JP7538794B2 - How to operate the Spatial Deposition Tool - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus for depositing thin films and a method for processing wafers. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a processing chamber having multiple movable heated wafer supports and spatially separated processing stations, as well as spatially separated and isolated processing stations.

Current atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes have many potential problems and difficulties. Many ALD chemicals (e.g., 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. In traditional time-domain ALD processes, where a single reactive gas flows into the processing chamber at a time, chemicals do not mix in the gas phase, resulting in long purge/pump-out times. Spatial ALD chambers 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 (e.g., below 350°C). Alternative energy sources are needed to deposit high quality films at temperatures lower than those at which films are deposited by 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 enough energy for vertical sidewall ALD films. Ions are typically accelerated through a sheath above the wafer surface in a direction perpendicular to the wafer surface. Thus, while the ions provide energy to the horizontal ALD film surfaces, they do not provide a sufficient amount of energy to the vertical surfaces because the ions travel parallel to the vertical surfaces.

Some processing chambers include a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP). The CCP is created between the top electrode and the wafer, commonly known as a CCP parallel plate plasma. CCP parallel plate plasma works very poorly on vertical sidewall surfaces because it produces very high ion energies across two sheaths. Better vertical ALD film properties can be achieved by spatially moving the wafer into an environment optimized to create high radical and ion fluxes with lower energy and wider angular distribution. Such plasma sources include microwave, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), or higher frequency CCP solutions with a third electrode (i.e., the plasma is created between two electrodes above the wafer, without using the wafer as the primary electrode).

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

For example, process gas flows across the entire wafer surface. Because the wafer is rotating about an offset axis, the flow streamlines at the leading and trailing edges of the wafer are different. Additionally, there are flow differences between the inner and outer diameter edges of the wafer due to slower velocities at the inner edge and faster velocities at the outer edge. These flow non-uniformities can be optimized but not eliminated. Exposing the wafer to a non-uniform plasma can result in plasma damage. The constant speed rotation of these spatial processing chambers requires the wafer to move in and out of the plasma, so that some areas of the wafer are exposed to the plasma while other areas are outside of the plasma. Additionally, the constant rotation speed can make it difficult to change the exposure time in the spatial processing chamber. As an example, a process uses a 0.5 second exposure to Gas A followed by a 1.5 second plasma treatment. Because the tool operates at a constant rotation speed, the only way to do this is to make the plasma environment three times the Gas A dose environment. If another process is to be run with equal Gas A time and plasma time, the hardware must be modified. Current spatial ALD chambers can only rotate slower or faster, 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 often involves moving the wafer to multiple of the same station type, resulting in differences in the leading and trailing edges of the wafer as different portions of the wafer are exposed to different environments. Thus, 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, the method includes providing a processing chamber including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations, where the processing chamber has a processing chamber temperature, each processing station independently having a processing station temperature, and the processing chamber temperature is different from the processing station temperature; rotating a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations (rx-1) times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent substrate support surface in a first direction, where r is an integer greater than or equal to 1; rotating the substrate support assembly (rx-1) times such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent substrate support surface in a second direction.

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

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of forming a film. In one or more embodiments, the method of forming a film includes: loading at least one wafer onto x number of substrate support surfaces in a substrate support assembly, each of the substrate support surfaces aligned with a spatially separated and isolated processing station; rotating the substrate support assembly (rx-1) times in a first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent substrate support surface, where r is an integer greater than or equal to 1; rotating the substrate support assembly (rx-1) times in the first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent substrate support surface; rotating the substrate support assembly (rx-1) times in a second direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent substrate support surface; exposing a top surface of at least one wafer to processing 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, the method includes providing a processing chamber including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations, where the processing chamber has a processing chamber temperature, each processing station independently having a processing station temperature, and the processing chamber temperature is different from the processing station temperature; rotating a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations 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 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.

An additional embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method of operating a processing chamber. In one or more embodiments, the method includes providing 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 having a processing station temperature, the processing chamber temperature being different from the processing station temperature; rotating a substrate support assembly having a plurality of substrate support surfaces aligned with the x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations by (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface; and rotating the substrate support assembly by (360/x) degrees in a second direction to an adjacent substrate surface, the rotation in the first direction and the second direction being repeated n times. rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in a second direction to an adjacent substrate surface, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1; rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees twice in the first direction; rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in the first direction and then rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in the second direction, where the rotations in the first and second directions are repeated m times, where m is an integer greater than or equal to 1; rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in the first direction and then rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in the second direction; rotating the substrate support assembly (360/x) degrees in the second direction;

In order that the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure may be understood in detail, a more particular description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above may be obtained by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, which may admit of other equally effective embodiments.

