Methods and apparatus for stripping

• US 20070051471A1
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Barnes, Michael, Mohn, Jonathan, Lane, Christopher, Papanu, James, Pavel, Elizabeth, Kawaguchi, Mark, Wunar, Robert, Yamartino, John
• Application Number:
  US10/264,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20070051471A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.360
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/427 using plasma means only
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3342 Resist stripping
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention is a stripping reactor that includes: (a) a remote plasma source disposed to output a gas; (b) a gas distribution plate connected to ground that transmits the gas output from the remote plasma source to a processing chamber; (c) a wafer support disposed in the processing chamber; (d) a wafer support assembly disposed about the wafer pedestal that includes an outer conductive peripheral structure connected to ground; and (e) an RF power supply connected to supply RF power to the wafer support.

Claims

1. A stripping reactor that comprises:

a remote plasma source disposed to output a gas;

a gas distribution plate connected to ground that transmits the gas output from the remote plasma source to a processing chamber;

a wafer support disposed in the processing chamber;

a wafer support assembly disposed about the wafer support that includes an outer conductive peripheral structure connected to ground; and

an RF power supply connected to supply RF power to the wafer support.

2. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the gas distribution plate is conductive.

3. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the remote plasma source is an inductively coupled plasma source.

4. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the remote plasma source is a microwave coupled plasma source.

5. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the processing chamber comprises a grounded chamber body.

6. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the wafer support assembly further comprises a non-conductive peripheral structure situated between the wafer support and the conductive peripheral structure.

7. The stripping reactor of claim 6 wherein the non-conductive peripheral structure comprises quartz.

8. The stripping reactor of claim 6 wherein the non-conductive peripheral structure includes a vertical lip.

9. The stripping reactor of claim 6 wherein the non-conductive peripheral structure rests on the wafer support.

10. The stripping reactor of claim 6 wherein the wafer support assembly further comprises a second conductive peripheral structure that rests on the wafer support inside the non-conductive peripheral structure.

11. The stripping reactor of claim 6 wherein the wafer support comprises a conductive structure disposed about its periphery.

12. The stripping reactor of claim 2 wherein the gas distribution plate is a showerhead comprised of aluminum.

13. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the gas distribution plate is a showerhead comprised of SiC.

14. The stripping reactor of claim 13 wherein the gas distribution plate is surrounded by a conductor.

15. The stripping reactor of claim 14 wherein the conductor is aluminum or titanium.

16. The stripping reactor of claim 1 which further comprises a gas distribution plenum that receives the gas output from the remote plasma source, and wherein one side of the gas distribution plenum is comprised of the gas distribution plate.

17. The stripping reactor of claim 16 wherein the gas distribution plenum is lined with quartz.

18. The stripping reactor of claim 16 wherein the distance between a gas inlet and the gas distribution plate is in a range from about 0.5 to about 2.0 inches.

19. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein a distance between a top of the wafer support and the gas distribution plate is in a range from about 0.5 to about 3 inches.

20. The stripping reactor of claim 1 that further includes a gas accumulator that stores gas used to vent the processing chamber.

21. The stripping reactor of claim 15 wherein the gas accumulator has a volume in a range from about 1 L to about 10 L.

22. The stripping reactor of claim 1 which further comprises a slit-valve cut-out, and a slit-valve door disposed within the processing chamber adapted to be moved to close the slit-valve cut-out.

23. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the wafer support comprises aluminum.

24. The stripping reactor of claim 23 wherein the wafer support is surrounded by an insulator ring.

25. The stripping reactor of claim 24 wherein the wafer support rests in an insulator base.

26. The stripping reactor of claim 25 wherein the insulator ring comprises quartz and the insulator base comprises alumina.

27. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein the gas distribution plate comprises quartz.

28. The stripping reactor of claim 1 wherein inner surfaces of the processing chamber comprise a conductive material.

29. The stripping reactor of claim 1 where the wafer support includes channels and the stripping reactor further includes a heat exchanger to pump heat exchange fluid through the channels.

30. The stripping reactor of claim 1 which further comprises an endpoint detector sensitive to radiation at one or more of the following wavelengths:

about 777 nm and about 656 nm.

31. A plasma processing reactor for processing a wafer to fabricate at least a portion of an integrated circuit that comprises:

a grounded gas distribution plate that transmits gas into a processing chamber;

a wafer support to support the wafer;

a wafer support assembly disposed about the wafer support that includes an outer conductive peripheral structure connected to ground; and

an RF power supply that supplies RF power to the wafer support.

32. The plasma processing reactor of claim 31 wherein the gas distribution plate is conductive.

33. The plasma processing reactor of claim 32 wherein the processing chamber comprises a grounded chamber body.

34. The plasma processing reactor of claim of claim 32 wherein the gas distribution plate is a showerhead.