Multi-station semiconductor processing with independently adjustable pedestals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12421602-B2
Application number	US-202017593106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2020
Priority date	Mar 12, 2019
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for depositing material onto substrates in a multi-station deposition apparatus having a first station and a second station are provided. One method may include providing a first substrate onto a first pedestal of the first station, providing a second substrate onto a second pedestal of the second station, and for a first part of a deposition process, simultaneously generating a first plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a first distance from a first showerhead of the first station, thereby depositing a first layer of material onto the first substrate, and a second plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by a second distance from a second showerhead of the second station, thereby depositing a second layer of material onto the second substrate, in which the first distance is different than the second distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of depositing material onto substrates in a multi-station deposition apparatus having a first station and a second station, the method comprising:
providing a first substrate onto a first pedestal of the first station;
providing a second substrate onto a second pedestal of the second station; and
for a first part of a deposition process, simultaneously generating:
a first plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a first distance from a first showerhead of the first station, thereby depositing a first layer of material onto the first substrate, and
a second plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by a second distance from a second showerhead of the second station, thereby depositing a second layer of material onto the second substrate;
wherein, subsequent to the first part of the deposition process, a value of a property associated with the first layer of material on the first substrate and a value of the property associated with the second layer of material on the second substrate are different by a first amount, the property comprising a thickness of the material; and

for a second part of the deposition process initiated based on nonuniformity between at least a thickness associated with the first layer of material and a thickness associated with the second layer of material from the first part of the deposition process, subsequent to adjusting, based on calibration data correlating the thickness of the material measured with respect to distances between a showerhead and a pedestal, at least one of the first distance or the second distance, simultaneously generating:
a third plasma at the first station, thereby depositing a third layer of material onto the first substrate; and
a fourth plasma at the second station, thereby depositing a fourth layer of material onto the second substrate;
wherein the adjusting of the at least one of the first distance or the second distance for the second part of the deposition process based on the calibration data comprises:
(i) selecting a distance for the first distance such that the thickness associated with the third layer of material on the first substrate matches the thickness associated with the second layer of material on the second substrate; or
(ii) selecting a distance for the second distance such that the thickness associated with the fourth layer of material on the second substrate matches the thickness associated with the first layer of material on the first substrate; or
(iii) a combination of (i) and (ii);

wherein, subsequent to the second part of the deposition process, the value of the property associated with material on the first substrate and the value of the property associated with material on the second substrate are different by a second amount that is less than the first amount such that the nonuniformity from the first part of the deposition process is reduced.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein during the second part of the deposition process:
the third plasma is generated at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a third distance from the first showerhead, wherein the first distance is different than the third distance; and
the fourth plasma is generated at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by a fourth distance from the second showerhead, wherein the second distance is different than the fourth distance.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the difference between the first distance and the third distance is substantially the same as the difference between the second distance and the fourth distance.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising simultaneously generating for a second layer of the deposition process:
the third plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a third distance from the first showerhead; and
the fourth plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by the third distance from the second showerhead.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first part includes N deposition cycles, and
each of the N deposition cycles includes:
simultaneously generating the first plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by the first distance thereby depositing the first layer of material onto the first substrate, and the second plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by the second distance thereby depositing the second layer of material onto the second substrate, and
igniting and extinguishing the first plasma and the second plasma.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
for the second part of the deposition process, after the first part, that includes X deposition cycles, simultaneously generating in each of the X deposition cycles:
the third plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a third distance from the first showerhead, thereby depositing the third layer of material onto the first substrate, and
the fourth plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by the third distance from the second showerhead, thereby depositing the fourth layer of material onto the second substrate, wherein each of the X deposition cycles includes igniting and extinguishing the third plasma and the fourth plasma.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
for the second part of the deposition process, before the first part, that includes Y deposition cycles, simultaneously generating in each of the Y deposition cycles:
the third plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a third distance from the first showerhead, thereby depositing the third layer of material onto the first substrate, and
the fourth plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by the third distance from the second showerhead, thereby depositing the fourth layer of material onto the second substrate, wherein each of the Y deposition cycles includes igniting and extinguishing the third plasma and the fourth plasma.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
adjusting the first pedestal between the first distance and a third distance;
adjusting the second pedestal between the second distance and a fourth distance; and
for the second part of the deposition process, simultaneously generating in each of Z deposition cycles:
the third plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by the third distance from the first showerhead, thereby depositing the third layer of material onto the first substrate, and
the fourth plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by the fourth distance from the second showerhead, thereby depositing the fourth layer of material onto the second substrate, wherein each of the Z deposition cycles includes igniting and extinguishing the third plasma and the fourth plasma.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein each N deposition cycle at the first station and the second station comprises:
(i) adsorbing a film precursor onto the substrate at that station such that the precursor forms an adsorption-limited layer on the substrate;
(ii) removing at least some unadsorbed film precursor from a volume surrounding the adsorbed film precursor;
(iii) reacting adsorbed film precursor, after removing unadsorbed film precursor in (ii), by generating the plasma at that station to form a respective layer of material on the substrate at that station; and
(iv) removing desorbed film precursor and/or reaction by-product from a volume surrounding the respective layer of material when present after reacting the adsorbed film precursor in (iii).

10. The method of claim 9 , furthe

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Pasquale Frank Loren
• Petraglia Jennifer Leigh
• Baskar Dinesh
• Lavoie Adrien

Classifications

• H10P72/3311 Primary

  Horizontal transfer of a batch of workpieces · CPC title

• C23C16/4583

  the substrate being supported substantially horizontally · CPC title

• C23C16/45536

  Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields · CPC title

• C23C16/54

  Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating · CPC title

• C23C16/4584

  the substrate being rotated · CPC title