Plasma uniformity control by gas diffuser hole design
First Claim
1. A gas distribution plate assembly for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
- a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a downstream side; and
inner and outer gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element and comprising hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side, wherein the hollow cathode cavity volume density of the inner gas passages is less than the hollow cathode cavity volume density of the outer gas passages.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. The gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. The gas passages include hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side to enhance plasma ionization. The depths, the diameters, the surface area and density of hollow cathode cavities of the gas passages that extend to the downstream end can be gradually increased from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate to improve the film thickness and property uniformity across the substrate. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can be created by bending the diffuser plate toward downstream side, followed by machining out the convex downstream side. Bending the diffuser plate can be accomplished by a thermal process or a vacuum process. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can also be created computer numerically controlled machining. Diffuser plates with gradually increasing diameters, depths and surface areas of the hollow cathode cavities from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate have been shown to produce improved uniformities of film thickness and film properties.
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Citations
151 Claims
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1. A gas distribution plate assembly for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a downstream side; and
inner and outer gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element and comprising hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side, wherein the hollow cathode cavity volume density of the inner gas passages is less than the hollow cathode cavity volume density of the outer gas passages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A gas distribution plate assembly for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a downstream side; and
inner and outer gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element and comprising hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side, wherein the hollow cathode cavity surface area density of the inner gas passages is less than the hollow cathode cavity surface area density of the outer gas passages. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A gas distribution plate assembly for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a down stream side; and
a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element wherein each gas passage has a diffuser hole intersecting the downstream side of the diffuser plate element, wherein the densities of the diffuser holes gradually increase from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate element. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a downstream side;
a RF power source coupled to the diffuser plate element;
inner and outer gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element and comprising hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side, wherein the hollow cathode cavity volume density of the inner gas passages is less than the hollow cathode cavity volume density of the outer gas passages; and
a substrate support adjacent the downstream side of the diffuser plate element. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a downstream side;
a RF power source coupled to the diffuser plate element;
inner and outer gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element and comprising hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side, wherein the hollow cathode cavity surface area density of the inner gas passages is less than the hollow cathode cavity surface area density of the outer gas passages; and
a substrate support adjacent the downstream side of the diffuser plate element. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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71. A plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a down stream side;
a RF power source coupled to the diffuser plate element;
a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element, wherein surface area densities of hollow cathode cavities of the plurality of gas passages gradually increase from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate element; and
a substrate support adjacent the downstream side of the diffuser plate element. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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83. A gas distribution plate assembly for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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a diffuser plate element having an upstream side and a down stream side and the gas diffuser plate are divided into a number of concentric zones; and
a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element, wherein the gas passages in each zones are identical and the density, the volume, or surface area of hollow cathode cavities of gas passages in each zone gradually increase from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate element. - View Dependent Claims (84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96)
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97. A method of making a gas diffuser plate for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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making a gas diffuser plate to have an upstream side and a down stream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate;
bending the diffuser plate to make it convex smoothly toward downstream side; and
machining out the convex surface to flatten the downstream side surface. - View Dependent Claims (98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108)
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109. A method of making a gas diffuser plate element for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
machining a gas diffuser plate element to have an upstream side and a down stream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element, wherein densities, volumes or surface area of hollow cathode cavities of the diffuser plate element gradually increase from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate element. - View Dependent Claims (110, 111, 112, 113)
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114. A method of making a gas diffuser plate element for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
machining a gas diffuser plate element to have an upstream side and a down stream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element, wherein the densities and volumes or densities and surface areas of hollow cathode cavities of the diffuser plate element gradually increase from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate element. - View Dependent Claims (115, 116, 117, 118)
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119. A method of depositing a thin film on a substrate, comprising:
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placing a substrate in a process chamber with a gas diffuser plate element having an upstream side and inner and outer gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate element and comprising hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side, wherein either the hollow cathode cavity volume density, or the hollow cathode cavity surface area density, or the hollow cathode cavity density of the inner gas passages are less than the same parameter of the outer gas passages;
flowing process gas(es) through the diffuser plate element toward a substrate supported on a substrate support;
creating a plasma between the diffuser plate element and the substrate support; and
depositing a thin film on the substrate in the process chamber. - View Dependent Claims (120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135)
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136. A diffuser plate, comprising:
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a body having a top surface and a bottom surface;
a plurality of gas passages between the top surface the bottom surface; and
an outer region and an inner region wherein the body between the top and the bottom of the outer region is thicker than the body between the top and the bottom of the inner region. - View Dependent Claims (137, 138)
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139. A method of making a gas diffuser plate for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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making a gas diffuser plate to have an upstream side and a down stream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate; and
machining the downstream surface to make the downstream surface concave. - View Dependent Claims (140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145)
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146. A method of making a gas diffuser plate for a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
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bending a diffuser plate that has an upstream side and a down stream side to make the downstream surface concave and the upstream surface convex;
making a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate by making hollow cathode cavities to the same depth from a fictitious flat downstream surface; and
making all gas passages to have the same-size orifice holes which are connected to the hollow cathode cavities. - View Dependent Claims (147, 148, 149, 150, 151)
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Specification