Flow controlled liner having spatially distributed gas passages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9842748-B2
Application number	US-201715407622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Apr 30, 2013
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a liner assembly including a plurality of individually separated gas passages. The liner assembly enables tenability of flow parameters, such as velocity, density, direction and spatial location, across a substrate being processed. The processing gas across the substrate being processed may be specially tailored for individual processes with a liner assembly according to embodiment of the present disclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liner assembly for protecting an inner surface of a substrate process chamber, comprising:
a lower liner having a ring shaped body with an outer surface and an inner surface defining a processing volume, the ring shaped body having a plurality of gas passages therethrough, the plurality of gas passages connecting the outer surface to the processing volume, wherein each of the plurality of gas passages comprises a horizontal portion connected to a vertical portion, wherein the horizontal portion opens to the outer surface of the ring shaped body, and wherein the vertical portion has an upper end open to an upper surface of the ring shaped body and a lower end connected to the horizontal portion; and
an upper liner disposed above the ring shaped body, the upper liner including a plurality of flow guides aligned with the plurality of gas passages.

2. A liner assembly for protecting an inner surface of a substrate process chamber, comprising:
a lower liner having a ring shaped body with an outer surface and an inner surface defining a processing volume, the ring shaped body having a plurality of gas passages therethrough, the plurality of gas passages connecting the outer surface to the processing volume; and
an upper liner disposed above the ring shaped body, the upper liner including a plurality of flow guides aligned with the plurality of gas passages, wherein the upper liner includes a ring shaped body having a lip extending radially inward.

3. The liner assembly of claim 2 , wherein the lip defines a central opening.

4. The liner assembly of claim 2 , wherein the lip is positioned away from the lower liner.

5. The liner assembly of claim 2 , wherein the ring shaped body of the upper liner has a curved inner surface facing the lower liner.

6. The liner assembly of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of flow guides are formed in the inner surface.

7. A liner assembly for protecting an inner surface of a substrate process chamber, comprising:
a liner body having a ring shaped body with an outer surface and an inner surface, the ring shaped body having a plurality of horizontal channels connecting a plurality of slanted channels; and
an inject ring attached to the inner surface of the ring shaped body, the inject ring having a plurality of horizontal channels formed therethrough, each of the plurality of horizontal channels aligning with and connecting to one of the plurality of slanted channels.

8. The liner assembly of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of horizontal channels formed through the inject ring are parallel to one another.

9. The liner assembly of claim 7 , further comprising a plurality of inject blocks coupled to the inner surface of the ring shaped body, wherein each inject block includes a horizontal channel formed therethrough, and the horizontal channel in each inject block is aligned with one of the plurality of slanted channels.

10. The liner assembly of claim 9 , wherein the horizontal channels formed through the inject blocks are parallel to one another.

11. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:
directing radiant energy from a plurality of heating elements towards an enclosure of a substrate processing chamber; and
tuning a flow of process gas using a plurality of gas passages formed in a liner assembly disposed in the process chamber, wherein the liner assembly comprises a ring shaped body with an outer surface and an inner surface defining a processing volume, the ring shaped body including a plurality of gas passages connecting the outer surface to the processing volume, and an upper liner disposed above the ring shaped body, the upper liner including a plurality of flow guides aligned with the plurality of gas passages.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein tuning the flow of process gas comprises directing the flow through a plurality of slanted channels.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Samir Mehmet Tugrul
• Lau Shu-Kwan

Classifications

• H10P72/0604

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• H10P72/0436 Primary

  mainly by radiation · CPC title

• H10P72/0402 Primary

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• C23C16/455

  characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber · CPC title

• C23C16/4401 Primary

  Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber · CPC title