Temperature controlling method and apparatus for a plasma processing chamber

• US 5,863,376 A
• Filed: 06/05/1996
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Kennedy, William S., Cook, Joel M., Benjamin, Neil, Wicker, Thomas E., Maraschin, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DANG, THI D
• Application Number:
  US08/658,259
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723 I, 118/723 R, 156/345
• US Class Current: 156/345.38
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45572 Cooled nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/507 using external electrodes, e.g. in tunnel type reactors
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32522 Temperature

Abstract

A plasma processing chamber includes a substrate holder and a dielectric member such as a dielectric window or gas distribution plate having an interior surface facing the substrate holder, the interior surface being maintained below a threshold temperature to minimize process drift during processing of substrates. The chamber can include an antenna which inductively couples RF energy through the dielectric member to energize process gas into a plasma state. The antenna can include a channel through which a temperature controlling fluid, which has been cooled by a closed circuit temperature controller, is passed. The control of the temperature of the interior surface minimizes process drift and degradation of the quality of the processed substrates during sequential batch processing of substrates such as during oxide etching of semiconductor wafers.

Claims

1. A plasma processing chamber comprising:

a substrate holder for supporting a substrate within the processing chamber;

a dielectric member having an interior surface thereof facing the substrate holder;

a gas supply supplying process gas to the chamber;

an RF energy source which inductively couples RF energy through the dielectric member and into the chamber to energize the process gas into a plasma state; and

a cooling mechanism which cools the dielectric member and maintains the interior surface below a threshold temperature.

2. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric member comprises a dielectric window or gas distribution plate.

3. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric member comprises a gas distribution plate having a plurality of holes therethrough, the gas distribution plate supplies the process gas to the interior of the chamber and the gas supply supplies gas to the gas distribution plate.

4. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein the chamber includes a dielectric window and the RF energy source comprises a substantially planar antenna adjacent the window, the antenna supplying RF power through the window to energize process gas in the processing chamber into a plasma state.

5. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 4, wherein the dielectric member comprises a dielectric gas distribution plate, the window being between the antenna and the gas distribution plate.

6. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 5, wherein the cooling mechanism passes a temperature controlling fluid in heat transfer contact with the antenna or the gas distribution plate.

7. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, further comprising a closed circuit cooling system which supplies an electrically nonconducting cooling liquid to the cooling mechanism and maintains the interior surface below the threshold temperature.

8. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein the chamber includes a dielectric window and the RF energy source comprises an antenna adjacent the window, the antenna supplying RF power through the window to energize process gas in the processing chamber into a plasma state, the interior surface comprising an inner surface of the window and the cooling mechanism including a closed circuit temperature controller and a channel in the antenna through which a temperature controlling fluid is circulated.

9. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 8, wherein the fluid is a non-aqueous dielectric liquid.

10. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein the chamber includes a dielectric window and an antenna adjacent the window, the antenna supplying RF power through the window to energize process gas in the processing chamber into a plasma state, the antenna having a substantially planar shape and the cooling mechanism comprising a liquid flow channel within the antenna.

11. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 10, wherein the dielectric member comprises a gas distribution plate adjacent the window, the gas distribution plate including gas outlets therein through which the process gas enters the interior of the chamber, the antenna being arranged such that the gas outlets are not directly between the substrate holder and the antenna.

12. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric member comprises a dielectric window having a substantially uniform thickness and substantially planar configuration.

13. The plasma processing chamber according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric member comprises a gas distribution plate having a substantially uniform thickness and substantially planar configuration.

14. The plasma processing chamber of claim 2, wherein the RF energy source is thermally coupled to the dielectric member and the dielectric member consists essentially of aluminum nitride or alumina.

15. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the dielectric member comprises a unitary body of Al₂ O₃ or AlN.

16. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the dielectric member is in thermal contact with the RF energy source.

17. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the plasma processing chamber comprises a plasma etching reactor and the cooling mechanism maintains the interior surface of the dielectric member at a temperature less than a temperature at which processs drift occurs.

18. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the cooling mechanism includes one or more sensors monitoring the temperature of an exterior surface of the dielectric member and the cooling mechanism maintains the interior surface of the dielectric member below the threshold temperature based on output from the one or more sensors.

19. The plasma processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the dielectric member consists essentially of a material having thermal conductivity of at least 20 W/m-K.

20. The plasma processing chamber of claim 5, wherein the window comprises a unitary body of alumina or aluminum nitride and the gas distribution plate comprises a unitary body of alumina or aluminum nitride.

21. A plasma processing chamber comprising:

a substrate holder for supporting a substrate within the processing chamber;

a dielectric member having an interior surface thereof facing the substrate holder;

a gas supply supplying process gas to the chamber;

an RF energy source which inductively couples RF energy through the dielectric member and into the chamber to energize the process gas into a plasma state; and

a cooling mechanism which cools the dielectric member and maintains the interior surface below a threshold temperature,

wherein the dielectric member comprises a dielectric window having first and second sections separated from each other by a gap, the first section including an outer surface exposed to ambient pressure and the second section including the interior surface, the gap being filled with a heat transfer medium.

22. The plasma processing chamber of claim 21, wherein the heat transfer medium is a coolant and the cooling mechanism circulates the coolant in the gap.

23. A plasma processing chamber comprising:

a substrate holder for supporting a substrate within the processing chamber;

a dielectric member having an interior surface thereof facing the substrate holder;

a gas supply supplying process gas to the chamber;

an RF energy source which inductively couples RF energy through the dielectric member and into the chamber to energize the process gas into a plasma state; and

a cooling mechanism which cools the dielectric member and maintains the interior surface below a threshold temperature by introducing a coolant in the dielectric member.