Monolithic ceramic component of gas delivery system and method of making and use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9580360-B2
Application number	US-201514676180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2015
Priority date	Apr 7, 2014
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A method of making a monolithic ceramic component of a gas delivery system of a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus wherein the gas delivery system is configured to supply process gas to a gas distribution member disposed downstream thereof. The gas distribution member is configured to supply the process gas to a processing region of a vacuum chamber of the apparatus, wherein the processing region is disposed above an upper surface of a semiconductor substrate to be processed. The method comprises preparing a green compact of ceramic material. The green compact of ceramic material is formed into a form of a desired monolithic ceramic component of the gas delivery system. The formed green compact of ceramic material is fired to form the monolithic ceramic component of the gas delivery system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a monolithic ceramic a gas stick usable in a gas delivery system of a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus, the method of making the monolithic ceramic component comprising:
preparing a green compact of ceramic material;
forming the green compact of ceramic material into a form of a desired monolithic ceramic gas stick having a plurality of inlet ports and a plurality of outlet ports and one or more conduits in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet ports, wherein the green compact of ceramic material is formed around a preform having a shape corresponding to an internal cavity structure of the monolithic ceramic gas stick;
removing the preform from the formed green compact of ceramic material by heating the preform to thereby facilitate removal of the preform from the formed green compact of ceramic material; and
firing the formed green compact of ceramic material to form the monolithic ceramic gas stick of the gas delivery system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the firing of the formed green compact of the ceramic material is performed by sintering the formed green compact.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more conduits are a plurality of vertical conduits, optional diagonal conduits, and a plurality of horizontal conduits.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the green compact of ceramic material is formed from a slurry comprising at least one powder of a ceramic material and a binder.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ceramic material is selected from the group consisting of silicon, silicon carbide (SiC), silicon oxide, silicon nitride, boron carbide, aluminum nitride, titanium oxide, alumina, zirconia, beryllia, and ceria.

6. A method of making a monolithic ceramic mixing manifold of a gas delivery system of a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising:
preparing layers of a green compact of ceramic material;
over layering the green compact of ceramic material layer by layer to form a green compact of ceramic material which corresponds to a form of a desired monolithic ceramic mixing manifold configured to support gas delivery components of a gas stick, the mixing manifold having one or more inlet and outlet ports and one or more conduits in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet ports, wherein each layer of the green compact of ceramic material is patterned such that a plurality of vertical conduits, optional diagonal conduits, and a plurality of horizontal conduits are formed in the formed green compact of ceramic material; and
firing the green compact of ceramic material to form the monolithic ceramic mixing manifold.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the firing of the formed green compact of the ceramic material is performed by sintering the formed green compact of ceramic material as each layer is layered.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the green compact of ceramic material is formed from a slurry comprising at least one powder of a ceramic material and a binder and the layers are formed by 3-D printing the slurry.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ceramic material is selected from the group consisting of silicon, silicon carbide (SiC), silicon oxide, silicon nitride, boron carbide, aluminum nitride, titanium oxide, alumina, zirconia, beryllia, and ceria.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Daugherty John
• Shareef Iqbal
• Ingamells Mike

Classifications

• H10P72/0451 Primary

  Apparatus for manufacturing or treating in a plurality of work-stations · CPC title

• H01J37/3244 Primary

  Gas supply means · CPC title

• B28B1/001

  Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00) · CPC title

• C04B35/66

  Monolithic refractories or refractory mortars, including those whether or not containing clay {(making or repairing of linings F27D1/16)} · CPC title

• C04B35/64

  Burning or sintering processes (C04B33/32 takes precedence {; powder metallurgy B22F}) · CPC title