Asm IP Holding B.v.

Michael Schmotzer

Eric James Shero

Paul F Ma

Carl Louis White

Petri Raisanen

Herbert Terhorst

Kyle Fondurulia

Jereld Lee Winkler

Ankit Kimtee

Dinkar Nandwana

Jiyeon Kim

William George Petro

Mark Olstad

Shawn Whaley

Gnyanesh Trivedi

Sol Kim

Ying-Shen Kuo

The present disclosure pertains to embodiments of a showerhead assembly which can be used to deposit semiconductor layers using processes such as atomic layer deposition (ALD). The showerhead assembly has a showerhead which has an increased thickness which advantageously decreases reactor chamber size and decreases cycling time. Decreased cycling time can improve throughput and decrease costs.

Showerhead assembly and components

A source vessel for use in a semiconductor processing system to supply precursor materials by providing enhanced control over vapor pressures. The source vessel includes a housing or vessel defining a chamber for holding a volume of precursor in a liquid state. The source vessel further includes a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of a surface of the liquid-state precursor that is presently contained within the chamber of the housing. The temperature sensor may take the form of a temperature measurement device such as a thermocouple on a float or a non-contact temperature measurement device such as an infrared (IR) temperature sensor with a line-of-sight to the liquid's surface.

Liquid precursor vapor pressure control

Methods for forming hafnium oxide within a three-dimensional structure, such as in a high aspect ratio hole, are provided. The methods may include depositing a first hafnium-containing material, such as hafnium nitride or hafnium carbide, in a three-dimensional structure and subsequently converting the first hafnium-containing material to a second hafnium-containing material comprising hafnium oxide by exposing the first hafnium-containing material to an oxygen reactant. The volume of the second hafnium-containing material may be greater than that of the first hafnium-containing material. Voids or seams formed during the deposition of the first hafnium-containing material in the three-dimensional structure may be filled by the expanded material after exposing the first hafnium-containing material to the oxygen reactant. Thus, the three-dimensional structure, such as a high aspect ratio hole, can be filled with hafnium oxide substantially free of voids or seams.

Deposition of hafnium oxide within a high aspect ratio hole

A reaction system for processing semiconductor substrates is disclosed. In particular, the invention discloses an arrangement of a susceptor and a baseplate for when a substrate is placed into a reaction region. Magnets are embedded into the susceptor and the baseplate in order to create a gap between the two. As a result of the gap, the invention prevents an accumulation of gaseous materials that would exist in prior art systems as well as particle generation due to physical contact between parts.

Magnetic susceptor to baseplate seal

A reaction system for processing semiconductor substrates is disclosed. The reaction system includes a susceptor for holding the substrate as well as a baseplate as a part of housing for the reaction system. A pin located on the susceptor can interact with a baseplate feature located on the baseplate to result in a variable gap between the susceptor and the baseplate. The baseplate feature may take the form of a series of steps, a wedge, or a milled-out feature.

Variable gap hard stop design

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Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America

Michael Schmotzer