Tiled showerhead for a semiconductor chemical vapor deposition reactor

• US 9,175,393 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alta Devices Incorporated (He Jun Li,)
• Original Assignee: Alta Devices Incorporated (He Jun Li,)
• Inventors: Higashi, Gregg, Sorabji, Khurshed, Washington, Lori D., Hegedus, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon, Rudy
• Application Number:
  US13/222,890
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 118/728, 156/345.33, 156/345.34, 156/345.51
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45519 Inert gas curtains
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45563 Gas nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45572 Cooled nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/458 characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4582 Rigid and flat substrates, e.g. plates or discs C23C16/4581 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4583 the substrate being supported substantially horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32834 Exhausting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6776 Continuous loading and unloading into and out of a processing chamber, e.g. transporting belts within processing chambers

Abstract

A showerhead for a semiconductor-processing reactor formed by an array of showerhead tiles. Each showerhead tile has a plurality of process gas apertures, which may be in a central area of the tile or may extend over the entire tile. Each showerhead tile can be dimensioned for processing a respective substrate or the array can be dimensioned for processing a substrate. An exhaust region surrounds the process gas apertures. The exhaust region has at least one exhaust aperture, and may include an exhaust slot, a plurality of connected exhaust slots or a plurality of exhaust apertures. The exhaust region surrounds the array of showerhead tiles, or a respective portion of the exhaust region surrounds the plurality of process gas apertures in each showerhead tile or group of showerhead tiles. A gas curtain aperture may be between the exhaust region and the process gas apertures of one of the showerhead tiles or adjacent to the central area of the tile.

Claims

1. A showerhead for a semiconductor-processing reactor, comprising:

an array of showerhead tiles, with each showerhead tile having a plurality of process gas apertures in a central area of the showerhead tile and a border, the border of each tile in contact with and connected to a border of at least one other tile, each showerhead tile of the array being dimensioned for processing a substrate; and

an exhaust region surrounding the process gas apertures and including a surface extending from one or more central areas of one or more of the showerhead tiles, the exhaust region having at least one exhaust aperture in the surface.

2. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the exhaust region surrounds the array of showerhead tiles.

3. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the exhaust region is a part of each showerhead tile and surrounds the process gas apertures of each showerhead tile.

4. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the showerhead tiles are grouped in a plurality of arrays with each array having an exhaust region.

5. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the at least one exhaust aperture includes a plurality of exhaust apertures.

6. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein each showerhead tile is square.

7. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein each showerhead tile is circular, rectangular or polygonal.

8. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein each showerhead tile has at least one gas curtain aperture between the exhaust region and the plurality of process gas apertures.

9. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein each showerhead tile includes at least one gas curtain aperture.

10. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the array of showerhead tiles is a square array.

11. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the array of showerhead tiles is a rectangular array.

12. The showerhead of claim 1 wherein the array of showerhead tiles has a rotational symmetry.

21. The showerhead of claim 1 further comprising a flange surrounding the exhaust region and having a surface extending from the exhaust region surface.

13. A showerhead for a semiconductor-processing reactor, comprising:

an array of showerhead tiles, each showerhead tile having a border and a plurality of process gas apertures in a central area of the showerhead tile with at least one fluid passageway adjacent to the central area of the showerhead tile, the border of each tile in contact with and connected to a border of at least one other tile, each showerhead tile of the array being dimensioned for processing a substrate; and

a plurality of exhaust regions, each exhaust region surrounding the central area of each showerhead tile, each exhaust region including a surface extending from the central area of each showerhead tile, and each exhaust region having at least one exhaust aperture in the surface.

14. The showerhead of claim 13 wherein, on each showerhead tile, the at least one fluid passageway includes two cooling passageways.

15. The showerhead of claim 13 wherein, on each showerhead tile, the at least one fluid passageway includes two gas passageways fluidly connected to gas curtain apertures.

16. The showerhead of claim 13 wherein, on each showerhead tile, the at least one fluid passageway is between a portion of the central area and a portion of the exhaust region.

17. A showerhead for a semiconductor-processing reactor, comprising:

an array of showerhead tiles, each showerhead tile having a border, a plurality of process gas apertures in a central area of the showerhead tile and at least one fluid passageway adjacent to the central area of the showerhead tile, the border of each showerhead tile in contact with and connected to a border of at least one other showerhead tile, each showerhead tile of the array being dimensioned for processing a substrate; and

an exhaust region surrounding the array of showerhead tiles and including a surface extending from the central areas of the showerhead tiles, the exhaust region having at least one exhaust aperture in the surface.

18. The showerhead of claim 17 wherein, on each showerhead tile, the at least one fluid passageway includes two cooling plenums.

19. The showerhead of claim 17 wherein, on each showerhead tile, the at least one fluid passageway includes two gas passageways fluidly connected to gas curtain apertures.

20. The showerhead of claim 17 further including a gas curtain region surrounding the array of showerhead tiles and having a plurality of gas curtain apertures, wherein the exhaust region surrounds the gas curtain region.