Apparatus and methods for backside passivation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10020187-B2
Application number	US-201314087815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2013
Priority date	Nov 26, 2012
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

Provided apparatus and methods for back side passivation of a substrate. The systems comprise an elongate support with an open top surface forming a support ring so that when a substrate is on the support ring, a cavity is formed within the elongate support. A plasma generator is coupled to the cavity to generate a plasma within the cavity to deposit a passivation film on the back side of the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A back-side passivation system comprising:
an elongate substrate support to hold a substrate, the elongate substrate support having a cylindrical body, the elongate support including an open top surface with a support ring to hold a substrate by an edge region of the substrate so that when a substrate is on the support ring, the cylindrical body and the substrate define a cavity within the elongate substrate support;
lift pins to move a substrate closer to and further from the support ring, the lift pins passing downward through openings in the top surface of the substrate support, the lift pins curving in toward a center of the cavity to form support ends inside the cavity below the top surface of the substrate support, the support ends of the lift pins to contact the substrate from inside the cavity; and
a plasma source to form a passivation film on the back side of the substrate, the plasma source positioned so that when a substrate is on the support ring, the plasma source is spaced a distance in the range of about 0.25 inches to about 2.5 inches from the substrate, the distance being large enough to prevent direct coupling between the substrate and the plasma source,
wherein a substrate is held on the support ring substantially only by gravity.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is positioned within a load-lock chamber so that a substrate passing through the load lock chamber can be positioned on the elongate substrate support and a back side of the substrate can be exposed to a plasma to form the passivation film.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is positioned within a semiconductor processing chamber so that a substrate can be positioned on the elongate substrate support and a back side of the substrate can be exposed to the plasma to form the passivation film and a front side of the substrate can be processed without moving the substrate.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is positioned within a tunnel connecting a transfer station to a processing chamber so that a substrate being moved from the transfer station to the processing chamber can be positioned on the elongate substrate support and a back side of the substrate can be exposed to the plasma to form the passivation film and then the substrate can be moved further along the tunnel to the processing chamber for further processing.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein when a substrate is on the elongate support, there is a space of at least about 1 inch between the back side of the substrate and a plasma generator.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the plasma generator creates an inductively coupled RF plasma in cavity.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the plasma generator is located remotely from the cavity and the plasma is flowed into the cavity.

8. A load lock chamber comprising:
a main load lock chamber;
a first antechamber to receive at least one substrate in a holding position, the first antechamber connected to a first side of the main load lock chamber through a first slit valve, the first antechamber having an access port to allow transfer of a substrate to or from the first antechamber;
a second antechamber to receive at least one substrate in a holding position, the second antechamber connected to a second side opposite the first side of the main load lock chamber through a second slit valve, the second antechamber having an access port to allow transfer of a substrate to or from the second antechamber; and
a robot in the main load lock chamber to move a substrate from the first antechamber through the first slit valve into the main load lock chamber and to move a substrate from the second antechamber through the second slit valve into the main load lock chamber,
wherein one or more of the first antechamber and the second antechamber comprises the back-side passivation system of claim 1 .

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the plasma source is positioned at least about 1 inch to about 2.5 inches from a back side of the substrate.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the plasma source creates an inductively coupled RF plasma in the cavity.

Assignees

• Hawrylchak Lara
• Tobin Jeff
• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Hawrylchak Lara
• Tobin Jeff

Classifications

• H10P72/0462

  characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P14/6316

  Formation by nitridation, e.g. nitridation of the substrate · CPC title

• H10P14/6309 Primary

  of silicon in uncombined form, i.e. pure silicon · CPC title

• H10P14/6319 Primary

  Formation by plasma treatments, e.g. plasma oxidation of the substrate · CPC title

• H01L21/02247

  Electricity · mapped topic