Movable chamber liner plasma confinement screen combination for plasma processing apparatuses

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9490135-B2
Application number	US-201314061305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2013
Priority date	May 21, 2010
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

A movable symmetric chamber liner in a plasma reaction chamber, for protecting the plasma reaction chamber, enhancing the plasma density and uniformity, and reducing process gas consumption, comprising a cylindrical wall, a bottom wall with a plurality of openings, a raised inner rim with an embedded heater, heater contacts, and RF ground return contacts. The chamber liner is moved by actuators between an upper position at which substrates can be transferred into and out of the chamber, and a lower position at which substrate are processed in the chamber. The actuators also provide electrical connection to the heater and RF ground return contacts.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of manufacturing a movable chamber liner, comprising:
hydroforming a metal plate to form an assembly consisting of a bottom wall and an outer cylindrical wall;
machining a piece of metal or casting molten metal to form an inner rim;
supporting a heater in thermal contact with the inner rim;
welding the hydroformed assembly of the bottom wall and the outer cylindrical wall to the inner rim; and
machining or drilling openings in the bottom wall to form a movable chamber liner configured to fit around a perimeter of a substrate support, in a plasma reaction chamber useful for processing a semiconductor substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inner rim includes a sloped surface which extends axially upward from an inner perimeter of the bottom wall.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising embedding the heater in the inner rim.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inner rim comprises four radially outwardly extending bosses spaced 90° apart, at least one of the bosses housing electrical connections to the heater.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outer cylindrical wall and the bottom wall consist of a single plate of hydroformed aluminum.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising friction-stir welding the inner rim to the bottom wall.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one electrical receptacle is on a lower surface of the liner, the at least one electrical receptacle comprising one or more conductive contacts (heater contacts) electrically connected to the heater and electrically insulated from the liner;
at least one electrical receptacle is on the lower surface of the liner, the at least one electrical receptacle comprising a conductive contact (RF ground return button) electrically connected to the liner and electrically insulated from any heater contacts.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the electrical receptacles are azimuthally symmetrically positioned.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the material of the exposed surfaces of the heater contacts and the exposed surfaces of the RF ground return buttons is nickel, rhodium, iridium or alloy thereof.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein:
two of the electrical receptacles comprise heater contacts; and
each of the electrical receptacles comprises an RF ground return button.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the openings in the bottom wall are slots arranged in a radial pattern and their longitudinal axes are substantially perpendicular to inner and outer circumferences of the chamber liner.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bottom wall, the outer cylindrical wall and the inner rim are anodized aluminum, or roughened and anodized aluminum.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heater comprises two semicircular heater elements.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising coating plasma exposed surfaces of the bottom wall, the outer cylindrical wall and the inner rim with a ceramic coating.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein each of the semicircular heater elements includes a pair of radially outwardly extending segments at opposite ends thereof.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Brown Danny
• Sharpless Leonard

Classifications

• H10P50/242 Primary

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01L21/3065 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• Y10T29/49117

  Conductor or circuit manufacturing · CPC title

• H01J37/32623

  Mechanical discharge control means · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title