Lam Research Corporation

Jeremy Tucker

Edward J Augustyniak

Ramesh Chandrasekharan

Karl Frederick Leeser

Douglas L Keil

Sunil Kapoor

Yukinori Sakiyama

Yaswanth Rangineni

Alan M Schoepp

Chunguang Xia

Ramkishan Rao Lingampalli

Saangrut Sangplung

Tony Kaushal

A deposition apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates having an isothermal processing zone comprises a chemical isolation chamber in which semiconductor substrates are processed. A process gas source is in fluid communication with a showerhead module which delivers process gases from the process gas source to the isothermal processing zone wherein the showerhead module includes a faceplate wherein a lower surface of the faceplate forms an upper wall of a cavity defining the isothermal processing zone, a backing plate, and an isolation ring which surrounds the faceplate and the backing plate. At least one compression seal is compressed between the faceplate and the backing plate which forms a central gas plenum between the faceplate and the backing plate. A substrate pedestal module is configured to heat and support a semiconductor substrate wherein an upper surface of the pedestal module forms a lower wall of the cavity defining the isothermal processing zone within the chemical isolation chamber. A vacuum source is in fluid communication with the isothermal processing zone for evacuating process gas from the processing zone.

Deposition apparatus including an isothermal processing zone

A chemical deposition apparatus having a chemical deposition chamber formed within the chemical isolation chamber includes a gas seal. The chemical deposition chamber includes a showerhead module having a faceplate with gas inlets to deliver reactor chemistries to a wafer cavity for processing a semiconductor substrate. The showerhead module includes primary exhaust gas outlets to remove reaction gas chemistries and inert gases from the wafer cavity. An inert gas feed delivers seal gas which flows radially inwardly at least partly through a gap between a step of the showerhead module and the pedestal module to form a gas seal. Secondary exhaust gas outlets withdraw at least some of the inert gas flowing through the gap to provide a high Peclet number.

Chemical deposition chamber having gas seal

A faceplate for a gas distribution system of a plasma processing chamber includes a faceplate body having a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface and a side surface. A first plurality of holes in the faceplate body extends from the first surface to the second surface. At least some of the first plurality of holes has a first size dimension and a second size dimension in a plane parallel to the first surface. The first size dimension is transverse to the second size dimension. The first size dimension is less than 3 plasma sheath thicknesses of plasma generated by the plasma processing chamber. The second size dimension is greater than 2 times the first size dimension.

Hollow cathode discharge (HCD) suppressing capacitively coupled plasma electrode and gas distribution faceplate

A gas distribution plate for a substrate processing system includes a ceramic lower portion of the gas distribution plate including a plurality of ceramic green sheets. A ceramic upper portion of the gas distribution plate includes a plurality of ceramic green sheets. An electrode is printed on at least one of an upper surface of the ceramic lower portion and a lower surface of the ceramic upper portion using metal screen printing. A first plurality of through holes is machined through the ceramic lower portion and the ceramic upper portion of the gas distribution plate prior to sintering.

Ceramic gas distribution plate with embedded electrode

A process chamber for detecting formation of plasma during a semiconductor wafer processing, includes an upper electrode, for providing a gas chemistry to the process chamber. The upper electrode is connected to a radio frequency (RF) power source through a match network to provide RF power to the wafer cavity to generate a plasma. The process chamber also includes a lower electrode for receiving and supporting the semiconductor wafer during the deposition process. The lower electrode is disposed in the process chamber so as to define a wafer cavity between a surface of the upper electrode and a top surface of the lower electrode. The lower electrode is electrically grounded. A coil sensor is disposed at a base of the lower electrode that extends outside the process chamber. The coil sensor substantially surrounds the base of the lower electrode. The coil sensor is configured to measure characteristics of RF current conducting through the wafer cavity. The characteristics of the RF current measured by the coil sensor are used to confirm presence of plasma within the wafer cavity.

Metrology methods to detect plasma in wafer cavity and use of the metrology for station-to-station and tool-to-tool matching

A chemical deposition apparatus having conductance control, which includes a showerhead module having a faceplate and a backing plate, the showerhead module including a plurality of inlets which deliver reactor chemistries to a cavity and exhaust outlets which remove reactor chemistries, a pedestal module configured to support a substrate and which moves vertically to close the cavity between the pedestal module and an outer portion of the faceplate, and at least one conductance control assembly, which is in fluid communication with the cavity via the exhaust outlets. The at least one conductance control assembly selected from one or more of the following: a ball valve assembly, a fluidic valve, magnetically coupled rotary plates, and/or a linear based magnetic system.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Jeremy Tucker