Deflector for chamber cleaning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023257875-A1
Application number	US-202217671966-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 15, 2022
Priority date	Feb 15, 2022
Publication date	Aug 17, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of fabricating semiconductor devices includes: loading one or more semiconductor wafers into a plurality of stations provided within a process chamber; applying a process to the semiconductor wafers which deposits a material on the one or more semiconductor wafers within the process chamber; and cleaning the process chamber. Suitably, cleaning the process chamber includes flowing a cleaning gas into the process chamber toward a deflector arranged in the process chamber, the deflector having a first surface upon which the flowed cleaning gas impinges, the first surface directing a first portion of the flowed cleaning gas impinging thereon in a first trajectory toward a first end of the process chamber and directing a second portion of the flowed cleaning gas impinging thereon in a second trajectory toward a second end of the process chamber, the second end being opposite the first end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of fabricating semiconductor devices, said method comprising:
loading one or more semiconductor wafers into a plurality of stations provided within a process chamber; applying a process to the semiconductor wafers which deposits a material on the one or more semiconductor wafers within the process chamber; and cleaning the process chamber; wherein said cleaning comprises:
flowing a cleaning gas into the process chamber toward a deflector arranged in the process chamber, said deflector having a first surface upon which the flowed cleaning gas impinges, said first surface directing a first portion of the flowed cleaning gas impinging thereon in a first trajectory toward a first end of the process chamber and directing a second portion of the flowed cleaning gas impinging thereon in a second trajectory toward a second end of the process chamber, said second end being opposite the first end.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the material comprises a silicon carbon oxide (SiCO).

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said deflector has a central hub and an outer periphery between which the first surface extends, and along a bisecting cross-section of the deflector the first surface is defined by at least two arcs having an inflection point therebetween, said at least two arcs including a first arc which is concave in a first direction between the central hub and the inflection point and a second arc which is concave in a second direction between the inflection point and the outer periphery, said second direction being opposite the first direction.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first and second arcs are parabolic.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first arc has a radius of curvature in a range of between greater than or equal to 20 mm and less than or equal to 500 mm, and the second arc has a radius of curvature in a range of between greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 300 mm.

6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the deflector has a second surface opposite the first surface, such that a thickness of the deflector is given by a distance between the first and second surfaces, said deflector having a first thickness at the central hub, a second thickness at a localized minimum of the first arc and a third thickness at a localized maximum of the second arc, said first thickness being greater than the third thickness and said third thickness being greater than the second thickness.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first surface has a plurality of parabolic depressions that act to direct the first portion of the flowed cleaning gas impinging thereon in the first trajectory toward the first end of the process chamber and a plurality of parabolic ridges that act to direct the second portion of the flowed cleaning gas impinging thereon in the second trajectory toward the second end of the process chamber.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning gas comprises a nitrogen trifluoride.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the applied process comprises an atomic layer deposition process.

10 . A process chamber for depositing a material on one or more semiconductor wafers, said process chamber comprising:
a plurality of mounting structures, each mounting structure arranged to selectively receive atop thereof a semiconductor wafer; one or more showerheads from which a process gas is introduced into the process chamber for forming a thin film of material on one or more semiconductor wafers placed upon the plurality of mounting structures; a port from which a cleaning gas is flowed into the process chamber; and a deflector having a central hub, an outer periphery and a first surface extending between the central hub and outer periphery, said first surface facing the port, and along a bisecting cross-section of the deflector the first surface is defined by at least two arcs having an inflection point therebetween, said at least two arcs including a first arc which is concave in a first direction between the central hub and the inflection point and a second arc which is concave in a second direction between the inflection point and the outer periphery, said second direction being opposite the first direction.

11 . The process chamber of claim 10 , wherein the process chamber is a silicon carbon oxide (SiCO) deposition chamber.

12 . The process chamber of claim 10 , further comprising;
a spindle including a plurality of end effectors for manipulating the semiconductor wafers; wherein the deflector forms an index plate of the spindle.

13 . The process chamber of claim 10 , wherein the first arc has a radius of curvature in a range of between greater than or equal to 20 mm and less than or equal to 500 mm, and the second arc has a radius of curvature in a range of between greater than or equal to 10 mm and less than or equal to 300 mm.

14 . The process chamber of claim 10 , wherein the deflector has a second surface opposite the first surface, such that a thickness of the deflector is given by a distance between first and second surfaces, said deflector having a first thickness at the central hub, a second thickness at a localized minimum of the first arc and a third thickness at a localized maximum of the second arc, said first thickness being greater than the third thickness and said third thickness being greater than the second thickness.

15 . The process chamber of claim 14 , wherein the deflector is supported within the process chamber such that, at the outer periphery of the deflector, the second surface of the deflector is within a range of between greater than or equal to 0 mm and less than or equal to 30 mm from a floor of the process chamber.

16 . The process chamber of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of mounting structures includes at least four mounting structures arranged on a base of the process chamber and the deflector is also arranged on the base of the process chamber amid the at least four mounting structures.

17 . The process chamber of claim 10 , wherein a common vertical axis extends through both the central hub of the deflector and the port.

18 . A cleaning gas deflector which deflects cleaning gas flowed into a semiconductor processing chamber having housed therein a plurality of mounting structures upon which one or more semiconductor wafers are selectively placed for the formation of a layer a material thereon, said cleaning gas deflector comprising:
a central hub through which a central vertical axis extends; an outer periphery; and a first surface extending between the central hub and the outer periphery; wherein the first surface has: (i) one or more depressions therein, each depression defined at least in part by a first parabolic arc which is concave up, and (ii) one or more ridges therein, each ridge defined at least in part by a second parabolic arc which is concave down.

19 . The cleaning gas deflector of claim 18 , wherein the first and second parabolic arcs define the first surface along a bisecting cross-section of the deflector, said first arc extending from the central hub to an inflection point, and the second arc extending from the inflection point to the outer periphery, wherein a ratio of a first distance to a second distance is in a range of between great than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 5, where the first distance is the distance, measured along a direction normal to the central vertical axis, between the central hub and the inflection point and the second distance, likewise measured

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Cheng Kuang-Wei
• Huang Sung-Ju
• Liu Yung-Tsun
• Lee Chih-Tsung
• Ni Chyi-Tsong

Classifications

• H10P14/6922

  the material containing Si, O and at least one of H, N, C, F or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC · CPC title

• H10P14/6339

  deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD · CPC title

• H10P72/3412

  Batch transfer of wafers · CPC title

• H10P72/0406

  for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like · CPC title

• C23C16/4405 Primary

  Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases · CPC title