Gas flow control for millisecond anneal system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11255606-B2
Application number	US-201615386538-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods for gas flow in a thermal processing system are provided. In some example implementations a gas flow pattern inside the process chamber of a millisecond anneal system can be improved by implementing one or more of the following: (1) altering the direction, size, position, shape and arrangement of the gas injection inlet nozzles, or a combination hereof; (2) use of gas channels in a wafer plane plate connecting the upper chamber with the lower chamber of a millisecond anneal system; and/or (3) decreasing the effective volume of the processing chamber using a liner plate disposed above the semiconductor substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal processing system, comprising:
a processing chamber comprising a top chamber separated from a bottom chamber by a wafer plane plate;
a window defining a ceiling of the top chamber;
a chamber wall of the top chamber disposed between the wafer plane plate and the window;
a plurality of heat sources disposed at a location above the window, the plurality of heat sources configured to provide heat to a top surface of a substrate for the thermal treatment of the substrate;
a plurality of gas inlets configured to inject gas into the top chamber;
wherein the substrate is supported by the wafer plane plate;
wherein at least one gas inlet of the plurality of gas inlets comprises a pipe penetrating through a reflective mirror disposed on the chamber wall of the top chamber;
wherein at least one gas inlet of the plurality of gas inlets is positioned on a level of the substrate opposite a gate valve such that gas injected from the at least one gas inlet flows across the substrate towards the gate valve, the reflective mirror being disposed opposite the gate valve; and
wherein the wafer plane plate comprises a gas channel to facilitate gas flow between the top chamber and the bottom chamber.

2. The thermal processing system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of gas inlets is positioned proximate to the wafer plane plate.

3. The thermal processing system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of gas inlets is positioned a first distance from the ceiling of the top chamber and a second distance from the wafer plane plate, the first distance being greater than the second distance.

4. The thermal processing system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of gas inlets is positioned opposite the gate valve proximate the wafer plane plate.

5. The thermal processing system of claim 4 further comprising a gas flow system, wherein the gas flow system comprises one or more vents positioned proximate to the gate valve.

6. The thermal processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pipe has a straight open end.

7. The thermal processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pipe has an opening perpendicular to a pipe axis.

8. The thermal processing system of claim 1 , wherein the pipe has an opening that is at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to a pipe axis.

9. The thermal processing system of claim 1 , wherein the processing chamber comprises a chamber frame.

10. The thermal processing system of claim 9 , wherein the wafer plane plate is mounted to the chamber frame.

11. A millisecond anneal system, comprising:
a processing chamber comprising a top chamber separated from a bottom chamber by a wafer plane plate;
a window defining a ceiling of the top chamber;
a chamber wall of the top chamber disposed between the wafer plane plate and the window;
one or more arc lamps disposed at a location above the window, the one or more arc lamps configured to provide a flash to heat a top surface of a substrate for the thermal treatment of the substrate;
one or more gas inlets configured to inject gas into the top chamber;
wherein the substrate is supported by the wafer plane plate;
wherein the wafer plane plate comprises a plurality of gas channels disposed on separate sides of the wafer plane plate, the plurality of gas channels each having a continuous length extending linearly across at least a portion of a width of the processing chamber, the plurality of gas channels each being disposed between the top chamber and the bottom chamber;
wherein the plurality of gas channels comprises a first set of gas channels, the first set of gas channels each disposed on opposing sides of the wafer plane plate and a second set of gas channels each disposed on different opposing sides of the wafer plane plate; and
wherein the first set of gas channels each have a first length, the second set of gas channels each have a second length less than the first length to allow mounting of the wafer plane plate.

12. The millisecond anneal system of claim 11 , wherein the first length is equal to about the width of the processing chamber and the second length is less than the width of the processing chamber.

13. A millisecond anneal system, comprising:
a processing chamber comprising a top chamber separated from a bottom chamber by a wafer plane plate;
a window defining a ceiling of the top chamber;
a chamber wall of the top chamber disposed between the wafer plane plate and the window;
one or more arc lamps disposed at a location above the window, the one or more arc lamps configured to provide a flash to heat a top surface of a substrate for the thermal treatment of the substrate;
one or more gas inlets configured to inject gas into the top chamber; and
a liner plate disposed above the substrate and below at least one gas inlet of the one or more gas inlets, the liner plate being disposed in parallel relationship to the substrate, the liner plate configured to generate a laminar flow regime above the substrate and below the liner plate;
wherein the substrate is supported by the wafer plane plate;
wherein the liner plate comprises quartz, the liner plate being positioned inside the processing chamber, the liner plate not sealed against the chamber wall of the top chamber, the liner plate being disposed to allow gas to flow into a volume below the liner plate;
wherein the liner plate comprises a perimeter surrounding the liner plate, the perimeter being separated from the chamber wall by a gap inside the processing chamber; and
wherein at least one gas inlet of the one or more gas inlets is located on the chamber wall in a region between the substrate and the liner plate.

14. The millisecond anneal system of claim 6 , wherein a distance between the wafer plane plate and the liner plate is in the range of about 30 mm to about 60 mm.

Assignees

• Mattson Tech Inc
• Beijing E Town Semiconductor Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Pfahler Christian
• Cibere Joseph

Classifications

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0462

  characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers · CPC title

• H10P72/0436

  mainly by radiation · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H01J37/3244

  Gas supply means · CPC title