1 illustrates a cross-sectional isometric view of a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom isometric view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 illustrates a top isometric view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 illustrates a top isometric view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates a partial cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates a partial cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a top isometric view of a support plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. A side cross-sectional view of the support plate of 10A taken along line 10B-10B'. FIG. 13 is a bottom isometric view of a support plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. A side cross-sectional view of the support plate of 11A taken along line 11B-11B'. FIG. 13 is a bottom isometric view of a support plate according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. A side cross-sectional view of the support plate of 12A taken along line 12B-12B'. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional isometric view of a top plate of a processing chamber in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a processing station according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a top plate of a processing chamber according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a processing station in a processing chamber in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a processing platform in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a processing station arrangement 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. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a support assembly according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows a flow process diagram of one embodiment of a method for forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a processing chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows a flow process diagram of one embodiment of a method for forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a processing chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows a flow process diagram of one embodiment of a method for forming a thin film according to embodiments described herein. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a processing chamber and process flow according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Before describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details of construction or process steps set forth in the following description. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways.

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

As used herein and in the appended claims, the terms "precursor," "reactant," "reactive gas," and the like are used interchangeably and refer to any gas species that can react with the substrate surface or with the film formed on the substrate surface.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure use 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 that include optimizable plasma processing. Some embodiments advantageously provide apparatus and methods that enable differentiated thermal administration 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 referred to as processing stations. Some embodiments have more than four processing stations and some have less than four processing stations. The processing environments can be mounted coplanar with the wafer moving in a horizontal plane. The processing environments are 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 environments. Each heater may be temperature controlled and may have one or more concentric zones. For wafer loading, the rotatable structure can be lowered so that a vacuum robot can pick up a completed wafer and place an unprocessed wafer on lift pins located on each wafer heater (low Z position). In operation, each wafer can be in an independent environment until processing is complete, after which the rotatable structure can rotate to move the wafer on the heater to the next environment (90° rotation for four stations, 120° rotation for three stations) for processing.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously provide spatial separation of ALD with incompatible gases. Some embodiments enable higher throughput and tool resource utilization than traditional time-domain or spatial processing chambers. Each processing environment can operate at a different pressure. The heater rotation has a Z-direction motion and each heater can be enclosed in a chamber.

Some implementations advantageously provide a plasma environment that can include one or more of microwave, ICP, parallel plate CCP, or three-electrode CCP. The entire wafer can be immersed in the plasma, eliminating plasma damage from non-uniform plasma across the wafer.

In some implementations, a small gap between the showerhead and the wafer can be used to increase dosing gas utilization and cycle time speed. Precise showerhead temperature control and high operating range (up to 230°C). Without intending to be bound by theory, the closer the showerhead temperature is to the wafer temperature, the better the wafer temperature uniformity.

The showerhead may include small gas holes (<200 μm), a large number of gas holes (thousands to over 10 million), and gas distribution that is recursively delivered inside the showerhead using a small distribution volume to increase velocity. The small size and large number of gas holes may be created by laser drilling or dry etching. When the wafer is close to the showerhead, there is turbulence resulting from gas passing through the vertical holes toward the wafer. Some embodiments use a large number of holes spaced close together to allow low velocity gas to pass through the showerhead and achieve uniform distribution to the wafer surface.

Some embodiments relate to an integrated processing platform that uses multiple spatially separated processing stations (chambers) in a single tool. The processing platform may have various chambers capable of performing different processes.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus and method for moving a wafer attached to a wafer heater from one environment to another. High speed movement may be enabled by electrostatically chucking (or clamping) the wafer to the heater. Wafer movement may be linear or circular motion.

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 multiple distinct, spatially separated, sequential environments; moving two wafers on two wafer heaters to three environments (the same two environments and one different environment between two similar environments); wafer 1 sees environment A, then B, and repeats, while wafer 2 sees B, then A, and repeats; moving two wafers to two first environments and two second environments, where both wafers see the same environment at the same time (i.e., both wafers are in A, then both move to 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; In some embodiments, the wafers are repeatedly exposed to environment A and environment B, and then exposed to a third environment located in the same chamber.

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

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

Some embodiments include a structure constructed on top of the chamber having a vertical structural member that exerts a force upwards on the center of the chamber lid, eliminating deflection caused by atmospheric pressure on the top surface and vacuum on the opposite side. The magnitude of the force of the structure can be mechanically adjusted based on the deflection of the top plate. The adjustment of the force can be done automatically using a feedback circuit and a force transducer, or manually, for example, using a screw that an operator can turn.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a processing chamber having at least two spatially separated processing environments, also referred to as processing stations. Some embodiments have more than two processing stations, and some have more than four processing stations. The processing environments can be mounted coplanar with the wafer moving in a horizontal plane. The processing environments are 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 environments. Each heater may be temperature controlled and may have one or more concentric zones. For wafer loading, the rotatable structure can be lowered so that a vacuum robot can pick up a completed wafer and place an unprocessed wafer on lift pins located on each wafer heater (low Z position). In operation, each wafer can be in an independent environment until processing is completed, after which the rotatable structure can rotate to move the wafer on the heater to the next environment (90° rotation for four stations, 120° rotation for three stations) for processing. 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 is moved to a first processing station and then to a second processing station. In some cases, the first and second processing stations are the same (i.e., identical), which results in a lack of uniformity in film thickness and in the film deposition properties (refractive index, wet etch rate, in-plane displacement, etc.). Furthermore, the sequence of moving from one processing station to the next results in differences in the leading and trailing edges of the wafer as different portions of the wafer are exposed to the various environments of the stations.

