Anti-transient showerhead

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10494717-B2
Application number	US-201816035491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2018
Priority date	May 26, 2015
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

Showerheads for semiconductor processing equipment are disclosed that include various features designed to minimize or eliminate non-uniform gas delivery across the surface of a wafer due to gas flow transients within the showerhead.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first gas inlet;
a first surface, wherein the first gas inlet is configured to deliver a first process gas through the first surface;
a plurality of first gas distribution ports;
a second surface, wherein the plurality of first gas distribution ports are configured to deliver the first process gas through the second surface;
a third surface interposed between the first surface and the second surface;
a fourth surface interposed between the third surface and the second surface;
a plurality of first raised bosses that extend up from the second surface towards the fourth surface;
a plurality of first gas flow passages interposed between the first surface and the third surface; and
a plurality of first holes passing through the fourth surface, wherein:
the first surface and the third surface at least partially define a first inlet plenum volume that is fluidically connected with the first gas inlet,
the second surface and the fourth surface at least partially define a first gas distribution plenum volume that is fluidically connected with each first gas distribution port of the plurality of first gas distribution ports,
each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages has a corresponding first end that fluidically connects with the first inlet plenum volume and a corresponding second end that fluidically connects with the first gas distribution plenum volume via a corresponding first hole of the plurality of first holes,
each first raised boss of the plurality of first raised bosses is centered on a corresponding first hole of the plurality of first holes and has a corresponding top surface facing the fourth surface that is offset from the fourth surface by a corresponding first distance, and
each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages has a flow resistance that is substantially similar to the flow resistance of each other first gas flow passage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the corresponding first distances is between 0.025 mm and 1.2 mm for the corresponding first raised boss of the plurality of first raised bosses.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
each first hole has a hole diameter, and
each of the corresponding first distances is less than twice a difference between a nominal boss diameter for the corresponding first raised boss of the plurality of first raised bosses and the corresponding hole diameter and is greater than 0.2 times the difference between the nominal boss diameter for the corresponding first raised boss of the plurality of first raised bosses and the corresponding hole diameter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first raised bosses of the plurality of first raised bosses each have a nominal diameter of between 5 mm and 8 mm.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each first raised boss of the plurality of first raised bosses has a nominal diameter and a corresponding first distance of between 1/11 th and 1/13 th of the corresponding nominal diameter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein different subsets of the first gas distribution ports of the plurality of first gas distribution ports are adjacent to each of the first raised bosses of the plurality of first raised bosses and each first raised boss of the plurality of first raised bosses is centered between the first gas distribution ports of a corresponding subset of the different subsets of the first gas distribution ports of the plurality of first gas distribution ports.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of first support columns, wherein each first support column of the plurality of first support columns spans between the second surface and the fourth surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each first hole of the plurality of first holes has a diameter of between 1.5 mm and 3 mm and wherein each first raised boss of the plurality of first raised bosses has a diameter of between 5 mm and 8 mm.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of first peninsulas, wherein:
the first inlet plenum volume has a first center point,
each first peninsula of the plurality of first peninsulas protrudes into the first inlet plenum volume, and
the second end of one or more of the first gas flow passages of the plurality of first gas flow passages extends into a corresponding first peninsula of the plurality of first peninsulas and
is closer to the first center point than the corresponding first end of the corresponding first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each first gas flow passage is substantially the same overall length, extends away from the first inlet plenum volume at the first end, and includes between 140° and 200° of bends between the first end and the second end such that the second end of that first gas flow passage is oriented towards the first inlet plenum volume.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages includes between 150° and 190° of bends between the corresponding first end and the corresponding second end.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the length of each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages is within ±5% of the lengths of the other first gas flow passages in the plurality of first gas flow passages.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the length of each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages is within ±10% of the lengths of the other first gas flow passages in the plurality of first gas flow passages.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the length of each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages is within ±20% of the lengths of the other first gas flow passages in the plurality of first gas flow passages.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages has a length within ±30% of the other first gas flow passages.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional area of each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages along the length of the corresponding first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages is constant.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the corresponding first end of each first gas flow passage of the plurality of first gas flow passages is equidistant from a first axis of the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein there are between 20 and 100 first gas flow passages in the plurality of first gas flow passages.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second gas inlet;
a fifth surface, wherein the second gas inlet is configured to deliver a second process gas through the fifth surface;
a plurality of second gas distribution ports;
a sixth surface, wherein the plurality of second gas distribution ports are configured to deliver the second process gas through the sixth surface;
a seventh surface interposed between the fifth surface and the sixth surface;
an eighth surface interposed between the sixth surface and the seventh surface;
a plurality of second gas flow passages interposed between the fifth surface and the seventh surface; and
a plurality of second holes passing through the eighth surface, wherein:
the fifth surface and the seventh surface at least partially define a second inlet plenum volume that is fluidically connected with the second gas inlet,
the

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Sung Edward
• Smith Colin F
• Hamilton Shawn M

Classifications

• C23C16/45544 Primary

  characterized by the apparatus · CPC title

• C30B25/14

  Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the reactive gases · CPC title

• C23C16/45565

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• C23C16/45574 Primary

  Nozzles for more than one gas · CPC title

• C23C16/45548

  having arrangements for gas injection at different locations of the reactor for each ALD half-reaction · CPC title