Particle control in laser processing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9579750-B2
Application number	US-201213619749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2012
Priority date	Oct 5, 2011
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a laser processing systems for thermally processing substrates. The laser processing systems include a shield disposed between an energy source of the laser processing system and a substrate which is to be thermally processed. The shield includes an optically transparent window disposed adjacent to a cavity within the shield. The optically transparent window allows annealing energy to pass therethrough and to illuminate the substrate. The shield also includes one or more gas inlets and one or more gas outlets for introducing and removing a purge gas from the cavity within the shield. The purge gas is utilized to remove volatized or ablated components during thermal processing, and to provide a gas of predetermined composition, such as oxygen-free, to the thermally processed area.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a substrate support enclosure configured to have a surface for supporting a workpiece inside; and
a body coupled to an upper outer surface of the substrate support enclosure, the body defining a cavity and having:
a conical portion with a first end having a first diameter and a second end having a second diameter less than the first diameter, the conical portion having a tapered inner sidewall between the first end and the second end;
a cylindrical portion joined to the second end of the conical portion, the cylindrical portion extending beyond the upper outer surface of the substrate support enclosure, and the cylindrical portion defining a second gas inlet port adjacent the substrate support enclosure;
a first gas inlet port formed circumferentially around the first end of the conical portion, the first gas inlet port formed in the tapered inner sidewall of the conical portion; and
a transparent window disposed at the first end of the conical portion configured to allow a laser to penetrate the conical portion and pass through the cylindrical portion to contact the workpiece.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first gas inlet port is in fluid communication with the cavity.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a first gas channel in fluid communication with the first gas inlet port.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a gas outlet port in fluid communication with the cavity.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the gas outlet port is positioned in the cylindrical portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a flange disposed on an outer surface of the cylindrical portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the flange includes openings disposed therethrough to accommodate fasteners.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the window comprises quartz, fused silica, or sapphire.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises stainless steel or aluminum.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transparent window includes a coating thereon, and wherein the coating is anti-reflective to radiation having a first wavelength and reflective to radiation having a second wavelength.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first wavelength is within a range of 200 nanometers to 1100 nanometers, and the second wavelength is within a range of 800 nanometers to 2.2 microns.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the body includes an opening through a wall thereof to accommodate a pyrometry field of view.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein an internal surface of the body includes a coating thereon, the coating selected from a group consisting of gold, silver, and aluminum.

14. An apparatus, comprising:
a substrate support enclosure configured to have a surface for supporting a workpiece inside; and
a body coupled to an upper outer surface of the substrate support enclosure, the body defining a cavity and having:
a conical portion with a first end having a first diameter and a second end having a second diameter less than the first diameter, the conical portion having a tapered inner sidewall between the first end and the second end;
a cylindrical portion joined to the second end of the conical portion, the cylindrical portion extending beyond the upper outer surface of the substrate support enclosure, and the cylindrical portion defining a second gas inlet port adjacent the substrate support enclosure;
a first gas inlet port formed circumferentially around the first end of the conical portion in fluid communication with the cavity, the first gas inlet port formed in the tapered inner sidewall of the conical portion;
a transparent window disposed at the first end of the conical portion adjacent the first gas inlet port configured to allow a laser to penetrate the conical portion and pass through the cylindrical portion to contact the workpiece, the transparent window having a coating thereon that is anti-reflective to radiation having a first wavelength and reflective to radiation having a second wavelength; and
a flange disposed on an outer surface of the cylindrical portion, the flange including a plurality of openings therethrough to accommodate fasteners to fasten the body to the substrate support enclosure.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first wavelength is within a range of 200 nanometers to 1100 nanometers, and the second wavelength is within a range of 800 nanometers to 2.2 microns.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein an internal surface of the body includes a coating thereon, the coating selected from a group consisting of gold, silver, and aluminum.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the body includes an opening through a wall thereof to accommodate a pyrometry field of view.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the body comprises stainless steel or aluminum.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the window comprises quartz, fused silica, or sapphire.

Assignees

• Hunter Aaron Muir
• Behdjat Mehran
• Adams Bruce E
• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Hunter Aaron Muir
• Behdjat Mehran
• Adams Bruce E

Classifications

• B23K26/1464

  Supply to, or discharge from, nozzles of media, e.g. gas, powder, wire · CPC title

• B23K26/142

  for the removal of by-products · CPC title

• B23K26/127 Primary

  in an enclosure · CPC title

• H10P95/90

  Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering · CPC title

• H10P34/42

  with electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser annealing (laser cutting H10P54/20) · CPC title