Thermal batch processing chamber

Abstract

Batch processing chambers and processing components for use in batch processing chambers are provided. The processing component includes an outer liner having an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner, an inner liner, and a top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner. The top plate and the bottom plate, together with the inner liner, form an enclosure, and a cassette is disposed within the enclosure. The cassette, which includes a partition, is configured to hold a plurality of substrates on the partition. The inner liner has an inlet opening disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with a gas injection assembly of the processing chamber, and an outlet opening disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with an exhaust assembly of the processing chamber. The inner surface of the enclosure includes a material configured to induce black body radiation within the enclosure.

Description

BACKGROUND TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The examples described herein generally relate to the field of semiconductor processing, and more particularly to pre-epitaxial baking of wafers. BACKGROUND

[0004] In conventional semiconductor manufacturing, wafers are pre-cleaned to remove contaminants such as oxides prior to thin film growth on the wafers by epitaxial processing. The pre-cleaning of the wafers is performed by baking the wafers in a hydrogen and / or nitrogen atmosphere in an epitaxial (Epi) chamber or in a furnace. Epi chambers have been designed to provide a uniform temperature distribution on a wafer disposed within a processing volume and precise control of gas flow over the wafer. However, Epi chambers process one wafer at a time and thus can not provide the throughput required in manufacturing processes. Multiple furnaces enable batch processing of multiple wafers. However, multiple furnaces can not provide a uniform temperature distribution on and / or between each wafer disposed within a processing volume and thus can not provide the quality required in manufactured devices.

[0005] Accordingly, there is a need for a process and processing equipment that enables batch processing of multiple wafers while maintaining temperature distribution on and between wafers and gas flow. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure include a processing kit for use in a processing chamber. The processing kit includes an outer liner having an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner, an inner liner, a top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner. The top plate and the bottom plate form an enclosure with the inner liner and a cassette is disposed within the enclosure. The cassette includes a plurality of shelves configured to retain a plurality of substrates thereon. The inner liner has a plurality of first inlet openings disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with a gas injection assembly of the processing chamber and a plurality of first outlet openings disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with an exhaust assembly of the processing chamber. An inner surface of the enclosure includes a material configured to induce black-body radiation within the enclosure.

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure also include a processing chamber. The processing chamber includes a housing structure having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall in a first direction, a gas injection assembly coupled to the first sidewall, an exhaust assembly coupled to the second sidewall, a quartz chamber disposed within the housing structure, and a process kit disposed within the quartz chamber. The process kit includes a cassette having a plurality of partitions configured to hold a substrate thereon. The processing chamber further includes a plurality of upper lamp modules disposed on a first side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the substrate, a plurality of lower lamp modules disposed on a second side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the substrate, the second side opposite the first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a lift-rotate mechanism configured to move the cassette in the second direction and rotate the cassette about the second direction. The process kit further includes an outer liner having an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner, an inner liner, and a top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner. The top plate and the bottom plate, along with the inner liner, form an enclosure, and the cassette is disposed within the enclosure. An inner surface of the enclosure includes a material configured to induce blackbody radiation within the enclosure. The inner liner includes a plurality of first inlet openings disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the gas injection assembly, and a plurality of first outlet openings disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the exhaust assembly.

[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure further include a processing system including a processing chamber and a transfer robot configured to transfer substrates into and out of a processing assembly disposed in the processing chamber. The processing chamber includes a housing structure having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall in a first direction, a gas injection assembly coupled to the first sidewall, an exhaust assembly coupled to the second sidewall, a quartz chamber disposed within the housing structure, and a processing assembly disposed within the quartz chamber. The processing assembly includes a cassette having a plurality of partitions configured to hold substrates on the plurality of partitions. The processing chamber further includes a plurality of upper lamp modules disposed on a first side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the substrates, a plurality of lower lamp modules disposed on a second side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the substrates, the second side opposite the first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a lift-rotate mechanism configured to move the cassette in the second direction and rotate the cassette about the second direction. The processing assembly further includes an outer liner having an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner, an inner liner, and a top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner. The top plate and the bottom plate, along with the inner liner, form an enclosure, and the cassette is disposed within the enclosure. An inner surface of the enclosure includes a material configured to induce blackbody radiation within the enclosure. The inner liner has a plurality of first inlet openings disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the gas injection assembly, and a plurality of first outlet openings disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the exhaust assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] A more particular description of the above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific examples, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings, whereupon the above-mentioned aspects will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It is noted that the appended drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is intended that the present disclosure can admit to other equivalents.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic top view of an example of a multi-chamber batch processing system according to one or more embodiments.

