Rotator cover

Abstract

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a processing apparatus having a spinner cover for preheating process gases. The apparatus includes a chamber body having sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior processing zone. The chamber also includes a substrate support, a ring support, and a spinner cover disposed within the interior processing zone of the chamber body. The spinner cover is disposed on the ring support. The spinner cover is an opaque quartz material. The spinner cover advantageously provides more efficient process gas heating, is constructed of a material capable of withstanding process conditions while providing more efficient and uniform processing, and has a low CTE to reduce particle contamination due to excessive expansion during processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

[0014] Embodiments described herein generally relate to thermal processing of substrates. Background Art

[0002] Thermal processing of substrates is a vital part of semiconductor manufacturing. Substrates undergo thermal treatment in a variety of processes and equipment. In some processes, substrates are subjected to annealing heat, while in others, they may also be subjected to oxidative and other reactive chemical conditions. Substrates are placed in equipment one after another, heated for processing, and then cooled. Equipment used to thermally process substrates can undergo hundreds of extreme heating and cooling cycles daily.

[0003] In addition to thermal processing of substrates, many aspects of operating equipment may require materials with certain electrical, optical, or thermal properties. In addition to increasing complexity, the continued shrinking of semiconductor device sizes relies on ever-more precise control of, for example, the flow and temperature of process gases delivered to semiconductor processing chambers. In cross-flow processing chambers, process gases can be delivered to the chamber and directed across the surface of the substrate being processed. Equipment design presents significant engineering challenges for those seeking to extend the life of equipment under the extreme conditions to which it is subjected.

[0004] Therefore, a need exists for equipment that can operate reliably under the extreme thermal cycles of modern semiconductor processing. Summary of the Invention

[0005]

[0006] Embodiments described herein generally relate to thermal processing equipment. In one embodiment, a spinner cover for a thermal processing chamber is disclosed. The spinner cover includes an annulus having an inner portion and an outer portion. The annulus is an opaque quartz material.

[0006] In another embodiment, an apparatus for processing a substrate is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber body having sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior processing zone. The chamber also includes a substrate support disposed within the interior processing zone of the chamber body, a ring support, and a spinner cover disposed on the ring support. The spinner cover is made of opaque quartz material.

[0007] In another embodiment, an apparatus for processing a substrate is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber body having sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an internal processing zone. The chamber also includes a substrate support disposed within the internal processing zone of the chamber body, a ring support, and a spinner cover disposed on the ring support. The spinner cover includes an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion has substantially the same height as the inner portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order that the above-described features of the present invention may be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be obtained by reference to its embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0009] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a processing chamber is shown according to one embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2A Shown is a top view of a spinner cover according to one embodiment described herein.

[0011] Figure 2B A perspective view of a spinner cover is shown according to one embodiment described herein.

[0012] Figure 2C A perspective view is shown of a spinner cover according to another embodiment described herein.

[0013] Figure 3 Shown is a cross-sectional view of a spinner cover according to one embodiment described herein.

[0014] Figure 4 Shown is a cross-sectional view of a spinner cover according to one embodiment described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Embodiments described herein generally relate to a processing apparatus having a spinner cover for preheating process gases. The spinner cover is disposed on a ring support. The spinner cover may have a segment adjacent to a process gas inlet. The segment includes a top surface comprising features that increase surface area. The spinner cover is an opaque quartz material. The spinner cover advantageously provides more efficient heating of the process gases, is constructed of a material capable of withstanding process conditions while providing more efficient and uniform processing, and has a low CTE to reduce particle contamination due to excessive expansion during processing.

[0016] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber 100 according to an embodiment described herein. In one embodiment, the processing chamber 100 is a rapid thermal processing chamber. In this embodiment, the processing chamber 100 is configured to rapidly heat a substrate to volatilize material from a surface of the substrate. In one example, the processing chamber 100 can be a lamp-based rapid thermal processing chamber. Examples of suitable processing chambers include the VULCAN®, available from Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA. TM 、RADOXTM and It will be appreciated that suitably configured equipment from other manufacturers may also be advantageously implemented in accordance with the embodiments described herein.

