System and method for reducing flow accuracy errors of liquid and gas mass flow controller devices

Abstract

An example fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system may include a liquid delivery source. The assembly may include a heater fluidly coupled with an outlet of the liquid delivery source. The assembly may include a liquid flow controller fluidly coupled with the liquid delivery source downstream of the heater. The assembly may include a liquid evaporator fluidly coupled with a downstream end of the liquid flow controller. In some embodiments, the assembly may include a chamber transfer line coupled with an output of the liquid evaporator.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. patent application No. 17 / 743,922, filed on May 13, 2022, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO REDUCE FLOW ACCURACY ERROR FOR LIQUID & GAS MASS FLOW CONTROLLER DEVICES,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0002] The present technology relates to components and devices used in semiconductor manufacturing. More specifically, the present technology relates to gas delivery systems and other semiconductor processing equipment. Background Art

[0003] Integrated circuits are made possible by processes that produce intricately patterned layers of material on a substrate surface. Producing patterned materials on a substrate requires controlled methods for forming and removing materials. Precursors are typically delivered to a processing area and distributed to uniformly deposit or etch material on a substrate. Many aspects of a processing chamber may affect processing uniformity, such as uniformity of processing conditions within the chamber, uniformity of flow through components, and other process and component parameters. Even small differences in the substrate may affect the formation or removal process.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods that can be used to produce high quality devices and structures. The present technology addresses these and other needs. Summary of the invention

[0005] An exemplary fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system may include a liquid delivery source. The assembly may include a heater fluidly coupled to an outlet of the liquid delivery source. The assembly may include a liquid flow controller fluidly coupled to the liquid delivery source downstream of the heater. The assembly may include a liquid evaporator fluidly coupled to a downstream end of the liquid flow controller. The assembly may include a chamber delivery line coupled to an output of the liquid evaporator.

[0006] In some embodiments, the heater may preheat the liquid supplied by the liquid delivery source to a temperature within about 5°C of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. The assembly may include one or more processing chambers coupled to the outlet end of the chamber delivery line. The heater may include a block heater. The assembly may include at least one heater sheath disposed around a fluid supply line extending between the heater and the liquid flow controller. The heater may be disposed within about 10 feet of the liquid flow controller. The heater may preheat the liquid supplied by the liquid delivery source to a sufficiently high temperature so that when the liquid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid is within about 5°C of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. The liquid flow controller may include a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. The temperature sensor may be coupled to the heater in communication.

[0007] Some embodiments of the present technology may include a method of supplying a fluid to a semiconductor processing chamber. The method may include: causing a liquid to flow from a liquid source to a liquid flow controller. The method may include: preheating the liquid to a temperature within about 5°C of a temperature of a body of the liquid flow controller before the fluid reaches an inlet of the liquid flow controller. The method may include: delivering the liquid to a liquid evaporator downstream of the liquid flow controller. The method may include: evaporating the liquid into a gas. The method may include: delivering the gas to one or more processing chambers.

[0008] In some embodiments, preheating the liquid may include passing the liquid through a block heater. Flowing the liquid from the liquid delivery source to the liquid flow controller may include passing the liquid through a fluid line insulated via one or more heater jackets. The method may include sensing a temperature of a body of the liquid flow controller using a temperature sensor. Preheating the liquid may include controlling a temperature of a heater based on the sensed temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. Preheating the liquid may include preheating the liquid to a sufficiently high temperature that when the liquid reaches an inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid is within about 5°C of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. The method may include dividing the flow of the gas into a plurality of fluid lines. One or more chambers may include a plurality of chambers. Each of the plurality of fluid lines may be fluidly coupled to a corresponding chamber of the plurality of chambers. The gas delivered to the one or more processing chambers may be used in a processing operation without a temperature balancing priming process.

[0009] Some embodiments of the present technology may include a method of supplying a fluid to a semiconductor processing chamber, the method may include: flowing a liquid from a liquid source to a liquid flow controller. The method may include: preheating the liquid to a temperature within about 5°C of a temperature of a body of the liquid flow controller. The method may include: delivering the preheated liquid to the liquid flow controller. The method may include: evaporating the liquid into a gas using a liquid evaporator downstream of the liquid flow controller. The method may include: delivering the gas to one or more processing chambers.

