Reactor optimized for chemical vapor deposition of titanium

• US 6,079,356 A
• Filed: 02/13/1998
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Chung-Lei, Lawrence, Chang, Mei, Tran, Truc T., Nguyen, Anh N., Umotoy, Salvador
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Shrive
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh, Parviz
• Application Number:
  US09/023,866
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 118/725, 118/723 E, 118/728, 118/500, 118/724
• US Class Current: 118/723.00E
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow

Abstract

A plasma reaction chamber particularly suited for plasma-enhance chemical vapor deposition of titanium using TiCl₄ as the precursor. The reactor includes a perforated showerhead faceplate and a perforated blocker plate within the showerhead to evenly distribute the atomized TiCl₄. Both the showerhead faceplate and the blocker plate are made of solid nickel. RF power is applied between the showerhead faceplate and the heater pedestal supporting the wafer to excite the processing gas into a plasma. A shield ring is set on the periphery of the heater pedestal to confine the plasma to the processing region above the wafer. The shield ring is supported on the heater pedestal by a downwardly descending ridge, thereby minimizing thermal flow. The shield ring also protects the periphery of the top surface of the heater pedestal not covered by the wafer. An isolator electrically insulates the RF-driven showerhead from the chamber body and is disposed generally above the shield ring. The bottom of the isolator and the top of the shield ring are similarly curved with a nearly constant gap between them. The small gap creates a flow choke between the processing region and an annular pumping channel. The curve of the gap prevents the plasma from extending into the pumping channel. The bottom of the chamber below the heater pedestal is covered with a quartz thermal shield insert to reduce the flow of heat to the chamber wall. A lift ring for raising lift pins selectively lifting the wafer is also composed of quartz.

Claims

1. An apparatus for chemical vapor deposition, comprising:

a reaction chamber;

a generally circular pedestal included in said chamber for supporting a substrate on a top surface thereof;

a showerhead assembly including a faceplate disposed in parallel and above said top surface of said pedestal, including holes therethrough for supplying processing gas to a plasma processing region between said faceplate and said pedestal, and being adapted to receive RF power to excite said processing gas in said plasma processing region into a plasma;

an electrical isolator disposed between said showerhead assembly and a portion of said reaction chamber on a lateral side of said pedestal;

a generally annularly shaped pumping channel surrounding a lateral side of said processing area; and

an insulating ring disposable on an upper periphery of said pedestal below said isolator and defining with said isolator a sloping gap which forms a channel between said plasma processing area and said pumping channel, said insulating ring further acting to confine said plasma to said plasma processing area.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sloping gap provides no straight line path between said processing area and said pumping channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said ring disposed on said pedestal extends down a lateral side of said pedestal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said ring includes a downwardly projecting ridge supporting said ring on said pedestal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said ring extends radially inwardly to an edge of said substrate.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said insulating ring is supportable on an upper periphery of said pedestal below said isolator by a downwardly projecting ridge portion of said ring.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said pedestal includes a heater and further comprising a removable, annularly shaped, thermally insulating member disposed within a lower portion of said reaction chamber below said pedestal and shielding walls of said lower portion of said reaction chamber from said pedestal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said showerhead assembly further includes a cooling plate thermally coupled to said faceplate and including a convolute cooling fluid channel formed therein to cause turbulent flow of a cooling fluid in said channel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a flange of said faceplate is supported on said isolator and wherein said showerhead assembly further includes a cooling plate including a cooling fluid channel formed therein and having a cooling plate flange supported on said flange of said faceplate.

10. An apparatus for chemical vapor deposition, comprising:

a reaction chamber;

a generally circular pedestal included in said chamber for supporting a substrate on a top surface thereof;

a showerhead assembly including a faceplate disposed in parallel to and above said top surface of said pedestal, including holes therethrough for supplying processing gas to a processing region between said faceplate and said pedestal, and being adapted to receive RF power to excite said processing gas in said processing region into a plasma;

an electrical isolator disposed between said showerhead assembly and a portion of said reaction chamber on a lateral side of said pedestal; and

an electrically insulating confinement ring supportable on an upper periphery of said pedestal below said isolator by a downwardly projecting ridge portion of said ring and acting to confine said plasma to within said processing region.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a generally annular pumping channel surrounding a lateral side of said processing area and wherein a sloping gap is formed between said isolator and said confinement ring that affords no straight line path between said processing region and said pumping channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said confinement ring comprises quartz.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said confinement ring extends down a side of said pedestal.

