Silicon component welded by electron beam melting

Abstract

A solder component for a substrate processing system includes: a first component comprised of a first semiconductor material; the second part is made of the first semiconductor material; a weld region defined between respective non-welded regions of the first component and the second component, the respective non-welded regions located on both sides of the weld region; and a seam defined in the weld region between the first component and the second component. The solder region consists of the first semiconductor material of respective portions of the first component and the second component on both sides of the seam, the respective portions of the first semiconductor material being melted and recrystallized to form the solder region.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 327,068, filed on April 4, 2022. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to silicon components for semiconductor substrate processing systems, and more particularly to silicon components formed by electron beam melting. Background Art

[0003] The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the background of the present disclosure. The work of the currently designated inventors within the scope described in this background section and aspects of the specification that were not determined to be prior art at the time of filing the application are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure.

[0004] Substrate processing systems are used to process substrates such as semiconductor wafers. Examples of processes that may be performed on a substrate include, but are not limited to, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), conductor etching, dielectric etching, rapid thermal processing (RTP), ion implantation, physical vapor deposition (PVD), and / or other etching, deposition, or cleaning processes. The substrate may be disposed on a substrate support, such as a pedestal, an electrostatic chuck (ESC), etc., in a processing chamber of the substrate processing system. During processing, a gas mixture may be introduced into the processing chamber and a plasma may be used to initiate and maintain a chemical reaction.

[0005] The processing chamber includes various components, including but not limited to a substrate support, a gas distribution device (e.g., a showerhead, which may also correspond to an upper electrode), a plasma confinement ring, or a shield, etc. The substrate support may include a ceramic layer configured to support a wafer. For example, during processing, the wafer may be clamped to the ceramic layer. The substrate support may include an edge ring configured around the exterior of the substrate support (e.g., outside and / or near the periphery). The edge ring may be provided to modify the plasma sheath above the substrate, optimize substrate edge processing performance, protect the substrate support from plasma-induced corrosion, etc. A plasma confinement shield may be configured around each of the substrate support and the showerhead to confine the plasma within a volume above the substrate. Summary of the invention

[0006] A welding component for a substrate processing system comprises: a first component, which is composed of a first semiconductor material; a second component, which is composed of the first semiconductor material; a welding area, which is defined between corresponding unwelded areas of the first component and the second component, the corresponding unwelded areas are located on both sides of the welding area; and a joint, which is defined in the welding area between the first component and the second component. The welding area is composed of corresponding portions of the first semiconductor material of the first component and the second component on both sides of the joint, and the corresponding portions of the first semiconductor material are melted and recrystallized to form the welding area.

[0007] In other features, the welded component is composed of at least one of silicon and silicon carbide. The welded component is composed of doped silicon. The welded component does not include any seams between the welded region and the corresponding unwelded regions of the first and second components. The welded region includes only a single seam between the first and second components.

[0008] In other features, the corresponding unwelded regions and the welded regions of the first component and the second component each have a first crystalline structure. The corresponding unwelded regions have at least one of different grain orientations, different grain sizes, and different grain boundaries relative to the welded regions. The average grain size in the welded regions is less than the average grain size in the corresponding unwelded regions.

[0009] In other features, the first semiconductor material is composed of doped silicon, and wherein the distribution of the dopant in the weld region is different from the distribution of the dopant in the corresponding unwelded region. The concentration of the dopant in the weld region increases as the distance from the seam decreases, so that the concentration of the dopant in the weld region near the seam is greater than the concentration near the unwelded region. The distribution of the dopant in the corresponding unwelded region is approximately uniform, while the distribution of the dopant in the weld region is non-uniform. The weld component is one of a plasma confinement ring, an edge ring, and an electrode of the substrate processing system.

[0010] A method for forming a welded component of a substrate processing system includes: configuring a first component composed of a first semiconductor material and a second component composed of the first semiconductor material so that corresponding mating surfaces of the first component and the second component contact each other; using an electron beam generator, heating the first component and the second component to a first temperature for a first period of time while rotating the first component and the second component at a first rate; and after the first period of time, heating a joint between the first component and the second component to a second temperature higher than the first temperature while rotating the first component and the second component at a second rate less than the first rate to form the welded component, the welded component including the first component, the second component, and a seam between the first component and the second component. The welded component includes a weld region defined around the seam and between corresponding unwelded regions of the first component and the second component, the corresponding unwelded regions being located on both sides of the weld region.

