PECVD deposition system for deposition on selected side of substrate

Abstract

A plasma processing system is provided. The system includes a chamber, a controller, and a showerhead disposed in the chamber. A first gas manifold is connected to the showerhead for providing a first gas from a first gas source in response to control from the controller. A showerhead-base is disposed in the chamber and positioned on an opposite side of the showerhead. A second gas manifold is connected to the shower-base for providing a second gas from a second gas source in response to control from the controller. A substrate support is provided for holding a substrate in a spaced apart relationship with the showerhead-susceptor. A radio frequency (RF) power supply is provided for providing power to the showerhead to generate a plasma. The plasma is used to deposit a film on the backside of the substrate when the substrate is present in the chamber. During backside deposition, the substrate is held by the substrate support in a spaced apart relationship from the showerhead-susceptor. The showerhead provides a purge gas during backside deposition.

Description

This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 202210991402.7, application date August 24, 2018, and invention name “PECVD deposition system for deposition on the selected side of a substrate”. And the invention patent application with application number 202210991402.7 is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 201880055786.3, application date August 24, 2018, and invention name “PECVD deposition system for deposition on the selected side of a substrate”. Technical Field

[0001] The present embodiments relate to semiconductor wafer processing equipment tools, and more particularly, to a chamber having a pedestal configuration that enables backside deposition to counteract bowing of the wafer as more layers on the topside are formed. Background Art

[0002] Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is a type of plasma deposition used to deposit thin films from a gaseous state (i.e., vapor) to a solid state on a substrate such as a wafer. A PECVD system converts a liquid precursor into a vapor precursor that is delivered to a chamber. A PECVD system may include a vaporizer that evaporates a liquid precursor in a controlled manner to produce a vapor precursor. Typically, chambers used for PECVD use a ceramic susceptor to support the wafer during processing, which enables processing to be performed at high temperatures.

[0003] Typically, most deposition and other processing to form devices occurs on the front side (e.g., top side) of the wafer. As the deposited layers accumulate, they may introduce stress into the wafer. This stress may cause the wafer to bow, which is undesirable. In cases where the bow is significant, it may adversely affect subsequent processing steps.

[0004] Sometimes, depositing material on the back side of the wafer can offset the bending and stress of the wafer. However, in order to deposit on the back side of the wafer, the wafer must be flipped and loaded with the back side facing up. Flipping the wafer introduces additional problems, such as additional handling, potential particle exposure, and / or reduced processing yield.

[0005] The invention was created in this context. Summary of the invention

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide implementations for backside substrate deposition to counteract wafer warpage during topside layer deposition. The systems and methods disclosed herein include a showerhead-pedestal positioned opposite a showerhead in a plasma processing chamber. The showerhead-pedestal is configured to supply a process gas from a plurality of holes so that the process gas can be delivered for depositing material on the backside of the substrate. In one embodiment, the substrate is configured to be held by a carrier ring spaced from the showerhead-pedestal so that the backside of the substrate is exposed to the deposition gas. In one embodiment, the showerhead is configured to supply a purge gas (e.g., an inert gas) to prevent the backside deposition gas from forming a material layer on the top side of the substrate.

[0007] In one embodiment, a plasma processing system is disclosed. The system includes a chamber, a controller, and a showerhead disposed in the chamber. A first gas manifold is connected to the showerhead for providing a first gas from a first gas source in response to control from the controller. A showerhead-pedestal is disposed in the chamber and positioned on an opposite side of the showerhead. A second gas manifold is connected to the showerhead-pedestal for providing a second gas from a second gas source in response to control from the controller. A substrate support is provided for holding a substrate in a spaced relationship with the showerhead-pedestal. A radio frequency (RF) power supply is provided for providing power to the showerhead to generate plasma. The plasma is used to deposit a film on the back side of the substrate when the substrate is present in the chamber. During backside deposition, the substrate is held by the substrate support in a spaced relationship with the showerhead-pedestal. The showerhead provides a purge gas during backside deposition.

[0008] In another embodiment, a method for processing a substrate in a plasma processing system is provided, the plasma processing system having a showerhead and a showerhead-pedestal positioned below the showerhead. The method includes arranging a carrier ring between the showerhead and the showerhead-pedestal. The carrier ring is configured to support the substrate. Next, a process gas is caused to flow out of the showerhead-pedestal in a direction toward the back side of the substrate. The system applies power to an electrode of the plasma processing system. The power is configured to generate a plasma in a region between a top surface of the showerhead-pedestal and the back side of the substrate. The plasma is configured to generate a material layer deposited on the back side of the substrate from the process gas. The method also includes causing an inert gas to flow out of the showerhead in a direction toward the top side of the substrate. The flow of the inert gas is configured to occur while the process gas is flowing. The process gas is scavenged from the top side of the substrate using the inert gas to avoid deposition on the top side while the material layer is deposited on the back side of the substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1A and 1BA substrate processing system that may be configured for backside wafer deposition is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0010] Figure 2 A top view of a multi-station processing tool is shown according to one embodiment, wherein four processing stations are provided.

[0011] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a multi-station processing tool having inbound load locks and outbound load locks is shown according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 4A A cross-sectional view of the edge of the showerhead-pedestal is provided when the substrate 128 is lifted a spacing distance from the top surface of the showerhead-pedestal.

[0013] Figure 4B A top view of a spacer used to support a carrier ring during backside deposition of a substrate is shown according to one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5A and 5B A chamber diagram is shown showing a spacer supporting a carrier ring at a separation distance while performing backside deposition on a substrate, according to an embodiment.

[0015] Fig. 6A and 6B A chamber diagram is shown showing a spider fork used to support a carrier ring at a standoff distance while performing backside deposition on a substrate, according to one embodiment.

[0016] Figures 7A-7C According to one embodiment, a top view of a sprinkler-base is shown having the fine overall pattern of nozzle concentric rings, and showing that various regions may be defined for different radius zones and different separations, including a center radius zone, an intermediate radius zone, and an outer radius zone.

[0017] Figure 8 A control module for a control system according to an embodiment is shown. Specific implementation plan

[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide embodiments of a processing chamber for processing semiconductor wafers. In one implementation, the chamber is configured with a pedestal configuration that enables backside deposition to counteract wafer bow and / or stress as more layers are formed on the top side of the substrate.

[0019] In this application, the terms "semiconductor wafer," "wafer," "substrate," "wafer substrate," and "partially fabricated integrated circuit" are used interchangeably. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the term "partially fabricated integrated circuit" may refer to a silicon wafer during any of the many stages of integrated circuit fabrication performed thereon. Wafers or substrates used in the semiconductor device industry typically have a diameter of 200 mm or 300 mm, although the industry is moving toward substrates of 450 mm in diameter. The description herein uses the terms "front" and "back" to describe different sides of the wafer substrate. It will be understood that the front side is where most of the deposition and processing occurs, and is where the semiconductor devices themselves are fabricated. The back side is the opposite side of the wafer, which typically undergoes minimal or no processing during fabrication.

[0020] Unless otherwise stated, the flow rates and power levels provided herein are applicable to processing on 300 mm substrates. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these flow rates and power levels may be adjusted as necessary for substrates of other sizes. The following detailed description assumes that the present invention is implemented on a wafer. However, the present invention is not so limited. The workpiece may be of various shapes, sizes, and materials. In addition to semiconductor wafers, other workpieces that may utilize the present invention include various objects, such as printed circuit boards, etc.

[0021] The multi-stage semiconductor processing flows used to manufacture advanced memory and logic chips have resulted in significant warping of the substrate in both compressive and tensile directions. Due to such moderate to severe substrate warping, processing conditions for various manufacturing processes are affected, resulting in process control issues, photolithography clamping and overlay issues, which sometimes result in increased yield losses. In one embodiment, one way to control the warping is to deposit a sacrificial film or films on the opposite side (i.e., the back side) of the substrate to compensate for the warping in the opposite direction, which flattens the substrate. A conventional dual electrode RF PECVD system has a gas flow electrode, which can be RF or grounded. Typically, the gas flow electrode (also referred to as a showerhead 104) is on the top side of the PECVD reactor, causing the reactants to flow on the front side of the wafer, thereby causing deposition only on the front side of the wafer.

[0022] According to one embodiment, an RF PECVD system with dual gas flow electrodes is disclosed. Either of these electrodes can be an RF electrode to provide an AC field that enables plasma enhancement of CVD film deposition. The dual gas flow electrode PECVD system is capable of selectively depositing films on both sides of a wafer or on only one side. In one example, a gas flow pedestal (referred to herein as a "shower pedestal" or "shower pedestal") can hold the wafer for transfer between adjacent stations within a chamber or outside the chamber via a standard transfer mechanism based on the equipment settings, yet enables gas to flow from the back side of the wafer.

[0023] In one embodiment, the backside gas flow enables PECVD deposition on the backside of the wafer, while the frontside gas flow allows deposition on the frontside of the wafer. The system can be configured to selectively deposit on the side by turning on and off the reactants that cause film deposition and replacing the reactants with non-reactive gases (e.g., inert gases). Another aspect of the system is the ability to control the distance of the substrate side from the reactant flow gas. This control enables the desired deposition profile and film properties for applications such as backside compensation.

[0024] In another embodiment, the showerhead and showerhead include configurations that provide showerhead-like features that enable proper reactant mixing and can provide proper flow dynamics for PECVD deposition processes on the backside or frontside of the wafer. In addition, some embodiments enable a controllable gap that can inhibit or allow plasma to deposit on the desired side (one or both sides) of the wafer. The controlled gap can include, for example, a gap spacing between the top side of the wafer and the top surface of the showerhead 104, and a gap spacing between the back side of the wafer and the top surface of the showerhead 106. For example, when the backside of the wafer is being deposited, the gap between the top side of the wafer and the top surface of the showerhead is minimized. For example, this spacing is between about 2 mm and about 0.5 mm, and in another embodiment is between about 1 mm and about 0.5 mm (depending on the wafer bending limit).

[0025] The showerhead 106 is further configured to include a showerhead hole pattern and an internal plenum for uniform distribution of gas (i.e., to allow the process gas to be delivered toward the bottom of the wafer). These embodiments also allow the gas flow base (i.e., showerhead) to have an active heater to bring the process gas to the appropriate temperature. The combination of the showerhead 106 and the showerhead 104 allows for the parallel function of two key attributes. In one embodiment, the showerhead 106 can still heat the wafer and provide wafer transfer features in or outside the reactor chamber, while the showerhead 104 component allows the flow of process gas. Therefore, the gas flow base (i.e., showerhead) disclosed herein enables the implementation of conventional PECVD processing to selectively deposit on either side of the wafer. These configurations are also configured to selectively RF power the top or bottom electrodes and dynamically start / stop the plasma on the side of the wafer where deposition is desired.

[0026] Broadly speaking, the showerhead provides several advantages against stress and bending problems by depositing a film on the back side of the wafer. The backside film counteracts the stress from the front side deposition to facilitate a wafer of neutral stress (or substantially neutral stress, for example, less than about + / -150 MPa), which does not show bending (or substantially no bending, for example, bending less than about 150 μm). If the film deposited on the front side is tensile, the backside film should also be tensile to balance the total stress. Similarly, if the front side film is compressive, the backside film should also be compressive. The backside film can be deposited by many reaction mechanisms (e.g., chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), etc.). In many cases, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition is used because high deposition rates are achieved in this type of reaction.

[0027] Certain deposition parameters can be adjusted to produce a backside film with a desired stress level. One of these deposition parameters is the thickness of the deposited backside film. Thicker films induce greater stress in the wafer, while thinner films (of the same composition and deposited under the same conditions) induce less stress in the wafer. Therefore, in order to minimize the amount of material consumed in forming the backside layer, the layer can be deposited relatively thinly under conditions that promote the formation of a high stress film.

[0028] As described above, stacks of deposited materials are particularly likely to cause wafer stress and bowing. One exemplary stack that may cause these problems is a stack having alternating oxide and nitride layers (e.g., silicon oxide / silicon nitride / silicon oxide / silicon nitride, etc.). Another example stack that may cause bowing phenomena includes alternating oxide and polysilicon layers (e.g., silicon oxide / polysilicon / silicon oxide / polysilicon, etc.). Other examples of stack materials that may be problematic include, but are not limited to, tungsten and titanium nitride. The materials in the stack may be deposited by the following techniques: chemical vapor deposition techniques (e.g., plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD)), or by direct metal deposition (DMD), etc. These examples are not intended to be limiting. Certain disclosed embodiments may be useful whenever wafer stress and / or bowing phenomena are caused by materials present on the front side of the wafer.

[0029] The stack on the front side can be deposited to any number of film layers and thicknesses. In a typical example, the stack includes about 32 to 72 layers and has a total thickness between about 2 to 4 μm. The stress induced in the wafer by the stack can be between about -500 MPa to about +500 MPa, which causes bows typically between about 200 to 400 μm (for 300 mm wafers), and in some cases even greater.

