Patent US6256770B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6821347B2
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Apparatus and method for depositing materials onto microelectronic workpieces
Assignee: Micron Technology Inc
•
Filing: 2002-07-08
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Granted: 2004-11-23
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Expires: 2022-07-08
Abstract
Abstract Reactors for vapor deposition of materials onto a microelectronic workpiece, systems that include such reactors, and methods for depositing materials onto microelectronic workpieces. In one embodiment, a reactor for vapor deposition of a material comprises a reaction chamber and a gas distributor. The reaction chamber can include an inlet and an outlet. The gas distributor is positioned in the reaction chamber. The gas distributor has a compartment coupled to the inlet to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing the reaction chamber, and a plurality of passageways. The passageways extend through the distributor plate from the first surface to the second surface. Additionally, at least one of the passageways has at least a partially occluded flow path through the plate. For example, the occluded passageway can be canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate so that gas flowing through the canted passageway changes direction as it passes through the distributor plate.
Inventors
- 👤 Craig M. Carpenter
- 👤 Allen P. Mardian
- 👤 Ross S. Dando
- 👤 Kimberly R. Tschepen
- 👤 Garo J. Derderian
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 00:59
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/455; C23C16/45523; C23C16/45525; C23C16/45544; C23C16/45563; C23C16/45565
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 61
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a reaction chamber having an inlet and an outlet; and a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor having a compartment coupled to the inlet to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing the reaction chamber, and a plurality of passageways extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least a plurality of first passageways have a fully occluded flow path through the plate and a plurality of second passageways have a direct line-of-sight to the workpiece.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
107 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a reaction chamber having an inlet and an outlet; and a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor having a compartment coupled to the inlet to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing the reaction chamber, and a plurality of passageways extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least a plurality of first passageways have a fully occluded flow path through the plate and a plurality of second passageways have a direct line-of-sight to the workpiece.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The reactor of claim 1 wherein: the compartment comprises a sidewall; and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge coupled to the sidewall.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The reactor of claim 2 wherein the occluded passageway is canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
The reactor of claim 2 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The reactor of claim 2 wherein the occluded passageways are canted at an angle of approximately 15° to approximately 85° relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The reactor of claim 2 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have openings of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have openings of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
67 words
The reactor of claim 2 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate, and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch and are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
55 words
The reactor of claim 2 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at a first oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are canted at a second oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
133 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelctronic workpiece, comprising: a reaction chamber having an inlet and an outlet; and a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor having a compartment coupled to the inlet to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing the reaction chamber, and a plurality of passageway extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least one of the passageways has at least a partially occluded flow path through the plate, wherein, the compartment comprises a sidewall, and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the peripheral edge and the sidewall.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
133 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelctronic workpiece, comprising: a reaction chamber having an inlet and an outlet; and a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor having a compartment coupled to the inlet to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing the reaction chamber, and a plurality of passageway extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least one of the passageways has at least a partially occluded flow path through the plate, wherein, the compartment comprises a sidewall, and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the peripheral edge and the sidewall.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
The reactor of claim 9 wherein the occluded passageway is canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
49 words
The reactor of claim 9 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The reactor of claim 9 wherein the occluded passageways are canted at an angle of approximately 15° to approximately 85° relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The reactor of claim 9 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have openings of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have openings of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
67 words
The reactor of claim 9 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate, and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch and are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
55 words
The reactor of claim 9 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at a first oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are canted at a second oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
123 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a reaction chamber having an inlet and an outlet; a plenum in the reaction chamber that is coupled to the inlet, the plenum having a sidewall to guide a flow of gas passing through the inlet and a distributor plate, the distributor plate having an inner region, an outer region, a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the sidewall and the peripheral edge, and a plurality of passageways extending through the distributor plate, wherein at least a subset of the passageways located at the inner region of the distributor plate extend at an oblique angle relative to a plane defined by the plate.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
123 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a reaction chamber having an inlet and an outlet; a plenum in the reaction chamber that is coupled to the inlet, the plenum having a sidewall to guide a flow of gas passing through the inlet and a distributor plate, the distributor plate having an inner region, an outer region, a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the sidewall and the peripheral edge, and a plurality of passageways extending through the distributor plate, wherein at least a subset of the passageways located at the inner region of the distributor plate extend at an oblique angle relative to a plane defined by the plate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The reactor of claim 16 wherein a plurality of passageways in the outer region are generally normal to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
The reactor of claim 17 wherein the passageways are canted at an angle of approximately 15° to approximately 85° relative to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
51 words
The reactor of claim 17 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch and are generally normal to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
55 words
