Applied Materials, Inc.

Keith K Koai

Lawrence C Lei

David T Or

Mei Yin Chang

Mark S Johnson

Ling Chen

Bo Zheng

Xin Sheng Guo

Hiroshi Sato

Mohan K Bhan

Russell C Ellwanger

Hiroyuki Takahama

Koji Ota

Takahiro Ito

Ming Xi

Shulin Wang

Fufa Chen

John Vincent Schmitt

James J Chen

Rene T Correa

Eric W Schieve

Huan Luo

Tung-Ching Tseng

Sean Li

An apparatus for positioning a substrate support within a processing chamber is provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for positioning a substrate support includes a yoke comprising a curved surface with a first slot formed therethrough, a base comprising a first surface adapted to support the substrate support and a curved second surface, wherein the curved second surface mates with the curved surface of the yoke and a first slot is formed through the curved second surface of the base, and a first threaded member disposed through the first slot in the yoke and the first slot in the base.

Substrate support lift mechanism

Substrate support lift pin

A substrate support is provided that features a lift pin having at least one larger diameter shoulder section that forms a relief region between the lift pin and a guide hole disposed through a substrate support. The shoulder section minimizes contact between the substrate support and lift pin guide hole, thereby reducing pin scratching, particle generation, component wear, and increasing the useful life of the pin. In another embodiment, a flat-bottom tip is provided to promote self-standing of the lift pin, reducing pin tilting or leaning of the lift pin within the guide hole.

Reduced friction lift pin

A showerhead used for dispensing gas over a wafer in chemical vapor deposition (CVD), especially for CVD of copper in a thermal process using a precursor such as HFAC-Cu-TMVS. The patterns of holes is tailored to compensate for thermal and other effects, in particular by increasing the density of holes toward the periphery of the wafer in three or more zones. Such a variable pattern is particularly useful for liquid precursors that are atomized in a carrier gas, in which case a second perforated plate in back of the showerhead face can be eliminated, thereby reducing the flow impedance and the required pressure of the liquid-entrained gas, which tends to deposit out at higher pressures. The reduced flow impedance is particularly useful for CVD of copper.

Chemical vapor deposition of copper using profiled distribution of showerhead apertures

The present invention relates to plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and related chamber hardware. Embodiments of the present invention include a PECVD system for depositing a film of titanium nitride from a TDMAT precursor. The present invention broadly provides a chamber, a gas delivery assembly, a pedestal which supports a substrate, and a plasma system to process substrates. In general, the invention includes a chamber body and a gas delivery assembly disposed thereon to define a chamber cavity. A pedestal movably disposed within the chamber cavity is adapted to support a substrate during processing. The gas delivery assembly is supported by the chamber body and includes a temperature control plate and a showerhead mounted thereto. Preferably, the interface between the showerhead and temperature control plate is parallel to a radial direction of the gas delivery assembly to accommodate lateral thermal expansion without separation of the showerhead and the temperature control plate. A blocker plate, or baffle plate, may be disposed between the showerhead and temperature control plate to facilitate dispersion of gases delivered thereto.

300 mm CVD chamber design for metal-organic thin film deposition

A process for chemical vapor deposition of titanium nitride film using thermal decomposition of a metal-organic compound is disclosed. In particular, the deposition of titanium nitride film from tetrakis dimethylamino-titanium (TDMAT) is performed at a temperature preferably below 350&deg; C. in the presence of helium and nitrogen. The process is performed at a total pressure of about 5 torr, a nitrogen dilutant gas flow of at least 500 sccm, preferably about 1000 sccm, and an edge purge gas flow of at least 500 sccm. These process parameters, coupled with an improved thermal conduction between the wafer and the heated pedestal, lead to a conformal deposition of titanium nitride film at a rate of at least 6 &angst;/sec.

Method for performing metallo-organic chemical vapor deposition of titanium nitride at reduced temperature

An apparatus and method for controlling a flow of process material to a deposition chamber. The apparatus comprises an injector valve, disposed between the process material source and the deposition chamber. The injector valve controls the flow of precursor material by repeatedly opening and closing the injector valve with a predetermined duty cycle. The apparatus further comprises an evaporator coupled to the injector valve for evaporating the precursor.

Apparatus and method for controlling a flow of process material to a deposition chamber

A wafer pedestal with a purge ring that circumscribes a peripheral edge of the wafer pedestal. The purge ring contains plurality of passages that are located proximate the peripheral edge of said wafer pedestal such that purge gas is directed towards the peripheral edge. Additionally, the purge ring cooperates with an edge ring assembly that circumscribes the purge ring. The purge ring and the edge ring assembly allow a dual-purge flow pattern to be established, which significantly reduces the accumulation of undesirable deposits upon the wafer pedestal.

Wafer pedestal with a purge ring

A plasma reaction chamber particularly configured for chemical vapor deposition of titanium nitride with a TDMAT precursor, the deposition including a plasma step. Gas is injected from a gas cavity in a showerhead electrode assembly through a large number of showerhead holes into the processing region over the wafer. The showerhead electrode is capable of being RF energized to create a plasma of a gas in the processing region. The showerhead electrode and other parts of the assembly are cooled by a cooling plate disposed above the gas cavity and connected to a rim of the showerhead electrode. A convolute water-cooling channel is formed in the cooling plate having a small cross section and numerous bends so as to create turbulent flow, thus aiding thermal transfer. The water cooling plate is connected to the showerhead electrode across a large horizontal interface, thus also aiding thermal flow. An edge ring assembly is positioned in a peripheral recess at the top of heater pedestal supporting the wafer next to the processing region. The showerhead is insulated from the chamber body by an isolator having a downwardly sloping lower surface facing the processing region. Thereby, the isolator by itself or in combination with a plasma confinement ring around the wafer confines the plasma to the process area and induces the exhaust to flow downwardly from the processing region. The assembly includes a Z-shaped heat shield disposed between the walls of the recess and of the pedestal side and other parts of the ring assembly with gaps between the various members, thereby promoting thermal isolation in the edge region as well as protecting the side of the pedestal.

Reactor useful for chemical vapor deposition of titanium nitride

A substrate processing chamber, particularly a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber used both for thermal deposition of a conductive material and a subsequently performed plasma process. The invention reduces thermal deposition of the conductive material on peripheral portions of the pedestal supporting a wafer and in a pumping channel exhausting the chamber. A peripheral ring placed on the pedestal, preferably also used to center the wafer, is thermally isolated from the pedestal so that its temperature is kept substantially lower than that of the wafer. The processing chamber includes a chamber lid assembly having an isolator ring member that has a sloping surface for confirming the plasma within a processing zone of the processing chamber while the wafer is being processed therein. A method for forming a CVD layer on a wafer comprising elevating the pedestal until an upper pedestal surface of the pedestal extends above a lower edge of the isolator ring member.

Processing chamber and method for confining plasma

A showerhead used for dispensing gas over a wafer in chemical vapor deposition (CVD), especially for CVD of metals. The patterns of holes is tailored to compensate for thermal and other effects, in particular by increasing the density of holes toward the periphery of the wafer in three or more zones. Such a variable pattern is particularly useful for liquid precursors that are atomized in a carrier gas, in which case a second perforated plate in back of the showerhead face can be eliminated, thereby reducing the flow impedance and the required pressure of the liquid-entrained gas, which tends to deposit out at higher pressures. The reduce flow impedance is particularly useful for CVD of copper.

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Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Keith K Koai