JP2023113690A - Methods of operating spatial deposition tool - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method of optimizing various processes in a spatial ALD process chamber.SOLUTION: Apparatus and methods to process one or more wafers are described. A spatial deposition tool includes a plurality of substrate support surfaces on a substrate support assembly and a plurality of spatially separated and isolated processing stations. The spatially separated and isolated processing stations have independently controlled temperature, processing gas types, and gas flows. In some embodiments, the processing gases on one or more processing stations are activated using plasma sources. The operation of a spatial tool includes rotating the substrate assembly in a first direction, rotating the substrate assembly in a second direction, and repeating the rotations in the first direction and the second direction until a predetermined thickness is deposited on the substrate surfaces.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 23

Description

The present disclosure relates generally to apparatus for depositing thin films and methods for processing wafers. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a plurality of movable heated wafer supports and spatially separated processing stations, and processing chambers having spatially separated and isolated processing stations.

Current atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes have many potential problems and difficulties. Many ALD chemicals (eg, precursors and reactants) are "incompatible," meaning that the chemicals cannot be mixed together. Mixing of incompatible chemicals can result in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process rather than an ALD process. CVD processes generally have less thickness control than ALD processes and/or can cause gas phase particle generation, which can cause defects in the resulting device. Conventional time-domain ALD processes, in which a single reactive gas flows into the processing chamber at a time, result in long purge/pump-out times so that the chemicals are not mixed in the vapor phase. A spatial ALD chamber can move one or more wafers from one environment to a second environment faster than a time domain ALD chamber can pump/purge, thus increasing throughput.

The semiconductor industry needs high quality films that can be deposited at lower temperatures (eg, less than 350° C.). Alternative energy sources are needed to deposit high quality films at temperatures lower than those at which films are deposited with thermal-only processes. Solution plasmas can be used to provide additional energy in the form of ions and radicals to ALD films. The challenge is to provide sufficient energy to the vertical sidewall ALD film. Ions are typically accelerated through a sheath above the wafer surface in a direction normal to the wafer surface. Thus, ions provide energy to horizontal ALD film surfaces, but do not provide a significant amount of energy to vertical planes because the ions travel parallel to the vertical planes.

Some processing chambers contain a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP). A CCP is created between the top electrode and the wafer, commonly known as a CCP parallel plate plasma. CCP parallel plate plasmas work very poorly on vertical sidewall surfaces because they produce very high ion energies across the two sheaths. By spatially moving the wafer to an environment optimized to create high radical and ion fluxes with lower energies and wider angular distributions, better vertical ALD film properties can be achieved. Such plasma sources include microwave, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), or higher frequency CCP solutions with a third electrode (i.e., the plasma is generated between two electrodes above the wafer and as the main electrode).

Current spatial ALD processing chambers rotate multiple wafers on a heated circular platen at a constant speed to move the wafers from one processing environment to an adjacent environment. Different processing environments cause incompatible gases to separate. However, in current spatial ALD processing chambers, the plasma environment cannot be optimized for plasma exposure, resulting in problems of non-uniformity, plasma damage and/or processing flexibility.

For example, the process gas flows over the wafer surface. Because the wafer is rotated about an offset axis, the flow streamlines at the leading and trailing edges of the wafer are different. In addition, there is also a flow difference between the inner and outer edges of the wafer due to lower velocity at the inner edge and higher velocity at the outer edge. These flow non-uniformities can be optimized, but not eliminated. Plasma damage can occur when the wafer is exposed to non-uniform plasma. The constant speed rotation of these spatial processing chambers requires the wafer to move in and out of the plasma so that part of the wafer is exposed to the plasma while other areas are outside the plasma. Furthermore, due to the constant rotation speed, it can be difficult to change the exposure time in the spatial processing chamber. As an example, the treatment uses a 0.5 second exposure to Gas A followed by a 1.5 second plasma treatment. Since the tool operates at a constant rotational speed, the only way to do this is to triple the plasma environment to the Gas A dosing environment. If you want to run a different process with gas A time equal to plasma time, you need to change the hardware. Current spatial ALD chambers can only slow down or speed up the rotation, but cannot adjust the time difference between steps without changing the chamber hardware for smaller or larger areas.

In current spatial ALD deposition tools (or other spatial processing chambers) where the primary deposition step occurs while the wafer is stationary in a processing station simulating a single wafer chamber, the method of operation is often , involves moving the wafer to multiple of the same station type, resulting in different leading and trailing edges of the wafer as different portions of the wafer are exposed to different environments. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved deposition apparatus and methods.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a processing chamber. In one or more embodiments, a method is to provide a processing chamber including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations, the processing chamber having a processing chamber temperature, each processing station independently have process station temperatures, wherein the process chamber temperature is different from the process station temperature; x number of spatially separated and isolated process stations; rotate a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the aligned processing station (rx− 1) rotating the substrate support assembly, wherein r is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and rotating (rx−1) times to rotate 360/x) degrees.

In one or more embodiments, a substrate comprising a processing chamber having at least two different processing stations, a first substrate supporting surface, a second substrate supporting surface, a third substrate supporting surface, and a fourth substrate supporting surface providing a support assembly, a processing chamber having at least two different processing stations with each substrate support surface in an initial position aligned with a processing station, the substrate support assembly; exposing a first wafer on a substrate support surface to a first process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on a second substrate support surface. exposing the first wafer to a second process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in the first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface. exposing the first wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in the first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface. exposing the first wafer to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface; exposing the first wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface; exposing the first wafer to a second processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface; and exposing the one wafer to a first processing condition.

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of forming membranes. In one or more embodiments, a method of forming a film includes loading at least one wafer onto x number of substrate supporting surfaces in a substrate support assembly, each of the substrate supporting surfaces being spatially loading at least one wafer onto the x number of substrate supporting surfaces in the substrate support assembly, each aligned to a separate and isolated processing station; each substrate supporting surface onto an adjacent substrate supporting surface (360 /x) degrees in a first direction, wherein r is an integer greater than or equal to 1, rotating the substrate support assembly in the first direction (rx rotating the substrate support assembly (rx-1) times in a second direction such that each substrate supporting surface rotates (360/x) degrees to the adjacent substrate supporting surface; exposing the top surface of at least one wafer to process conditions at each processing station to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a processing chamber. In one or more embodiments, a method is to provide a processing chamber including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations, the processing chamber having a processing chamber temperature, each processing station independently have process station temperatures, wherein the process chamber temperature differs from the process station temperature; x number of spatially separated and isolated process stations; rx a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the isolated and isolated processing stations such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface; rotating the substrate support assembly, wherein r is an integer greater than or equal to 1; rotating the substrate support assembly in a second direction (360/ x) rotating rx times to rotate by degrees;

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of operating a processing chamber. In one or more embodiments, a method includes a processing chamber including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations, the processing chamber having a processing chamber temperature, each processing station independently providing a process chamber having a process station temperature, the process chamber temperature being different than the process station temperature; and a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with x number of spatially separated and isolated process stations. into an adjacent substrate support surface in a first direction (360/x) degrees; and rotating the substrate support assembly into an adjacent substrate surface (360/x) degrees in a second direction. wherein the rotation in the first direction and the second direction is repeated n times, wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 1, in the second direction (360/x) to the adjacent substrate surface; rotating the substrate support assembly twice (360/x) degrees in the first direction; rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in the first direction, and then rotating the substrate support assembly. in a second direction by (360/x) degrees, wherein the rotation in the first direction and the second direction is repeated m times, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1, to rotate the substrate support assembly to a second rotating (360/x) degrees in one direction and then rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in a second direction; and rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in the second direction. and;

So that the above-mentioned features of the disclosure may be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, can be had by reference to the embodiments, some of which are included in the accompanying are illustrated in the drawings. However, the accompanying drawings depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure as the disclosure permits other equally effective embodiments. Note that we get

