Lam Research Corporation

Fayaz A Shaikh

Curtis Warren Bailey

Nick Linebarger

Sirish K Reddy

Nick Ray Linebarger, Jr

James Forest Lee

Matthew Mudrow

Brian Joseph Williams

Adriana Vintila

Kevin M McLaughlin

Taide Tan

Alexander R Fox

Alice Hollister

Chanyuan Liu

Niraj Rana

Xin Yin

Anirvan Sircar

A plasma processing chamber for depositing a film on an underside surface of a wafer, includes a showerhead pedestal. The showerhead pedestal includes a first zone and a second zone. The first zone is configured for depositing a first film to the underside surface of the wafer and the second zone is configured for depositing a second film to the underside surface of the wafer.

Spatially tunable deposition to compensate within wafer differential bow

Localized stresses can be modulated in a film deposited on a bowed semiconductor substrate by selectively and locally curing the film by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A bowed semiconductor substrate can be asymmetrically bowed. A UV-curable film is deposited on the front side or the backside of the bowed semiconductor substrate. A mask is provided between the UV-curable film and a UV source, where openings in the mask are patterned to selectively define exposed regions and non-exposed regions of the UV-curable film. Exposed regions of the UV-curable film modulate localized stresses to mitigate bowing in the bowed semiconductor substrate.

UV cure for local stress modulation

A plasma processing chamber for depositing a film on an underside surface of a wafer, includes showerhead pedestal. The showerhead pedestal includes a first zone and a second zone. An upper separator fin is disposed over a top surface of the showerhead pedestal and a lower separator fin is disposed under the top surface of the showerhead pedestal and aligned with the upper separator fin. The first zone is configured for depositing a first film to the underside surface of the wafer and the second zone is configured for depositing a second film to the underside surface of the wafer. In another embodiment, a top surface of the showerhead pedestal may be configured to receive a masking plate instead of the upper separator fin. The masking plate is configured with a first area that has openings and a second area that is masked. The first areas is used to provide the process gas to a portion of the underside surface of the wafer for depositing a film.

A plasma processing system is provided. The system includes a chamber, a controller and a showerhead disposed in the chamber. A first gas manifold is connected to the showerhead for providing a first gas from a first gas source responsive to control from the controller. A shower-pedestal is disposed in the chamber and oriented opposite the showerhead. A second gas manifold is connected to the shower-pedestal for providing a second gas from a second gas source responsive to control from the controller. A substrate support for holding a substrate at a spaced apart relationship from the shower-pedestal is provided. A radio frequency (RF) power supply for providing power to the showerhead to generate a plasma is provided. The plasma is used for depositing a film on a back-side of the substrate, when present in the chamber. The substrate is held by the substrate support in the spaced apart relationship from the shower-pedestal, during backside deposition. The showerhead provides a purge gas during the backside deposition.

PECVD deposition system for deposition on selective side of the substrate

A chamber for use in implementing a deposition process includes a pedestal for supporting a semiconductor wafer. A silicon ring is disposed over the pedestal and surrounds the semiconductor wafer. The silicon ring has a ring thickness that approximates a semiconductor wafer thickness. The silicon ring has an annular width that extends a process zone defined over the semiconductor wafer to an extended process zone that is defined over the semiconductor wafer and the silicon ring. A confinement ring defined from a dielectric material is disposed over the pedestal and surrounds the silicon ring. A showerhead having a central showerhead area and an extended showerhead area is also included. The central showerhead area is substantially disposed over the semiconductor wafer and the silicon ring. The extended showerhead area is substantially disposed over the confinement ring. The annular width of the silicon ring enlarges a surface area of the semiconductor wafer that is exposed and shifts non-uniformity effects of deposition materials over the semiconductor wafer from an edge of the semiconductor wafer to an outer edge of the silicon ring.

