Chamber filler kit for plasma etch chamber useful for fast gas switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9679751-B2
Application number	US-201213421188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2012
Priority date	Mar 15, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A chamber filler kit for an inductively coupled plasma processing chamber in which semiconductor substrates are processed by inductively coupling RF energy through a window facing a substrate supported on a cantilever chuck. The kit includes at least one chamber filler which reduces the lower chamber volume in the chamber below the chuck. The fillers of the kit can be mounted in a standard chamber having a chamber volume of over 60 liters and by using different sized chamber fillers it is possible to reduce the chamber volume to provide desired gas flow conductance and accommodate changes in vacuum pressure during processing of the substrate. The chamber filler kit can be used to modify a standard chamber to accommodate different processing regimes such as rapid alternating processes wherein wide pressure changes are needed without varying a gap between the substrate and the window.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A chamber filler kit comprising at least one chamber filler configured to be replaceably mounted in an inductively coupled plasma chamber having a vacuum outlet in a bottom wall and a cantilever chuck supported on a sidewall of the chamber, the at least one chamber filler is configured to provide a preselected lower chamber volume and conductance enabling a particular process to be carried out in the plasma chamber, the at least one chamber filler including a horizontally extending side opening which fits around a horizontal arm of the cantilever chuck and an inner frustoconical surface which is separated from an outer surface of the chuck by a clearance gap; wherein the at least one chamber filler has an outer wall configured to fit against a wall of the chamber; wherein the at least one chamber filler includes:
a top filler having an outer wall configured to fit against the sidewall of the chamber, a frustoconical inner wall, the side opening extending from the inner wall to the outer wall, a horizontally planar upper end, and a horizontally planar lower end;
a mid filler having an outer wall configured to fit against the sidewall of the chamber, an inner wall comprising a horizontally planar annular section extending between an upper concave section and a lower convex section, a horizontally planar upper end and a horizontally planar lower end, the upper end of the mid filler having the same cross section as the lower end of the top filler such that the inner surface of the mid filler mates with the inner surface of the top filler and the outer wall of the mid filler mates with the outer wall of the top filler;
a bottom filler having an outer wall configured to fit against a bottom wall of the chamber, a cylindrical inner wall, a horizontally planar upper end and a horizontally planar lower end, the upper end of the bottom filler having the same cross section as the lower end of the mid filler such that the inner wall of the bottom filler mates with the inner wall of the mid filler and the outer wall of the bottom filler mates with the outer wall of the mid filler.

2. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the upper end of the top filler is a continuous annular surface, the side opening is defined by a horizontally planar surface and a pair of vertically extending surfaces, the pair of vertically extending surfaces forming a gap in the lower end of the top filler, and the frustoconical inner wall of the top filler is configured to provide an open space of at least 1 inch between the frustoconical inner wall and an outer periphery of the cantilever chuck.

3. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the frustoconical inner wall of the top filler is inclined with respect to the upper end at an angle of about 70 to 80°.

4. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the upper end of the top filler has a width of about 1.7 inches, the outer wall of the top filler is cylindrical and has a uniform diameter of about 21 inches and height of about 5 inches, the lower end of the top filler has a width of about 3 inches, the side opening is rectangular with a height of about 4.4 inches and a width of about 5.5 inches.

5. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the mid filler has an upper annular boss on the upper end and a lower annular boss on the lower end thereof, the upper annular boss and the lower annular boss being parallel to each other, having a width of about 1 inch and height of about 0.05 inch, the upper annular boss adapted to contact and support the top filler and the lower annular boss adapted to contact and be supported on the bottom filler.

6. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the mid filler has a height of about 3 inches, the upper end of the mid filler has an inner diameter of about 15 inches, the lower end of the mid filler has an inner diameter of about 8 inches, the outer wall of the mid filler has a uniform diameter of about 21 inches, the concave section has a radius of about 1.5 inches, the convex section has a radius of about 0.75 inch.

7. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the bottom filler has a height of about 4 inches, the upper end of the bottom filler has an outer diameter of about 21 inches and an inner diameter of about 8 inches, the inner wall of the bottom filler has a uniform diameter of about 8 inches except at a lower end thereof where it is flared outwardly with a radius of about 1 inch, the outer wall of the bottom filler has an upper convex section connected to a lower cylindrical section by a frustoconical section wherein the convex section has a radius of about 3 inches, the frustoconical section is inclined at an angle of about 20 to 30° with respect to the horizontal upper end of the bottom filler, and the lower cylindrical section has an outer diameter of about 10 inches.

8. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the at least one chamber filler comprises a plurality of chamber fillers which are configured to fit in a plasma chamber having a chamber volume of about 90 to 100 liters and reduce the chamber volume to about 20 to about 60 liters.

9. The chamber filler kit of claim 1 , wherein the upper ends of the top filler, the mid filler and the bottom filler have mounting holes therein adapted to cooperate with a lifting tool used to insert and remove the chamber fillers from a plasma chamber.

10. An inductively coupled plasma chamber comprising a chamber having a cantilever chuck extending inwardly from a sidewall of the chamber, a dielectric window forming a top wall of the chamber, a radio frequency (RF) energy source which inductively couples RF energy into the chamber through the window, a process gas source supplying process gas into the chamber, a vacuum outlet in a bottom wall of the chamber and the chamber filler kit of claim 1 mounted in the chamber such that a support arm of the cantilever chuck extends through the side opening in the at least one chamber filler.

11. The chamber of claim 10 , wherein the the outer wall of the top filler is against the sidewall of the chamber, the inner wall of the top filler is inclined such that an upper end of the inner wall is wider than a lower end of the inner wall, the upper end of the top filler is located below an upper surface of the chuck, the mid filler supports the top filler and the bottom filler supports the mid filler so as to provide an annular gap between the inner wall of the top filler and a periphery of the chuck and a vertical gap between a horizontal surface of the mid filler and a bottom surface of the chuck, and the bottom filler having an opening at a lower end thereof in communication with the vacuum outlet.

Assignees

• Mcchesney Jon
• Panagopoulos Theo
• Paterson Alex
• Blair Craig
• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Mcchesney Jon
• Panagopoulos Theo
• Paterson Alex
• Blair Craig

Classifications

• H10P50/244

  comprising alternated and repeated etching and passivation steps · CPC title

• H01J37/32477 Primary

  characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings · CPC title

• H01J37/32458

  Vessel · CPC title

• H01J37/321

  the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma · CPC title

• C23C16/4404

  Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof · CPC title