1 illustrates a cross-sectional isometric view of a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 10B illustrates a bottom orthographic view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 illustrates a top orthographic view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 illustrates a top orthographic view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of a support assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure; FIG. 12A shows a partial side cross-sectional view of a support assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure; FIG. 12A shows a partial side cross-sectional view of a support assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure; FIG. 12 is a partial side cross-sectional view of a support assembly according to one or more implementations of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is a top isometric view of a support plate in accordance with one or more implementations of the present disclosure; FIG. 10A is a side cross-sectional view of the support plate of 10A taken along line 10B-10B'; FIG. 10 is a bottom isometric view of a support plate in accordance with one or more implementations of the present disclosure; 11B is a side cross-sectional view of the support plate of 11A taken along line 11B-11B'; FIG. FIG. 10 is a bottom isometric view of a support plate in accordance with one or more implementations of the present disclosure; Figure 12B is a side cross-sectional view of the support plate of 12A taken along line 12B-12B'; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional isometric view of a top plate of a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a processing station in accordance with one or more implementations of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 4A is a schematic side cross-sectional side view of a top plate of a processing chamber in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 3A is a partial cross-sectional side view of a processing station in a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; 1 is a schematic diagram of a processing platform in accordance with one or more implementations of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a processing station configuration in a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a process according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 4A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 shows a flow process diagram of one embodiment of a method of forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a processing chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 shows a flow process diagram of one embodiment of a method of forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a processing chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 shows a flow process diagram of one embodiment of a method of forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a processing chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG.

Before describing several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details of construction or processing steps set forth in the following description. This disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

As used herein, "substrate" refers to any substrate or material surface formed on a substrate on which film processing is performed during a manufacturing process. For example, substrate surfaces on which processing may be performed include silicon, silicon oxide, strained silicon, silicon-on-insulator (SOI), carbon-doped silicon oxide, amorphous silicon, doped silicon, depending on the application. , germanium, gallium arsenide, glass, sapphire, and any other materials such as metals, metal nitrides, metal alloys, and other conductive materials. Substrates include, but are not limited to, semiconductor wafers. The substrate may be exposed to pretreatment processes to polish, etch, reduce, oxidize, hydroxylate, anneal, and/or bake the substrate surface. In the present disclosure, in addition to performing film processing directly on the surface of the substrate itself, any of the disclosed film processing steps can be performed on an underlayer formed on the substrate, as described in more detail below. It may also be implemented in layers. The term "substrate surface" is intended to include such underlying layers as the context suggests. Thus, for example, if a film/layer or partial film/layer is deposited on the substrate surface, the exposed surface of the newly deposited film/layer is the substrate surface.

As used herein and in the appended claims, the terms "precursor," "reactant," "reactive gas," and the like are used interchangeably to describe a material formed with or on the substrate surface. It refers to any gas species that can react with the membrane.

One or more implementations of the present disclosure employ spatial separation between two or more processing environments. Some embodiments advantageously provide apparatus and methods for maintaining separation of incompatible gases. Some embodiments advantageously provide apparatus and methods involving optimizable plasma processing. Some embodiments advantageously provide apparatus and methods that enable differentiated heat delivery environments, differentiated plasma processing environments, and other environments.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a processing chamber having four spatially separated processing environments, also called processing stations. Some embodiments have more than four processing stations and some embodiments have less than four processing stations. The processing environment can be mounted flush with the wafer moving in a horizontal plane. The processing environment is arranged in a circle. A rotatable structure, on which one to four (or more) individual wafer heaters are mounted, moves the wafer in a circular path with a diameter similar to the processing environment. Each heater may be temperature controlled and may have one or more concentric bands. For wafer loading, the rotatable structure can be lowered so that the vacuum robot can pick up the finished wafer and place the unprocessed wafer on the lift pins located above each wafer heater (low Z position). be. During operation, each wafer can be in an independent environment until processing is complete, after which the rotatable structure moves the wafer on the heater to the next environment (for four stations: 90° rotation, 120° rotation for three stations).

Some embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously provide spatial separation for ALD with incompatible gases. Some embodiments enable higher throughput and tool resource utilization than conventional time-domain or spatial processing chambers. Each processing environment may operate at different pressures. Heater rotation may have motion in the Z direction, and each heater may be enclosed in a chamber.

Some embodiments advantageously provide a plasma environment that can include one or more of microwave, ICP, parallel plate CCP or 3-electrode CCP. The entire wafer can be immersed in the plasma, eliminating plasma damage due to uneven plasma across the wafer.

In some implementations, a small gap between the showerhead and the wafer can be used to speed up the dosing gas utilization and cycle time. Accurate showerhead temperature control and high operating range (up to 230°C). While not intending to be bound by theory, the closer the showerhead temperature is to the wafer temperature, the better the wafer temperature uniformity.

The showerhead is fed recursively inside the showerhead using small gas holes (<200 μm), large numbers of gas holes (thousands to over 10 million), and small distribution volumes to increase speed. gas distribution. Small size and large number of gas holes can be made by laser drilling or dry etching. When the wafer is close to the showerhead, there is turbulence generated from the gas going through the vertical holes to the wafer. Some embodiments use multiple holes placed close together to allow low velocity gas to pass through the showerhead and achieve uniform distribution over the wafer surface.

Some embodiments relate to an integrated processing platform that uses multiple spatially separated processing stations (chambers) in a single tool. A processing platform may have various chambers in which different processes can be performed.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for moving wafers attached to wafer heaters from one environment to another. High speed movement can be enabled by electrostatic chucking (or clamping) the wafer to the heater. Wafer movement can be linear or circular movement.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of processing one or more substrates. Examples include, but are not limited to, moving one wafer on one heater to different spatially separated successive environments; moving two wafers on two wafer heaters to three environments (the same two environment and one different environment between two similar environments); wafer 1 encounters environment A and then B, repeatedly while wafer 2 encounters B and then A; and; moving two wafers into two first environments and two second environments, where both wafers encounter the same environment at the same time (i.e., both wafers are in A, then both B); processing four wafers in two A environments and two B environments; processing two wafers in the A environment while processing the other two wafers in the B environment. ; is included. In some implementations, the wafer is repeatedly exposed to environment A and environment B, and then exposed to a third environment located in the same chamber.

In some implementations, the wafer passes through multiple processing chambers. There, at least one of the chambers performs sequential processing using multiple spatially separated environments within the same chamber.

Some embodiments relate to apparatus having spatially separated processing environments within the same chamber where the pressures of the environments are significantly different (eg, one <100 mT and another >3 T). In some implementations, the heater rotation robot moves in the z-axis to enclose each wafer/heater in a spatially separated environment.

Some embodiments include a structure built on top of the chamber with a vertical structural member that exerts an upward force on the center of the chamber lid, eliminating deflection caused by atmospheric pressure on the top surface and the vacuum on the opposite side. The force magnitude of the above structure can be mechanically adjusted based on the deflection of the top plate. Force adjustments can be made automatically using a feedback circuit and force transducer, or manually using, for example, a screw that can be turned by the operator.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a processing chamber having at least two spatially separated processing environments, also called processing stations. Some embodiments have more than two processing stations and some embodiments have more than four processing stations. The processing environment can be mounted flush with the wafer moving in a horizontal plane. The processing environment is arranged in a circle. A rotatable structure, on which one to four (or more) individual wafer heaters are mounted, moves the wafer in a circular path with a diameter similar to the processing environment. Each heater may be temperature controlled and may have one or more concentric bands. For wafer loading, the rotatable structure can be lowered so that the vacuum robot can pick up the finished wafer and place the unprocessed wafer on the lift pins located above each wafer heater (low Z position). be. During operation, each wafer can be in an independent environment until processing is complete, after which the rotatable structure moves the wafer on the heater to the next environment (for four stations: 90° rotation, 120° rotation for three stations). In one or more embodiments, the primary deposition step occurs while the wafer is stationary in a processing station that simulates a single wafer chamber.

In a spatial ALD deposition tool (or other spatial processing chamber), the wafer moves to a first processing station and then to a second processing station. In some cases, the first processing station and the second processing station are the same (i.e., identical), which leads to lack of film thickness uniformity and poor film deposition properties (refractive index, wet etch rate, surface internal displacement, etc.). Furthermore, the order of movement from one processing station to the next results in differences between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the wafer as different portions of the wafer are exposed to the various environments of the station.

