Asymmetric injection for better wafer uniformity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11486038-B2
Application number	US-202016776204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

A gas injector for processing a substrate includes a body having an inlet connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in a first direction into the inlet when processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, and an a gas injection channel formed in the body. The gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the inlet and configured to deliver the gas flow to an inlet of the processing chamber. The gas injection channel has a first interior surface and a second interior surface that are parallel to a second direction and a third direction. The second and third directions do not intersect a center of the substrate, and are at an angle to the first direction towards a first edge of the substrate support.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas injector for processing a substrate, comprising:
a body having an inlet connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in a first direction into the inlet when processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, wherein the substrate support has a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge in a direction orthogonal to the first direction; and
a gas injection channel formed in the body, wherein:
the gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the inlet;
the gas injection channel is configured to deliver the gas flow to a processing chamber inlet of the processing chamber;
the gas injection channel has a first interior surface that is parallel to a second direction and a second interior surface that is parallel to a third direction;
the first, second, and third directions are parallel to a first plane;
the second and third directions do not intersect a center of the substrate, and are at an angle to the first direction towards the second edge of the substrate support;
the second direction is tilted from the first direction by between 15° to 35° towards the second edge of the substrate support; and
the third direction is substantially tangential to the second edge of the substrate support.

2. The gas injector according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first side parallel to the first direction;
a second side parallel to the first direction and opposite the first side in a fourth direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, the second side having substantially the same length as the first side;
a third side parallel to the fourth direction;
a first curved surface extending between the first side and the third side;
a second curved surface extending between the third side and the second side;
a fourth side parallel to the fourth direction and opposite the third side in a fifth direction that is orthogonal to the first direction and the fourth direction;
a third curved surface extending between the first side and the fourth side;
a fourth curved surface extending between the fourth side and the second side;
a fifth side parallel to the fourth direction; and
a sixth side parallel to the fourth direction and opposite the fifth side in the first direction, wherein the inlet is disposed on the fifth side and the gas injection channel is disposed on the sixth side.

3. The gas injector according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of linear rudders disposed within the gas injection channel.

4. The gas injector according to claim 3 , wherein each linear rudder of the plurality of linear rudders is tilted from the first direction by between 25° to 55° towards the second edge of the substrate support.

5. The gas injector according to claim 3 , wherein an end of at least one linear rudder of the plurality of linear rudders is separated from an interior surface of the gas injection channel by a distance of between 15 mm and 60 mm.

6. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:
a chamber body having a chamber gas inlet, a chamber gas outlet, and a processing volume between the chamber gas inlet and the chamber gas outlet in a first direction;
a substrate support disposed within the processing volume;
a gas injector having an injector inlet and a gas injection channel, wherein:
the injector inlet is connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in the first direction into the injector inlet when processing a substrate on the substrate support;
the gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the injector inlet; and
the gas injection channel is configured to deliver the gas flow to the chamber gas inlet;

an exhaust assembly coupled to the chamber gas outlet; and
a side exhaust pump coupled to the processing volume via a side port of the chamber body, wherein:
the side port is disposed near a first edge of the substrate support;
the gas injection channel has a first interior surface that is parallel to a second direction and a second interior surface that is parallel to a third direction;
the first, second, and third directions are parallel to a first plane; and
the second and third directions do not intersect a center of the substrate, and are at an angle to the first direction towards a second edge of the substrate support opposite the first edge in a fourth direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the substrate support is rotatable around the center of the substrate.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein:
the second direction is tilted from the first direction by between 15° to 35° towards the second edge of the substrate support; and
the third direction is substantially tangential to the second edge of the substrate support.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the exhaust assembly comprises a first main exhaust pump.

10. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the exhaust assembly comprises a first main exhaust pump and a second main exhaust pump.

11. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the gas injector further comprises:
a first side parallel to the first direction;
a second side parallel to the first direction and opposite the first side in the fourth direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, the second side having substantially the same length as the first side;
a third side parallel to the fourth direction;
a first curved surface extending between the first side and the third side;
a second curved surface extending between the third side and the second side;
a fourth side parallel to the fourth direction and opposite the third side in a fifth direction that is orthogonal to the first direction and the fourth direction;
a third curved surface extending between the first side and the fourth side;
a fourth curved surface extending between the fourth side and the second side;
a fifth side parallel to the fourth direction; and
a sixth side parallel to the fourth direction and opposite the fifth side in the first direction, wherein the injector inlet is disposed on the fifth side and the gas injection channel is disposed on the sixth side.

12. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the gas injector further comprises a plurality of linear rudders disposed within the gas injection channel.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein each linear rudder of the plurality of linear rudders is tilted from the first direction by between 25° to 55° towards the second edge of the substrate support.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein an end of at least one linear rudder of the plurality of linear rudders is separated from an interior surface of the gas injection channel by a distance of between 15 mm and 60 mm.

15. A gas injector for processing a substrate, comprising:
a body having an inlet connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in a first direction into the inlet when processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, wherein the substrate support has a first edge and a second edge opposite the first edge in a direction orthogonal to the first direction; and
a gas injection channel formed in the body, wherein:
the gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the inlet;
the gas injection channel is configured to deliver the gas flow to a processing chamber inlet of the processing chamber;
the gas injection channel has a first interior surface that is parallel to a second di

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Shono Eric Kihara
• Pandey Vishwas Kumar
• Olsen Christopher S
• Shah Kartik
• Lo Hansel
• Kaufman-Osborn Tobin
• George Rene
• Hawrylchak Lara
• Hansen Erika

Classifications

• H10P72/0402 Primary

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/0436

  mainly by radiation · CPC title

• H10P72/0462 Primary

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

• C23C8/10

  Oxidising · CPC title

• C23C8/12

  using elemental oxygen or ozone · CPC title