[0010] In some embodiments, preheating the liquid may include preheating the liquid to a sufficiently high temperature so that when the liquid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid is within about 5°C of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. Flowing the liquid from the liquid delivery source to the liquid flow controller may include passing the liquid through a fluid line that is insulated via one or more heater jackets. The method may include sensing the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller using a temperature sensor. Preheating the liquid may include controlling the temperature of the heater based on the sensed temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. The method may include dividing the flow of the gas into a plurality of fluid lines. One or more chambers may include a plurality of chambers. Each of the plurality of fluid lines may be fluidly coupled to a corresponding chamber of the plurality of chambers.

[0011] This technology can provide many benefits over conventional systems and techniques. For example, embodiments of the present technology can improve deposition rate uniformity and film uniformity from wafer to wafer. In addition, in embodiments where a single fluid system is used to deliver fluid to multiple processing chambers, deposition rate uniformity and film uniformity across different chambers can be improved. Specifically, deposition rate can be improved by preheating the liquid before delivery to the liquid flow control device, which can help eliminate temperature differences that cause flow rate accuracy problems and subsequent deposition rate problems. In addition, components can allow modification to accommodate any number of chambers or processes. These and other embodiments and their many advantages and features are described in more detail in conjunction with the following description and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosed technology may be obtained by reference to the remainder of the specification and drawings.

[0013] Figure 1 A top view of an exemplary processing system is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology.

[0014] Figure 2 A schematic top view of an exemplary processing system in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 3Operations of an exemplary method of flowing a gas to one or more processing chambers are illustrated in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology.

[0016] Several figures are included as schematic diagrams. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and should not be considered to be drawn to scale unless specifically noted as being drawn to scale. In addition, as schematic diagrams, the drawings are provided to aid understanding and may not include all aspects or information compared to actual representations, and may include exaggerated material for illustrative purposes.

[0017] In the accompanying drawings, similar components and / or features may have the same reference numerals. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a letter that distinguishes between the similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the letter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Plasma enhanced deposition processes can excite one or more component precursors to promote film formation on a substrate. Any number of material films can be produced to develop semiconductor structures, including conductive and dielectric films, as well as films that facilitate material transfer and removal. For example, a hard mask film can be formed to facilitate patterning of a substrate while protecting underlying materials that are otherwise maintained. In many processing chambers, multiple precursors can be mixed in a gas panel and delivered to a processing area of ​​the chamber where a substrate can be located. While components of the cover stack may affect the flow distribution into the processing chamber, many other process variables may similarly affect the uniformity of deposition. For example, temperature differences, flow pattern uniformity, and other aspects of the process may affect the film on the substrate, resulting in film uniformity differences across the substrate for the material produced or removed.

[0019] Typically, one or more gases flowing into the processing chamber are initially stored in liquid form. These liquids flow to a liquid flow control device, which can selectively deliver the fluid to an evaporator, which can convert the liquid into a gaseous form for delivery to the processing chamber. However, the temperature difference between the liquid and the liquid flow control device may cause a pipeline pressure difference that causes flow rate errors, which in turn reduces the uniformity of the deposition rate from wafer to wafer and / or across multiple processing chambers. The traditional method to combat this effect usually involves a temperature equilibrium priming process, in which the same gas formula for a given deposition operation flows to the chamber to age the chamber before performing any deposition operation. Such a priming process operates by flushing any stagnant fluid in the fluid pipeline, and ensures that the liquid temperature in the fluid pipeline is balanced to prevent the temperature difference between the liquid flow control device and the incoming liquid. However, this process reduces the efficiency of the deposition process because the priming process adds extra time (up to or exceeding 15 minutes in some cases) at the start of the run and causes waste of processing gas used to flush the fluid pipeline.

