Temperature controlled showerhead

• US 10,221,484 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (Lam Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novellus Systems Incorporated (Lam Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Meinhold, Henner W., Doble, Dan M., Lau, Stephen Yu-Hong, Wilson, Vince, Srinivasan, Easwar
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US15/275,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20170009344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 118715, 15634534, 15634533
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45563 Gas nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4557 Heated nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45572 Cooled nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32724 Temperature

Abstract

A temperature controlled showerhead for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers enhances heat dissipation to enable accurate temperature control with an electric heater. Heat dissipates by conduction through a showerhead stem and fluid passageway and radiation from a back plate. A temperature control system includes one or more temperature controlled showerheads in a CVD chamber with fluid passageways serially connected to a heat exchanger.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

(a) a semiconductor processing chamber; and

(b) one or more temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerheads located within the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, includes;

i. a stem comprising a convective cooling fluid passageway, wherein the stem is connected with the semiconductor processing chamber,

ii. a back plate thermally coupled to the stem, and

iii. a face plate thermally coupled to the back plate, wherein;

the stem has a first end that connects with or protrudes through a top of the semiconductor processing chamber,

the back plate is supported within the semiconductor processing chamber by the stem,

the convective cooling fluid passageway includes an inlet and an outlet, and

the inlet and the outlet are both located in the first end.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, further includes a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the cooling fluid exiting the convective cooling fluid passageway for that temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the temperature sensor, or each temperature sensor, is a thermocouple.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an external surface of the back plate or of each back plate comprises a coating to increase emissivity.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the coating is anodized aluminum.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, includes a heater physically attached to the back plate of that temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the convective cooling fluid passageway of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or of each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, is configured to flow one or more fluids selected from the group consisting of:

clean dry air (CDA), argon, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen, and combinations thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein an inlet opening to the convective cooling fluid passageway in the stem, or in each stem, is fluidly connected to a facilities CDA source at a pressure of about 50 psi to 100 psi.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the face plate of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or of each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, is removably attached to the back plate of that temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stem, or each stem, has a diameter of between about 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the face plate and the back plate of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or of each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, each have a thickness of about 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the face plate and the back plate of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or of each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, are offset from one another by a gap of about 0.5 inches to 1 inch in an interior portion of that temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the face plate of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, or of each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, has a diameter of about 13 inches.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor processing chamber further includes one or more substrate supports and the substrate support, or each substrate support, is associated with one of the one or more temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerheads.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor processing chamber further includes a chamber top with an inside surface coated with a high-emissivity material.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein there are multiple temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerheads and the apparatus further comprises a cooling system fluidly coupled to the convective cooling fluid passageways of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerheads, the cooling system comprising:

i. inlets and outlets to the convective cooling fluid passageways,

ii. a liquid-cooled heat exchanger configured to remove heat from a convective cooling fluid flowed serially through the convective cooling fluid passageways of the showerheads and cooled by the liquid-cooled heat exchanger in between each serial pair of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerheads,

iii. flow modulators to control the flow rate of the convective cooling fluid to each temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerhead, and

iv. temperature sensors thermally coupled to the outlets of the convective cooling passageways.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a controller coupled to the flow modulators and the temperature sensors for determining and controlling the temperatures of the face plates of the temperature-controlled, chandelier-type showerheads.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the convective cooling fluid is discharged from the cooling system at ambient pressure.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the liquid-cooled heat exchanger comprises a cast metal block having embedded therein a cooling liquid line and a plurality of convective cooling fluid lines.

20. A semiconductor processing tool comprising at least one apparatus as recited in claim 1.