Lam Research Corporation

Novellus Systems Incorporated

Hanergy Holding Group Ltd.

Colin F Smith

Edward Sung

Shawn M Hamilton

Alan M Schoepp

Peter Krotov

Kevin Madrigal

Karl Frederick Leeser

Ramesh Chandrasekharan

William R Johanson

Patrick G Breiling

John Joseph Mazzocco

Gary B Lind

Edmund Minshall

Sooyun Joh

Harald Te Nijenhuis

Andrew Duvall

Bruce Krein

Thomas M Pratt

Randy Hall

Jeffrey E Lorelli

Michael Lofstrom

Showerheads for semiconductor processing equipment are disclosed that include various features designed to minimize or eliminate non-uniform gas delivery across the surface of a wafer due to gas flow transients within the showerhead.

Anti-transient showerhead

An improved vaporizer for vaporizing a liquid precursor is provided. The vaporizer may include one or more channels with a relatively large wall-area-to-cross-sectional-flow-area ratio and may be equipped with one or more heater elements configured to heat the channels above the vaporization temperature of the precursor. At least some of the channels may be heated above the vaporization temperature but below the Leidenfrost temperature of the precursor. In some implementations, a carrier gas may be introduced at high speed in a direction generally transverse to the precursor flow to mechanically shear the precursor into droplets. Multiple vaporizers may be ganged together in series to achieve complete vaporization, if necessary. The vaporizers may be easily disassembleable for cleaning and maintenance.

Configurable liquid precursor vaporizer

An improved vaporizer for vaporizing a process fluid is provided. The vaporizer may be assembled from stacked plates and may include one or more plenums with a relatively large wall-area-to-cross-sectional-flow-area ratio. The vaporizer may be equipped with one or more heating elements configured to heat the plenums above the vaporization temperature of the precursor. At least some of the plenums may be heated above the vaporization temperature, but below the Leidenfrost temperature, of the precursor. Multiple stacked plate arrangements may be ganged together in series to achieve complete vaporization, if necessary. The vaporizers may be easily disassembleable for cleaning and maintenance.

Modular vaporizer

A heated filter assembly for heating gas supplied to a substrate processing system includes a housing defining a cavity, an inner surface and an outer surface. A filter element is arranged inside the cavity of the housing with an outer surface thereof in a spaced relationship relative to the inner surface of the housing. A heat transfer element is arranged inside of the filter element and includes an outer surface and an inner cavity. A plurality of projections is arranged on the outer surface of the heat transfer element in direct physical contact with an inner surface of the filter element. A plurality of portions is arranged on the outer surface of the heat transfer element, is spaced from the inner surface of the filter element and is located between the plurality of projections.

Internally heated porous filter for defect reduction with liquid or solid precursors

A substrate processing system includes a showerhead including a stem portion and a head portion. The stem portion is in fluid communication with a process gas source, and the head portion is arranged to provide process gases from the process gas source to a reaction volume of a processing chamber below the showerhead to generate plasma in the reaction volume. A suppressor is arranged above the head portion of the showerhead, extends from the stem portion toward sidewalls of the processing chamber, and is sealed against the sidewalls of the processing chamber or sealed against an enclosure surrounding the suppressor. The suppressor, the sidewalls, and a top surface of the processing chamber, the suppressor and the enclosure, or the suppressor, the enclosure, and the top surface define a partitioned volume of the processing chamber above the showerhead. The partitioned volume is in fluid communication with a purge gas source.

Plasma suppression behind a showerhead through the use of increased pressure

A liquid delivery system for a substrate processing system includes a liquid ampoule to store liquid precursor. A pressure adjusting system adjusts pressure in the liquid ampoule. A pressure sensor senses a pressure in the liquid ampoule. A capillary injector includes a capillary tube in fluid communication with an output of the liquid ampoule. A temperature control device controls a temperature of the capillary tube. A first valve has an input connected to the capillary tube. A controller is configured to determine a predetermined pressure in the liquid ampoule corresponding a desired flow rate and a predetermined temperature of the capillary tube, maintain the temperature of the capillary tube at the predetermined temperature, communicate with the pressure sensor and the pressure adjusting system, and control the pressure in the liquid ampoule to the predetermined pressure to provide the desired flow rate.

Systems and methods for pressure-based liquid flow control

A cooling and reactant removal system includes first and second gate valves. An outlet of the first gate valve is arranged in fluid communication with the process volume of the processing chamber. A filter is arranged in fluid communication with an inlet of the first gate valve. An inlet of the second gate valve is arranged in fluid communication with the process volume of the processing chamber. A gas amplifier has a first inlet, a second inlet, an outlet and at least one Coanda surface. Compressed gas received at the first inlet of the gas amplifier is directed across the Coanda surface. The second inlet of the gas amplifier is in fluid communication with the outlet of the second gate valve. The outlet of the gas amplifier is in fluid communication with a scrubbed exhaust system.

Systems and methods for cooling and removing reactants from a substrate processing chamber

A method for removing a sheet of paper from a substrate includes providing an air exhaust stream from an outlet of an air amplifier to the sheet of paper on the substrate to perturb the sheet of paper and lifting the perturbed sheet of paper from the substrate using a sub-atmospheric intake of the air amplifier.

Utilization of an air amplifier to remove sheets of paper from glass in an automated glass handler

An apparatus and method for depositing film on a substrate includes a plurality of conduits that allow by-product and reactant gases to flow past the edge of a substrate. The apparatus and process of the present invention has several advantages for enhanced chamber performance, particularly for micro-volume chambers using pulsed deposition layer processes.

Deposition sub-chamber with variable flow

An apparatus and method for sealing and unsealing a chemical deposition apparatus in a chemical deposition process chamber includes a microvolume that has dual sealing elements at its periphery. One seal, the outer seal, is used to seal the inside of the microvolume from the main process chamber. The second (inner) seal is used to seal the inside of the microvolume from a vacuum source. The apparatus and process of the present invention has several advantages for enhanced chamber performance.

Dual seal deposition process chamber and process

In one embodiment, a mixing device includes a nozzle that is disposed tangent to a wall of a chamber. Gas flowing from the nozzle rotates in the chamber forming a vortex. Another gas may be flown near a middle portion of the chamber, thereby uniformly mixing the two gases. In another embodiment, an evaporation and mixing device includes a nozzle configured to impart rotation to a gas flowing into a chamber. An injector flows a liquid material near a middle portion of the chamber, thereby mixing the gas and the liquid material. A heater may be employed to help evaporate the liquid material.

Growing community of inventors

Half Moon Bay, CA, United States of America

Colin F Smith