[0020] The present technology overcomes these challenges by preheating the liquid before introducing the liquid into the liquid flow control device. Specifically, the liquid can be preheated to a temperature that substantially matches the temperature of the liquid flow control device. This can eliminate or significantly reduce the temperature difference between the liquid flow control device and the incoming liquid, and can subsequently improve the accuracy of the flow rate and the resulting deposition rate uniformity both from wafer to wafer and across multiple processing chambers. An embodiment may include a liquid flow control device that includes a temperature sensor located near the flow path of the device so that the accurate temperature of the liquid flow control device can be used to control the temperature of the liquid heating device. Therefore, the present technology can produce improved film deposition characterized by improved thickness and material property uniformity on the substrate surface.

[0021] Although the remainder of the disclosure will routinely utilize the disclosed techniques to identify specific deposition processes, it will be readily appreciated that the systems and methods are equally applicable to other deposition and cleaning chambers and processes that may occur in the chambers. Therefore, the techniques should not be considered limited to use with only these specific deposition processes or chambers. Before describing additional variations and adjustments to this system in accordance with embodiments of the present technology, the present disclosure will discuss one possible system and chamber that may include a cover stack component in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

[0022] Figure 1A top view of an exemplary substrate processing system 100 illustrating deposition, etching, baking, and curing chambers according to some embodiments of the present technology. The system 100 may include one or more liquid delivery sources 105, each delivering one or more liquids that are converted to gaseous form before delivery to one or more processing chambers 140. For example, the liquids may be delivered to a gas panel, which may include several components that condition the liquids to be converted to gases that are delivered to the various processing chambers 140. For example, the gas panel may include a liquid flow controller 115, which may be fluidly coupled to the one or more liquid delivery sources 105, such as using one or more liquid supply lines 107. The liquid flow controller 115 may include one or more valves that enable the liquid flow controller 115 to selectively control the flow of liquid from the liquid delivery source 105 to downstream components of the processing system 100. The system 100 may include a heater 110 that interfaces with the liquid supply line 107 between the liquid delivery source 105 and the liquid flow controller 115. For example, the heater 110 can be part of a gas panel and can be fluidly coupled to the outlet end of the fluid delivery source 105 via at least a portion of the liquid supply line 107, such that the heater 110 is downstream of the fluid delivery source 105 and upstream of the liquid flow controller 115. Such positioning can ensure that all liquid delivered to the liquid flow controller 115 must pass through the heater 110. The heater 110 can be any heating mechanism that can heat the liquid supply line 107 and the liquid passing therethrough. The heater 110 can be a gas heater and / or an electric heater that is disposed around and / or otherwise in contact with the liquid supply line 107 and / or other components of the system 100. In a particular embodiment, the heater 110 can be a block heater disposed around a portion of a calibration block of the system 100, although various other forms of heaters can be used in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the heater 110 can be positioned near the liquid flow controller 115. For example, the heater 110 can be positioned less than or about 20 feet, less than or about 15 feet, less than or about 10 feet, less than or about 5 feet, less than or about 3 feet, less than or about 2 feet, less than or about 1 foot, or less from the liquid flow controller 115. By positioning the heater 110 near the liquid flow controller 115, heat losses when the preheated liquid is delivered to the liquid flow controller 115 can be reduced and / or minimized. This can help reduce power consumption and increase the efficiency of the heater 110. The heater 110 can be designed to operate at a default temperature and / or adjust the temperature based on feedback from one or more sensors to preheat the liquid to a desired temperature, which will be discussed in more detail below.

[0023] In some embodiments, all or part of the liquid supply line 107 may be insulated and / or actively heated, such as by using wrap insulation and / or a heater jacket. In some embodiments, the entire length of the liquid supply line 107 may be covered by an insulator and / or a heater jacket. In certain embodiments, a portion of the liquid supply line 107 disposed between the outlet of the heater 110 and the inlet of the liquid flow controller 115 may include an insulator and / or a heater jacket 112. The use of an insulator and / or a heater jacket 112 in this area of ​​the liquid supply line 107 may help reduce heat losses from the preheated liquid and enable the heater 110 to preheat the liquid to a temperature similar to or the same as the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller 115 (which is typically between or about 20°C and 50°C, between or about 25°C and 45°C, or between or about 30°C and 40°C). In some embodiments, insulation may be provided between the heater 110 and the liquid flow controller 115 , which may prevent the heater 110 from transferring heat to the body of the liquid flow controller 115 .

