Method and apparatus to control semiconductor film deposition characteristics

• US 20070042117A1
• Filed: 08/17/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Hemkar, Manish, Beckford, Howard, Kuppurao, Satheesh, Sanchez, Errol, Lam, Andrew, Carlson, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,718,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/248.100
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4411 Cooling of the reaction chamber walls C23C16/45572 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus are disclosed for adjusting the temperature of at least a portion of the surface of a reaction chamber during a film formation process to control film properties. More than one portion of the chamber surface may be temperature-modulated.

Claims

1. A method for forming a film on a substrate comprising:

placing a substrate in a reaction chamber surrounded by a plurality of walls to perform a film formation process; and

modulating at a non-constant value the temperature of at least a first wall during the film formation process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wall is actively kept at a temperature above the temperature of a second wall during the film formation process.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein an irradiancy bias between a first lamp heating the first wall and a second lamp heating the second wall is controlled to raise the temperature of the first wall with respect to the second wall.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature is modulated to a first value higher than a second value, the first value occurring before the second value during a film formation step within the film formation process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein coolant is flowed adjacent at least one of the plurality of walls at a controlled, variable rate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the coolant is flowed using a variable speed blower.

7. A method for forming a film on a substrate, the method comprising:

selecting a first temperature parameter, the first temperature parameter being a non-constant value over a processing period;

disposing the substrate within chamber walls of a processing chamber;

forming the film on the substrate during the processing period; and

controlling the temperature of a first portion of the chamber walls during the processing period so that the temperature of the first portion of the chamber walls substantially conforms with the first temperature parameter.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the first temperature parameter is selected according to a desired property of the film that is to be formed.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the first temperature parameter is a non-constant value over a step within the processing period.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step is a film formation step.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first temperature parameter defines a function that is adapted to minimize faceting during the film formation step.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the function adapted to minimize faceting during the film formation step starts at a first temperature and changes over the film formation step to a second temperature that is less than the first temperature.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the first temperature parameter defines a function that is adapted to increase a deposition rate during the film formation step.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the function adapted to increase the deposition rate during the film formation step starts at a first temperature and changes over the film formation step to a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the first portion of the chamber walls is above a top face of the substrate.

16. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

selecting a second temperature parameter, the second temperature parameter being a non-constant value over the processing period; and

controlling the temperature of a second portion of the chamber walls so that the temperature of the second portion of the chamber walls substantially conforms with the second temperature parameter during the processing period.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the second temperature parameter is selected according to a desired property of the film that is to be formed.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the first portion of the chamber walls is above a top face of the substrate, and the second portion of the chamber walls is below a bottom face of the substrate.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the second temperature parameter is a non-constant value over a step within the processing period.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step is a film formation step.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the second portion of the chamber walls is adjacent to the substrate.

22. A film formation system comprising:

a chamber wall adapted to accept a substrate on which a film is to be formed;

a first cooling system for cooling a first portion of the chamber wall;

a first regulator for controlling the cooling power of the first system; and

control logic for controlling the first regulator, the control logic comprising;

a memory for holding a first temperature parameter defining a desired temperature trajectory of the first portion of the chamber wall over a processing period;

a user input/output system for entering the first temperature parameter;

a first output for controlling the first regulator; and

a processing circuit for sending first signals to the first output over the processing period according to the first temperature parameter.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the first temperature parameter comprises a plurality of setpoints, each setpoint comprising a respective time within the processing period.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein each setpoint further comprises a respective temperature.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein each setpoint further comprises a respective cooling power level.

26. The system of claim 22 further comprising:

a second cooling system for cooling a second portion of the chamber wall; and

a second regulator for controlling the cooling power of the second cooling system, wherein the control logic further comprises a second output for controlling the second regulator, wherein the processing circuit is capable of sending second signals to the second output during the processing period according to a second temperature parameter stored in the memory.

27. The system of claim 22 further comprising a first lamp capable of heating the first portion of the chamber walls and a second lamp capable of heating a second portion of the chamber walls, the control logic capable of controlling an irradiancy bias between the first lamp and the second lamp to selectively heat the first wall over the second wall.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the first lamp and the second lamp collectively heat the substrate.