Spatial Wafer Processing With Improved Temperature Uniformity

• US 20200131635A1
• Filed: 10/21/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: AuBuchon, Joseph, Baluja, Sanjeev, Kashyap, Dhritiman Subha, Lee, Jared Ahmad, Ulavi, Tejas, Rice, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,787,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 16/4557 Heated nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4583 the substrate being supported substantially horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4584 the substrate being rotated
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67167 surrounding a central transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate

Abstract

Apparatus and methods to process one or more wafers are described. A processing chamber comprises a first processing station comprising a first gas injector having a first face, a first emissivity and a first temperature, a second processing station comprising a second gas injector having a second face, a second emissivity and a second temperature, and a substrate support assembly comprising a plurality of substantially coplanar support surfaces, the substrate support assembly configured to move the support surfaces between the first processing station and the second processing station. When a wafer is on the support surfaces, a temperature skew of less than about 0.5° C. is developed upon moving the wafer between the stations in about 0.5 seconds.

Claims

1. A processing chamber comprising:

a first processing station comprising a first gas injector having a first face, a first emissivity and a first temperature;

a second processing station comprising a second gas injector having a second face, a second emissivity and a second temperature; and

a substrate support assembly comprising a plurality of substantially coplanar support surfaces, the substrate support assembly configured to move the support surfaces between the first processing station and the second processing station,

wherein the first face is spaced a first distance from the plurality of substantially coplanar support surfaces and the second face is spaced a second distance from the plurality of substantially coplanar support surfaces, and the first emissivity is lower than the second emissivity and/or the first temperature is greater than the second temperature.

2. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein when a wafer is on the support surfaces, a temperature skew of less than about 0.5°

C. is developed upon moving the wafer between the first processing station and the second processing station in about 0.5 seconds.

3. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.

4. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the first distance and the second distance are the same.

5. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the first emissivity and the second emissivity are different and the first temperature and the second temperature are different.

6. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the first emissivity and the second emissivity are different and the first temperature and the second temperature are the same.

7. The processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising a controller connected to the plurality of substantially coplanar support surfaces configured to control one or more of the first temperature or the second temperature.

8. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the first processing station comprises a thermal station and the second processing station comprises a plasma station.

9. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the first processing station comprises a thermal station and the second processing station comprises a thermal station.

10. The processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising at least one wafer on the support surfaces.

11. The processing chamber of claim 10, wherein the first emissivity and the first temperature and/or the second emissivity and the second temperature provide a steady state temperature of the wafer in the first processing station and in the second processing station.

12. A processing method comprising:

moving a substrate support surface between a first processing station and a second processing station, the first processing station comprising a first gas injector having a first face spaced a first distance from the substrate support surface, a first emissivity and a first temperature, the second processing station comprising a second gas injector having a second face spaced a second distance from the substrate support surface, a second emissivity and a second temperature,

wherein the first emissivity is lower than the second emissivity and/or the first temperature is greater than the second temperature.

13. The processing method of claim 12, further comprising controlling one or more of the first temperature or the second temperature.

14. The processing method of claim 12, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.

15. The processing method of claim 12, wherein the first distance and the second distance are the same.

16. The processing method of claim 12, further comprising loading at least one wafer onto the substrate support surface.

17. The processing method of claim 16, further comprising controlling a temperature skew of the at least one wafer.

18. A processing chamber comprising:

a thermal processing station comprising a thermal showerhead having a first face, a first emissivity and a first temperature;

a plasma processing station comprising a plasma showerhead having a second face, a second emissivity and a second temperature;

a substrate support assembly comprising a plurality of substantially coplanar support surfaces having at least one wafer thereon, the substrate support assembly configured to move the at least one wafer between the thermal processing station and the plasma processing station; and

a controller connected to the plurality of substantially coplanar support surfaces,

wherein the first face is spaced in a range of about 0.5 mm to about 3 mm from the at least one wafer and the second face is spaced in a range of about 7 mm to about 15 mm from the at least one wafer, and the first emissivity is lower than the second emissivity and/or the first temperature is greater than the second temperature.

19. The processing chamber of claim 18, wherein a temperature skew of less than about 0.5°

C. is developed upon moving a wafer between the first processing station and the second processing station in about 0.5 seconds.

20. The processing chamber of claim 18, wherein the first face is spaced about 2 mm from the at least one wafer and the second face is spaced in about 15 mm from the at least one wafer.