Plasma abatement technology utilizing water vapor and oxygen reagent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10685818-B2
Application number	US-201816110803-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2018
Priority date	Feb 9, 2017
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

Implementations of the present disclosure relate to systems and techniques for abating F-gases present in the effluent of semiconductor manufacturing processes. In one implementation, a water and oxygen delivery system for a plasma abatement system is provided. The water and oxygen delivery system comprises a housing that includes a floor and a plurality of sidewalls that define an enclosed region. The water and oxygen delivery system further comprises a cylindrical water tank positioned on the floor, wherein a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical water tank is parallel to a plane defined by the floor and a length of the water tank is 1.5 times or greater than the diameter of the cylindrical water tank. The water and oxygen delivery system further comprises a flow control system positioned within the housing above the cylindrical water tank.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
flowing an effluent from a processing chamber through a foreline into a plasma source, wherein the effluent comprises a fluorinated greenhouse gas;
delivering an abating reagent comprising water vapor and oxygen into the plasma source via the foreline, wherein delivering the abating reagent, comprises:
delivering the water vapor from a first reagent source into the foreline via a first conduit fluidly coupled with the foreline; and
delivering the oxygen from a second reagent source into the foreline via a second conduit fluidly coupled with the first conduit; and

activating the effluent and the abating reagent using a plasma formed by the plasma source to convert the fluorinated greenhouse gas to an abated material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor (“X”) and the oxygen (“Y”) in the abating reagent have a ratio between 0.75X:0.25Y and 0.5X:0.5Y.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated greenhouse gas comprises a sulfur-containing gas.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the sulfur-containing gas is SF 6 .

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma is an inductively coupled plasma.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the abating reagent and the effluent are combined prior to forming the plasma.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the water vapor and oxygen are simultaneously delivered to the plasma source.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing chamber is a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chamber, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, or a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber.

9. A method comprising:
flowing an effluent comprising a fluorinated greenhouse gas from a processing chamber through a foreline and into a plasma source, wherein the foreline fluidly couples the processing chamber and the plasma source;
delivering an abating reagent to the plasma source via the foreline, the abating reagent comprising water vapor and oxygen, wherein the water vapor (“X”) and the oxygen (“Y”) have a ratio between 0.75X:0.25Y and 0.5X:0.5Y, wherein delivering the abating reagent, comprises:
delivering the water vapor from a first reagent source into the foreline via a first conduit fluidly coupled with the foreline; and
delivering the oxygen from a second reagent source into the foreline via a second conduit fluidly coupled with the first conduit; and

forming an inductively coupled plasma from the effluent and the abating reagent creating an abated material.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fluorinated greenhouse gas comprises a sulfur-containing gas.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the sulfur-containing gas is SF 6 .

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the abating reagent and the effluent are combined prior to forming the inductively coupled plasma.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the processing chamber is a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chamber, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, or a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the water vapor and oxygen are simultaneously delivered to the plasma source.

15. A method comprising:
flowing an effluent from a processing chamber into a plasma source via a foreline, wherein the effluent comprises a fluorinated greenhouse gas and the foreline fluidly couples the processing chamber and the plasma source;
delivering water vapor from a first reagent source into the plasma source via a first conduit, wherein the first conduit fluidly couples the foreline and the first reagent source;
delivering oxygen from a second reagent source into the plasma source via the first conduit,
wherein a second conduit fluidly couples the second reagent source with the first conduit and the foreline, and
wherein the first reagent source and the second reagent source are positioned in a housing; and

activating the effluent, the water vapor, and the oxygen using a plasma to convert the fluorinated greenhouse gas to an abated material.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the water vapor (“X”) and the oxygen (“Y”) have a ratio between 0.75X:0.25Y and 0.5X:0.5Y.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the fluorinated greenhouse gas comprises a sulfur-containing gas.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the sulfur-containing gas is SF 6 .

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plasma is an inductively coupled plasma.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the water vapor, oxygen, and effluent are combined prior to forming the plasma.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Dickinson Colin John

Classifications

• H01J2237/334

  Etching · CPC title

• H01J2237/3321

  CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition] · CPC title

• H01J37/32862

  In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts · CPC title

• H01J37/32844 Primary

  Treating effluent gases · CPC title

• H01J37/32412

  Plasma immersion ion implantation · CPC title