Simply shuttling between two separate processing stations is the most straightforward way to operate a spatial deposition tool. However, moving between more than two processing stations introduces challenges such as rotating electrical, water and gas connections and aligning each wafer/substrate support surface to each processing station (the tolerances for aligning them from any position are more difficult than simply aligning each pedestal to two processing stations).

Furthermore, during conventional operation, when a wafer is loaded onto a substrate support, moved from a first processing station to a second processing station, and then returned to the first processing station, not all portions of the wafer on the substrate support are in the same environment at the same time, resulting in leading and trailing edge differences.

In one or more embodiments, the wafer is loaded onto a substrate support and moved from a first processing station to a second processing station, in a first direction to the first processing station, then back to the second processing station, and then in a second direction to the first processing station in order to average the time spent between the two types of processing stations. During such movements, it has been observed that the averaging of two wafers differs from the averaging of the other two wafers (e.g., when hot/cold temperatures are present, two wafers are hot at the edges and cold in the center, whereas the other two wafers are cold at the edges and hot in the center). In one or more embodiments, it has been surprisingly found that only averaging between (at least) four processing stations achieves reasonable averaging with a similar profile for all wafers. Thus, in one or more embodiments, the sequence of movements between processing stations is advantageously optimized to minimize the effect of not all parts of the wafer being in the environment (e.g., temperature, pressure, reactive gases, etc.) at the same time during the movement between processing stations.

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

The processing chamber 100 has a housing 102 having walls 104 and a bottom 106. The housing 102, together with a top plate 300, defines an interior space 109, also referred to as the processing space.

The 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 are 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 surface 114. In some implementations, the front surfaces 114 of each of the gas injectors 112 are substantially coplanar. A processing station 110 is defined as an area where processing can occur. For example, a processing station 110 can be defined by a substrate support surface 231 of a heater 230 and the front surface 114 of the gas injector 112, as described below.

The 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 apparatus 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 that generates a plasma while allowing plasma gas 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 figure than the right side of the figure (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.

Figures 3-6 show a support assembly 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The support assembly 200 includes a rotatable center base 210. The rotatable center base 210 may have a symmetric or asymmetric shape and defines a rotation axis 211. The rotation axis 211 extends in a first direction, as seen in Figure 6. 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 a direction perpendicular to gravity.

The support assembly 200 includes at least two support arms 220 connected to and extending from the center base 210. The support arms 220 have inner ends 221 and outer ends 222. The inner ends 221 contact the center base 210 so that when the center base 210 rotates about the axis of rotation 211, the support arms 220 similarly rotate. The support arms 220 may be connected to the center base 210 at the inner ends 221 by fasteners (e.g., bolts) or by being integrally formed with the center base 210.

In some embodiments, the support arms 220 extend perpendicular to the axis of rotation 211 such that one of the inner end 221 or the outer end 222 is farther from the axis of rotation 211 than the other of the inner end 221 and the outer end 222 on the same support arm 220. In some embodiments, the inner end 221 of the 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 the 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 embodiments, there are three support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are four support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are five support arms 220. In some embodiments, there are six support arms 220.

The support arms 220 may be symmetrically positioned around the center base 210. For example, in a support assembly 200 having four support arms 220, each of the support arms 220 is 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. That is, in an embodiment having four support arms 220, the support arms are positioned to provide four-fold symmetry around the axis of rotation 211. In some embodiments, the support assembly 200 has n number of support arms 220, and the n number of support arms 220 are positioned to provide n-fold symmetry around the axis of rotation 211.

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

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

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

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

The heater can be any suitable type of heater known to one of skill in the art. In some embodiments, the heater is a resistive heater having one or more heating elements within a heater body.

In some embodiments, the heater 230 includes additional components. For example, the heater may include an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck may include various wires and electrodes so that a wafer positioned on the 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, the wires and electrodes are routed through a channel 236 in the support arm 220. FIG. 7 shows a close-up partial view of the support assembly 200, showing the channel 236. The channel 236 extends along the support arm 220 and the heater standoff 234. The first electrode 251a and the second electrode 251b are in electrical communication with the heater 230 or with components (e.g., resistive wires) inside the heater 230. The first wire 253a connects to the first electrode 251a at a first connector 252a. The second wire 253b connects to the second electrode 251b at the second connector 252b.

