GAS SHOWER STRUCTURE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20110186229A1
• Filed: 02/03/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Hayashi, Daisuke, Murakami, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,550,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/345.34
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/18 Roses; Shower heads with means for adding soap or the like E03C1/046; jet regulators E03C1/08
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes reactive sputtering or vacuum evaporation C23C14/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/08 Apparatus, e.g. for photomechanical printing surfaces photo- mechanical reproduction G03F
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means

Abstract

Screws 4 are inserted from a bottom surface of a ceiling plate 32 and screwed to a base plate 31, and the ceiling plate 32 and the base plate 31 are press-connected to each other by an elastic restoring force of an elastic member 51 interposed between a head of the screw 4 and the ceiling plate 32. A gap is formed between the head and the ceiling plate 32. Further, a periphery of the head is covered with a cover via a ring-shaped elastic member 52. In another embodiment, a periphery of a base plate 31 is protruded from a periphery of a ceiling plate 32, and the protruded portion of the base plate 31 and a ring-shaped clamp positioned at an outer side of the ceiling plate 32 are joined by screws. Here, an elastic member is interposed between the clamp and the ceiling plate 32.

Claims

1. A gas shower structure that is provided to face a substrate within a processing chamber and supplies a processing gas to the substrate as in a shower device, the structure comprising:

a plate-shaped member disposed so as to be exposed to a processing atmosphere and having a plurality of gas discharge holes;

a base member stacked on and press-connected to the plate-shaped member and having gas discharge holes at positions corresponding to positions of the gas discharge holes of the plate-shaped member;

a joining member for press-connecting the plate-shaped member sandwiched between the joining member and the base member to the base member; and

a press-connecting elastic member interposed between the joining member and a surface of the plate-shaped member on the side of the processing atmosphere, and deformed to have an elastic restoring force when the joining member approaches the plate-shaped member,

wherein the plate-shaped member is press-connected to the base member by the elastic restoring force of the elastic member, and

a gap is formed between the joining member and the surface of the plate-shaped member on the side of the processing atmosphere.

2. The gas shower structure of claim 1, wherein the joining member includes a screw inserted from the plate-shaped member and screwed to the base member, and

the elastic member is interposed between a head of the screw and the plate-shaped member.

3. The gas shower structure of claim 2, wherein the elastic member is formed in a ring shape so as to surround a shaft of the screw.

4. The gas shower structure of claim 2, wherein the screw is made of a metal, and

the head of the screw is covered by a cover made of a material capable of protecting the screw from being damaged by the processing atmosphere.

5. The gas shower structure of claim 4, wherein a cover elastic member for absorbing a thermal expansion difference between the screw and the cover is interposed between a periphery of the head of the screw and an inner surface of the cover.

6. The gas shower structure of claim 5, wherein a surface layer of the cover elastic member is made of a material capable of protecting the screw from the processing atmosphere.

7. The gas shower structure of claim 1, wherein an outer periphery of the base member is formed as a protruded portion that is protruded from an outer periphery of the plate-shaped member, and

wherein the joining member includes:

a clamp having an inner portion formed to allow an outer periphery of the plate-shaped member to be sandwiched between the inner portion and the base member, and an outer portion press-connected to the protruded portion of the base member; and

a screw inserted from the protruded portion of the base member and screwed to the outer portion of the clamp, for press-connecting and joining the protruded portion with the outer portion of the clamp, and

wherein the press-connecting elastic member is interposed between the clamp and the plate-shaped member.

8. The gas shower structure of claim 7, wherein the outer portion of the clamp is formed in a ring-shap along a circumference of the plate-shaped member.

9. The gas shower structure of claim 8, wherein the inner portion of the clamp and the press-connecting elastic member are formed in a ring shape along the circumference of the plate-shaped member.

10. The gas shower structure of claim 1, wherein the substrate is processed by plasma and the gap is smaller than or equal to about 0.2 mm.

11. The gas shower structure of claim 1, wherein the press-connecting elastic member is formed by coating fluorine resin around an elastic core.

12. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a processing chamber accommodating therein a substrate mounting table;

a gas shower structure as claimed in claim 1 disposed to face the substrate mounting table;

a gas supply unit for supplying a processing gas through gas discharge holes of the gas shower structure; and

a vacuum exhaust unit for exhausting an inside of the processing chamber.