Applied Materials, Inc.

Venkata Sharat Chandra Parimi

Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha

Vinay K Prabhakar

Sarah Michelle Bobek

Kwangduk Douglas Lee

Diwakar N Kedlaya

Sungwon Ha

Satish Radhakrishnan

Xiaoquan Min

Jian Li

Abdul Aziz Khaja

Viren Kalsekar

Fang Ruan

Amit Kumar Bansal

Rui Cheng

Zheng John Ye

Zubin Huang

Badri N Ramamurthi

Truong Van Nguyen

Sherry L Mings

Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez

Karthik Janakiraman

Kartik Bhupendra Shah

Umesh M Kelkar

Edward P Hammond

Yi Yang

Nitin Pathak

Elizabeth Neville

Rupankar Choudhury

Lu Xu

Byung Seok Kwon

Rajaram Narayanan

Mingle Tong

Job George Konnoth Joseph

Hyung Je Woo

Satya Thokachichu

Byung Ik Song

Manjunath Veerappa Chobari Patil

Runyun Pan

Exemplary semiconductor processing chambers include a chamber body defining a processing region. The chambers may include a substrate support disposed within the processing region. The substrate support may have an upper surface that defines a recessed substrate seat. The chambers may include a shadow ring disposed above the substrate seat and the upper surface. The shadow ring may extend about a peripheral edge of the substrate seat. The chambers may include bevel purge openings defined within the substrate support proximate the peripheral edge. A bottom surface of the shadow ring may be spaced apart from a top surface of the upper surface to form a purge gas flow path that extends from the bevel purge openings along the shadow ring. A space formed between the shadow ring and the substrate seat may define a process gas flow path. The gas flow paths may be in fluid communication with one another.

Methods to eliminate of deposition on wafer bevel and backside

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to one or more implementations of a substrate support for a processing chamber. In one implementation, a substrate support includes a body having a center, and a support surface on the body configured to at least partially support a substrate. The substrate support includes a first angled wall that extends upward and radially outward from the support surface, and a first upper surface disposed above the support surface. The substrate support also includes a second angled wall that extends upward and radially outward from the first upper surface, the first upper surface extending between the first angled wall and the second angled wall. The substrate support also includes a second upper surface extending from the second angled wall. The second upper surface is disposed above the first upper surface.

Electrostatic chuck design with improved chucking and arcing performance

Exemplary semiconductor processing systems may include a chamber body including sidewalls and a base. The system may include a substrate support extending through the base of the chamber body. The chamber body may define an access circumferentially extending about the substrate support at the base of the chamber body. The system may include one or more isolators disposed within the chamber body. The one or more isolators may define an exhaust path between the one or more isolators and the chamber body. The exhaust path may extend to the base of the chamber body. The systems may include a fluid source fluidly coupled with the chamber body at the access extending about the substrate support.

Processing chamber deposition confinement

A plasma processing system is described. The system may include a showerhead. The system may further include a first RF generator in electrical communication with the showerhead. The first RF generator may be configured to deliver a first voltage at a first frequency to the showerhead. Additionally, the system may include a second RF generator in electrical communication with a pedestal. The second RF generator may be configured to deliver a second voltage at a second frequency to the pedestal. The second frequency may be less than the first frequency. The system may also include a terminator in electrical communication with the showerhead. The terminator may provide a path to ground for the second voltage. Methods of depositing material using the plasma processing system are described. A method of seasoning a chamber by depositing silicon oxide and silicon nitride on the wall of the chamber is also described.

Dual RF for controllable film deposition

Exemplary semiconductor processing systems may include a chamber body including sidewalls and a base. The chamber body may define an interior volume. The processing systems may include a substrate support extending through the base of the chamber body. The substrate support may be configured to support a substrate within the interior volume. The processing systems may include a faceplate positioned within the interior volume of the chamber body. The faceplate may define a plurality of apertures through the faceplate. The processing systems may include a faceplate heater seated on the faceplate. The faceplate heater may include a first heater coil extending proximate a first area of the faceplate. The faceplate heater may include a second heater coil extending proximate a second area of the faceplate.

Systems and methods for faceplate temperature control

One or more embodiments described herein generally relate to methods for chucking and de-chucking a substrate to/from an electrostatic chuck used in a semiconductor processing system. Generally, in embodiments described herein, the method includes: (1) applying a first voltage from a direct current (DC) power source to an electrode disposed within a pedestal; (2) introducing process gases into a process chamber; (3) applying power from a radio frequency (RF) power source to a showerhead; (4) performing a process on the substrate; (5) stopping application of the RF power; (6) removing the process gases from the process chamber; and (7) stopping applying the DC power.

