Showerhead mounting to accommodate thermal expansion
First Claim
1. A method of dispensing gas into a vacuum chamber, comprising the steps of:
- providing a vacuum chamber having a chamber wall that encloses a chamber interior;
positioning a shelf within the chamber interior, wherein the shelf has an upward facing surface;
providing a showerhead having a circumferential rim, an upper surface, a lower surface, and one or more gas orifices extending between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the rim of the showerhead includes a downward facing surface;
positioning the showerhead within the chamber interior so that the downward facing surface of the rim of the showerhead rests on the upward facing surface of the shelf and so that the rim of the showerhead is free to slide along the upward facing surface of the shelf; and
flowing gas through the gas orifices of the showerhead into the chamber interior.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for accommodating thermal expansion of a showerhead. In a first aspect of the invention, the showerhead is movably supported by resting a rim of the showerhead on a support shelf. In a second aspect, the showerhead is suspended from the chamber wall by a plurality of hangers that are connected to the showerhead, the chamber wall, or both by pins that slide within slots so as to permit the hangers to slide radially to accommodate thermal expansion of the showerhead in the radial direction. In a third aspect, the showerhead is suspended from the wall of the vacuum chamber by a plurality of rods or flexible wires. In a fourth aspect, the showerhead is connected near its perimeter to a second material having a greater thermal expansion coefficient than the showerhead. In a fifth aspect, a heater is mounted behind the showerhead to reduce the termperature differential between the top and bottom surfaces of the showerhead or to reduce heat transfer from the workpiece to the showerhead.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of dispensing gas into a vacuum chamber, comprising the steps of:
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providing a vacuum chamber having a chamber wall that encloses a chamber interior;
positioning a shelf within the chamber interior, wherein the shelf has an upward facing surface;
providing a showerhead having a circumferential rim, an upper surface, a lower surface, and one or more gas orifices extending between the upper surface and the lower surface, wherein the rim of the showerhead includes a downward facing surface;
positioning the showerhead within the chamber interior so that the downward facing surface of the rim of the showerhead rests on the upward facing surface of the shelf and so that the rim of the showerhead is free to slide along the upward facing surface of the shelf; and
flowing gas through the gas orifices of the showerhead into the chamber interior. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of dispensing gas into a vacuum chamber, comprising the steps of:
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providing a vacuum chamber having a chamber wall that encloses a chamber interior, wherein the chamber wall includes a gas inlet manifold top wall having at least one gas inlet orifice;
providing a showerhead having one or more gas orifices;
providing a first hanger layer including one or more hangers, wherein each hanger includes an upper portion and a lower portion;
connecting the upper portion of each hanger to the gas inlet manifold top wall;
providing a plurality of sliding joints, wherein each sliding joint comprises a pin slidable within a slot;
connecting the lower portion of each hanger of the first hanger layer to the showerhead by at least one sliding joint so as to enable relative sliding motion between each hanger of the first hanger layer and the showerhead and so that the hangers of the first hanger layer support the showerhead within the vacuum chamber; and
flowing gas through the gas orifices of the showerhead into the chamber interior. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of dispensing gas into a vacuum chamber, comprising the steps of:
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providing a vacuum chamber having a chamber wall that encloses a chamber interior, wherein the chamber wall includes a gas inlet manifold top wall having at least one gas inlet orifice;
providing a showerhead having one or more gas orifices;
providing a first hanger layer including one or more hangers, wherein each hanger includes an upper portion and a lower portion;
providing a plurality of sliding joints, wherein each sliding joint comprises a pin slidable within a slot;
connecting the upper portion of each hanger of the first hanger layer to the gas inlet manifold top wall by at least one sliding joint so as to permit relative sliding motion between each hanger of the first hanger layer and the gas inlet manifold top wall and so that the gas inlet manifold top wall supports the hangers,of the first hanger layer;
connecting the lower portion of each hanger to the showerhead so that the hangers of the first hanger layer support the showerhead within the vacuum chamber; and
flowing gas through the gas orifices of the showerhead into the chamber interior.
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Specification