Heating modulators to improve epi uniformity tuning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10132003-B2
Application number	US-201715656457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2017
Priority date	Jul 22, 2016
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein generally related to a processing chamber, and more specifically a heat modulator assembly for use in a processing chamber. The heat modulator assembly includes a heat modulator housing and a plurality of heat modulators. The heat modulator housing includes a housing member defining a housing plane, a sidewall, and an annular extension. The sidewall extends perpendicular to the housing plane. The annular extension extends outward from the sidewall. The plurality of heat modulators is positioned in the housing member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly, comprising:
an upper outer reflector comprising a plurality of lamps positioned therein, the plurality of lamps surrounding an upper inner reflector, each lamp of the plurality of lamps having a first major axis, the upper inner reflector and the upper outer reflector forming an enclosure around the plurality of lamps, the upper inner reflector comprising a heat modulator assembly positioned therein, the heat modulator assembly comprising:
a heat modulator housing configured to be retrofitted in the upper inner reflector, the heat modulator housing comprising a housing member defining a housing plane, a sidewall extending perpendicular to the housing plane, and an annular extension extending outward from the sidewall, wherein the heat modulator housing is in a multi-axis arrangement; and
a plurality of heat modulators positioned in the housing member on a same horizontal level as the plurality of lamps, each heat modulator having a second major axis substantially perpendicular to each first major axis.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multi-axis arrangement is a two-axis formation with the heat modulators positioned along a first axis and a second axis.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multi-axis arrangement is a multi-axis formation with the heat modulators positioned along two or more axes.

4. The assembly of claim 3 , wherein the two or more axes do not align.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the heat modulators comprises:
a body;
a filament disposed in the body;
a first convex lens disposed in the body to collect and collimate rays from the filament; and
a second convex lens disposed in the body to converge the collimated rays.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the heat modulators comprises:
a lamp; and
an ellipsoid reflector positioned about the lamp such that the lamp is positioned at a focus of the ellipsoid reflector.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the heat modulators comprises:
a diode laser;
an optical fiber positioned adjacent the diode laser; and
a convex lens mounted between the fiber to control a laser spot size.

8. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the two-axis formation comprises a plurality of arm structures with each arm structure having the same number of heat modulators.

9. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the multi-axis formation comprises a plurality of groups having the same number of heat modulators.

10. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of groups is aligned along a spiral curve from a location near a center of the multi-axis formation to a periphery of the multi-axis formation.

11. A process chamber, comprising:
a chamber body defining an interior volume;
a substrate support disposed in the chamber body, the substrate support configured to support a substrate for processing;
an upper inner reflector disposed in the chamber body, above the substrate support; and
a heat modulator assembly disposed in the upper inner reflector, the heat modulator assembly comprising:
a heat modulator housing comprising a housing member defining a housing plane, a sidewall extending perpendicular to the housing plane, and an annular extension extending outward from the sidewall, wherein the heat modulator housing is in a multi-axis arrangement; and
a plurality of heat modulators positioned in the housing member.

12. The process chamber of claim 11 , wherein the multi-axis arrangement is a two-axis formation with the heat modulators positioned along a first axis and a second axis.

13. The process chamber of claim 11 , wherein the multi-axis arrangement is a multi-axis formation with the heat modulators positioned along two or more axes that do not align.

14. The process chamber of claim 13 , wherein the multi-axis formation comprises a plurality of groups, each group of the plurality of groups aligned along a spiral curve from a location near a center of the multi-axis formation to a periphery of the multi-axis formation.

15. The process chamber of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the heat modulators comprises:
a body;
a filament disposed in the body;
a first convex lens disposed in the body to collect and collimate rays from the filament; and
a second convex lens disposed in the body to converge the collimated rays.

16. The process chamber of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the heat modulators comprises:
a lamp; and
an ellipsoid reflector positioned about the lamp such that the lamp is positioned at a focus of the ellipsoid reflector.

17. The process chamber of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the heat modulators comprises:
a diode laser;
an optical fiber positioned adjacent the diode laser; and
a convex lens mounted between the fiber to control a laser spot size.

18. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
forming an epitaxial layer on a surface of the substrate;
heating the substrate with a plurality of heating lamps surrounding a heat modulator housing, each lamp of the plurality of heating lamps having a first major axis; and
tuning a temperature of the substrate in a target area by heating the target area with a plurality of heat modulators, each heat modulator having a second major axis substantially perpendicular to each first major axis and each heat modulator is positioned in an interior volume of an upper inner reflector on a same horizontal level as the plurality of heating lamps.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein heating the target area of the substrate comprises:
supplying heat to the surface of the substrate with the heat modulators, wherein each heat modulator comprises:
a body;
a filament disposed in the body;
a first convex lens disposed in the body to collect and collimate rays from the filament; and
a second convex lens disposed in the body to converge the collimated rays onto the substrate.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein heating the target area of the substrate comprises:
supplying heat to the surface of the substrate with the plurality of heat modulators, wherein each heat modulator comprises:
a lamp; and
an ellipsoid reflector positioned about the lamp such that the lamp is positioned at a focus of the ellipsoid reflector.

21. The heat modulator assembly of claim 11 , wherein the upper inner reflector is partially surrounded by an upper outer reflector, the upper outer reflector having a plurality of lamps positioned therein, the plurality of lamps surrounding the upper inner reflector, each lamp of the plurality of lamps having a first major axis, the upper inner reflector and the upper outer reflector forming an enclosure around the plurality of lamps.

22. The heat modulator assembly of claim 21 , wherein the plurality of heat modulators is positioned on a same horizontal level as the plurality of lamps, each heat modulator having a second major axis substantially perpendicular to each first major axis.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Lau Shu-Kwan
• Kumar Surajit
• Ranish Joseph M
• Ye Zhiyuan
• Shah Kartik
• Samir Mehmet Tugrul
• Sanchez Errol Antonio C

Classifications

• H10P72/0466

  characterised by the construction of the load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0436

  mainly by radiation · CPC title

• C23C16/44

  characterised by the method of coating (C23C16/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C16/46

  characterised by the method used for heating the substrate (C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence) · CPC title

• C30B25/10 Primary

  Heating of the reaction chamber or the substrate · CPC title