Symmetric plasma process chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10615006-B2
Application number	US-201715611756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2017
Priority date	Oct 5, 2011
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a lid assembly and a chamber body enclosing a processing region;
an exhaust assembly defining an evacuation region within the chamber body;
an annular shaped central support coupled to the chamber body below the lid assembly;
a substrate support assembly disposed between the processing region and the evacuation region and movably coupled to the central support, the substrate support assembly comprising a lower electrode and a support pedestal, the lower electrode seals to the central support to enclose and isolate a central region from the processing and evacuation regions;
a plurality of evacuation channels defining a portion of the evacuation region and being symmetrically disposed about the substrate support assembly;
a plurality of access tubes positioned symmetrically through the chamber body and below the central support to provide access to the central region, wherein each access tube is vertically spaced apart from the processing region, and
wherein each one of the plurality of evacuation channels extends below a corresponding one of a plurality of evacuation passages positioned in bottom wall of an upper liner that is symmetrically disposed about the substrate support assembly, wherein each one of the plurality of evacuation channels extends between two of the plurality of access tubes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the chamber body has an exhaust port formed there through that is symmetric about a central axis of the support pedestal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lid assembly comprises an upper electrode having a central manifold configured to distribute processing gas into the processing region and one or more outer manifolds configured to distribute processing gas into the processing region.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the lid assembly further comprises a ring manifold coupled to the one or more outer manifolds via a plurality of gas tubes arranged symmetrically about a central axis of the substrate support assembly.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lid assembly comprises:
a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet each having conductive fittings; and
a plurality of conductive plugs, wherein the conductive fittings and conductive plugs are arranged symmetrically about a central axis of the substrate support assembly.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a vacuum tube provided through one of the access tubes and fluidly coupled to one or more lift pin holes disposed within the lower electrode.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a first actuation device disposed within the central region, coupled to the central support and configured to vertically move the substrate support assembly a distance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the distance is substantially the same as a vertical length of an opening of each of the access tubes.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a second actuation device disposed within the central region and configured to vertically move a plurality of substrate support pins disposed within the substrate support assembly.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the upper liner circumscribes the processing region, wherein the upper liner has a cylindrical wall with a plurality of slots disposed therethrough and arranged symmetrically about the central axis of the substrate support assembly.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
a backing liner coupled to the cylindrical wall covering at least one of the plurality of slots.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:
a mesh liner annularly disposed about the substrate support assembly and electrically coupled to the upper liner.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mesh liner is coupled to the bottom wall of the upper liner and has a plurality of apertures disposed therethrough, the plurality of apertures arranged symmetrically about a central axis of the mesh liner.

14. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a lid assembly and a chamber body enclosing a processing region, wherein the lid assembly comprises:
an upper electrode having a central manifold configured to distribute processing gas into the processing region and one or more outer manifolds configured to distribute processing gas into the processing region; and
a ring manifold coupled to the one or more outer manifolds via a plurality of gas tubes arranged symmetrically about a vertical axis; and
a plurality of evacuation channels defining a portion of an evacuation region and being symmetrically disposed about the vertical axis in the chamber body,
an annular shaped central support coupled to the chamber body below the lid assembly;
a substrate support assembly disposed in the chamber body between the processing region and an evacuation region about a central axis co-linear with the vertical axis, wherein the substrate support assembly is movably coupled to the central support and comprises:
a lower electrode and a support pedestal disposed in a central region of the chamber body, the lower electrode sealed to the central support member and fluidly seals the central region from the processing region; and a plurality of access tubes positioned through the chamber body to provide access to the central region, the plurality of access tubes extending horizontally from the chamber body disposed below the support pedestal and arranged spaced apart from the processing region, and
wherein each one of the plurality of evacuation channels extends below a corresponding one of a plurality of evacuation passages positioned in bottom wall of an upper liner that is symmetrically disposed about the substrate support assembly, wherein each one of the plurality of evacuation channels extends between two of the plurality of access tubes.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the lid assembly further comprises:
a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet each having conductive fittings; and
a plurality of conductive plugs, wherein the conductive fittings and conductive plugs are arranged symmetrically about a central axis of the substrate support assembly.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the substrate support assembly comprises a first actuation device disposed within the central region and coupled to the central support and configured to vertically move the substrate support assembly a distance.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the distance is substantially the same as a vertical length of an opening of each of the access tubes.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:
a second actuation device disposed within the central region and configured to vertically move a plurality of substrate support pins disposed within the substrate support assembly.

19. A plasma processing apparatus, comprising:
a lid assembly and a chamber body enclosing a processing region located above a bottom wall of an upper liner;
an annular shaped central support coupled to the chamber body below the lid assembly;
a substrate support assembly movably coupled to the central support and disposed between the processing region and an evacuation region, wherein the substrate support assembly comprises:
a lower electrode and a support pedestal disposed in a central region of the chamber body, the lower electrode sealed to the central support to enclose and seal the central region from the processing region and evacuation region; and
a plurality of access tubes positioned through the chamber body to provide access to the cen

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Carducci James D
• Tavassoli Hamid
• Balakrishna Ajit
• Chen Zhigang
• Nguyen Andrew
• Buchberger Jr Douglas A
• Ramaswamy Kartik
• Rauf Shahid
• Collins Kenneth S

Classifications

• H01J37/32541

  Shape · CPC title

• H01J37/32091 Primary

  the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma · CPC title

• H01J37/3244 Primary

  Gas supply means · CPC title

• H01J37/32724

  Temperature · CPC title

• H01J2237/3321

  CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition] · CPC title