In some embodiments, a temperature measurement device (e.g., a pyrometer, thermistor, thermocouple) is positioned in the channel 236 to measure one or more of the temperature of the heater 230 or the temperature of a substrate on the heater 230. In some embodiments, control and/or measurement wires for the temperature measurement device are routed through the channel 236. In some embodiments, one or more temperature measurement devices are positioned in the process 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 the support arm 220 and the support assembly 200 and connected to a power source (not shown). In some implementations, the connection to the power source allows the support assembly 200 to rotate continuously without the wires 253a, 253b getting tangled or breaking. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 7, the first wire 253a and the second wire 253b extend along the channel 236 of the support arm 220 to the center base 210. At the center base 210, the first wire 253a connects to the first connector 254a and the second wire 253b connects to the central second connector 254b. The central connectors 254a, 254b may be part of the connection plate 258 so that power or electronic signals can pass through the central connectors 254a, 254b. In the implementation shown, the wires are terminated at the center base 210 so that the support assembly 200 can rotate continuously without the wires getting twisted or broken. The second connection is on the opposite side of the connection plate 258 (outside the processing chamber).

In some implementations, the wires are directly connected to a power source or electrical component outside the processing chamber through the channel 236. In such implementations, the wires have enough slack to allow the support assembly 200 to rotate a limited amount without twisting or breaking the wires. In some implementations, the support assembly 200 rotates no more than about 1080°, 990°, 720°, 630°, 360°, or 270° before the direction of rotation is reversed. This allows the heater to rotate through each of the stations without breaking the wires.

Referring again to FIGS. 3-6, the heater 230 and support surface 231 may include one or more gas outlets to provide backside gas flow, which may aid in removal of the wafer from the support surface 231. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the support surface 231 includes a number of openings 237 and gas channels 238. The openings 237 and/or gas channels 238 may be in fluid communication with a vacuum source or a gas source (e.g., purge gas). In this type of embodiment, hollow tubes may be included to allow fluid communication of the openings 237 and/or gas channels 238 with a gas source.

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

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

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the sealing platform 240 is in the shape of a ring and is positioned around each heater 230. In the embodiment shown, the sealing platform 240 is located below the heater 230 such that the upper surface 241 of the sealing platform 240 is below the support surface 231 of the heater.

The confinement platform 240 can have many purposes. For example, the confinement platform 240 can be used to increase the temperature uniformity of the heater 230 by increasing the thermal mass. In some implementations, the confinement platform 240 is integrally formed with the heater 230 (see, e.g., FIG. 6). In some implementations, the confinement platform 240 is separate from the heater 230. For example, the implementation shown in FIG. 8 has the confinement platform 240 as a separate component connected to the heater standoffs 234, such that the upper surface 241 of the confinement platform 240 is below the level of the support surface 231 of the heater 230.

In some implementations, the containment platform 240 serves as a holder for the support plate 245. In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 5, the support plate 245 is a single component that encloses all of the heater 230 with multiple openings 242 allowing access to the support surface 231 of the heater 230. The openings 242 may allow the heater 230 to pass through the support plate 245. In some implementations, the support plate 245 is fixed so that the support plate 245 moves vertically and rotates with the heater 230.

In one or more embodiments, the support assembly 200 is a drum-shaped component. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, it is a cylindrical body having a top surface 246 configured to support multiple wafers. The top surface 246 of the support assembly 200 has multiple recesses (pockets 257) sized to support one or more wafers during processing. In some embodiments, the pockets 257 have 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 the support arm 220 is absent. FIG. 20 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the support assembly 200 using a cylindrical body. The support assembly 200 includes multiple pockets 257 sized to support wafers for processing. In the embodiment shown, the bottom of the pockets 257 is the support surface 231 of the heater 230. The power connection of the heater 230 can be routed through the support post 227 and the support plate 245. The heaters 230 can be independently powered to control the temperature of the individual pockets 257 and wafers.

9, in some embodiments, the support plate 245 has an upper surface 246 that forms a major plane 248 that is substantially parallel to the major plane 247 formed by the support surface 231 of the heater 230. In some embodiments, the support plate 245 has an upper surface 246 that forms a major plane 248 that is a distance D above the major plane 247 of the support surface 231. In some embodiments, the distance D is substantially equal to the thickness of the wafer 260 being processed such that the surface 261 of the wafer 260 is coplanar with the upper surface 246 of the support plate 245, as shown in FIG. 6. When used in this manner, the term "substantially coplanar" means that the major plane formed by the surface 261 of the wafer 260 is coplanar to within ±1 mm, ±0.5 mm, ±0.4 mm, ±0.3 mm, ±0.2 mm, or ±0.1 mm.