Simply oscillating between two separate processing stations is the most obvious way to operate a spatial deposition tool. However, by moving between more than two processing stations, the challenges of rotating electrical, water and gas connections and aligning each wafer/substrate support surface with each processing station (aligning them from any position (more difficult than simply aligning each pedestal to two processing stations).

Further, during conventional operation, as a wafer is loaded onto the substrate support, moved from a first processing station to a second processing station, and then back to the first processing station, the wafer on the substrate support is subject to a Leading and trailing edge differences occur because not all parts are in the same environment at the same time.

In one or more embodiments, the wafer is loaded onto the substrate support and transferred from the first processing station to the second processing station to average the time spent between the two types of processing stations. It moves in one direction to the first processing station, then back to the second processing station, and then in the second direction to the first processing station. During such movements, it was observed that the averaging of the two wafers was different than the averaging of the other two wafers (e.g., if hot/cold were present, the two wafers would be hot at the edges and at the center). The other two wafers are cold at the edge and hot at the center). In one or more embodiments, it has been surprisingly found that only averaging across (at least) four processing stations achieves reasonable averaging with similar profiles for all wafers. Therefore, in one or more embodiments, the order of movement between processing stations is advantageously optimized so that all portions of the wafer are exposed to the environment (e.g., temperature, pressure, reactive gases, etc.) simultaneously during movement between processing stations. etc.) is minimized.

1 and 2 show a processing chamber 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows a processing chamber 100 illustrated as a cross-sectional isometric view, according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows processing chamber 100 in cross section according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Accordingly, some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to processing chamber 100 including support assembly 200 and top plate 300 .

Processing chamber 100 has a housing 102 with walls 104 and a bottom 106 . The housing 102 together with the top plate 300 define an interior space 109, also called process space.

Processing chamber 100 includes a plurality of processing stations 110 . The processing stations 110 are located in the interior space 109 of the housing 102 and arranged in a circular arrangement around the axis of rotation 211 of the support assembly 200 . Each processing station 110 includes a gas injector 112 having a front face 114 . In some implementations, the front surface 114 of each of the gas injectors 112 is substantially coplanar. A processing station 110 is defined as an area in which processing may occur. For example, processing station 110 may be defined by substrate support surface 231 of heater 230 and front surface 114 of gas injector 112, as described below.

Processing station 110 may be configured to perform any suitable process and provide any suitable process conditions. The type of gas injector 112 used will depend, for example, on the type of process being performed and the type of showerhead or gas injector. For example, a processing station 110 configured to operate as an atomic layer deposition device may have a showerhead or vortex type gas injector. In contrast, a processing station 110 configured to operate as a plasma station may have one or more electrodes and/or a ground plate configuration to generate plasma while allowing plasma gases to flow toward the wafer. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 has a different type of processing station 110 (processing station 110a) on the left side of the drawing than on the right side of the drawing (processing station 110b). Suitable processing stations 110 include, but are not limited to, thermal processing stations, microwave plasma, three electrode CCP, ICP, parallel plate CCP, UV exposure, laser processing, pump chambers, annealing stations and metrology stations.

3-6 illustrate a support assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Support assembly 200 includes a rotatable center base 210 . A rotatable center base 210 can have a symmetrical or asymmetrical shape and defines an axis of rotation 211 . Axis of rotation 211 extends in a first direction, as seen in FIG. The first direction may also be referred to as being vertical or along the z-axis, although such use of the term "vertical" is not limited to directions perpendicular to gravity.

Support assembly 200 includes at least two support arms 220 connected to and extending from center base 210 . Support arm 220 has an inner end 221 and an outer end 222 . Since the inner end 221 is in contact with the center base 210, when the center base 210 rotates around the rotation axis 211, the support arm 220 rotates as well. Support arm 220 may be connected to center base 210 at inner end 221 by fasteners (eg, bolts) or by being integrally formed with center base 210 .

In some embodiments, the support arm 220 extends perpendicular to the axis of rotation 211 such that one of the inner end 221 or the outer end 222 is located on the same support arm 220 as the other of the inner end 221 and the outer end 222 . is farther from the rotation axis 211 than In some implementations, the inner end 221 of a support arm 220 is closer to the axis of rotation 211 than the outer end 222 of the same support arm 220 .

The number of support arms 220 in support assembly 200 can vary. In some embodiments, there are at least two support arms 220, at least three support arms 220, at least four support arms 220, or at least five support arms 220. In some implementations, there are three support arms 220 . In some implementations, there are four support arms 220 . In some implementations, there are five support arms 220 . In some implementations, there are six support arms 220 .

The support arms 220 may be symmetrically arranged around the center base 210 . For example, in a support assembly 200 having four support arms 220 , each of the support arms 220 are positioned at 90° intervals around the center base 210 . In a support assembly 200 having three support arms 220 , the support arms 220 are positioned at 120° intervals around the center base 210 . Thus, in embodiments having four support arms 220, the support arms are arranged to provide four-fold symmetry about the axis of rotation 211. FIG. In some embodiments, the support assembly 200 has n number of support arms 220 , and the n number of support arms 220 are arranged to provide n-fold symmetry about the axis of rotation 211 .

A heater 230 is positioned at the outer end 222 of the support arm 220 . In some implementations, each support arm 220 has a heater 230 . Since the center of the heater 230 is located at a distance from the rotation axis 211, the heater 230 moves in a circular path when the center base 210 rotates.

Heater 230 has a support surface 231 capable of supporting a wafer. In some embodiments, heater 230 and support surface 231 are coplanar. As used in this manner, "substantially coplanar" means that the plane formed by an individual support surface 231 is ±5°, ±4° from the plane formed by the other support surface 231. , ±3°, ±2°, or ±1°.

In some implementations, heater 230 is positioned directly on outer end 222 of support arm 220 . In some implementations, the heater 230 is elevated above the outer ends 222 of the support arms 220 by heater standoffs 234, as shown in the drawings. Heater standoffs 234 can be of any size and length to raise the height of heater 230 .

In some implementations, channels 236 are formed by one or more of center base 210 , support arms 220 and/or heater standoffs 234 . Channels 236 can be used to route electrical connections or provide gas flow.

The heater can be any suitable type of heater known to those skilled in the art. In some implementations, the heater is a resistance heater having one or more heating elements within the heater body.

Heater 230 in some embodiments includes additional components. For example, the heater may include an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck can include various wires and electrodes so that a wafer positioned on heater support surface 231 can be held in place while the heater moves. This allows the wafer to be chucked onto the heater at the beginning of processing and remain in the same position on the same heater while moving to different processing regions. In some embodiments, wires and electrodes are routed through channels 236 in support arm 220 . FIG. 7 shows a partial enlarged view of support assembly 200 showing channel 236 . Channels 236 extend along support arms 220 and heater standoffs 234 . The first electrode 251a and the second electrode 251b are in electrical communication with the heater 230 or with components within the heater 230 (eg, resistive wires). A first wire 253a connects to the first electrode 251a at a first connector 252a. A second wire 253b connects to the second electrode 251b at a second connector 252b.

In some implementations, a temperature measurement device (eg, pyrometer, thermistor, thermocouple) is positioned within channel 236 to measure one or more of the temperature of heater 230 or the temperature of the substrate on heater 230 . be. In some implementations, control and/or measurement wires for temperature measurement devices are routed through channel 236 . In some implementations, one or more temperature measurement devices are positioned within the processing chamber 100 to measure the temperature of the heater 230 and/or the wafer on the heater 230 . Suitable temperature measurement devices are known to those skilled in the art and include, but are not limited to, optical pyrometers and contact thermocouples.

