Gas Supply Manifold And Method Of Supplying Gases To Chamber Using Same

• US 20150240359A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Jdira, Lucian C., Halpin, Michael, White, Carl, Shero, Eric, Fondurulia, Kyle, Terhorst, Herbert, Dunn, Todd Robert, Verbass, Melvin, Wuester, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,683,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45512 Premixing before introduction in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45525 Atomic layer deposition [ALD]
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45544 characterized by the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45561 Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45574 Nozzles for more than one gas
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45582 Expansion of gas before it reaches the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67017 Apparatus for fluid treatment H01L21/67126, H01L21/6715 take precedence

Abstract

A gas inlet system for a wafer processing reactor includes a tubular gas manifold conduit adapted to be connected to a gas inlet port of the wafer processing reactor; and gas feeds including a first feed for feeding a first gas into the tubular gas manifold conduit and a second feed for feeding a second gas into the tubular gas manifold conduit. Each feed has two or more injection ports connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at a first axial position of the tubular gas manifold conduit, and the injection ports of each of the gas feeds are evenly distributed along a circumference of the tubular gas manifold conduit at the first axial position.

Claims

1. A gas inlet system for a wafer processing reactor, comprising:

a tubular gas manifold conduit adapted to be connected to a gas inlet port of the wafer processing reactor for supplying a gas mixed in the tubular gas manifold conduit to the wafer processing reactor; and

gas feeds comprising a first feed for feeding a first gas into the tubular gas manifold conduit and a second feed for feeding a second gas into the tubular gas manifold conduit, each teed having two or more injection ports connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at a first axial position of the tubular gas manifold conduit,

wherein the injection ports of each of the gas feeds are evenly distributed along a circumference of the tubular gas manifold conduit at the first axial position.

2. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the number of the injection ports of the first feed and the number of the injection ports of the second feed are the same, and the injection ports of the first feed and the injection ports of the second feed are disposed alternately along the circumference of the tubular gas manifold conduit.

3. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the first feed further includes a C-shaped common channel having an inlet for inflow of the first gas and multiple outlets for outflow of the first gas connected to the two or more injection ports of the first feed, respectively, and the second feed further includes a C-shaped common channel having an inlet for inflow of the second gas and multiple outlets for outflow of the second gas connected to the two or more injection ports of the second feed, respectively.

4. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the injection ports of each feed are connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at an angle of about 0°

to about 45°

relative to the axis of the tubular gas manifold conduit.

5. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the injection ports of each feed are connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at an angle of about 90°

relative to the axis of the tubular gas manifold conduit.

6. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the tubular gas manifold conduit has a first diameter downstream of the first axial position, and a second diameter at the first axial position, said second diameter being smaller than the first diameter.

7. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the first feed is connected to a gas source providing a reactive gas, and the second feed is connected to a gas source providing an inert gas.

8. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the gas feeds serve as lower gas feeds, and the gas inlet system further comprises upper gas feeds, said upper gas feeds comprising a third feed for feeding a third gas into the tubular gas manifold conduit and a fourth feed for feeding a fourth gas into the tubular gas manifold conduit, each of the upper gas feeds having two or more injection ports connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at a second axial position of the tubular gas manifold conduit, which second axial position is positioned upstream of the first axial position.

9. The gas inlet system according to claim 8 wherein the tubular gas manifold conduit has a first diameter downstream of the first axial position, a second diameter at the first axial position, and a third diameter at the second axial position, said third diameter being smaller than the second diameter which is smaller than the first diameter.

10. The gas inlet system according to claim 8, wherein the third feed further includes a C-shaped common channel having an inlet for inflow of the third gas and multiple outlets for outflow of the third gas connected to the two or more injection ports of the third feed, respectively, and the fourth feed further includes a C-shaped common channel having an inlet for inflow of the fourth gas and multiple outlets for outflow of the fourth gas connected to the two or more injection ports of the fourth feed, respectively.

11. The gas inlet system according to claim 8, wherein the injection ports of each of the third and fourth feeds are connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at an angle of about 0°

to about 45°

relative to the axis of the tubular gas manifold conduit.

12. The gas inlet system according to claim 11, wherein the injection ports of each of the third and fourth feeds are connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit approximately in parallel to the axis of the tubular gas manifold conduit, and the injection ports of each of the first and second feeds are connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at an angle of about 15°

to about 25°

relative to the axis of the tubular gas manifold conduit.

13. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, further comprising a top feed for feeding an auxiliary gas into the tubular gas manifold conduit, said top feed having an injection port connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at an upstream end of the tubular gas manifold conduit.

14. The gas inlet system according to claim 12, wherein the top feed is connected to a gas source providing a dry gas.

15. The gas inlet system according to claim 1, wherein the wafer processing reactor is a reactor for atomic layer deposition (ALD) or a reactor for chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and the tubular gas manifold conduit is connected to a gas inlet port of the reactor for ALD or CVD.

16. The gas inlet system according to claim 15, wherein the tubular gas manifold conduit is adapted to be the gas inlet port disposed centrally above a wafer accommodation area of the wafer processing reactor.

17. A method for feeding a mixed gas to a wafer processing reactor using the gas inlet system of claim 1, comprising;

feeding the first gas to the tubular gas manifold conduit through the injection ports of the first feed, while feeding the second gas to the tubular gas manifold conduit through the injection ports of the second feed, whereby the first gas and the second gas are mixed inside the tubular gas manifold conduit; and

feeding the mixed gas to the wafer processing reactor through the gas inlet system to deposit a film on a substrate loaded in the reactor.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the tubular gas manifold conduit further comprises a top feed having an injection port connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at an upstream end of the tubular gas manifold conduit, wherein the method further comprises feeding an inert gas to the tubular gas manifold conduit through the injection port of the top feed while feeding to the tubular gas manifold conduit the first and second gases, one of which is a process gas.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the film is deposited under first conditions, and the method further comprises changing a flow rate of the inert gas from the top feed while maintaining the first conditions except for the flow rate of the inert gas, so as to deposit a film on a substrate having an improved uniformity of film relative to a uniformity of the film deposited under the first conditions.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the as feeds serve as tower gas feeds, and the gas inlet system further comprises upper gas feeds which comprise a third feed and a fourth feed, each of the upper gas feeds having two or more injection ports connected to the tubular gas manifold conduit at a second axial position of the tubular gas manifold conduit, which second axial position is positioned upstream of the first axial position, wherein the method further comprises feeding a third gas and a fourth gas to the tubular gas manifold conduit through the injection ports of the third feed and the fourth feed, respectively, while feeding to the tubular gas manifold conduit the first and second gases, one of which first and second gases is a process gas.