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example processing chamber that can be used to perform a multi-wafer cleaning batch according to one or more embodiments.

[0012] For ease of understanding, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to designate common elements that are common to the several figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Generally, the examples described herein relate to the field of semiconductor processing, and more particularly to epitaxial pre-bake of wafers.

[0014] Some examples described herein provide a multi-wafer batch processing system in which a plurality of substrates are pre-cleaned to remove contaminants such as oxides by baking the substrates in an epitaxial (Epi) chamber in a hydrogen or nitrogen atmosphere prior to film growth on the substrates by epitaxial processing, while maintaining a uniform temperature distribution and controlled gas flow over the substrates and between the substrates disposed within the processing space. Accordingly, such a multi-wafer batch processing system can provide improved quality and yield in the devices manufactured.

[0015] Various different examples are described below. While multiple features of different examples can be described together in a process flow or system, these multiple features can be implemented separately or independently and / or in different process flows or different systems.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic top view of an example of a multi-chamber batch processing system 100 according to one or more embodiments. The processing system 100 generally includes a factory interface 102, load lock chambers 104, 106, transfer chambers 108, 116 with respective transfer robots 110, 118, hold chambers 112, 114, and processing chambers 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130. As described in detail herein, substrates in the processing system 100 can be processed in various chambers and transferred between various chambers without being exposed to the ambient environment outside of the processing system 100. For example, substrates can be processed in or transferred between various chambers at low pressure (e.g., less than or equal to about 300 Torr) or vacuum environment without breaking the low pressure or vacuum environment between various processes performed on the substrates in the processing system 100. Accordingly, the processing system 100 can provide an integrated solution for some processing of substrates.

[0017] Examples of processing systems that can be suitably modified in accordance with the teachings provided herein include or an integrated processing system or other suitable processing system commercially available from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, California. It is contemplated that other processing systems, including those from other manufacturers, can be adapted to benefit from aspects described herein.

[0018] In Figure 1In the illustrated example, the factory interface 102 includes docking stations 140 and factory interface robots 142 to facilitate transfer of substrates. The docking stations 140 are configured to accept one or more front opening unified pods (FOUPs) 144. In some examples, each factory interface robot 142 generally includes a blade 148 disposed on one end of the respective factory interface robot 142 configured to transfer substrates from the factory interface 102 to the load lock chambers 104, 106.

[0019] The load lock chambers 104, 106 have respective ports 150, 152 coupled to the factory interface 102 and respective ports 154, 156 coupled to the transfer chamber 108. The transfer chamber 108 further has respective ports 158, 160 coupled to the holding chambers 112, 114 and respective ports 162, 164 coupled to the processing chambers 120, 122. Similarly, the transfer chamber 116 has respective ports 166, 168 coupled to the holding chambers 112, 114 and respective ports 170, 172, 174, 176 coupled to the processing chambers 124, 126, 128, 130. The ports 154, 156, 158, 160, 162, 164, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, 176 can be, for example, slit openings with slit valves for passing substrates through the ports by the transfer robots 110, 118 and for providing a seal between the respective chambers to prevent gas passage between the respective chambers. Generally, for a substrate to be transferred through any port, the port is open; otherwise, the port is closed.

[0020] The load lock chambers 104, 106, the transfer chambers 108, 116, the holding chambers 112, 114, and the processing chambers 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130 can be fluidly coupled to a gas and pressure control system (not shown). The gas and pressure control system can include one or more gas pumps (e.g., turbo pumps, cryo pumps, roughing pumps, etc.), gas sources, various valves, and conduits fluidly coupled to the various chambers. In operation, the factory interface robots 142 transfer a substrate from a FOUP 144 through the port 150 or 152 to the load lock chamber 104 or 106. The gas and pressure control system then pumps down the load lock chamber 104 or 106. The gas and pressure control system further maintains the transfer chambers 108, 116 and the holding chambers 112, 114 in an internal low pressure or vacuum environment (which can include an inert gas). Thus, the pumping down of the load lock chamber 104 or 106 facilitates passage of the substrate between, for example, the atmospheric environment of the factory interface 102 and the low pressure or vacuum environment of the transfer chamber 108.

[0021] When a substrate is in the already-pumped load lock chamber 104 or 106, the transfer robot 110 transfers the substrate from the load lock chamber 104 or 106 into the transfer chamber 108 through the port 154 or 156. The transfer robot 110 can then transfer the substrate to and / or between any of the processing chambers 120, 122 for processing through respective ports 162, 164, and the holding chambers 112, 114 for holding awaiting further transfer through respective ports 158, 160. Similarly, the transfer robot 118 can access a substrate in the holding chamber 112 or 114 through the port 166 or 168, and can transfer the substrate to and / or between any of the processing chambers 124, 126, 128, 130 for processing through respective ports 170, 172, 174, 176, and the holding chambers 112, 114 for holding awaiting further transfer through respective ports 166, 168. The transfer and holding of substrates within and between the various chambers can be performed in a low pressure or vacuum environment provided by a gas and pressure control system.

[0022] The processing chambers 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130 can be any suitable chamber for processing a substrate. In some examples, the processing chamber 122 can be a SiCoNi™ pre-clean chamber, available from Applied Materials, Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., the processing chamber 120 can be a Selectra™ etch chamber, available from Applied Materials, Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., and the processing chambers 124, 126, 128, 130 can be respective epitaxial growth chambers.

[0023] A system controller 190 is coupled to the processing system 100 for controlling the processing system 100 or components of the processing system 100. For example, the system controller 190 can control operation of the processing system 100 with direct control of the chambers 104, 106, 108, 112, 114, 116, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130 of the processing system 100, or by controlling controllers associated with the chambers 104, 106, 108, 112, 114, 116, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130. In operation, the system controller 190 enables collection of data and feedback from the respective chambers to coordinate operation of the processing system 100.

[0024] The system controller 190 generally comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 192, a memory 194, and support circuits 196. The CPU 192 can be one of various forms of a general purpose processor that can be used in an industrial setting. The memory 194, or non-transitory computer readable medium, is accessible by the CPU 192 and can be one or more of the following: a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a floppy disk, a hard disk, or any other form of digital storage, local or remote. The support circuits 196 are coupled to the CPU 192 and can comprise cache, clock circuits, input / output subsystems, power supplies, and the like. The various methods disclosed herein can generally be implemented under the control of the CPU 192, by the CPU 192 executing computer instruction code stored in the memory 194 (or in the memory of a particular processing chamber) as, for example, software routines. When the computer instruction code is executed by the CPU 192, the CPU 192 controls the chamber to perform processing in accordance with the various methods.

[0025] Other processing systems can be of other configurations. For example, more or fewer processing chambers can be coupled to the transfer apparatus. In the illustrated example, the transfer apparatus includes transfer chambers 108, 116 and hold chambers 112, 114. In other examples, more or fewer transfer chambers (e.g., one transfer chamber) and / or more or fewer hold chambers (e.g., no hold chambers) can be implemented as the transfer apparatus in a processing system.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary processing chamber 200 that can be used to perform multi-wafer cleaning batch processes, such as a bake process in a hydrogen and / or nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of about 800 °C. The processing chamber 200 can be any of the processing chambers 120, 122, 124, 126, 128, 130 from the Centura® processing system from Figure 1 Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, CA. Non-limiting examples of suitable processing chambers that can be modified in accordance with the embodiments disclosed herein can include the RPEPI reactor, the Elvis chamber, and the Lennon chamber, all of which are commercially available from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, CA. The processing chamber 200 can be added to the Centura® integrated processing system available from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, CA. Although the processing chamber 200 is illustrated below to be used to practice the various embodiments described herein, other semiconductor processing chambers from different manufacturers can also be modified and used to practice the embodiments described in the present disclosure.

[0027] ​The processing chamber 200 includes a housing structure 202, a support system 204, and a controller 206. The housing structure 202 is made of a process resistant material, such as aluminum or stainless steel. The housing structure 202 encloses various functional elements of the processing chamber 200, such as a quartz chamber 208, which includes an upper portion 210 and a lower portion 212. A process kit 214 is adapted to receive a plurality of substrates W within the quartz chamber 208, which contains a processing volume 216.

[0028] As used herein, the term "substrate" refers to a layer of material that is used as a foundation for subsequent processing operations, and includes a surface that is to be provided with a thin film formed thereon. The substrate can be a silicon wafer, silicon oxide, strained silicon, silicon germanium, doped or undoped polysilicon, doped or undoped silicon wafer, patterned or non-patterned wafer, silicon on insulator (SOI), carbon-doped silicon oxide, silicon nitride, indium phosphide, germanium, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, quartz, fused silica, glass, or sapphire. Further, the substrate is not limited to any particular dimensions or shapes. The substrate can be of any shape or size such as a circular wafer having a 200 mm diameter, a 300 mm diameter, or other diameter such as 450 mm, etc. The substrate can also be any polygonal, square, rectangular, curved, or non-circular workpiece such as a polygonal glass substrate.

[0029] Heating of the substrate W can be provided by radiation sources, such as one or more upper lamp modules 218A, 218B above the quartz chamber 208 in the Z-direction, and one or more lower lamp modules 220A, 220B below the quartz chamber 208 in the Z-direction. In one embodiment, the upper lamp modules 218A, 218B and the lower lamp modules 220A, 220B are infrared lamps. Radiation from the upper lamp modules 218A, 218B and the lower lamp modules 220A, 220B passes through an upper quartz window 222 in the upper portion 210, and through a lower quartz window 224 in the lower portion 212. In some embodiments, a cooling gas for the upper portion 210 can be admitted through an inlet 226 and exhausted through an outlet 228.

[0030] One or more gases are provided to the processing volume 216 of the quartz chamber 208 by a gas injection assembly 230, and processing byproducts are removed from the processing volume 216 by an exhaust assembly 232, which is typically in communication with a vacuum source (not shown).

[0031] The processing accessory 214 further includes a plurality of cylindrical gaskets, an inner gasket 234 and an outer gasket 236, which shield the processing space 216 from the sidewall 242 of the housing structure 202. The outer gasket 236 is formed by an upper outer gasket 236A and a lower outer gasket 236B. On the side facing the gas injection assembly 230 in the -X direction (hereinafter referred to as the "injection side"), an inlet shield 238 is disposed between the upper outer gasket 236A and the lower outer gasket 236B. On the side facing the exhaust assembly 232 in the +X direction (hereinafter referred to as the "exhaust side"), an outlet shield 240 is disposed between the upper outer gasket 236A and the lower outer gasket 236B. In some embodiments, the processing accessory 214 includes a heat shield 244 between the inlet shield 238 and the inner gasket 234 on the injection side.

[0032] The inner liner 234 serves as the cylindrical wall to the processing space 216, which houses a box 246 with multiple partitions 248 to hold multiple substrates W for multi-wafer batch processing. Figure 2 In the example shown, five partitions 248 are displayed. However, the box 246 can accommodate any number of partitions 248. The partitions 248 are inserted between the substrates W stored in the box 246, such that a gap exists between the partitions 248 and the substrates W to allow efficient mechanical transfer of the substrates W to and from the partitions 248. The processing accessory 214 further includes a top plate 250 and a bottom plate 252, which are attached to the inner surface of the liner 234 and enclose the cylindrical processing space 216 within the processing accessory 214. The top plate 250 and the bottom plate 252 are positioned at a sufficient distance from the partitions 248 to allow gas flow through the substrates W stored in the partitions 248. The distance between the top plate 250 and the partitions 248 adjacent to the top plate 250 can be the same as or the same as the distance between the bottom plate 252 and the partitions 248 adjacent to the bottom plate 252.

[0033] Gases, such as hydrogen (H2), nitrogen (N2), or any carrier gas, can be injected from a first gas source 254 (along with a second gas source 256 or without the second gas source 256) of the gas injection assembly 230 into the processing volume 216 through one or more inlet openings 264 formed in the inner liner 234. The inlet openings 264 in the inner liner 234 are in fluid communication with the first gas source 254 and the second gas source 256 via an injection plenum 258 formed in the sidewall 242, one or more inlet openings 260 formed in the inlet shield 238, and one or more inlet openings 262 formed in the heat shield 244. The injected gas forms a gas flow along a laminar flow path 266. The inlet openings 260, 262, 264 can be configured to provide a gas flow with varying parameters, such as velocity, density, or composition. The inlet openings 260, 262, 264 can have any cross-sectional shape that allows passage of gas from the first gas source 254 and the second gas source 256, such as a circular hole or an elongated slot.

[0034] The gas along the flow path 266 is configured to flow through the processing volume 216 into an exhaust plenum 268 formed in the sidewall 242 for exhaust from the processing volume 216 by an exhaust assembly 232. The exhaust assembly 232 is in fluid communication with one or more outlet openings 270 formed in the inner liner 234 via one or more outlet openings 272 formed in the upper outer liner 236A or one or more outlet openings 274 formed in the lower outer liner 236B, an outlet opening 276 formed in the outlet shield 240, and the exhaust plenum 268, ending the gas in an exhaust flow path 278. The outlet openings 270, 272, 274 can have any cross-sectional shape that allows passage of gas from the processing volume 216 to the exhaust assembly 232, such as a circular hole or an elongated slot. The exhaust plenum 268 is coupled to an exhaust or vacuum pump (not shown). At least the injection plenum 258 can be supported by an injection cap 280. In some embodiments, the processing chamber 200 is adapted to supply one or more liquids for processing, such as deposition and etch processes. In addition, although only two gas sources 254, 256 are shown in FIG. 1, the processing chamber 200 can be adapted to accommodate as many fluid connections as needed for the processes implemented in the processing chamber 200. Figure 2

[0035] The support system 204 includes components to perform and monitor predetermined processes in the processing chamber 200. A controller 206 is coupled to the support system 204 and is adapted to control the processing chamber 200 and the support system 204.

[0036] ​The processing chamber 200 includes a lift-and-rotate mechanism 282 positioned in the lower portion 212 of the housing structure 202. The lift-and-rotate mechanism 282 includes a shaft member 284 positioned within a shroud 286, a lift rod 248A coupled to the shaft member 284 disposed through an opening (not labeled) formed in the bulkhead 248 of the processing assembly 214. The shaft member 284 is vertically movable in the Z-direction to allow loading and unloading of the substrate W into and out of the bulkhead 248 by a transfer robot, such as the transfer robots 110, 118 shown, through slit openings (not shown) in the inner liner 234 and slit openings (not shown) in the outer liner 236. The shaft member 284 is also rotatable to facilitate rotation of the substrate W in the X-Y plane within the processing assembly 214 during processing. Rotation of the shaft member 284 is facilitated by an actuator 288 coupled to the shaft member 284. The shroud 286 is generally fixed in position and thus does not rotate during processing. Figure 1

[0037] The quartz chamber 208 includes peripheral flanges 290, 292 attached to the sidewall 242 of the housing structure 202 and vacuum sealed to the sidewall 242 of the housing structure 202 using O-rings 294. The peripheral flanges 290, 292 can be formed entirely of non-transparent quartz to protect the O-rings 294 from direct exposure to thermal radiation. The peripheral flange 290 can be formed of an optically transparent material such as quartz.

[0038] Referring to Figure 2 The inlet openings 260 in the inlet shield 238 are coupled to the injection plenums 258 and distributed in the circumferential direction at angular positions of the inner liner 234 such that gas injected through the injection plenums 258 from the gas sources 254, 256 is uniformly distributed in the X-Y plane (i.e., within the substrate) within the processing volume 216. The outlet openings 276 in the outlet shield 240 are distributed in the circumferential direction at angular positions of the inner liner 234 and gas is exhausted through the exhaust plenums 268.

[0039] The inlet openings 262 of the heat shield 244, and the inlet openings 264 and outlet openings 270 of the inner liner 234 are also distributed in the circumferential direction of the inner liner 234 to improve uniformity of the gas in the X-Y plane within the processing volume 216. In addition, the inlet openings 264 and outlet openings 270 of the inner liner 234 are distributed in the Z-direction and aligned with the bulkhead 248 such that gas is uniformly distributed between the substrates W held in the bulkhead 248 in the processing volume 216.

[0040] Referring to Figure 2 ​The top plate 250 and the bottom plate 252, along with the inner liner 234, form an enclosure containing the process volume 216 with small openings (i.e., the inlet opening 264 and the outlet opening 270) in the inner liner 234. Within this enclosure, the radiant heat provided from the upper lamp modules 218A, 218B and the lower lamp modules 220A, 220B is uniformly distributed in both the Z-direction (i.e., wafer-to-wafer within the cassette 246) and the X-Y plane (i.e., within the substrate disposed within the cassette 246). Generally, within an enclosure with small openings (having an inner surface that is non-transparent and only partially reflective (i.e., having a surface emissivity close to 1)), a blackbody radiation can be established, within which a steady-state equilibrium radiation is provided at a uniform temperature. The temperature uniformity within this enclosure varies with the surface emissivity of the inner surface of the enclosure and the size of the openings formed in the enclosure. Accordingly, the top plate 250 and the bottom plate 252 are formed of quartz, silicon (Si), or graphite or graphite coated with silicon carbide (SiC) having a surface emissivity of about 0.7 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the top plate 250 and the bottom plate 252 are formed of a ceramic material having a high surface emissivity, such as silicon carbide (SiC) having a surface emissivity between about 0.83 and about 0.96, such that heat loss from the process volume 216 through the top plate 250 and / or the bottom plate 252 is reduced. The inner liner 234 is also formed of graphite, silicon carbide (SiC) coated graphite, silicon carbide (SiC), quartz, or silicon (Si). In some embodiments, the inner surface of the inner liner 234 is coated with gold (Au) to improve temperature uniformity by further reducing heat loss from the process volume 216 through the inner liner 234.

[0041] The inlet opening 264 and the outlet opening 270 in the inner liner 234 are formed to be small such that heat loss from the process volume 216 through the inlet opening 264 and the outlet opening 270 is minimized, thus minimizing temperature variations on the substrate near the inlet opening 264 and the outlet opening 270. The inner liner 234 further includes a slit opening (not shown) that is aligned with a slit opening (not shown) formed in the outer liner 236 between the upper outer liner 236A and the lower outer liner 236B on the front side facing the -Y direction, by means such as a slot (not shown) formed in the inner liner 234. Figure 1A transfer robot, such as the transfer robots 110, 118, shown, can transfer substrates into and out of the processing volume 216 through the slit opening. In some embodiments, the substrates W are transferred into and out of the cassette 246 one at a time. The slit opening of the inner liner 234 is also made small to reduce heat loss from the processing volume 216 through the slit opening of the inner liner 234, so that temperature variations on the substrates near the slit opening of the inner liner 234 are minimized. In some embodiments, the slit opening of the outer liner 236 is made openable and closeable using a slit valve (not shown). The partition 248 of the cassette 246 disposed within the processing volume 216 is also formed of a ceramic material having a high surface emissivity, such as silicon carbide (SiC), graphite, silicon carbide (SiC) coated graphite, quartz, or silicon (Si).

[0042] An inlet shield 238 disposed outside the inner liner 234 on the injection side and a heat shield 244 disposed between the inlet shield 238 and the inner liner 234 further reduce heat loss from the processing volume 216 through the inlet opening 264 in the inner liner 234. An outlet shield 240 disposed outside the inner liner 234 on the exhaust side also reduces heat loss from the processing volume 216 through the outlet opening 270 in the inner liner 234. In some embodiments, the process kit 214 includes a heat shield (not shown) outside the inner liner 234 adjacent to the slit opening to reduce heat loss from the processing volume through the slit opening of the inner liner 234. The inlet shield 238, the outlet shield 240, and the heat shield 244 can be formed of a material having a high reflectivity (i.e., a low emissivity of between about 99.9% and 100%). Both the upper outer liner 236A and the lower outer liner 236B are formed of a material having a lower conductivity and emissivity than graphite, such as opaque quartz, and further reduce heat loss from the processing volume 216 within the process kit 214.

[0043] In some embodiments, temperature uniformity within the process volume 216 can be controlled by the power ratio of the lower lamp modules 220A, 220B to the upper lamp modules 218A, 218B (referred to as lower-to-upper power ratio), the power ratio of the inner upper lamp module 218A to the outer upper lamp module 218B (referred to as upper inner-to-outer power ratio), and the power ratio of the inner lower lamp module 220A to the outer lower lamp module 220B (referred to as lower inner-to-outer power ratio). The total power requirement varies with several factors, such as the material of the substrates W held in the cassette 246, the target temperature requirement of the substrates W. In one example, the total power of the upper lamp modules 218A, 218B and the lower lamp modules 220A, 220B is about 45 kW, the lower-to-upper power ratio is 70% / 30%, the upper inner-to-outer power ratio is 40% / 60%, and the lower inner-to-outer power ratio is 30% / 70% to achieve temperature uniformity within and between the substrates W held in the process volume 216. In another example, the total power of the upper lamp modules 218A, 218B and the lower lamp modules 220A, 220B is about 45 kW, the lower-to-upper power ratio is 42% / 58%, and the lower inner-to-outer power ratio is 30% / 70%. These power ratios can be readily adjusted to achieve the required temperature uniformity between the substrates W or within a substrate.

[0044] In the examples described herein, a multi-wafer batch processing system is shown in which a plurality of substrates are pre-cleaned to remove contaminants such as oxides by baking the substrates in a hydrogen or nitrogen atmosphere in an epitaxial (Epi) chamber prior to thin film growth on the plurality of substrates by epitaxial processing, while maintaining a uniform temperature distribution and controlled gas flow on and between the substrates disposed within the process volume. Accordingly, such a multi-wafer batch processing system can provide the required quality and throughput in the devices manufactured.

[0045] While the foregoing is directed to various examples of the present disclosure, other and further examples can be devised without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A processing chamber, comprising: a housing structure having a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the second sidewall opposing the first sidewall in a first direction; a gas injection assembly coupled to the first sidewall; an exhaust assembly coupled to the second sidewall; a quartz chamber disposed within the housing structure; a process kit disposed within the quartz chamber, the process kit comprising: a cylindrical outer liner comprising an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner; a cylindrical inner liner having: a plurality of first inlet openings disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the gas injection assembly; and a plurality of first outlet openings disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the exhaust assembly; and a top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner; an enclosure formed by the top plate, the bottom plate, and the inner liner and having a plurality of inner surfaces comprising a material configured to induce blackbody radiation within the enclosure; and a cassette disposed within the enclosure, the cassette having a plurality of shelves configured to hold a plurality of substrates thereon; a plurality of upper lamp modules disposed on a first side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the plurality of substrates; and a plurality of lower lamp modules disposed on a second side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the plurality of substrates, the second side opposing the first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

2. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the inner liner, the top plate, and the bottom plate comprise silicon carbide (SiC).

3. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the inner liner, the top plate, and the bottom plate comprise silicon carbide (SiC) coated graphite.

4. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the process kit further comprises: an inlet shield disposed between the upper outer liner and the lower outer liner on the injection side, the inlet shield having a plurality of second inlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first inlet openings in the inner liner; and an outlet shield disposed between the upper outer liner and the lower outer liner on the exhaust side, the outlet shield having a plurality of second outlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first outlet openings in the inner liner.

5. The processing chamber of claim 4, further comprising: a thermal shield disposed between the inlet shield and the inner liner on the injection side, the thermal shield having a plurality of third inlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first inlet openings in the inner liner.

6. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the plurality of shelves comprise silicon carbide (SiC).

7. The processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the plurality of shelves comprise silicon carbide (SiC) coated graphite.

8. A processing chamber, comprising: ​ A housing structure having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall in a first direction; A gas injection assembly coupled to the first sidewall; An exhaust assembly coupled to the second sidewall; A quartz chamber disposed within the housing structure; A process kit disposed within the quartz chamber, the process kit comprising: A cassette having a plurality of shelves configured to hold a plurality of substrates thereon; A cylindrical outer liner comprising an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner; A cylindrical inner liner having: A plurality of first inlet openings disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the gas injection assembly; and A plurality of first outlet openings disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the exhaust assembly; and A top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner, the top plate and the bottom plate forming an enclosure with the inner liner, wherein a plurality of inner surfaces of the enclosure comprise a material configured to induce blackbody radiation within the enclosure; A plurality of upper lamp modules disposed on a first side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the process kit; A plurality of lower lamp modules disposed on a second side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the process kit, the second side being opposite the first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and A lift and rotate mechanism configured to move the cassette in the second direction and rotate the cassette about the second direction.

9. The process chamber of claim 8, wherein the inner liner, the top plate, and the bottom plate comprise silicon carbide (SiC).

10. The process chamber of claim 8, wherein the inner liner, the top plate, and the bottom plate comprise silicon carbide (SiC) coated graphite.

11. The process chamber of claim 8, wherein the process kit further comprises: An inlet shield disposed between the upper outer liner and the lower outer liner on the injection side, the inlet shield having a plurality of second inlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first inlet openings in the inner liner; and An outlet shield disposed between the upper outer liner and the lower outer liner on the exhaust side, the outlet shield having a plurality of second outlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first outlet openings in the inner liner.

12. The process chamber of claim 11, wherein the process kit further comprises: A thermal shield disposed between the inlet shield and the inner liner on the injection side, the thermal shield having a plurality of third inlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first inlet openings in the inner liner.

13. The process chamber of claim 8, wherein the plurality of shelves comprise silicon carbide (SiC).

14. The process chamber of claim 8, wherein the plurality of shelves comprise silicon carbide (SiC) coated graphite. ​ 15. A processing system, comprising: a processing chamber, comprising: a housing structure having a first sidewall and a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall in a first direction; a gas injection assembly coupled to the first sidewall; an exhaust assembly coupled to the second sidewall; a quartz chamber disposed within the housing structure; a process kit disposed within the quartz chamber, the process kit comprising: a cylindrical outer liner comprising an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner; a cylindrical inner liner having: a plurality of first inlet openings disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the gas injection assembly; and a plurality of first outlet openings disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with the exhaust assembly; a top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner; an enclosure formed by the top plate, the bottom plate, and the inner liner and having a plurality of inner surfaces comprising a material configured to induce blackbody radiation within the enclosure; and a cassette disposed within the enclosure, the cassette having a plurality of shelves configured to hold a plurality of substrates thereon; a plurality of upper lamp modules disposed on a first side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the plurality of substrates; a plurality of lower lamp modules disposed on a second side of the quartz chamber and configured to provide radiant heat to the plurality of substrates, the second side being opposite the first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a lift-rotate mechanism configured to move the cassette in the second direction and rotate the cassette about the second direction; and a transfer robot configured to transfer a plurality of substrates into and out of the process kit disposed in the processing chamber.

16. The processing system of claim 15, wherein the inner liner further has slit openings.

17. The processing system of claim 16, wherein the inner liner, the top plate, the bottom plate, and the plurality of shelves comprise a material selected from silicon carbide (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) coated graphite.

18. The processing system of claim 16, wherein the process kit further comprises: an inlet shield disposed between the upper outer liner and the lower outer liner on the injection side, the inlet shield having a plurality of second inlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first inlet openings in the inner liner; an outlet shield disposed between the upper outer liner and the lower outer liner on the exhaust side, the outlet shield having a plurality of second outlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first outlet openings in the inner liner; and an inlet shield disposed between the upper outer liner and the lower outer liner on the injection side, the inlet shield having a plurality of second inlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first inlet openings in the inner liner. A thermal shield disposed between the inlet shield on the injection side and the inner liner, the thermal shield having a plurality of third inlet openings in fluid communication with the plurality of first inlet openings in the inner liner.

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