Semiconductor processing apparatus including a plurality of reactors, and method for providing the same with process gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9410244-B2
Application number	US-201213602713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2012
Priority date	Sep 4, 2012
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A semiconductor processing apparatus is described. The semiconductor processing apparatus includes a gas supply system. The gas supply system has at least one gas supply unit including a process gas source, a gas distribution manifold having an annular gas distribution conduit provided with an inlet and valved outlets; and a gas supply conduit fluidly connecting the process gas source to the inlet of the gas distribution manifold. The semiconductor processing apparatus also includes a plurality of reactors, each fluidly connected to a respective valved outlet of the gas distribution manifold, such that process gas from the process gas source of the at least one gas supply unit is selectively suppliable to a respective reactor via the gas supply conduit, the gas distribution manifold, and a respective valved outlet. A method of providing a plurality of reactors with process gas is also described.

First claim

We claim:

1. A semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising:
a gas supply system, comprising at least one gas supply unit including:
a process gas source;
a gas distribution manifold comprising:
a plurality of valves, each valve having two valve inlets and one valve outlet, wherein each valve inlet of each valve is connected via a conduit branch to one of the two valve inlets of a neighbouring valve of the plurality of valves to provide a closed loop ring conduit including the conduit branches and the valves that are serially connected within the closed loop ring conduit via the respective valve inlets thereof and conduit branches,
wherein the closed loop ring conduit has an inlet, and
wherein the valve outlet of each valve defines an outlet of the gas distribution manifold; and

a gas supply conduit fluidly connecting the process gas source to the inlet of the closed loop ring conduit;
wherein the semiconductor processing apparatus additionally comprises:
a plurality of reactors, each reactor being fluidly connected to a respective outlet of the gas distribution manifold of the at least one gas supply unit, such that process gas from the process gas source of the at least one gas supply unit is selectively suppliable to a respective reactor of said plurality of reactors via the gas supply conduit, the gas distribution manifold, and said outlet of the gas distribution manifold of the at least one gas supply unit.

2. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outlets of the gas distribution manifold includes a zero dead volume valve, having substantially no dead volume in the gas distribution manifold upstream of a switching point for the zero dead volume valve.

3. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply conduit includes an upstream stage and a downstream stage, and
wherein the upstream stage is fluidly connected to the downstream stage through a first gas supply switching valve, such that process gas from the process gas source is suppliable to the reactors only in case the first gas supply switching valve is in an open state.

4. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said first gas supply switching valve is a zero dead volume valve, having substantially no dead volume in the downstream stage of the gas supply conduit downstream of a switching point for the zero dead volume valve.

5. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further including: a purge gas source that is fluidly connected to the downstream stage of the gas supply conduit.

6. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 3 , further including:
an exhaust; and
a gas exhaust conduit, having an upstream end that is fluidly connected to the upstream stage of the gas supply conduit through a second gas supply switching valve, and a downstream end that is fluidly connected to the exhaust.

7. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gas supply system comprises at least two gas supply units, such that
process gas from a process gas source of a first of said at least two gas supply units is selectively suppliable to a respective reactor of said plurality of reactors via the gas supply conduit, the gas distribution manifold, and a respective outlet of said first of said at least two gas supply units, while process gas from a process gas source of a second of said at least two gas supply units is selectively suppliable to a respective reactor of said plurality of reactors via the gas supply conduit, the gas distribution manifold, and a respective outlet of said second of said at least two gas supply systems.

8. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said gas supply system further comprises: a controller that is configured to control the operation of the at least two gas supply units, and is operably connected to at least the outlets of said gas supply units.

9. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said controller is configured to: repeatedly execute an operational cycle comprising a plurality of successive periods, wherein each reactor is exclusively associated with one of said periods of the operational cycle and vice versa, and wherein, during a respective period, the at least two gas supply units of the gas supply system selectively and alternately supply the reactor associated with said respective period with process gas.

10. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the outlets of each of said at least two gas supply units is open at substantially any point in time during the operational cycle.

11. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said controller is configured to:
to repeatedly execute an operational cycle during which
each one of the reactors is supplied with alternating process gas pulses from the respective gas supply units,
each gas supply unit supplies process gas to only one reactor at a time, and
any two consecutive process gas pulses provided by a respective gas supply unit are supplied to different reactors.

12. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein a timing of the process gas pulses is such that one reactor is supplied with process gas from one gas supply unit and simultaneously another reactor is supplied with process gas from another gas supply unit during at least a portion of the operational cycle.

13. The semiconductor processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said controller is configured to repeatedly execute an operational cycle during which each one of the reactors is supplied with process gas pulses from the respective gas supply units,
wherein a timing of the process gas pulses is such that different reactors are simultaneously supplied with process gas from different gas supply units during at least a portion of the operational cycle.

14. A gas supply system for use in a semiconductor processing apparatus comprising at least one gas supply unit including:
a process gas source;
a gas distribution manifold comprising:
a plurality of valves, each valve having two valve inlets and one valve outlet, wherein each valve inlet of each valve is connected via a conduit branch to one of the two valve inlets of a neighbouring valve of the plurality of valves to provide a closed loop ring conduit including the conduit branches and the valves that are serially connected within the closed loop ring conduit via the respective valve inlets thereof and conduit branches,
wherein the closed loop ring conduit has an inlet, and
wherein the valve outlet of each valve defines an outlet of the gas distribution manifold; and

a gas supply conduit fluidly connecting the process gas source to the inlet of the closed loop ring conduit;
said at least one gas supply unit being configured such that process gas from the process gas source is selectively suppliable to a respective reactor of a plurality of reactors via the gas supply conduit, the gas distribution manifold, and said outlet of the gas distribution manifold of the at least one gas supply unit, wherein each reactor of the plurality of reactors being fluidly connected to an outlet of the gas distribution manifold.

Assignees

• Oosterlaken Theodorus G M
• Bankras Radko
• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• Oosterlaken Theodorus G M
• Bankras Radko

Classifications

• C23C16/45561

  Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber · CPC title

• C23C16/44 Primary

  characterised by the method of coating (C23C16/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T137/85938

  Non-valved flow dividers · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• C23C16/45525

  Atomic layer deposition [ALD] · CPC title