[0030] In many embodiments, the material deposited on the back side of the wafer may be a dielectric material. In some cases, oxides and / or nitrides (e.g., silicon oxide / silicon nitride) are used. Examples of silicon-containing reactants that can be used include, but are not limited to, silanes, halosilanes, and aminosilanes. Silanes contain hydrogen and / or carbon groups, but do not contain halogens. Examples of silanes are silane (SiH4), disilane (Si2H6), and organosilanes such as monosilane, disilane, isopropylsilane, tert-butylsilane, dimethylsilane, diethylsilane, di(tert-butyl)silane, allylsilane, sec-butylsilane, trimethylpropylsilane, isopentylsilane, tert-butyldisilane, di(tert-butyl)disilane, etc. Halosilanes contain at least one halogen group and may or may not contain hydrogen and / or carbon groups. Examples of halosilanes are iodosilane, bromosilane, chlorosilane, and fluorosilane. Although halosilanes, particularly fluorosilanes, can form reactive halide species that can etch silicon materials, in certain embodiments described herein, no silicon-containing reactants are present when the plasma is ignited. Specific chlorosilanes are tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4), trichlorosilane (HSiCl3), dichlorosilane (H2SiCl2), monochlorosilane (ClSiH3), chloroallylsilane, chloromethylsilane, dichloromethylsilane, chlorodimethylsilane, chloroethylsilane, tert-butylchlorosilane, di(tert-butyl)chlorosilane, chloroisopropylsilane, chlorosec-butylsilane, tert-butyldimethylchlorosilane, trimethylpropyldimethylchlorosilane, and the like. Aminosilanes contain at least one nitrogen atom bonded to a silicon atom, but may also contain hydrogen, oxygen, halogens, and carbon. Examples of aminosilanes are mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-aminosilanes (H3Si(NH2)4, H2Si(NH2)2, HSi(NH2)3, and Si(NH2)4, respectively), and substituted mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-aminosilanes, such as tert-butylaminosilane, methylaminosilane, tert-butylsilylamine, bis(tert-butylamino)silane (SiH2(NHC(CH3)3)2(BTBAS)), tert-butylsilylcarbamate, SiH(CH3)—(N(CH3)2)2, SiHCl—(N(CH3)2)2, (Si(CH3)2NH)3, etc. A further example of an aminosilane is trisilylamine (N(SiH3)).Other possible silicon-containing reactants include tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and cyclic and acyclic TEOS variants such as tetramethoxysilane (TMOS), fluorotriethoxysilane (FTES), trimethylsilane (TMS), octamethyltetracyclosiloxane (OMCTS), tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTSO), dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDS), hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane (HMCTSO), dimethyldiethoxysilane (DMDEOS), methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS), tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO), divinyltetramethyldisiloxane (VSI2), methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) , dimethyltetramethoxydisiloxane (DMTMODSO), ethyltriethoxysilane (ETEOS), ethyltrimethoxysilane (ETMOS), hexamethoxydisilane (HMODS), bis(triehtoxysilyl)ethane (BTEOSE), bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane (BTMOSE), dimethylethoxysilane (DMEOS), tetraethoxydimethyldisiloxane (TEODMDSO), tetrakis(trimethylsiloxy)silane (TTMSOS), tetramethyldiethoxydisiloxane (TMDEODSO), triethoxysilane (TIEOS), trimethoxysilane (TIMEOS), or tetrapropoxysilane (TPOS).

[0031] Exemplary nitrogen-containing reactants include, but are not limited to, ammonia, hydrazine, amines such as carbon-containing amines (e.g., methylamine, dimethylamine, ethylamine, isopropylamine, tert-butylamine, di(tert-butyl)amine, cyclopropylamine, sec-butylamine, cyclobutylamine, isopentylamine, 2-methylbutane-2-amine, trimethylamine, diisopropylamine, diethylisopropylamine, di(tert-butyl)hydrazine, and aromatic hydrocarbon-containing amines such as aniline, pyridine, and benzylamine. The amines may be primary, secondary, tertiary, or quaternary (e.g., tetraalkylammonium compounds). The nitrogen-containing reactant may contain heteroatoms other than nitrogen, for example, hydroxylamine, tert-butylcarbonyloxyamine, and N-tert-butylhydroxylamine are nitrogen-containing reactants.

[0032] Examples of oxygen-containing co-reactants include oxygen, ozone, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur oxides, sulfur dioxide, oxygenated hydrocarbons (C x H y O z ), water, and mixtures thereof, etc.

[0033] The flow rates of these reactants depend largely on the type of reaction by which the backside layer is deposited. In the case of using CVD / PECVD to deposit the backside layer, the flow rate of the silicon-containing reactant can be between about 0.5 and 10 mL / min (before atomization), such as between about 0.5 and 5 mL / min. The flow rate of the nitrogen-containing reactant, oxygen-containing reactant, or other co-reactant can be between about 3 and 25 SLM, such as between about 3 and 10 SLM.

[0034] In certain embodiments, the backside layer may be removed after further processing. In this case, the composition of the backside layer should be selected so that it can be easily removed at the appropriate time. In this regard, there should be high selectivity between the material of the backside layer (e.g., dielectric) and the material of the underlying substrate (e.g., silicon) in the desired removal chemistry.

[0035] The optimal thickness of the backside layer will depend on the amount of stress caused by the deposition on the front side of the wafer, and the conditions for depositing the backside layer. The backside layer can be deposited to a thickness that makes the stress in the wafer negligible (e.g., less than about 150MPa). In these or other embodiments, the backside layer can be deposited to a thickness that makes the wafer bending negligible (e.g., less than about 150μm bending). In some cases, this corresponds to a backside layer thickness between about 0.1 and 2μm, such as between about 0.3 and 2μm, or between about 0.1 and 1μm, or between about 0.3 and 1μm. In the case of using silicon nitride to form the backside layer, a film with a thickness of about 0.3μm is sufficient to alleviate the bending of about 50 to 200μm. As mentioned above, a backside layer with higher stress can be used to reduce the required film layer thickness. This helps save materials and reduce costs. For more information regarding backside deposition techniques, reference may be made to US Patent Application No. 14 / 285,554, which is owned by the same assignee as the present application and is incorporated herein by reference.

[0036] It should be understood that the present embodiments can be implemented in many ways, such as a process, an apparatus, a system, an equipment, or a method. Several embodiments are described below.

[0037] The deposition of the film is implemented in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system in one embodiment. The PECVD system can take many different forms. The PECVD system includes one or more chambers or "reactors" (sometimes including multiple stations) that accommodate one or more wafers and are suitable for wafer processing. Each chamber can accommodate one or more wafers for processing. One or more chambers maintain the wafer in one or more defined positions (with or without action, such as rotation, vibration or other disturbances in the position). During processing, the wafer subjected to deposition can be transferred from one station in the reactor chamber to another station. Of course, film deposition can be performed entirely at a single station, or any portion of the film can be deposited at any number of stations.

[0038] During processing, each wafer is held in place by a susceptor, wafer chuck, and / or other wafer holding device. For certain operations, the device may include a heater, such as a hot plate, to heat the wafer.

[0039] Figure 1A A substrate processing system 100 is shown for processing a wafer 128. The system includes a chamber 102. A central column is configured to support a pedestal while a top surface of the substrate 128 is processed (e.g., a film is formed on the top surface). A pedestal according to embodiments disclosed herein is referred to as a showerhead-pedestal ("shower seat") 106. A showerhead 104 is disposed above the shower seat 106. In one embodiment, the showerhead 104 is electrically coupled to a power supply 122 via a matching network 125. The power supply 122 is controlled by a control module 120, such as a controller. In other embodiments, power may be provided to the shower seat 106 instead of the showerhead 104. The control module 120 is configured to operate the substrate processing system 100 by executing process input and control of a specific recipe. Depending on whether the top surface of the substrate 128 or the bottom surface of the substrate 128 receives the deposited film, the control module 120 sets various operational inputs of the process recipe, such as power level, timing parameters, processing gas, mechanical movement of the chip 128, height of the chip 128 from the shower head 106, etc.