Electrostatic chucking process

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include treating a surface of a substrate with a hydrogen-containing precursor. The substrate may be disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include contacting the substrate with a tungsten-containing precursor. The methods may include forming an initiation layer comprising tungsten on the substrate. The methods may include treating the initiation layer with a hydrogen-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a plasma of the tungsten-containing precursor and a carbon-containing precursor. Hydrogen in the plasma may be limited to hydrogen included in the carbon-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a tungsten-containing hardmask layer on the initiation layer.

Reduced hydrogen deposition processes

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to pedestals, components thereof, and methods of using the same for substrate processing chambers. In one implementation, a pedestal for disposition in a substrate processing chamber includes a body. The body includes a support surface. The body also includes a stepped surface that protrudes upwards from the support surface. The stepped surface is disposed about the support surface to surround the support surface. The stepped surface defines an edge ring such that the edge ring is integrated with the pedestal to form the body that is monolithic. The pedestal also includes an electrode disposed in the body, and one or more heaters disposed in the body.

Pedestal for substrate processing chambers

A substrate pedestal includes a thermally conductive substrate support including a mesh, a thermally conductive shaft including a plurality of conductive rods therein, each conductive rod having a first end and a second end, and a sensor. The first end of each conductive rod is electrically coupled to the mesh, and the sensor is disposed between the first and second ends of each conductive rod and configured to detect current flow through each conductive rod.

Substrate pedestal for improved substrate processing

A semiconductor processing system includes a remote plasma source (RPS), a faceplate, and an output manifold positioned between the RPS and the faceplate. The output manifold is characterized by a plurality of purge outlets that are fluidly coupled with a purge gas source and a plurality of deposition outlets that are fluidly coupled with a deposition gas source. A delivery tube extends between and fluidly couples the RPS and the faceplate. The delivery tube is characterized by a generally cylindrical sidewall that defines an upper plurality of apertures that are arranged in a radial pattern. Each of the upper apertures is fluidly coupled with one of the purge outlets. The generally cylindrical sidewall defines a lower plurality of apertures that are arranged in a radial pattern and below the upper plurality of apertures. Each of the lower apertures is fluidly coupled with one of the deposition outlets.

Gas mixer to enable RPS purging

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a pedestal for increasing temperature uniformity in a substrate supported thereon. The pedestal comprises a body having a heater embedded therein. The body comprises a patterned surface that includes a first region having a first plurality of posts extending from a base surface of the body at a first height, and a second region surrounding the central region having a second plurality of posts extending from the base surface at a second height that is greater than the first height, wherein an upper surface of each of the first plurality of posts and the second plurality of posts are substantially coplanar and define a substrate receiving surface.

Heated pedestal design for improved heat transfer and temperature uniformity

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include forming a silicon oxide material on exposed surfaces of a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include forming a silicon nitride material overlying the silicon oxide material. The methods may include performing a deposition process on a semiconductor substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include performing a chamber cleaning process.

Reduced defect deposition processes

Exemplary semiconductor processing chambers may include an inlet manifold defining a central aperture. The inlet manifold may also define a first channel and a second channel, and each of the channels may extend through the inlet manifold radially outward of the central aperture. The chambers may also include a gasbox characterized by a first surface facing the inlet manifold and a second surface opposite the first. The gasbox may define a central aperture aligned with the central aperture of the inlet manifold. The gasbox may define a first annular channel in the first surface extending about the central aperture of the gasbox and fluidly coupled with the first channel of the inlet manifold. The gasbox may define a second annular channel extending radially outward of the first and fluidly coupled with the second channel of the inlet manifold. The second annular channel may be fluidly isolated from the first.

Chamber components for gas delivery modulation

Semiconductor processing systems according to embodiments of the present technology may include a chamber body having sidewalls and a base. The chamber body may define an internal volume. The systems may include a substrate support assembly having a shaft and a platen coupled with the shaft along a first surface of the platen. The semiconductor processing systems may include a cover plate positioned on the platen of the substrate support assembly along a second surface of the platen opposite the first surface. The cover plate may include a flange extending about an exterior region of the cover plate. The flange may be in direct contact with the platen. The cover plate may include an upper wall vertically offset from the flange. An interior volume may be defined between the upper wall and the platen of the substrate support assembly.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Venkata Sharat Chandra Parimi