Long life high temperature process chamber

• US 6,325,858 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ASM America Incorporated (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM America Incorporated (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Jacobs, Loren, Halpin, Mike, Wood, Eric, Goodman, Matt, Barrett, Eric, van Bilsen, Frank, Samuels, Blake, Raaijmakers, Ivo, Meyer, Michael J., Wengert, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUEKER, RICHARD R
• Application Number:
  US09/184,490
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 118/725, 118/728, 118/730, 118/724, 136/232
• US Class Current: 118/725
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4401 Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/481 by radiant heating of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/12 for preventing damage due to heat overloading
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/04 the object to be measured not forming one of the thermoelectric materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation

Abstract

A generally horizontally-oriented quartz CVD chamber is disclosed with front and rear chamber divider plates adjacent a centrally positioned susceptor and surrounding temperature control ring which divide the chamber into upper and lower regions. Improvement to the lifetime of CVD process components and related throughput improvements are disclosed. A getter plate for attracting some of the unused reactant gas is positioned downstream from the susceptor extending generally parallel to and spaced between the divider plate and the upper chamber wall. This getter plate also minimizes deposition on the chamber walls and improves the efficiency of a cleaning step. Reradiating elements are also located adjacent side walls of the chamber to heat cooler chamber wall areas. The getter plate and the reradiating elements plus the susceptor and surrounding ring are all made of solid chemical vapor deposited SiC to improve the life of the chamber. Also, thermocouples adjacent the susceptor are provided with SiC sheaths to enable the thermocouples to withstand more process cycles than that of quartz sheaths. SiC shields may be provided on quartz components throughout the chamber to protect the quartz from devitrification. Throughput is improved by both reducing down time and reducing the cleaning step time of the process cycle.

Claims

1. A chemical vapor deposition apparatus for the processing of substrates such as semiconductor wafers comprising:

a process chamber having quartz walls and having an inlet for receiving deposition gases;

a solid silicon carbide susceptor positioned in the chamber to receive a wafer;

a silicon carbide ring closely surrounding the susceptor; and

a silicon carbide getter plate positioned downstream from the susceptor and the ring to receive deposition of unused reactant gas, and including one or more elements positioned in said chamber adjacent chamber side walls to absorb radiant energy from heating lamps which is transmitted into said chamber through said quartz walls and to reradiate energy to heat said adjacent chamber walls to minimize the coating of said deposition gases on said adjacent chamber walls, wherein said elements are located adjacent the chamber walls on opposite sides of said getter plate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a silicon carbide sheathed thermocouple extending adjacent the susceptor to monitor susceptor temperature.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said thermocouple extends generally straight.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a silicon carbon sheathed thermocouple is positioned on opposite sides of the susceptor and each extend towards the downstream end of the chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, including a tubular shaft supporting said susceptor and a thermocouple extending upwardly through said shaft and terminating sufficiently close to the susceptor to provide input regarding the temperature of the susceptor in that location.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, including a divider plate extending upstream from the ring in the approximate plane of the ring and the susceptor;

a divider plate downstream from the susceptor and ring extending across the chamber and generally in the plane of the susceptor and ring, said chamber being divided into an upper section and a lower section by the divider plates, the ring and the susceptor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, including a reactant gas inlet in said chamber opening into said upper section, and a purge gas inlet opening into said lower sections.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, including a gas outlet from said upper section and means blocking a downstream end of said lower section so that purge gas is forced to exit upwardly through gaps between components into the upper sections.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a central thermocouple disposed below the susceptor comprises a quartz sheath covered by a silicon carbide cap.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said elements are made of silicon carbide.

11. A chemical vapor deposition apparatus for the processing of substrates such as semiconductor wafers comprising:

a process chamber having quartz walls;

a susceptor in said chamber for receiving a wafer;

a ring closely surrounding the susceptor;

a quartz chamber divider plate extending upstream from the ring in the approximate plane of the ring in the susceptor;

a quartz plate downstream from the susceptor and ring extending across the chamber and generally in the plane of the susceptor and ring, said chamber being divided into an upper section and a lower section by the divider plates the ring and the susceptor;

a getter plate positioned downstream from the susceptor and the ring extending generally parallel to and spaced above the downstream divider plate; and

a thermocouple extending adjacent the susceptor to monitor susceptor temperature;

said susceptor, said ring, said getter plate and an outer sheath of said thermocouple being formed of silicon carbide.

12. A chemical vapor deposition apparatus, comprising a thermocouple for use in a chemical vapor deposition process chamber, said thermocouple including thermocouple wires;

a quartz sheath surrounding the wires; and

a silicon carbide cap exposed over the quartz sheath.

13. A chemical vapor deposition apparatus comprising:

a reaction chamber having a reactant gas inlet;

a generally planar susceptor in the chamber for supporting a semiconductor wafer; and

a silicon carbide getter plate positioned downstream from the susceptor, the plate being generally parallel to the susceptor in a plane spaced above the plane of the susceptor and spaced below an adjacent quartz chamber wall so that unused reactant gases flow adjacent both sides of the plate to cause unused reactants to deposit on the plate rather than on the adjacent chamber wall.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the chamber is generally horizontally oriented and includes a forward plate upstream from the susceptor and a divides plate downstream of the susceptor dividing the chamber into upper and lower sections, and said getter plate is spaced above said divider plate.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, including one or more elements positioned adjacent side walls of said chamber, said elements being made of material which is a better heat absorber than the side walls of the chamber.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said elements are positioned adjacent chamber walls on opposite sides of said getter plate.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said elements are made of silicon carbide.

18. A thermocouple for a chemical vapor deposition process chamber, comprising:

thermocouple wires;

a quartz sheath surrounding the wires; and

a silicon carbide cap disposed over the quartz sheath.