[0024] The liquid flow controller 115 may include at least one temperature sensor that can monitor the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller 115. For example, the sensor can be positioned at a location within the body of the flow controller 115 that is within, adjacent to, and / or otherwise close to a fluid conduit through which the liquid flows. Such positioning of the sensor can ensure that the temperature recorded by the sensor indicates the temperature of the portion of the body of the liquid flow controller 115 that is close to the liquid. Data from the sensor can be transmitted to the heater 110. The controller of the heater 110 can adjust and / or otherwise control the temperature of the heater 110 based on the temperature sensed by the sensor of the liquid flow controller 115. For example, the controller of the heater 110 can set the temperature of the heater 110 to a temperature that heats the liquid passing through and / or passing by the heater 110 to a temperature that at least substantially matches the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller 115. As used herein, substantially matching may be understood to mean within or about 5°C, within or about 4°C, within or about 3°C, within or about 2.5°C, within or about 2°C, within or about 1.5°C, within or about 1°C, within or about 0.5°C, or less, smaller temperature differences leading to better flow rate accuracy and ultimately improved deposition rate uniformity from wafer to wafer and / or across multiple processing chambers. In some embodiments, a controller of heater 110 may set the temperature of heater 110 to a temperature that heats the liquid passing through and / or past heater 110 to a temperature sufficient to ensure that the temperature of the liquid at least substantially matches the temperature of the body of liquid flow controller 115 when the liquid enters liquid flow controller 115. For example, the temperature of the heater 110 may be set to be at least or about 0.5°C, at least or about 1°C, at least or about 2°C, at least or about 3°C, at least or about 4°C, at least or about 5°C, or more, higher than the measured temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller 115 to account for any heat loss from the liquid as it travels from the outlet of the heater 110 to the inlet of the liquid flow controller 115. This may take into account various factors, such as the flow rate of the liquid, the distance between the outlet of the heater 110 and the inlet of the liquid flow controller 115, the diameter of the liquid supply line 107, the presence and / or heating capacity of a heater jacket disposed around a portion of the fluid supply line 107 between the outlet of the heater 110 and the inlet of the liquid flow controller 115, the temperature of the liquid entering the heater 110, and / or other factors.In some embodiments, measurements from a temperature sensor of the liquid flow controller 115 can be used as input for a closed-loop feedback control that enables the temperature of the heater 110 to be continuously adjusted to preheat the liquid to a temperature that at least substantially matches the bulk temperature of the liquid flow controller 115 as the liquid enters the liquid flow controller 115.

[0025] Additional sensors may be included in the system 100 to enable the temperature of the heater 110 to be controlled to ensure that the liquid is preheated to a temperature that at least substantially matches the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller 115 when the liquid enters the liquid flow controller 115. For example, one or more flow sensors may be provided in the liquid delivery source 105, the liquid delivery line 107, the heater 110, and / or the liquid flow controller 115 to measure the flow rate of the liquid. In some embodiments, the liquid delivery source 105 and / or the liquid supply line 107 may include one or more temperature sensors that may monitor the temperature of the liquid delivered to the heater 110. The measured temperature may be transmitted to the heater 110 so that the controller of the heater 110 may set the temperature of the heater 110 to account for the incoming temperature of the liquid. Various other sensors that may be used to control the temperature of the heater 110 may be included to preheat the liquid to a temperature that at least substantially matches the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller 115 when the liquid enters the liquid flow controller 115.

[0026] By preheating the liquid to a temperature substantially the same as the body temperature of the liquid flow controller, the temperature difference between the body of the liquid flow controller and the liquid at the inlet of the liquid controller can be reduced, minimized and / or eliminated. This can improve the flow rate accuracy of the liquid and can ultimately improve the deposition rate uniformity from wafer to wafer. In embodiments including multiple chambers, preheating can improve the deposition rate uniformity across different chambers. In addition, such preheating can shorten and / or completely eliminate any temperature balancing initial process, which can increase the efficiency of the processing operation and reduce the amount of waste.

[0027] The system 100 may include a liquid evaporator 120 fluidly coupled to a downstream end of the liquid flow controller 115 (such as using one or more additional liquid supply lines 109). Using one or more valves, the liquid flow controller 115 may selectively control the flow rate and / or flow volume (if any) of the liquid delivered to the liquid evaporator 120. The liquid supplied to the liquid evaporator 120 may be evaporated into a gas that may be delivered to one or more processing chambers 140. For example, in some embodiments, the liquid evaporator 120 may heat the liquid to a sufficiently high temperature to evaporate the liquid. The liquid evaporator 120 may be any type of evaporation unit, such as a bubbler, a flash evaporator, a direct liquid injection evaporator, and / or other types of evaporators (which may or may not use a carrier gas).

[0028] The gas produced by the evaporator 120 can be delivered to other gas panel components. For example, the gas can be delivered to a line pressure baratron 125, a number of valves 130, a mass flow controller, and / or other gas delivery architecture components, some or all of which can be part of the gas panel in some embodiments. As shown, the gas produced by the evaporator 120 can pass through a line pressure baratron 125, which can monitor the pressure of the gas in one or more chamber delivery lines 122, which are coupled to the outlet of the evaporator 120 and deliver the gas to one or more processing chambers 140. The valve 130 and / or the mass flow controller can be used to selectively control the flow rate and / or pressure in the chamber delivery line 122. In some embodiments, the valve 130 can be adjusted based on the pressure measurement from the line pressure baratron 125 to maintain the gas in the chamber delivery line 122 at a desired pressure level. The gas panel may include at least one pressure switch 135 that may control gas flow to one or more processing chambers 140 based on the pressure within the chamber delivery line 122 and / or operate to maintain a desired pressure within the chamber delivery line 122. After passing through the pressure switch 135, the gas may be delivered to the processing chamber 140. In some embodiments, the gas may be delivered to a single chamber 140, while in other embodiments, the gas may be delivered to multiple chambers 140 simultaneously. For example, the gas may pass through one or more separators (not shown) that may separate the gas into one or more fluid lines 145 that each deliver the gas to a separate chamber 140.

[0029] In some embodiments, the gas may be mixed with one or more other gases prior to being delivered to the processing chamber 140. The mixing of the gases may occur within the gas panel (such as using one or more gas blocks), and / or the mixing of the gases may be mixed at one or more features where the gas panel interfaces with the processing chamber 140. The gases may include cleaning gases, purge gases, precursors to generate plasma, and / or other types of process gases used in semiconductor manufacturing operations.

[0030] As shown, the system 100 includes four processing chambers 140, although any number of processing chambers 140 may be present in various embodiments. For example, the processing system 100 may include independent chambers, dual chambers, and other multi-chamber systems. Each chamber 140 may define a processing region in which one or more processing operations may be performed, such as deposition processes (including cyclic layer deposition, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition) and etching, pre-cleaning, annealing, plasma treatment, degassing, orientation, and other substrate processes. Several robotic arms 150 may be used to move substrates into and out of the processing chambers 140.

[0031] As described above, the gas panel can include one or more chamber delivery lines 122 and fluid lines 145 that deliver a mixture of one or more gases to one or more processing chambers and / or manifolds. For example, the gas panel can be located away from the processing chamber 140 (such as below the processing chamber). The chamber delivery lines 122 can be coupled to the fluid lines 145 (such as weldments) that direct the gas from the gas panel to the processing chamber 140 and / or the manifold of the processing system. Figure 2 A schematic top view of one embodiment of a semiconductor processing system 200 according to some embodiments of the present technology is illustrated. The figure may include components of any system previously depicted and described, and may also illustrate further aspects of any previously described system. It should be understood that the illustration may also illustrate exemplary components, such as components visible on any number of chambers 140 described above.

[0032] The semiconductor processing system 200 may include a cover plate 205 that may define a plurality of holes, each hole providing access to a plurality of processing chambers (which may be similar to the processing chamber 140) positioned below the cover plate 205. Each hole in the plurality of holes may define a fluid passage to a particular cover stack, processing chamber, and / or processing region.

