SUBSTRATE CLEANING CHAMBER AND COMPONENTS

• US 20080295872A1
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Wei W., Riker, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,942,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/105
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0213 Avoiding deleterious effects due to interactions between particles and tube elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0268 Liner tubes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2001 Maintaining constant desired temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/335 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32477 characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32724 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32871 Means for trapping or directing unwanted particles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67207 comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A substrate cleaning chamber comprises various components, such as for example, a consumable ceramic liner, substrate heating pedestal, and process kit. The consumable ceramic liner is provided for connecting a gas outlet channel of a remote gas energizer to a gas inlet channel of a substrate cleaning chamber. The substrate heating pedestal comprises an annular plate having a substrate receiving surface with a plurality of ceramic balls positioned in an array of recesses. A process kit comprises a top plate, top liner, gas distributor plate, bottom liner, and focus ring.

Claims

1. A consumable ceramic liner for connecting a gas outlet channel of a remote chamber to a gas inlet channel of a substrate cleaning chamber, the ceramic liner comprising:

(a) an inlet cylinder having an outer diameter sized to fit in the gas outlet channel of the remote chamber;

(b) an outlet cylinder connected to the gas inlet channel of the substrate cleaning chamber; and

(c) a conical flare joining the inlet cylinder to the outlet cylinder.

2. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the conical flare comprises a conical surface that is inclined from a vertical axis at an angle of from 10 to about 60 degrees.

3. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the ratio of the length of the conical flare to the length of the outlet cylinder is from about 1:

2 to about 1;

8.

4. A liner according to claim 1 wherein the inlet cylinder comprises a first diameter and the outlet cylinder comprises a second diameter that is at least 1.5 times larger that the first diameter.

5. A liner according to claim 4 wherein the first diameter is from about 1 to about 4 cm.

6. A liner according to claim 4 wherein the second diameter is from about 2 to about 8 cm.

7. A liner according to claim 1 comprising a ceramic material capable of scavenging an ion species from the energized gas generated in the remote gas energizer.

8. A liner according to claim 1 composed of quartz, aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride.

9. A liner according to claim 8 wherein the liner comprises a thickness of from about 2 mm to about 6 mm.

10. A liner according to claim 1 further comprising a liner locking cylinder that is sized to fit around the outer diameter of the outlet cylinder.

11. A method of inserting a ceramic liner into a upper chamber wall for connecting a gas outlet channel of a remote chamber to a gas inlet channel of a substrate cleaning chamber, the ceramic liner comprising an inlet cylinder sized to fit in the gas outlet channel of the remote chamber, an outlet cylinder connected to the gas inlet channel of the substrate cleaning chamber, and a conical flare joining the inlet to the outlet cylinder, the method comprising:

(a) placing a liner locking cylinder over the outlet cylinder of the ceramic liner;

(b) sliding a liner holding tool into the outlet cylinder of the ceramic liner, the outer diameter of the liner holding tool being sized to grip the inner diameter of the outlet cylinder; and

(c) grasping the liner holding tool and inserting the inlet cylinder of the ceramic liner into the gas outlet channel of the remote chamber.

12. A method according to claim 11 further comprising:

(d) twisting the liner holding tool to lock an annular flange of the locking cylinder into a matching annular lip of the upper chamber wall.

13. A substrate heating pedestal for a substrate cleaning chamber, the substrate heating pedestal comprising:

(a) an annular plate comprising a first disk having a substrate receiving surface with an array of recesses, a second disk having a channel shaped to receive the heating element, and a brazed bond joining the first and second disks;

(b) a plurality of ceramic balls that are each positioned in a recess on the substrate receiving surface; and

(c) a heating element embedded in the annular plate.

14. A pedestal according to claim 13 wherein the brazed bond comprises an aluminum brazing compound.

15. A pedestal according to claim 13 wherein the first and second disks comprise aluminum.

16. A pedestal according to claim 13 wherein the ceramic balls are composed of alumina oxide, quartz, sapphire, silicon nitride, synthetic corundum, zirconium oxide, or mixtures thereof.

17. A pedestal according to claim 13 wherein the ceramic balls comprise Al₂O₃.

18. A pedestal according to claim 13 wherein ceramic balls comprise a diameter of from about 1 to about 3 mm.

19. A pedestal according to claim 18 wherein the diameter of the quartz balls is sufficiently large to maintain the substrate receiving surface higher than the top surface of the annular plate by from about 0.01 mm to about 0.5 mm

20. A gas distributor plate for a substrate process chamber, the gas distributor plate comprising:

(a) an first ring of first holes that each have a diameter d;

(b) a second ring of second holes that each have a diameter 2d, the second ring being radially outward of the first ring;

(c) a third ring of third holes that each have a diameter 3d, the third ring being radially outward of the second ring; and

(d) a fourth ring of fourth holes that each have a diameter 4d, the fourth ring being radially outward of the third ring.

21. A gas distributor plate according to claim 21 wherein the diameter d is from about 1 to about 5 mm.

22. A gas distributor plate according to claim 21 wherein the second holes have a diameter of from about 2 to about 10 mm.

23. A gas distributor plate according to claim 21 wherein the third holes have a diameter of from about 3 to about 15 mm.

24. A gas distributor plate according to claim 21 wherein the fourth holes have a diameter of from about 4 to about 20 mm.

25. A gas distributor plate according to claim 21 composed of a ceramic.

26. A gas distributor plate according to claim 21 wherein the ceramic comprises aluminum oxide or silicon oxide.

27. A process kit for a substrate cleaning chamber having a chamber lid holding a gas distributor plate which faces a substrate heating pedestal, the process kit comprising:

(a) a top plate for contacting the chamber lid, the quartz top plate having an orifice for passing process gas therethrough, and having a perimeter edge;

(b) a top liner contacting the perimeter edge of the quartz top plate and being above the gas distributor plate;

(c) a bottom liner below the gas distributor plate; and

(d) a focus ring resting on a peripheral edge of the substrate heating pedestal.

28. A process kit according to claim 27 wherein a top plate, top liner bottom liner, and focus ring, all comprise quartz.

29. A process kit according to claim 27 wherein the top plate comprises an annular disk having an outer peripheral edge and an orifice for passing process gas therethrough.

30. A process kit according to claim 27 wherein the top plate comprises a thickness of from about 1 mm to about 5 mm.

31. A process kit according to claim 27 wherein the top and bottom liners comprise cylinders.

32. A process kit according to claim 27 wherein the focus ring comprises an inner flange which rests on the peripheral edge of the substrate heating pedestal, the flange comprising a sloped upper surface that joins to a vertical surface at the substrate periphery.

33. A process kit according to claim 32 wherein the sloped upper surface comprises an angle of between about 85 to about 100°

.