[0040] The center column may also include lift pins that are controlled by a lift pin control device. The lift pins are used to lift the wafer 128 from the showerhead 106 to allow the end effector to pick up the wafer and lower it after the end effector places the wafer 128. The end effector (not shown) may also place the wafer 128 over the spacer 130. As described below, the spacer 130 is sized to provide a controlled spacing of the wafer 128 between the top surface of the showerhead 104 (facing the wafer) and the top surface of the showerhead 106 (facing the wafer).

[0041] The substrate processing system 100 also includes a gas manifold 108 connected to a gas source 110 (e.g., a gas chemical supply source and / or an inert gas from a factory). Depending on the process being performed on the top surface of the substrate, the control module 120 controls the delivery of the gas source 110 through the gas manifold 108. The selected gas is then flowed into the showerhead 104 and distributed in the spatial volume defined between the face of the showerhead 104 facing the wafer 128 and the wafer disposed on the susceptor 140.

[0042] The substrate processing system 100 also includes a gas manifold 112 connected to a gas source 114 (e.g., a gas chemical supply and / or an inert gas from a factory). Depending on the process being performed on the bottom surface of the substrate, the control module 120 controls the delivery of the gas source 114 through the gas manifold 112. The selected gas is then flowed into the showerhead 104 and distributed in the spatial volume defined between the face of the showerhead 106 facing the lower surface / side of the wafer 128 and the wafer disposed on the spacer 130. The spacer 130 provides spacing that optimizes deposition on the lower surface of the wafer 128 while reducing deposition on the top surface of the wafer. In one embodiment, when deposition is directed to the lower surface of the wafer 128, the inert gas is flowed through the showerhead 104 on the top surface of the wafer 128, which pushes the reactant gas away from the top surface and causes the reactant gas provided by the showerhead 106 to be directed to the lower surface of the wafer 128.

[0043] In addition, the gases may be premixed, or not. Appropriate valve control and mass flow control mechanisms may be employed to ensure that the correct gases are delivered during the deposition and plasma treatment phases of the process. The process gases leave the chamber via an outlet. A vacuum pump (e.g., a one- or two-stage mechanical dry pump, and / or a turbomolecular pump) draws the process gases out and maintains a suitably low pressure within the reactor through a closed-loop controlled flow restriction (e.g., a throttle valve, or a pendulum valve).

[0044] Also shown is a carrier ring 124 surrounding an outer region of the showerhead 106. When the top surface of the wafer 128 is processed (e.g., material is deposited thereon), the carrier ring 124 is configured to sit on a carrier ring support area that is a step down from the wafer support area in the center of the showerhead 106. The carrier ring 124 includes an outer edge side (e.g., an outer radius) of its dished structure, and a wafer edge side (e.g., an inner radius) of its dished structure that is closest to where the wafer 128 is disposed. The wafer edge side of the carrier ring 124 includes a plurality of contact support structures that are configured to lift the wafer 128 when the carrier ring 124 is held by the spacer 130.

[0045] exist Figure 1B, the spider fork 132 is used to lift the carrier ring 124 and maintain the carrier ring 124 at its processing height (i.e., for deposition on the lower surface of the wafer 128). The carrier ring 124 is thus lifted with the wafer 128 and can be rotated to another station (e.g., in a multi-station system).

[0046] Figure 2 A top view of a multi-station processing tool is shown, in which four processing stations are arranged. Figure 1A and 1B The embodiment illustrates chamber 102, which can be implemented in a four chamber station Figure 2 and 3 in room 102. Figure 2 and 3 A top view of a chamber portion is provided (e.g., with the top of the chamber portion removed for illustration) in which four workstations are accessed via a spider fork 132. Each spider fork 132 or tine includes first and second arms, each of which is positioned around a portion of each side of the showerhead 106. In this view, the spider fork 132 is depicted in phantom to convey that it is below the carrier ring 124. The spider fork 132, using the engagement and rotation mechanism 220, is configured to lift and simultaneously elevate the carrier ring 124 from the workstations (e.g., from the lower surface of the carrier ring 124), and then rotate at least one or more of the stations before lowering the carrier ring 124 (at this point, at least one of the carrier rings supports a wafer 128) to the next position so that further plasma treatment, processing, and / or film deposition can be performed on each wafer 128. As described above, in one embodiment, the spider fork 132 can be used to raise the wafer 128 to a height that enables deposition on the back side of the wafer 128 while substantially avoiding deposition on the top side of the wafer 128, e.g. Figure 1B shown.

[0047] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a multi-station processing tool is shown having an inbound load lock 148 and an outbound load lock 140. A robot 142 at atmospheric pressure is configured to move a substrate 128 from a cassette (loaded via a wafer boat 150) into the inbound load lock 148 via an atmospheric port 144. The inbound load lock 148 is coupled to a vacuum source (not shown) so that when the atmospheric port 144 is closed, the inbound load lock 148 can be evacuated. The inbound load lock 148 also includes a chamber transfer port 146 that interfaces with the processing chamber 102. Therefore, when the chamber transfer port 146 is opened, another robot (not shown) can move the substrate from the inbound load lock 148 to the showerhead 106 of the first processing station for processing.

[0048] exist Figure 3In the illustrated implementation, the depicted processing chamber 102 includes four processing stations numbered 1 through 4. In some implementations, the processing chamber 102 can be configured to maintain a low pressure environment so that substrates can be transferred between processing stations using a carrier ring 124 without undergoing vacuum breaks and / or air exposure. Figure 3 Each process station depicted in FIG. 1 includes a showerhead 106 configured to deliver a process gas when backside deposition is to be performed. During backside deposition, whether a spacer or a spider fork is used to lift the wafer from the showerhead 106, the showerhead 104 is configured to supply an inert gas to the top surface of the substrate to avoid or reduce deposition on the top surface of the wafer 106.

[0049] Figure 3 Also depicted is a spider fork 132 used to transfer wafers within the processing chamber 102 and to lift the wafer 128 during backside deposition. As will be described in more detail below, the spider fork 132 can also rotate and enable the wafer to be transferred from one station to another. Transfer is performed by causing the spider fork 132 to lift the carrier ring 124 from the outer lower surface, which then lifts the wafer and then rotates the wafer and carrier ring 124 together to the next station. In one configuration, the spider fork 132 is made of a ceramic material to resist the high levels of heat during processing.

[0050] In other embodiments, instead of using spider fork 132 to lift and transfer the wafer, a paddle structure may be used to lift and transfer the wafer. Paddles may be positioned between multiple stations similar to the manner in which spider fork 132 is positioned and may operate in the same manner. Therefore, for ease of understanding, references to spider fork 132 should be understood to also apply to paddle configurations that can provide controlled lifting (e.g., during backside wafer deposition) and transfer between workstations.

