SHOWER HEAD APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLIGN PLASMA OR GAS DISTRIBUTION

• US 20130267045A1
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Published: 10/10/2013
• 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, CHOU, You-Hua, KAO, Chung-En, TSAI, Ming-Chin, CHANG, Hung Jui, JANGJIAN, Shiu-Ko, LAI, Huan-Wen
• Granted Patent: US 9,982,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/14
• 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 shower head configured to be mounted inside a chamber and provide a processing gas onto a 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; and

at least one vacuum system fluidly coupled to the vacuum manifold of the shower head.

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 at least one vacuum system comprises a conduit for vacuum, and the conduit for vacuum is connected to at least one opening in the second plate and is configured to provide vacuum in a respective area in the space between the first and second plates.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the at least one vacuum system further comprises a respective vacuum pump.

6. 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 least one openings on the second plate.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, comprising at least two vacuum systems.

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

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one opening on the second plate for the conduit for vacuum includes a plurality of openings arranged in a circular pattern.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one opening 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.

11. A semiconductor equipment system, comprising:

a processing chamber; and

an apparatus for providing 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; and

at least one vacuum system fluidly coupled to the vacuum manifold of the shower head.

12. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 11, 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, 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.

13. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 12, wherein each of the at least one vacuum system comprises a conduit for vacuum inside the second plate, and the conduit for vacuum is connected to at least one opening in the second plate and is configured to provide vacuum in a respective area in the space between the first and second plates.

14. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 12, wherein the at least one vacuum system comprises at least two vacuum systems fluidly coupled to the shower head.

15. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 12, wherein the at least one vacuum system comprises four vacuum systems fluidly coupled to the shower head.

16. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 13, wherein the at least one opening of the conduit for vacuum includes a plurality of openings arranged in a circular pattern.

17. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 11, further comprising a wafer holder inside the processing chamber, and at least one exhaust port on a wall of the processing chamber, wherein the exhaust port fluidly couples the processing chamber to vacuum.

18. The semiconductor equipment system of claim 11, 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.

19. A method of semiconductor processing, comprising:

feeding at least one chemical in a gas state into a processing chamber through a shower head, the shower head having a supply plenum for supplying the gas to the chamber; and

applying vacuum to a portion of the supply plenum of the shower head.

20. The method of semiconductor processing of claim 19, further comprising, before the feeding step:

forming a first film on a semiconductor wafer inside the processing chamber without applying any vacuum on the shower head;

measuring a thickness uniformity of the film; and

adjusting a vacuum pressure in each of at least one vacuum system in a respective portion of the supply plenum of the shower head, so as to increase the thickness uniformity of a second film formed on a wafer after the adjusting.