skirt (158) around the outside surface of said wafer support plate (136).
Claim 20
Independent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 14 to 19, wherein said ceramic cover liner plate (148) includes a raised ring (155) encircling a substrate receiving surface (154) in the central area of the top of the cover liner plate (136).
Claim 21
Independent Claim
48 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 14 to 20, wherein said cover liner plate (148) further includes a perimeter area outside of said raised ring (155), wherein said first leg of said "L" shaped section overlaps said perimeter area outside of said raised ring (155).
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus as in Claim 21, wherein said first leg of said "L" shaped section does not overlap said raised ring (155).
Claim 23
Independent Claim
21 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 14 to 22, wherein said cover liner plate (148) is aluminum nitride.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 19 to 23, wherein said edge ring (155) is aluminum oxide.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
224 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3 or 7 to 12 or 14 to 24 comprising: a wafer support plate (136) composed of a thermally conductive material having a heater element (183) embedded therein with wiring from said heater element (183) extending from a back side of said wafer support plate (136), said wafer support plate (136) including a temperature sensor receiving hole open to said back side of said wafer support plate (136), wherein said heater element (183) embedded in the thermally conductive material includes a single continuous heater loop (192), the heater loop (192) being configured so that heater elements (183) run generally parallel to one another generally following the lines of concentric circles generally centered in said wafer support plate (136), the heater elements (183) do not cross one another, an outer portion of said heater element (183) runs adjacent to a perimeter of said support plate (136) and loops at its end to an inner portion of the heater element (183) that runs along the path of a circle concentric to the path of said outer element a predetermined distance from said outer path, thereby providing heat energy to said wafer support plate (136) in a pattern which assists in maintaining a generally uniform temperature across the surface of said wafer support plate (136).
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus as in Claim 25, wherein said wiring from said heater element (183) connects to said heater element (183) within said wafer support plate (136) at a location displaced from the location where said wiring emerges from said backside of said wafer support plate (136).
Claim 27
Independent Claim
72 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, 7 to 12 or 14 to 26, wherein a cooling tube (204) is embedded in a wafer support plate (206), said cooling tube (204) includes tube ends which extend from a back side of said plate (206) at a location adjacent to the location where said wiring from said heater element (207) emerges from said wafer support plate (206).
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
90 words
An apparatus as in Claim 27, wherein said cooling tube (204) is configured to run along a circle concentric to the concentric circular paths followed by the inner portion and the outer portion of the heater element (207), the concentric circle along which said cooling tube runs having a diameter less than the diameter of the concentric circle followed by said outer portion of said heater element (207) and having a diameter greater than the diameter of the concentric circle followed by said inner portion of said heater element (207).
Claim 29
Independent Claim
45 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 27 or 28, wherein said cooling tube (204) is embedded in said wafer support plate (206) on a plane a greater distance from a surface of said wafer support plate (206) than said heater element (207).
Claim 30
Independent Claim
155 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, 7 to 12 or 14 to 29, wherein said apparatus supports a substrate at a substrate processing location (141) in a vacuum processing chamber (133) opposite a gas distribution faceplate (122), wherein said chamber (133) includes an inner chamber surface (265) adjacent to and surrounding said substrate processing location (141), wherein one or more openings (131) in said inner chamber surface (265) communicate with a vacuum duct (222) encircling said substrate processing location (141), said vacuum duct being connected to a vacuum system, wherein said one or more openings (131) in said chamber (133) are configured to provide a generally uniform distribution of gas flow over the substrate at the substrate processing location (141) as a process gas flows from a set of holes (121) in said gas distribution faceplate (122) to said one or more openings (131) in said chamber (133).
Claim 31
Independent Claim
160 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, 7 to 12 or 14 to 30 comprising: a vacuum processing chamber (133) for processing a substrate; a substrate support (135) for supporting the substrate at a substrate processing location (141) in said vacuum processing chamber (133) a gas inlet for supplying process gas to said processing chamber (133) for processing said substrate; wherein said chamber (133) includes one or more openings (131) in said inner chamber surface (265) which communicate with a vacuum duct (222) in a wall of said chamber (133), said vacuum duct (222) being connected to a vacuum system, wherein said inner chamber surface (265) includes a ceramic lining (234, 236) adjacent to said substrate processing location (141) to prevent a perimeter wall of a body (134) of said processing chamber (133) adjacent said processing location (141) from being directly exposed to a plasma present at said substrate processing location (141) during processing.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
85 words
An apparatus as in Claim 31, wherein a 360 slot opening (131) from said substrate processing location (141) to said vacuum duct (222) comprising said one or more openings (131) is disposed between a lid (221) and a body (134) of said processing chamber (133) between a top of a top surface of said ceramic lining (234, 236) in said body (134) and a bottom surface of an isolator ring in said lid (221); wherein said isolator ring (120) is constructed of a ceramic material.
Claim 33
Independent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to at least one of claims 31 or 32, wherein said, ceramic lining (234, 236) includes one or more removable rings which are disposed internal to a wall of said processing chamber (133) adjacent to said substrate processing location (141).
Claim 34
Independent Claim
40 words
A method of protecting the walls of a substrate processing chamber: providing an energized gas distribution faceplate opposite a substrate pedestal which is electrically grounded; and providing a removable ceramic ring lining the electrically grounded walls of said processing chamber.
Claim 35
Independent Claim
208 words
An apparatus especially according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, 7 to 12 or 14 to 33 comprising: a vacuum processing chamber (133) for processing a substrate; a substrate support (135) for supporting the substrate at a substrate processing location (141) in said vacuum processing chamber (133); a gas inlet for supplying process gas to said processing chamber (133) for processing said substrate; wherein said chamber (133) includes one or more openings (131) in said inner chamber surface (265) which communicate with a vacuum duct (222) in a wall of said chamber (133), said vacuum duct (222) being connected to a vacuum system, wherein said connection from said duct (222) to said vacuum system being at least partially configured to pass into a vacuum connection passage (245) in said body (134) and to a vacuum valve body receiving opening in said body (134); said vacuum valve (240) receiving opening including a valve seat (246) for sealing said vacuum connection passage (245) in said body (134) from said vacuum system when a vacuum valve (240) is located in said vacuum valve body receiving opening and said valve (240) is closed such that the valve seat surface (246) in said body of said chamber (133) is sealed.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
104 words
A method of heating a vacuum shut-off valve which, when closed, at least partially isolates a substrate processing chamber from a vacuum system evacuating said processing chamber comprising the steps of: providing passages in a body of said substrate processing chamber through which gas is evacuated from said processing chamber to a vacuum chamber; providing a valve seat for said shut-off valve within said body; providing a valve within said body such that when said valve is closed it seals on said valve seat and thermal energy from said body is transferred to said valve generally as if it were integral with said body.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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