[0051] Broadly, embodiments disclosed herein are for systems for depositing PECVD films on selected sides (front and / or backside) of a wafer with dynamic control. One embodiment includes dual gas flow electrodes to define a capacitively coupled PECVD system. The system will include a gas flow showerhead 104 and a showerhead 106. In one embodiment, the gas flow pedestal (i.e., showerhead) is a combination of a showerhead and a pedestal that enables deposition on the backside of the wafer. The electrode geometry combines features of the showerhead (e.g., gas mixing plenum, holes, hole patterns, baffles to prevent gas injection) with features of the pedestal (e.g., embedded controlled heaters, wafer lifting mechanism, ability to hold plasma confinement rings, and mobility). This enables wafer transfer and gas handling with or without RF power from the pedestal.

[0052] In one embodiment, the system has a wafer lift mechanism that allows tight control of the parallelism of the substrate relative to the electrodes. In one embodiment, this is accomplished by setting the lift mechanism parallel to the two electrodes and controlling manufacturing tolerances (e.g., a swivel or lift pin mechanism). Another embodiment is defined by raising the wafer lift component, but this option does not allow for dynamic control of the side being deposited.

[0053] In one configuration, the lift mechanism allows dynamic control of distance during processing (before plasma, during plasma, after plasma) to control the side of deposition, deposition profile, and properties of the deposited film. The system further allows selective start / stop of the side where the reactants flow. One side can flow reactants and the other side can flow inert gas to suppress deposition and plasma.

[0054] In one embodiment, the gap between the sides of the wafer where plasma / deposition is not desired must be tightly controlled to the minimum required to suppress the plasma (otherwise there will be plasma damage). In one example, the system tolerates a minimum gap of about 2 mm to about 0.5 mm, while in another embodiment, the system tolerates a minimum gap of about 1 mm to about 0.05 mm (limited by wafer bow), and such gaps can be controlled. In one embodiment, this gap depends on process conditions.

[0055] In one embodiment, the gas flow base (i.e., showerhead) enables, but is not limited to: (a) the ability to thermally stabilize the wafer to the processing temperature prior to processing; (b) the ability to selectively design the hole pattern on the showerhead to selectively deposit films in different areas on the back side of the wafer; (c) the ability to attach replaceable rings to achieve appropriate plasma confinement and hole pattern; (d) the ability to have a stable wafer transfer mechanism within the chamber for transferring the wafer out to another chamber or box, such as lift pins, RF coupling features, minimal contact arrays; (e) the ability to implement gas mixing features, such as internal plenums, baffles, and manifold line openings; and (f) the ability to add compartments in the gas flow base (i.e., showerhead) to allow selective gas flow to different areas on the back side of the wafer and control the flow rate via flow controllers and / or multiple plenums.

[0056] In another embodiment, dynamic gap control using a wafer lift mechanism allows: (a) the distance from the deposit or reactant flow electrode to the side of the wafer to be deposited, or in the middle so that both sides can be deposited; and (b) the lift mechanism can dynamically control the distance during processing (before plasma, during plasma, after plasma) to control the side of deposition, deposition profile, and properties of the deposited film. In another embodiment, for deposition modes for deposition on the back side of the wafer, film edge exclusion control is highly desirable to avoid lithography related overlay issues. The lift mechanism used in this system is implemented by a carrier ring 124 that has design features to shield deposition on the edge. This specifies edge exclusion control through the design and shape of the carrier ring.

[0057] Figure 4A A cross-sectional view of an edge region of the shower seat 106 is shown. This view provides a cross-sectional illustration of a carrier ring 124 having a carrier ring inner radius 124a and a carrier ring outer radius 124b. The spacer 130 is configured to sit on the shower seat 106 at an edge defined by a step region 106g in the shower seat 106. Figure 4B As shown, the spacers 130 are preferably spaced apart to provide uniform support for the carrier ring 124 from the lower surface of the carrier ring 124. In one embodiment, the carrier ring 124 will include support extensions 124c that extend below the substantially flat surface of the carrier ring 124.

[0058] In some embodiments, with reduced overlap of the wafer edge with the inner radius of the carrier ring, it is possible to expose notches in the substrate. To avoid having a gap covering the notch, the carrier ring can be constructed with an extension in the area where the notch is to be placed. In this way, it is possible to extend the area where backside deposition occurs while avoiding deposition non-uniformity due to exposed wafer notches. Thus, various sizes of edge exclusion (EE) can be handled by adjusting the geometry of the carrier ring 124.

[0059] The support extension 124c is configured to engage and seat within a support surface defined in the top surface of the spacer 130. The support surface provides a complementary engagement surface for the support extension 124c so that the carrier ring 124 is prevented from sliding or moving when supported by the spacer 130. Figure 4B Three spacers 130 are shown in FIG. 1 , but it is contemplated that any number of spacers may be provided so long as the carrier ring can be supported substantially parallel to the surface of the showerhead 106 and the spacing is defined so as to support the substrate 128 in a spaced relationship with the top surface of the showerhead 106.

[0060] It is further shown that the top surface of the shower seat 106 includes a hole pattern 106a, which is distributed throughout the surface to provide uniform distribution and output of gas during operation. In one embodiment, the hole pattern 106a is distributed in a plurality of concentric rings that start at the center of the top surface of the shower seat 106 and extend to the periphery of the shower seat 106. At least one ring of holes 106a is provided at the edge hole region 107 of the hole pattern, and the nozzles defined in the edge hole region 107 are preferably tilted so as to provide gas in a manner that is not perpendicular to the surface of the shower seat 106.

[0061] In one example, the angle or tilt of the nozzles in the edge hole region 107 is defined as the tilt or angle away from the center of the showerhead 106. In one embodiment, the angle is about 45° from horizontal. In other embodiments, the angle can vary from 20° from horizontal to 80° from horizontal. In one embodiment, by providing tilted nozzles in the edge hole region 107, additional distribution of process gas can be provided during backside deposition of the substrate 128. In one embodiment, the remaining nozzles 106d of the hole pattern 106a are positioned substantially perpendicular to the surface of the showerhead 106 and pointed toward the underside of the substrate 128.

[0062] Figure 4B The edge of the substrate 128 is shown to be seated on an edge region that is closer to the carrier ring inner radius 124a when the substrate 128 is held by the carrier ring 124. As will be shown in more detail in other figures, when positioned using the spacer 130, the surface of the showerhead 104 facing the top surface of the substrate 128 is substantially close to avoid deposition during a mode of depositing directly on the back side of the substrate 128.

