Apparatus For Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition With Recirculation And Methods Of Use

• US 20140127404A1
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Yudovsky, Joseph, Mungekar, Hemant P., Cox, Michael S., Yuan, Zheng
• Application Number:
  US14/073,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20140127404A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/248.1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45593 Recirculation of reactive gases

Abstract

Provided are atomic layer deposition apparatus and methods including a plurality of elongate gas ports and pump ports in communication with multiple conduits to transport the gases from the processing chamber to be condensed, stored and/or recirculated.

Claims

1. A deposition system, comprising:

a processing chamber; and

a gas distribution apparatus in the processing chamber, the gas distribution apparatus comprising a plurality of elongate gas ports including at least one first reactive gas port in fluid communication with a first reactive gas, at least one second reactive gas port in fluid communication with a second reactive gas different from the first reactive gas, and pump ports surrounding each of the first reactive gas port and second reactive gas port, the pump ports including a first group of pump ports in fluid communication with a first conduit and a second group of pump ports in fluid communication with a second conduit that prevents mixing of the gases flowing through the first group of pump ports and second group of pump ports, wherein one or more of the first conduit and second conduit is in fluid communication with one or more of a condenser to condense the gas flowing through the conduit and a storage container to store the gas flowing through the conduit.

2. The deposition system of claim 1, further comprising at least one purge gas port in fluid communication with a purge gas, the purge gas port positioned so that each first reactive gas port and second reactive gas port are separated by a purge gas port, the purge gas port surrounded by pump ports.

3. The deposition system of claim 2, wherein each of the pump ports surrounding the at least one purge gas port is independently in fluid communication with one of the first conduit and the second conduit.

4. The deposition system of claim 3, wherein one of the pump ports surrounding the at least one purge gas port is in fluid communication with the first conduit and the other of the pump ports surrounding the at least one purge gas port is in fluid communication with the second conduit.

5. The deposition system of claim 3, wherein one of the pump ports surrounding the at least one purge gas port is the pump port adjacent the first reactive gas port and the other of the pump ports surrounding the at least one purge gas port is the pump port adjacent the second reactive gas port, so that one of the pump ports is in fluid communication with the first conduit and the other of the pump ports is in fluid communication with the second conduit.

6. The deposition system of claim 3, wherein one of the pump ports surrounding the at least one purge gas port is the pump port adjacent either the first reactive gas port or the second reactive gas port and is in fluid communication with one of the first conduit and second conduit and the other of the pump ports surrounding the at least one purge gas port is in fluid communication with the same conduit and is separated from the other of the first reactive gas port and the second reactive gas port by at least one additional pump port.

7. The deposition system of claim 6, wherein the at least one additional pump port is in fluid communication with the other of the first conduit and the second conduit from the adjacent pump port.

8. The deposition system of claim 2, wherein the gas distribution apparatus comprises at least one repeating unit of gas ports, the unit of gas port consisting essentially of, in order, a first reactive gas port, a purge gas port and a second reactive gas port wherein each of the first reactive gas port, purge gas port and second reactive gas port is separated by a pump port.

9. The deposition system of claim 2, further comprising a third reactive gas port in fluid communication with a third reactive gas different from the first reactive gas and the second reactive gas.

10. The deposition system of claim 9, wherein the third reactive gas port is surrounded by pump ports.

11. The deposition system of claim 1, further comprising a substrate carrier, wherein the substrate carrier and gas distribution apparatus move with respect to each other in a direction substantially perpendicular to an axis of the elongate gas ports.

12. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein one of the first reactive gas ports and the second reactive gas ports are surrounded by two pairs of pump ports, the two pairs of pump ports comprising an inner pair closer to the reactive gas port and an outer pair further from the reactive gas port than the inner pair.

13. The deposition system of claim 12, wherein the inner pair of pump ports is in fluid communication with one of the first conduit and second conduit and the outer pair of pump ports is in communication with the other of the first conduit and second conduit.

14. The deposition system of claim 1, wherein when a condenser is in fluid communication with one of the first conduit and second conduit, the condenser condenses the reactive gas and is in fluid communication with a reactive gas source which is in fluid communication with the reactive gas ports to recirculate the collected reactive gas.

15. A deposition system, comprising:

a processing chamber; and

a gas distribution apparatus in the processing chamber, the gas distribution apparatus comprising a plurality of elongate gas ports including, in order, a first reactive gas port in fluid communication with a first reactive gas, a purge gas port in fluid communication with a purge gas, a second reactive gas port in fluid communication with a second reactive gas different from the first reactive gas, and pump ports surrounding each of the first reactive gas port, the purge gas port and the second reactive gas port, the pump ports including a first group of pump ports in fluid communication with a first conduit and a second group of pump ports in fluid communication with a second conduit that prevents mixing of the gases flowing through the first group of pump ports and second group of pump ports, wherein the pump ports adjacent one of the first reactive gas port and the second reactive gas port are in fluid communication with the first conduit and the pump ports adjacent the other of the first reactive gas port and the second reactive gas port are in fluid communication with the second conduit, wherein one of the first conduit and second conduit is in fluid communication with one or more of a condenser to condense the gas flowing through the conduit and a storage container to store the gas flowing through the conduit.

16. The deposition system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the first reactive gas ports and the second reactive gas ports are surrounded two pairs of pump ports, the two pairs of pump ports comprising an inner pair closer to the reactive gas port and an outer pair further from the reactive gas port than the inner pair.

17. The deposition system of claim 16, wherein the inner pair of pump ports is in fluid communication with one of the first conduit and second conduit and the outer pair of pump ports is in communication with the other of the first conduit and second conduit.

18. A processing method comprising:

flowing simultaneous alternating streams of a first reactive gas from a first reactive gas port and a stream of a second reactive gas from a second reactive gas port over a surface; and

collecting first reactive gas from the surface in a first group of pump ports surrounding the first reactive gas port;

collecting second reactive gas from the surface in a second group of pump ports surrounding the second reactive gas port;

directing the gas in the first group of pump ports through a first conduit; and

directing the gas in the second group of pump ports through a second conduit separate from the first conduit, wherein at least one of the first conduit and the second conduit is in fluid communication with a condenser or a storage container.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the at least one of the first conduit and second conduit is in fluid communication with a condenser, the method further comprises condensing the reactive gas to collect a liquid or solid reactive species from the reactive gas.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising directing the collected liquid or solid reactive species into a reactive gas source for reuse in the processing method.