[0017] A substrate 112 to be processed in the chamber 100 is provided to a processing region 118 of the chamber 100 via a valve or an inlet and outlet (not shown). The periphery of the substrate 112 is supported by an annular substrate support 114 having an annular shelf that contacts the corners of the substrate 112. The annular shelf can have a flat, curved, or angled surface for supporting the substrate. As the substrate 112 is transferred to and from a substrate handling device (such as a robot blade (not shown) that provides the substrate 112 to the chamber 100) and the substrate support 114, three lift pins 122 can be raised and lowered to support the backside of the substrate 112. The upper side of the processing region 118 is defined by a transparent quartz window 120, and the lower side of the processing region 118 is defined by the substrate 112 or the substrate plane defined by the substrate support 114.

[0018] To heat substrate 112, radiant heating element 110 is positioned above window 120 to direct radiant energy toward substrate 112. In chamber 100, radiant heating element 110 may include a large number of high-intensity tungsten-halogen lamps housed in individual reflector tubes arranged in a hexagonal, tightly packed array above window 120. As provided herein, rapid thermal processing (RTP) refers to a process involving equipment capable of uniformly heating a substrate at rates of about 50°C / second and higher, such as, for example, rates of about 100°C / second to about 150°C / second, and about 200°C / second to about 400°C / second. Typical ramp (cooling) rates in RTP chambers range from about 80°C / second to about 150°C / second. Some processes performed in RTP chambers require temperature variations across the substrate of less than a few degrees Celsius. Therefore, RTP chambers may include lamps or other suitable heating systems and heating system controls capable of heating at rates of up to about 100°C / second to about 150°C / second, and about 200°C / second to about 400°C / second.

[0019] However, other radiant heating devices may be used instead to provide radiant heat energy to the chamber 100. Typically, lamps involve resistive heating to quickly increase the energy output of the radiation source. Examples of suitable lamps include incandescent lamps, tungsten halogen incandescent lamps, and flash lamps, wherein incandescent lamps and tungsten halogen incandescent lamps have a glass or silica shell surrounding a filament, flash lamps include a glass or silica shell surrounding a gas, and flash lamps such as xenon lamps and arc lamps, which may include a glass, ceramic, or silica shell surrounding a gas or vapor. These lamps typically provide radiant heat when the gas is excited. As provided herein, the term lamp is intended to include lamps having a shell surrounding a heat source. The "heat source" of a lamp refers to a material or element capable of increasing the temperature of a substrate, for example, a filament or gas that can be excited.

[0020] Certain embodiments of the present invention may also be applied to flash annealing. As used herein, flash annealing refers to annealing a substrate within 5 seconds, such as less than 1 second, and in some embodiments within milliseconds.

[0021] The processing chamber 100 may include a reflector 128 extending parallel to and facing the back side of the substrate 112. The reflector 128 reflects thermal radiation emitted from the substrate 112 back toward the substrate 112 to tightly control the uniform temperature across the substrate 112. Dynamic control of zoned heating is achieved by one or more pyrometers 146 coupled through one or more optical light pipes 142, which are positioned through holes in the reflector 128 and face the back side of the substrate 112. The one or more pyrometers 146 measure the temperature across the radius of the stationary or rotating substrate 112. The light pipes 142 can be formed from a variety of structures, including sapphire, metal, and silicon fiber. During processing, a computerized controller 144 receives the output of the pyrometers 146 and controls the voltage supplied to the heating element 110 accordingly to dynamically control the intensity and pattern of radiant heating.

