Complementary pattern station designs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11220747-B2
Application number	US-201916658396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2019
Priority date	Oct 29, 2018
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

Apparatus and methods to process one or more wafers are described. A first processing station has a first gas flow pattern from one or more of a first gas diffuser, a first cooling channel pattern, or a first heater. A second processing station has a second gas flow pattern from one or more of a second gas diffuser, a second cooling channel pattern, or a second heater. The second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater is rotated or translated relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater to provide the second gas flow pattern complementary to the first gas flow pattern.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processing chamber comprising:
a first processing station having a first gas flow pattern from one or more of a first gas diffuser, a first cooling channel pattern, or a first heater; and
a second processing station having a second gas flow pattern from one or more of a second gas diffuser, a second cooling channel pattern, or a second heater, the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater rotated relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater to provide the second gas flow pattern complementary to the first gas flow pattern, wherein the first gas flow pattern and the second gas flow pattern have a symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry, where n is an integer in a range of from 2 to 10,
wherein one or more of the second gas diffuser, second cooling channel pattern, or second heater is rotated less than or equal to about (360/(n*2)) degrees relative to the first gas diffuser.

2. The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein each of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater have an identical symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry, and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater are rotated less than or equal to about (360/(n*2)) degrees relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater.

3. The processing chamber of claim 1 , further comprising heaters on one or more of the first processing station or the second processing station.

4. The processing chamber of claim 1 , further comprising a controller connected to one or more of the first processing station or the second processing station.

5. The processing chamber of claim 1 , further comprising at least one wafer on one or more of the first processing station or the second processing station.

6. A method of forming a film, the method comprising:
loading at least one wafer onto a substrate support surface;
rotating the substrate support surface between a first processing station having a first gas flow pattern from one or more of a first gas diffuser, a first cooling channel pattern, or a first heater and a second processing station having a second gas flow pattern from one or more of a second gas diffuser, a second cooling channel pattern, or a second heater, the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater rotated relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater to provide the second gas flow pattern complementary to the first gas flow pattern wherein the first cooling channel pattern and the second cooling channel pattern have a symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry, where n is an integer in a range of from 2 to 10 and one or more of the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater is rotated less than or equal to about (360/(n*2)) degrees relative to one or more of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater; and
at each processing station, exposing a top surface of the at least one wafer to a process condition to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one wafer is stationary when the film is formed.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein each of the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater and the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater have an identical symmetrical pattern with n-fold symmetry, and one or more of the second gas diffuser, the second cooling channel pattern, or the second heater is rotated less than or equal to about (360/(n*2)) degrees relative to the first gas diffuser, the first cooling channel pattern, or the first heater.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising controlling the speed of rotation of the substrate support surface.

10. A processing chamber comprising:
a first plasma processing station having a first plasma pixel pattern from a first plasma source, the first plasma source having a symmetrical pixel pattern with n-fold symmetry, wherein n is an integer in a range of from 2 to 10; and
a second plasma processing station having a second plasma pixel pattern from a second plasma source, the second plasma source having a symmetrical pixel pattern with n-fold symmetry and rotated relative to the first plasma source to provide a second plasma pixel pattern complementary to the first plasma pixel pattern, wherein n is an integer in a range of from 2 to 10,
wherein the second plasma source is rotated less than or equal to about (360/(n*2)) degrees relative to the first plasma source.

11. The processing chamber of claim 10 , wherein the second plasma source has a different plasma pixel pattern from first plasma source, but complementary to the first plasma source.

12. The processing chamber of claim 10 , wherein each of the first plasma source and the second plasma source have an identical symmetrical pixel pattern with n-fold symmetry.

13. The processing chamber of claim 10 , further comprising a gas diffuser, a cooling channel, heaters on one or more of the first plasma processing station or the second plasma processing station.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Aubuchon Joseph
• Baluja Sanjeev
• Rice Michael
• Dan Arkaprava
• Chen Hanhong

Classifications

• 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

• H10P72/3302

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/0468

  comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process · CPC title

• H10P72/0454

  surrounding a central transfer chamber · CPC title

• H10P14/6339 Primary

  deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD · CPC title