Lam Research Corporation

Rachel E Batzer

Zhe Gui

Huatan Qiu

Geoffrey Hohn

Bhadri N Varadarajan

Bo Gong

Patrick G Breiling

Taide Tan

Will Schlosser

Bart Jan Van Schravendijk

Galbokka Hewage Layan Savithra

Prasanna Kulkarni

Aaron Durbin

Guangbi Yuan

Aaron Blake Miller

Ted Tan

Boonyarit Woonprasert

Shawn Fiedler

Vivekanandan Krishnaswamy

John Edward Bussan

Threaded nozzle insert

A method comprises arranging an apparatus on a top surface of a pedestal in a processing chamber. The apparatus comprises an annular member, N supporting members, and N pins, where N is an integer greater than two. The N supporting members support the annular member in a plane parallel to and above the top surface of the pedestal. The N pins are arranged perpendicularly to the plane along a circumference around the annular member. Each of the N pins includes threads engageable with respective threaded slots in the apparatus. Each of the N pins includes a conical end pointing towards the top surface of the pedestal and engageable with a periphery of the top surface of the pedestal. The method further comprises aligning a center of the annular member to a center of the pedestal by adjusting one or more of the N pins.

Pedestal setup using camera wafer

A substrate processing system includes a first chamber including a substrate support. A showerhead is arranged above the first chamber and is configured to filter ions and deliver radicals from a plasma source to the first chamber. The showerhead includes a heat transfer fluid plenum, a secondary gas plenum including an inlet to receive secondary gas and a plurality of secondary gas injectors to inject the secondary gas into the first chamber, and a plurality of through holes passing through the showerhead. The through holes are not in fluid communication with the heat transfer fluid plenum or the secondary gas plenum.

Integrated showerhead with thermal control for delivering radical and precursor gas to a downstream chamber to enable remote plasma film deposition

A showerhead for a substrate processing system includes a lower surface, a plasma-facing upper surface, a gas plenum defined between the lower surface and the upper surface, and a plurality of injectors distributed on the lower surface, wherein the plurality of injectors are in fluid communication with the gas plenum. A plurality of through holes extends from the upper surface to the lower surface. Selected ones of the plurality of through holes have a diameter that is different from a diameter of remaining ones of the plurality of through holes. The diameter of the selected ones of the plurality of through holes is predetermined in accordance with a desired ratio of respective gases provided via the selected ones of the plurality of through holes and the remaining ones of the plurality of through holes.

Integrated showerhead with improved hole pattern for delivering radical and precursor gas to a downstream chamber to enable remote plasma film deposition

Certain embodiments herein relate to an apparatus used for remote plasma processing. In various embodiments, the apparatus includes a reaction chamber that is conditioned by forming a low recombination material coating on interior chamber surfaces. The low recombination material helps minimize the degree of radical recombination that occurs when the reaction chamber is used to process substrates. During processing on substrates, the low recombination material may become covered by relatively higher recombination material (e.g., as a byproduct of the substrate processing), which results in a decrease in the amount of radicals available to process the substrate over time. The low recombination material coating may be reconditioned through exposure to an oxidizing plasma, which acts to reform the low recombination material coating. The reconditioning process may occur periodically as additional processing occurs on substrates. The apparatus may be configured to cause formation and reconditioning of the low recombination material coating.

Minimizing radical recombination using ALD silicon oxide surface coating with intermittent restoration plasma

An assembly for use in a process chamber for depositing a film on a wafer. The assembly includes a pedestal having a pedestal top surface extending from a central axis of the pedestal to an outer edge, the pedestal top surface having a plurality of wafer supports for supporting a wafer. A pedestal step having a step surface extending from a step inner diameter towards the outer edge of the pedestal. A focus ring rests on the step surface and having a mesa extending from an outer diameter of the focus ring to a mesa inner diameter. A shelf steps downwards from a mesa surface at the mesa inner diameter, and extends between the mesa inner diameter and an inner diameter of the focus ring. The shelf is configured to support at least a portion of a wafer bottom surface of the wafer at a process temperature.

Wafer level uniformity control in remote plasma film deposition

High density hole pattern dual plenum hole showerhead assembly

A substrate processing system includes a first chamber including a substrate support. A showerhead is arranged above the first chamber and is configured to filter ions and deliver radicals from a plasma source to the first chamber. The showerhead includes a heat transfer fluid plenum including an inlet to receive heat transfer fluid and a plurality of flow channels to direct the heat transfer fluid through a center portion of the showerhead to an outlet to control a temperature of the showerhead, a secondary gas plenum including an inlet to receive secondary gas and a plurality of secondary gas injectors to inject the secondary gas into the first chamber, and a plurality of through holes passing through the showerhead. The through holes are not in fluid communication with the heat transfer fluid plenum or the secondary gas plenum.

Methods and apparatus for remote plasma processing are provided. In various embodiments, a reaction chamber is conditioned by forming a low recombination material coating on interior chamber surfaces. The low recombination material helps minimize the degree of radical recombination that occurs within the reaction chamber when the reaction chamber is used to process substrates. During processing on substrates, the low recombination material may become covered by relatively higher recombination material (e.g., as a byproduct of the substrate processing), which results in a decrease in the amount of radicals available to process the substrate over time. The low recombination material coating may be reconditioned through exposure to an oxidizing plasma, which acts to reform the low recombination material coating. The reconditioning process may occur periodically as additional processing occurs on substrates.

Growing community of inventors

Tualatin, OR, United States of America

Rachel E Batzer