Metal deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12203168-B2
Application number	US-202017638599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2020
Priority date	Aug 28, 2019
Publication date	Jan 21, 2025
Grant date	Jan 21, 2025

Abstract

Various showerheads and methods are provided. A showerhead may include a faceplate partially defined by a front surface and a back surface, a back plate having a gas inlet, a first conical frustum surface, and a second conical frustum surface, a plenum volume fluidically connected to the gas inlet and at least partially defined by the gas inlet, the back surface of the faceplate, the first conical frustum surface, and the second conical frustum surface, and a baffle plate positioned within the plenum volume, and having a plurality of baffle plate through-holes extending through the baffle plate. The second conical frustum surface may be positioned radially outwards from the first conical frustum surface with respect to a center axis of the showerhead, and the second conical frustum surface may be positioned along the center axis farther from the gas inlet than the first conical frustum surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A showerhead comprising:
a faceplate partially defined by a front surface and a back surface, and having a plurality of faceplate through-holes extending through the faceplate from the front surface to the back surface;
a back plate having a gas inlet, a first conical frustum surface, and a second conical frustum surface;
a plenum volume fluidically connected to the gas inlet and at least partially defined by the gas inlet, the back surface of the faceplate, the first conical frustum surface, and the second conical frustum surface; and
a baffle plate positioned within the plenum volume, partially defined by a top surface and a bottom surface, and having a plurality of baffle plate through-holes extending through the baffle plate from the top surface to the bottom surface, wherein:
the second conical frustum surface is positioned radially outwards from the first conical frustum surface with respect to a center axis of the showerhead,
the second conical frustum surface is positioned along the center axis farther from the gas inlet than the first conical frustum surface,
the first conical frustum surface is at a first angle with respect to the center axis,
the second conical frustum surface is at a second angle with respect to the center axis.

2. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein an inner circumference of the second conical frustum surface is positioned radially outwards from an outer circumference of the first conical frustum surface with respect to the center axis.

3. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the first angle is larger than the second angle.

4. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the back plate further includes a third surface that spans between the first conical frustum surface and the second conical frustum surface.

5. The showerhead of claim 4 , wherein the third surface includes a planar portion that is perpendicular to the center axis.

6. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein:
the back plate further includes a third conical frustum surface that is positioned radially outwards from the second conical frustum surface with respect to the center axis such that the second conical frustum surface is radially interposed between the first conical frustum surface and the third conical frustum surface, and
the third conical frustum surface is positioned at a third angle with respect to the center axis.

7. The showerhead of claim 6 , wherein the third angle is greater than the first angle and the second angle.

8. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein an outer edge of the baffle plate is positioned radially outwards from the first conical frustum surface with respect to the center axis.

9. The showerhead of claim 8 , wherein the outer edge of the baffle plate is positioned radially interposed, with respect to the center axis, between an inner circumference of the second conical frustum surface and an outer circumference of the second conical frustum surface.

10. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the baffle plate is positioned along the center axis such that the first conical frustum surface is closer to the gas inlet than the baffle plate.

11. The showerhead of claim 10 , wherein:
the top surface of the baffle plate faces the gas inlet and the bottom surface of the baffle plate faces the faceplate, and
the baffle plate is further positioned along the center axis such that the top surface of the baffle plate is interposed along the center axis between an inner circumference of the second conical frustum surface and an outer circumference of the second conical frustum surface.

12. The showerhead of claim 11 , wherein the baffle plate is further positioned along the center axis such that the bottom surface of the baffle plate is farther from the gas inlet than the outer circumference of the second conical frustum surface.

13. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the baffle plate further includes a baffle plate conical frustum surface that faces the back plate.

14. The showerhead of claim 13 , wherein the baffle plate conical frustum surface is offset from the center axis by a fourth angle that is complimentary to the second angle.

15. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of baffle plate through-holes have outer diameters that increase as the radial positioning increases with respect to the center axis.

16. The showerhead of claim 15 , wherein:
a first number of baffle plate through-holes are positioned in a first section of the baffle plate and have a first outer diameter,
a second number of baffle plate through-holes are positioned in a second section of the baffle plate and have a second outer diameter that is greater than the first outer diameter, and
the second section is radially offset outwards from the first section with respect to the center axis.

17. The showerhead of claim 16 , wherein:
a third number of baffle plate through-holes are positioned in a third section of the baffle plate and have a third outer diameter that is greater than the second outer diameter, and
the third section is radially offset outwards from the second section with respect to the center axis.

18. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein an inner circumference of first conical frustum surface partially defines the gas inlet.

19. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the faceplate further includes a faceplate conical frustum surface that is positioned radially outwards with respect to the center axis from the front surface of the faceplate and is offset from the center axis by a fifth angle that is greater than 90°.

20. The showerhead of claim 1 , further comprising:
a port that includes a first end and an opening at a second end, and that extends through the faceplate, wherein the opening is in the faceplate and radially outwards from front surface, and
a window positioned adjacent to the first end of the port.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Vellanki Ravi
• Lenz Eric H
• Gulabal Vinayakaraddy
• Gopinath Sanjay
• Danek Michal
• Majumder Prodyut
• Tjokro Novy
• Chen Yen-Chang
• Thombare Shruti Vivek
• Butail Gorun
• Van Cleemput Patrick A

Classifications

• C23C16/52

  Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)} · CPC title

• C23C16/45591

  Fixed means, e.g. wings, baffles · CPC title

• C23C16/45544

  characterized by the apparatus · CPC title

• C23C16/045

  Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates · CPC title

• C23C16/08

  from metal halides · CPC title