Epitaxy system integrated with high selectivity oxide removal and high temperature contaminant removal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019067006-A1
Application number	US-201816057213-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 7, 2018
Priority date	Aug 30, 2017
Publication date	Feb 28, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one implementation, a processing system includes a first transfer chamber coupling to at least one epitaxy process chamber, a second transfer chamber, a transition station disposed between the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber, a first plasma chamber coupled to the second transfer chamber for removing oxides from a surface of a substrate, and a load lock chamber coupled to the second transfer chamber. The transition station connects to the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber, and the transition station includes a second plasma chamber for removing contaminants from the surface of the substrate.

First claim

1 . A processing system, comprising:
a transfer chamber coupled to at least one vapor phase epitaxy chamber; an oxide removal chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, the oxide removal chamber comprising:
a lid assembly with a mixing chamber and a gas distributor;
a first gas inlet formed through a portion of the lid assembly and in fluid communication with the mixing chamber;
a second gas inlet formed through a portion of the lid assembly and in fluid communication with the mixing chamber;
a third gas inlet formed through a portion of the lid assembly and in fluid communication with the mixing chamber; and
a substrate support with
a substrate supporting surface;
a cooling channel; and
a lift member disposed in a recess of the substrate supporting surface and coupled through the substrate support to a lift actuator;

a plasma contaminant removal chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, the plasma contaminant removal chamber comprising:
a remote plasma source; and
a substrate support operable to heat a substrate disposed thereon to a temperature between 25° C. and 650° C.

2 . The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the oxide removal chamber comprises a plasma generation source.

3 . The processing system of claim 2 , wherein the plasma generation source comprises the remote plasma source that is configured to form a plasma therein by use of an RF source or a microwave source.

4 . The processing system of claim 2 , wherein the remote plasma source is coupled to a lid of the chamber.

5 . The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the film formation chamber is an epitaxy chamber.

6 . The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the oxide removal chamber includes a remote plasma chamber and a substrate support with a cooling channel.

7 . The processing system of claim 1 , wherein the oxide removal chamber is a fluorine processing chamber, the plasma contaminant removal chamber is a hydrogen processing chamber, and the film formation chamber is an epitaxy chamber.

8 . The processing system of claim 7 , wherein the oxide removal chamber includes a substrate support with a cooling channel, and the plasma contaminant removal chamber includes a substrate support operable to heat a substrate disposed thereon to a temperature of greater than 300° C.

9 . The processing system of claim 8 , further comprising an anneal chamber.

10 . A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
removing oxides from a substrate by a process that includes exposing the substrate to a processing gas comprising NH 3 , HF, and inert gases; removing contaminants from the substrate by a process that includes exposing the substrate to hydrogen radicals; and forming a film on the substrate by an epitaxy process.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising removing by-products of the oxides removal process from the substrate by a thermal treatment process.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the thermal treatment process is performed in the same chamber as hydrogen radical exposure process.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the oxides removal process comprises:
disposing the substrate in a processing chamber; forming a plasma from an inert gas; flowing the plasma into a mixing chamber with NH 3 and HF to form a reaction mixture; flowing the reaction mixture into the processing chamber, and exposing the substrate to the reaction mixture.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the oxides removal process further comprises heating the substrate to a temperature of at least 100 degrees Celsius after the exposure to the reaction mixture.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein exposing the substrate to hydrogen radicals comprises:
disposing the substrate in a processing chamber on a substrate support that has a heater; heating the substrate to a temperature between 25° C. and 650° C.; forming a plasma from a hydrogen containing gas; removing ions from the plasma using a magnetic field to form a hydrogen radical gas; flowing the hydrogen radical gas into the processing chamber; and exposing the substrate to the hydrogen radical gas.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
before exposing the substrate to a fluorine containing chemistry, disposing the substrate in a thermal treatment chamber; flowing an inert gas into the thermal treatment chamber; and heating the substrate to a temperature of 400° C. or greater.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the forming the film on the substrate comprising performing an epitaxy process on the substrate.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein exposing the substrate to hydrogen radicals comprises heating the substrate to a temperature of at least 400° C.

19 . A processing system, comprising:
a first transfer chamber coupled to at least one film formation chamber; a second transfer chamber; a plasma oxide removal chamber coupled to the first or second transfer chamber; a plasma contaminant removal chamber coupled to the first or second transfer chamber; and a load lock chamber coupled to the second transfer chamber.

20 . The processing system of claim 19 , further comprising an oxide removal chamber.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Hawrylchak Lara
• Lo Kin Pong
• Sanchez Errol C
• Chu Schubert S
• Mandrekar Tushar

Classifications

• H10P70/125

  with gaseous HF · CPC title

• H10P14/3421

  Arsenides · CPC title

• H10P14/3416

  Nitrides · CPC title

• H10P72/7626

  characterised by the construction of the shaft · CPC title

• H10P72/7624

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