Wires may be routed through support arm 220 and support assembly 200 and connected to a power source (not shown). In some implementations, the connection to the power source allows continued rotation of the support assembly 200 without the wires 253a, 253b becoming tangled or cut. In some implementations, first wire 253a and second wire 253b extend along channel 236 of support arm 220 to center base 210, as shown in FIG. In the center base 210, the first wire 253a connects with the first connector 254a, and the second wire 253b connects with the central second connector 254b. The central connectors 254a, 254b can be part of the connection plate 258 so that electrical power or electronic signals can pass through the central connectors 254a, 254b. In the illustrated embodiment, the wires are terminated at the center base 210 so that the support assembly 200 can continue to rotate without twisting or cutting the wires. The second connection is on the opposite side of connection plate 258 (outside the processing chamber).

In some embodiments, the wires connect directly to a power supply or electrical component outside the processing chamber through channel 236 . In this type of embodiment, the wires have sufficient slack to allow the support assembly 200 to rotate a limited amount without twisting or cutting the wires. In some implementations, the support assembly 200 rotates no more than about 1080°, 990°, 720°, 630°, 360°, or 270° before reversing the direction of rotation. This allows the heater to rotate through each of the stations without cutting the wire.

Referring again to FIGS. 3-6, heater 230 and support surface 231 may include one or more gas outlets to provide backside gas flow. This may assist in removing the wafer from support surface 231 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, support surface 231 includes a plurality of openings 237 and gas channels 238 . Apertures 237 and/or gas channels 238 may be in fluid communication with a vacuum source or gas source (eg, purge gas). In such embodiments, hollow tubes may be included to allow fluid communication between the gas source and openings 237 and/or gas channels 238 .

In some implementations, heater 230 and/or support surface 231 are configured as an electrostatic chuck. In this type of embodiment, electrodes 251a, 251b (see FIG. 7) may comprise control lines for the electrostatic chuck.

Some implementations of support assembly 200 include a closed platform 240 . The closed platform has a top surface 241, a bottom surface and a thickness. Sealing platform 240 is positioned around heater 230 to provide a seal or barrier to help minimize gas flow to the area below support assembly 200 .

In some embodiments, the sealing platform 240 is in the shape of a ring and positioned around each heater 230, as shown in FIG. In the illustrated embodiment, the sealing platform 240 is positioned below the heater 230 so that the top surface 241 of the sealing platform 240 is below the support surface 231 of the heater.

Enclosed platform 240 may have many purposes. For example, the enclosed platform 240 can be used to increase the temperature uniformity of the heater 230 by increasing its thermal mass. In some implementations, the enclosed platform 240 is integrally formed with the heater 230 (see, eg, FIG. 6). In some embodiments, enclosed platform 240 is separate from heater 230 . For example, the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 has sealing platform 240 as a separate component connected to heater standoffs 234 so that top surface 241 of sealing platform 240 is below the level of supporting surface 231 of heater 230 . It is in.

In some implementations, sealing platform 240 acts as a holder for support plate 245 . In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, support plate 245 surrounds all of heater 230 having multiple openings 242 and allows access to support surface 231 of heater 230 as a single plate. is a component of Apertures 242 may allow heaters 230 to pass through support plate 245 . In some implementations, support plate 245 is fixed so that support plate 245 moves vertically and rotates with heater 230 .

In one or more embodiments, support assembly 200 is a drum-shaped component. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, a cylindrical body having a top surface 246 configured to support multiple wafers. Top surface 246 of support assembly 200 has a plurality of recesses (pockets 257) sized to support one or more wafers during processing. In some embodiments, the pocket 257 has a depth approximately equal to the wafer being processed so that the top surface of the wafer is substantially flush with the top surface 246 of the cylindrical body. An example of such a support assembly 200 can be envisioned as a modification of FIG. 5 in which support arm 220 is absent. FIG. 20 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of support assembly 200 that uses a cylindrical body. Support assembly 200 includes a plurality of pockets 257 sized to support wafers for processing. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom of pocket 257 is support surface 231 of heater 230 . Power connections for heater 230 may be routed through support posts 227 and support plate 245 . Heaters 230 can be powered independently to control the temperature of individual pockets 257 and wafers.

Referring to FIG. 9, in some embodiments, support plate 245 has a top surface 246 that defines a major plane 248 that is substantially parallel to major plane 247 formed by support surface 231 of heater 230 . In some embodiments, support plate 245 has a top surface 246 that forms a major plane 248 that is a distance D above major plane 247 of support surface 231 . In some implementations, the distance D is substantially equal to the thickness of the wafer 260 being processed so that the surface 261 of the wafer 260 is flush with the top surface 246 of the support plate 245, as shown in FIG. It is in. As used in this manner, the term "substantially coplanar" means that the major planes formed by surface 261 of wafer 260 are ±1 mm, ±0.5 mm, ±0.4 mm, ±0. It means coplanar within 3 mm, ±0.2 mm or ±0.1 mm.

Referring to FIG. 9, some embodiments of the present disclosure have separate components that make up the support surface for processing. Here, sealing platform 240 is a separate component from heater 230 and is positioned such that top surface 241 of sealing platform 240 is below support surface 231 of heater 230 . The distance between top surface 241 of sealing platform 240 and support surface 231 of heater 230 is sufficient to allow support plate 245 to be positioned on sealing platform 240 . The thickness of the support plate 245 and/or the location of the sealing platform 240 is such that the distance D between the upper surface 246 of the support plate 245 is sufficient such that the upper surface 261 (see FIG. 6) of the wafer 260 is substantially the same as the upper surface 246 of the support plate 245 . can be controlled to be substantially coplanar.

In some embodiments, support plate 245 is supported by support posts 227, as shown in FIG. The support post 227 may have utility in preventing sagging of the center of the support plate 245 when a single component platform is used. In some embodiments, sealing platform 240 is absent and support post 227 is the primary support for support plate 245 .

Support plate 245 can have a variety of configurations and interact with heaters 230 and sealing platforms 240 of various configurations. FIG. 10A shows a top isometric view of support plate 245 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10B shows a cross-sectional view of support plate 245 of FIG. 10A taken along line 10B-10B'. In this embodiment, support plate 245 is a planar component wherein top surface 246 and bottom surface 249 are substantially flat and/or substantially coplanar. The embodiment shown can be particularly useful when a closed platform 240 is used to support a support plate 245, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 11A illustrates a bottom isometric view of another embodiment of support plate 245 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11B shows a cross-sectional view of support plate 245 of FIG. 11A taken along line 11B-11B'. In this embodiment, each of the openings 242 has a protruding ring 270 around the perimeter of the opening 242 on the bottom surface 249 of the support plate 245 .

FIG. 12A illustrates a bottom isometric view of another embodiment of support plate 245 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 12B shows a cross-sectional view of support plate 245 of FIG. 12A taken along line 12B-12B'. In this embodiment, each of the openings 242 has a recessed ring 272 on the bottom surface 249 of the support plate 245 around the perimeter of the opening 242 . Concave ring 272 creates a concave bottom surface 273 . This type of embodiment may be useful when the sealing platform 240 is absent or substantially flush with the support surface 231 of the heater 230 . The concave bottom surface 273 may be positioned on the support surface 231 of the heater 230 so that the bottom of the support plate 245 extends below the support surface 231 of the heater 230 around the sides of the heater 230 .

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a multi-station processing chamber top plate 300 . 1 and 13, top plate 300 has a top surface 301 and a bottom surface 302 that define the thickness of the lid, and one or more edges. Top plate 300 includes at least one opening 310 extending through its thickness. Opening 310 is sized to allow the addition of gas injectors 112 that may form processing station 110 .

FIG. 14 illustrates an exploded view of processing station 110 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The processing station 110 shown includes three major components: a top plate (also called a lid), a pump/purge insert 330 and gas injectors 112 . The gas injector 112 shown in FIG. 14 is a showerhead type gas injector. In some embodiments, the insert is connected to or in fluid communication with a vacuum space (exhaust). In some embodiments, the insert is connected to or in fluid communication with a purge gas source.