[0063] For example, the distance between the top of the substrate 128 and the surface of the showerhead 104 is preferably between about 2 mm and 0.5 mm, and in some embodiments is between about 1 mm and about 0.5 mm, depending on the wafer curvature. That is, if the wafer is substantially curved, the spacing is greater than 0.5 mm. If the wafer is not substantially curved, the spacing may be less than 0.5 mm. In one embodiment, it is preferred to minimize the spacing to avoid deposition on the top side of the substrate when the back side of the substrate is deposited with a material layer. In one embodiment, the showerhead 104 is configured to supply an inert gas flow to the top side of the substrate 128 during deposition of the back side of the substrate, and the deposition gas is supplied by the showerhead 106.

[0064] Figure 5AAn example of a plasma processing system is shown that includes a showerhead 104 positioned above a showerhead 106. In this example, a spacer 130 is shown supporting a carrier ring 124, and support extensions 124c are held within a recessed region of the support 130. As described above, the support 130 is configured to hold the carrier ring 124 at a spacing distance that elevates the carrier ring 124 and the wafer 128 supported thereon away from the surface of the showerhead 106.

[0065] In this way, the top surface of the wafer 128 is disposed substantially close to the exposed surface 104a of the showerhead 104 at a reduced spacing. As mentioned above, the reduced spacing is preferably between about 2 mm and 0.5 mm, and in some embodiments is between about 1 mm and about 0.5 mm, depending on the wafer curvature. That is, if the wafer is substantially curved, the spacing is greater than 0.5 mm. If the wafer is not substantially curved, the spacing may be less than 0.5 mm. In addition, the showerhead 104 is configured to supply an inner gas that flows over the top surface of the wafer supported by the carrier ring 124 during a mode in which reactants and process gases are supplied through the showerhead 106 to process backside deposition.

[0066] Further shown are a plurality of nozzles 106d defining a hole pattern 106a on the surface of the showerhead 106. Also shown is an edge hole region 107, which indicates that the edge hole region may include at least one row of circumferentially arranged holes that are tilted to provide process gas toward the outer edge of the showerhead 106 to provide process gas closer to the underside edge of the substrate supported by the carrier ring 124.

[0067] Figure 5B show Figure 5A 1. A cross-sectional view of a plasma processing system of FIG. 1. In this example, nozzle 106d of shower block 106 and nozzle 104d of showerhead are shown as providing paths for flow out of plenum regions 306 and 304, respectively. Plenums 306 and 304 are provided to assist in the distribution of gases introduced into shower block 106 and showerhead 104. Baffle 206 is provided in shower block 106, and is positioned along gas entry path 312 into shower block 106. Baffle 206 assists in the distribution of gases introduced into plenum 306 of shower block 106. Baffle 204 is provided in showerhead 104, and is positioned along gas entry path 308 into showerhead 104. Baffle 204 assists in the distribution of gases introduced into plenum 304 of showerhead 104.

[0068] A gas manifold 112 is further shown coupled to a gas inlet path 312 of the showerhead 106. A gas source 114 is shown coupled to the gas manifold 112. The gas source 114 is configured to provide one or more different types of gases to the showerhead 106. For example, the gas may be a reactive gas for deposition on the backside of the substrate 128 while the carrier ring 124 is supported by the support 130. In one embodiment, a process condition (e.g., silane (SiH4) + ammonia (NH3)) may be flowed to deposit a backside material layer using the showerhead 106 while the showerhead 104 delivers a nitrogen (N2) purge gas flow.

[0069] Another example backside deposition process may be SiH4+N2O chemistry, which can be tuned by varying the flow rate and power of SIH4 / N2O to impart stress in the range of 0 MPa to -400 MPa. Further, it is believed that SiN films using SiH4+NH3 chemistry may provide stresses in the range of -1200 MPa to +1200 MPa. SiO2 treatment using TEOS chemistry may provide stresses in the range of +200 MPa to -400 MPa. Thus, by selecting the chemistry, location of applied gases, and thickness, it is possible to strategically counteract stresses caused by frontside deposition of film layers and reduce or avoid wafer / substrate warpage.

[0070] Furthermore, as described above, when the sweep gas is delivered by the showerhead 104, the gap between the showerhead and the top surface of the substrate 128 is minimized, for example, between about 0.5 mm and about 5 mm. If the wafer bows too much, the gap may be greater than 0.5 mm, but is preferably less than 5 mm, and in one embodiment, less than about 3 mm, or less than about 2 mm, or less than about 1 mm.

[0071] By flowing SiH4+NH3 (via nozzle 106d of showerhead 106), a SiN / SiO2 film layer is deposited on the back side of substrate 128 while the substrate is held by carrier ring 124 in spaced relation to the top surface of showerhead 106. In a mode of topside deposition in the same chamber, showerhead 106 operates as a pedestal without gas flowing out of nozzle 106d. In this configuration, different types of materials can be deposited on the top surface of substrate 128, depending on the recipe selected. Thus, backside deposition is enabled to cope with high stresses introduced by, for example, nitrogen, oxide films. That is, backside deposition compensates for stresses induced during topside deposition and helps reduce wafer bow.

[0072] The gas manifold 108 coupled to the gas inlet path 308 is provided with a connection to the gas source 110. The gas inlet path 308 provides a passage for supplying gas into the showerhead 104, which leads to the baffle 204 and the plenum 304. The gas source 110 can provide different types of gases, depending on the process being performed. For example, if the substrate 128 is undergoing backside deposition, the showerhead 104 is configured to deliver an inert gas flowing over the top surface of the substrate 128 to avoid deposition on the top surface of the substrate 128.

[0073] The showerhead 104 can be configured to supply gas at different flow rates so as to avoid the deposition gas from seeping onto the top surface when depositing the backside surface. If top surface deposition is being performed, the substrate 128 is lowered onto the surface of the showerhead 106 and the support 130 is removed. In this configuration, top surface deposition can be performed using the process gas introduced into the showerhead 104. During this stage, the process gas is not introduced through the showerhead 106, and the showerhead 106 operates as a standard support chuck or pedestal. Therefore, it should be understood that the showerhead 106 can be operated in multiple modes, depending on the surface being deposited, such as the top side surface or the back side surface of the substrate 128.

[0074] Fig. 6A Another embodiment of a plasma processing system is shown. In this embodiment, the support 130 is not used to elevate the carrier ring 124 to a suitable height above the surface of the showerhead 106. Instead, the spider fork 132 is used to elevate and maintain the carrier ring 124 at a controlled height so that backside deposition of the wafer 128 supported by the carrier ring 124 can be performed via the reactive gas introduced through the nozzles 106d of the showerhead 106. As discussed above, the showerhead 106 includes a plurality of nozzles 106d arranged in concentric circles extending from the center to the edge of the showerhead 106.

[0075] An outer edge region 107 (which may include one or more concentric circles of nozzles) may be configured to provide an angled output of the reactant gases that are directed toward the outer edge of the lower surface of the substrate 128 while the carrier ring 124 holds the substrate 128. Figure 2 and 3 106. The spider fork 132 is shown by way of example in FIG. 10. It should be understood that alternative methods for handling the carrier ring 124 may be used. For example, a paddle support disposed between the multiple stations may also be used to handle the carrier ring and raise the carrier ring to the appropriate height to achieve the spacing distance between the top surface of the shower block 106 and the underside of the substrate 128. Broadly speaking, the spacer 130 and the spider fork 132 or paddle provide a substrate support to hold the carrier ring 124 (and the substrate, when present) in a spaced relationship with the shower block 106.