[0033] The gas separator assembly 210 can be disposed on the top surface of the cover plate 205. For example, the gas separator assembly 210 can be centered between the holes of the cover plate 205. The gas separator assembly 210 can be fluidly coupled to a plurality of input weldments 215, each of which is coupled to and / or is a part of a corresponding chamber delivery line 222 (which can be similar to the chamber delivery line 122) of a gas panel (such as the gas panel of the system 100). The input weldments 215 can deliver gases (such as precursors, plasma effluents, and / or purge gases) from a plurality of gas sources to the gas separator assembly 210. For example, each of the input weldments 215 can extend vertically from the gas panel located below the cover plate 205 and through the feed-through plate 220. A portion of the input weldment 215 above the feed-through plate 220 can be bent horizontally and can direct gas to the gas separator assembly 210. In some embodiments, part or all of the input weldment 215 may be disposed within a heater jacket 219 that helps prevent heat loss along the length of the input weldment 215 .

[0034] The gas separator assembly 210 can receive gas from the input weldment 215 and can recursively separate the gas flow into a greater number of gas outputs, each of which interfaces with one or more valves 227 to help control the flow of gas through the valve block 225. For example, actuation of the valve 227 can control whether the purge and / or process gas flows to the corresponding process chamber or is transferred from the process chamber to another location in the system 200. For example, the outlets of the gas separator assembly 210 can each be fluidly coupled to an output weldment 230 (which can be similar to the fluid line 145). The output weldment 230 can deliver the purge gas and / or the process gas to an output manifold 235 associated with a particular process chamber. For example, the output manifold 235 can be positioned above each hole formed in the cover plate 205 and can be fluidly coupled to the cover stack component to deliver one or more gases to the processing area of ​​the corresponding process chamber.

[0035] Figure 3 Operations of an exemplary method 300 for supplying a fluid to a process chamber according to some embodiments of the present technology are illustrated. The method may be performed in various processing systems including the processing systems 100 or 200 described above (which may include a gas panel according to embodiments of the present technology, such as any of the gas panels discussed previously). The method 300 may include several optional operations that may or may not be specifically related to some embodiments of methods according to the present technology.

[0036] Method 300 may include a processing method that may include operations for forming a hard mask film or other deposition operations. The method may include optional operations before method 300 begins, or the method may include additional operations. For example, method 300 may include operations performed in a different order than shown. Method 300 may include: at operation 305, causing liquid to flow from a liquid source. At operation 310, as the liquid flows to the liquid flow controller, the liquid may be preheated to a temperature within about 5°C of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller before the fluid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller. For example, the liquid may pass through a heater (such as, but not limited to, a block heater) disposed between the liquid delivery source and the liquid flow controller. In some embodiments, the liquid may be preheated to a sufficiently high temperature so that when the liquid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid is within about 5°C of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller. For example, the temperature of the heater may be adjusted to preheat the liquid to a temperature higher than the body temperature of the liquid flow controller to account for any heat losses that may occur as the liquid is transported from the outlet of the heater to the inlet of the liquid flow controller. In some embodiments, the temperature of the heater may be set to be at least or about 0.5°C, at least or about 1°C, at least or about 2°C, at least or about 3°C, at least or about 4°C, at least or about 5°C, or more, higher than the measured temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller 115 to account for any heat loss from the liquid as it travels from the outlet of the heater to the inlet of the liquid flow controller. The temperature of the heater may be controlled to account for various factors, such as the flow rate of the liquid, the distance between the outlet of the heater and the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the diameter of the liquid supply line that transports the liquid through the heater, the presence and / or heating capacity of a heater jacket disposed around a portion of the fluid supply line between the outlet of the heater and the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid entering the heater, and / or other factors. In some embodiments, causing the liquid to flow from the liquid source to the liquid flow controller may include causing the liquid to pass through a fluid line that is insulated via one or more heater jackets. This arrangement may help mitigate heat loss from the liquid as it travels from the outlet of the heater to the inlet of the liquid flow controller.

