Applied Materials, Inc.

Alan W Collins

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Padmanabhan Krishnaraj

Yaxin Wang

Fred Conrad Redeker

Shijian Li

Feng Gao

Zhengquan Tan

Lily L Pang

Michael C Kwan

Nasreen Gazala Chopra

Robert Duncan

Kimberly Branshaw

Joseph D'Souza

Jalel Hamila

Padmanaban Krishnaraj

An improved deposition chamber () includes a housing () defining a chamber () which houses a substrate support (). A mixture of oxygen and SiFis delivered through a set of first nozzles () and silane is delivered through a set of second nozzles () into the chamber around the periphery () of the substrate support. Silane (or a mixture of silane and SiF) and oxygen are separately injected into the chamber generally centrally above the substrate from orifices (). The uniform dispersal of the gases coupled with the use of optimal flow rates for each gas results in uniformly low (under 3.4) dielectric constant across the film.

Deposition chamber and method for depositing low dielectric constant films

An improved deposition chamber ( ) includes a housing ( ) defining a chamber ( ) which houses a substrate support ( ). A mixture of oxygen and SiF is delivered through a set of first nozzles ( ) and silane is delivered through a set of second nozzles ( ) into the chamber around the periphery ( ) of the substrate support. Silane (or a mixture of silane and SiF ) and oxygen are separately injected into the chamber generally centrally above the substrate from orifices ( ). The uniform dispersal of the gases coupled with the use of optimal flow rates for each gas results in uniformly low (under 3.4) dielectric constant across the film.

In a method of cleaning process residues formed on surfaces in a substrate processing chamber, a sacrificial substrate comprising a sacrificial material is placed in the chamber, a sputtering gas is introduced into the chamber, and the sputtering gas is energized to sputter the sacrificial material from the substrate. The sputtered sacrificial material reacts with residues on the chamber surfaces to clean them. In one version, the sacrificial substrate comprises a silicon-containing material that when sputtered deposits silicon on the chamber walls that reacts with and cleans fluorine-containing species that are left behind by a chamber cleaning process.

Cleaning residues from surfaces in a chamber by sputtering sacrificial substrates

A method and apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor wafer processing system comprising a turbomolecular pump. In one embodiment, the invention may be reduced to practice by first supplying a cleaning agent to a chamber; pumping the cleaning agent from the chamber through an the exhaust port; at least partially opening a gate valve; and drawing at least a portion of the cleaning agent through the gate valve and into the turbomolecular pump.

Method and apparatus for cleaning a semiconductor wafer processing system

Methods and apparatus of the present invention deposit fluorinated silicate glass (FSG) in such a manner that it strongly adheres to an overlying or underlying barrier layer or etch stop layer, and has a lower dielectric constant, among other benefits. In one embodiment, silicon tetrafluoride (SiF ), oxygen (O ), and argon (Ar) are used as the reactant gases, with the ratio of oxygen to silicon controlled to be at between about 2:1 to 6:1. Such O levels help reduce the amount of degradation of ceramic chamber components otherwise caused by the elimination of silane from the process recipe.

Methods and apparatus for producing stable low k FSG film for HDP-CVD

The present invention provides an apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate comprising a processing chamber, a substrate support member disposed within the chamber, a first gas inlet, a second gas inlet, a plasma generator and a gas exhaust. The first gas inlet provides a first gas at a first distance from an interior surface of the chamber, and the second gas inlet provides a second gas at a second distance that is closer than the first distance from the interior surface of the chamber. Thus, the second gas creates a higher partial pressure adjacent the interior surface of the chamber to significantly reduce deposition from the first gas onto the interior surface. The present invention also provides a method for depositing a FSG film on a substrate comprising: introducing first gas through a first gas inlet at a first distance from an interior surface of the chamber, and introducing a second gas through a second gas inlet at a second distance from the interior surface of the chamber, wherein the second gas creates a higher partial pressure adjacent the interior surface of the chamber to prevent deposition from the first gas on the interior surface. Alternatively, the first gas is introduced at a different angle from the second gas with respect to a substrate surface.

Gas distribution system for a CVD processing chamber

The present invention provides an apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate comprising a processing chamber, a substrate support member disposed within the chamber, a first gas inlet, a second gas inlet, a plasma generator and a gas exhaust. The first gas inlet provides a first gas at a first distance from an interior surface of the chamber, and the second gas inlet provides a second gas at a second distance that is closer than the first distance from the interior surface of the chamber. Thus, the second gas creates a higher partial pressure adjacent the interior surface of the chamber to significantly reduce deposition from the first gas onto the interior surface. The present invention also provides a method for depositing a film on a substrate comprising: providing a chemical vapor deposition chamber, introducing first gas through a first gas inlet at a first distance from an interior surface of the chamber, introducing a second gas through a second gas inlet at a second distance from the interior surface of the chamber, wherein the second gas creates a higher partial pressure adjacent the interior surface of the chamber to prevent deposition from the first gas on the interior surface and generating a plasma of the processing gases. Alternatively, the first gas is introduced at a different angle from the second gas with respect to a substrate surface.

An improved deposition chamber (2) includes a housing (4) defining a chamber (18) which houses a substrate support (14). A mixture of oxygen and SiF.sub.4 is delivered through a set of first nozzles (34) and silane is delivered through a set of second nozzles (34a) into the chamber around the periphery (40) of the substrate support. Silane (or a mixture of silane and SiF.sub.4) and oxygen are separately injected into the chamber generally centrally above the substrate from orifices (64, 76). The uniform dispersal of the gases coupled with the use of optimal flow rates for each gas results in uniformly low (under 3.4) dielectric constant across the film.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Alan W Collins