Chamber component and processing chamber applicable for semiconductor processing

Abstract

One example disclosed herein provides a method for manufacturing a chamber element with a coating comprising a yttrium-containing material having desired film properties. In one example, the method of manufacturing the coating material includes providing a base structure comprising an aluminum-containing material. The method further includes forming a coating comprising the yttrium-containing material on the base structure. The method also includes heat-treating the coating to form the treated coating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Examples of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and equipment for plasma processes, and more specifically, to methods and equipment for plasma treating component parts having enhanced film properties. Prior Art

[0002] The manufacture of microelectronic or integrated circuit devices typically involves complex processing sequences that require hundreds of individual steps to be performed on semiconductor, dielectric, and conductive substrates. Examples of these processing steps include oxidation, diffusion, ion implantation, thin film deposition, cleaning, etching, and lithography. After a thin film deposition process, plasma processes are typically used for etching processes and process chamber cleaning processes. In chemical vapor deposition, reactive species are generated by applying a voltage to an appropriate process gas, and subsequent chemical reactions result in the formation of a thin film on a substrate. In plasma etching, a previously deposited film is typically exposed to reactive species in a plasma through a patterned mask layer formed in a previous lithography step. The reaction between the reactive species and the deposited film results in the removal or etching of the deposited film.

[0003] When chamber components or process kits are exposed to a plasma environment for an extended period of time, the chamber surface may deteriorate due to reaction with plasma species. For example, existing process kits or chamber component parts are typically made of aluminum-containing materials such as alumina, aluminum alloy, aluminum oxynitride, or aluminum nitride. Halogen-containing gases, such as fluorine- or chlorine-containing gases, are used to etch various material layers during circuit manufacturing. It is believed that aluminum-containing materials are susceptible to fluorine species, resulting in the formation of Al xF yO z on the surface of the component parts. Such etching by-products may flake off as particles during processing, thereby causing contamination and defects on the substrate during processing. In addition, some aluminum-containing parts appear to be prone to cracking, which may be due to mechanical stress generated during processing and periodic exposure to temperature cycling and plasma. For chemical vapor deposition processes, metal halide-containing compounds are typically used as deposition precursors. These chemicals will decompose to produce halogen gas species or molecules, which will typically strongly corrode the chamber surface, especially aluminum parts will form undesirable Al xF yO z by-products. The cleanliness of the chamber surface is one of the key factors affecting deposition performance. The chamber surface cleanliness also depends on the chamber surface roughness. It is believed that a rougher chamber component surface may generate more particles during the deposition process.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for chamber components having reliable surface materials for plasma applications, and an improved process for manufacturing such components. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One example of the disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a chamber component having a coating that includes a yttrium-containing material having desired film properties. In one example, the method of manufacturing the coating material includes providing a substrate structure that includes an aluminum-containing material. The method further includes forming a coating on the substrate structure that includes a yttrium-containing material. The method also includes heat treating the coating to form a treated coating.

[0006] In another example, the method of manufacturing the coating material includes providing a substrate structure that includes an aluminum-containing material. A coating is formed. The coating on the substrate structure includes a yttrium-containing material. The method further includes laser treating the coating to form a treated coating.

[0007] In yet another example, a chamber component includes a laser-treated coating. The laser-treated coating on the chamber component includes a yttrium-containing material. The laser-treated coating has a film density greater than 4.0 g / cm3. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] For a more particular understanding of the manner in which the above-recited features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more specific description of the disclosure briefly summarized above may be had by reference to the examples, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical examples of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective examples.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a processing tool that can be used to form a coating on a chamber component;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a plasma reactor having at least one chamber component made by the processing tool of FIG. 1;

[0011] FIG. 3 is a method of manufacturing a coating on a chamber component using the tool of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic diagrams of cross-sectional views of a coating formed on a chamber component; and

[0013] FIG. 5 depicts a bottom view of a chamber component used in the plasma etching reactor of FIG. 2 manufactured by the method of FIG. 3.

[0014] For ease of understanding, wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been used to denote common identical elements in the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one example may be beneficially incorporated into other examples without further recitation.

[0015] However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings illustrate only exemplary examples of the present disclosure and should not be regarded as limiting its scope, as the present disclosure may admit other equivalent examples. Embodiments

[0016] The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing a plasma processing chamber component having a coating with improved properties, such as enhanced chemical resistance or plasma resistance. In one example, the coating material may include a yttrium-containing material having enhanced film properties. Such enhanced properties can be obtained when a high-temperature treatment process is performed on the coating disposed on the component after at least a portion of the coating material is formed on the component. In one example, a coating may be formed on the component, followed by a high-temperature treatment process, such as a laser treatment process or other energy treatment process.

[0017] FIG. 1 depicts a processing tool 100 that can be used to process coating material formed on a surface of a substrate, such as a component utilized in a plasma processing chamber. The processing tool 100 can be a laser energy device that directs laser energy to the coating material formed on the substrate. Alternatively, the processing tool 100 can be any suitable energy-providing device that can provide thermal energy, beam energy, light energy, or other suitable energy to alter the bonding structure or film properties of the coating material disposed on the substrate.

[0018] The processing tool 100 includes: a housing 150 having a laser module 152; a platform 112 configured to support a substrate, such as substrate 106; a translation mechanism 124 configured to control the movement of the platform 112. An actuator system 108 may also be coupled to the platform 112 to assist in the control and movement of the platform 112. Note that the substrate 106 here is a component that will later be used as a chamber element in a plasma reactor.

[0019] The laser module 152 includes a laser radiation source 101, at least one lens 102, and an optical focusing module 104 disposed above a platform 112. In one example, the laser radiation source 101 can be a light source made of Nd:YAG, Nd:YVO4, a crystalline disk, a diode-pumped fiber, and other light sources that can provide and emit pulsed or continuous radiation waves with wavelengths between approximately 187 nm and approximately 10,000 nm, such as between approximately 248 nm and 2,100 nm. In another example, the laser radiation source 101 can include multiple laser diodes, each of which generates uniform and spatially coherent light of the same wavelength. In yet another example, the power of the cumulative laser diodes is in the range of approximately 2 watts to 200 watts.

[0020] The focusing optical module 104 uses at least one lens 102 to convert the radiation emitted by the laser radiation source 101 into a line, point, or other suitable beam configuration of radiation 110 directed at a coating material (not shown) disposed on a substrate 106. The radiation 110 is selectively applied to the surface of the coating material to provide a laser energy dosage to discrete predetermined regions of the coating material. In one example, the radiation 110 can be selectively applied to the surface of the coating material multiple times as needed until the desired property changes of the film present in the coating material, such as local stress or film density, are obtained. In another configuration, the laser can be reflected from a digital micromirror device and then project a laser pattern onto the substrate (magnified to process the entire substrate or within a small area that scans the entire substrate) to establish a treatment dosage map as required.

[0021] The lens 102 can be any suitable lens or series of lenses that can focus the radiation into a line or a point. In one example, the lens 102 is a cylindrical lens. Alternatively, the lens 102 can be one or more concave lenses, convex lenses, plane mirrors, concave mirrors, convex mirrors, refractive lenses, diffractive lenses, Fresnel lenses, gradient-index lenses, etc.

[0022] Detector 116 is disposed in laser module 152 above platform 112. In one example, detector 116 can be an optical detector, which can provide a light source 120 with different wavelengths to inspect and detect the film properties of the coating material and / or substrate 106 located on platform 112. The light source 120 can be reflected from the substrate 106 or the coating material disposed thereon, thereby forming a reflected light beam 122 back to detector 116 for timely feedback control. In one example, detector 116 and light source 120 can form part of an optical microscope (OM), which can be used to observe the individual device grain patterns or features in the coating material formed on substrate 106. In another example, detector 116 can be a metrology tool or sensor capable of detecting the local thickness, stress, refractive index (n&k), surface roughness, film density, or resistivity on the material layer and / or substrate 106 before performing the laser energy process. In yet another example, detector 116 can include a camera, which can capture images of the coating material and / or substrate 106 for analyzing the coating material and / or substrate 106 based on image color contrast, image brightness contrast, image comparison, etc. In another example, detector 116 can be any suitable detector that can detect different film properties or characteristics of the substrate or the film layer disposed on the substrate, such as stress, surface roughness, film density.

[0023] Detector 116 can linearly scan the substrate surface over a linear region of the coating material. Detector 116 can also assist in identifying the coordinates, alignment, or orientation of substrate 106. As substrate 106 advances in the X direction 170, detector 116 can scan substrate 106. Similarly, when translation mechanism 124 moves platform 112, detector 116 can scan substrate 106 as substrate 106 moves in the Y direction 180. Detector 116 can be coupled to controller 190 to control the movement and data transfer from detector 116 or other detectors or computing systems to laser module 152.

[0024] The controller 190 can be a high-speed computer configured to control the detector 116 and / or the laser module 152 to perform an optical detection process and / or a laser energy processing process. In one example, the optical detection process is performed by the detector 116 before the laser energy processing process, so that the processing parameters for performing the laser energy process set in the laser energy processing scenario can be based on the measurement data received from the optical detection process. In one example, the controller 190 can be further coupled to a data calculation system (not shown) to obtain data or a calculated algorithm from the data calculation system to assist in determining a suitable scenario to perform the laser energy processing process on the material coating on the substrate 106.

[0025] In one example, the translation mechanism 124 can be configured to translate the platform 112 and the radiation 110 relative to each other. The translation mechanism 124 can be configured to move the platform 112 in the plus / minus X direction 170 and the plus / minus Y direction 180. In one example, the translation mechanism 124 coupled to the platform 112 is adapted to move the platform 112 relative to the laser module 152 and / or the detector 116. In another example, the translation mechanism 124 is coupled to the laser module 152 and / or the focusing optical module 104 and / or the detector 116 to move the laser radiation source 101, the focusing optical module 104 and / or the detector 116 so that the energy beam moves relative to the substrate 106 disposed on the platform 112. In yet another example, the translation mechanism 124 moves the laser radiation source 101 and / or the focusing optical module 104, the detector 116, and the platform 112. Any suitable translation mechanism can be used, such as a conveyor system, a rack and pinion system, or an x / y actuator, a multi-robot, or other suitable mechanical or electrical mechanisms for the translation mechanism 124. Alternatively, the platform 112 can be configured to be fixed, and a plurality of galvanometric heads (not shown) can be arranged around the substrate edge to direct the radiation from the laser radiation source 101 to the substrate as needed.

[0026] The translation mechanism 124 can be coupled to the controller 190 to control the scanning speed at which the platform 112 and the laser radiation source 101 move relative to each other. In one example, the laser radiation source 101 is an optical radiation source. The controller 190 can receive data from the detector 116 or from a data calculation system to generate an optimized laser energy scheme for controlling the laser module 152 to perform an optimized laser dose patterning process. The platform 112 and the radiation 110 and / or the laser radiation source 101 move relative to each other such that energy is delivered to discrete desired regions of the coating material. In one example, the translation mechanism 124 moves at a constant speed. In another example, the translation of the platform 112 and the movement of the line of radiation 110 follow different paths controlled by the controller 190.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber 232 suitable for performing a plasma deposition process (e.g., plasma enhanced CVD or metal organic CVD), where components (e.g., chamber elements) can be utilized. The processing chamber 232 can be a suitably adapted CENTURA®, PRODUCER® SE or PRODUCER® GT or PRODUCER® XP processing system available from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, California. It is contemplated that other processing systems, including those produced by other manufacturers, can benefit from the examples described herein.

[0028] The processing chamber 232 includes a chamber body 251. The chamber body 251 includes a lid 225, a side wall 201, and a bottom wall 222 that define an internal volume 226.

[0029] A pedestal 250 is disposed within the internal volume 226 of the chamber body 251. The pedestal 250 can be made of aluminum, ceramic, aluminum nitride, and other suitable materials. In one example, the pedestal 250 is made of a ceramic material such as aluminum nitride, which is a material suitable for use in a high-temperature environment (e.g., a plasma processing environment) without causing thermal damage to the pedestal 250. A lift mechanism (not shown) can be used to move the pedestal 250 in the Y direction 180 within the chamber body 251. The pedestal 250 is supported by a shaft 260. The shaft 260 has a hollow center through which wiring passes. The wiring couples circuitry to electrodes disposed within the pedestal 250.

[0030] The base 250 may include an embedded heater element 270 suitable for controlling the temperature of the substrate 290 supported on the base 250. In one example, the base 250 can be resistively heated by applying an electric current from the power supply 206 to the heater element 270. In one example, the heater element 270 can be made of nickel-chromium wire encapsulated in a nickel-iron-chromium alloy (e.g., INCOLOY®) sheath. The current supplied from the power supply 206 is regulated by the controller 210 to control the heat generated by the heater element 270, thereby maintaining the substrate 290 and the base 250 at a substantially constant temperature during film deposition within any suitable temperature range. In another example, the base 250 can be maintained at room temperature as needed. In yet another example, the base 250 may also include a cooler (not shown) as needed to cool the base 250 to a range lower than room temperature as desired. The supplied current can be adjusted to selectively control the temperature of the base 250 between about 100 degrees Celsius and about 700 degrees Celsius.

[0031] A temperature sensor 272, such as a thermocouple, can be embedded in the base 250 to monitor the temperature of the base 250 in a conventional manner. The controller 210 uses the measured temperature to control the power supplied to the heater element 270 to keep the substrate at the desired temperature.

[0032] The base 250 may include a plurality of lift pins (not shown) disposed therethrough, which are configured to lift the substrate 290 from the base 250 in a conventional manner and facilitate the exchange of the substrate 290 by a robot (not shown).

[0033] The base 250 includes at least one electrode 292 for holding the substrate 290 on the base 250. The electrode 292 is driven by a clamping power supply 208 to generate an electrostatic force that holds the substrate 290 on the base surface, as is conventionally known. Alternatively, the substrate 290 can be held on the base 250 by clamping, vacuum, or gravity.

[0034] In one example, the base 250 is configured as a cathode, which is embedded with an electrode 292 that is coupled to at least one RF bias power supply, shown as two RF bias power supplies 284, 286 in Figure 2. Although the example depicted in Figure 2 illustrates two RF bias power supplies 284, 286, it should be noted that the number of RF bias power supplies 284, 286 can be any number as needed. The RF bias power supplies 284, 286 are coupled between the electrode 292 disposed in the base 250 and another electrode, such as the gas distribution plate 242 or the cover 225 of the processing chamber 232. The RF bias power supplies 284, 286 excite and maintain a plasma discharge formed by the gas disposed in the processing region of the processing chamber 232.

[0035] In the example depicted in Figure 2, the dual RF bias power supplies 284, 286 are coupled to the electrode 292 disposed in the base 250 through a matching circuit 204. The signals generated by the RF bias power supplies 284, 286 are transmitted through the matching circuit 204 to the base 250 through a single feed to ionize the gas mixture provided in the processing chamber 232, thus providing the ion energy required to perform deposition or other plasma-enhanced processes. The RF bias power supplies 284, 286 are generally capable of generating RF signals having a frequency ranging from about 50 kHz to about 200 MHz and a power between about 0 watts and about 5000 watts. The clamping power supply 208 and the matching circuit 204 are coupled to the upper electrode 254. The upper electrode 254 is configured to electrostatically clamp the substrate 290 to the top surface 292 of the base 250.

[0036] The vacuum pump 202 is coupled to a port formed in the bottom wall 222 of the chamber body 251. The vacuum pump 202 is used to maintain a desired gas pressure in the chamber body 251. The vacuum pump 202 also discharges the post-processing gas and the by-products of the process from the chamber body 251.

[0037] The processing chamber 232 includes one or more gas delivery channels 244 coupled through the cover 225 of the processing chamber 232. The gas delivery channels 244 and the vacuum pump 202 are located at opposite ends of the processing chamber 232 to cause a laminar flow within the internal volume 226 to minimize particle contamination.

[0038] The gas delivery channel 244 is coupled to the gas panel 293 through a remote plasma source (RPS) 248 to supply a gas mixture into the internal volume 226. In one example, the gas mixture supplied through the gas delivery channel 244 can be further delivered through a gas distribution plate 242 disposed below the gas delivery channel 244. In one example, the gas distribution plate 242 having a plurality of holes 243 is coupled to the cover 225 of the chamber body 251 above the base 250. The holes 243 of the gas distribution plate 242 are used to introduce the process gas from the gas panel 293 into the chamber body 251. The holes 243 can have different sizes, numbers, distributions, shapes, designs, and diameters to facilitate the flow of various process gases for different processing requirements. Plasma is formed from the process gas mixture exiting the gas distribution plate 242 to enhance the thermal decomposition of the process gas, resulting in material deposition on the surface 291 of the substrate 290.

[0039] The gas distribution plate 242 and the base 250 can form a pair of spaced electrodes in the internal volume 226. One or more RF sources 247 provide a bias potential to the gas distribution plate 242 through a matching network 245 to facilitate the generation of plasma between the gas distribution plate 242 and the base 250. Alternatively, the RF source 247 and the matching network 245 can be coupled to the gas distribution plate 242, the base 250, or both the gas distribution plate 242 and the base 250. In one example, the RF source 247 and the matching network 245 can be coupled to an antenna (not shown) disposed outside the chamber body 251. In one example, the RF source 247 can provide between about 10 watts and about 3000 watts at a frequency of about 30 kHz to about 13.6 MHz. Alternatively, the RF source 247 can be a microwave generator that provides microwave power to the gas distribution plate 242, which helps in the generation of plasma in the internal volume 226.

[0040] Examples of gases that can be supplied from the gas panel 293 can include silicon-containing gases, fluorine-containing gases, oxygen-containing gases, hydrogen-containing gases, inert gases, and carrier gases. Suitable examples of reactive gases include silicon-containing gases such as SiH4, Si2H6, SiF4, SiH2Cl2, Si4H10, Si5H12, TEOS, etc. Suitable carrier gases include nitrogen (N2), argon (Ar), hydrogen (H2), alkanes, alkenes, helium (He), oxygen (O2), ozone (O3), water vapor (H2O), etc.

[0041] In one example, a remote plasma source (RPS) 248 may alternatively be coupled to the gas delivery channel 244 to assist in forming a plasma from the gas supplied from the gas panel 293 into the internal volume 226. The remote plasma source 248 supplies the plasma formed from the gas mixture provided by the gas panel 293 to the processing chamber 232.

[0042] The controller 210 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 212, a memory 216, and support circuitry 214 for controlling the processing sequence and regulating the gas flow from the gas panel 293. The CPU 212 can be any form of general computer processor that can be used in an industrial setting. Software routines may be stored in the memory 216, such as random access memory, read-only memory, floppy disk, or hard disk drive, or other forms of digital storage. The support circuitry 214 is conventionally coupled to the CPU 212 and may include a cache, clock circuitry, input / output system, power supply, and the like. Bidirectional communication between the controller 210 and the various elements of the processing chamber 232 is handled through a number of signal cables collectively referred to as the signal bus 218, some of which are shown in Figure 2.

[0043] It should be noted that all of the above chamber elements, such as the gas distribution plate 242 or the base 250, may have a coating material manufactured by the methods described below to enhance surface protection and chemical / plasma tolerance.

[0044] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a method 300 that can be used to manufacture a coating material including a yttrium-containing material (yttrium oxide (Y2O3) or YxOyFz having a metal dopant such as Al or Zr) on an infrastructure such as a component or an element of the processing chamber 232. Suitable examples of the yttrium-containing material include yttrium oxide or yttrium oxyfluoride, yttrium oxyfluoride having a metal dopant (AlYOF or ZrYOF). The infrastructure includes an aluminum-containing material. The method 300 begins at operation 302 by providing an infrastructure such as the infrastructure 402 depicted in Figure 4A into a spray chamber (not shown). In one example, the infrastructure 402 can be a ceramic material, a metal dielectric material such as Al2O3, AlN, AlON, bulk yttrium, a suitable rare earth-containing material, and the like. In one example, the infrastructure 402 is made of Al2O3, which allows a coating structure to be formed thereon.

[0045] At operation 304, a spray deposition process is implemented to form a coating 404 on a first surface 403 of a substrate structure 402, as shown in FIG. 4B. Coating 404 includes a yttrium-containing material (yttrium oxide (Y2O3) or YxOyFz with metal dopants (such as Al or Zr)). It should be noted that any suitable coating chamber, such as liquid spraying, gel spraying, plasma spraying, or other suitable deposition coating chambers, can be utilized to coat coating 404, which includes yttrium oxide, onto substrate structure 402.

[0046] In one example, a yttrium-containing material in powder form (yttrium oxide (Y2O3) or YxOyFz with metal dopants (such as Al or Zr)) can be used as a starting material and formed into a slurry by adding other components (such as water, a binder, and suitable additives that can facilitate the manufacturing process of coating 404). The slurry can then be sprayed onto the first surface 403 of substrate structure 402 to form coating 404. A plasma can be generated to assist in evenly spraying the slurry onto the first surface 403 of the entire substrate structure 402, thereby assisting in coating coating 404 onto substrate structure 402. In one example, the yttrium oxide powder can have an average particle size between about 15 µm and about 0.1 µm. Yttrium oxide powder with a smaller particle size can help provide a relatively smoother surface of coating 404, such as a smaller substrate roughness as needed. In one example, the first coating is a plasma-sprayed coating on substrate structure 402.

[0047] At operation 306, after forming the coating 404, a high temperature treatment (HTT) process is performed to form a treatment layer 406 on the second surface 405 of the coating 404, as shown in FIG. 4C. The high temperature treatment (HTT) process can be performed in the processing tool 100 depicted in FIG. 1. The high temperature treatment (HTT) process treats the surface of the coating 404 to change the substrate surface properties. When processed at operation 304, the bonding structure and film properties of the coating 404 result in a robust film structure (e.g., the treatment layer 406) that has a low defect density in the treatment layer 406. Additionally, the high temperature treatment (HTT) process can help remove contaminants from the surface of the coating 404, thus providing a good contact interface and preventing particle accumulation on the coating 404. Further, compared to the coating 404, the high temperature treatment (HTT) process can also be performed to change the morphology and / or surface roughness of the surface of the coating 404, forming a treatment layer 406 with a relatively smoother surface in order to improve the adhesion of subsequently formed deposition layers thereon as needed. In some examples, if desired, the high temperature treatment (HTT) process can or can not incorporate certain elements, such as oxygen or nitrogen, to react with unsaturated bonds, loose bonds, or dangling bonds from the coating 404 in order to improve the bond energy and bonding structure of the coating 404.

[0048] In one example, the high temperature treatment (HTT) process at operation 306 can be performed in a processing chamber such as the processing tool 100 depicted in FIG. 1 with or without an ambient gas.

[0049] In one example, according to specific location requirements identified by the high temperature treatment (HTT) process requirements, the high temperature treatment (HTT) process is performed by applying a series of laser pulses to discrete regions of the coating 404. The burst of laser pulses can have a laser with a wavelength greater than 193 nm, such as between about 248 nm and about 10,000 nm, such as about 1,100 nm. Each pulse is focused onto a predetermined area of the coating 404 to be treated.

[0050] In one example, the spot size of the laser pulses is controlled between about 10 µm and about 1000 µm. The spot size of the laser pulses can be configured in a way that changes the film properties at certain locations of the film layer to have desired dimensions, features, patterns, and geometries.

[0051] The laser pulse can have an energy density (e.g., fluence) between about 1 microjoule per square centimeter (µJ / cm²) and about 2 microjoules per square centimeter (µJ / cm²) at a frequency between about 1 kHz and about 20 MHz. Each laser pulse length is configured to have a duration of about 10 microseconds to 10 femtoseconds. During the laser processing process, the substrate temperature can be maintained between about 15 degrees Celsius and about 75 degrees Celsius.

[0052] The laser pulse changes the local stress of the film layer without annealing or otherwise heat-treating the coating 404 to form a processed layer 406 with a desired surface roughness. A single laser pulse or multiple laser doses can be applied to the same substrate location. After laser processing the first substrate location, the second substrate location is then laser processed by positioning the laser pulse (or the substrate) to direct the pulse to the second location. The continuous high-temperature treatment (HTT) process requirements are until a predetermined time period is reached.

[0053] In some examples, an ambient gas can be supplied in the housing 150 of the processing tool 100 when implementing the high-temperature treatment (HTT) process so that some elements from the ambient gas can be processed or incorporated into the processed layer 406 as needed. In one example, the ambient gas can be an oxygen-containing gas such as O₂, N₂O, NO₂, H₂O₂, H₂O, or O₃, a nitrogen-containing gas such as N₂O, NH₃, NO₂, N₂, etc., or an inert gas such as Ar and He.

[0054] In some examples, the amount of ambient gas supplied to the housing 150 can be varied and / or adjusted to accommodate, for example, the depth / thickness of the elements incorporated to form the processed layer 406.

[0055] The laser energy processing process can change, release, or eliminate the local residual stress in discrete regions of the coating 404 in order to locally change the in-plane strain in the film layer. By doing so, the local stress change of the coating 404 during the high-temperature treatment process can also provide a relatively flat surface for the resulting processed layer 406 in order to reduce the surface roughness of the processed layer 406.

[0056] At operation 308, after the processing process at operation 306, the underlying structure formed thereon with the coating material 450 (the resulting processed layer 406 converted from the coating 404) is formed to have the desired film properties. In one example, the coating material 450 may have a surface roughness greater than Ra 5 micrometers. The density of the coating material 450 may be greater than 4.0 g / cm3, for example, between about 4.0 g / cm3 and 5.2 g / cm3. In an example, the yttrium-containing material of the coating material 450 includes yttrium oxide. The yttrium oxide of the coating material 450 may have a ratio of yttrium to oxide (Y:O) between about 1:1 and 2:1. The coating material 450 has a thickness between about 0.5 µm and about 50 µm. The pore density of the coating material 450 is less than 2%.

[0057] Since the coating material 450 formed on the underlying structure 402 has a relatively strong structure, when depositing such a coating material 450 on the chamber components in a processing chamber (such as the processing chamber 232 in FIG. 2), the coating material 450 can maintain good surface conditions when being eroded by the erosive plasma species during the plasma process. Therefore, the possibility of generating particles or contamination from the chamber walls, substrate supports, gas distribution plates, or other chamber components in the processing chamber 232 is reduced.

[0058] FIG. 5 depicts a schematic bottom view of a gas distribution plate 242 according to an example of the present disclosure, which can be manufactured with the coating material 450 formed thereon. The yttrium oxide-coated gas distribution plate 242 can be used in the processing chamber 232 or other plasma chambers, such as those chambers especially for etching or deposition applications. The gas distribution plate 242 is provided with a plurality of holes 243 to allow the passage of processing gases and / or plasma species into the processing area of the processing chamber 232. The holes 243 can be arranged in a regular pattern on the gas distribution plate 242, or can be arranged in different patterns to allow different gas distribution requirements. In the example depicted in FIG. 5, the coating material 450 is formed on the bottom surface of the gas distribution plate 242 (the same as the gas distribution plate 242 shown in FIG. 2). The coating material 450 coated on the surface of the gas distribution plate 242 can help the gas distribution plate 242 resist erosion by the erosive plasma species during the plasma process, thus reducing the possibility of generating particles or contamination falling on the substrate 290 positioned in the processing chamber 232. Therefore, the yield of the product and the cleanliness of the substrate 290 can be enhanced and maintained.

[0059] Examples of the present disclosure can be used to fabricate coating materials including yttrium oxide on chamber components for various applications. These enhanced surface coating chamber components are suitable for corrosive environments such as those encountered in plasma processes. Various plasma deposition and etching chambers can benefit from the teachings disclosed herein, such as, in particular, dielectric etching chambers such as ENABLER® etching chambers, which can be part of a semiconductor wafer processing system such as a CENTURA® system, dielectric deposition chambers such as PRODUCER® or ENDURA® deposition chambers, which can be part of a semiconductor wafer processing system, eMax etching chambers, Producer etching chambers, and conductor etching chambers such as AdvantEdge Metal and DPS Metal chambers, all of which are available from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, California. It is contemplated that other plasma reactors, including those from other manufacturers, can be adapted to benefit from the present disclosure.

[0060] Although the foregoing is directed to examples of the present disclosure, other and further examples of the present disclosure can be designed without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope thereof is determined by the appended claims.

