Productivity enhancing thermal sprayed yttria-containing coating for plasma reactor

• US 7,300,537 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Daugherty, John E., O'Donnell, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kackar; Ram N.
• Application Number:
  US11/000,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20050150866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 156/915, 156/345.51, 156/345.52, 156/345.53, 118/728, 118/725, 118/724, 428/469, 438/710
• US Class Current: 156/345.51
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4404 Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32467 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32477 characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3255 Material

Abstract

Components of semiconductor processing apparatus comprise thermal sprayed yttria-containing coatings that provide erosion, corrosion and/or corrosion-erosion resistance in plasma atmospheres. The coatings can protect substrates from physical and/or chemical attack.

Claims

1. A process of manufacturing a component of a semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising:

anodizing a surface of an unroughened aluminum substrate;

sealing the anodized aluminum surface; and

applying a coating consisting essentially of yttria directly over the sealed anodized surface of the aluminum substrate by thermal spraying, the coating comprising an outermost surface of the component.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the coating is formed to have an arithmetic mean surface roughness (Ra) effective to promote adhesion of polymer deposits.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the coating has a tensile bond strength of about 7000 psi.

4. A process of etching a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

placing a semiconductor wafer in a chamber of a plasma etch reactor, the plasma etch reactor comprising at least one component including an aluminum substrate having a sealed anodized surface and a thermal sprayed coating consisting essentially of yttria disposed directly over the sealed anodized surface, the coating forming an outermost surface of the component;

introducing a process gas into the chamber;

generating a plasma from the process gas; and

etching the semiconductor wafer with the plasma,

wherein the coating is exposed to the plasma during the etching.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein the plasma is generated by inductively coupling radio frequency energy into the chamber.

6. The process of claim 4, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises at least one silicon-containing material selected from the group consisting of single-crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicides, silicon dioxide, low-k materials and high-k materials.

7. The process of claim 4, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises at least one metal-containing material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys, tungsten, tungsten alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys, ruthenium, ruthenium alloys, chrome, chrome alloys, iron, iron alloys, nickel, nickel alloys, cobalt, cobalt alloys, molybdenum, molybdenum alloys, silicides of titanium, tungsten, chrome, cobalt and/or molybdenum, ferroelectric materials and GMR materials.

8. The process of claim 4, wherein the coating is formed to have an arithmetic mean surface roughness (Ra) that promotes adhesion of polymer deposits on the coating during the etching.

9. The process of claim 4, wherein the coating has a tensile bond strength of about 7000 psi.

10. A process of reducing contamination of a semiconductor wafer by erosion of a component in a chamber of a plasma etch reactor during etching of the semiconductor wafer in the plasma etch reactor, comprising:

placing a semiconductor wafer in a chamber of a plasma etch reactor, the plasma etch reactor comprising at least one component including an aluminum substrate having a sealed anodized surface and a thermal sprayed coating consisting essentially of yttria disposed directly over the sealed anodized surface, the coating forming an outermost surface of the component;

introducing a process gas into the chamber, the process gas being erosive with respect to the aluminum substrate material;

generating a plasma from the process gas; and

etching the semiconductor wafer with the plasma while exposing the coating to the plasma,

wherein the coating minimizes contamination of the semiconductor wafer by the substrate material and yttria during the etching.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the level of contamination of the semiconductor wafer by yttria is less than 10¹⁰ atoms/cm².

12. The process of claim 10, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises at least one silicon-containing material and the process gas comprises fluorine.

13. The process of claim 12, wherein the silicon-containing material is selected from the group consisting of single-crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicides, silicon dioxide, low-k materials and high-k materials.

14. The process of claim 10, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises at least one metal-containing material and the process gas comprises BCl₃.

15. The process of claim 14, wherein the metal-containing material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum alloys, tungsten, tungsten alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, tantalum, tantalum alloys, platinum, platinum alloys, ruthenium, ruthenium alloys, chrome, chrome alloys, iron, iron alloys, nickel, nickel alloys, cobalt, cobalt alloys, molybdenum, molybdenum alloys, silicides of titanium, tungsten, chrome, cobalt and/or molybdenum, ferroelectric materials and GMR materials.

16. The process of claim 10, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises silicon and the process gas comprises bromine.

17. The process of claim 10, wherein the process gas comprises BCl₃ and the coating is not eroded by the plasma during etching.

18. The process of claim 10, wherein the coating has a tensile has a tensile bond strength of about 7000 psi.