[0022] The processing chamber 100 includes a rotator 136. The rotator 136 allows the substrate 112 to rotate about a substrate center 138 by magnetically coupling the rotator 136 to a magnetic actuator 130 disposed outside the chamber 100. The rotator 136 includes a magnetically permeable material, such as a ferrous material. A rotator cover 132 is removably disposed on a ring support 134, which is coupled to the chamber body 108. The rotator cover 132 is disposed above the rotator 136 to protect the rotator 136 from the extreme processing environment generated in the processing area 118. In one embodiment, the ring support 134 is a lower liner and is made of quartz. The rotator cover 132 restrains the substrate support 114 when the substrate support 114 is in the processing position. The rotator cover 132 is formed of black quartz, but it should be understood that the rotator cover 132 can be formed of other materials, such as graphite coated with silicon carbide. The spinner cover 132 includes a segment 129 positioned adjacent to the process gas inlet 140. The segment 129 has a top surface 131 through which the process gas flows from the process gas inlet 140 during operation. The top surface 131 may include features that increase the thermal conductivity of the top surface 131. With the increased thermal conductivity, preheating of the process gas is improved, resulting in increased process gas activation. The spinner cover 132 is described in detail below.

[0023] The heating element 110 may be adapted to provide thermal energy to the substrate and the spinner cover 132. During operation, the temperature of the spinner cover 132 is approximately 100 degrees Celsius to approximately 200 degrees Celsius lower than the temperature of the substrate 112. In one embodiment, the substrate support 114 is heated to 1000 degrees Celsius and the spinner cover 132 is heated to 800 degrees Celsius. During operation, the spinner cover 132 typically has a temperature between approximately 300 degrees Celsius and approximately 800 degrees Celsius. When the process gas flows into the processing chamber 100 through the process gas inlet 140, the heated spinner cover 132 activates the process gas. The process gas leaves the processing chamber 100 through the process gas outlet 148. Therefore, the process gas flows in a direction generally parallel to the upper surface of the substrate. The heating element 110 promotes the thermal decomposition of the process gas onto the substrate to form one or more layers on the substrate.

[0024] Figure 2A A top view of a spinner cover 132 is shown according to one embodiment described herein. During operation, process gas flows through the spinner cover 132, as shown in FIG. Figure 2A As shown. In one embodiment, the spinner cover 132 includes a cutout or gap at "L1" to mitigate thermal expansion issues that may occur during processing. The spinner cover 132 is a ring member above the spinner 136, or a generally annular body in the case where the spinner cover has a gap, the spinner cover 132 having an inner portion 202 extending toward the substrate support 114 and an outer portion 204 that is in close contact with the ring support 134 or very close to the ring support 134. In one embodiment, the spinner cover 132 is a ring member having a concave surface that extends between the inner edge 202 and the outer edge 204. In some embodiments, the spinner cover 132 has an angled top surface 131 such that the height near the outer portion 204 is greater than the height of the inner portion 202, as shown. Figure 2B and Figure 3 140 . In some cases, the outer portion 204 may be coplanar with or aligned with the gas inlet 140, while the inner portion 202 is at a height below the gas inlet 140. The top surface 131 may be concave. In another embodiment, the height of the inner portion 202 is below the base plate 112. In one embodiment, all edges of the spinner cover are curved so that the spinner cover does not have sharp edges. In one embodiment, the outer portion 204 of the spinner cover 132 may be curved.

[0025] The spinner cover 132 may include an inner lip 206 that protrudes radially inward from a main portion 209 of the spinner cover 132. The inner lip 206 may be positioned adjacent to the substrate support 114. The inner lip 206 may be within the inner portion 202 of the spinner cover 132. The thickness of the inner lip 206 may be less than the thickness of the main portion 209. In one embodiment, the top surface 131 extends radially inward further than the bottom surface 208. In this embodiment, the inner lip extends the top surface 131 to the inner portion 202, while the bottom portion 208 is connected to the inner portion 202 via a curved concave portion 207.

[0026] The inner portion 202 may allow air to flow and cool beneath the spinner cover 132 adjacent to the spinner 136. When the spinner cover 132 is installed in a processing chamber, such as chamber 100, the bottom surface 208 may contact the ring support 134. In one embodiment, the bottom surface 208 is opposite the top surface 131. The bottom surface 208 may include a curved edge. In one embodiment, the inner lip 206 extends radially inwardly farther than the bottom surface 208. In one embodiment, the inner lip 206 is connected to the bottom surface 208 by a curved concave portion 207, and the curved concave portion 207 is connected to the bottom surface 208 by a curved convex portion 205.

[0027] The inner portion 202 may be a vertical inner wall, such as Figure 2B In other embodiments, inner portion 202 can be an inclined or curved inner wall that slopes toward top surface 131 or toward bottom surface 208. Thus, in some cases, inner portion 202 is connected to top surface 131 by an angled surface that slopes upward from inner portion 202 to top surface 131. In other cases, inner portion 202 is connected to bottom surface 208 by an angled surface that slopes downward from inner portion 202 to bottom surface 208.

[0028] Figure 2C A perspective view of a spinner cover 132 according to another embodiment described herein is shown. The spinner cover 132 has a generally flat top surface 131, an inner portion 202, and an outer portion 204. Both the inner portion 202 and the outer portion 204 are generally vertical walls connected to the top surface 131 by curved edges. The height of the spinner cover 132 near the outer portion 204 is generally the same as the height near the inner portion 202, as shown in FIG. Figure 2C and Figure 4In other words, the top surface 131 can be roughly horizontal from the inner portion 202 to the gas inlet 140. The roughly flat top surface 131 can help maintain laminar flow across the spinner cover 132 from the gas inlet 140 to the substrate 112 and prevent gases and reactants from turning near the outside of the chamber. In addition, when the gas flows through the top surface 131, the spinner cover 132 provides a larger surface area in contact with the gas. As the surface area increases, the preheating of the process gas is improved, resulting in increased process gas activation. This embodiment also changes the interaction between the spinner cover and other chamber components. The flat bottom angle on the spinner cover provides limited contact with the chamber body and allows the spinner cover to maintain high temperature, thereby potentially increasing the preheating of the reaction gas. Reduced contact with the chamber body can also reduce particle generation, which is derived from friction caused by thermal cycling. In addition, the cost of manufacturing the spinner cover 132 is substantially reduced because post-processing is performed faster with a simplified design.

[0029] The spinner cover 132 includes a material that can withstand the processing conditions of the hot chamber without undergoing chemical changes such as oxidation. Therefore, the material of the spinner cover 132 eliminates the process adjustment trend (conditioning trend) or process condition offset time (drift time) associated with the chemical change. In other words, the spinner cover 132 maintains the same substantially stable state from the first use to the nth use, which advantageously provides more uniform substrate processing. Therefore, the spinner cover 132 can include opaque quartz, such as silicon black quartz. Silicon black quartz can be made by growing silicon and combining silicon to molten quartz, molding or casting the material, and then post-processing the cooled ingot into a desired shape.

[0030] Advantageously, when reactant moves through the spinner cover 132 toward substrate 112, opaque quartz provides a lower recombination coefficient than other materials. When reactant moves through the spinner cover, a certain amount of reactant will be lost due to the material reaction with the spinner cover. However, the opaque quartz spinner cover 132 advantageously resists the reaction with the process gas and makes a large amount of reactant arrive substrate 112. In another embodiment, the spinner cover 132 is a packaged ceramic material or packaged stainless steel. The packaging material can be quartz, so that the spinner cover 132 is an opaque material with quartz. Due to the spinner cover expansion and contraction during heating and cooling, during processing, the interaction of the spinner cover 132 and the ring support 134 can cause particle contamination to occur. The black quartz material of the spinner cover 132 advantageously has a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), thereby reducing the interaction with the ring support 134 and finally reducing the particle contamination on the substrate 112.

[0031] Figure 3A cross-sectional view of a spinner cover 132 within a chamber 300 is shown, according to one embodiment described herein. The spinner cover 132 is disposed on a ring support 134. The bottom surface 208 contacts the ring support 134. The top surface 131 is angled downward. An outer portion of the spinner cover 132 adjacent to the gas inlet 140 has a greater height than an inner portion of the spinner cover 132 adjacent to the substrate support 114.

[0032] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a spinner cover 132 in a chamber 400 is shown according to one embodiment described herein. The spinner cover 132 is disposed on a ring support 134. The bottom surface 208 is in contact with the ring support 134. The spinner cover 132 has a generally flat top surface 131. The height of the outer portion 204 is approximately the same as the height of the inner portion 202, as shown in FIG. Figure 2C and Figure 4 In other words, the outer portion 204 can be coplanar or aligned with the inner portion 202 and the gas inlet 140. When the laminar flow from the gas inlet 140 flows toward the substrate 112, the substantially flat top surface 131 advantageously maintains the laminar flow. In addition, the spinner cover 132 provides a larger surface area for contact with the gas as it flows over the top surface 131. With the increased surface area, the preheating of the process gas is improved, resulting in increased process gas activation. In addition, the cost of manufacturing the spinner cover 132 is substantially reduced because the simplified design allows post-processing to be performed more quickly.

[0033] In summary, a processing apparatus having a spinner cover is disclosed. The spinner cover can provide better heating of the process gases. The spinner cover can provide more consistent processing because the material of the spinner cover substantially eliminates process adjustment tendencies associated with chemical processing (such as oxidation). The preheated material has a low recombination coefficient so that more process gas reaches the substrate, thereby providing more efficient and uniform processing. As the gas flows toward the substrate, the interaction between the process gas and the spinner cover is substantially reduced, thereby maintaining laminar flow. In addition, the spinner cover material has a low CTE, thereby reducing particle contamination due to excessive expansion during processing.

[0034] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A heat treatment chamber, comprising: a rotator that allows a substrate to be rotated in the thermal processing chamber by magnetically coupling the rotator to a magnetic actuator disposed outside the thermal processing chamber; and a cover disposed above the rotator to protect the rotator, wherein the cover comprises: An opaque quartz ring, comprising: an inner edge having a first thickness; and an outer edge having a second thickness greater than the first thickness, The top surface of the opaque quartz ring is exposed to a process gas during the thermal treatment.

2. The thermal processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the opaque quartz ring is made of silicon black quartz.

3. The thermal processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the opaque quartz ring further comprises a concave surface between the inner edge and the outer edge. 4 . The thermal processing chamber of claim 3 , wherein the ring further comprises an inner lip extending radially inward from the concave surface to the inner edge.

5. The thermal processing chamber of claim 4, wherein the concave surface is between the inner lip and a bottom of the ring. The thermal processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the top surface of the ring is concave.

7. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a chamber body having sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior processing region, wherein the chamber body includes a rotator that allows a substrate to be rotated by magnetically coupling the rotator to a magnetic actuator disposed external to the chamber body; a substrate support disposed in the interior processing region of the chamber body; a ring support extending inwardly from the sidewall; and A cover is disposed on the ring support, wherein the cover comprises an opaque quartz material, a top surface of the cover is exposed to a process gas during processing, and wherein the cover is disposed over the spinner to protect the spinner.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the opaque quartz material is silica black quartz.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cap has an annular body having a third thickness and an inner lip having a fourth thickness less than the third thickness, wherein the inner lip extends radially inward from the annular body.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cover has an outer portion and an inner portion, and wherein a thickness of the outer portion is greater than a thickness of the inner portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a top portion of the inner portion is coplanar with a top portion of the substrate support.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a top portion of the outer portion is coplanar with a top portion of the substrate support.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a gap between the cover and the substrate support.

14. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a chamber body having sidewalls and a bottom wall defining an interior processing region, wherein the chamber body includes a rotator that allows a substrate to be rotated by magnetically coupling the rotator to a magnetic actuator disposed external to the chamber body; a substrate support disposed in the interior processing region of the chamber body; a ring support extending inwardly from the sidewall; and a cover disposed on the ring support, wherein the cover comprises an outer portion and an inner portion, wherein a top of the outer portion is in the same plane as a top of the substrate support, and wherein a top of the inner portion is in a different plane than a top of the substrate support, wherein the cover comprises an opaque quartz material, a top surface of the cover being exposed to a process gas during processing, The cover is arranged above the rotator to protect the rotator.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the outer portion has the same thickness as the inner portion.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the cover is a ring.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the opaque quartz material is silica black quartz.

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