9, some embodiments of the present disclosure have a separate component that constitutes a support surface for processing. Here, the confining platform 240 is a separate component from the heater 230 and is positioned such that the upper surface 241 of the confining platform 240 is below the support surface 231 of the heater 230. The distance between the upper surface 241 of the confining platform 240 and the support surface 231 of the heater 230 is sufficient to allow the support plate 245 to be positioned on the confining platform 240. The thickness of the support plate 245 and/or the position of the confining platform 240 can be controlled such that the distance D between the upper surfaces 246 of the support plates 245 is sufficient so that the upper surface 261 of the wafer 260 (see FIG. 6) is substantially flush with the upper surface 246 of the support plate 245.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the support plate 245 is supported by support post 227. Support post 227 may have utility in preventing sagging in the center of the support plate 245 when a single-component platform is used. In some embodiments, the sealing platform 240 is not present and support post 227 is the primary support for the support plate 245.

The support plate 245 can have a variety of configurations and can interact with the heater 230 and the confinement platform 240 of various configurations. FIG. 10A shows a top isometric view of the support plate 245 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10B shows a cross-sectional view of the support plate 245 of FIG. 10A taken along line 10B-10B'. In this embodiment, the support plate 245 is a planar component, where the top surface 246 and the bottom surface 249 are substantially flat and/or substantially coplanar. The illustrated embodiment can be particularly useful when a confinement platform 240 is used to support the support plate 245, as shown in FIG. 9.

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

12A shows a bottom isometric view of another embodiment of a support plate 245 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 12B shows a cross-sectional view of the support plate 245 of FIG. 12A taken along line 12B-12B'. In this embodiment, each of the openings 242 has a concave ring 272 on the bottom surface 249 of the support plate 245 around the periphery of the opening 242. The concave ring 272 creates a concave bottom surface 273. This type of embodiment may be useful when the containment platform 240 is not present or is 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 such 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 top plate 300 of a multi-station processing chamber. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 13, the top plate 300 has a top surface 301 and a bottom surface 302 that define a lid thickness, and one or more edges. The top plate 300 includes at least one opening 310 extending through its thickness. The opening 310 is sized to allow for the addition of gas injectors 112 that may form processing stations 110.

Figure 14 illustrates an exploded view of a processing station 110 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The processing station 110 illustrated includes three main components: a top plate (also called a lid), a pump/purge insert 330, and a gas injector 112. The gas injector 112 illustrated in Figure 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 may be uniform or different. Different sizes/shapes of gas injectors 112 may be used with pump/purge inserts 330 appropriately shaped for transfer from the openings 310 to the gas injectors 112. For example, as shown, the pump/purge insert 330 includes a top 331 and a bottom 333 with sidewalls 335. When inserted into the openings 310 in the top plate 300, a ledge 334 adjacent the bottom 333 may rest on a shelf 315 formed in the opening 310. In some embodiments, there is no shelf 315 in the opening and the flange portion 317 of the pump/purge insert 330 is at the top of the top plate 300. In the embodiment shown, the ledge 334 rests on the shelf 315 with an O-ring 314 positioned therebetween to help form a gas seal.

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

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

In some embodiments, the plenum 336 may be filled with a purge gas or an inert gas that may pass through an opening 338 in the bottom 333 of the pump/purge insert 330. The gas flow through the opening 338 may help create a gas curtain type barrier to prevent leakage of process gases from inside the process chamber.

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

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

2 and 15, some embodiments of the top plate 300 include a bar 360 that passes through the center of the top plate 300. The bar 360 may be connected to the top plate 300 near the center using a connector 367. The connector 367 may be used to apply a force perpendicular to the top 331 or bottom 333 of the top plate 300 to counteract warping in the top plate 300 as a result of pressure differentials or due to the weight of the top plate 300. In some embodiments, the bar 360 and connector 367 may counteract 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 embodiments, a motor 365 or actuator may be connected to the connector 367 to cause a change in the directional force applied to the top plate 300. The motor 365 or actuator may be supported on the bar 360. The bar 360 shown is in contact with the edge of the top plate 300 in two locations. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that there may be one connection location or more than two connection locations.

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

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

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

The boundary of the processing station 110 may be considered the area within which the processing gas is separated by the pump/purge insert 330. In some embodiments, the outer boundary of the processing station 110 is the outermost edge of the opening 338 that is in fluid communication with the plenum 336 of the pump/purge insert 330, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16.

The number of processing stations 110 can vary, along with the number of heaters 230 and support arms 220. In some implementations, there are an equal number of heaters 230, support arms 220, and processing stations 110. In some implementations, 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 a different processing station 110 at the same time. That is, each of the heaters is positioned at a processing station at the same time.