The size of the openings 310 in the top plate 300 can be uniform or different. Different sized/shaped gas injectors 112 can be used with appropriately shaped pump/purge inserts 330 to transfer from opening 310 to gas injector 112 . For example, as shown, pump/purge insert 330 includes top 331 and bottom 333 with side walls 335 . When inserted into opening 310 in top plate 300 , ledge 334 adjacent bottom 333 may rest on ledge 315 formed in opening 310 . In some embodiments, there is no ledge 315 in the opening and the flange portion 317 of the pump/purge insert 330 is on top of the top plate 300 . In the illustrated embodiment, the ledges 334 are on ledges 315 with O-rings 314 disposed therebetween to help form a gas tight seal.

In some implementations, there are one or more purge rings 309 (see FIG. 9) in top plate 300 . Purge ring 309 can be in fluid communication with a purge gas plenum (not shown) or a purge gas source (not shown) to provide a positive flow of purge gas to prevent process gas leakage from the process chamber.

Some embodiments of the pump/purge insert 330 include a gas plenum 336 having at least one opening 338 in the bottom 333 of the pump/purge insert 330 . Gas plenum 336 typically has an inlet (not shown) near top 331 or sidewall 335 of pump/purge insert 330 .

In some implementations, plenum 336 may be filled with a purge gas or inert gas that may pass through opening 338 in bottom 333 of pump/purge insert 330 . Gas flow through openings 338 can help create a gas curtain-type barrier to prevent leakage of process gases from the interior of the processing chamber.

In some embodiments, plenum 336 is connected to or in fluid communication with a vacuum source. In such an embodiment, gas flows to plenum 336 through opening 338 in bottom 333 of pump/purge insert 330 . Gas can be exhausted from the plenum to an exhaust. Such an arrangement can be used to exhaust gases from the processing station 110 during use.

Pump/purge insert 330 includes an opening 339 into which gas injector 112 can be inserted. The gas injector 112 shown has a flange 342 that can contact the ledge 332 adjacent the top 331 of the pump/purge insert 330 . The diameter or width of gas injector 112 may be any suitable size that can fit within opening 339 of pump/purge insert 330 . This allows different types of gas injectors 112 to be used within the same opening 310 in top plate 300 .

2 and 15, some embodiments of top plate 300 include a bar 360 that passes through the center of top plate 300 . Bar 360 may be connected to top plate 300 near the center using connector 367 . The connector 367 can be used to apply a normal force to the top 331 or bottom 333 of the top plate 300 to counteract warpage in the top plate 300 as a result of pressure differentials or due to the weight of the top plate 300 . . In some implementations, bar 360 and connector 367 can cancel a deflection of up to about 1.5 mm at the center of a top plate having a width of about 1.5 m and a thickness of up to about 100 mm. In some implementations, a motor 365 or actuator may be connected to connector 367 to cause a directional change in force applied to top plate 300 . Motors 365 or actuators may be supported on bar 360 . The bar 360 shown contacts the edge of the top plate 300 at two locations. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that there can be one connection position or more than two connection positions.

In some embodiments, support assembly 200 includes at least one motor 250, as shown in FIG. At least one motor 250 is connected to center base 210 and configured to rotate support assembly 200 about axis of rotation 211 . In some embodiments, at least one motor is configured to move center base 210 in a direction along axis of rotation 211 . For example, in FIG. 2, motor 255 is connected to motor 250 and can move support assembly 200 along axis of rotation 211 . That is, the illustrated motor 255 can move the support assembly 200 along the z-axis, perpendicular or perpendicular to the motion caused by the motor 250 . In some implementations, as shown, a first motor 250 for rotating the support assembly 200 about the axis of rotation 211 and along the axis of rotation 211 (i.e., along the z-axis, There is a second motor 255 for moving the support assembly 200 (or vertically).

2 and 16, one or more vacuum and/or purge gas streams may be used to help separate one processing station 110a from an adjacent processing station 110b. Purge gas plenum 370 may be in fluid communication with purge gas port 371 at the outer boundary of processing station 110 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, purge gas plenum 370 and purge gas ports 371 are located in top plate 300 . A plenum 336, shown as part of the pump/purge insert 330, is in fluid communication with an opening 338 that functions as a pump/purge gas port. The purge gas ports 371 and purge gas plenums 370 and vacuum ports (openings 338 ) shown in FIG. 13 may extend around the perimeter of the processing station 110 . A gas curtain can help minimize or eliminate leakage of process gas into the interior space 109 of the processing chamber.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, differential pumps can be used to help isolate processing stations 110 . Pump/purge insert 330 contacts heater 230 and support plate 245 with o-ring 329 . O-rings 329 are positioned on either side of opening 338 in fluid communication with plenum 336 . One o-ring 329 is positioned within the perimeter of opening 338 and the other o-ring 329 is positioned outside the perimeter of opening 338 . The combination of O-ring 329 and pump/purge plenum 336 with opening 338 can provide a sufficient differential pressure to maintain a gas tight seal of processing station 110 from interior space 109 of processing chamber 100 . . In some embodiments, there is one o-ring 329 positioned inside or outside the perimeter of opening 338 . In some embodiments, there are two o-rings 329 positioned one inside and one outside the perimeter of purge gas port 371 in fluid communication with plenum 370 . In some embodiments, there is one o-ring 329 positioned either inside or outside the perimeter of purge gas port 371 in fluid communication with plenum 370 .

The boundaries of the processing station 110 can be considered the regions within which the process gases are separated by the pump/purge inserts 330 . In some embodiments, the outer boundary of the processing station 110 is the outermost edge of the opening 338 in fluid communication with the plenum 336 of the pump/purge insert 330, as shown in FIGS. be.

The number of processing stations 110 can vary along with the number of heaters 230 and support arms 220 . In some embodiments, there are equal numbers of heaters 230, support arms 220 and processing stations 110. FIG. In some embodiments, the heaters 230, support arms 220, and processing stations 110 are configured such that each of the support surfaces 231 of the heaters 230 can be positioned adjacent the front surface 214 of different processing stations 110 at the same time. That is, each of the heaters are positioned at the processing station at the same time.

The spacing of processing stations 110 around processing chamber 100 may vary. In some embodiments, the processing stations 110 are close enough to minimize the spacing between the stations so that the substrate can pass through the processing stations while spending a minimum amount of time and travel distance outside one of the stations. 110 can be moved quickly. In some embodiments, processing stations 110 are positioned close enough that a wafer being transferred onto support surface 231 of heater 230 is always within one of processing stations 110 .

FIG. 17 illustrates a processing platform 400 according to one or more implementations of the disclosure. The embodiment shown in FIG. 17 merely represents one possible configuration and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in some implementations, the processing platform 400 has one or more of a different number of processing chambers 100, buffer stations 420, and/or robot 430 configurations than the implementation shown.

The exemplary processing platform includes a central transfer station 410 having multiple sides 411 , 412 , 413 , 414 . The transfer station 410 shown has a first side 411 , a second side 412 , a third side 413 and a fourth side 414 . Although four sides are shown here, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the transfer station 410 may have any suitable number of sides depending, for example, on the overall configuration of the processing platform 400. will understand. In some implementations, the transfer station 410 has three sides, four sides, five sides, six sides, seven sides, or eight sides.

Transfer station 410 has a robot 430 positioned therein. Robot 430 may be any suitable robot capable of moving wafers during processing. In some implementations, robot 430 has a first arm 431 and a second arm 432 . The first arm 431 and the second arm 432 can move independently from the other arm. First arm 431 and second arm 432 can move in the xy plane and/or along the z-axis. In some implementations, robot 430 includes a third arm (not shown) or a fourth arm (not shown). Each arm can move independently from the other arm.

The illustrated embodiment includes six processing chambers 100 , two connected to each of second side 412 , third side 413 and fourth side 414 of central transfer station 410 . ing. Each of the processing chambers 100 can be configured to perform different processes.

Processing platform 400 may also include one or more buffer stations 420 connected to first side 411 of central transfer station 410 . Buffer station 420 may perform the same or different functions. For example, a buffer station may hold a cassette of wafers. This wafer cassette is processed and returned to the original cassette. Alternatively, one of the buffer stations may hold unprocessed wafers. This wafer moves to another buffer station after being processed. In some implementations, one or more of the buffer stations are configured to pretreat, preheat, or clean the wafers before and/or after processing.

