Shower head apparatus and method for controlling plasma or gas distribution

• US 9,982,340 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Chih-Tsung, Chang, Hung Jui, Chou, You-Hua, Jangjian, Shiu-Ko, Kao, Chung-En, Tsai, Ming-Chin, Lai, Huan-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Dhingra, Rakesh
• Application Number:
  US13/439,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20130267045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,246 Days
• Field of Search: 118715-733, 15634533, 15634534
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/308 Oxynitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means

Abstract

An apparatus comprises: a shower head having a supply plenum for supplying the gas to the chamber and a vacuum manifold fluidly coupled to the supply plenum; and at least one vacuum system fluidly coupled to the vacuum manifold of the shower head.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a stage configured to support a semiconductor wafer;

a shower head configured to be mounted inside a chamber and provide a processing gas onto the semiconductor wafer inside the chamber, the shower head having a supply plenum for supplying the gas to the chamber and a vacuum manifold fluidly coupled to the supply plenum, wherein the vacuum manifold comprises a plurality of vacuum zones, wherein each of the plurality of vacuum zones has a respective plurality of openings;

a first vacuum system fluidly coupled to the respective plurality of openings of a first subset of the plurality of vacuum zones of the vacuum manifold of the shower head, wherein the first vacuum system is configured to selectively apply a first vacuum level to the first subset of the plurality of vacuum zones; and

a second vacuum system fluidly coupled to the respective plurality of openings of a second subset of the plurality of vacuum zones of the vacuum manifold of the shower head, wherein the second vacuum system configured to selectively apply a second vacuum level to the second subset of the plurality of vacuum zones; and

a controller connected to the first and the second vacuum systems and configured to receive a thickness measurement of a film deposited on the semiconductor wafer for at least a first area of the semiconductor wafer and a second area of the semiconductor wafer after supplying the processing gas, with the first vacuum system at the first vacuum level and the second vacuum system at the second vacuum level, wherein the controller is configured to adjust at least one of the first vacuum level of the first vacuum system and the second vacuum level of the second vacuum system in response to the film thickness measurement, to increase uniformity of the deposited film.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shower head comprises:

a first plate defining a first side of the supply plenum, the first plate having a plurality of openings adapted for providing the processing gas flowing from the shower head to the semiconductor wafer inside the chamber;

an inlet connected with the supply plenum and adapted to supply at least one chemical in a gas state from outside the chamber; and

a second plate defining a second side of the supply plenum.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first plate and the second plate are configured so that a space exists between the first and the second plates for the at least one chemical in the gas state to flow from the inlet to the plurality of openings on the first plate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the first and second vacuum systems comprises a conduit for vacuum, and the conduit for vacuum is connected to at least one of the respective plurality of openings associated with each of the plurality of vacuum zones, wherein the respective plurality of openings are formed in the second plate, and wherein the plurality of vacuum zones are located in the space between the first and second plates.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the conduit for vacuum is a vacuum line or a tunnel inside the second plate and is connected to the space between the first and second plate through the respective plurality of openings on the second plate.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, comprising four vacuum systems.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the each respective plurality of openings is arranged in a respective circular pattern.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the respective plurality of openings in the second plate for the conduit for vacuum and the plurality of openings on the first plate for providing the processing gas are on opposite sides of the supply plenum.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the first and second vacuum systems further comprises a respective vacuum pump.

10. A semiconductor equipment system, comprising:

a processing chamber including a stage configured to support a semiconductor wafer; and

an apparatus configured to provide a processing gas onto a semiconductor wafer inside the processing chamber, the apparatus comprising;

a shower head configured to be mounted inside the processing chamber, the shower head having a supply plenum for supplying the gas to the chamber and a vacuum manifold fluidly coupled to the supply plenum, wherein the vacuum manifold comprises a plurality of vacuum zones, wherein each of the plurality of vacuum zones has a respective plurality of openings; and

a first vacuum system fluidly coupled to the respective plurality of openings of a first subset of the plurality of vacuum zones of the vacuum manifold of the shower head, and; and

a second vacuum system fluidly coupled to the respective plurality of openings of a second subset of the plurality of vacuum zones of the vacuum manifold of the shower head; and

a controller connected to the first and the second vacuum systems and configured to receive a thickness measurement of a film deposited for at least a first area of the semiconductor wafer and a second area of the semiconductor wafer after supplying the processing gas, wherein the controller is configured to adjust at least one of the first vacuum system and the second vacuum system in response to the film thickness measurement, to increase uniformity of the deposited film.

11. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 10, wherein the shower head comprises:

a first plate defining a first side of the supply plenum, the first plate having a plurality of first openings adapted for providing the processing gas flowing from the shower head to the semiconductor wafer inside the chamber;

an inlet connected with the supply plenum and adapted to supply at least one chemical in a gas state from outside the chamber; and

a second plate defining a second side of the supply plenum, the supply plenum configured so that a space exists between the first and the second plates for the at least one chemical in the gas state to flow from the inlet to the plurality of openings on the first plate.

12. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 11, wherein each of the first and second vacuum systems comprises a conduit for vacuum inside the second plate, wherein a plurality of second openings are formed in the second plate and the conduit for vacuum is connected to at least one of the plurality of second openings and wherein the plurality of vacuum zones are located in the space between the first and second plates.

13. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 12, wherein each plurality of second openings is arranged in a respective circular pattern.

14. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 11, comprising a third vacuum system and a fourth vacuum system fluidly coupled to the shower head.

15. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 10, further comprising at least one exhaust port on a wall of the processing chamber, wherein the exhaust port fluidly couples the processing chamber to vacuum.

16. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 10, further comprising a power source which is configured to ionize the at least one chemical in the gas state to form a processing gas comprising plasma.

17. A semiconductor equipment system, comprising:

a processing chamber including a stage configured to support a semiconductor wafer; and

an apparatus configured to provide a processing gas onto a semiconductor wafer inside the processing chamber, the apparatus comprising;

a shower head configured to be mounted inside the processing chamber, the shower head having a supply plenum for supplying the gas to the chamber and a vacuum manifold fluidly coupled to the supply plenum, wherein the supply plenum comprises a first plate and a second plate in an opposed relationship, wherein the vacuum manifold comprises a plurality of vacuum zones, and wherein each of the plurality of vacuum zones has a respective plurality of openings formed in the second plate; and

a first vacuum system fluidly coupled to the respective plurality of openings of a first subset of the plurality of vacuum zones of the vacuum manifold of the shower head, and wherein the respective plurality of openings of the first subset of the plurality of vacuum zones are arranged in a circular shape oriented concentrically with the stage inside the chamber; and

a second vacuum system fluidly coupled to the respective plurality of openings of a second subset of the plurality of vacuum zones of the vacuum manifold of the shower head, and wherein the respective plurality of openings of the second subset of the plurality of vacuum zones are arranged in a circular shape oriented concentrically with the stage inside the chamber and concentrically with the respective plurality of openings of the first subset of the plurality of vacuum zones; and

a controller connected to the first and the second vacuum systems and configured to receive a thickness measurement of a film deposited for at least a first area of the semiconductor wafer and a second area of the semiconductor wafer after supplying the processing gas, with the first vacuum system at a first vacuum level and the second vacuum system at a second vacuum level, wherein the controller is configured to adjust at least one of the first vacuum level of the first vacuum system and the second vacuum level of the second vacuum system in response to the film thickness measurement.