Method and apparatus for reducing particle contamination in a deposition system

• US 20070215048A1
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Gomi, Atsushi, Suzuki, Kenji, Hara, Masamichi, Mizusawa, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,268,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/725
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/16 from metal carbonyl compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4481 by evaporation using carrier gas in contact with the source material C23C16/4486 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45568 Porous nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45574 Nozzles for more than one gas

Abstract

A method and system is described for reducing particle contamination of a substrate in a deposition system. The deposition system comprises one or more particle diffusers disposed therein and configured to prevent or partially prevent the passage of film precursor particles, or break-up or partially break-up film precursor particles. The particle diffuser may be installed in the film precursor evaporation system, or the vapor delivery system, or the vapor distribution system, or two or more thereof.

Claims

1. A deposition system for forming a refractory metal film on a substrate, comprising:

a process chamber having a substrate holder configured to support said substrate and heat said substrate, a vapor distribution system configured to introduce metal precursor vapor above said substrate, and a pumping system configured to evacuate said process chamber;

a metal precursor evaporation system configured to evaporate a metal precursor to form a metal precursor vapor;

a vapor delivery system having a first end coupled to an outlet of said metal precursor evaporation system and a second end coupled to an inlet of said vapor distribution system of said process chamber;

a carrier gas supply system coupled to at least one of said metal precursor evaporation system or said vapor delivery system, or both, and configured to supply a carrier gas to transport said metal precursor vapor in said carrier gas through said vapor delivery system to said inlet of said vapor distribution system; and

one or more particle diffusers disposed within said deposition system along a flow path of said carrier gas and said metal precursor vapor.

2. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said one or more particle diffusers are disposed within said metal precursor evaporation system, said vapor delivery system, or said vapor distribution system, or two or more thereof.

3. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said metal precursor evaporation system comprises one or more precursor trays configured to support said metal precursor, and wherein said one or more particle diffusers are coupled to at least one of said one or more precursor trays above said metal precursor.

4. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said one or more particle diffusers are coupled to an outlet of said metal precursor evaporation system.

5. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said metal precursor evaporation system comprises one or more precursor trays configured to support said metal precursor, and wherein said one or more particle diffusers are coupled to an outlet of at least one of said one or more precursor trays.

6. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said one or more particle diffusers are coupled to said first end of said vapor delivery system, or said second end of said vapor delivery system, or any location therebetween.

7. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said vapor distribution system comprises a housing having said inlet coupled to said second end of said vapor delivery system, and a vapor distribution plate coupled to said housing, the combination of said housing and said vapor distribution plate form a plenum configured to receive said carrier gas and said metal precursor vapor and distribute said carrier gas and said metal precursor vapor in said process chamber through one or more openings in said vapor distribution plate, and wherein said one or more particle diffusers are disposed within said plenum.

8. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said one or more particle diffusers comprise a mesh, or a screen.

9. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said one or more particle diffusers comprise a honeycomb structure.

10. The deposition system of claim 9, wherein said honeycomb structure comprises one or more honeycomb cells, each cell characterized by an effective diameter and a length.

11. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein each of said one or more particle diffusers comprise one or more openings therethrough in order to permit the passage of said carrier gas and said metal precursor vapor, and wherein said one or more openings are substantially aligned with said flow path.

12. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein each of said one or more particle diffusers comprise one or more openings therethrough in order to permit the passage of said carrier gas and said metal precursor vapor, and wherein said one or more openings are angled, or curved relative to said flow path.

13. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein said metal precursor comprises a metal-carbonyl.

14. The deposition system of claim 13, wherein said metal-carbonyl precursor comprises a tungsten-carbonyl, a molybdenum-carbonyl, a cobalt-carbonyl, a rhodium-carbonyl, a rhenium-carbonyl, a chromium-carbonyl, a ruthenium-carbonyl, or an osmium-carbonyl, or a combination of two or more thereof.

15. The deposition system of claim 13, wherein said metal-carbonyl precursor comprises W(CO)₆, Mo(CO)₆, Co₂(CO)₈, Rh₄(CO)₁₂, Re₂(CO)₁₀, Cr(CO)₆, Ru₃(CO)₁₂, or Os₃(CO)₁₂, or a combination of two or more thereof.

16. A film precursor evaporation system configured to be coupled to a thin film deposition system, comprising:

a container comprising an outlet configured to be sealably coupled to said thin film deposition system and an inlet configured to be sealably coupled to a carrier gas supply system;

a tray stack comprising one or more trays configured to be received within said container, and configured to support and evaporate a metal precursor material in each of said one or more trays to form a metal precursor vapor; and

one or more particle diffusers disposed within a flow path of a carrier gas from said carrier gas supply system and said metal precursor vapor between said inlet and said outlet of said container.

17. The film precursor evaporation system of claim 16, wherein said container comprises a carrier gas supply space configured to receive a flow of said carrier gas through said inlet and introduce a portion of said flow of said carrier gas to said precursor material in each of one or more trays through one or more orifices in each of said one or more trays, and

wherein each of said portions of said flow of said carrier gas over said precursor material are collectively received with said precursor vapor in an evaporation exhaust space pneumatically coupled to said outlet.

18. The film precursor evaporation system of claim 16, wherein said one or more particle diffusers are coupled to said outlet, or each of said one or more trays.

19. The film precursor evaporation system of claim 16, wherein said one or more particle diffusers comprise a honeycomb structure.

20. A method of depositing a metal layer on a substrate, the method comprising:

providing a substrate in a process chamber of a deposition system;

forming a process gas containing a metal-carbonyl precursor vapor and a CO gas;

introducing said process gas into said process chamber;

disposing one or more particle diffusers within said deposition system in order to reduce particle contamination of said substrate; and

exposing said substrate to said diluted process gas to deposit a metal layer on said substrate by a vapor deposition process.