Pulsed remote plasma method and system

• US 9,484,191 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Winkler, Jereld Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Dhingra, Rakesh
• Application Number:
  US13/791,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20140251954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 118/715, 118/723.ME, 118/723.IR, 118/723.ER, 156/345.33, 156/345.34, 156/345.35
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 7/0035 by radiant energy, e.g. UV, laser, light beam or the like
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/452 by activating reactive gas streams before their introduction into the reaction chamber, e.g. by ionisation or addition of reactive species
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45538 Plasma being used continuously during the ALD cycle
• 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 16/507 using external electrodes, e.g. in tunnel type reactors
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/332 Coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/334 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/335 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32422 Arrangement for selecting ions or species in the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32816 Pressure

Abstract

A system and method for providing pulsed excited species from a remote plasma unit to a reaction chamber are disclosed. The system includes a pressure control device to control a pressure at the remote plasma unit as reactive species from the remote plasma unit are pulsed to the reaction chamber.

Claims

1. A remote plasma system comprising:

a reactor comprising a reaction chamber;

a remote plasma unit fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and to a vacuum source;

a pressure control device in fluid communication with and interposed between the remote plasma unit and the vacuum source, wherein the pressure control device controls an operating pressure of the remote plasma unit located upstream of the pressure control device;

a control valve between the remote plasma unit and the reaction chamber to pulse species from the remote plasma unit to the reaction chamber; and

a controller coupled to the pressure control device and to the control valve, the controller configured to simultaneously control the pressure control device and the control valve, so that the remote plasma unit operates under steady-state conditions as the species are pulsed to the reaction chamber.

2. The remote plasma system of claim 1, further comprising at least one flow control unit coupled to the remote plasma unit.

3. The remote plasma system of claim 1, wherein the reactor is selected from the group consisting of a plasma-enhance chemical vapor deposition reactor, a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition reactor, a plasma-enhanced etch reactor, a plasma-enhanced clean reactor, and a plasma-enhanced treatment reactor.

4. The remote plasma system of claim 1, wherein the pressure control device is a closed-loop pressure control device.

5. The remote plasma system of claim 1, wherein the control valve is a fast-response pneumatic valve.

6. The remote plasma system of claim 1, further comprising an integrated inlet manifold block to allow mixing of the species with another gas prior to the species and gas entering a gas distribution system.

7. A remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system comprising:

an atomic layer deposition reactor comprising a reaction chamber;

a remote plasma unit in fluid communication with the reaction chamber and a vacuum source;

a first reactant source in fluid communication with the remote plasma unit;

a pressure control device in fluid communication with and interposed between the remote plasma unit and the vacuum source, wherein the pressure control device controls an operating pressure of the remote plasma unit located upstream of the pressure control device;

a control valve between the remote plasma unit and the reaction chamber; and

a controller coupled to the pressure control device and to the control valve, the controller configured to simultaneously control the pressure control device and the control valve, so that the remote plasma unit operates under steady-state conditions as species from the remote plasma unit are pulsed to the reaction chamber.

8. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 7, wherein the pressure control device is a closed-loop pressure control device.

9. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 7, further comprising an integrated manifold block to allow mixing of species generated by the remote plasma unit and another gas prior to entering a gas distribution system.

10. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 9, wherein the gas distribution system comprises a showerhead.

11. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 9, further comprising one or more flow controllers coupled to the integrated manifold block.

12. The remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition system of claim 9, further comprising one or more flow controllers fluidly coupled to the remote plasma unit.