Apparatus and method for treating a substrate with UV radiation using primary and secondary reflectors

• US 7,566,891 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Issued: 07/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Baluja, Sanjeev, Kaszuba, Andrzei, Nowak, Thomas, Rocha-Alvarez, Juan Carlos, Du Bois, Dale R., Cho, Tom K., Ho, Dustin W., Hendrickson, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wells; Nikita
• Application Number:
  US11/686,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20070257205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 250/504.R, 250/365, 250/492.1, 250/492.2, 250/493.1, 422/186.3, 422/24
• US Class Current: 250/504.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/067 Curing or cross-linking the coating

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to an ultraviolet (UV) cure chamber for curing a dielectric material disposed on a substrate and to methods of curing dielectric materials using UV radiation. A substrate processing tool according to one embodiment comprises a body defining a substrate processing region; a substrate support adapted to support a substrate within the substrate processing region; an ultraviolet radiation lamp spaced apart from the substrate support, the lamp configured to transmit ultraviolet radiation to a substrate positioned on the substrate support; and a motor operatively coupled to rotate at least one of the ultraviolet radiation lamp or substrate support at least 180 degrees relative to each other. The substrate processing tool may further comprise one or more reflectors adapted to generate a flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation over the substrate that has complementary high and low intensity areas which combine to generate a substantially uniform irradiance pattern if rotated. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A substrate processing tool comprising:

a body defining a substrate processing region;

a substrate support adapted to support a substrate within the substrate processing region;

an ultraviolet (UV) radiation lamp spaced apart from the substrate support and configured to generate and transmit ultraviolet radiation to a substrate positioned on the substrate support, the UV radiation lamp comprising a source of UV radiation and a primary reflector partially surrounding the source of UV radiation, and

a secondary reflector positioned between the primary reflector and the substrate support, the secondary reflector adapted to redirect ultraviolet radiation that would otherwise not contact the substrate towards the substrate, wherein the UV radiation lamp generates a substantially rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation and the secondary reflector alters the flood pattern to a substantially circular flood pattern.

2. The substrate processing tool of claim 1 wherein the UV radiation lamp is adapted to generate and direct a flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation towards the substrate support.

3. The substrate processing tool of claim 2 wherein the source of UV radiation is an elongated source.

4. The substrate processing tool of claim 3 wherein the primary reflector comprises first and second opposing surfaces.

5. The substrate processing tool of claim 3 wherein the elongated UV source is a single elongated UV bulb.

6. The substrate processing tool of claim 1 wherein the secondary reflector comprises an upper portion and a lower portion each of which includes (i) opposing longitudinal surfaces that meet at a vertex traversing a length of the longitudinal surfaces;

and (ii) opposing transverse surfaces extending between ends of the longitudinal surfaces.

7. The substrate processing tool of claim 6 wherein the longitudinal surfaces of both the upper and lower portions of the secondary reflector are generally concave along the longitudinal direction.

8. The substrate processing tool of claim 7 wherein the opposing transverse surfaces of the upper and lower portions of the secondary reflector are generally convex along the transverse direction.

9. The substrate processing tool of claim 6 wherein the opposing longitudinal surfaces of the upper portion of the secondary reflector generally extend inward from a top of the reflector to the vertex and the opposing longitudinal surfaces of the lower portion of the secondary reflector generally extend outward from the vertex to a bottom of the reflector.

10. The substrate processing tool of claim 1 comprising at least two ultraviolet radiation lamps spaced apart from the substrate support and disposed above the window, wherein each ultraviolet radiation lamp comprises an elongated source of UV radiation and a corresponding primary reflector partially surrounding the elongated source, the at least two ultraviolet radiation lamps combining to generate a flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation that is directed towards the substrate support.

11. The substrate processing tool of claim 10 further comprising a window separating the substrate processing region from the at least two ultraviolet radiation lamps, wherein the window is positioned such that the flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation is transmitted through the window prior to reaching the substrate.

