Showerhead and substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11035040-B2
Application number	US-201816178023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2018
Priority date	Apr 20, 2018
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A showerhead according to an embodiment of the present inventive concept includes an upper plate including a plurality of gas supply passages, a lower plate including a plurality of supply holes and a plurality of exhaust slots formed in a lower surface, and a plurality of partition walls between the upper plate and the lower plate, connected to a plurality of exhaust slots and defining exhaust passages that are open at a side portion of the showerhead.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A showerhead for use in a substrate processing apparatus, the showerhead comprising:
an upper plate including a plurality of gas supply passages;
a lower plate including a plurality of supply holes and a plurality of exhaust slots defined in a lower surface thereof; and
a plurality of partition walls between the upper plate and the lower plate and defining exhaust passages that are open at a side portion of the showerhead.

2. The showerhead according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of partition walls include a plurality of vertical supply channels fluidly connected to the plurality of gas supply passages of the upper plate and the plurality of supply holes of the lower plate.

3. The showerhead according to claim 2 , wherein the lower plate includes a first lower plate including a plurality of first horizontal supply channels vertically aligned with the plurality of partition walls and connected to the plurality of vertical supply channels and a plurality of second horizontal supply channels connected to the plurality of first horizontal supply channels, and a second lower plate covering a lower surface of the first lower plate and having the plurality of supply holes extending therethrough, wherein the plurality of supply holes are connected to the plurality of second horizontal supply channels.

4. The showerhead according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of partition walls extend in a first direction parallel to one another and are spaced apart from one another at regular intervals.

5. The showerhead according to claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of partition walls includes a plurality of partition wall holes arranged at regular intervals, and wherein the plurality of partition wall holes of adjacent ones of the plurality of partition walls are aligned with each other.

6. The showerhead according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of supply holes and the plurality of exhaust slots are alternately arranged on the lower plate in the first direction, and the plurality of supply holes and the plurality of exhaust slots are each repeatedly arranged on the lower plate in a second direction, that is perpendicular to the first direction.

7. The showerhead according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of partition walls include a plurality of first partition walls and a plurality of second partition walls extending radially outwardly from a central portion of each of the upper plate and the lower plate, and wherein each of the plurality of second partition walls is between a pair of the plurality of first partition walls, and each of the plurality of second partition walls has a length shorter than that of each of the plurality of first partition walls.

8. The showerhead according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of supply holes and the plurality of exhaust slots are each arranged along a plurality of concentric circles on the lower plate at regular intervals and are alternately arranged in a radial direction on the lower plate.

9. The showerhead according to claim 1 , wherein a total area of the plurality of exhaust slots on the lower plate is larger than a total area of the plurality of supply holes on the lower plate.

10. The showerhead according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of baffles inserted between the plurality of partition walls and including a plurality of baffle holes that are offset from the plurality of exhaust slots.

11. A showerhead for use in a substrate processing apparatus, the showerhead comprising:
an upper plate including a plurality of gas supply passages;
a lower plate including a plurality of supply holes and a plurality of exhaust slots defined in a lower surface thereof; and
a plurality of partition walls between the upper plate and the lower plate and vertically aligned with the plurality of gas supply passages, the plurality of partition walls defining exhaust passages that are open at an outer side of the showerhead;
wherein the plurality of partition walls include a plurality of vertical supply channels fluidly connected to the plurality of gas supply passages of the upper plate and the plurality of supply holes of the lower plate; and
wherein a total area of the plurality of exhaust slots is larger than a total area of the plurality of supply holes on the lower surface of the lower plate.

12. The showerhead according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of partition walls extend in a first direction parallel to one another and are spaced apart from one another at regular intervals.

13. The showerhead according to claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of partition walls includes a plurality of partition wall holes arranged at regular intervals, wherein the plurality of partition wall holes of adjacent ones of the plurality of partition walls are aligned with each other.

14. The showerhead according to claim 12 , wherein the plurality of supply holes and the plurality of exhaust slots are alternately arranged on the lower surface of the lower plate in the first direction, and the plurality of supply holes and the plurality of exhaust slots are each repeatedly arranged on the lower surface of the lower plate in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.

15. The showerhead according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of partition walls include a plurality of first partition walls and a plurality of second partition walls extending radially outwardly from a central portion of each of the upper plate and the lower plate, wherein the plurality of first partition walls and the plurality of second partition walls are alternately arranged in a circumferential direction, and wherein each of the plurality of second partition walls have a length shorter than that of each of the plurality of first partition walls.

16. The showerhead according to claim 15 , wherein the plurality of supply holes and the plurality of exhaust slots are arranged along a plurality of concentric circles on the lower surface of the lower plate at regular intervals and are alternately arranged in a radial direction on the lower surface of the lower plate.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sung Edward
• Bang Jin Young
• Kim Hyuk
• Cho Sung Il

Classifications

• H01J37/3244 Primary

  Gas supply means · CPC title

• H05H1/46

  using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy (H05H1/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/32009

  Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources (plasma generation in general H05H1/24) · CPC title

• H01J37/32715

  Workpiece holder · CPC title

• H01J37/32633

  Baffles · CPC title