Icp source gas delivery hub and nozzle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024351055-A1
Application number	US-202318206852-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 7, 2023
Priority date	Apr 20, 2023
Publication date	Oct 24, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

Example structures, methods, and systems for additive manufacturing of a gas hub and delivery nozzle are disclosed. One example structure includes a unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle that includes a gas hub portion and a gas delivery nozzle portion. The gas hub portion includes multiple gas inlet paths and one or more plenum chambers. The multiple gas inlet paths and the one or more plenum chambers form fully recursive gas paths. Each of the one or more plenum chambers has one or more output holes. The gas delivery nozzle portion includes multiple gas flow paths, where each gas flow path is coupled to one of the one or more output holes in each of the one or more plenum chambers, and each gas flow path has a respective output at an outer surface of the gas delivery nozzle portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A structure embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process, the structure comprising:
a unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle comprising:
a gas hub portion comprising:
a plurality of gas inlet paths and one or more plenum chambers formed within a body of the gas hub portion, wherein the plurality of gas inlet paths and the one or more plenum chambers form fully recursive gas paths; and
one or more output holes in each of the one or more plenum chambers; and

a gas delivery nozzle portion comprising one or more gas flow paths formed within a body of the gas delivery nozzle portion, wherein each gas flow path is coupled to one of the one or more output holes in each of the one or more plenum chambers, and wherein each gas flow path has a respective output at an outer surface of the gas delivery nozzle portion.

2 . The structure of claim 1 , wherein the structure resides on storage medium as a data format used for an exchange of layout data.

3 . The structure of claim 1 , wherein the structure includes at least one of test data files, characterization data, verification data, or design specifications.

4 . The structure of claim 1 , wherein the gas hub portion is formed from a first dielectric material.

5 . The structure of claim 4 , wherein the gas delivery nozzle portion is formed from one of the first dielectric material or a second dielectric material different from the first dielectric material.

6 . The structure of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of gas inlet paths comprises multiple branches, each of the multiple branches configured to provide input to a respective portion of a corresponding plenum chamber to provide uniform gas distribution.

7 . The structure of claim 4 , wherein an exterior surface of the gas delivery nozzle portion has a coating, and the coating is of a third material, and the third material is different than the first dielectric material.

8 . The structure of claim 1 , wherein the one or more plenum chambers comprise a first plenum chamber configured to direct etch gases to gas flow paths in the gas delivery nozzle portion having a first set of outputs and a second plenum chamber configured to direct etch gases to gas flow paths in the gas delivery nozzle portion having a second set of outputs.

9 . The structure of claim 8 , wherein the gas delivery nozzle portion comprises a plurality of gas injection passages that couple the first plenum chamber to a plurality of nozzle outlets disposed at a bottom of the gas delivery nozzle portion.

10 . The structure of claim 9 , wherein the gas delivery nozzle portion further comprises a plurality of gas injection passages that couple the second plenum chamber to a plurality of nozzle outlets disposed in a sidewall of the gas delivery nozzle portion.

11 . The structure of claim 8 , wherein each of the first plenum chamber and the second plenum chamber comprises one or more segments, each segment having a respective geometry formed within the body of the gas hub portion, wherein each segment is coupled to at least one gas inlet path of the plurality of gas inlet paths and a plurality of output holes.

12 . The structure of claim 1 , wherein the unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle further comprises one or more temperature monitoring sensors configured to monitor temperatures within the unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle.

13 . The structure of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more gas flow paths is a non-linear path that prevents line-of-sight from a corresponding output at the outer surface of the gas delivery nozzle portion to a corresponding output hole in a corresponding plenum chamber.

14 . A plasma processing system, comprising:
a unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle comprising:
a gas hub portion comprising:
a plurality of gas inlet paths and one or more plenum chambers formed within a body of the gas hub portion, wherein the plurality of gas inlet paths and the one or more plenum chambers form fully recursive gas paths; and
one or more output holes in each of the one or more plenum chambers; and

a gas delivery nozzle portion comprising one or more gas flow paths formed within a body of the gas delivery nozzle portion, wherein each gas flow path is coupled to one of the one or more output holes in each of the one or more plenum chambers, and wherein each gas flow path has a respective output at an outer surface of the gas delivery nozzle portion.

15 . The plasma processing system of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of gas inlet paths comprises multiple branches, each of the multiple branches configured to provide input to a respective portion of a corresponding plenum chamber to provide uniform gas distribution.

16 . The plasma processing system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more plenum chambers comprise a first plenum chamber configured to direct etch gases to gas flow paths of the gas delivery nozzle portion having a first set of outputs and a second plenum chamber configured to direct etch gases to gas flow paths of the gas delivery nozzle portion having a second set of outputs.

17 . The plasma processing system of claim 14 , wherein the unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle further comprises one or more temperature monitoring sensors configured to monitor temperatures within the unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle.

18 . A method, comprising:
additively manufacturing a unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle, wherein additively manufacturing the unitary gas hub and distribution nozzle comprises:
forming multiple layers including a gas delivery nozzle portion;
forming multiple layers including one or more gas flow paths within the gas delivery nozzle portion and having a defined geometry;
forming multiple layers including a gas hub portion having one or more input gas ports for coupling to one or more corresponding gas lines; and
forming multiple layers including one or more plenum chambers and recursive gas flow paths within a body of the gas hub portion; wherein:
the gas hub portion further comprises one or more output holes in each of the one or more plenum chambers; and
each of the one or more gas flow paths in the gas delivery nozzle portion is coupled to one of the one or more output holes in each of the one or more plenum chambers, and each of the one or more gas flow paths has a respective output at an outer surface of the gas delivery nozzle portion.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the one or more plenum chambers comprise a first plenum chamber configured to direct etch gases to gas flow paths in the gas delivery nozzle portion having a first set of outputs and a second plenum chamber configured to direct etch gases gas flow paths in the gas delivery nozzle portion having a second set of outputs.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein each of the first plenum chamber and the second plenum chamber comprises one or more segments, each segment having a respective geometry formed within the body of the gas hub portion, wherein each segment is coupled to at least one gas flow path of the recursive gas flow paths and a plurality of output holes.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Sarode Vishwanath Yogananda
• Nguyen Andrew
• Cho Tom K

Classifications

• B05B7/26 Primary

  Apparatus in which liquids or other fluent materials from different sources are brought together before entering the discharge device {(B05B7/2402 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B05B1/005

  Nozzles or other outlets specially adapted for discharging one or more gases · CPC title

• B05B13/0278

  Arrangement or mounting of spray heads (B05B13/0207 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B1/14 Primary

  with multiple outlet openings (B05B1/02, B05B1/26 take precedence); with strainers in or outside the outlet opening · CPC title