[0011] In other features, the welded component is one of a plasma confinement ring, an edge ring, and an electrode of the substrate processing system. The welded component is composed of at least one of silicon, doped silicon, and silicon carbide. The corresponding unwelded regions and the welded regions of the first component and the second component each have a first crystalline structure. The first semiconductor material is composed of doped silicon, and wherein a distribution of a dopant in the welded region is different from a distribution of the dopant in the corresponding unwelded region.

[0012] In other features, the method further includes disposing the first component and the second component on a susceptor in a thermal chamber, the thermal chamber being composed of multiple layers of thermal insulation material. The method further includes: after forming the welded component, controlling the electron beam generator to anneal the welded component at the third temperature less than the second temperature and cooling the welded component at a controlled rate.

[0013] A welding system configured to weld components of a substrate processing system, the welding system comprising: a welding chamber; an electron beam generator mounted on a side wall of the welding system; a temperature sensor; a pedestal configured to support the component within the welding chamber; a thermal chamber configured to be disposed around the pedestal and the component supported on the pedestal within the welding chamber. The pedestal is configured to rotate the component within the thermal chamber; and at least one opening in the side wall of the thermal chamber aligned with the electron beam generator. The electron beam generator is configured to direct an electron beam to a joint between a first portion and a second portion of the component to weld the first portion to the second portion while the pedestal rotates the component.

[0014] In other features, the welding system further includes a laser mounted on a side wall of the welding chamber, the laser being configured to heat the component to a temperature above a ductile-brittle transition temperature of the component. The welding system further includes an external heater, the external heater being configured to heat the component to a temperature above a ductile-brittle transition temperature of the component.

[0015] Further scope of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims and drawings.The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present disclosure will be more fully understood from the detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 An exemplary confinement ring or shield for a substrate processing chamber is shown;

[0018] Figure 2A is an image of an exemplary welded silicon component according to the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2B is a diagram of an exemplary welded silicon component according to the present disclosure;

[0020] Figures 3A-3C is an exemplary welding system according to the present disclosure; and

[0021] Figure 4 The steps of an exemplary method for welding silicon components according to the present disclosure are shown;

[0022] Among the drawings, reference numerals may be repeated to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] A processing chamber for a substrate processing system may include one or more large (e.g., 100 mm diameter or larger) silicon (Si) or silicon carbide (SiC) components, such as a confinement ring or shield, an edge ring, and an upper electrode. The large size of these components complicates manufacturing. Some components may include shapes or features that further complicate manufacturing. For example, an electrode configured as a showerhead may include one or more gas-filled chambers and through holes for allowing gas to flow through the electrode and into the processing chamber, which makes subtractive manufacturing methods (e.g., etching, machining, etc.) difficult or impossible. In other examples, subtractive manufacturing methods result in a large amount of material being removed. For example, a confinement shield is substantially hollow, which requires the removal (and waste) of a large amount of material.

[0024] When subtractive manufacturing methods are not possible, larger Si components can be assembled from multiple smaller components fastened together (e.g., using screws or other fasteners). In other examples, the components can be bonded or fused together using, for example, an adhesive material such as an elastomer. However, such bonds may have relatively weak tensile strength, limit the operating temperature of the component, change the operating characteristics of the component (e.g., resistivity and thermal conductivity), and increase particle generation.

[0025] In other examples, liquid phase bonding can be used to bond two parts using an adhesive such as aluminum or gold heated above its melting temperature. However, the maximum application temperature is limited by the eutectic temperature of Si and the adhesive. In addition, the adhesive may increase metal contamination and generate non-volatile particles during subsequent use in substrate processing systems. In addition to the risk of contamination, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between Si and the bonding material is often different, which can create shear stress in the Si and weaken mechanical strength.

[0026] In still other examples, the Si material adjacent to the seam between the two components is heated so that the Si material melts and flows into the seam, acting as a bonding material. However, in these examples, multiple seams are created: a first seam between the first component and the bonding material, and a second seam between the second component and the bonding material.

[0027] Si components according to the principles of the present disclosure include two or more components that are directly welded together. In other words, the components are welded together without the need for bonding materials or reagents, and the outer surface Si does not need to melt and flow into the gap between the components. Therefore, the welds between Si components according to the present disclosure include only a single seam. As an example, as described in more detail below, the components are welded together using electron beam melting (EBM).

[0028] Figure 1 An exemplary confinement ring or shield 100 (referred to herein as a confinement ring) for a substrate processing chamber is shown. In some examples, the cross-section of the plasma confinement ring is C-shaped (as shown). For example, the confinement ring includes a lower portion (lower disk or ring 104), a cylindrical middle portion 108, and an upper portion (upper disk or ring) 112. The lower portion 104, the middle portion 108, and the upper portion 112 are annular. Grooves or holes 116 may be defined in the lower portion 104 to exhaust gases from the plasma confinement region within the confinement ring 100. In some examples, an L-shaped confinement ring or shield may be used instead of a C-shaped plasma confinement ring. In an L-shaped confinement ring, the upper portion 112 may be omitted.

[0029] The lower portion 104, the middle portion 108, and the upper portion 112 of the confinement ring 100 are welded together, as described in more detail below. Specifically, the lower portion 104, the middle portion 108, and the upper portion 112 are welded together without the need for bonding materials or reagents, and the outer surface Si does not need to melt and flow into the gaps between the components. Therefore, each of the weld points 120 between the lower portion 104 and the middle portion 108 and the weld points 124 between the middle portion 108 and the upper portion 112 includes only a single seam according to the present disclosure. As an example, the lower portion 104, the middle portion 108, and the upper portion 112 are welded together using electron beam melting (EBM) to form the weld points 120, 124.

[0030] Figure 2A and 2B A cross-section of a joint of an exemplary welded silicon component 200 is shown. Welded silicon component 200 includes a first component 204 and a second component 208 welded together according to the principles of the present disclosure. Figure 2A shows an enlarged cutout of a welded silicon component 200, and Figure 2B is an exemplary diagram of a welded silicon component 200. For example only, the first component 204 and the second component 208 correspond to Figure 1 Different portions of confinement ring 100 are shown.

[0031] The welded silicon component 200 includes a welded region 212 and an unwelded region 216 ( Figure 2A The welded region 212 includes the respective melted and recrystallized regions 220, 224 of the first component 204 and the second component 208, and the seam 228. The unwelded region 216 corresponds to the original silicon of the first component 204 and the second component 208. In other words, the unwelded region 216 is not melted and recrystallized during the welding process, and therefore includes the original crystal structure of the silicon before welding.

[0032] Thus, the crystal structure of the silicon in the welded region 212 is similar to the crystal structure of the silicon in the unwelded region 216, but with observable differences. However, a boundary can be observed in the transition region 232 between the welded region 212 and the unwelded region 216. For example, the differences between the welded region 212 and the unwelded region 216 include, but are not limited to, an increase in grain boundaries and dislocations between the welded region 212 and the unwelded region 216. Thus, in some examples, the grain size (e.g., average grain size) in the welded region 212 is smaller than the grain size in the unwelded region 216. By way of example only, the grain size can be measured in a direction parallel to the growth direction (i.e., as the longest distance between adjacent boundaries of the grains). The grain size can be measured using a low-power optical microscope, an optical imaging system, or the like.

[0033] In other words, although the crystal structures of the welded region 212 and the unwelded region 216 are substantially the same, the difference in crystal orientation between the welded region 212 and the unwelded region 216 causes a lattice mismatch observable as a grain boundary. The welded region 212 shows slip and striations with diagonal and horizontal lines, respectively. However, these lines are provided only to illustrate that the silicon in the welded region 212 has observable characteristics caused by growth fluctuations and thermal stresses during welding, which may not exist in the unwelded region 216, and are not intended to explicitly represent or limit the crystal structure in these regions.

[0034] The weld region 212 may include one or more structural elements observable from the exterior of the welded silicon component 200. In some examples, the sidewalls 236 of the welded silicon component 200 may protrude outward on either side of the outer edge of the seam 228, such as Figure 2A In other examples, dislocations (eg, etch pits) 240 may be observed at the outer edge of seam 228 .

[0035] In some examples, the welded silicon component 200 is composed of doped silicon. For example, a dopant with a high segregation coefficient, such as boron (e.g., a segregation coefficient of 0.7), is used to provide a consistent resistivity throughout the welded silicon component 200. The distribution of the dopant is generally relatively uniform throughout the body of the welded silicon component 200 (i.e., throughout the unwelded region 216). However, according to the principles of the present disclosure, melting the doped silicon to weld the first component 204 and the second component 208 together causes the dopant in the welded region 212 to be redistributed.

[0036] For example, the concentration of the dopant at the seam 228 is higher than in other portions of the weld region 212 and in the unwelded region 216. In other words, the concentration of the dopant decreases as the distance from the seam 228 increases (or increases as the distance from the seam 228 decreases). In other examples, the redistribution of the dopant results in a different distribution pattern of the dopant within the weld region 212 or portions of the weld region 212.

[0037] The thickness of the weld region 212 (e.g., thickness T) can vary depending on the length of the seam 228. In other words, the thickness T varies depending on the width of the components being welded together and the resulting weld area. For example, the length of the seam 228 determines the duration of the welding process (as described in more detail below), which in turn determines the amount of silicon material that melts and recrystallizes during the welding process. Therefore, as the length of the seam 228 increases, the thickness T also increases. As an example, the thickness T is between 1.0 mm and 5.0 mm.

[0038] As described above, the welded silicon component 200 according to the present disclosure includes the first component 204 and the second component 208 that are welded together directly without the need for bonding materials or agents, and without the need for the outer surface silicon to melt and flow into the joint 228. Therefore, the welded region 212 between the first component 204 and the second component 208 includes only a single joint 228. The welded silicon component 200 includes an unwelded region 216 including silicon characterized by a first (e.g., unwelded / unmelted) crystal structure and a welded region 212 including silicon characterized by a second (e.g., melted and recrystallized) crystal structure.

[0039] As an example, electron beam melting (EBM) is used to weld components together. EBM systems are typically configured to weld ductile materials (e.g., metallic materials) that are resistant to thermal stress. Conventional EBM systems are not configured to uniformly heat non-metallic substrates (e.g., at temperatures above 600°C). Therefore, significant temperature gradients can occur when welding large non-metallic components. EBM systems are particularly unsuitable for welding silicon components, which require higher temperatures (e.g., above 1400°C) for welding. In addition, the cooling subsequent to welding is uncontrolled. Temperature gradients during welding and cooling may cause cracks or other defects.

[0040] In some examples, EBM systems use external resistive or inductive heaters and insulation to reduce heat losses. External heaters increase the overall size of the system and introduce other design complexities.

[0041] Figure 3A , 3B , and 3C show an exemplary EBM welding system 300 according to the present disclosure. The welding system 300 is configured to weld multiple silicon components into a single silicon component (e.g., components 304-1, 304-2, and 304-3, collectively referred to as component 304, corresponding to the confinement shield) using one or more electron beam generators (e.g., electron gun (E gun) 308). The welding system 300 is configured to uniformly heat the target portion of the component and minimize the temperature gradient during heating and welding, annealing, and controlled cooling to eliminate cracks and other defects without using an external heater. Therefore, the design of the welding system 300 is simplified and reduces cost and energy consumption. Although not shown, in some examples, the welding system 300 may additionally include an external heater (e.g., a graphite resistance heater) configured to heat the component 304 (e.g., preheat before welding) to a temperature above the brittle-to-ductile temperature of the component 304. Although described herein as an electron gun, other heating devices (eg, lasers or other radiation beam devices) may also be used.

[0042] The welding system 300 includes a welding chamber 312. The welding chamber 312 can be maintained at a predetermined pressure. In some examples, the welding chamber 312 is maintained at a vacuum (e.g., using a vacuum pump 316 configured to evacuate the welding chamber 312 via a port 318). The E-gun 308 is mounted on an interior sidewall of the welding chamber 312. Figure 3A As shown, welding system 300 includes a single electron gun 308. Figure 3B and 3C As shown, the welding system includes two E-guns 308-1 and 308-2 (collectively referred to as E-guns 308). In other examples, more E-guns can be used. In some examples, the welding system 300 may include other heating elements (not shown), such as lasers mounted on the side walls of the welding chamber 312, which are configured to heat the component 304 (e.g., preheat before welding) to a temperature above the ductile-brittle transition temperature of the component 304.

[0043] The component 304 is disposed on a base 320 (e.g., a graphite base) within an insulated heat chamber 324. For example, the heat chamber 324 is composed of one or more layers of thermal insulation material. As an example, the heat chamber 324 includes an inner layer 326 (e.g., a graphite liner), an intermediate layer 328 (e.g., a molybdenum layer), and an outer layer 330 (e.g., a soft carbon fiber felt layer). In other examples, the heat chamber 324 may be composed of other combinations of layers including graphite, molybdenum, rigid carbon fiber, soft carbon fiber felt, carbon composite materials, etc. In order to minimize particle shedding, high-density graphite or molybdenum is used for the inner layer 326.

[0044] The hot chamber 324 surrounds the component 304 and the base 320 to facilitate control of uniform heating and cooling. The hot chamber 324 includes one or more openings 334 to allow the electron beam generated by the E-gun 308 to pass through the sidewalls of the hot chamber 324 and the hot target area of ​​the component 304. For example, the number of openings 334 corresponds to the number of E-guns 308 used. If a single E-gun is not sufficient to achieve the required power and / or temperature uniformity, more than one E-gun may be used. The number of E-guns 308 used may depend on factors including, but not limited to, the number and size of the components 304 and the thermal insulation properties of the hot chamber 324. If more than one E-gun 308 is used, the E-guns 308 and the openings 334 may be evenly (i.e., symmetrically) spaced around the welding chamber 312 to facilitate uniform temperature control.

[0045] The hot chamber 324 also includes an opening 336 of the base 320. For example, the hot chamber 324 is supported on the platform 340 and the base 320 passes through the platform 340 and the opening 336 to enter the hot chamber 324. The base 320 is connected to the mandrel 342. The mandrel 342 is configured to rotate at a controlled rate (e.g., in response to a control signal from the controller 344) during welding. Therefore, the E-gun 308 is directed to a target area of ​​the part 304 (e.g., one or more seams 348 between adjacent parts), and the base 320 rotates to expose the entire seam 348 (i.e., around the entire perimeter / circumference of the part 304) to the electron beam. In some examples, one or more of the base 320 and the E-gun 308 can be configured to rise and fall (e.g., in response to a control signal from the controller 344) to align the E-gun with the target area of ​​the part 304. The controller 344 can also be configured to control the operation of the E-gun 308 and the vacuum pump 316.

[0046] like Figure 3B As shown in Figure 2, both E-guns 308 can be used for welding. Figure 3C As shown, E-gun 308-1 can be used for welding, while E-gun 308-2 can be used to heat / scan component 304 during and / or after welding. In other examples, the same E-gun used for welding (e.g., E-gun 308-1) can also be configured to perform scanning. As used herein, "scanning" refers to applying an electron beam at a lower heat or intensity than that used for welding and annealing components, maintaining a uniform temperature to minimize temperature gradients across the component, and controlling cooling. E-gun 308-2 can be configured to produce an electron beam with a larger contact area than the electron beam of E-gun 308-1. Therefore, the opening 334 for E-gun 308-2 can be larger than the opening 334 for E-gun 308-1.

[0047] For example, after welding, the E-gun 308-2 can be used to anneal the component 304 at a relatively low temperature (e.g., 900° C.-1300° C.) for a predetermined period of time (e.g., one hour) while the pedestal 320 is rotated at a rate greater than the rotation rate used during welding. For example, during scanning, the pedestal 320 can be rotated at a speed of eight or more revolutions per minute (RPM). The component 304 can then be allowed to cool slowly in a controlled manner by gradually reducing the scanning temperature. In one example, the component 304 is first cooled by reducing the temperature by 1° C.-5° C. per minute until the temperature reaches a first cooling temperature (e.g., 600° C.-800° C.). The component 304 can then be allowed to cool faster by ending the scan (i.e., through the charging of the E-gun 308-2).

[0048] Figure 4 An exemplary method 400 for welding silicon components according to the present disclosure is shown. Figures 3A-3C4 and 5. The method 400 is performed by the welding system 300 described in the embodiment of the present invention, including steps performed in response to control signals generated by, for example, a controller 344. In one example, the controller 344 corresponds to a processor configured to execute code stored in a memory, the code including instructions for operating the E-gun 308, the vacuum pump 316, the base 320, and / or other components of the welding system 300.

[0049] At 404, the mating surfaces of the silicon components to be welded together may optionally be conditioned (e.g., polished and / or cleaned, etched, etc.) to facilitate welding. At 408, the unwelded components are configured in the welding chamber 312 (e.g., configured on the base 320). For example, the unwelded portions are configured so that the mating surfaces of the unwelded components contact each other. In some examples, the components are assembled on the base 320 without any portion of the thermal chamber 324 being present in the welding chamber 312, and the thermal chamber 324 is then assembled / installed around the base 320. In other examples, the thermal chamber 324 may include a removable cover or opening, and the components may be configured on the base 320 through the opening.

[0050] Configuring the unwelded component on the base 320 may optionally include adjusting the position (e.g., vertical position) of the component, the base 320, and / or the E-gun 308 to align the E-gun 308 with the target area of ​​the component (i.e., the seam 348). For example, the base 320 and / or the E-gun 308 may be configured to be raised and lowered. For example, Figure 3B and 3C As shown, one or both of the E-guns 308 may be raised to align with the seam between parts 304-2 and 304-3. In other examples, the welding system 300 may be configured for a specific part and require no adjustments.

[0051] At 412, the welding chamber 312 is evacuated to a desired pressure (e.g., a vacuum pressure less than or equal to 10-5 Torr). At 416, the one or more G-E guns 308 are controlled to scan (i.e., heat) the component to a scanning temperature while rotating the susceptor 320 at a first ("high") rate, e.g., greater than or equal to eight RPM. For example, the scanning temperature is the ductile-brittle transition temperature of the material of the component (e.g., doped silicon). As an example, the first temperature is greater than 1400°C.

[0052] At 420, after a predetermined first scanning period (e.g., one hour) or after determining that the temperature of the parts is greater than or equal to the first temperature, the one or more E-guns 308 are controlled to focus the electron beam at the first selected joint or seam while the pedestal 320 is rotated at a second rate (e.g., less than eight RPM) to weld the parts together. For example, at 420, the intensity of the electron beam is increased relative to the intensity of the electron beam used for scanning at 416. As an example, the seam closest to the pedestal 320 is welded first.

[0053] The second rotation rate and welding duration performed at 420 vary based on factors such as the intensity of the electron beam, the thickness or width of the joint, the temperature within the thermal chamber 324 , the size and dimensions of the parts (e.g., overall radius), the number of E-guns used for welding, etc. In this example, welding is performed for a predetermined welding time period, and the method 400 then continues to 424 .

[0054] At 424, the method 400 determines whether to weld another seam of the component. If yes, the method 400 continues to 428. If no, the method 400 continues to 432. At 428, one or more components of the welding system 300 are adjusted to direct the electron beam to another seam of the component (e.g., the next closest seam to the pedestal 320). To redirect the electron beam, the pedestal 320 and / or the E-gun 308 may be raised or lowered and / or the output angle of the E-gun 308 may be adjusted. The method 400 then continues to 420 to weld the next seam of the component.

[0055] At 432, one or more E-guns 308 are controlled to scan the component for a second scanning period (e.g., while rotating the susceptor 320 at the first rate). During the second scanning period, the component may be maintained at the scanning temperature for a predetermined period (e.g., one hour) to anneal the component. At 436, after the second scanning period, the component is cooled in a controlled manner. For example, the E-guns 308 are first controlled to allow the component to allow the temperature of the component to decrease at a rate of 1°C-5°C per minute to a cooling temperature (e.g., 600°C-800°C) and then completely shut down to allow the component to continue cooling. By way of example only, the cooling temperature is a temperature at which subsequent cooling of the component is unlikely to cause cracks or other defects.

[0056] At 440, the welding chamber 312 is returned to atmospheric pressure. In one example, the welding chamber 312 is pumped to atmospheric pressure with an inert gas or gas mixture (e.g., argon). At 444, the welding chamber 312 is opened and the welded parts are removed. At 448, the welded parts are optionally cleaned and polished. For example, excess silicon can be ground off the welded parts (e.g., at the outer edges of the seam 348).

[0057] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is by no means intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or use. The broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms. Therefore, although the present disclosure includes specific examples, the true scope of the present disclosure should not be so limited, because when studying the drawings, the specification and the appended claims, other modifications will become apparent. It should be understood that, without changing the principles of the present disclosure, one or more steps in the method can be performed in different orders (or simultaneously). In addition, although each embodiment is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described relative to any embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented in the features of any other embodiment and / or combined with the features of any other embodiment, even if the combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and the replacement of one or more embodiments with each other remains within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0058] Various terms are used to describe the spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, between circuit elements, between semiconductor layers, etc.), including "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on top of," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless the relationship between a first and a second element is explicitly described as "direct," when such a relationship is described in the above disclosure, the relationship can be a direct relationship, in which there are no other intervening elements between the first and second elements, but can also be an indirect relationship, in which there are one or more intervening elements (spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be interpreted to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be interpreted to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0059] In some implementations, the controller is part of a system, which can be part of the above examples. Such a system can include a semiconductor processing device, which includes one or more processing tools, one or more chambers, one or more platforms for processing, and / or specific processing components (wafer pedestals, gas flow systems, etc.). These systems can be integrated with electronic devices for controlling their operation before, during, and after the processing of semiconductor wafers or substrates. The electronic device can be referred to as a "controller", which can control various components or subcomponents of one or more systems. Depending on the processing requirements and / or system type, the controller can be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein, including the delivery of process gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, position and operation settings, wafer transfer in and out of tools connected or docked with specific systems and other transfer tools and / or load locks.

[0060] In general, a controller can be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. The integrated circuit can include a chip in the form of firmware that stores program instructions, a digital signal processor (DSP), a chip defined as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and / or one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). The program instructions can be instructions sent to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that define operating parameters for performing specific processing on or for a semiconductor wafer or system. In some embodiments, the operating parameters can be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to complete one or more processing steps during the manufacture of one or more (kinds of) layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or dies of a wafer.

[0061] In some implementations, the controller may be part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with the system, coupled to the system, otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the "cloud" or may be all or part of a wafer fab host system that may allow remote access to wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of a manufacturing operation, check the history of past manufacturing operations, check trends or performance criteria for multiple manufacturing operations, to change the parameters of the current processing, set processing steps to follow the current processing, or start a new processing. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) may provide a processing recipe to the system via a network (which may include a local network or the Internet). The remote computer may include a user interface that enables input or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then sent from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data that specify parameters for each processing step to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of processing to be performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, for example, by including one or more discrete controllers networked together and working toward a common purpose (e.g., processing and control as described herein). An example of a distributed controller for such a purpose is one or more integrated circuits on a chamber that communicate with one or more integrated circuits remotely (e.g., at a platform level or as part of a remote computer), which combine to control processing on the chamber.

[0062] Exemplary systems may include, but are not limited to, plasma etching chambers or modules, deposition chambers or modules, spin rinse chambers or modules, metal plating chambers or modules, cleaning chambers or modules, chamfer edge etching chambers or modules, physical vapor deposition (PVD) chambers or modules, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers or modules, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers or modules, atomic layer etching (ALE) chambers or modules, ion implantation chambers or modules, track chambers or modules, and any other semiconductor processing system that may be associated with or used in the manufacture and / or preparation of semiconductor wafers.

[0063] As described above, depending on one or more processing steps to be performed by the tool, the controller can communicate with one or more other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools located throughout the factory, a host computer, another controller, or tools used in material transport to transport wafer containers to and from tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing facility.

Claims

1. A welding component for a substrate processing system, the welding component comprising: a first component composed of a first semiconductor material; a second component consisting of the first semiconductor material; a weld region defined between corresponding unwelded regions of the first component and the second component, the corresponding unwelded regions being located on both sides of the weld region; as well as a seam defined in the weld region between the first component and the second component, The welding region is composed of corresponding portions of the first semiconductor material of the first component and the second component on both sides of the joint, and the corresponding portions of the first semiconductor material are melted and recrystallized to form the welding region. 2 . The welding component according to claim 1 , wherein the welding component is composed of at least one of silicon and silicon carbide. The soldering component of claim 1 , wherein the soldering component is composed of doped silicon. 4 . The welded component of claim 1 , wherein the welded component does not include any seams between the welded areas and the corresponding unwelded areas of the first and second components.

5. The welded component of claim 1, wherein the weld region comprises only a single seam between the first component and the second component. 6 . The welded component of claim 1 , wherein the respective unwelded regions and the welded regions of the first component and the second component each have a first crystal structure. 7 . The welded component of claim 6 , wherein the respective unwelded regions have at least one of different grain orientations, different grain sizes, and different grain boundaries relative to the welded regions. 8 . The welded component according to claim 7 , wherein an average grain size in the welded region is smaller than an average grain size in the corresponding unwelded region.

9. The welded component of claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor material consists of doped silicon, and wherein a distribution of a dopant in the welded region is different than a distribution of the dopant in the corresponding unwelded region.

10. The welded component of claim 9, wherein the concentration of the dopant in the weld region increases with decreasing distance from the seam, such that the concentration of the dopant in the weld region near the seam is greater than that near the unwelded region.

11. The welded component of claim 9, wherein the distribution of the dopant in the respective unwelded regions is substantially uniform, and the distribution of the dopant in the welded region is non-uniform.

12. The welding component of claim 1, wherein the welding component is one of a plasma confinement ring, an edge ring, and an electrode of the substrate processing system.

13. A method of forming a welded component of a substrate processing system, the method comprising: configuring a first component composed of a first semiconductor material and a second component composed of the first semiconductor material such that respective mating surfaces of the first component and the second component are in contact with each other; using an electron beam generator, heating the first component and the second component to a first temperature for a first period of time while rotating the first component and the second component at a first rate; and After the first period of time, heating a joint between the first component and the second component to a second temperature higher than the first temperature while rotating the first component and the second component at a second rate less than the first rate to form the welded component, the welded component comprising the first component, the second component, and a joint between the first component and the second component, The welded component includes a weld area defined around the seam and between corresponding unwelded areas of the first component and the second component, the corresponding unwelded areas being located on both sides of the weld area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the welding component is one of a plasma confinement ring, an edge ring, and an electrode of the substrate processing system.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the welding component is composed of at least one of silicon, doped silicon, and silicon carbide.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the respective unwelded regions and welded regions of the first component and the second component each have a first crystalline structure.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first semiconductor material consists of doped silicon, and wherein a distribution of a dopant in the welded regions is different than a distribution of the dopant in the corresponding unwelded regions.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising disposing the first component and the second component on a base within a thermal chamber, the thermal chamber being comprised of multiple layers of thermal insulation material.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after forming the welded component, controlling the electron beam generator to anneal the welded component at the third temperature less than the second temperature and to cool the welded component at a controlled rate.

20. A welding system configured to weld components of a substrate processing system, the welding system comprising: Welding chamber; an electron beam generator mounted on a side wall of the welding system; Temperature sensor; a base configured to support the component within the welding chamber; a thermal chamber configured to be disposed about (i) the pedestal and (ii) the component supported on the pedestal within the welding chamber, wherein the pedestal is configured to rotate the component within the thermal chamber; and at least one opening in a side wall of the thermal chamber aligned with the electron beam generator, The electron beam generator is configured to direct an electron beam to a joint between a first portion and a second portion of the component to weld the first portion to the second portion while the pedestal rotates the component.

21. The welding system of claim 20, further comprising a laser mounted on a side wall of the welding chamber, the laser configured to heat the component to a temperature above a ductile-brittle transition temperature of the component.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising an external heater configured to heat the component to a temperature above a ductile-brittle transition temperature of the component.

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