The reactor of claim 17 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at a first oblique angle relative to the plane defined by the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are canted at a second oblique angle relative to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
30 words
The reactor of claim 16 wherein: the plenum comprises a sidewall; and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge coupled to the sidewall.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
194 words
A system for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a gas source assembly capable of providing a first reactant gas, a second reactant gas, and a purge gas independently from each other; a reaction chamber having an inlet coupled to the gas source system; a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor comprising a compartment coupled to the inlet to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing the reaction chamber, and a plurality of passageways extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least one of the passageways has at least a partially occluded flow path through the plate; a workpiece support in the reaction chamber proximate to the distributor plate; and a controller coupled to the gas source assembly, the controller having a set of computer operable instructions that provide a gas flow sequence to the gas distributor having a first pulse solely of the first reactant gas, a second pulse of the purge gas, a third pulse solely of the second reactant gas, and a fourth pulse of the purge gas.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
194 words
A system for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a gas source assembly capable of providing a first reactant gas, a second reactant gas, and a purge gas independently from each other; a reaction chamber having an inlet coupled to the gas source system; a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor comprising a compartment coupled to the inlet to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing the reaction chamber, and a plurality of passageways extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least one of the passageways has at least a partially occluded flow path through the plate; a workpiece support in the reaction chamber proximate to the distributor plate; and a controller coupled to the gas source assembly, the controller having a set of computer operable instructions that provide a gas flow sequence to the gas distributor having a first pulse solely of the first reactant gas, a second pulse of the purge gas, a third pulse solely of the second reactant gas, and a fourth pulse of the purge gas.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 22 wherein: the compartment comprises a sidewall; and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the peripheral edge and the sidewall.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 23 wherein the occluded passageway is canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 23 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 23 wherein the occluded passageways are canted at an angle of approximately 15° to approximately 85° relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 23 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have openings of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have openings of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
67 words
The system of claim 23 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate, and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch and are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 23 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at a first oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are canted at a second oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 22 wherein: the compartment comprises a sidewall; and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge coupled to the sidewall.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 30 wherein the occluded passageway is canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 30 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
29 words
The system of claim 30 wherein the occluded passageways are canted at an angle of approximately 15° to approximately 85° relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 30 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have openings of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have openings of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
67 words
The system of claim 30 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and are canted at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate, and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch and are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 30 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at a first oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are canted at a second oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 41
Independent Claim
210 words
A system for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a gas source assembly capable of providing a first reactant gas, a second reactant gas, and a purge gas independently from each other; a reaction chamber having an inlet coupled to the gas source system; a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor comprising a plenum having a single compartment through which gas can flow and a distributor plate, the distributor plate having a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing away from the compartment, and a plurality of passageways extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least a subset of passageways located at a central portion of the distributor plate extend at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate; a workpiece support in the reaction chamber proximate to the distributor plate; and a controller coupled to the gas source assembly, the controller having a set of computer operable instructions that provide a gas flow sequence to the gas distributor having a first pulse solely of the first reactant gas, a second pulse of the purge gas, a third pulse solely of the second reactant gas, and a fourth pulse of the purge gas.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
210 words
A system for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a gas source assembly capable of providing a first reactant gas, a second reactant gas, and a purge gas independently from each other; a reaction chamber having an inlet coupled to the gas source system; a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor comprising a plenum having a single compartment through which gas can flow and a distributor plate, the distributor plate having a first surface facing the compartment, a second surface facing away from the compartment, and a plurality of passageways extending from the first surface to the second surface, wherein at least a subset of passageways located at a central portion of the distributor plate extend at an oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate; a workpiece support in the reaction chamber proximate to the distributor plate; and a controller coupled to the gas source assembly, the controller having a set of computer operable instructions that provide a gas flow sequence to the gas distributor having a first pulse solely of the first reactant gas, a second pulse of the purge gas, a third pulse solely of the second reactant gas, and a fourth pulse of the purge gas.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 37 wherein: the compartment comprises a sidewall; and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the peripheral edge and the sidewall.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 38 wherein a plurality of passageways in the outer region are generally normal to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 38 wherein the passageways are canted at an angle of approximately 15° to approximately 85° relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
35 words
The system of claim 38 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have openings of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have openings of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 38 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at a first oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are canted at a second oblique angle relative to the first surface of the distributor plate.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
30 words
The system of claim 37 wherein: the compartment comprises a sidewall; and the distributor plate has an inner region, an outer region, and a peripheral edge coupled to the sidewall.
