Multi-zone cooling of plasma heated window

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11538666-B2
Application number	US-201715814139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2017
Priority date	Nov 15, 2017
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A substrate processing system includes a multi-zone cooling apparatus to provide cooling for all or substantially all of a window in a substrate processing chamber. In one aspect, the apparatus includes one or more plenums to cover all or substantially all of a window in a substrate processing chamber, including under an energy source for transformer coupled plasma in the substrate processing chamber. One or more air amplifiers and accompanying conduits provide air to the one or more plenums to provide air flow to the window. The conduits are connected to plenum inlets at various distances from the center, to direct airflow throughout the window and thus address center hot, middle hot, and edge hot conditions, depending on the processes being carried out in the chamber. In one aspect, the one or more plenums include a central air inlet, to direct air toward the center portion of the window, to address center hot conditions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing system comprising:
a processing chamber having a window at a top portion thereof and covering the processing chamber;
a first coil positioned above the window, the first coil to generate electromagnetic energy to ionize plasma processing gases in the processing chamber;
first, second, and third air amplifiers to generate airflow when activated;
a plenum positioned beneath the first coil and above the window, the plenum having side walls and also having a top surface substantially equal in area to an area of an upper surface of the window, the top surface having a first air inlet positioned at about a center portion of the top surface of the plenum to receive the airflow from the first air amplifier, the first air inlet including multiple holes to distribute the air across the window within the side walls of the plenum so as to reduce hotspots at a center portion of the window beneath the first coil, the plenum further including:
a second air inlet at an edge portion of the top surface of the plenum to receive the airflow from the second air amplifier to reduce one or more hotspots at an edge portion of the window; and
a third air inlet at a middle portion of the top surface of the plenum, between the center portion and the edge portion of the top surface, to receive the airflow from the third air amplifier to reduce hotspots at a middle portion of the window;

a plurality of temperature sensors, each of the plurality of temperature sensors to measure a temperature of a corresponding portion of the window and to output a sensed temperature; and
a controller responsive to the sensed temperatures to control the first, second, and third air amplifiers to generate the airflow.

2. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the plenum is sized to cover all of the upper surface of the window.

3. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the plenum comprises a plurality of plenums which cover substantially all of the upper surface of the window.

4. The substrate processing system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of plenums cover all of the upper surface of the window.

5. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the plenum has an additional air inlet at an edge portion of the top surface of the plenum, the first air amplifier to provide airflow to both the first air inlet and the additional air inlet.

6. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , further comprising an additional air amplifier, wherein the plenum has an additional air inlet, the first air amplifier to provide airflow to the first air inlet and the additional air amplifier to provide airflow to the additional air inlet.

7. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second coil positioned above the plenum, the second coil to provide electromagnetic energy to ionize the plasma processing gases in the processing chamber.

8. The substrate processing system of claim 7 , wherein the first and second coils are conductively coupled with one another.

9. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the plenum has a first air outlet at the top surface.

10. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , wherein the plenum has a first air outlet in one of the side walls.

11. The substrate processing system of claim 1 , further comprising a source of air and first and second valves connected to the source of air, the first air amplifier connected to the source of air through the first and second valves, the controller to control the source of air and the first and second valves to provide the airflow, the first valve providing relatively low airflow, and the second valve providing relatively high airflow.

12. A substrate processing system comprising:
a processing chamber having a window at a top portion thereof and covering the processing chamber;
a plurality of coils positioned above the window to generate electromagnetic energy to ionize plasma processing gas in the processing chamber;
a plurality of air amplifiers to generate airflow;
a plenum positioned beneath the plurality of coils and above the window, the plenum having side walls and also having a top surface substantially equal in area to an area of an upper surface of the window, the top surface having a plurality of air inlets to receive the airflow from the plurality of air amplifiers and distribute the airflow across the window within the side walls of the plenum so as to reduce one or more hotspots in one or more areas of the window beneath the plurality of coils;
wherein the plurality of air inlets include:
a first air inlet positioned at about a center portion of the top surface of the plenum to receive the airflow from a first one of the air amplifiers and includes multiple holes to reduce hotspots at a center portion of the window;
a second air inlet at an edge portion of the top surface of the plenum to receive the airflow from a second one of the air amplifiers to reduce hotspots at an edge portion of the window; and
a third air inlet at a middle portion of the top surface of the plenum between the center and edge portions to receive the airflow from a third one of the air amplifiers to reduce hotspots at a middle portion of the window;

a plurality of temperature sensors, each of the plurality of temperature sensors to measure a temperature of a corresponding portion of the window and to output a sensed temperature; and
a controller responsive to the sensed temperatures to control the plurality of air amplifiers.

13. The substrate processing system of claim 12 , wherein the plenum is sized to cover all of the upper surface of the window.

14. The substrate processing system of claim 12 , wherein the plenum comprises a plurality of plenums which cover substantially all of the upper surface of the window.

15. The substrate processing system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of plenums cover all of the upper surface of the window.

16. The substrate processing system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of air amplifiers are equal in number to the plurality of air inlets.

17. The substrate processing system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of air amplifiers are fewer than the plurality of air inlets, and wherein two or more of the plurality of air inlets share an air amplifier.

18. The substrate processing system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of coils are conductively coupled to each other.

19. The substrate processing system of claim 12 , further comprising a source of air and a plurality of pairs of valves connected to the source of air, each of the plurality of air amplifiers connected to the source of air through one of the plurality of pairs of valves, the controller to control the source of air and the plurality of pairs of valves to provide the airflow, wherein a first valve in each of the plurality of pairs of valves provides relatively low airflow, and a second valve in each of the plurality of pairs of valves provides relatively high airflow.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Zhang Yiting
• Marsh Richard
• Sriraman Saravanapriyan
• Paterson Alexander

Classifications

• H10P72/0421

  for drying etching · CPC title

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0434

  mainly by convection · CPC title

• H01J37/3211

  Antennas, e.g. particular shapes of coils · CPC title

• F25D2700/16

  Sensors measuring the temperature of products · CPC title