Method and apparatus for an improved deposition shield in a plasma processing system

• US 20040060657A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Nakayama, Hiroyuki, Mitsuhashi, Kouji, Takase, Taira, Saigusa, Hidehito
• Granted Patent: US 7,137,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32477 characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 156/916 Differential etching apparatus including chamber cleaning means or shield for preventing deposits

Abstract

The present invention presents an improved deposition shield for surrounding a process space in a plasma processing system, wherein the design and fabrication of the deposition shield advantageously provides for a clean processing plasma in the process space with substantially minimal erosion of the deposition shield.

Claims

1. An improved deposition shield for surrounding a process space in a plasma processing system comprising:

a cylinder comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end surface, and a lower end surface, wherein said lower end surface further comprises an end lip surface; and

a protective barrier coupled to a plurality of exposed surfaces of said deposition shield, wherein said exposed surfaces comprise said inner surface, said upper end surface, and said end lip surface of said lower end surface.

2. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, wherein said deposition shield further comprises a plurality of fastening receptors coupled to said upper end surface and said lower end surface of said deposition shield and configured to receive fastening devices in order to couple said deposition shield to said plasma processing system.

3. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of fastening receptors comprises an entrant region, an entrant cavity, an exit through-hole, and an interior fastening surface.

4. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 3, wherein said interior fastening surface of each of said plurality of fastening receptors comprises a first entrant surface, a first lip surface, a second entrant surface, a second lip surface, and an exit surface.

5. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, wherein said deposition shield further comprises an opening in order to access said process space through said deposition shield.

6. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 5, wherein said opening comprises a first opening surface, a second opening surface, and a mating surface.

7. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 6, wherein said mating surface comprises at least one threaded hole and a fastening surface coupled thereto.

8. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, further comprising a metal.

9. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 8, wherein said metal comprises aluminum.

10. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective barrier comprises a compound containing at least one of a III-column element and a Lanthanon element.

11. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 10, wherein said III-column element comprises at least one of Yttrium, Scandium, and Lanthanum.

12. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 10, wherein said Lanthanon element comprises at least one of Cerium, Dysprosium, and Europium.

13. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective barrier comprises at least one of Y₂O₃, Sc₂O₃, Sc₂F₃, YF₃, La₂O₃, CeO₂, Eu₂O₃, and DyO₃.

14. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective barrier comprises a minimum thickness and said minimum thickness is constant across at least one of said exposed surfaces.

15. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, wherein said protective barrier comprises a variable thickness and said variable thickness ranging from 0.5 to 500 microns.

16. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 6, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprise said first opening surface of said opening, and said mating surface of said opening in said deposition shield.

17. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 7, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprise said first opening surface of said opening, and said mating surface excluding said fastening surface of said opening in said deposition shield.

18. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 17, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprise said second opening surface of said opening.

19. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 7, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprise said first opening surface of said opening, and said mating surface including said fastening surface of said opening in said deposition shield.

20. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 19, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprise said second opening surface of said opening.

21. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 19, wherein said outer surface comprises an anodization layer.

22. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 19, wherein said second opening surface comprises an anodization layer.

23. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 19, wherein said mating surface comprises a metallic surface.

24. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 1, wherein said cylinder comprises a diameter greater than 200 mm.

25. A method of producing an improved deposition shield for surrounding a process space in a plasma processing system, said method comprising:

fabricating said deposition shield, said deposition shield comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end surface, and a lower end surface, wherein said lower end surface further comprises an end lip surface; and

forming a protective barrier on exposed surfaces, said exposed surfaces comprising said inner surface of said deposition shield, said upper end surface of said deposition shield, and said end lip surface of said lower end surface of said deposition shield.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, said method further comprising:

anodizing said deposition shield to form a surface anodization layer on said deposition shield; and

removing said surface anodization layer on said exposed surfaces.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein said removing comprises at least one of machining, smoothing, polishing, and grinding.

28. The method as recited in claim 25, said method further comprising:

masking said exposed surfaces on said deposition shield to prevent formation of a surface anodization layer;

anodizing said deposition shield to form a surface anodization layer on the unmasked surfaces of said deposition shield; and

unmasking said exposed surfaces.

29. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said fabricating comprises at least one of machining, coating, masking, unmasking, casting, polishing, forging, and grinding.

30. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said forming comprises at least one of spraying, heating, and cooling.

31. The method as recited in claim 25, said method further comprising smoothing said protective barrier.

32. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said deposition shield further comprises a plurality of fastening receptors coupled to said upper end surface and said lower end surface of said deposition shield and configured to receive fastening devices in order to couple said deposition shield to said plasma processing system.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein each of said plurality of fastening receptors comprises an entrant region, an entrant cavity, an exit through-hole, and an interior fastening surface.

34. The method as recited in claim 33, wherein said interior fastening surface of each of said plurality of fastening receptors comprises a first entrant surface, a first lip surface, a second entrant surface, a second lip surface, and an exit surface.

35. The method as recited in claim 34, further comprising machining said first entrant surface, said first lip surface, said second entrant surface, said second lip surface, and said exit surface.

36. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said deposition shield further comprises an opening in order to access said process space through said deposition shield.

37. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein said opening comprises a first opening surface, a second opening surface, and a mating surface.

38. The method as recited in claim 37, wherein said mating surface comprises at least one threaded hole and a fastening surface coupled thereto.

39. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprise said first opening surface of said opening and said fastening surface of said mating surface of said opening.

40. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprises said first opening surface of said opening and said mating surface excluding said fastening surface of said opening.

41. The method as recited in claim 37, wherein said plurality of exposed surfaces further comprise said second opening surface of said opening.

42. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising a metal.

43. The method as recited in claim 42, wherein said metal comprises aluminum.

44. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said protective barrier comprises a compound containing at least one of a III-column element and a Lanthanon element.

45. The method as recited in claim 44, wherein said III-column element comprises at least one of Yttrium, Scandium, and Lanthanum.

46. The method as recited in claim 44, wherein said Lanthanon element comprises at least one of Cerium, Dysprosium, and Europium.

47. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said protective barrier comprises at least one of Y₂O₃, Sc₂O₃, Sc₂F₃, YF₃, La₂O₃, CeO₂, Eu₂O₃, and DyO₃.

48. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 25, wherein said protective barrier comprises a minimum thickness and said minimum thickness is constant across at least one of said exposed surfaces.

49. The improved deposition shield as recited in claim 25, wherein said protective barrier comprises a variable thickness and said variable thickness ranging from 0.5 to 500 microns.

50. A method of producing an improved deposition shield for surrounding a process space in a plasma processing system, said method comprising the steps:

fabricating said deposition shield, said deposition shield comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end surface, and a lower end surface, wherein said lower end surface further comprises an end lip surface;

anodizing said deposition shield to form a surface anodization layer on said deposition shield;

machining exposed surfaces on said deposition shield to remove said surface anodization layer, said exposed surfaces comprising said inner surface of said deposition shield, said upper end surface of said deposition shield, and said end lip surface of said lower end surface of said deposition shield; and

forming a protective barrier on the exposed surfaces.

51. The method as recited in claim 50, wherein said protective barrier comprises a compound containing at least one of a III-column element and a Lanthanon element.

52. The method as recited in claim 50, wherein said protective barrier comprises at least one of Y₂O₃, Sc₂O₃, Sc₂F₃, YF₃, La₂O₃, CeO₂, Eu₂O₃, and DyO₃.

53. A method of producing an improved deposition shield for surrounding a process space in a plasma processing system, said method comprising the steps:

fabricating said deposition shield, said deposition shield comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end surface, and a lower end surface, wherein said lower end surface further comprises an end lip surface;

masking exposed surfaces on said deposition shield to prevent formation of a surface anodization layer, said exposed surfaces comprising said inner surface of said deposition shield, said upper end surface of said deposition shield, and said end lip surface of said lower end surface of said deposition shield;

anodizing said deposition shield to form a surface anodization layer on said deposition shield; and

forming a protective barrier on the exposed surfaces.

54. The method as recited in claim 53, wherein said protective barrier comprises a compound containing at least one of a III-column element and a Lanthanon element.

55. The method as recited in claim 53, wherein said protective barrier comprises at least one of Y₂O₃, Sc₂O₃, Sc₂F₃, YF₃, La₂O₃, CeO₂, Eu₂O₃, and DyO₃.