Reactor with remote plasma system and method of processing a semiconductor substrate
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate, said reactor comprising:
- a reactor housing defining a processing chamber and being adapted to support the substrate in said processing chamber;
a plasma generator for ionizing at least one gas into a gas plasma;
at least one gas injector, said gas injector being adapted to inject the ionized gas into said processing chamber and onto the substrate supported therein for processing the substrate, wherein said housing includes a cover, said gas injector being supported in said cover;
a heater for selectively heating the substrate in said processing chamber; and
a heater housing supported in said reactor housing and enclosing said heater therein.
2 Assignments
Litigations
2 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate includes a reactor housing which defines a processing chamber, and at least one gas injecting assembly. The processing chamber is adapted to support a semiconductor substrate therein. The gas injection assembly injects at least one gas into the processing chamber and onto the substrate and is adapted to ionize the gas injection into the processing chamber to increase the reactivity of the gas with the substrate to thereby enhance the processing of the semiconductor substrate. In preferred form, the gas is ionized into a gas plasma. For example, the gas injection assembly may include a gas plasma generator which ionizes the gas with an electromagnetic field. Preferably, the gas plasma generator ionizes the gas exteriorly of the processing chamber to isolate the substrate from the plasma generator. The gas injection assembly further includes one or more injection tubes, preferably quartz tubes, with each tube including a plurality of orifices through which the ionized gas is delivered into the processing chamber.
51 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate, said reactor comprising:
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a reactor housing defining a processing chamber and being adapted to support the substrate in said processing chamber;
a plasma generator for ionizing at least one gas into a gas plasma;
at least one gas injector, said gas injector being adapted to inject the ionized gas into said processing chamber and onto the substrate supported therein for processing the substrate, wherein said housing includes a cover, said gas injector being supported in said cover;
a heater for selectively heating the substrate in said processing chamber; and
a heater housing supported in said reactor housing and enclosing said heater therein. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate, said reacter comprising:
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a reactor housing defining a processing chamber and being adapted to support the substrate in said processing chamber;
a plasma generator for ionizing at least one gas into a gas plasma; and
at least one gas injector, said gas injector being adapted to inject the ionized gas into said processing chamber and onto the substrate supported therein for processing the substrate, wherein said housing includes a cover, said gas injector being supported in said cover, said gas injector including a plurality of orifices through which the ionized gas is delivered into said processing chamber. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate, said reactor comprising:
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a reactor housing defining a processing chamber and being adapted to support the substrate in said processing chamber;
a plasma generator for ionizing at least one gas into a gas plasma; and
at least one gas injector, said was injector being adapted to inject the ionized gas into said processing chamber and onto the substrate supported therein for processing the substrate, wherein said gas injector comprises an clongate tube with a plurality of orifices through which the gas is injected into said processing chamber. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate, said reactor comprising:
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a reactor housing defining a processing chamber and being adapted to support the substrate in said processing chamber;
a plasma generator for ionizing at least one gas into a gas plasma;
at least one gas injector, said gas injector being adapted to inject the ionized gas into said processing chamber and onto the substrate supported therein for processing the substrate, wherein said housing includes a cover, said gas injector being supported in said cover, said at least one gas injector comprising at least two gas injectors for injecting at least one gas into said processing chamber, said gas injectors being isolated from each other to avoid contamination, wherein one of said gas injectors is adapted to inject a first gas into said processing chamber, and another of said gas injectors being adapted to inject a second gas into said processing chamber; and
a heater for heating the substrate in said processing chamber, wherein said heater is enclosed in a heater housing, said heater housing being supported in said reactor housing. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A reactor for processing a semiconductor substrate, said reactor comprising:
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a reactor housing defining a processing chamber and having a substrate support for supporting a substrate in said processing chamber; and
a gas injection system including an electromagnetic field generator generating an electromagnetic field exteriorly of said processing chamber and for injecting at least one gas into said processing chamber, said gas injection system passing said at least one gas through said electromagnetic field generated by said electromagnetic field generator wherein said gas is ionized exteriorly of said processing chamber, said gas injection system injecting said ionized gas into said processing chamber and onto the substrate supported therein for processing the substrate, said gas injection system including a gas manifold, said substrate support being adapted to rotate said substrate in said processing chamber whereby said gas manifold distributes the ionized gas uniformly over the substrate, said gas injection system further including an injection tube and a supply tube in communication with said injection tube, said injection tube having a plurality of orifices through which the ionized gas is delivered in said processing chamber, said supply tube for delivering the ionized gas to said injection tube, wherein said supply tube has a larger diameter than said generator tube such that the gas undergoes dissociation within said supply tube. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification