ARTICLE FOR USE IN A SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING CHAMBER AND METHOD OF FABRICATING SAME

• US 20030148035A1
• Filed: 02/07/2002
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lingampalli, Ramkishan Rao
• Granted Patent: US 6,632,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/00 Coating by spraying the coating material in the molten state, e.g. by flame, plasma or electric discharge build-up welding B23K, e.g. B23K5/18, B23K9/04
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/04 characterised by the coating material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6875 characterised by a plurality of individual support members, e.g. support posts or protrusions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68757 characterised by a coating or a hardness or a material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/218 Aperture containing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24322 Composite web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

An article having a protective coating for use in semiconductor applications and method for making the same is provided. In one embodiment, a method of coating an aluminum surface of an article utilized in a semiconductor deposition chamber includes the steps of heating a coating material to a semi-liquidous state, the coating material comprising at least one material from the group consisting of aluminum fluoride and magnesium fluoride and depositing the heated coating material on the aluminum surface. The protective coating has a beta phase grain orientation of less than about 10 percent that has good adhesion to aluminum and resists cracking, flaking and peeling. Some articles that may be advantageously coated include showerheads, blocker plates, support assemblies and vacuum chamber bodies, among others.

Claims

1. A method of coating an aluminum surface of an article utilized in a semiconductor processing chamber, the method comprising:

heating a coating material that prevents penetration of fluoride and/or fluoride containing compounds therethrough to a semi-liquid, semi-solid state; and

depositing the heated coating material on the aluminum surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating step further comprises:

spraying the coating material through a plasma formed from an inert gas.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating material includes aluminum fluoride, magnesium fluoride or both.

4. A method of coating an aluminum surface of an article utilized in a semiconductor processing chamber, the method comprising:

heating a material to a semi-liquid, semi-solid state, the material including aluminum fluoride, magnesium fluoride or both; and

allowing the heated material to form a layer on the aluminum surface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of heating further comprises:

forming a plasma from an inert gas; and

spraying powdered coating material through the plasma.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of allowing the heated material to form a layer further comprises:

forming a layer of aluminum fluoride having a beta phase grain structure less than about 10 percent.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the article having the aluminum surface is at least one article from the group consisting of a showerhead, a blocker plate, a support assembly and a chamber body, as used in semiconductor processing.

8. A method of coating an aluminum surface on a substrate support comprising:

heating aluminum fluoride to a semi-liquid, semi-solid state; and

contacting at least a portion of the heated aluminum fluoride with the aluminum surface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the applying step further comprises spraying.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the heating step further comprises exposing the aluminum fluoride to a plasma.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of heating further comprises exposing aluminum fluoride to a plasma formed of an inert gas.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of heating further comprises exposing the aluminum fluoride to a plasma formed from a gas selected from the group of argon, neon and helium.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the aluminum fluoride is in powdered form.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the aluminum fluoride powder has a grain structure of at least about 90 percent in the alpha phase.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of depositing between about 12 to 28 μ

m of aluminum fluoride on the substrate surface.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the heating step further comprises heating the plasma between about 1450 and 1600 degrees Celsius.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the deposited aluminum fluoride has a beta phase grain structure less than about 10 percent.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein the deposited aluminum fluoride has a beta phase grain structure less than about 6 percent.

19. A method of coating an aluminum surface on a substrate support comprising:

forming a plasma from an inert gas;

heating aluminum fluoride with the plasma; and

spraying the heated aluminum fluoride on the aluminum surface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the heating step further comprises heating the plasma between about 1450 to about 1600 degrees Celsius.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the deposited aluminum fluoride has less than about 10 percent beta phase grain structure.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising grinding the sprayed aluminum fluoride to a thickness of at least about 12 μ

m.

23. An article for use in a semiconductor processing chamber, comprising:

a showerhead, a gas distribution plate, a face plate, a blocker plate, a support assembly or a vacuum chamber body having an aluminum surface; and

a coating comprising aluminum fluoride, magnesium fluoride or both applied in a semi-liquid, semi-solid state to the aluminum surface.

24. The substrate support of claim 23, wherein the coating has a beta phase grain structure of less than 10 percent.

25. The substrate support of claim 23, wherein the coating has a beta phase grain structure of less than 6 percent.

26. A substrate support having an aluminum surface coated with aluminum fluoride, said aluminum fluoride coating applied by a method comprising heating aluminum fluoride to a semi-liquidous state and applying the heated aluminum fluoride to the aluminum surface.

27. The substrate support of claim 26, wherein the aluminum fluoride coating is about 12 to 25 μ

m thick.

28. The substrate support of claim 26, wherein the aluminum fluoride coating has less than 6 percent beta phase grain structure.

29. The substrate support of claim 26, wherein the aluminum fluoride coating has less than 10 percent beta phase grain structure.

30. A substrate support having an aluminum surface coated with aluminum fluoride, said aluminum fluoride coating applied by a method comprising:

spraying aluminum fluoride powder having a grain orientation of at least 90 percent in the alpha phase through a plasma formed from an inert gas; and

depositing the sprayed aluminum fluoride on the aluminum surface, wherein the deposited aluminum fluoride has less than 10 percent beta phase grain structure.

31. The substrate support of claim 30, wherein plasma is at a temperature of between 1450 and 1600 degrees Celsius.

32. The substrate support of claim 30, wherein the deposited aluminum fluoride coating is about 12 to 25 μ

m thick.

33. The substrate support of claim 30, wherein the aluminum fluoride coating has a beta phase grain structure of less than 6 percent.

34. An article for use in a semiconductor process chamber, comprising:

a showerhead, a gas distribution plate, a face plate, a blocker plate, a support assembly or a vacuum chamber body having an aluminum surface;

a coating comprising an aluminum fluoride layer applied in a semi-liquid, semi-solid state to the aluminum surface and having less than 10 percent beta phase grain structure.

35. A substrate support comprising:

a support body having an aluminum surface;

a heating element disposed in the support body; and

a coating comprising an aluminum fluoride or magnesium fluoride layer applied in a semi-liquid, semi-solid state to the aluminum surface.

36. A substrate support comprising:

a support body having an aluminum first surface and an opposing second surface;

a heating element disposed in the support body;

a passage formed through the support body between the first surface ad the second surface, and adapted to evacuate a region between the first surface of the support body and a substrate positioned thereon; and

a coating comprising an aluminum fluoride layer applied in a semi-liquid, semi-solid state to the aluminum surface and having less than 10 percent beta phase grain structure.

37. The substrate support of claim 36 further comprising:

at least one purge gas channel formed through the support body between the second surface and a side of the support body.