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

17 illustrates a processing platform 400 according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 17 merely represents one possible configuration and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in an embodiment, 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 embodiment illustrated.

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, one 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. In some implementations, the transfer station 410 has three sides, four sides, five sides, six sides, seven sides, or eight sides.

The transfer station 410 has a robot 430 located therein. The robot 430 can be any suitable robot capable of moving a wafer during processing. In some implementations, the robot 430 has a first arm 431 and a second arm 432. The first arm 431 and the second arm 432 can move independently of the other arm. The first arm 431 and the second arm 432 can move in the x-y plane and/or along the z-axis. In some implementations, the robot 430 includes a third arm (not shown) or a fourth arm (not shown). Each arm can move independently of the other arm.

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

The processing platform 400 may also include one or more buffer stations 420 connected to the first side 411 of the central transfer station 410. The buffer stations 420 may perform the same or different functions. For example, the buffer stations may hold a cassette of wafers that are processed and returned to the original cassette. Or, one of the buffer stations may hold unprocessed wafers that are processed and then moved to the other buffer station. In some embodiments, one or more of the buffer stations are configured to pre-process, pre-heat, or clean the wafers before and/or after processing.

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

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

A controller 495 may be provided and coupled to the various components of the processing platform 400 to control their operation. The 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, the processing platform 400 may include separate controllers for each of the individual processing chambers 100, the central transfer station 410, the factory interface 450, and the robot 430.

In some embodiments, the controller 495 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 496, memory 497, and support circuits 498. The controller 495 may control the processing platform 400 directly or through computers (or controllers) associated with particular processing chambers and/or support system components.

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

Support circuits 498 are coupled to CPU 496 to support the processor in a conventional manner. These circuits include cache, power supplies, clock circuits, input/output circuits and subsystems, etc. 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. The 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 the present disclosure may also be performed in hardware. Thus, the processes may be implemented in software and executed in hardware using a computer system, for example, as an application specific integrated circuit or other type of hardware implementation, or as a combination of software and hardware. The software routines, when executed by a processor, transform the general-purpose computer into a special-purpose computer (controller) that controls the operation of the chamber so that the processes are performed.

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

Figures 18A through 18I show various configurations of the processing chamber 100 with different processing stations 110. The 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 letter. This represents four processing stations 110, each with different conditions than the other stations. Processing can occur by moving the heater with the wafer from station A to D, as indicated by the arrows. After exposure to D, the cycle can continue or reverse.

In FIG. 18B, two to four wafers can be processed simultaneously. The wafers shuttle between positions A and B on the heater. Two wafers can start at position A and two wafers can start at position B. The 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 rotated continuously in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. In some implementations, the heater and wafer are rotated 90° in a first direction (e.g., from A to B) and then rotated 90° in a second direction (e.g., from B back to A). This rotation is repeated so that four wafers/heaters can be processed 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. This may be particularly useful if one of the processes is at a very different pressure or if the processing times of A and B are very different.

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

In FIG. 18D, two wafers may be processed in an AB treatment process. For example, wafers may be placed only on the B heater. A quarter-turn clockwise places one wafer in the A station and the second wafer in the T station. A turn back moves both wafers to the B station, and another quarter-turn counterclockwise places the second wafer in the A station and the first wafer in the B station.

In FIG. 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.

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

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

Figure 19B shows the support plate 245 and heater 230 after they have been moved toward the processing station 110 so that the support surface 231 of the heater 230 is in contact or near contact with the front surface 114 of the gas injector 112 of the processing station 110. In this position, the O-ring 329 is compressed to form a seal around the outer edge of the support plate 245 or the outer portion of the heater 230. This allows the wafer 101 to move as close as possible to the gas injector 112, minimizing the space in the reaction region 219 so that the reaction region 219 can be purged quickly.

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

Returning to FIG. 17, the controller 495 in some embodiments has one or more configurations selected from: moving a substrate on a robot between multiple processing chambers; loading and/or unloading a substrate from the system; opening and closing a slit valve; providing power to one or more of the heaters; measuring the temperature of the heater; measuring the temperature of a wafer on the heater; loading or unloading a wafer from the heater; providing feedback between temperature measurement and heater power control; rotating the support assembly about an axis of rotation; moving the support assembly along the axis of rotation (i.e., along the z-axis); setting or changing the rotation speed of the support assembly; providing a flow of gas to a gas injector; providing power to one or more electrodes to generate a plasma in the gas injector; controlling the power supply of a plasma source; controlling the frequency and/or power of the plasma source power supply; and/or providing control of a thermal annealing processing station.

One or more embodiments relate to a method of operating a processing chamber 100. In one or more embodiments, the method includes providing a processing chamber 100 including x number of spatially separated and isolated processing stations 110. In one or more embodiments, x is an integer ranging from 2 to 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 embodiments, 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 4.

