Novellus Systems Incorporated

Lam Research Corporation

Panya Wongsenakhum

Joshua Collins

Lana Hiului Chan

Juwen Gao

Kaihan Abidi Ashtiani

Karl B Levy

Gary B Lind

Aaron R Fellis

Francisco J Juarez

George Thomas

Peter Krotov

Junghwan Sung

Davinder Sharma

Marvin Clayton Brees

David Cohen

Sang-Hyeob Lee

Harald Te Nijenhuis

Abhishek Manohar

Christopher J Rau

Mohamed Shihaam Suhail

Charlie Damaso

Ravi Bharatkumar Parmar

A system to control gas flow includes an ampoule to store a solid precursor. A heater is to heat the ampoule and to sublimate the solid precursor into a gaseous precursor. A mass flow controller is to regulate a flow of gaseous precursor from the ampoule to a substrate processing chamber. A pressure sensor is to measure a pressure of the gaseous precursor input to the mass flow controller. A controller is to apply power to the electric heater using closed loop control based on the pressure and a pressure setpoint.

Sublimation control using downstream pressure sensing

A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus includes a chemical isolation chamber for processing a semiconductor substrate, a chemical delivery module, and a control module. The chemical delivery module is in fluid communication with the chamber and includes a canister oven, a control oven, and a heating element. The canister oven generates a process gas using a heated precursor. The control oven receives the process gas via a first gas line and supplies the process gas to the chamber via a second gas line. The first gas line extends between an inside surface of the canister oven and an inside surface of the control oven. The heating element heats a portion of the first gas line between the inside surface of the canister oven and the inside surface of the control oven. The controller module adjusts a heating temperature of the heating element based on a temperature of the portion.

Heater design solutions for chemical delivery systems

Vapor accumulator reservoirs for semiconductor processing operations, such as atomic layer deposition operations, are provided. Such vapor accumulator reservoirs may include a perimeter plenum volume filled with an inert gas, which may reduce or prevent the leakage of external contaminants into a process gas. In some implementations, the reservoir may be constructed from corrosion-resistant materials to reduce internal contaminants into the process gas.

Vapor accumulator for corrosive gases with purging

A semiconductor processing chamber is provided and may include a wafer transfer passage that extends through a chamber wall and has an inner passage surface defining an opening, an insert including an insert inner surface defining an insert opening, and a gas inlet. A first recessed surface of the wafer transfer passage extending at least partially around and outwardly offset from the inner passage surface, a first insert outer surface extending at least partially around and outwardly offset from the insert inner surface, and a first wall surface extending between the inner passage surface and the first recessed surface, at least partially define a gas distribution channel fluidically connected to the gas inlet, the first recessed surface is separated from the first insert outer surface by a first distance and an insert front surface faces and is separated from the first wall surface by a first gap distance.

Apparatus for purging semiconductor process chamber slit valve opening

A gas inlet valve with incompatible materials isolation is provided. The valve may include a piston that seals against a surface when in a closed position and that permits gas to flow through the valve and out the outlet port when in an open position. A bellows may protect the actuation mechanism of the piston from gas that may be present in the valve when the valve is in the open or closed position, and the piston may include a second seal interface that seals the bellows off from the gas flow area when the valve is in the open or closed position.

Gas inlet valve with incompatible materials isolation

An azimuthal mixer component that may be plumbed in-line with a showerhead stem tube of a semiconductor processing apparatus is provided. The azimuthal mixer may include a main passage that is coaxial with the stem tube, and one or more plenums that partially or wholly encircle the main passage. Corresponding sets of radial passages may fluidically connect the main passage with each of the plenums.

Azimuthal mixer

In one aspect, a system includes a generator configured to generate and tune a frequency of a supply signal. The system includes an auto-matching network configured to receive the supply signal and to generate an impedance-matched signal for use in powering a plasma system. In some implementations, during a first stage of an impedance matching operation, the generator is configured to tune the frequency of the supply signal until the generator identifies a frequency for which the reactance of the generator and the reactance of the load are best matched. In some implementations, during a second stage of the impedance matching operation, the auto-matching network is configured to tune a tuning element within the auto-matching network until the auto-matching network identifies a tuning of the tuning element for which the resistance of the generator and the resistance of the load are best matched.

Hybrid impedance matching for inductively coupled plasma system

Improved methods of removing tungsten film from the interior reactor and reactor component surfaces between tungsten deposition operations are provided. The methods involve increasing the availability of molecular fluorine to remove tungsten from the reactor while maintaining fast removal rates. Certain embodiments involve a multi-stage process including a stage in which atomic fluorine is introduced at a low pressure (e.g., about 8 Torr or less) and a stage in which molecular fluorine is introduced or allowed to form in the chamber at high pressure (e.g., about 8 Torr or higher).

Methods and apparatus for cleaning deposition reactors

The methods described herein relate to deposition of low resistivity, highly conformal tungsten nucleation layers. These layers serve as a seed layers for the deposition of a tungsten bulk layer. The methods are particularly useful for tungsten plug fill in which tungsten is deposited in high aspect ratio features. The methods involve depositing a nucleation layer by a combined PNL and CVD process. The substrate is first exposed to one or more cycles of sequential pulses of a reducing agent and a tungsten precursor in a PNL process. The nucleation layer is then completed by simultaneous exposure of the substrate to a reducing agent and tungsten precursor in a chemical vapor deposition process. In certain embodiments, the process is performed without the use of a borane as a reducing agent.

Methods for improving uniformity and resistivity of thin tungsten films

Improved methods for depositing low resistivity tungsten films are provided. The methods involve depositing a tungsten nucleation layer on a substrate and then depositing a tungsten bulk layer over the tungsten nucleation layer to form the tungsten film. The methods provide precise control of the nucleation layer thickness and improved step coverage. According to various embodiments, the methods involve controlling thickness and/or improving step coverage by exposing the substrate to pulse nucleation layer (PNL) cycles at low temperature. Also in some embodiments, the methods may improve resistivity by using a high temperature PNL cycle of a boron-containing species and a tungsten-containing precursor to finish forming the tungsten nucleation layer.

Methods for growing low-resistivity tungsten film

The present invention provides improved methods of depositing tungsten-containing films on substrates, particularly on silicon substrates. The methods involve depositing an interfacial or 'flash' layer of tungsten on the silicon prior to deposition of tungsten nitride. The tungsten flash layer is typically deposited by a CVD reaction of a tungsten precursor and a reducing agent. According to various embodiments, the tungsten flash layer may be deposited with a high reducing agent to tungsten-precursor ratio and/or at low temperature to reduce attack by the tungsten precursor. In many cases, the substrate is a semiconductor wafer or a partially fabricated semiconductor wafer. Applications include depositing tungsten nitride as (or as part of) a diffusion barrier and/or adhesion layer for tungsten contacts.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Panya Wongsenakhum