Multi zone spot heating in epi

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11021795-B2
Application number	US-201816170255-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2018
Priority date	Oct 30, 2017
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. The thermal process chamber includes a substrate support, a first plurality of heating elements disposed over or below the substrate support, and a spot heating module disposed over the substrate support. The spot heating module is utilized to provide local heating of cold regions on a substrate disposed on the substrate support during processing. Localized heating of the substrate improves temperature profile, which in turn improves deposition uniformity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process chamber, comprising:
a chamber body;
a substrate support disposed in the chamber body;
a radiant module disposed outside the chamber body facing the substrate support;
a support disposed outside the chamber body;
a mounting bracket disposed on the support outside the chamber body; and
a plurality of spot heating modules coupled to the mounting bracket, the mounting bracket including a plurality of openings formed therein at different angular positions with respect to a center of the mounting bracket, wherein each opening of the plurality of openings is positioned between a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules and the substrate support.

2. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein each spot heating module comprises a laser source and a plurality of collimators, each collimator optically coupled to a respective laser source by an optical fiber.

3. The process chamber of claim 2 , wherein each laser source is a laser diode array.

4. The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising at least one thermal sensor positioned on the support disposed outside the chamber body.

5. The process chamber of claim 4 , wherein each spot heating module is a laser source and each thermal sensor is a pyrometer.

6. A process chamber, comprising:
a chamber body;
a substrate support disposed in the chamber body;
a support disposed outside the chamber body;
a mounting bracket disposed on the support outside the chamber body; and
a plurality of spot heating modules coupled to the mounting bracket, each spot heating module comprising a movable stage coupled to the mounting bracket, the movable stage including a slider and a wedge, the mounting bracket including a plurality of openings formed therein at different angular positions with respect to a center of the mounting bracket, wherein each opening of the plurality of openings is positioned between a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules and the substrate support.

7. The process chamber of claim 6 , wherein each spot heating module comprises a radiant a fiber-coupled laser source.

8. The process chamber of claim 7 , wherein the mounting bracket includes an annular portion surrounding a central opening, and one or more plates extending from the annular portion.

9. A process chamber, comprising:
a chamber body;
a substrate support disposed in the chamber body;
a support disposed outside the chamber body;
a mounting bracket disposed on the support disposed outside the chamber body; and
a plurality of spot heating modules coupled to the mounting bracket, each spot heating module comprising at least one adjustable wedge, the mounting bracket including an annular portion surrounding a central opening, a plurality of plates extending from the annular portion, and a plurality of openings formed in the plurality of plates, wherein each opening of the plurality of openings is positioned between a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules and the substrate support.

10. The process chamber of claim 9 , wherein each spot heating module is coupled to one of the plurality of plates by a movable stage.

11. The process chamber of claim 10 , further comprising at least one thermal sensor coupled to the mounting bracket.

12. The process chamber of claim 9 , further comprising a guide beam generator coupled to each spot heating module.

13. The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising a reflector located between the radiant module and the mounting bracket.

14. The process chamber of claim 13 , wherein the reflector includes a plurality of openings formed therein, the plurality of openings each positioned between a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules and the substrate support.

15. The process chamber of claim 14 , wherein the reflector, the support disposed outside the chamber body, and the mounting bracket are secured by a plurality of securing devices, each securing device of the plurality of securing devices comprising a first threaded rod connected to the mounting bracket and the support disposed outside the chamber body, and a second threaded rod connected to the support disposed outside the chamber body and the reflector, wherein the plurality of securing devices space the reflector, the support disposed outside the chamber body, and the mounting bracket from each other in a fixed position.

16. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket is planar.

17. The process chamber of claim 6 , wherein each opening of the openings in the mounting bracket is aligned with a corresponding opening formed in the support disposed outside the chamber body.

18. The process chamber of claim 9 , further comprising a slider that is linearly movable on the mounting bracket.

19. The process chamber of claim 9 , wherein each opening of the openings in the mounting bracket is aligned with a corresponding opening formed in the support disposed outside the chamber body.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Lau Shu-Kwan
• Nakanishi Koji
• Nakagawa Toshiyuki
• Zhu Zuoming
• Ye Zhiyuan
• Ranish Joseph M
• Myo Nyi O
• Sanchez Errol Antonio C
• Chu Schubert S

Classifications

• H10P72/7616

  characterised by a coating, a hardness or a material · CPC title

• H10P72/7624

  characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support · CPC title

• H10P72/7618

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P72/7612

  characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins · CPC title

• H10P72/0602 Primary

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title