Multi-station sequential curing of dielectric films
First Claim
1. A chamber for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:
- a plurality of processing stations, each processing station having a wafer support, a radiation source, and a window disposed between the wafer support and the radiation source; and
a mechanism to transfer a wafer to each processing station, wherein the stations are configured to;
expose a wafer supported by the wafer support to radiation from the radiation source, andprovide wafer exposure characteristics that vary radiation wavelength for at least two of the plurality of stations.
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Abstract
The present invention addresses provides improved methods of preparing a low-k dielectric material on a substrate. The methods involve multiple operation ultraviolet curing processes in which UV intensity, wafer substrate temperature and other conditions may be independently modulated in each operation. In certain embodiments, a film containing a structure former and a porogen is exposed to UV radiation in a first operation to facilitate removal of the porogen and create a porous dielectric film. In a second operation, the film is exposed to UV radiation to increase cross-linking within the porous film. In certain embodiments, the curing takes place in a multi-station UV chamber wherein UV intensity and substrate temperature may be independently controlled at each station.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A chamber for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:
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a plurality of processing stations, each processing station having a wafer support, a radiation source, and a window disposed between the wafer support and the radiation source; and a mechanism to transfer a wafer to each processing station, wherein the stations are configured to; expose a wafer supported by the wafer support to radiation from the radiation source, and provide wafer exposure characteristics that vary radiation wavelength for at least two of the plurality of stations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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17. A chamber for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:
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a plurality of processing stations, each processing station having a wafer support, a radiation source, and a mechanism configured to transfer wafers to and from each station; wherein each processing stations is configured to expose a wafer supported by the wafer support of the processing station to radiation from the radiation source of the processing station and provide wafer exposure characteristics that vary in radiation wavelength between at least two of the processing stations; and wherein the radiation source is disposed within the processing station such that the wafer supported by the wafer support, when centered with respect to the perimeter of the wafer support, is exposed to substantially uniform radiation across a surface of the wafer.
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18. A chamber for processing semiconductor wafers, comprising:
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a first station comprising a first wafer support, a first radiation source, and a first window disposed between the first wafer support and the first radiation source;
wherein the first radiation source and the first window are configured to expose a wafer on the first wafer support to radiation at a first intensity;a second station comprising a second wafer support, a second radiation source, and a second window disposed between the second wafer support and the second radiation source;
wherein the second radiation source and the second window is operable to expose a wafer on the second wafer support to radiation at a second intensity;
wherein the second intensity is between about 50%-90% of the first intensity; anda mechanism to transfer a wafer to each station.
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Specification