Complementary Pattern Station Designs

• US 20200131636A1
• 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, Rice, Michael, Dan, Arkaprava, Chen, Hanhong
• Granted Patent: US 11,220,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45502 Flow conditions in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• 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: C23C 16/463 Cooling of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/002 Cooling arrangements of objects being observed or treated H01J2237/2001
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/20214 Rotation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3321 CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32724 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32899 Multiple chambers, e.g. cluster tools
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• 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 21/67207 comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67742 Mechanical parts of transfer devices robots in general in B25J
• 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 first processing station has a first gas flow pattern from one or more of a first gas diffuser, a first cooling channel pattern, or a first heater. A second processing station has a second gas flow pattern from one or more of a second gas diffuser, a second cooling channel pattern, or a second heater. The second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater is rotated or translated relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater to provide the second gas flow pattern complementary to the first gas flow pattern.

Claims

1. A processing chamber comprising:

a first processing station having a first gas flow pattern from one or more of a first gas diffuser, a first cooling channel pattern, or a first heater; and

a second processing station having a second gas flow pattern from one or more of a second gas diffuser, a second cooling channel pattern, or a second heater, the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater rotated relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater to provide the second gas flow pattern complementary to the first gas flow pattern.

2. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater have a symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry.

3. The processing chamber of claim 2, wherein one or more of the second gas diffuser, second cooling channel pattern, or second heater is rotated less than or equal to about (360 /(n*2)) degrees relative to the first gas diffuser.

4. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein each of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater have an identical symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry, and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater are rotated less than or equal to about (360 /(n*2)) degrees relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater.

5. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein n is an integer in a range of from 2 to 10.

6. The processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising heaters on one or more of the first processing station or the second processing station.

7. The processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising a controller connected to one or more of the first processing station or the second processing station.

8. The processing chamber of claim 1, further comprising at least one wafer on one or more of the first processing station or the second processing station.

9. A method of forming a film, the method comprising:

loading at least one wafer onto a substrate support surface;

rotating the substrate support surface between a first processing station having a first gas flow pattern from one or more of a first gas diffuser, a first cooling channel pattern, or a first heater and a second processing station having a second gas flow pattern from one or more of a second gas diffuser, a second cooling channel pattern, or a second heater, the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater rotated relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater to provide the second gas flow pattern complementary to the first gas flow pattern; and

at each processing station, exposing a top surface of the at least one wafer to a process condition to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one wafer is stationary when the film is formed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater have a symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater is rotated less than or equal to about (360 /(n*2)) degrees relative to one or more of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater have an identical symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry, and one or more of the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater is rotated less than or equal to about (360 /(n*2)) degrees relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising controlling the speed of rotation of the substrate support surface.

15. A processing chamber comprising:

a first plasma processing station having a first plasma pixel pattern from a first plasma source, the first plasma source having a symmetrical pixel pattern with n-fold symmetry; and

a second plasma processing station having a second plasma pixel pattern from a second plasma source, the second plasma source having a symmetrical pixel pattern with n-fold symmetry and rotated relative to the first plasma source to provide a second plasma pixel pattern complementary to the first plasma pixel pattern.

16. The processing chamber of claim 15, wherein the second plasma source is rotated less than or equal to about (360 /(n*2)) degrees relative to the first plasma source.

17. The processing chamber of claim 15, wherein the second plasma source has a different plasma pixel pattern from first plasma source, but complementary to the first plasma source.

18. The processing chamber of claim 15, wherein each of the first plasma source and the second plasma source have an identical symmetrical pixel pattern with n-fold symmetry.

19. The processing chamber of claim 15, wherein n is an integer in a range of from 2 to 10.

20. The processing chamber of claim 15, further comprising a gas diffuser, a cooling channel, heaters on one or more of the first plasma processing station or the second plasma processing station.