Claim 49
Independent Claim
234 words
A system for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a gas source assembly capable of providing a first reactant gas, a second reactant gas, and a purge gas independently from each other; a reaction chamber having an inlet coupled to the gas source system; a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor comprising a plenum in the reaction chamber that is coupled to the inlet, the plenum having a sidewall to guide a flow of gas passing through the inlet and a distributor plate, the distributor plate having an inner region, an outer region, a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the sidewall and the peripheral edge, and a plurality of passageways extending through the distributor plate, wherein at least a subset of the passageways located at the inner region of the distributor plate extend at an oblique angle relative to a plane defined by the plate; a workpiece support in the reaction chamber proximate to the distributor plate; and a controller coupled to the gas source assembly, the controller having a set of computer operable instructions that provide a gas flow sequence to the gas distributor having a first pulse solely of the first reactant gas, a second pulse of the purge gas, a third pulse solely of the second reactant gas, and a fourth pulse of the purge gas.
Claim 50
Independent Claim
234 words
A system for vapor deposition of a material onto a microelectronic workpiece, comprising: a gas source assembly capable of providing a first reactant gas, a second reactant gas, and a purge gas independently from each other; a reaction chamber having an inlet coupled to the gas source system; a gas distributor in the reaction chamber, the gas distributor comprising a plenum in the reaction chamber that is coupled to the inlet, the plenum having a sidewall to guide a flow of gas passing through the inlet and a distributor plate, the distributor plate having an inner region, an outer region, a peripheral edge spaced laterally inward from the sidewall to define a gap between the sidewall and the peripheral edge, and a plurality of passageways extending through the distributor plate, wherein at least a subset of the passageways located at the inner region of the distributor plate extend at an oblique angle relative to a plane defined by the plate; a workpiece support in the reaction chamber proximate to the distributor plate; and a controller coupled to the gas source assembly, the controller having a set of computer operable instructions that provide a gas flow sequence to the gas distributor having a first pulse solely of the first reactant gas, a second pulse of the purge gas, a third pulse solely of the second reactant gas, and a fourth pulse of the purge gas.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 44 wherein a plurality of passageways in the outer region are generally normal to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 44 wherein the passageways are canted at an angle of approximately 15° to approximately 85° relative to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
51 words
The system of claim 44 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.01-0.07 inch and a plurality of passageways in the outer region have a cross-sectional dimension of approximately 0.08-0.20 inch and are generally normal to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 44 wherein a plurality of passageways in the inner region are canted at a first oblique angle relative to the plane defined by the distributor plate and a plurality of passageways in the outer region are canted at a second oblique angle relative to the plane defined by the distributor plate.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
94 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microfeature workplace, comprising: a reaction chamber; a workpiece holder in the reaction chamber; and a gas distributor having a compartment configured to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a plurality of first passageways in a center region of the distributor plate inclined at a first angle relative to the distributor plate, and a plurality of second passageways in an outer region inclined at a second angle relative to the distributor plate, wherein the second angle is different than the first angle.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
94 words
A reactor for vapor deposition of a material onto a microfeature workplace, comprising: a reaction chamber; a workpiece holder in the reaction chamber; and a gas distributor having a compartment configured to receive a gas flow and a distributor plate including a plurality of first passageways in a center region of the distributor plate inclined at a first angle relative to the distributor plate, and a plurality of second passageways in an outer region inclined at a second angle relative to the distributor plate, wherein the second angle is different than the first angle.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
25 words
The reactor of claim 49 wherein the first angle is oblique to the distributor plate and the second angle is normal to the distributor plate.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
32 words
The reactor of claim 49 wherein the first angle is oblique and the second angle is oblique, and wherein the second angle is greater than the first angle relative to the plate.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
29 words
The reactor of claim 49 wherein the first passageways have a first cross-sectional dimension and the second passageways have a second cross-sectional dimension different than the first cross-sectional dimension.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
26 words
The reactor of claim 49 wherein the first passageways have a first diameter and the second passageways have a second diameter greater than the first diameter.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
26 words
The reactor of claim 49 wherein the first passageways have a first diameter and the second passageways have a second diameter less then the first diameter.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-11-23 | 2008-05-24 | 2008-11-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-11-23 | 2012-05-24 | 2012-11-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-11-23 | 2016-05-24 | 2016-11-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |