公开(公告)号：US20210395883A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-23

申请号：US17316338

申请日：2021-05-10

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Anthony Dip

IPC: C23C16/34 ,  C23C16/452

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided herein to thermally activate a nitrogen-containing gas at lower activation temperatures (e.g., below 2000 C) than conventional hot-wire heating methods, while more effectively heating larger gas volumes. In the disclosed embodiments, a gas activation chamber is provided within a deposition system for thermally activating a nitrogen-containing gas. In one example, ammonia (NH3) may be thermally activated within the gas activation chamber to generate ammonia radicals and/or hydrazine compounds before the ammonia, ammonia radicals and/or hydrazine compounds are delivered to the substrate surface. Because ammonia radicals and hydrazine compounds are significantly more reactive than ammonia, especially at lower substrate temperatures (e.g.,

公开(公告)号：US12180589B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-31

申请号：US17316316

申请日：2021-05-10

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Anthony Dip

IPC: C23C16/455 ,  B05B1/18 ,  C23C16/24 ,  C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/52 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus includes a processing chamber; a substrate holder disposed in the processing chamber; and a showerhead disposed over the substrate holder. The showerhead includes a first zone disposed in a central region of the showerhead, the first zone including a first cavity, a plurality of first fluid exit holes aligned to output a fluid from the first cavity towards the substrate holder, a first flow path fluidly coupled to a fluid source, and a plurality of first fluid distribution pathways fluidly coupling the first flow path with the first cavity.

公开(公告)号：US11834745B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-05

申请号：US17316378

申请日：2021-05-10

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Anthony Dip

IPC: C23C16/40 ,  C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/455

CPC classification number: C23C16/4583 ,  C23C16/45544 ,  C23C16/45559 ,  C23C16/45565

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided herein to improve the efficiency of an atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycle by providing an improved purge block design. The improved purge block prevents gas mixing, regardless of the rotational speed of the platen, by providing a lower cavity on an underside of the purge block, and in some embodiments, by providing an upper cavity on a topside of the purge block. The lower/upper cavity provides a gas conduction path that distributes purge gas evenly beneath/above the purge block and provides uniform gas flow conductance within the lower/upper cavity. Compared to conventional purge block designs, the improved purge block design described herein provides a narrower, yet more effective isolation barrier, which prevents gas mixing even at high rotational speeds of the platen.

公开(公告)号：US20220098733A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-31

申请号：US17547521

申请日：2021-12-10

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Anthony Dip

IPC: C23C16/455 ,  H01L21/02 ,  C23C16/52

Abstract: A process and apparatus is provided in which improved control of gas phase radicals is provided. In one embodiment, a system generating atomic oxygen is provided in which gases which generate the atomic oxygen are mixed prior to injection in a process space. The mixing may occur within a showerhead or prior to entrance into the showerhead. In another embodiment, a showerhead is provided which includes multiple zones. Some of the zones of the showerhead may inject the mixture of gases which generate the atomic oxygen into the process space, while other zones do not inject that mixture. In one embodiment, the mixture of gases which generates the atomic oxygen is injected into a main zone, while a subset of those gases is injected into inner and outer zones of the showerhead. The process and apparatus provides a uniform density of atomic oxygen across the substrate being processed.

公开(公告)号：US11274370B2

公开(公告)日：2022-03-15

申请号：US16421358

申请日：2019-05-23

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Anthony Dip

IPC: C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/52 ,  H01L21/02

Abstract: A process and apparatus is provided in which improved control of gas phase radicals is provided. In one embodiment, a system generating atomic oxygen is provided in which gases which generate the atomic oxygen are mixed prior to injection in a process space. The mixing may occur within a showerhead or prior to entrance into the showerhead. In another embodiment, a showerhead is provided which includes multiple zones. Some of the zones of the showerhead may inject the mixture of gases which generate the atomic oxygen into the process space, while other zones do not inject that mixture. In one embodiment, the mixture of gases which generates the atomic oxygen is injected into a main zone, while a subset of those gases is injected into inner and outer zones of the showerhead. The process and apparatus provides a uniform density of atomic oxygen across the substrate being processed.

