APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION

• US 20120000422A1
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Lam, Hyman, Zheng, Bo, Ai, Hua, Jackson, Michael, Yuan, Xiaoxiong (John), Wang, Hou Gong, Yu, Sang Ho, Umotoy, Salvador P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,293,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45544 characterized by the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4558 Perforated rings
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87265 Dividing into parallel flow paths with recombining

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide apparatuses and methods for atomic layer deposition (ALD), such as plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD). In some embodiments, a PE-ALD chamber is provided which includes a chamber lid assembly coupled with a chamber body having a substrate support therein. In one embodiment, the chamber lid assembly has an inlet manifold assembly containing an annular channel encompassing a centralized channel, wherein the centralized channel extends through the inlet manifold assembly, and the inlet manifold assembly further contains injection holes extending from the annular channel, through a sidewall of the centralized channel, and to the centralized channel. The chamber lid assembly further contains a showerhead assembly disposed below the inlet manifold assembly, a water box disposed between the inlet manifold assembly and the showerhead assembly, and a remote plasma system (RPS) disposed above and coupled with the inlet manifold assembly, and in fluid communication with the centralized channel.

Claims

1. A showerhead assembly for a vapor deposition process, comprising:

a showerhead plate having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a radius extending from the center to the outer edge of the showerhead plate;

a first plurality of holes extending through the showerhead plate and in fluid communication with the top surface and the bottom surface, positioned within a first zone extending from the center of the showerhead plate to about 25% of the radius of the showerhead plate, and each hole of the first plurality comprises a diameter of less than 0.1 inches; and

a second plurality of holes extending through the showerhead plate and in fluid communication with the top surface and the bottom surface, positioned within a second zone extending from about 25% of the radius of the showerhead plate to about the outer edge of the showerhead plate, and each hole of the second plurality comprises a diameter of greater than 0.1 inches.

2. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the diameter of each hole of the second plurality is within a range from about 0.11 inches to about 0.13 inches.

3. The showerhead assembly of claim 2, wherein the diameter of each hole of the first plurality is about 0.09 inches or less.

4. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the showerhead plate comprises an increasing hole density radially extending towards the outer edge.

5. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the showerhead plate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloy, aluminum-plated metal, stainless steel, nickel, nickel alloy, nickel-plated aluminum, nickel-plated metal, chromium, iron, alloys thereof, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

6. The showerhead assembly of claim 5, wherein the showerhead plate comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

7. The showerhead assembly of claim 6, wherein the showerhead plate comprises an aluminum alloy, and the aluminum alloy further comprises magnesium and silicon.

8. The showerhead assembly of claim 7, wherein the aluminum alloy further comprises chromium.

9. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the showerhead plate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of quartz, ceramic, fused quartz, sapphire, pyrolytic boron nitrite (PBN) material, glass, silicate materials, silica materials, alumina materials, zirconia materials, alloys thereof, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

10. An inlet manifold assembly, comprising:

an annular channel encompassing a centralized channel, wherein the centralized channel extends through the inlet manifold assembly; and

injection holes extending from the annular channel, through a sidewall of the centralized channel, and to the centralized channel, wherein the injection holes comprise a first plurality of injection holes extending towards or substantially towards a central axis of the centralized channel and the injection holes comprise a second plurality of injection holes extending tangential or substantially tangential towards the sidewall of the centralized channel.

11. The inlet manifold assembly of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of injection holes contains three or more injection holes and the second plurality of injection holes contains three or more injection holes.

12. The inlet manifold assembly of claim 10, wherein the inlet manifold assembly comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

13. The inlet manifold assembly of claim 12, wherein the inlet manifold assembly comprises an aluminum alloy, and the aluminum alloy further comprises magnesium and silicon.

14. The inlet manifold assembly of claim 10, wherein each injection hole has a diameter within a range from about 0.06 inches to about 0.12 inches.

15. A showerhead assembly for a vapor deposition process, comprising:

a showerhead plate comprising an aluminum alloy and having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a radius extending from the center to the outer edge of the showerhead plate;

a first plurality of holes extending through the showerhead plate and in fluid communication with the top surface and the bottom surface, and disposed within a first zone which extends from the center of the showerhead plate to a second zone circumscribing the first zone, and each hole of the first plurality comprises a diameter of less than 0.1 inches; and

a second plurality of holes extending through the showerhead plate and in fluid communication with the top surface and the bottom surface, and disposed within the second zone which extends from the first zone to about the outer edge of the showerhead plate, and each hole of the second plurality comprises a diameter of greater than 0.1 inches.

16. The showerhead assembly of claim 15, wherein the aluminum alloy further comprises magnesium and silicon.

17. The showerhead assembly of claim 16, wherein the aluminum alloy further comprises chromium.

18. The showerhead assembly of claim 15, wherein the diameter of each hole of the second plurality is within a range from about 0.11 inches to about 0.13 inches.

19. The showerhead assembly of claim 15, wherein the combined first and second pluralities of holes have from about 300 holes to about 500 holes.

20. The showerhead assembly of claim 15, wherein the combined first and second pluralities of holes have from about 320 holes to about 350 holes.