Separation of plasma suppression and wafer edge to improve edge film thickness uniformity

Methods for reducing warpage of bowed semiconductor substrates, particularly saddle-shaped bowed semiconductor substrates, are provided herein. Methods involve depositing a bow compensation layer by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition on the backside of the bowed semiconductor substrate by region, such as by quadrants, to form a compressive film on a tensile substrate and a tensile film on a compressive substrate. Methods involve flowing different gases from different nozzles on a surface of a showerhead to deliver various gases by region in a one-step operation or flowing gases in a multi-step process by shielding regions of the showerhead during delivery of gases to deliver specific gases from non-shielded regions onto regions of the bowed semiconductor substrate by alternating between rotating the semiconductor substrate and flowing gases to the backside of the bowed semiconductor substrate.

Asymmetric wafer bow compensation by chemical vapor deposition

Methods and systems for depositing material layers with gap variation between film deposition operations. One method includes depositing a material layer over a substrate. The depositing is performed in a plasma chamber having a bottom electrode and a top electrode. The method includes providing a substrate over the bottom electrode in the plasma chamber. The method sets a first gap between the bottom and top electrodes and performs plasma deposition to deposit a first film of the material layer over the substrate while the first gap is set between the bottom and top electrodes. The method then sets a second gap between the bottom a top electrodes and performs plasma deposition to deposit a second film of the material layer over the substrate while the second gap is set between the bottom and top electrodes.

Inter-electrode gap variation methods for compensating deposition non-uniformity

A method for depositing a hardmask layer on a substrate includes nitridating a first layer of the substrate. The first layer is selected from a group consisting of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. An amorphous carbon layer is deposited on the nitridated first layer via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). A monolayer is deposited on the amorphous carbon layer using gas mixture including a metal precursor gas with a reducing agent and without plasma. A bulk metal-doped carbon hardmask layer is deposited on the monolayer.

System and method for depositing a homogenous interface for PECVD metal-doped carbon hardmasks

A method for depositing an amorphous carbon hardmask film includes arranging a substrate in a processing chamber, supplying a carrier gas to the processing chamber, supplying a hydrocarbon precursor to the processing chamber, supplying fluorine precursor from a group consisting of WF, NF, SF, and Fto the processing chamber, one of supplying plasma to the processing chamber or creating plasma in the processing chamber, and depositing an amorphous carbon hardmask film on the substrate. Fluorine from the fluorine precursor combines with hydrogen from the hydrocarbon precursor in gas phase reactions.

Methods for decreasing carbon-hydrogen content of amorphous carbon hardmask films

A system and method for depositing a metal dielectric film includes arranging a substrate in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processing chamber; supplying a carrier gas to the PECVD processing chamber; supplying a dielectric precursor gas to the PECVD processing chamber; supplying a metal precursor gas to the PECVD processing chamber; creating plasma in the PECVD processing chamber; and depositing a metal dielectric film on the substrate at a process temperature that is less than 500&#xb0; C.

Deposition of metal dielectric film for hardmasks

A method for depositing material layers with gap variation between film deposition operations is provided. A material layer is deposited over a substrate and is performed in a plasma chamber having a bottom electrode and a top electrode. The method sets a first gap between the bottom and top electrodes and performs plasma deposition to deposit a first film of the material layer over the substrate while the first gap is set between the bottom and top electrodes. Setting a second gap between the bottom a top electrodes and performs plasma deposition to deposit a second film of the material layer over the substrate while the second gap is set between the bottom and top electrodes. The material layer is from the first and second films and the first gap is varied to the second gap to offset pre-characterized non-uniformities when depositing the first film followed by the second film.

Systems and methods for depositing a metal-doped amorphous carbon hardmask film or a metal-doped amorphous silicon hardmask film includes arranging a substrate in a processing chamber; supplying a carrier gas to the processing chamber; supplying a hydrocarbon precursor gas or a silicon precursor gas to the processing chamber, respectively; supplying a metal-based precursor gas to the processing chamber; one of creating or supplying plasma in the processing chamber; and depositing a metal-doped amorphous carbon hardmask film or a metal-doped amorphous silicon hardmask film on the substrate, respectively.

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Lake Oswego, OR, United States of America

Fayaz A Shaikh