Heated showerhead assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9570275-B2
Application number	US-201414531831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	Jan 10, 2008
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure generally comprises a heated showerhead assembly that may be used to supply processing gases into a processing chamber. The processing chamber may be an etching chamber. When processing gas is evacuated from the processing chamber, the uniform processing of the substrate may be difficult. As the processing gas is pulled away from the substrate and towards the vacuum pump, the plasma, in the case of etching, may not be uniform across the substrate. Uneven plasma may lead to uneven etching. To prevent uneven etching, the showerhead assembly may be separated into two zones each having independently controllable gas introduction and temperature control. The first zone corresponds to the perimeter of the substrate while the second zone corresponds to the center of the substrate. By independently controlling the temperature and the gas flow through the showerhead zones, etching uniformity of the substrate may be increased.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A showerhead, comprising a showerhead body having:
a first zone encircling a second zone, wherein the first zone has:
a first plenum disposed on a first side of the body;
a first heating element comprising a first plurality of heating coils;
one or more second plenums disposed on the second side of the body; and
a plurality of first bores arranged in a plurality of first annular patterns, the plurality of first bores extending from the first plenum to the one or more second plenums; and

the second zone has:
a third plenum disposed on the first side of the body;
a second heating element comprising a second plurality of heating coils;
one or more fourth plenums disposed on the second side of the body; and
a plurality of second bores arranged in a plurality of second annular patterns, the plurality of second bores extending from the third plenum to the one or more fourth plenums.

2. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the showerhead body comprises aluminum.

3. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the one or more second plenums are arranged in a plurality of third annular patterns that match the plurality of first annular patterns and the one or more fourth plenums are arranged in a plurality of fourth annular patterns that match the plurality of second annular patterns.

4. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the first heating element and the second heating element are tubular.

5. The showerhead of claim 1 , wherein the first heating element and the second heating element are disconnected.

6. The showerhead of claim 5 , wherein the second heating element is disposed radially inward the first plenum.

7. A showerhead, comprising a showerhead body having:
a first zone encircling a second zone, wherein the first zone has:
a first plenum disposed on a first side of the body;
a first heating element comprising a first plurality of heating coils;
one or more second plenums disposed on the second side of the body; and
a plurality of first bores arranged in a plurality of first annular patterns, the plurality of first bores extending from the first plenum to the one or more second plenums, and wherein the plurality of first annular patterns is spaced apart by a first distance; and

the second zone has:
a third plenum disposed on the first side of the body;
a second heating element comprising a second plurality of heating coils;
one or more fourth plenums disposed on the second side of the body; and
a plurality of second bores arranged in a plurality of second annular patterns, the plurality of second bores extending from the third plenum to the one or more fourth plenums, and wherein the plurality of second annular patterns is spaced apart by a second distance substantially equal to the first distance.

8. The showerhead of claim 7 , wherein the showerhead body comprises aluminum.

9. The showerhead of claim 7 , wherein the one or more second plenums are arranged in a plurality of third annular patterns that match the plurality of first annular patterns and the one or more fourth plenums are arranged in a plurality of fourth annular patterns that match the plurality of second annular patterns.

10. The showerhead of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of the first annular pattern is spaced from the plurality of the second annular pattern by a third distance substantially equal to the first distance.

11. The showerhead of claim 7 , wherein the first heating element and the second heating element are tubular.

12. The showerhead of claim 7 , wherein the first heating element and the second heating element are disconnected.

13. The showerhead of claim 12 , wherein the second heating element is disposed radially inward the first plenum.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Carducci James D
• Regelman Olga
• Bera Kallol
• Buchberger Jr Douglas A
• Brillhart Paul

Classifications

• C23C16/4412

  Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps · CPC title

• B32B43/00

  Operations specially adapted for layered products and not otherwise provided for, e.g. repairing; Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• C23C16/45591

  Fixed means, e.g. wings, baffles · CPC title

• Y10T29/49815

  Disassembling · CPC title

• H01J37/32724

  Temperature · CPC title