Workpiece processing chamber having a rotary microwave plasma source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10039157-B2
Application number	US-201414293123-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2014
Priority date	Jun 2, 2014
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

In a processing reactor having a microwave plasma source, the microwave radiator is mounted on a rotary microwave waveguide coupling for continuous rotation, to form the reactor for processing a workpiece.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reactor for processing a workpiece, comprising:
a chamber and a workpiece support in said chamber, said chamber comprising a ceiling and a side wall, said ceiling comprising a microwave transmissive material forming a microwave transmissive window;
a first gas distribution plate underlying said microwave transmissive window and overlying said workpiece support and comprising plural gas injection orifices, a process gas plenum overlying said first gas distribution plate and a process gas supply conduit coupled to said process gas plenum;
a rotatable microwave radiator overlying said microwave transmissive window and fluidically separated from the chamber by the window, the rotatable microwave radiator comprising a rotatable cylindrical hollow conductive housing having a top, a side wall and a bottom floor positioned above the window, an array of openings in said bottom floor, and a microwave input port;
a rotary microwave waveguide coupling comprising:
(A) a stationary member fixed with respect to said chamber and comprising a microwave power receiving port, and a first hollow microwave waveguide coupled between said microwave power receiving port and a source of microwave power;
(B) a rotatable member, and a second hollow microwave waveguide having one end coupled to said microwave input port of said rotatable microwave radiator and an opposite end coupled to said rotatable member and having an axis of rotation coincident with an axis of symmetry of said rotatable cylindrical hollow conductive housing; and

a rotation actuator coupled to said rotatable member, whereby said rotatable microwave radiator including the conductive housing is continuously rotatable by said rotation actuator about said axis of symmetry to form the reactor for processing a substrate.

2. The reactor of claim 1 wherein:
said rotation actuator comprises a motor and a rotatable drive gear coupled to said motor;
said rotatable member comprises a driven gear fastened to said rotatable member and engaged with said rotatable drive gear.

3. The reactor of claim 2 wherein said rotatable drive gear is at a stationary location and is rotatable about a radial axis, and said driven gear is at a location fixed relative to said rotatable member.

4. The reactor of claim 1 wherein said second hollow microwave waveguide comprises an axial waveguide connected between said microwave input port of said rotatable microwave radiator and said rotatable member.

5. The reactor of claim 4 wherein said second hollow microwave waveguide is coaxial with said axis of symmetry.

6. The reactor of claim 1 further comprising a microwave generator and a flexible waveguide conduit connected between said microwave generator and said microwave power receiving port of said stationary member.

7. The reactor of claim 1 wherein said rotatable microwave radiator is capable of radiating at frequency not less than 2.45 GHz.

8. The reactor of claim 1 wherein said array of openings in said bottom floor of said rotatable microwave radiator has a periodic spacing corresponding to a function of a microwave wavelength.

9. The reactor of claim 8 wherein said rotatable microwave radiator has a radiation pattern with a periodic non-uniformity corresponding to said periodic spacing, which is averaged out by rotation of said rotatable microwave radiator.

10. The reactor of claim 1 further comprising:
a second gas distribution plate underlying said first gas distribution plate and comprising second plural gas injection orifices, an underlying process gas plenum between said first and second gas distribution plates, and a second process gas supply conduit coupled to said underlying process gas plenum.

11. The reactor of claim 10 wherein said first process gas supply conduit is coupled to receive a non-reactive process gas and said second process supply conduit is coupled to receive a reactive process gas.

12. The reactor of claim 1 further comprising an inductively coupled RF power applicator adjacent said microwave transmissive window and an RF power generator coupled to said inductively coupled RF power applicator.

13. The reactor of claim 12 wherein said inductively coupled RF power applicator couples RF power through said microwave transmissive window.

14. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein said microwave transmissive window comprises a pair of parallel dielectric windows forming a channel therebetween.

15. The reactor of claim 14 , comprising a coolant source configured to pump a heat exchange medium through the channel.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Stowell Michael W
• Liang Qiwei

Classifications

• H05H1/46

  using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy (H05H1/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05B6/6402 Primary

  Aspects relating to the microwave cavity · CPC title

• H05B6/725

  Rotatable antennas · CPC title

• H05B6/806

  for laboratory use · CPC title

• H05B6/80 Primary

  Apparatus for specific applications (stoves or ranges F24C7/02) · CPC title