Corrosion-resistant aluminum component having multi-layer coating

• US 7,732,056 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Murugesh, Laxman, Bhatnagar, Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; John J
• Application Number:
  US11/037,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20060159940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,967 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 428/472.2
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/081 of aluminium, magnesium or beryllium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4404 Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof

Abstract

A method of providing a corrosion-resistant coating on a surface of an aluminum component comprises anodizing the surface of the aluminum component to form an anodized aluminum oxide layer and sputter coating a sputtered layer on the anodized aluminum oxide layer. A coated aluminum component can be used in a substrate processing chamber and comprises an aluminum body, an anodized aluminum oxide layer formed on the aluminum body, and a sputtered layer comprising aluminum oxide on the anodized aluminum oxide layer.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a corrosion-resistant aluminum chamber component having a surface, the method comprising:

(a) providing an aluminum chamber component comprising at least a portion of an enclosure wall, liner, substrate support, gas supply, gas energizer, gas exhaust, or substrate transport of a processing chamber;

(b) roughening a surface of the aluminum chamber component by bead blasting the surface to a roughness of about 100 to about 200 μ

m;

(c) anodizing the surface of the aluminum chamber component to form an anodized aluminum oxide layer; and

(d) sputter coating a sputtered aluminum oxide layer consisting of aluminum oxide in a thickness of from about 2 to about 5 μ

m, on the anodized aluminum oxide layer, whereby the anodized aluminum oxide layer and the sputtered aluminum oxide layer are capable of protecting the aluminum chamber component from corrosive gases.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein (d) comprises:

(i) placing the anodized surface of the aluminum chamber component in a process zone facing a target comprising aluminum;

(ii) introducing a sputtering gas comprising argon and an oxygen-containing gas to the process zone;

(iii) applying a voltage to an aluminum target; and

(iv) exhausting the sputtering gas from the process zone.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the anodized aluminum layer comprises a thickness of from about 15 to about 35 μ

m.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the aluminum chamber component comprises an aluminum-magnesium-silicon alloy.

5. A method according to claim 3 wherein the aluminum chamber component comprises an aluminum alloy having concentrations of mobile and non-mobile impurities controlled to be within specific ranges.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the aluminum alloy comprises a material having a magnesium concentration of from about 3.5% to about 4.0% by weight, a silicon concentration of less than 0.03% by weight, an iron concentration of less than 0.03% by weight, a copper concentration of from about 0.02% to about 0.07% by weight, a manganese concentration of from about 0.005% to about 0.015% by weight, a zinc concentration of from about 0.08% to about 0.16% by weight, a chromium concentration of from about 0.02% to about 0.07% by weight, and a titanium concentration of less than 0.01% by weight.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein other impurities in the aluminum alloy each do not exceed about 0.03% by weight, and total other impurities do not exceed about 0.1% by weight.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the aluminum alloy material comprises impurity particles, at least 95% of the impurity particles having a size of less than 5 μ

m, no more than 5% of the impurity particles having a size in the range of from 5 μ

m to 20 μ

m, no more than 0.1% of the particles having a size larger than 20 μ

m, and no impurity particles having a size larger than 40 μ

m.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises cleaning the surface of the aluminum chamber component by dipping the surface of the aluminum chamber component into an organic solvent, an alkaline solution, an acidic solution, water, de-ionized water, or mixtures thereof.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein roughening the surface of the aluminum chamber component is followed by a step of cleaning the surface.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein step (c) further comprises anodizing the surface of the aluminum chamber component by:

(i) dipping the surface of the aluminum chamber component in an anodizing acidic solution comprising one or more of sulfuric acid, chromic acid, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, water or mixtures thereof; and

(ii) applying a voltage to the aluminum chamber component.

12. A method of manufacturing a corrosion-resistant aluminum component having a surface, the method comprising:

(a) providing an aluminum chamber component comprising at least a portion of an enclosure wall, liner, substrate support, gas supply, gas energizer, gas exhaust, or substrate transport of a processing chamber;

(b) roughening a surface of the aluminum chamber component by bead blasting the surface to a roughness of about 100 to about 200 μ

m;

(c) anodizing the surface of the aluminum chamber component to form an anodized aluminum oxide layer comprising surface features, the anodized layer having a thickness of about 15 to about 35 μ

m; and

(d) filling up the surface features by sputter coating a sputtered aluminum oxide layer consisting of aluminum oxide in a thickness of from about 2 to about 5 μ

m, on the anodized aluminum oxide layer, by;

(i) placing the anodized surface of the aluminum chamber component in a process zone facing a target comprising aluminum;

(ii) introducing a sputtering gas comprising argon and an oxygen-containing gas to the process zone;

(iii) applying a voltage to an aluminum target; and

(iv) exhausting the sputtering gas from the process zone,

whereby the anodized aluminum oxide layer and the aluminum oxide sputtered layer are capable of protecting the aluminum chamber component from corrosive gas.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the aluminum chamber component comprises an aluminum-magnesium-silicon alloy.

14. A method according to claim 12 wherein the aluminum chamber component comprises an aluminum alloy having concentrations of mobile and non-mobile impurities controlled within specific ranges.

15. A method according to claim 12 wherein the surface features comprise one or more of imperfections, cracks, fissures and pores.

16. A corrosion-resistant aluminum chamber component for a substrate processing chamber, the component comprising:

(a) an aluminum chamber component body having a bead blasted roughened surface, the roughened surface having a surface roughness of about 100 to about 200 μ

m;

(b) an anodized aluminum oxide layer comprising a thickness of from about 15 to about 35 μ

m formed on the roughened surface of the aluminum chamber component body; and

(c) a sputtered aluminum oxide layer consisting of aluminum oxide and comprising a thickness of from about 2 to about 5 μ

m on the anodized aluminum oxide layer.

17. An aluminum chamber component according to claim 16 wherein the aluminum body comprises an aluminum-magnesium-silicon alloy.

18. An aluminum chamber component according to claim 16 wherein the aluminum chamber component body comprises an aluminum alloy having concentrations of mobile and non-mobile impurities controlled to be within specific ranges.

19. An aluminum component according to claim 16 wherein the aluminum chamber component body comprises at least a portion of an enclosure wall, liner, substrate support, gas supply, gas energizer, gas exhaust, or substrate transport of a processing chamber.

20. A method of providing a corrosion-resistant coating on a surface of a substrate processing chamber wall, the method comprising:

(a) providing a substrate processing chamber wall comprising aluminum and having inner and outer surfaces;

(b) roughening the inner surface of the chamber wall by bead blasting the surface to a roughness of about 100 to about 200 μ

m;

(c) anodizing the inner surface of the chamber wall to form an anodized aluminum oxide layer having surface features; and

(d) filling up the surface features by sputter coating a sputtered aluminum oxide layer, on the anodized aluminum oxide layer, the sputtered aluminum oxide layer consisting of aluminum oxide deposited to a thickness of from about 2 to about 5 μ

m, whereby the anodized aluminum oxide layer and the sputtered aluminum oxide layer are capable of protecting the chamber wall from corrosive gases.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the chamber wall is a liner or shield.

22. A corrosion-resistant substrate processing chamber component comprising:

(a) a substrate processing chamber wall comprising aluminum and having inner and outer surfaces, the inner surface comprising a bead blasted roughened surface the bead blasted surface roughened to a roughness of about 100 to about 200 μ

m;

(b) an anodized aluminum oxide layer formed on the roughened surface of the inner surface of the wall, the aluminum oxide layer having a thickness of from about 15 to about 35 μ

m; and

(c) a sputtered aluminum oxide layer consisting of aluminum oxide on the anodized aluminum oxide layer, the sputtered aluminum oxide layer having a thickness of from about 1 to about 5 μ

m.

23. An aluminum chamber according to claim 22 wherein the wall is a liner or shield.

24. A method of manufacturing a corrosion-resistant aluminum component having a surface, the method comprising:

(a) forming an aluminum chamber component comprising at least a portion of an enclosure wall, liner, substrate support, gas supply, gas energizer, gas exhaust, or substrate transport of a processing chamber;

(b) bead blasting a surface of the aluminum chamber component to a roughness average of from about 100 to about 200 microinches;

(c) cleaning the bead blasted surface of the aluminum chamber component;

(d) anodizing the bead blasted surface of the cleaned aluminum chamber component to form an anodized aluminum oxide layer having a thickness of from about 15 to about 35 μ

m, wherein anodizing the bead blasted surface comprises;

(i) exposing the bead blasted surface of the aluminum chamber component to an anodizing acidic solution comprising one or more of sulfuric acid, chromic acid, oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, water or mixtures thereof; and

(ii) applying a voltage to the aluminum chamber component while exposed to the anodizing acidic solution; and

(e) filling surface features of the anodized aluminum oxide layer by sputter coating a sputtered aluminum oxide layer consisting of aluminum oxide in a thickness of from about 2 to about 5 μ

m by;

(i) placing the anodized aluminum oxide layer deposited over the bead blasted surface in a process zone facing a target comprising aluminum;

(ii) introducing a sputtering gas comprising argon and an oxygen-containing gas to the process zone;

(iii) applying a voltage to an aluminum target; and

(iv) exhausting the sputtering gas from the process zone.