Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090218317 | METHOD TO CONTROL UNIFORMITY USING TRI-ZONE SHOWERHEAD - Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for processing a substrate with increased uniformity. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate. The apparatus comprises a chamber body defining a processing volume, a substrate support disposed in the processing volume, a showerhead disposed in the processing volume opposite to the substrate support, and a plasma generation assembly configured to ignite a plasma from the processing gases in the processing gas in the processing volume. The showerhead is configured to provide one or more processing gases to the processing volume. The showerhead has two or more distribution zones each independently controllable. | 09-03-2009 |
20090221149 | MULTIPLE PORT GAS INJECTION SYSTEM UTILIZED IN A SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEM - An apparatus having a multiple gas injection port system for providing a high uniform etching rate across the substrate is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a nozzle in the semiconductor processing apparatus having a hollow cylindrical body having a first outer diameter defining a hollow cylindrical sleeve and a second outer diameter defining a tip, a longitudinal passage formed longitudinally through the body of the hollow cylindrical sleeve and at least partially extending to the tip, and a lateral passage formed in the tip coupled to the longitudinal passage, the lateral passage extending outward from the longitudinal passage having an opening formed on an outer surface of the tip. | 09-03-2009 |
20090221150 | ETCH RATE AND CRITICAL DIMENSION UNIFORMITY BY SELECTION OF FOCUS RING MATERIAL - A method and apparatus are provided for plasma etching a substrate in a processing chamber. A focus ring assembly circumscribes a substrate support, providing uniform processing conditions near the edge of the substrate. The focus ring assembly comprises two rings, a first ring and a second ring, the first ring comprising quartz, and the second ring comprising monocrystalline silicon, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon oxycarbide, silicon oxynitride, or combinations thereof. The second ring is disposed above the first ring near the edge of the substrate, and creates a uniform electric field and gas composition above the edge of the substrate that results in uniform etching across the substrate surface. | 09-03-2009 |
20090236447 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING GAS INJECTION IN PROCESS CHAMBER - Methods and apparatus for processing substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, a gas distribution apparatus may include a plurality of gas inlets configured to deliver a process gas to a process chamber; and a plurality of flow controllers having outlets coupled to the plurality of gas inlets for independently controlling the flow rate through each of the plurality of gas inlets. The gas distribution apparatus may be coupled to a process chamber for controlling the delivery of one or more process gases thereto. | 09-24-2009 |
20090272492 | PLASMA REACTOR WITH CENTER-FED MULTIPLE ZONE GAS DISTRIBUTION FOR IMPROVED UNIFORMITY OF CRITICAL DIMENSION BIAS - A gas distribution assembly for the ceiling of a plasma reactor includes a center fed hub and an equal path length distribution gas manifold underlying the center fed hub. | 11-05-2009 |
20090275206 | PLASMA PROCESS EMPLOYING MULTIPLE ZONE GAS DISTRIBUTION FOR IMPROVED UNIFORMITY OF CRITICAL DIMENSION BIAS - A passivation species precursor gas is furnished to an inner zone at a first flow rate, while flowing an etchant species precursor gas an annular intermediate zone at a second flow rate. Radial distribution of etch rate is controlled by the ratio of the first and second flow rates. The radial distribution of etch critical dimension bias on the wafer is controlled by flow rate of passivation gas to the wafer edge. | 11-05-2009 |
20100155223 | Electromagnet array in a sputter reactor - A multi-step process performed in a plasma sputter chamber including sputter deposition from the target and argon sputter etching of the substrate. The chamber includes a quadruple electromagnetic coil array coaxially arranged in a rectangular array about a chamber axis outside the sidewalls of a plasma sputter reactor in back of an RF coil within the chamber. The coil currents can be separately controlled to produce different magnetic field distributions, for example, between a sputter deposition mode in which the sputter target is powered to sputter target material onto a wafer and a sputter etch mode in which the RF coil supports the argon sputtering plasma. A TaN/Ta barrier is first sputter deposited with high target power and wafer bias. Argon etching is performed with even higher wafer bias. A flash step is applied with reduced target power and wafer bias. | 06-24-2010 |
20110192349 | Phase-Modulated RF Power for Plasma Chamber Electrode - A plurality of RF power signals have the same RF frequency as a reference RF signal and are coupled to respective RF connection points on an electrode of a plasma chamber. At least three of the RF connection points are not collinear. At least two of the RF power signals have time-varying phase offsets relative to the reference RF signal that are distinct functions of time. Such time-varying phase offsets can produce a spatial distribution of plasma in the plasma chamber having better time-averaged uniformity than the uniformity of the spatial distribution at any instant in time. | 08-11-2011 |
20110197814 | ANTI-ARC ZERO FIELD PLATE - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to apparatus for reducing arcing and parasitic plasma in substrate processing chambers. The apparatus generally include a processing chamber having a substrate support, a backing plate, and a showerhead disposed therein. A showerhead suspension electrically couples the backing plate to the showerhead. An electrically conductive bracket is coupled to the backing plate and spaced apart from the showerhead. The electrically conductive bracket may include a plate, a lower portion, an upper portion, and a vertical extension. The electrically conductive bracket contacts an electrical isolator. | 08-18-2011 |
20130171757 | ADVANCED PLATFORM FOR PASSIVATING CRYSTALLINE SILICON SOLAR CELLS - The present invention generally provides a high throughput substrate processing system that is used to form one or more regions of a solar cell device. In one configuration of a processing system, one or more solar cell passivating or dielectric layers are deposited and further processed within one or more processing chambers contained within the high throughput substrate processing system. The processing chambers may be, for example, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chambers, low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) chambers, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers, physical vapor deposition (PVD) or sputtering chambers, thermal processing chambers (e.g., RTA or RTO chambers), substrate reorientation chambers (e.g., flipping chambers) and/or other similar processing chambers. | 07-04-2013 |
20130273262 | STATIC DEPOSITION PROFILE MODULATION FOR LINEAR PLASMA SOURCE - Methods and apparatus for controlling film deposition using a linear plasma source are described herein. The apparatus include a showerhead having openings therein for flowing a gas therethrough, a conveyor to support one or more substrates thereon disposed adjacent to the showerhead, and a power source for ionizing the gas. The ionized gas can be a source gas used to deposit a material on the substrate. The deposition profile of the material on the substrate can be adjusted, for example, using a gas-shaping device included in the apparatus. Additionally or alternatively, the deposition profile may be adjusted by using an actuatable showerhead. The method includes exposing a substrate to an ionized gas to deposit a film on the substrate, wherein the ionized gas is influenced with a gas-shaping device to uniformly deposit the film on the substrate as the substrate is conveyed proximate to the showerhead. | 10-17-2013 |