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 where there are four processing stations with two different processing conditions, x' is equal to 2. This type of embodiment has an equal number of stations with each type of process condition. In one or more embodiments, the processing chamber has four processing stations that are separated into alternating first and second processing stations such that 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 exposed to each processing condition twice. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment where there are two different types of processing conditions (A and B) at the four processing 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, which is different from the processing station temperature. In one or more embodiments, a substrate support assembly 200 having a plurality of substrate support surfaces 231 aligned with a number x of spatially separated and isolated processing stations 110 rotates (rx-1) times such that each substrate support surface 231 rotates (360/x) degrees in a first direction to an adjacent substrate support surface 231. As used herein, the term "(rx-1)" refers to the number of times (i.e., the number of rotations) of the substrate support assembly. In one or more embodiments, r represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles) and is an integer equal to or greater than 1. In some embodiments, r is greater than 10, greater than 50, or greater than 100. In one or more embodiments, r is in the range of 1 to 10, or in the range of 1 to 8, or in the range of 1 to 6, or in the range of 1 to 4, or selected from 1, 2, 3, or 4. In other embodiments, r is 1. In still further embodiments, 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 is rotated (360/x) degrees in the second direction to an adjacent substrate support surface 231.

In one or more embodiments, the first direction and the second direction are opposite to 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 multiple substrate support surfaces 231 are substantially coplanar. When used in this manner, "substantially coplanar" means that the plane formed by an individual support surface 231 is within ±5°, ±4°, ±3°, ±2°, or ±1° of the plane formed by the other support surfaces 231. In some embodiments, the term "substantially coplanar" means that the plane formed by the individual support surfaces is within ±50 μm, ±40 μm, ±30 μm, ±20 μm, or ±10 μm.

In one or more embodiments, the substrate support surface includes a heater 230 capable of supporting a wafer. In some embodiments, the substrate support surface or heater 230 includes an electrostatic chuck.

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

In one or more embodiments, the method further includes controlling the rotational speed (rx-1) of the multiple substrate support assemblies 200.

One or more embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of operating a processing chamber 100. In one or more embodiments, the method includes providing a processing chamber 100 having at least two different processing stations 110, a substrate support assembly 200 including a first substrate support surface 231, a second substrate support surface 231, a third substrate support surface 231, and a fourth substrate support surface 231, each substrate support surface 231 being in an initial position aligned with the processing station 110. A first wafer on the first substrate support surface 231 is exposed to a first processing condition. The substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the second substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a second processing condition. The substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a first direction to move the first wafer to an initial position of the third substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a third processing condition. The substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a first direction and moves the first wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a fourth processing condition. The substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a second direction and moves the first wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a third processing condition. The substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a second direction and moves the first wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231. The first wafer is exposed to a second processing condition. The substrate support assembly 200 rotates in a second direction and moves the first wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231 and the first wafer is exposed to a first processing condition. In one or more embodiments, the processing condition includes one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gas, 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 to move the second wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to the third processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the second wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to the fourth processing condition; 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; The method further includes exposing the second wafer to a first processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the second wafer to an initial position of the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a fourth processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the second wafer to an initial position of the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a third processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the second wafer to an initial position of the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the second wafer to a second processing condition.

In one or more embodiments, the method includes exposing a third wafer on the third substrate support surface 231 to a third process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction to move the third wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to the fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the third wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to the first process condition; 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; The method further includes exposing the third wafer to a second processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the third wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to the first processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the third wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the third wafer to a fourth processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction 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 another embodiment, the method includes exposing a fourth wafer on the fourth substrate support surface 231 to a fourth process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a first direction to move the fourth wafer to an initial position on the first substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to the first process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the fourth wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to the second process condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in the first direction to move the fourth wafer to an initial position on the third substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to a third processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the fourth wafer to an initial position on the second substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to the second processing condition; 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; exposing the fourth wafer to the first processing condition; rotating the substrate support assembly 200 in a second direction to move the fourth wafer to an initial position on the fourth substrate support surface 231; exposing the fourth wafer to a fourth processing condition;

21 shows a flow diagram of a method 600 for depositing a film according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 22 illustrates a processing chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. With reference to FIGS. 21 and 22, the 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 ranging from 2 to 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 embodiments, 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 4.

In operation 630, the substrate support assembly rotates (rx-1) times in a first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to an adjacent processing station 110, where r is an integer equal to or greater than 1. The number r represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles). As used herein, the terms "(rx-1)" or "(rx'-1)" refer to the number of times (i.e., number of rotations) of the substrate support assembly.

