Plasma-resistant ceramics with controlled electrical resistivity

• US 20090036292A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: He, Xiaoming, Sun, Jennifer Y., Yuan, Jie, Collins, Kenneth S., Thach, Senh, Graves, Thomas, Duan, Ren-Guan
• Granted Patent: US 8,367,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 501/134
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3217 Aluminum oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. bauxite, alpha-alumina
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3222 Aluminates other than alumino-silicates, e.g. spinel (MgAl2O4)
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3224 Rare earth oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. scandium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3225 Yttrium oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3229 Cerium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3244 Zirconium oxides, zirconates, hafnium oxides, hafnates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3251 Niobium oxides, niobates, tantalum oxides, tantalates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3255 Niobates or tantalates, e.g. silver niobate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/404 Refractory metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/762 Cubic symmetry, e.g. beta-SiC
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/77 Density
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/80 Phases present in the sintered or melt-cast ceramic products other than the main phase
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/81 Materials characterised by the absence of phases other than the main phase, i.e. single phase materials
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/486 Fine ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/495 based on vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum or tungsten oxides or solid solutions thereof with other oxides, e.g. vanadates, niobates, tantalates, molybdates or tungstates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/50 based on rare-earth compounds non-oxide rare earth compounds C04B35/5156
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/505 based on yttrium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31 Surface property or characteristic of web, sheet or block

Abstract

Specialty ceramic materials which resist corrosion/erosion under semiconductor processing conditions which employ a corrosive/erosive plasma. The corrosive plasma may be a halogen-containing plasma. The specialty ceramic materials have been modified to provide a controlled electrical resistivity which suppresses plasma arcing potential.

Claims

1. A ceramic-comprising article which is resistant to erosion by halogen-containing plasmas used in semiconductor processing and which exhibits a controlled electrical resistivity in the range of about 10⁻

7 to 10<sup>−

15</sup> Ω

·

cm at a temperature ranging from about 350°

C. to room temperature, said ceramic article having a surface comprising at least one solid solution containing yttrium oxide, and wherein at least one solid solution which comprises yttrium oxide also contains at one or more oxides selected from the group consisting of zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, scandium oxide, niobium oxide, samarium oxide, ytterbium oxide, erbium oxide, cerium oxide, and combinations thereof.

2. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, where other lanthanide series element oxides are included in said ceramic article.

3. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, wherein two oxides are used to form said at least one solid solution which comprises yttrium oxide and an other oxide, and wherein said other oxide is selected from the group consisting of zirconium oxide, cerium oxide, hafnium oxide, and niobium oxide.

4. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 3, wherein scandium oxide, samarium oxide, ytterbium oxide, erbium oxide, or an other lanthanide series element oxide is included in said ceramic article.

5. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, wherein more than two precursor oxides are used to form said solid solution which comprises yttrium oxide, and wherein said precursor oxides include zirconium oxide and another oxide selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide, scandium oxide, niobium oxide, samarium oxide, ytterbium oxide, erbium oxide, cerium oxide, and combinations thereof.

6. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 5, wherein other lanthanide series elements are included in said ceramic-comprising article.

7. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 3, wherein said ceramic is formed from yttrium oxide at a concentration ranging from about 40 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and zirconium oxide at concentration ranging from more than 0 molar % to about 60 molar %.

8. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 3, wherein said ceramic is formed from yttrium oxide at a concentration ranging from about 40 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and cerium oxide at concentration ranging from greater than 0 molar % to about 60 molar %.

9. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 3, wherein said ceramic is formed from yttrium oxide at a concentration ranging from about 40 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and hafnium oxide at concentration ranging from greater than 0 molar % to about 60 molar %.

10. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 3, wherein said ceramic is formed from yttrium oxide at a concentration ranging from about 40 molar % to less than 100 molar %, and niobium oxide at concentration ranging from greater than 0 molar % to about 60 molar %.

11. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 5, wherein yttrium oxide is present at a concentration ranging from about 40 molar % to less than 100 molar %, zirconium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 20 molar %, and scandium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % up to less than 100 molar %.

12. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 5, wherein yttrium oxide is present at a concentration ranging from about 70 molar % to less than 100 molar %, zirconium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % to about 17 molar %, and hafnium oxide is present over a range from more than 0 molar % up to about 27 molar %.

13. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 5, wherein said article is formed from a three phase sintered ceramic which includes a first phase of solid solution comprising Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂—

Nb₂O₅ which makes up from about 60 molar % to about 90 molar % of the sintered ceramic material;

a second phase of Y₃NbO₇ which makes up from about 5 molar % to about 30 molar % of the sintered ceramic material; and

, a third phase of Nb in elemental form, which makes up from about 1 molar % to about 10 molar % of the sintered ceramic material.

14. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said article is in the form of an electrostatic chuck or a substrate lift pin figure, or another article which requires an electrical resistivity in the range of about 10⁻

7 to 10<sup>−

15</sup> Ω

·

cm at a temperature which ranges from about 350°

C. to room temperature.

15. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said article is in the form of an internal component or a liner used in the interior of a semiconductor processing chamber, and wherein the resistivity of said ceramic article is in the range of about 10⁻

7 to 10<sup>−

15</sup> Ω

·

cm at a temperature which ranges from about 350°

C. to room temperature.

16. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said article is a solid sintered ceramic article.

17. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said article is selected from the group consisting of an electrostatic chuck, a lid, a liner, a nozzle, a gas distribution plate, a shower head, an electrostatic chuck component, a shadow frame, a substrate holding frame, a processing kit, and a chamber liner.

18. A ceramic-comprising article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said surface of said article is coated with said ceramic.

19. A method of reducing plasma arcing within a semiconductor processing chamber which employs an electrostatic chuck, a liner or an internal component having a surface which is in contact with a plasma, said surface comprising a ceramic material, said method comprising:

a) selecting oxides to comprise said ceramic material from yttrium oxide and at least one other oxide, where a positive ions of said other oxide has a significantly different valance from a Y³⁺ ion, to form a Y vacancy, leading to a decrease of electronic resistivity of said ceramic material;

b) sintering said oxides to form at least one crystalline solid solution; and

c) exposing said ceramic material to a plasma.

20. A method in accordance with claim 19, wherein said oxide having said different valance from said Y³⁺ ion is selected from the group consisting of CeO₂, TiO₂, ZrO₂, HfO₂, Nb₂O₅, and combinations thereof.

21. A method of reducing plasma arcing within a semiconductor processing chamber which employs an electrostatic chuck, a liner or an internal component having a surface contacting a plasma, said surface comprising a ceramic material, said method comprising:

a) selecting oxides to comprise said ceramic material from yttrium oxide and at least one other oxide, where a positive ion of said other oxide shows the same valence as the Y³⁺ ion, but possess a significantly different ion radius than the Y³⁺ ion, leading to a decrease of electronic resistivity of said ceramic material;

b) sintering said oxides in a reductive atmosphere; and

c) exposing said ceramic material to a plasma.

22. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said oxide having said significantly different ion radius is selected from the group consisting of Nd₂O₃, Sm₂O₃, Sc₂O₃, Yb₂O₃, Er₂O₃, Ho₂O₃, Dy₂O₃, and combinations thereof.