12. The substrate processing tool of claim 10 wherein the at least two ultraviolet radiation lamps are mounted facing each other at opposing angles relative to vertical.

13. The substrate processing tool of claim 12 wherein each of the at least two ultraviolet radiation lamps are mounted at an angle of between 4-10 degrees relative to vertical.

14. The substrate processing tool of claim 13 wherein the substantially circular flood pattern comprises four distinct areas of high intensity along the annular region near the outer periphery of the flood pattern, each of the four areas located at respective corners of a roughly square-like pattern formed within the circular flood pattern.

15. The substrate processing tool of claim 10 wherein the UV at least two lamps and their associated primary reflectors and the secondary reflector combine to generate a substantially circular flood pattern having a plurality of low intensity areas and a plurality of high intensity areas along an annular region near an outer periphery of the flood pattern.

16. A substrate processing system comprising:

a body defining first and second processing regions that are separate and adjacent to one another;

a first substrate support adapted to support a substrate within the first processing region and a second substrate support adapted to support a substrate within the second processing region;

a first UV radiation lamp module spaced apart from the first substrate support and configured to transmit ultraviolet radiation to a first substrate positioned on the first substrate support;

a second UV radiation lamp module spaced apart from the second substrate support and configured to transmit ultraviolet radiation to a second substrate positioned on the second substrate support;

a first secondary reflector positioned between the first UV lamp module and the substrate support and adapted to redirect ultraviolet radiation that would otherwise not contact the first substrate towards the first substrate; and

a second secondary reflector positioned between the second UV lamp module and the second substrate support and adapted to redirect ultraviolet radiation that would otherwise not contact the second substrate towards the second substrate, wherein the first UV radiation lamp module generates a substantially rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation and the first secondary reflector alters the flood pattern to a substantially circular flood pattern, and wherein the second UV radiation lamp module generates a substantially rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation and the second secondary reflector alters the flood pattern to a substantially circular flood pattern.

17. The substrate processing system of claim 16 wherein the each of the first and second UV radiation lamp modules comprises an elongated source and a primary reflector adapted to reflect ultraviolet radiation from the elongated source towards its respective substrate support.

18. The substrate processing system of claim 17 wherein the longitudinal surfaces of both the upper and lower portions of each secondary reflector are generally concave along the longitudinal direction.

19. The substrate processing system of claim 18 wherein the opposing transverse surfaces of the upper and lower portions of each secondary reflector are generally convex along the transverse direction.

20. The substrate processing system of claim 16 wherein each of the first and second secondary reflectors comprises an upper portion and a lower portion each of which includes (i) opposing longitudinal surfaces that meet at a vertex traversing a length of the longitudinal surfaces;

and (ii) opposing transverse surfaces extending between ends of the longitudinal surfaces.

21. The substrate processing system of claim 20 wherein the opposing longitudinal surfaces of the upper portion of each secondary reflector generally extend inward from a top of the reflector to the vertex and the opposing longitudinal surfaces of the lower portion of the secondary reflector generally extend outward from the vertex to a bottom of the reflector.

22. The substrate processing system of claim 16 further comprising a lid coupled to a top of the body to cover the first and second processing regions, wherein the lid includes first and second UV radiation transparent windows aligned respectively above the first and second process regions, wherein the first window is position between the first UV radiation lamp and the first substrate support and the second window is positioned between the second UV radiation lamp and the second substrate support.

23. The substrate processing system of claim 16 wherein the first ultraviolet radiation lamp module comprises first and second UV lamps spaced apart from and disposed above the substrate support, the first UV lamp comprising a first UV radiation source and a corresponding first primary reflector partially surrounding the first UV source and the second UV lamp comprising a second UV radiation source and a corresponding second primary reflector partially surrounding the second UV source, the first and second UV lamps combining to generate a flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation that is transmitted to the first substrate positioned on the first substrate support;

and

wherein the second ultraviolet radiation lamp module comprises third and fourth UV lamps spaced apart from and disposed above the substrate support, the third UV lamp comprising a third UV radiation source and a corresponding third primary reflector partially surrounding the third UV source and the fourth UV lamp comprising a fourth UV radiation source and a corresponding fourth primary reflector partially surrounding the fourth UV source, the third and fourth UV lamps combining to generate a flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation that is transmitted to the second substrate positioned on the second substrate support.

24. An apparatus for generating a substantially circular flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation, the apparatus comprising:

an ultraviolet (UV) radiation lamp comprising an elongated source of UV radiation and a primary reflector partially surrounding the elongated source of UV radiation, wherein the elongated source of UV radiation and primary reflector combine to generate a substantially rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation; and

a secondary reflector spaced apart from the primary reflector and adapted to redirect portions of the rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation that impinge upon the secondary reflector to generate the substantially circular flood pattern of UV radiation.

25. The apparatus set forth in claim 24 wherein the secondary reflector comprises an upper portion and a lower portion each of which includes (i) opposing longitudinal surfaces that meet at a vertex traversing a length of the longitudinal surfaces;

and (ii) opposing transverse surfaces extending between ends of the longitudinal surfaces.

26. The substrate processing tool of claim 25 wherein the longitudinal surfaces of both the upper and lower portions of the secondary reflector are generally concave along the longitudinal direction.

27. The substrate processing tool of claim 26 wherein the opposing transverse surfaces of the upper and lower portions of the secondary reflector are generally convex along the transverse direction.

28. The substrate processing tool of claim 26 wherein the opposing longitudinal surfaces of the upper portion of the secondary reflector generally extend inward from a top of the reflector to the vertex and the opposing longitudinal surfaces of the lower portion of the secondary reflector generally extend outward from the vertex to a bottom of the reflector.

29. The substrate processing tool of claim 24 wherein the UV radiation lamp and secondary reflector combine to generate a substantially circular flood pattern having a plurality of low intensity areas and a plurality of high intensity areas along an annular region near an outer periphery of the flood pattern.

30. The substrate processing tool of claim 29 wherein the substantially circular flood pattern comprises four distinct areas of high intensity along the annular region near the outer periphery of the flood pattern, each of the four areas located at respective corners of a roughly square-like pattern formed within the circular flood pattern.

31. The substrate processing tool of claim 29 comprising a plurality of the UV radiation lamps, each comprising an elongated source of UV radiation and an associated primary reflector partially surrounding the elongated source of UV radiation, wherein the plurality of UV radiation lamps combine to generate a substantially rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation that is reshaped into the substantially circular flood pattern of UV radiation by the secondary reflector.

32. A substrate processing tool comprising:

a body defining a substrate processing region;

a substrate support adapted to support a substrate within the substrate processing region;

an ultraviolet (UV) radiation lamp spaced apart from the substrate support and configured to generate a substantially rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation and transmit ultraviolet radiation to a substrate positioned on the substrate support, the UV radiation lamp comprising a source of UV radiation and a primary reflector partially surrounding the source of UV radiation, and

a secondary reflector positioned between the primary reflector and the substrate support, the secondary reflector configured to reduce light loss outside the substrate and improve uniformity of irradiance across the surface of the substrate by reshaping a substantially rectangular flood pattern of light generated by the UV radiation lamp into a substantially circular flood pattern.

33. A method of curing a layer of dielectric material formed over a substrate, the method comprising:

placing the substrate having the dielectric material formed thereon on a substrate support in a substrate processing chamber;

exposing the substrate to ultraviolet radiation by generating a substantially rectangular flood pattern of UV radiation with a UV source and primary reflector and reshaping the substantially rectangular flood pattern into a substantially circular flood pattern of UV radiation with a secondary reflector positioned between the primary reflector and the substrate support.