Novellus Systems Incorporated

Angstron Systems, Inc.

Jeffrey A Brown

Tony P Chiang

Karl Frederick Leeser

Jason E Babcoke

A deposition system includes a process chamber for conducting an ALD process to deposit layers on a substrate. An electrostatic chuck (ESC) retains the substrate. A backside gas increases thermal coupling between the substrate and the ESC. The ESC is cooled via a coolant flowing through a coolant plate and heated via a resistive heater. Various arrangements are disclosed.

Substrate temperature control in an ALD reactor

A deposition system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes a process chamber, a stationary pedestal for supporting a substrate in the process chamber, and a moveable shield forming at least a portion of an enclosure defining the process chamber. Motion of the shield with respect to the stationary pedestal controls a variable gas conductance path for gases flowing through the process chamber thereby modulating the pressure of the process chamber with respect to an external volume. The moveable shield in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may include several gas channel openings for introducing various process gases into the process chamber. In some embodiments, the moveable shield may alternatively or additionally include an interior cooling or heating channel for temperature control.

Variable gas conductance control for a process chamber

A deposition system includes a process chamber for conducting an ALD process to deposit layers on a substrate. In one embodiment, instead of varying the gas flux on a substrate in the chamber by controlling the flow of gas upstream of the process chamber, the gas flux on the substrate is controlled by controlling the conductance between the process chamber and a lower pressure volume outside the process chamber. The flux of the gas on the substrate varies inversely with the chamber conductance, such that the flux of the gas on the substrate increases when the conductance decreases. Various methods of performing an ALD process by controlling the conductance are disclosed as well as various structures for controlling the conductance.

Varying conductance out of a process region to control gas flux in an ALD reactor

A method for conducting an ALD process to deposit layers on a substrate which includes an electrostatic chuck (ESC) to retain the substrate. Electrode(s) in the chuck assembly are used to induce a voltage on the substrate to promote precursor adsorption on the substrate.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Jeffrey A Brown