Processing platform 400 may further include one or more slit valves 418 between central transfer station 410 and any of the processing chambers 100 . Slit valve 418 can be opened and closed to isolate the interior space within processing chamber 100 from the environment within central transfer station 410 . For example, if a processing chamber generates plasma during processing, it may be helpful to close the slit valve for that processing chamber to prevent stray plasma from damaging the robot in the transfer station.

The processing platform 400 can be connected to a factory interface 450, which allows loading the processing platform 400 with wafers or cassettes of wafers. A robot 455 within the factory interface 450 can be used to move wafers or cassettes in and out of the buffer station. Wafers or cassettes may be moved within the processing platform 400 by a robot 430 within the central transfer station 410 . In some implementations, the factory interface 450 is another cluster tool transfer station (ie, another multiple chamber processing platform).

A controller 495 may be provided and coupled to various components of processing platform 400 to control their operation. Controller 495 may be a single controller that controls the entire processing platform 400 or multiple controllers that control individual portions of the processing platform 400 . For example, processing platform 400 may include separate controllers for each of the individual processing chambers 100 , central transfer station 410 , factory interface 450 and robot 430 .

In some implementations, controller 495 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 496 , memory 497 , and support circuitry 498 . Controller 495 may control processing platform 400 either directly or through a computer (or controller) associated with a particular processing chamber and/or support system component.

Controller 495 can be one of any form of general purpose computer processor that can be used in an industrial environment to control the various chambers and sub-processors. The memory or computer readable medium 497 of the controller 495 may be random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), floppy disk, hard disk, optical storage medium (e.g., compact disk or digital video disk). ), a flash drive, or any other form of digital storage, local or remote. Memory 497 may retain a set of instructions operable by processor (CPU 496 ) to control parameters and components of processing platform 400 .

Support circuitry 498 is coupled to CPU 496 for supporting the processor in a conventional manner. These circuits include cache, power supplies, clock circuits, input/output circuits, subsystems, and the like. One or more processes may be stored in memory 498 as software routines that, when executed or invoked by the processor, cause the processor to control the operation of processing platform 400 or individual processing chambers in the manner described herein. . Software routines may also be stored and/or executed by a second CPU (not shown) located remotely from the hardware controlled by CPU 496 .

Some or all of the processes and methods of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware. Accordingly, the processing may be implemented in software and implemented in hardware using a computer system, e.g., as an application specific integrated circuit or other type of hardware implementation, or as a combination of software and hardware. can be run with The software routines, when executed by the processor, transform a general-purpose computer into a specific-purpose computer (controller) that controls the operation of the chamber so that the process is performed.

In some implementations, the controller 495 has one or more configurations for performing individual or sub-processes to carry out the method. A controller 495 may be connected to the intermediate components and configured to operate the intermediate components to perform the functions of the method. For example, controller 495 may be configured to connect to and control one or more of gas valves, actuators, motors, slit valves, vacuum controls, or other components.

18A through 18I show various configurations of processing chamber 100 having different processing stations 110. FIG. Lettered circles represent different processing stations 110 and processing conditions. For example, in Figure 18A there are four processing stations 110, each with a different character. This represents four processing stations 110 each having different conditions than the other stations. Processing may occur by moving the heater with the wafer from station A to D, as indicated by the arrows. After exposure to D, the cycle continues or reverses.

In FIG. 18B, 2 to 4 wafers can be processed simultaneously. The wafer shuttles between positions A and B on the heater. Two wafers may start at the A position and two wafers may start at the B position. Independent processing stations 110 allow two of the stations to be turned off during the first cycle so that each wafer starts with an A exposure. The heater and wafer can be continuously rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise. In some implementations, the heater and wafer are rotated 90° in a first direction (eg, A to B) and then rotated 90° in a second direction (eg, B back to A). . This rotation can be repeated to process four wafers/heaters without rotating the support assembly more than about 90°.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 18B may also be useful for processing two wafers at four processing stations 110. FIG. This can be particularly useful if one of the treatments is at very different pressures or if A and B have very different treatment times.

In FIG. 18C, three wafers can be processed in a single processing chamber 100 and in the ABC process. One station may be turned off or perform a different function (eg preheating).

In FIG. 18D, two wafers may be processed with the AB processing process. For example, a wafer can only be placed on the B heater. A clockwise quarter turn places one wafer at the A station and the second wafer at the T station. When put back, both wafers move to the B station, and another 1/4 turn counterclockwise places the second wafer at the A station and the first wafer at the B station.

In Figure 18E, up to four wafers can be processed simultaneously. For example, if the A station is configured to perform a CVD or ALD process, four wafers can be processed simultaneously.

18F through 18I show a similar type of configuration for a processing chamber 100 having three processing stations 110. FIG. Briefly, in Figure 18F, a single wafer (or multiple) may be subjected to the ABC process. In FIG. 18G, two wafers can be subjected to the AB process by placing one in position A and the other in position B. In FIG. The wafer can then be shuttled such that starting at position B, the wafer moves to position A in a first move and then back to the same B position. In Figure 18H, the wafer may be subjected to an AB treatment process. In FIG. 18I, three wafers can be processed simultaneously.

Figures 19A and 19B illustrate another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 19A shows a partial view of heater 230 and support plate 245 rotated to a position below processing station 110 so that wafer 101 is adjacent gas injector 112 . The O-ring 329 on the support plate 245 or on the outer portion of the heater 230 is relaxed.

FIG. 19B shows support plate 245 and heater 230 after it has been moved toward processing station 110 such that support surface 231 of heater 230 contacts or nearly contacts front surface 114 of gas injector 112 of processing station 110 . . In this position, O-ring 329 is compressed to form a seal around the outer edge of support plate 245 or outer portion of heater 230 . This allows the wafer 101 to move as close to the gas injector 112 as possible and minimize the space in the reaction area 219 so that the reaction area 219 can be quickly purged.

Gases that may flow out of reaction region 219 are vented through opening 338 into plenum 336 and to an exhaust or foreline (not shown). A purge gas curtain outside opening 338 may be created by purge gas plenum 370 and purge gas port 371 . Additionally, the gap 137 between the heater 230 and the support plate 245 may further curtain the reaction region 219 to help prevent reactive gases from flowing into the interior space 109 of the processing chamber 100 .

Returning to FIG. 17, the controller 495 of some embodiments is configured to move substrates on a robot between multiple processing chambers; configured to load and/or unload substrates from the system; configured to open and close slit valves. configuration for providing power to one or more of the heaters; configuration for measuring the temperature of the heater; configuration for measuring the temperature of the wafer on the heater; configuration for loading or unloading the wafer from the heater; temperature measurement and heater power control; configuration to rotate the support assembly about the axis of rotation; configuration to move the support assembly along the axis of rotation (i.e., along the z-axis); configuration for providing gas flow to the gas injector; configuration for providing power to one or more electrodes to generate a plasma in the gas injector; configuration for controlling power supply to the plasma source; plasma source power. and/or a configuration that provides control of the thermal annealing station.

One or more embodiments relate to a method of operating processing chamber 100 . In one or more embodiments, the method includes providing a processing chamber 100 that includes x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations 110 . In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range of 2-10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate surfaces or the number of processing stations. In some implementations, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of processing stations are the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer ranging from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is four.

In some embodiments, x' refers to the number of different spatially separated and isolated processing stations. Different spatially separated and isolated processing stations refer to different processing conditions at the processing stations. For example, in a system with four processing stations containing two different processing conditions, x' equals two. An embodiment of this kind would have the same number of stations with each type of process condition. In one or more embodiments, a first processing station has a first processing condition, a second processing station has a second processing condition, and a wafer rotating around all of the processing stations is The processing chamber has four processing stations separated into alternating first processing stations and second processing stations so that they are exposed twice to the processing conditions. For example, FIG. 7 describes an embodiment in which there are two different types of process conditions (A and B) at four process stations. In this example, x=4 and x'=2.

