CHAMBER FOR CONSTRUCTING A FILM ON A SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER

• US 20020001976A1
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Published: 01/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: CHANG, MEI, ENGLHARDT, ERIC, DANEK, MICHAL, DUBOIS, DALE R., MORRISON, ALAN F., KAO, YEH-JEN, LIAO, MARVIN
• Granted Patent: US 6,699,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/798
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4408 by purging residual gases from the reaction chamber or gas lines
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4581 characterised by material of construction or surface finish of the means for supporting the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4586 Elements in the interior of the support, e.g. electrodes, heating or cooling devices
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/481 by radiant heating of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2001 Maintaining constant desired temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/336 Changing physical properties of treated surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32174 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28512 on semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28556 by chemical means, e.g. CVD, LPCVD, PECVD, laser CVD H01L21/28518 - H01L21/28537 and H01L21/28568 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76843 formed in openings in a dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76856 by treatment in plasmas or gaseous environments, e.g. nitriding a refractory metal liner
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76862 Bombardment with particles, e.g. treatment in noble gas plasmas; UV irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76864 Thermal treatment

Abstract

The construction of a film on a wafer, which is placed in a processing chamber, may be carried out through the following steps. A layer of material is deposited on the wafer. Next, the layer of material is annealed. Once the annealing is completed, the material may be oxidized. Alternatively, the material may be exposed to a silicon gas once the annealing is completed. The deposition, annealing, and either oxidation or silicon gas exposure may all be carried out in the same chamber, without need for removing the wafer from the chamber until all three steps are completed. A semiconductor wafer processing chamber for carrying out such an in-situ construction may include a processing chamber, a showerhead, a wafer support and a rf signal means. The showerhead supplies gases into the processing chamber, while the wafer support supports a wafer in the processing chamber. The rf signal means is coupled to the showerhead and the wafer support for providing a first rf signal to the showerhead and a second rf signal to the wafer support.

Claims

1. A semiconductor wafer processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber;

a showerhead for supplying gases in said processing chamber;

a wafer support for supporting a wafer in said processing chamber; and

a rf source coupled to both said showerhead and said wafer support.

2. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, further including a matching network for coupling said rf source to said wafer support and said showerhead, wherein said matching network is adapted to set a power split and a phase shift of a rf signal provided by said rf source to said showerhead and said wafer support.

3. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said matching network is adapted to set said phase shift of said rf signal such that a signal received at said showerhead is substantially 180 degrees out of phase with a signal received at said wafer support.

4. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said matching network is adjustable such that a plurality of said phase shifts may be selected.

5. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said matching network is adjustable such that a plurality of said power splits may be selected.

6. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said showerhead and said wafer support are electrically isolated from said processing chamber.

7. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein said processing chamber is coupled to ground.

8. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor wafer processing apparatus is a chemical vapor deposition chamber.

9. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wafer support houses a thermocouple.

10. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 9, further including:

a support arm coupled to said wafer support for supporting said wafer support in said processing chamber and coupling said thermocouple to a temperature determination device for determining a temperature of said wafer support.

11. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said rf source is coupled to said wafer support via said support arm.

12. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein said thermocouple is electrically isolated from said rf source.

13. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wafer support is a susceptor.

14. A semiconductor wafer processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber;

a showerhead for supplying gases in said processing chamber;

a wafer support for supporting a wafer in said processing chamber;

a first rf source coupled to said showerhead for providing a first rf signal to said showerhead; and

a second rf source coupled to said wafer support for supplying a second rf signal to said wafer support.

15. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 14, further including:

a first matching network coupling said first rf source to said showerhead; and

a second matching network coupling said second rf source to said wafer support.

16. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein said first rf source is coupled to said second rf source.

17. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein said first rf source is coupled to said second rf source such that said first rf signal provided to said showerhead is adapted to be substantially 180 degrees out of phase with said second rf signal provided to said wafer support.

18. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein a power split between said first rf signal and said second rf signal is adjustable.

19. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein a phase shift between said first rf signal and said second rf signal is adjustable.

20. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein said showerhead and said wafer support are electrically isolated from said processing chamber.

21. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein said semiconductor wafer processing apparatus is a chemical vapor deposition chamber.

22. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein said wafer support is a susceptor.

23. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein said wafer support houses a thermocouple.

24. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 23, further including:

a support arm coupled to said wafer support for supporting said wafer support in said processing chamber and coupling said thermocouple to a temperature determination device for determining a temperature of said wafer support.

25. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 24, wherein said second rf source is coupled to said wafer support via said support arm.

26. The semiconductor wafer support arm of claim 25, wherein said thermocouple is electrically isolated from said second rf source.

27. A semiconductor wafer processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber;

a showerhead for supplying gases in said processing chamber;

a wafer support for supporting a wafer in said processing chamber, wherein said wafer support houses a thermocouple;

a support arm coupled to said wafer support for supporting said wafer support in said processing chamber and coupling said thermocouple to a temperature determination device for determining a temperature of said wafer support; and

a rf source coupled to said wafer support via said support arm, wherein said rf source is electrically isolated from said thermocouple.

28. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 27, wherein said thermocouple is coupled to said temperature determination device by a conductive cable extending through said support arm.

29. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 28, wherein said rf source is coupled to said showerhead.

30. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 27, further including a matching network for coupling said rf source to said wafer support and said showerhead, wherein said matching network is adapted to set a power split and a phase shift of a rf signal provided by said rf source to said showerhead and said wafer support.

31. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 30, wherein said matching network is adjustable such that a plurality of said phase shifts may be selected.

32. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 30, wherein said matching network is adjustable such that a plurality of said power splits may be selected.

33. The semiconductor wafer processing apparatus of claim 27, wherein said semiconductor wafer processing apparatus is a chemical vapor deposition chamber.

34. A chemical vapor deposition chamber comprising:

a processing chamber;

a showerhead for supplying gases in said processing chamber;

a wafer support for supporting a wafer in said processing chamber; and

a rf signal source coupled to said wafer support.

35. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 34, further including:

a matching network coupled to said rf signal source to couple said rf signal source to said wafer support and said showerhead, wherein said matching network is adapted to provide a first rf signal to said showerhead and a second rf signal to said wafer support.

36. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 35, wherein said matching network is adapted to set a power split between said first rf signal and said second rf signal.

37. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 36, wherein said power split is adjustable.

38. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 35, wherein said matching network is adapted to set a phase shift between said first rf signal and said second rf signal.

39. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 38, wherein said phase shift is adjustable.

40. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 34, wherein said showerhead and said wafer support are electrically isolated from said processing chamber.

41. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 40, wherein said processing chamber is grounded.

42. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 34, wherein said wafer support houses a thermocouple.

43. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 42, further including:

a support arm coupled to said wafer support for supporting said wafer support in said processing chamber and coupling said thermocouple to a temperature determination device for determining a temperature of said wafer support.

44. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 43, wherein said rf signal source is coupled to said wafer support via said support arm.

45. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 44, wherein said thermocouple is electrically isolated from said rf signal source.

46. A chemical vapor deposition chamber comprising:

a processing chamber;

a first electrode in said processing chamber;

a second electrode in said processing chamber; and

a rf signal source coupled to said first electrode and said second electrode.

47. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 46, further including:

a matching network for coupling said rf signal source to said first electrode and said second electrode, wherein said matching network is adapted to provide a first rf signal to said first electrode and a second rf signal to said second electrode such that said first rf signal is substantially 180 degrees out of phase with said second rf signal.

48. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 46, wherein said first electrode is a showerhead.

49. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 46, wherein said second electrode is a wafer support.

50. The chemical vapor deposition chamber of claim 49, wherein said wafer support is a susceptor.