公开(公告)号：US20220037162A1

公开(公告)日：2022-02-03

申请号：US16944563

申请日：2020-07-31

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： David O'Meara ,  Anthony Dip ,  Masanobu Igeta

IPC: H01L21/3105 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/458

Abstract: Methods are provided for planarizing a patterned substrate in a spatial atomic layer processing system comprising a rotating platen. The patterned substrate may generally include features having higher regions and lower regions. To planarize the patterned substrate, or reduce a height differential between the higher and lower regions, a selective atomic layer etching (ALE) process is disclosed to preferentially form a modified layer on the higher regions of the features by exposing a surface of the patterned substrate to a precursor gas while the rotating platen spins at a high rotational speed. By preferentially forming the modified layer on the higher regions of the features, and subsequently removing the modified layer, the selective ALE process described herein preferentially etches the higher regions of the features to lessen the height differential between the higher and lower regions until a desired planarization of the features is achieved.

公开(公告)号：US20210395886A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-23

申请号：US17316378

申请日：2021-05-10

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Anthony Dip

IPC: C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/455

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided herein to improve the efficiency of an atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycle by providing an improved purge block design. The improved purge block prevents gas mixing, regardless of the rotational speed of the platen, by providing a lower cavity on an underside of the purge block, and in some embodiments, by providing an upper cavity on a topside of the purge block. The lower/upper cavity provides a gas conduction path that distributes purge gas evenly beneath/above the purge block and provides uniform gas flow conductance within the lower/upper cavity. Compared to conventional purge block designs, the improved purge block design described herein provides a narrower, yet more effective isolation barrier, which prevents gas mixing even at high rotational speeds of the platen.

公开(公告)号：US09831099B2

公开(公告)日：2017-11-28

申请号：US15428905

申请日：2017-02-09

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： David L. O'Meara ,  Anthony Dip

IPC: H01L21/20 ,  H01L21/302 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/033

CPC classification number: H01L21/31116 ,  H01L21/02123 ,  H01L21/0228 ,  H01L21/0337 ,  H01L21/0338 ,  H01L21/6719 ,  H01L21/68771

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe a method and apparatus for multi-film deposition and etching in a batch processing system. According to one embodiment, the method includes arranging the substrates on a plurality of substrate supports in a process chamber, where the process chamber contains processing spaces defined around an axis of rotation in the process chamber, rotating the plurality of substrate supports about the axis of rotation, depositing a first film on a patterned film on each of the substrates by atomic layer deposition, and etching a portion of the first film on each of the substrates, where etching a portion of the first film includes removing at least one horizontal portion of the first film while substantially leaving vertical portions of the first film. The method further includes repeating the depositing and etching steps for a second film that contains a different material than the first film.

公开(公告)号：US20170236719A1

公开(公告)日：2017-08-17

申请号：US15428905

申请日：2017-02-09

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： David L. O'Meara ,  Anthony Dip

IPC: H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/02

CPC classification number: H01L21/31116 ,  H01L21/02123 ,  H01L21/0228 ,  H01L21/0337 ,  H01L21/0338 ,  H01L21/6719 ,  H01L21/68771

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe a method and apparatus for multi-film deposition and etching in a batch processing system. According to one embodiment, the method includes arranging the substrates on a plurality of substrate supports in a process chamber, where the process chamber contains processing spaces defined around an axis of rotation in the process chamber, rotating the plurality of substrate supports about the axis of rotation, depositing a first film on a patterned film on each of the substrates by atomic layer deposition, and etching a portion of the first film on each of the substrates, where etching a portion of the first film includes removing at least one horizontal portion of the first film while substantially leaving vertical portions of the first film. The method further includes repeating the depositing and etching steps for a second film that contains a different material than the first film.

公开(公告)号：US20240376602A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-14

申请号：US18315137

申请日：2023-05-10

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Melvin Verbaas ,  Anthony Dip

IPC: C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/455 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: A semiconductor processing apparatus includes a processing chamber with a showerhead and a circular ceramic susceptor disposed in the processing chamber, the ceramic susceptor being coupled to a central susceptor shaft. The ceramic susceptor includes a wafer pocket, which includes a ceramic electrostatic chuck for supporting a wafer. The ceramic susceptor is configured to rotate the wafer pocket under the showerhead, where the ceramic electrostatic chuck is configured to rotate within the wafer pocket.