Applied Materials, Inc.

Steve H Kim

Sudhir R Gondhalekar

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Tom K Cho

Canfeng Lai

Zhengquan Tan

DongQing Li

Rolf A Guenther

Shigeru Takehiro

Alexander Veyster

Thomas Kring

Mehrdad Moshfegh

The present invention is directed to an upper chamber design of a plasma CVD chamber which provides more uniform conditions for forming thin CVD films on a substrate. Embodiments of the invention improve temperature control of the upper chamber and improve particle performance by reducing or minimizing the temperature fluctuations on the dome between the deposition and non-deposition cycles. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates comprises a chamber defining a plasma processing region therein. The chamber includes a bottom, a side wall, and a dome disposed on top of the side wall. The dome has a substantially flat dome top. A top RF coil is disposed above the dome top, and has an outer loop which is larger in size than the substrates to be processed in the chamber. A cold plate is disposed above the top RF coil, and is larger in size than the substrates to be processed in the chamber.

Upper chamber for high density plasma CVD

A substrate support utilized in high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) processing functions as a radio frequency (RF) electrode (e.g., a bias RF cathode). An upper surface of the substrate support has a central upper surface portion and a peripheral upper surface portion, with the peripheral upper surface portion recessed relative to the central upper surface portion. The upper surface of the support extends beyond an outer edge of the substrate when the substrate is positioned on the substrate support. This extension in the support upper surface may enhance process performance by reducing electric field edge effects, as well as by improving directional distribution of ions traveling to the substrate. Since the peripheral upper surface portion is recessed relative to the central upper surface portion, a detachable shield can be disposed on the peripheral upper surface portion for preventing undesirable deposition on, or chemical attack of, the peripheral upper surface is portion, without interfering with positioning of the substrate.

Substrate support with extended radio frequency electrode upper surface

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Union City, CA, United States of America

Steve H Kim