Ceramic coating comprising yttrium which is resistant to a reducing plasma

• US 20090214825A1
• Filed: 02/26/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Sun, Jennifer Y., Yuan, Jie, Xu, Li, Collins, Kenneth S., Thach, Senh, Graves, Thomas, Duan, Ren-Guan, He, Xiaoming
• Application Number:
  US12/072,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20090214825A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/141
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/11 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24997 Of metal-containing material

Abstract

Particulate generation has been a problem in semiconductor device processing in highly corrosive plasma environments. The problem is exacerbated when the plasma is a reducing plasma. Empirically produced data has shown that the formation of a plasma spray coated yttrium-comprising ceramic such as yttrium oxide, Y₂O₃—ZrO₂ solid solution, YAG, and YF₃ provides a low porosity coating with smooth and compacted surfaces when such ceramics are spray coated from a powder feed having an average effective diameter ranging from about 22 μm to about 0.1 μm. These spray-coated materials reduce the generation of particulates in corrosive reducing plasma environments.

Claims

1. An article which is resistant to corrosion or erosion by chemically active reducing plasmas, said article comprising a metal or metal alloy substrate having on its surface a spray coated yttrium-comprising ceramic material, wherein a porosity of said ceramic coating is less than 1.5%.

2. An article in accordance with claim 1, wherein said porosity ranges from less than 1.5% to about 0.1%.

3. An article in accordance with claim 2, wherein said porosity ranges from about 1% to about 0.1%.

4. An article in accordance with claim 1, wherein an exposed surface of said spray coated yttrium-comprising ceramic material has a surface roughness of less than about 3 μ

m Ra.

5. An article in accordance with claim 3, wherein said surface roughness ranges from less than about 1.5 μ

m Ra to about 0.6 μ

m Ra.

6. An article in accordance with claim 1, wherein the break down voltage of said spray-coated yttrium-comprising ceramic material is at least above 650 V/mil.

7. An article in accordance with claim 6, wherein said break down voltage ranges from about 650 V/mil to greater than 900 V/mil.

8. An article in accordance with claim 1 or claim 4, or claim 6, wherein said spray coated yttrium-comprising ceramic material has a thickness ranging from about 5 μ

m to about 400 μ

m.

9. An article in accordance with claim 8, wherein said material thickness ranges from about 25 μ

m to about 300 μ

m.

10. An article in accordance with claim 8, wherein said yttrium-comprising ceramic material is selected from the group consisting of Y₂O₃, Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂ solid solution, YAG, YF₃ and combinations thereof.

11. An article in accordance with claim 2, wherein said spray-coated yttrium-comprising ceramic material passes an HCl Bubble Test for a time period of at least 8 hours.

12. An article in accordance with claim 3, wherein said spray-coated yttrium-comprising ceramic material passes an HCl Bubble Test for a time period of at least 10 hours.

13. A method of fabricating an article which is resistant to corrosion or erosion by chemically active reducing plasmas, comprising:

fabricating said article by plasma spray-coating a metal or metal alloy substrate with a yttrium-comprising ceramic material, wherein said yttrium-comprising ceramic material is in the form of a powder having an average equivalent diameter ranging from about 22 μ

m to about 0.1 μ

m.

14. A method of fabricating an article in accordance with claim 13, wherein said powder has an average equivalent diameter ranging from about 15 μ

m to about 5 μ

m.

15. A method of fabricating an article in accordance with claim 13 or claim 14, wherein said yttrium comprising material is selected from the group consisting of Y₂O₃, Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂ solid solution, YAG, YF₃ and combinations thereof.

16. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said yttrium comprising material is selected from the group consisting of Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂ solid solution, YAG, YF₃ and combinations thereof.

17. A method of fabricating an article which is resistant to corrosion or erosion by chemically active reducing plasmas, comprising:

fabricating said article by plasma spray-coating a metal or metal alloy substrate with a yttrium-comprising ceramic material, wherein said yttrium-comprising ceramic material is selected from the group consisting of Y₂O₃—

ZrO₂ solid solution, YF₃ and combinations thereof.