[0076] In one embodiment, according to Figure 1A and 4A -5B. A substrate support for holding a substrate in a spaced relationship with the showerhead-pedestal is defined by a plurality of spacers 130. The spacers include at least three spacers having a support surface to hold a carrier ring, and the carrier ring is configured to hold the substrate in the spaced relationship when the substrate is present.

[0077] according to Figure 1B , 6A and 6B, a substrate support for holding the substrate in a spaced relationship with the showerhead-base is defined by one of a spider fork or a paddle configured to hold a carrier ring configured to hold the substrate in the spaced relationship when the substrate is present.

[0078] Fig. 7A A top view of the showerhead 106 is shown, and the hole pattern 106a has concentric circles of nozzles 106d extending from the center of the showerhead 106 to the periphery of the hole pattern 106 of the showerhead 106. As shown, at least one concentric circle of nozzles 106d is defined along an edge hole region 107. As mentioned above, the edge hole region 107 is constructed so that the nozzles are tilted away from the center so that gas can be directed to the edge of the substrate 128 when the carrier ring 124 holds the substrate 128 in a spaced relationship above the showerhead 106. Also shown in this example is a spider fork 132, which is used to lift the carrier ring 124 to a spaced distance, such as Fig. 6A and 6B shown.

[0079] In one embodiment, the showerhead 106 also includes a heater integrated therein to provide a heating function during topside deposition. The heater components can be distributed to provide a uniform heating distribution while still providing passage for the nozzles 106d that deliver gas during backside deposition.

[0080] As mentioned above, the spacing distance between the top of the substrate 128 and the surface 104a of the showerhead 104 is preferably between about 2 mm and 0.5 mm, and in some embodiments is between about 1 mm and about 0.5 mm, depending on the wafer curvature. That is, if the wafer is substantially curved, the spacing is greater than 0.5 mm. If the wafer is not substantially curved, the spacing may be less than 0.5 mm. In one embodiment, when the substrate is held at a spaced-apart distance, the spaced-apart distance between the back side of the substrate and the top surface of the showerhead 106 is between about 8 mm and about 14 mm, and in one example, the spaced-apart distance between the bottom side of the substrate 128 and the top surface of the showerhead 106 is about 10 mm.

[0081] In some embodiments, the concentric rings forming the nozzles in the showerhead 106 may also be separated into different regions. For example, the outer regions may be defined to apply one type of gas for depositing a particular type of material to the back side of the substrate, while a different combination of gases is supplied to the center portion of the back side of the substrate. By supplying different gases through different regions of the nozzle 106d, it is possible to target different regions of the back side of the substrate with different types of materials, different thicknesses, and different regions.

[0082] Figure 7B-7C Shows how different areas can be defined. Figure 7B Shows the inner area, which can be adjusted inwards or outwards, depending on the application, and the outer area. Figure 7C Three regions are displayed, such as an inner region, a middle region, and an outer region.

[0083] In some embodiments, deposition gas may be output from the outer regions (which may include some concentric rings) without flowing gas from the nozzles in the center region. By doing so, it is possible to influence the thickness of the material deposited on the back side of the substrate and strategically combat the warping caused by the material layer on the top surface of the substrate. In some embodiments, the showerhead 106 may include differently oriented regions outside of the concentric regions.

[0084] Other positioning of the zones may also include arranging the zones in different quadrants, different slices of a pie, different regions, etc., which may be individually controlled using different plenums disposed within the showerhead 106. Thus, it is contemplated that the nozzles 106d and hole patterns 106a disposed in the showerhead 106 may be designed to deliver the same or different gases to different zones to affect different and thicker depositions on the backside of the substrate to combat substrate warpage caused by multiple film layers processed on the top surface or topside of the substrate.

[0085] Figure 8 A control module 800 for controlling the above-mentioned system is shown. In one embodiment, the control module 110 of Fig. 1 may include some of the example components. For example, the control module 800 may include a processor, a memory and one or more interfaces. The control module 800 may be used to control the equipment in the system based in part on the sensed value. Just as an example, the control module 800 may control one or more valves 802, filter heater 804, pump 806 and other equipment 808 based on the sensed value and other control parameters. The control module 800 receives the sensed value from the pressure gauge 810, flow meter 812, temperature sensor 814 and / or other sensor 816 just as an example. The control module 800 may also be used to control process conditions during precursor delivery and film deposition. The control module 800 may generally include one or more memory devices and one or more processors.

[0086] The control module 800 can control the activities of the precursor delivery system and the deposition device. The control module 800 executes a computer program including an instruction set for controlling process timing, delivery system temperature, pressure differential across filters, valve positions, gas mixtures, chamber pressure, room temperature, wafer temperature, RF power level, wafer chuck or pedestal position, and other parameters of a particular process. The control module 800 can also monitor the pressure differential and automatically switch the gas phase precursor delivery from one or more paths to one or more other paths. Other computer programs stored on a memory device associated with the control module 800 may be employed in some embodiments.

[0087] There will typically be a user interface associated with the control module 800. The user interface may include a display 818 (e.g., a display screen and / or a graphical software display of the apparatus and / or process conditions) and a user input device 820 such as a pointing device, keyboard, touch screen, microphone, or the like.

[0088] Computer programs for controlling precursor delivery, deposition and other processes in a process sequence can be written in any commonly used computer readable programming language: for example, assembly language, C, C++, Pascal, Fortran or others. The compiled object code or script is executed by the processor to perform the tasks identified in the program.

[0089] Control module parameters are related to process conditions such as, for example, filter differential pressure, process gas composition and flow rate, temperature, pressure, plasma conditions (such as RF power level and low frequency RF frequency), cooling gas pressure, and chamber wall temperature.

[0090] The system software can be designed or configured in many different ways. For example, various chamber component subroutines or control objects can be written to control the operation of the chamber components required to perform the inventive deposition process. Examples of programs or program segments for this purpose include substrate placement code, process gas control code, pressure control code, heater control code, and plasma control code.

[0091] The substrate placement program may include program code for controlling chamber components used to load the substrate onto a pedestal or chuck and for controlling the spacing between the substrate and other chamber components (such as gas inlets and / or targets). The process gas control program may include code for controlling gas composition and flow rate and optionally for flowing gas into the chamber to stabilize the pressure in the chamber before deposition. The filter monitoring program includes code for comparing the measured difference with a predetermined value and / or code for switching paths. The pressure control program may include code for controlling the pressure in the chamber by adjusting, for example, a throttle valve in the exhaust system of the chamber. The heater control program may include code for controlling the current to a heating unit used to heat components in a precursor delivery system, substrates, and / or other parts of the system. Alternatively, the heater control program may control the delivery of a heat transfer gas (such as helium) to a wafer chuck.

[0092] Examples of sensors that may be monitored during the deposition process include, but are not limited to, mass flow control modules, pressure sensors (such as pressure gauge 810), and thermocouples (such as temperature sensor 814) located in the delivery system, pedestal, or chuck. Appropriately programmed feedback and control algorithms may be used with data from these sensors to maintain desired process conditions. The foregoing describes implementation of embodiments of the present invention in single or multi-chamber semiconductor processing tools.

[0093] The above description of the embodiments has been provided for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but are interchangeable where applicable and can be used in selected embodiments, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in a variety of ways. Such variations are not considered to be a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

[0094] Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detail for the purpose of clear understanding, it should be understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the embodiments presented should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and these embodiments are not limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supplying a process gas to an underside of a wafer during a semiconductor processing operation, the apparatus comprising a showerhead-pedestal, the showerhead-pedestal comprising: a body having a top surface; the volume of the interior space within the body; a plurality of nozzles disposed on the top surface and connected to the interior space volume; and a substrate support including a plurality of spacers connected to the body and arranged to support a carrier ring having a size larger than the wafer, the spacers extending away from the top surface, The nozzles are arranged in a plurality of concentric rings centered at the center of the shower-base and extending to an outer region of the shower-base.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The nozzles are arranged in a first hole pattern in an interior region of the top surface of the body and in a second hole pattern surrounding the interior region, and The nozzles in the first hole pattern extend in a direction perpendicular to the top surface.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein: The nozzles in the second hole pattern extend along a non-perpendicular angle relative to the top surface of the body.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein there are three spacers.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the spacers each have one or more support surfaces configured to cooperate with support extensions on the carrier ring supported by the spacers.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the spacers each have a respective recessed area configured to receive a respective support extension on the carrier ring that the spacers are configured to support.

7. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the body comprises a plurality of lift pin holes, each lift pin hole being configured to allow a corresponding lift pin to pass therethrough.

8. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a plurality of lift pins, each lift pin being configured to extend through a respective hole in the shower-base.

9. An apparatus for facilitating deposition of a film on the underside of a wafer during a semiconductor processing operation, the apparatus comprising: room; a showerhead-pedestal in the chamber for supplying one or more process gases to an underside of the wafer during the semiconductor processing operation, the showerhead-pedestal comprising: top surface, and a plurality of nozzles disposed on the top surface; a showerhead for supplying an inert gas to a top side of the wafer during the semiconductor processing operation; and a substrate support disposed in the chamber and configured to support the wafer during the semiconductor processing operation and to maintain the wafer in a spaced-apart position relative to the showerhead-pedestal, wherein the substrate support is coupled to the showerhead-pedestal such that the substrate support supports the wafer at a fixed spacing distance from the top surface of the showerhead-pedestal.

10. An apparatus for facilitating deposition of a film on the underside of a wafer during a semiconductor processing operation, the apparatus comprising: A showerhead-pedestal for supplying one or more process gases to an underside of the wafer during the semiconductor processing operation, the showerhead-pedestal comprising: top surface, and a plurality of nozzles disposed on the top surface; a showerhead for supplying an inert gas to a top side of the wafer during the semiconductor processing operation; and a substrate support supporting the wafer, wherein the substrate support is connected to the showerhead-pedestal and configured to hold the wafer in a fixed and spaced relationship relative to the showerhead-pedestal to provide a fixed spacing distance between an underside of the wafer and the top surface of the showerhead-pedestal.

11. An apparatus for facilitating deposition of a film on the underside of a wafer during a semiconductor processing operation, the apparatus comprising: A showerhead-pedestal for supplying one or more process gases to an underside of the wafer during the semiconductor processing operation, the showerhead-pedestal comprising: top surface, and a plurality of nozzles disposed on the top surface; a showerhead for supplying an inert gas to a top side of the wafer during the semiconductor processing operation; a plurality of distributed heater assemblies integrated within the showerhead-pedestal and configured to provide uniform heat distribution during film deposition on the underside of the wafer; and A substrate support supports the wafer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the substrate support is connected to the showerhead-pedestal and is configured to maintain the wafer in a spaced relationship with the showerhead-pedestal to provide a controlled separation between an underside of the wafer and the top surface of the showerhead-pedestal.

13. An apparatus for facilitating deposition of a film on an underside of a wafer during a semiconductor processing operation to compensate for wafer bow caused at least in part by one or more layers formed on a top side of the wafer, the apparatus comprising: room; a showerhead configured to direct the inert gas in a downward direction; a showerhead-pedestal located in the chamber below the showerhead and configured to direct one or more process gases in an upward direction toward the showerhead, the showerhead-pedestal comprising: top surface, and a plurality of nozzles disposed on the top surface; a substrate support configured to support the wafer; a radio frequency power source, wherein the radio frequency power source is electrically connected to the showerhead and configured to provide radio frequency power to the showerhead; and A controller is configured to adjust a gap spacing between a bottom surface of the showerhead and the top surface of the showerhead-base.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a matching network, wherein the RF power source is electrically connected to the showerhead via the matching network.

15. The apparatus of any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the substrate support is connected to the showerhead-pedestal.

16. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 or 9 to 13, wherein the substrate support is configured to rest on the top surface of the showerhead-pedestal.

17. The apparatus of any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the apparatus is further configured to control the gap spacing between the top side of the wafer and the bottom surface of the showerhead to suppress the formation of plasma between the wafer and the showerhead.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to control a gap spacing between a top side of the wafer and a bottom surface of the showerhead to a value between 2 mm and 0.5 mm when the wafer is supported by the substrate support.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further configured to dynamically control a gap spacing between a top side of the wafer and a bottom surface of the showerhead during the semiconductor processing operation.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein: The nozzles are arranged in a first hole pattern in an interior region of the top surface of the showerhead-base and in a second hole pattern surrounding the interior region, and The nozzles in the first hole pattern extend in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the showerhead-base.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein: The nozzles in the second hole pattern extend along a non-perpendicular angle relative to the top surface of the showerhead-base.

22. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein the nozzles are arranged in a plurality of concentric rings centered about the center of the shower-base and extending to an outer region of the shower-base.

23. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein the substrate support supports the wafer at an edge of the wafer.

24. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, further comprising a central column supporting the sparger-base.

25. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein the substrate support is configured to provide a separation distance of 8 mm to 14 mm between an underside of the wafer and the top surface of the showerhead-pedestal.

26. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein the showerhead-pedestal comprises a temperature control system configured to control the temperature of the showerhead-pedestal.

27. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of distributed heater assemblies are distributed to provide uniform heating distribution to the wafer underside during deposition of the film on the wafer underside.

28. The apparatus of any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the showerhead comprises a plurality of nozzles at a bottom of the showerhead, the nozzles being configured to flow the inert gas to a top side of the wafer.

29. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein the substrate support comprises one or more spacers.

30. The apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein the substrate support is detachable.

31. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 10 to 13, wherein the substrate support is at least partially removable.

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