Etch uniformity improvement for single turn internal coil PVD chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12136544-B2
Application number	US-202217865144-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2022
Priority date	Nov 5, 2021
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for generating a magnetic field external to a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber to improve etch or deposition uniformity on a substrate disposed inside of the PVD chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process chamber, includes a chamber body defining an interior volume therein; a pedestal disposed in the interior volume for supporting a substrate; a coil disposed in the interior volume above the pedestal; and an external magnet assembly, comprising: a housing coupled to the chamber body; and a plurality of magnets disposed external to the chamber body coupled to the housing and arranged asymmetrically about the chamber body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process chamber, comprising:
a chamber body defining an interior volume therein;
a pedestal disposed in the interior volume for supporting a substrate;
a coil disposed in the interior volume above the pedestal; and
an external magnet assembly disposed above the coil, comprising:
a housing coupled atop the chamber body, wherein the housing includes a horizontal plate having a central opening and an inner lip extending upward from the central opening; and
a plurality of magnets disposed external to the chamber body, coupled to the horizontal plate, and arranged asymmetrically about the chamber body radially outward of the inner lip.

2. The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising one or more base plates coupled to the housing, wherein the plurality of magnets are coupled to the one or more base plates.

3. The process chamber of claim 2 , wherein the one or more base plates are arcuate.

4. The process chamber of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of magnets are disposed within or embedded in the one or more base plates.

5. The process chamber of claim 2 , wherein the one or more base plates comprise two base plates with two or more magnets coupled to each of the two base plates.

6. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magnets are disposed radially outward of the housing.

7. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of magnets are arranged in a plurality of magnet sets, wherein the plurality of magnet sets comprise four magnet sets or six magnet sets.

8. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein at least two magnets of the plurality of magnets are disposed about 180 degrees from each other about a central axis of a central opening of the housing.

9. The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising a target coupled to a lid of the process chamber, and wherein the external magnet assembly is disposed vertically between the coil and the target.

10. An external magnet assembly for use with a process chamber, comprising:
a housing having a plate with a central opening and an inner lip extending upward from the plate along the central opening;
a plurality of arcuate base plates coupled to the plate; and
a plurality of magnets coupled to each of the plurality of arcuate base plates, wherein the plurality of magnets are disposed radially outward of the inner lip.

11. The external magnet assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of magnets are disposed asymmetrically about the housing.

12. The external magnet assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of arcuate base plates extend about 120 to about 140 degrees about the central opening.

13. The external magnet assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of arcuate base plates comprise two base plates, wherein the plurality of magnets comprise six magnet sets, wherein a first magnet set, a second magnet set, and a third magnet set are coupled to a first base plate of the plurality of arcuate base plates, and wherein a fourth magnet set, a fifth magnet set, and a sixth magnet set are coupled to a second base plate of the plurality of arcuate base plates.

14. The external magnet assembly of claim 13 , wherein the first magnet set, the fifth magnet set, and the sixth magnet set are oriented north side up, and the second magnet set, the third magnet set, and the fourth magnet set are oriented north side down.

15. The external magnet assembly of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of magnet are arranged in magnet sets, and at least one of the magnets sets comprise multiple magnets stacked on top of each other.

16. A process chamber, comprising:
a chamber body coupled to a lid to define an interior volume therein;
a pedestal disposed in the interior volume for supporting a substrate;
a coil disposed in the interior volume above the pedestal; and
an external magnet assembly disposed above the coil, comprising:
a housing coupled atop the chamber body, wherein the housing includes a plate having a central opening and an inner lip extending upward from the central opening;
two arcuate base plates coupled to an upper surface of the housing; and
a plurality of magnets disposed external to the chamber body coupled to the housing via the two arcuate base plates and arranged asymmetrically about the chamber body, wherein the plurality of magnets are arranged in a plurality of magnet sets disposed radially outward of the inner lip.

17. The process chamber of claim 16 , wherein the housing is disposed between the chamber body and the lid.

18. The process chamber of claim 16 , wherein the coil is a single turn coil.

19. The process chamber of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of magnets are permanent magnets.

20. The process chamber of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the plurality of magnet sets is diametrically opposed to another set of the plurality of magnet sets.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Chan Anthony Chih-Tung
• Allen Adolph Miller
• Chauhan Mehul
• Yoshidome Goichi

Classifications

• C23C14/35

  by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering {(C23C14/3457 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01J37/3417

  Arrangements · CPC title

• H01J2237/3323

  uniformity · CPC title

• C23C14/358

  Inductive energy · CPC title

• H01J37/3452 Primary

  Magnet distribution · CPC title