In one or more embodiments, the processing chamber 100 has a processing chamber temperature and each processing station 110 independently has a processing station temperature, the processing chamber temperature being different than the processing station temperature. In one or more embodiments, a substrate support assembly 200 having a plurality of substrate support surfaces 231 aligned with x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations 110 is such that each substrate support surface 231 is adjacent Rotate (rx−1) times to rotate (360/x) degrees in the first direction to the substrate support surface 231 . As used herein, the term “(rx−1)” refers to the number of times (ie, revolutions) of the substrate support assembly. In one or more embodiments, r represents the number of treatment cycles (ie, ALD cycles) and is an integer greater than or equal to 1. In some embodiments, r is greater than 10, greater than 50, or greater than 100. In one or more embodiments, r ranges from 1 to 10, or from 1 to 8, or from 1 to 6, or from 1 to 4, or from 1, 2, 3, or 4 to selected. In another embodiment, r is 1. In a still further embodiment, r is 2, 3 or 4.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate support assembly 200 is then rotated (rx−1) times such that each substrate support surface 231 rotates (360/x) degrees in the second direction to the adjacent substrate support surface 231 . Rotate.

In one or more implementations, the first direction and the second direction are opposite each other. In one or more embodiments, the first direction is selected from counterclockwise or clockwise. In one or more embodiments, the second direction is the other of counterclockwise or clockwise.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate support surfaces 231 are substantially coplanar. As used in this manner, "substantially coplanar" means that the plane formed by an individual support surface 231 is ±5°, ±4° from the plane formed by the other support surface 231. , ±3°, ±2°, or ±1°. In some embodiments, the term "substantially coplanar" means that the planes formed by the individual support surfaces are within ±50 μm, ±40 μm, ±30 μm, ±20 μm, or ±10 μm. do.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate support surface includes heaters 230 that can support the wafer. In some implementations, substrate support surface or heater 230 includes an electrostatic chuck.

In one or more embodiments, the method further comprises controlling one or more of the process chamber temperature or the process station temperature.

In one or more implementations, the method further includes controlling a rotational speed (rx−1) of the plurality of substrate support assemblies 200 .

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating processing chamber 100 . One or more embodiments include at least two different processing stations 110, a first substrate supporting surface 231, a second substrate supporting surface 231, a third substrate supporting surface 231, and a fourth substrate supporting surface 231. This includes providing the processing chamber 100 with the substrate support assembly 200 in an initial position with each substrate support surface 231 aligned with the processing station 110 . A first wafer on first substrate support surface 231 is exposed to first processing conditions. Substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on second substrate support surface 231 . The first wafer is exposed to second processing conditions. Substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on third substrate support surface 231 . The first wafer is exposed to third processing conditions. Substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on fourth substrate support surface 231 . The first wafer is exposed to fourth processing conditions. Substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a second direction to move first wafer to an initial position on third substrate support surface 231 . The first wafer is exposed to third processing conditions. The substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231 . The first wafer is exposed to second processing conditions. Substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a second direction to move the first wafer to an initial position on first substrate support surface 231 and expose the first wafer to a first process condition. In one or more embodiments, processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like.

In one or more embodiments, the method includes exposing a second wafer on the second substrate support surface 231 to a second processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction; moving the second wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to , moving the second wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to fourth processing conditions; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction. to move the second wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231; expose the second wafer to a first process condition; rotate the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction. moving the second wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to fourth processing conditions; and moving the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction. rotating to move the second wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a third process condition; and orienting the substrate support assembly 200 in a second orientation. to move the second wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231; and exposing the second wafer to a second processing condition.

In one or more embodiments, the method comprises exposing a third wafer on the third substrate support surface 231 to a third processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction; moving the third wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to fourth processing conditions; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to , moving the third wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to the first processing conditions; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction. to move the third wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231; expose the third wafer to second processing conditions; and rotate the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction. moving the third wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to the first processing conditions; and moving the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction. rotating to move the third wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to fourth processing conditions; and orienting the substrate support assembly 200 in a second orientation. to move the third wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface 231; and exposing the third wafer to a third processing condition.

In other embodiments, the method includes exposing a fourth wafer on fourth substrate support surface 231 to a fourth process condition; rotating substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction to produce a fourth exposing a fourth wafer to a first process condition; rotating substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction to produce a first wafer; moving the four wafers to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to second processing conditions; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to moving the fourth wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction to , moving the fourth wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to second processing conditions; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction. to move the fourth wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231; expose the fourth wafer to the first process conditions; and rotate the substrate support assembly 200 in the second direction. and moving the fourth wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; and exposing the fourth wafer to a fourth processing condition.

FIG. 21 shows a flow diagram of a method 600 of depositing a film according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 22 illustrates a processing chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 21 and 22, method 600 begins with operation 620, where at least one wafer is loaded onto x number of substrate support surfaces. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range of 2-10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to one or more of the number of substrate surfaces or the number of processing stations 110 . In some implementations, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of wafers and/or processing stations are the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer ranging from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is four.

In operation 630 , the substrate support assembly rotates (rx−1) times in the first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to the adjacent processing station 110 . r is an integer of 1 or more. The number r represents the number of processing cycles (ie ALD cycles). As used herein, the term “(rx−1)” or “(rx′−1)” refers to the number of times (ie, revolutions) of the substrate support assembly.

In some embodiments, there are multiple processing cycles (r) for a complete rotation around the processing chamber. For example, FIG. 22 describes processing according to method 600, in which there are x=4 processing stations 110 and x'=2 different types of processing conditions (A and B). In this embodiment, the substrate support assembly can be rotated an odd number of times in each direction to provide alternating exposure to both processing conditions. In some implementations, the number of rotations in each direction is equal to (rx'-1) times. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, there are three rotations 117a, 117b, 117c in the first direction since r=2 and x'=2.

At operation 640, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film at a process station. In one or more embodiments, processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the film formed has a substantially uniform thickness. As used herein, "substantially uniform" refers to a film thickness that is within ±5 nm, ±4 nm, ±3 nm, ±2 nm, or ±1 nm of the formed film.

In operation 650, the substrate support assembly rotates (rx−1) or (rx′−1) times in the second direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to the adjacent processing station 110. . As shown in FIG. 22, there are three rotations 118a, 118b, 118c in the second direction.

At decision point 660, the method stops if a predetermined thickness of film has been formed on the substrate. If at decision point 660 a film of the desired thickness has not been obtained on the substrate, then the processing cycle 625 is repeated until the desired thickness is obtained.

FIG. 23 shows a flow diagram of a method 700 of depositing a film according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 24 illustrates a processing chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 23 and 24, method 700 begins with operation 720, where at least one wafer is loaded onto x number of substrate support surfaces. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range of 2-10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to one or more of the number of substrate support surfaces or the number of processing stations 110 . In some implementations, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of wafers and/or processing stations 110 are the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer ranging from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is four.

In operation 730 , the substrate support assembly is rotated rx times in the first direction such that each substrate support surface is rotated to the adjacent processing station 110 . r is an integer of 1 or more. As used herein, the term "(rx)" refers to the number of times (ie, revolutions) of the substrate support assembly. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figures 23 and 24, when there are four processing stations (i.e., when x = 4), the substrate support moves at least four times in the first direction and in the second direction. Rotate at least 4 times in each direction.

In some embodiments, there are multiple processing cycles to complete a full rotation around the processing chamber. For example, FIG. 24 describes processing according to method 700, in which there are x=4 processing stations 110 and x'=2 different types of processing conditions (A and B). In this embodiment, the substrate support assembly can be rotated in each direction to provide alternating exposure to both processing conditions. In some implementations, the number of revolutions in each direction is equal to rx times. In the embodiment shown in Figure 24, four rotations 117a, 117b, 117c, 117d in the first direction provide two complete ALD cycles. The substrate returns to initial processing station 110 .

At operation 740, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film at a process station. In one or more embodiments, processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the film formed has a substantially uniform thickness. As used herein, "substantially uniform" refers to a film thickness that is within ±5 nm, ±4 nm, ±3 nm, ±2 nm, or ±1 nm of the formed film.