[0061] 100: Processing tool 101: Laser radiation source 102: Lens 104: Focusing optical module 106: Substrate 108: Actuator system 110: Radiation 112: Platform 116: Detector 120: Light source 124: Translation mechanism 150: Housing 152: Laser module 170: X direction 180: Y direction 190: Controller 201: Side wall 202: Vacuum pump 204: Matching circuit 206: Power supply 208: Clamping power 210: Controller 212: CPU 214: Support circuit 216: Memory 222: Bottom wall 225: Cover 226: Internal volume 232: Processing chamber 242: Gas distribution plate 243: Hole 244: Gas transport channel 245: Matching network 247: RF source 248: Remote plasma source 250: Base 251: Chamber body 254: Upper electrode 260: Axis 270: Embedded heater element 272: Temperature sensor 284: RF bias power supply 286: RF bias power supply 290: Substrate 291: Surface 292: Electrode 293: Gas panel 300: Method 302: Operation 304: Operation 306: Operation 308: Operation 402: Infrastructure 403: First surface 404: Coating 405: Second surface 406: Processing layer 450: Coating material

[0062] Domestic registration information (Please note in the order of registration institution, date, and number) None Foreign registration information (Please note in the order of registration country, institution, date, and number) None

Claims

1. A chamber element applicable to semiconductor processing, the chamber element comprising: A gas distribution plate including an outer surface and a plurality of holes formed in the outer surface, the outer surface facing away from the gas distribution plate and the plurality of holes; a coating formed on and in contact with the outer surface of the gas distribution plate, the coating including a yttrium-containing material, and the coating having: a film density greater than 4.0 g / cm3, a thickness in the range of about 0.5 µm to about 50 µm, a pore density less than 2%, and a coating surface having a surface roughness greater than Ra 5 micrometers.

2. The chamber element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the yttrium-containing material is at least one of the following: yttrium oxide, yttrium oxyfluoride, or yttrium oxyfluoride containing a metal dopant.

3. The chamber element as described in claim 2, wherein the structure comprises an aluminum-containing material.

4. The chamber element as claimed in claim 2, wherein the membrane density is less than or equal to 5.2 g / cm3.

5. A chamber element applicable to semiconductor processing, the chamber element comprising: A structure including an outer surface facing away from the structure; a laser-treated coating formed on and in contact with the outer surface of the structure, the laser-treated coating including a yttrium-containing material, having a film density greater than 4.0 g / cm³, and having a coating surface having a surface roughness greater than Ra 5 micrometers.

6. The chamber element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the laser-treated coating has a pore density of less than 2%.

7. The chamber element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the yttrium-containing material is at least one of the following: yttrium oxide, yttrium oxyfluoride, or yttrium oxyfluoride containing a metal dopant.

8. The chamber element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the laser-treated coating has a thickness in the range of about 0.5 µm to about 50 µm.

9. The chamber element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the structure is a gas distribution plate or a substrate support assembly for deposition in a processing chamber.

10. The chamber element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the structure comprises an aluminum-containing material.

11. The chamber element as claimed in claim 10, wherein the aluminum-containing material of the structure is Al2O3, AlN, or a ceramic material.

12. The chamber element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the membrane density is less than or equal to 5.2 g / cm3.

13. A processing chamber applicable to semiconductor processing, comprising: A chamber body that at least partially defines an internal volume; A substrate support assembly is positioned within the internal volume; A chamber element includes: a structure including an outer surface and an aluminum-containing material, the outer surface facing away from the structure; a coating formed on and in contact with the outer surface of the structure, the coating including a yttrium-containing material, and the coating having: a film density greater than 4.0 g / cm3, and a coating surface having a surface roughness greater than Ra 5 micrometers.

14. The processing chamber as claimed in claim 13, wherein the chamber element is a gas distribution plate positioned in the internal volume, and the outer surface faces the substrate support assembly.

15. The processing chamber as claimed in claim 13, wherein the chamber element is at least a portion of the substrate support assembly.

16. The chamber element as claimed in claim 13, wherein the yttrium-containing material is at least one of the following: yttrium oxide, yttrium oxyfluoride, or yttrium oxyfluoride containing a metal dopant.

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