APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR PLASMA-ENHANCED ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION

• US 20080268171A1
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Shah, Kavita, Ganguli, Seshadri, Chu, Schubert S., Marcadal, Christophe, Wu, Dien-Yeh, Wu, Frederick C., MA, PAUL
• Granted Patent: US 9,032,906 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/569
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/18 from metallo-organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45542 Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45544 characterized by the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45553 characterized by the use of precursors specially adapted for ALD
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45563 Gas nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/509 using internal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32082 Radio frequency generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32522 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32623 Mechanical discharge control means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32633 Baffles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28562 Selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76844 Bottomless liners
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76846 Layer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76873 for electroplating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/1089 Stacks of seed layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus configured to form a material during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, such as a plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD) process. In one embodiment, a plasma baffle assembly for receiving a process gas within a plasma-enhanced vapor deposition chamber is provided which includes a plasma baffle plate containing an upper surface to receive a process gas and a lower surface to emit the process gas, a plurality of openings configured to flow the process gas from above the upper surface to below the lower surface, wherein each opening is positioned at a predetermined angle of a vertical axis that is perpendicular to the lower surface, and a conical nose cone on the upper surface. In one example, the openings are slots positioned at a predetermined angle to emit the process gas with a circular flow pattern.

Claims

1. A plasma baffle assembly for receiving a process gas within a plasma-enhanced vapor deposition chamber, comprising:

a plasma baffle plate comprising an upper surface to receive a process gas and a lower surface to emit the process gas;

a plurality of openings configured to flow the process gas from above the upper surface to below the lower surface, wherein each opening is positioned at a predetermined angle of a vertical axis that is perpendicular to the lower surface; and

a conical nose cone on the upper surface.

2. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings comprises a plurality of slots.

3. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is positioned to provide the process gas with a circular gas flow pattern.

4. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 3, wherein the circular gas flow pattern comprises a flow pattern selected from the group consisting of vortex, helix, spiral, twirl, twist, coil, whirlpool, and derivatives thereof.

5. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 2, wherein the predetermined angle is within a range from about 20°

to about 70°

.

6. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 5, wherein each slot of the plurality of slots has a width within a range from about 0.60 mm to about 0.90 mm.

7. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 6, wherein the plurality of slots comprises about 10 slots or more.

8. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 6, wherein each slot of the plurality of slots has a width to prohibit back diffusion of gas or formation of a secondary plasma.

9. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 2, wherein the plasma baffle plate comprises a conductive material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, stainless steel, steel, iron, chromium, nickel, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

10. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 9, wherein each of the slots comprises an opening that extends across the upper surface between the conical nose cone and an outer edge of the plasma baffle plate, and the opening extends at an angle measured from a radius of the upper surface.

11. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 10, wherein the angle is tangential or substantially tangential to a point along the radius, wherein a center of the upper surface and the point are separated at a distance within a range from about 1 mm to about 3 mm.

12. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 10, wherein the angle is tangential or substantially tangential to the conical nose cone.

13. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 10, wherein the angle is within a range from about 20°

to about 45°

.

14. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 9, wherein the conical nose cone comprises a flat upper surface.

15. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 9, wherein the conical nose cone comprises a concave upper surface or a convex upper surface.

16. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings comprises a plurality of holes.

17. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 16, wherein the predetermined angle is positioned to provide the process gas towards the vertical axis.

18. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 17, wherein the predetermined angle is within a range from about 30°

to about 40°

.

19. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 16, wherein each hole of the plurality of holes has a diameter on the upper surface of the plasma baffle plate within a range from about 1.5 mm to about 2 mm and a diameter on the lower surface of the plasma baffle plate within a range from about 0.6 mm to about 1 mm.

20. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 19, wherein the plurality of holes comprises about 4 holes or more.

21. The plasma baffle assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings comprises a plurality of holes and a plurality of rounded holes.

22. A plasma baffle assembly for receiving a process gas within a plasma-enhanced vapor deposition chamber, comprising:

a plasma baffle plate comprising an upper surface to receive a process gas and a lower surface to emit the process gas; and

a plurality of openings configured to flow the process gas from above the upper surface to below the lower surface, wherein each opening is positioned at a predetermined angle obscured from a perpendicular axis of the lower surface.

23. A method for depositing a material on a substrate, comprising:

positioning a substrate on a substrate support within a process chamber comprising a gas delivery system enabled to form a gas having a circular gas flow, wherein the gas delivery system comprises a plasma baffle assembly, comprising;

a plasma baffle plate comprising an upper surface to receive the process gas and a lower surface to emit the process gas;

a plurality of openings configured to flow a process gas from above the upper surface to below the lower surface, wherein each opening is positioned at a predetermined angle of a vertical axis, the vertical axis is perpendicular to the lower surface; and

a conical nose cone on the upper surface;

flowing the process gas into the process chamber through the plasma baffle plate to form a circular directional process gas; and

exposing the circular directional process gas to the substrate during a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition process comprising sequentially igniting a plasma and pulsing at least one precursor into the process gas to deposit a material onto the substrate.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the circular directional process gas has circular direction selected from the group consisting of vortex, helix, spiral, twirl, twist, coil, whirlpool, and derivatives thereof.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the deposited material comprises an element selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, tantalum, tungsten, nitrides thereof, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.