Chamber having improved gas energizer and method

• US 6,502,529 B2
• Filed: 05/27/1999
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Herchen, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Mills, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): HASSANZADEH, PARVIZ
• Application Number:
  US09/321,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20020037653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723.MW, 118/723.ME, 118/723.MR, 118/723.MA, 118/723.AN, 118/723.I, 118/723.IR, 118/724, 156/345.36, 156/345.41, 156/345.37
• US Class Current: 118/723.0ME
• 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 16/452 by activating reactive gas streams before their introduction into the reaction chamber, e.g. by ionisation or addition of reactive species
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32467 Material

Abstract

A chamber 35 for energizing a gas comprises a gas distributor 85 having an aperture 250 for introducing gas into the chamber 35 and a wall 175 comprising boron nitride. The chamber 35 further comprises a gas energizer 90 capable of passing electromagnetic energy through the wall 175 to energize the gas in the chamber 35.

Claims

1. A chamber capable of processing a substrate, the chamber comprising:

(a) a gas distributor having an aperture through which gas may be introduced into the chamber;

(b) a wall comprising a window that allows microwave energy to pass through and a thermal conductor having first and second portions, the first portion contacting the window and being in the path of the microwave energy, and the thermal conductor comprising boron nitride or aluminum nitride;

(c) a gas energizer capable of passing microwave energy through the window and thermal conductor of the wall to energize the gas in the chamber; and

(d) a heat sink adapted to remove heat from the window, the heat sink contacting the second portion of the thermal conductor, and the heat sink being substantially out of the path of the microwave energy passed through the window and the thermal conductor.

2. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein the boron nitride comprises a thermal conductivity of at least about 80 W/mK.

3. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein the thermal conductor is sufficiently thin to provide a dissipation factor for absorbing RF or microwave energy of less than about 10%.

4. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein the thermal conductor is bonded to the window.

5. A chamber according to claim 4 wherein the thermal conductor is bonded by a compliant layer.

6. A chamber according to claim 5 wherein the compliant layer comprises thermally conducting particles in a polymer matrix.

7. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein the heat sink comprises channels through which heat transfer fluid is circulated.

8. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein the heat sink is electrically grounded.

9. A chamber according to claim 1 further comprising a magnetic field generator adapted to provide a magnetic field across a portion of the wall.

10. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein a portion of the wall forms a conduit, and wherein the aperture in the gas distributor is oriented to direct a stream of gas against a surface of the conduit.

11. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein the boron nitride comprises anisotropic thermal conductivity.

12. A chamber according to claim 1 further comprising (e) a support to support the substrate, and (f) an exhaust to exhaust the gas from the chamber.

13. A chamber according to claim 1 wherein the heat sink abuts substantially only one or more of the ends of the thermal conductor.

14. A chamber capable of processing a substrate, the chamber comprising:

(a) a gas distributor having an aperture through which gas may be introduced into the chamber;

(b) a wall comprising;

(i) a window that allows microwave energy to pass through, and

(ii) a thermal conductor comprising boron nitride or aluminum nitride and having first and second portions, at least the first portion bonded to the window and in the path of the microwave energy, and the first portion of the thermal conductor having (1) a dissipation factor for absorbing RF or microwave energy of less than about 10%, (2) an anisotropic thermal conductivity, and (3) a thermal conductivity in one direction of at least about 80 W/mK;

(c) a gas energizer capable of passing microwave energy through the window and thermal conductor to energize the gas in the chamber; and

(d) a heat sink adapted to remove heat from the thermal conductor, the heat sink being substantially out of the path of the microwave energy and bonded to the second portion of the thermal conductor.

15. A chamber according to claim 14 wherein the thermal conductor is bonded to the window by a compliant layer comprising thermally conducting particles in a polymer matrix.

16. A chamber according to claim 14 wherein the thermal conductor comprises boron nitride.

17. A chamber according to claim 14 wherein the heat sink is electrically grounded.

18. A chamber according to claim 14 further comprising a magnetic field generator adapted to provide a magnetic field across a portion of the wall.

19. A chamber according to claim 14 wherein a portion of the wall forms a conduit, and wherein the aperture in the gas distributor is oriented to direct a stream of gas against a surface of the conduit.

20. A chamber according to claim 14 further comprising (e) a support to support the substrate, and (f) an exhaust to exhaust the gas from the chamber.