Method of coating semiconductor processing apparatus with protective yttrium-containing coatings

• US 20080213496A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Sun, Jennifer Y., Wang, Hong, Yuan, Jie, Stow, Clifford C., Kumar, Ananda, Xu, Li, Lin, Yixing, Collins, Kenneth S., Thach, Senh, Graves, Thomas, Duan, Ren-Guan, He, Xiaoming, Wu, Shun Jackson, Dempster, Jim, Wu, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US11/890,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20080213496A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/453
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4404 Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/042 including a refractory ceramic layer, e.g. refractory metal oxides, ZrO2, rare earth oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/11 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/18 After-treatment

Abstract

Methods of applying specialty ceramic materials to semiconductor processing apparatus, where the specialty ceramic materials are resistant to halogen-comprising plasmas. The specialty ceramic materials contain at least one yttrium oxide-comprising solid solution. Some embodiments of the specialty ceramic materials have been modified to provide a resistivity which reduces the possibility of arcing within a semiconductor processing chamber.

Claims

1. A method of spray-coating a surface of an article to provide erosion resistance to a halogen-containing plasma, wherein said coating is sprayed using a technique selected from the group consisting of flame spraying, thermal spraying and plasma spraying, and wherein said coating comprises at least one yttrium-containing solid solution.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating major component is a solid solution which comprises a mixture of yttrium oxide and zirconium oxide.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 60 molar %.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about more than 80 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and cerium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 20 molar %.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about more than 0 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and hafnium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 100 molar %.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about more than 48 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and niobium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 52 molar %.

7. A method in accordance with claim 2, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 50 molar % to about 75 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from about 10 molar % to about 30 molar %, and aluminum oxide present over a range from about 10 molar % to about 30 molar %.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than about 100 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 50 molar %, and scandium oxide is present over a range from more than about 0 molar % up to less than 100 molar %.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than about 100 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 50 molar %, and hafnium oxide is present over a range from more than about 0 molar % up to less than 100 molar %.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than about 100 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 45 molar %, and niobium oxide is present over a range from more than about 0 molar % up to less than 80 molar %.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein said coating contains three phases, which include a first phase solid solution comprising yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide and niobium oxide which makes up from about 5 molar % to about 30 molar % of the spray coated sintered ceramic coating;

a second phase of Y₃NbO₇, which makes up from about 5 molar % to about 30 molar % of the spray coated sintered ceramic coating, and a third phase of Nb in elemental form, which makes up from about 1 molar % to about 10 molar % of the spray coated sintered ceramic coating.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said spray-coating of said surface of said article is carried out while said surface of said article is at a temperature ranging from about 120°

C. to a temperature which is less than a glass transition temperature of a material on said surface of said article.

13. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein subsequent to said spray coating of said surface of said article, said surface is cleaned using a technique which comprises application of a dilute acid solution.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said dilute acid solution contains fluorine.

15. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said surface of said article comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, alumina, aluminum nitride, quartz, and combinations thereof.

27. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said sputter deposition of said coating onto said surface of said article is carried out while said surface of said article is at a temperature ranging from about 120°

C. to a temperature which is less than a glass transition temperature of a material on said surface of said article.

16. A of applying a coating a surface of an article to provide erosion resistance to a halogen-containing plasma, wherein said coating is sputter deposited from a target which comprises at least one yttrium-containing solid solution.

17. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein a major component of said target is a solid solution which comprises a mixture of yttrium oxide and zirconium oxide.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 60 molar %.

19. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about more than 80 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and cerium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 20 molar %.

20. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about more than 0 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and hafnium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 100 molar %.

21. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about more than 48 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and niobium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 52 molar %.

22. A method in accordance with claim 17, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 50 molar % to about 75 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from about 10 molar % to about 30 molar %, and aluminum oxide present over a range from about 10 molar % to about 30 molar %.

23. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than about 100 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 50 molar %, and scandium oxide is present over a range from more than about 0 molar % up to less than 100 molar %.

24. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than about 100 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 50 molar %, and hafnium oxide is present over a range from more than about 0 molar % up to less than 100 molar %.

25. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said target is formed from precursor materials of yttrium oxide present over a range from about 40 molar % to less than about 100 molar %, zirconium oxide present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 45 molar %, and niobium oxide is present over a range from more than about 0 molar % up to less than 80 molar %.

26. A method in accordance with claim 25, wherein said target contains three phases, which include a first phase solid solution comprising yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide and niobium oxide which makes up from about 5 molar % to about 30 molar % of the spray coated sintered ceramic coating;

a second phase of Y₃NbO₇, which makes up from about 5 molar % to about 30 molar % of the spray coated sintered ceramic coating, and a third phase of Nb in elemental form, which makes up from about 1 molar % to about 10 molar % of the spray coated sintered ceramic coating.

28. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein subsequent to said sputter depositing of said coating on said surface of said article, said surface is cleaned using a technique which comprises application of a dilute acid solution.

29. A method in accordance with claim 28, wherein said dilute acid solution contains fluorine.

30. A method in accordance with claim 16, wherein said surface of said article comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, alumina, aluminum nitride, quartz, and combinations thereof.