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

In operation 640, at a processing station, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to processing conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, etc. In one or more embodiments, the formed film 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, if a film of the predetermined thickness has been formed on the substrate, the method stops. If a film of the predetermined thickness has not been obtained on the substrate at decision point 660, processing cycle 625 is repeated until the predetermined thickness is obtained.

23 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 700 for 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. With reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, the 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 ranging from 2 to 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 embodiments, 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 4.

In operation 730, the substrate support assembly rotates rx times in a first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates to an adjacent processing station 110, where r is an integer equal to or greater than 1. As used herein, the term "(rx)" refers to the number of times (i.e., the number of rotations) of the substrate support assembly. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, when there are four processing stations (i.e., when x=4), the substrate support rotates at least four times in the first direction and at least four times in the second direction.

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

In operation 740, at a processing station, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to processing conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, etc. In one or more embodiments, the formed film 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 an adjacent processing station 110. As shown in FIG. 24, there are four rotations 118a, 118b, 118c in the second direction.

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

25 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 800 for depositing a film according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 26 illustrates a processing chamber configuration according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. With reference to FIGS. 25 and 26, the 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 ranging from 2 to 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 embodiments, 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 4.

In operation 830, the substrate support assembly rotates (360/x) degrees in a first direction, followed by (360/x) degrees in a second direction, such that each substrate support surface is rotated to an adjacent processing station 120. The rotations in the first and second directions may be repeated n times, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 1. The number n represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles). That is, each processing, rotation in the first direction following the processing, and rotation in the second direction is a processing cycle in which the substrate is exposed to a first reactive gas and a second reactive gas, respectively, at the first and second stations, respectively.

26 illustrates a process according to method 800, where there are x=4 processing stations 120 and x'=4 different types of processing conditions (A, B, C, and D). In this embodiment, the 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, and then the substrate support assembly 100 rotates in a second direction 118 such that the substrate (now located at processing station 120b) rotates 118a back to processing station 120a. This rotation can be repeated n times, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 1. The number n represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles).

In operation 840, at a processing station, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to processing conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film 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 850, the substrate support assembly then rotates (360/x) degrees in the first direction 117, followed by another (360/x) degree rotation in the first direction 117. Referring to FIG. 26, a substrate residing on processing station 120a rotates 117a to processing station 120b, and then rotates 117b to processing station 120b. In operation 850 in some embodiments, the substrate support rotates a sufficient number of times to move the substrate to a second set of processing stations. For example, the substrate support rotates twice to move a substrate originally residing at station A to station C.

In some embodiments (not shown), 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, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film 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 shown), 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, the process conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film 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 860, the substrate support assembly 100 rotates (360/x) degrees in a first direction 117 and then in a second direction 118 such that each substrate support surface is rotated to an adjacent processing station 120. This rotation may be repeated m times, where m is an integer equal to or greater than 1. The number m represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles).

In this embodiment, the 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, and then the substrate support assembly 100 rotates in a second direction 118 such that the substrate (now located at processing station 120d) rotates 118b back to processing station 120c. This rotation may be repeated m times, where m is an integer equal to or greater than 1. The number m represents the number of processing cycles (i.e., ALD cycles).

In operation 870, at a processing station, the top surface of at least one wafer is exposed to processing conditions to form a film. In one or more embodiments, the processing conditions include one or more of temperature, pressure, reactive gases, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the formed film 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 880, the substrate support assembly then rotates (360/x) degrees in the second direction 118. Referring to FIG. 26, the substrate residing on processing station 120c rotates 118c to processing station 120b.

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

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

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

Throughout this specification, references to "one embodiment," "a particular embodiment," "one or more embodiments," or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Thus, the appearances of "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 refer to the same embodiment of the disclosure. Furthermore, particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Although the disclosure herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments 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 disclosure cover modifications and variations that come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (4)

1. A method for forming a film by atomic layer deposition (ALD), comprising:
loading at least one wafer within a processing chamber 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 within the processing chamber , where x is an integer ranging from 2 to 10 ;
rotating the substrate support assembly (rx-1) times in a first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to the position of an adjacent substrate support surface, where r is an integer greater than or equal to 1 ;
rotating the substrate support assembly (rx-1) times in a second direction opposite to the first direction such that each substrate support surface rotates (360/x) degrees to the position of an adjacent substrate support surface;
exposing, at each processing station, an upper surface of the at least one wafer to processing conditions to form a film having a substantially uniform thickness , the at least one wafer being stationary as the film is formed ;
Including,
Substantially uniform thickness means that the thickness of the formed film is within ±5 nm.
method. The method of claim 1 , wherein r is in the range of 1 to 10. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said x number of substrate support surfaces has a corresponding heater, the temperature of each heater being measured and controlled. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the x number of substrate support surfaces has a corresponding heater, and the substrate support assembly includes a confining platform positioned around each of the heaters to provide a seal or barrier to minimize gas flow into an area below the substrate support assembly.

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