Ion beam etching chamber with etching by-product redistributor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12362154-B2
Application number	US-202217586484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2022
Priority date	May 29, 2018
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to an etching apparatus. The etching apparatus includes a substrate holder disposed within a processing chamber and having a workpiece reception surface configured to hold a workpiece. A lower surface of the processing chamber has a first region that is directly below the workpiece reception surface and that is configured to receive a byproduct from an etching process. A baffle extends outward from a sidewall of the processing chamber at a vertical position between the substrate holder and the lower surface of the processing chamber. The baffle covers a second region of the lower surface. A byproduct redistributor is configured to move the byproduct from the first region of the lower surface to the second region of the lower surface that is directly below the baffle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An etching apparatus, comprising:
a substrate holder disposed within a processing chamber and comprising a workpiece reception surface that is configured to hold a workpiece and that faces a lower surface of the processing chamber, wherein the lower surface of the processing chamber has a first region that is directly below the workpiece reception surface and that is configured to receive a by-product from an etching process;
a baffle extending outward from a sidewall of the processing chamber at a vertical position between the substrate holder and the lower surface of the processing chamber, wherein the baffle is separated from the lower surface of the processing chamber and wherein the workpiece reception surface faces the baffle;
a plasma source configured to form an ion beam, wherein the ion beam extends along a line from the plasma source, to directly over the baffle, and to intersect the workpiece reception surface directly above the first region;
a vacuum inlet arranged along an interior surface of the processing chamber that is above the baffle, wherein the vacuum inlet is coupled to a vacuum pump; and
a by-product redistributor configured to move the by-product from the first region of the lower surface to a second region of the lower surface directly below the baffle, wherein the by-product redistributor comprises an additional vacuum inlet disposed below the baffle.

2. The etching apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the baffle comprises an uppermost surface that continuously extends between outermost sidewalls of the baffle as viewed along a cross-section of the baffle, the uppermost surface intersecting the sidewall of the processing chamber and being perpendicular to the sidewall of the processing chamber.

3. The etching apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the baffle is separated from the lower surface of the processing chamber by a space, the space laterally between the baffle and a center of the lower surface.

4. The etching apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the by-product redistributor is configured to move the by-product laterally along the lower surface from directly below the substrate holder to directly below the baffle.

5. The etching apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the etching apparatus is configured to turn on the by-product redistributor after turning on the plasma source to generate the ion beam.

6. An etching apparatus, comprising:
a substrate holder disposed within a processing chamber and comprising a surface that is configured to hold a workpiece and that faces a bottommost interior surface of the processing chamber, wherein the bottommost interior surface of the processing chamber is a flat surface that has a first region that is directly below the substrate holder and that is configured to receive a by-product from an etching process;
baffles extending outward from opposing sidewalls of the processing chamber at a vertical position between the substrate holder and the bottommost interior surface of the processing chamber, as viewed in cross-section, wherein outermost sidewalls of the baffles that face one another are separated by a space, a region of the space that is directly below the substrate holder also being laterally and directly between the outermost sidewalls of the baffles; and
a by-product redistributor configured to move the by-product from the first region of the bottommost interior surface to a second region of the bottommost interior surface directly below the baffles,
wherein the by-product redistributor comprises: a heater arranged entirely and directly below a central region of the bottommost interior surface of the processing chamber; and one or more coolers arranged entirely and directly below both the baffles and peripheral regions of the bottommost interior surface of the processing chamber.

7. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the baffles are directly and vertically between a bottommost surface of the substrate holder and the bottommost interior surface of the processing chamber.

8. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the baffles respectively have a vertically extending portion and a horizontally extending portion, the vertically extending portion being directly below a topmost surface of the baffles.

9. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the baffles discontinuously extend along an outer perimeter of the processing chamber as viewed in a top-view.

10. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the one or more coolers are separated from the baffles by the bottommost interior surface.

11. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the baffles comprise a baffle that has a topmost surface that is directly coupled to a sidewall of the baffle, an entirety of the sidewall of the baffle physically contacting the sidewall of the processing chamber, wherein the topmost surface of the baffle continuously extends from directly below the substrate holder to laterally outside of the substrate holder.

12. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a vacuum inlet arranged along an interior surface of the processing chamber that is above the baffles, wherein the vacuum inlet is coupled to a vacuum pump.

13. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the baffles are respectively directly between the one or more coolers and the substrate holder.

14. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the baffles are respectively directly above the one or more coolers and the substrate holder is directly above the baffles.

15. The etching apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the heater is at least partially laterally outside of the substrate holder.

16. An etching apparatus, comprising:
a substrate holder disposed within a processing chamber and comprising a workpiece reception surface that is configured to hold a workpiece and that faces a lower surface of the processing chamber, wherein the lower surface of the processing chamber has a first region that is directly below the substrate holder;
one or more baffles extending outward from opposing sidewalls of the processing chamber and respectively having an outermost sidewall that is at a vertical height between a bottommost surface of the substrate holder that faces the lower surface of the processing chamber and the lower surface of the processing chamber;
a plasma source configured to form an ion beam that extends in a direction that is parallel to a top surf ace of the one or more baffles towards the workpiece reception surface;
a by-product redistributor disposed below the one or more baffles and configured to laterally move a by-product from an etching process along the lower surface from the first region of the lower surface that is outside of the one or more baffles to a second region of the lower surface that is directly below the one or more baffles; and
a vacuum inlet arranged along an interior surface of the processing chamber that is above the one or more baffles, wherein the vacuum inlet is coupled to a vacuum pump.

17. The etching apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the one or more baffles comprise a protrusion extending outward from a lower surface of the one or more baffles that faces a bottom of the processing chamber, the protrusion extending to a bottommost surface of the one or more baffles that is separated from the lower surface of the processing chamber by a non-zero distance.

18. The etching apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the etching apparatus is configured to turn on the by-product redistributor after turning on the plasma source to generate the ion beam.

19. The etching apparatus of claim 16 , wh

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hsieh Te-Hsien
• Tseng Lee-Chuan

Classifications

• H10P72/7624

  characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support · CPC title

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/267

  using plasmas · CPC title

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01J37/32422

  Arrangement for selecting ions or species in the plasma · CPC title