14. An apparatus for chemical vapor deposition, comprising:

a reaction chamber;

a pedestal included in said chamber for supporting a substrate on a top surface thereof; and

a showerhead assembly disposed in opposition to said pedestal and including

a faceplate disposed in parallel to and above said top surface of said pedestal and including holes therethrough for supplying a processing gas to a processing region between said faceplate and said pedestal from a first cavity in back of said faceplate,

a blocker plate disposed in parallel to and above said faceplate and including holes therethrough for supplying said processing gas from a second cavity in back of said faceplate to said first cavity, and

a gas port disposed above said first cavity for supplying said processing gas to said second cavity;

wherein both of said faceplate and said blocker plate are formed of a solid nickel material.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said faceplate is adapted to receive RF energy to excite said processing gas into a plasma adjacent to said pedestal and further comprising:

an electrical isolator disposed between said showerhead assembly and a portion of said reaction chamber on a lateral side of said pedestal;

a generally annularly shaped pumping channel surrounding a lateral side of said processing region; and

an insulating ring disposable on an upper periphery of said pedestal below said isolator and defining with said isolator a sloping gap which forms a channel between said processing region and said pumping channel, wherein said sloping gap affords no straight line path between said processing area and said pumping channel.

16. An apparatus for chemical vapor deposition, comprising:

a reaction chamber;

a generally circular pedestal included in said chamber for supporting a substrate on a top surface thereof, said pedestal having a disk-shaped upper portion including a resistive heater and a stem supporting said upper portion and extending downwardly in a lower portion of said reaction chamber, said pedestal including a heater;

a showerhead assembly including a faceplate disposed in parallel to and above said top surface of said pedestal, including holes therethrough for supplying processing gas to a processing region between said faceplate and said disk-shaped upper portion of said pedestal; and

a removable, annularly shaped, thermally insulating member disposed within said lower portion of said reaction chamber and shielding walls of said lower portion of said reaction chamber from a downwardly facing surface of said disk-shaped upper portion of said pedestal.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said thermally insulating member comprises quartz.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said insulating member is Z-shaped and rests on a bottom wall of said reaction chamber.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said insulating member includes an annular boss on its lower surface to support said insulating member on said bottom wall of said reaction chamber.

20. A method for forming a CVD layer on a substrate, comprising the steps of:

providing a processing chamber including

a chamber body,

a pedestal movably disposed on the chamber body and having a periphery removably supporting a confinement ring member having an upper surface, and

a chamber lid assembly supported by the chamber body and having an isolator ring member with a lower essentially arcuate surface terminating in a lower isolator ring edge;

disposing a substrate on said pedestal;

elevating said pedestal including said substrate until at least a portion of said upper surface of said confinement ring member extends vertically to at least said lower isolator ring edge of said isolator ring member; and

processing said substrate including heating said pedestal to a temperature greater than 600°

C. and contacting said substrate with a processing gas to form a CVD layer on said substrate.

21. A method for forming a CVD layer on a substrate, comprising the steps of:

providing a processing chamber including

a chamber body,

a pedestal movably disposed on the chamber body and having a periphery removably supporting a confinement ring member having an upper surface, and

a chamber lid assembly supported by the chamber body and having an isolator ring member with a lower essentially arcuate surface terminating in a lower isolator ring edge;

disposing a substrate on said pedestal;

elevating said pedestal including said substrate until at least a portion of said upper surface of said confinement ring member extends vertically to at least said lower isolator ring edge of said isolator ring member; and

processing said substrate including contacting said substrate with a processing gas to form a CVD layer on said substrate, wherein said CVD layer consists essentially of titanium.

22. A method for forming a CVD layer on a substrate, comprising the steps of:

providing a processing chamber including

a chamber body,

a pedestal movably disposed on the chamber body and having a periphery removably supporting a confinement ring member having an upper surface, and

a chamber lid assembly supported by the chamber body and having an isolator ring member with a lower essentially arcuate surface terminating in a lower isolator ring edge;

disposing a substrate on said pedestal;

elevating said pedestal including said substrate until at least a portion of said upper surface of said confinement ring member extends vertically to at least said lower isolator ring edge of said isolator ring member; and

processing said substrate including contacting said substrate with a processing gas comprising TiCl₄ to form a CVD layer comprising titanium on said substrate.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said processing step includes heating said pedestal to a temperature greater than 600°

C.