In operation 750 , the substrate support assembly rotates (rx) times in the second direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to the adjacent processing station 110 . As shown in Figure 24, there are four rotations 118a, 118b, 118c in the second direction.

At decision point 760, the method stops if a predetermined thickness of film has been formed on the substrate. If at decision point 760 a film of the desired thickness has not been obtained on the substrate, the cycle 725 is repeated until the desired thickness is obtained.

FIG. 25 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 800 of depositing a film according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. FIG. 26 illustrates a processing chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 25 and 26, method 800 begins with operation 820, where at least one wafer is loaded onto x number of substrate support surfaces. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer in the range of 2-10. In one or more embodiments, x refers to the number of substrate support surfaces. In other embodiments, x refers to one or more of the number of substrate surfaces or the number of processing stations 110 . In some implementations, the number of substrate support surfaces and the number of wafers and/or processing stations are the same and equal to x. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer ranging from 2 to 6. In one or more embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. In other embodiments, x is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. In one or more embodiments, x is four.

In operation 830, the substrate support assembly is rotated (360/x) degrees in a first direction, followed by (360/x) in a second direction such that each substrate support surface rotates to an adjacent processing station 120. rotate by degrees. The rotation in the first direction and the second direction can be repeated n times. n is an integer of 1 or more. The number n represents the number of processing cycles (ie ALD cycles). That is, each processing, rotation in a first direction following processing, and rotation in a second direction causes the substrate to react with the first reactive gas and the second reactive gas at the first station and the second station, respectively. A processing cycle, such as exposure to each of the gases.

FIG. 26 describes processing according to method 800, in which there are x=4 processing stations 120 and x'=4 different types of processing conditions (A, B, C and D). do. In this embodiment, substrate support assembly 100 rotates in a first direction 117 such that a substrate placed on processing station 120a rotates 117a to processing station 120b, after which substrate support assembly 100 rotates the substrate ( (here at processing station 120b) rotates in a second direction 118 such that it rotates 118a back to processing station 120a. This rotation can be repeated n times. n is an integer of 1 or more. The number n represents the number of processing cycles (ie ALD cycles).

At operation 840, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film at a process station. In one or more embodiments, processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the film formed has a substantially uniform thickness. As used herein, "substantially uniform" refers to a film thickness that is within ±5 nm, ±4 nm, ±3 nm, ±2 nm, or ±1 nm of the formed film.

At operation 850 , the substrate support assembly is then rotated (360/x) degrees in first direction 117 followed by another (360/x) degree rotation in first direction 117 . Referring to FIG. 26, the substrate on processing station 120a rotates 117a to processing station 120b and then rotates 117b to processing station 120b. In operation 850 of some embodiments, the substrate support rotates a sufficient number of times to move the substrate to the second set of processing stations. For example, the substrate support rotates twice to move the substrate, which is initially at station A, to station C;

In some embodiments (not described), as the substrate support rotates from station A to station B, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the film formed has a substantially uniform thickness. As used herein, "substantially uniform" refers to a film thickness that is within ±5 nm, ±4 nm, ±3 nm, ±2 nm, or ±1 nm of the formed film.

In some embodiments (not described), as the substrate support rotates from station B to station C, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the film formed has a substantially uniform thickness. As used herein, "substantially uniform" refers to a film thickness that is within ±5 nm, ±4 nm, ±3 nm, ±2 nm, or ±1 nm of the formed film.

At operation 860 , the substrate support assembly 100 rotates (360/x) degrees in the first direction 117 and then rotates in the second direction 118 such that each substrate support surface rotates to the adjacent processing station 120 . . This rotation can be repeated m times. m is an integer of 1 or more. The number m represents the number of processing cycles (ie ALD cycles).

In this embodiment, substrate support assembly 100 rotates in a first direction 117 such that a substrate now placed on processing station 120c rotates 117c to processing station 120d, after which substrate support assembly 100: The substrate (now located at processing station 120d) is rotated in a second direction 118 such that it is rotated 118b back to processing station 120c. This rotation can be repeated m times. m is an integer of 1 or more. The number m represents the number of processing cycles (ie ALD cycles).

At operation 870, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to process conditions to form a film at a process station. In one or more embodiments, processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the film formed has a substantially uniform thickness. As used herein, "substantially uniform" refers to a film thickness that is within ±5 nm, ±4 nm, ±3 nm, ±2 nm, or ±1 nm of the formed film.

At operation 880 , the substrate support assembly is then rotated (360/x) degrees in the second direction 118 . Referring to FIG. 26, the substrate on processing station 120c is rotated 118c to processing station 120b.

At decision point 890, the method stops if a predetermined thickness of film has been formed on the substrate. If at decision point 890 a film of the desired thickness has not been obtained on the substrate, the cycle 825 is repeated until the desired thickness is obtained.

In one or more embodiments, at least one wafer is stationary as the film is formed.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate support surface includes heaters. In one or more implementations, the substrate support surface or heater includes an electrostatic chuck.

Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment," "a particular embodiment," "one or more embodiments," or "an embodiment" refer to the particular feature being described in connection with the embodiment. , structures, materials, or properties are meant to be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, phrases such as "in one or more embodiments," "in a particular embodiment," "in one embodiment," or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily They are not all referring to the same embodiment of the disclosure. Moreover, the particular features, structures, materials, or properties may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Although the disclosure herein has been described with reference to particular implementations, it is to be understood that these implementations are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed method and apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure include modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (15)

a method,
providing a processing chamber including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations, each processing chamber having a processing chamber temperature, each processing station independently having a processing station temperature; providing a processing chamber in which the processing chamber temperature is different than the processing station temperature;
A substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations is moved in a first direction (360/360/50), with each substrate support surface toward an adjacent substrate support surface. x) rotating the substrate support assembly rx times to rotate by degrees, where r is an integer greater than or equal to 1;
rotating the substrate support assembly rx times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in a second direction to an adjacent substrate support surface;
A method, including 2. The method of claim 1, wherein x is an integer in the range 2-10. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein r ranges from 1-10. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of substrate support surfaces are substantially coplanar. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of substrate support surfaces includes heaters. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling one or more of processing chamber temperature or processing station temperature. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling rotational speeds of the plurality of substrate support assemblies. a method,
providing a processing chamber including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations, each processing chamber having a processing chamber temperature, each processing station independently having a processing station temperature; providing a processing chamber in which the processing chamber temperature is different than the processing station temperature;
A substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations is rotated (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface. things;
rotating the substrate support assembly to an adjacent substrate support surface in a second direction (360/x) degrees, wherein the rotation in the first direction and the rotation in the second direction are repeated n times, where n is 1; rotating the substrate support assembly to an adjacent substrate surface in a second direction by an integer greater than or equal to (360/x) degrees;
rotating the substrate support assembly two (360/x) degrees in the first direction;
rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in a first direction and then rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in a second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction are rotated; is repeated m times, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1, rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in a first direction, and then rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) in a second direction rotating by degrees;
rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in a second direction;
A method, including 9. The method of claim 8, wherein x is an integer in the range 2-10. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of substrate support surfaces are substantially coplanar. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling one or more of processing chamber temperature or processing station temperature. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling rotational speeds of the plurality of substrate support assemblies. A method of forming a membrane, comprising:
loading at least one wafer onto x number of substrate support surfaces in a substrate support assembly, each of the substrate support surfaces being aligned with x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations; and loading at least one wafer onto x number of substrate support surfaces in the substrate support assembly;
substrate support by rotating the substrate support assembly rx times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface, where r is an integer greater than or equal to 1 rotating the assembly rx times;
rotating the substrate support assembly rx times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees in a second direction to an adjacent substrate support surface;
exposing the top surface of at least one wafer to process conditions at each processing station to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness;
A method, including 14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one wafer is stationary when the film is formed. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein x is an integer in the range 2-10 and r is in the range 1-10.

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