[0037] The method 300 may optionally include sensing the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller using a temperature sensor. Based on the sensed temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the heater may be set and / or adjusted to ensure that the liquid is preheated to the correct temperature. In some embodiments, the temperature of the liquid may be monitored before the liquid enters the heater, which may further enable the temperature of the heater to be adjusted to preheat the liquid to the correct temperature. In some embodiments, a measurement of the flow rate of the liquid through the heater and / or other indications may be provided to a controller of the heater to further adjust the temperature of the heater.

[0038] By preheating the liquid to a temperature substantially the same as the body temperature of the liquid flow controller, the temperature difference between the body of the liquid flow controller and the liquid at the inlet of the liquid controller can be reduced, minimized and / or eliminated. This can improve the flow error of the liquid and can ultimately improve the deposition rate uniformity from wafer to wafer. In embodiments including multiple chambers, preheating can improve the deposition rate uniformity across different chambers. In addition, such preheating can shorten and / or completely eliminate any temperature balancing initial process, which can increase the efficiency of the processing operation and reduce the amount of waste.

[0039] Method 300 may include, at operation 315, delivering the liquid to a liquid evaporator downstream of the liquid flow controller. For example, the liquid flow controller may selectively throttle and / or otherwise control the flow of liquid to the liquid evaporator. At operation 320, the evaporator may evaporate the liquid into a gas. For example, the evaporator may be a bubbler, a flash evaporator, a direct liquid injection evaporator, and / or other types of evaporators capable of converting a liquid into a gaseous form. After being converted, the gas may be delivered to one or more processing chambers at operation 325. In some embodiments, the gas flow to the chamber may be controlled by one or more valves, mass flow controllers, pressure switches, and / or other components of a gas panel and / or other parts of a processing system. In some embodiments, the gas may be mixed with one or more other gases before flowing to the processing chamber. For example, the gas may be mixed with other gases in a gas panel to produce a gas mixture for a given process and / or cleaning recipe. In some embodiments using multiple processing chambers, the gas flow may be divided into several fluid lines before being delivered to the chamber. For example, the gas may flow through one or more gas separators that separate the flow into separate flow paths, each flow path / fluid line being fluidly coupled to a respective chamber in the plurality of chambers. In this manner, an equal amount of gas flow may be delivered to each of the plurality of chambers using a single flow from the gas panel.

[0040] As described above, in some embodiments, the gas delivered to the one or more processing chambers can be used in a processing operation without a temperature balancing initial process or only a shortened initial process. The gas delivered to the processing chamber can be used to perform a film deposition operation, an etching operation, and / or other substrate processing operations. For example, in some embodiments, the gas may include one or more precursors, and the film deposition operation may include: flowing one or more precursors into the processing chamber. For example, the precursor may flow into a chamber (such as a chamber included in system 100 or 200), and the precursor may flow through one or more of the following before delivering the precursor to the processing area of ​​the chamber: a gas box, a blocking plate, or a panel. In some embodiments, the precursor may be a carbon-containing precursor or may include a carbon-containing precursor. Plasma may be generated by the precursor in the processing area, such as by providing RF power to the panel to generate the plasma. The material (such as a carbon-containing material) formed in the plasma can be deposited on the substrate to form one or more film layers on top of the substrate.

[0041] In some embodiments, the gases delivered to the processing chambers may be used to perform cleaning and / or purging operations before and / or after performing substrate processing operations. It should be understood that any number of different gases may flow sequentially in a manner similar to that described above to perform any number of processing, cleaning and / or purging operations in one or more processing chambers.

[0042] In the foregoing description, for the purpose of explanation, many details have been set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the present technology. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that certain embodiments may be practiced without some of these details or with other details.

[0043] Several embodiments have been disclosed, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. In addition, in order to avoid unnecessary confusion of the present technology, many well-known processes and elements are not described. Therefore, the above description should not be considered to limit the scope of the present technology.

[0044] When providing a numerical range, it should be understood that, unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context, each intermediate value between the upper and lower limits of the range, as small as the smallest unit fraction of the lower limit is also specifically disclosed. Any smaller range between any specified values, or unspecified intermediate values ​​in the specified range, and any other specified values ​​or intermediate values ​​in the specified range are all covered. The upper and lower limits of the smaller range can be independently included or excluded in the range, and each range (either one of the upper and lower limits, or none of the upper and lower limits, or both are included in the smaller range at the same time) is also included in the present technology, unless there is any specifically excluded restriction in the specified range. When the specified range includes one or both of the limit values, the range of excluding any one or both of those contained limit values ​​is also included.

[0045] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a region" includes a plurality of such regions and reference to "the well" includes reference to one or more wells and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

[0046] Furthermore, the words “comprise(s)”, “comprising”, “contain(s)”, “containing”, “include(s)” and “including”, when used in this specification and the appended claims, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components, or operations, but they do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, operations, actions, or groups.

Claims

1. A fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system, comprising: Liquid delivery source; a heater fluidly coupled to an outlet of the liquid delivery source; a liquid flow controller fluidly coupled to the liquid delivery source downstream of the heater; a liquid evaporator fluidly coupled to a downstream end of the liquid flow controller; and A chamber delivery line is coupled to an output of the liquid evaporator.

2. The fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein: The heater preheats the liquid supplied by the liquid delivery source to a temperature within about 5° C. of the temperature of the main body of the liquid flow controller.

3. The fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system of claim 1, further comprising: One or more processing chambers are coupled to the outlet end of the chamber transfer line.

4. The fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein: The heater comprises a block heater.

5. The fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system of claim 1, further comprising: At least one heater sheath is disposed about a fluid supply line extending between the heater and the liquid flow controller.

6. The fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein: The heater is positioned within approximately 10 feet of the liquid flow controller.

7. The fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein: The heater preheats the liquid supplied by the liquid delivery source to a sufficiently high temperature so that when the liquid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid is within about 5° C. of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller.

8. The fluid delivery assembly for a semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein: The liquid flow controller includes a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of a body of the liquid flow controller; as well as The temperature sensor is communicatively coupled to the heater.

9. A method of supplying a fluid to a semiconductor processing chamber, comprising: allowing liquid to flow from a liquid source to a liquid flow controller; preheating the liquid to a temperature within about 5° C. of a body of the liquid flow controller before the fluid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller; delivering the liquid to a liquid evaporator downstream of the liquid flow controller; evaporating the liquid into a gas; and The gas is delivered to one or more processing chambers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein: Preheating the liquid includes passing the liquid through a zone heater.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein: Flowing the liquid from the liquid delivery source to the liquid flow controller includes passing the liquid through a fluid line that is insulated via one or more heater jackets.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising: The temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller is sensed using a temperature sensor, wherein preheating the liquid includes controlling a temperature of a heater based on the sensed temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein: Preheating the liquid includes heating the liquid to a sufficiently high temperature that when the liquid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid is within about 5° C. of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: The flow of the gas is divided into a plurality of fluid lines, wherein: The one or more chambers include a plurality of chambers; and Each of the plurality of fluid lines is fluidly coupled to a corresponding chamber of the plurality of chambers.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein: The gas delivered to the one or more processing chambers is used in processing operations without the need for a temperature balancing initial process.

16. A method of supplying a fluid to a semiconductor processing chamber, comprising: causing liquid to flow from a liquid source; preheating the liquid to a temperature within about 5°C of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller; delivering the preheated liquid to the liquid flow controller; evaporating the liquid into a gas using a liquid evaporator downstream of the liquid flow controller; and The gas is delivered to one or more processing chambers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein: Preheating the liquid includes heating the liquid to a sufficiently high temperature that when the liquid reaches the inlet of the liquid flow controller, the temperature of the liquid is within about 5° C. of the temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein: Flowing the liquid from the liquid delivery source to the liquid flow controller includes passing the liquid through a fluid line that is insulated via one or more heater jackets.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: The temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller is sensed using a temperature sensor, wherein preheating the liquid includes controlling a temperature of a heater based on the sensed temperature of the body of the liquid flow controller.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: The flow of the gas is divided into a plurality of fluid lines, wherein: The one or more chambers include a plurality of chambers; and Each of the plurality of fluid lines is fluidly coupled to a corresponding chamber of the plurality of chambers.

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