Susception transfer for processing chamber

Abstract

A method of moving a susceptor in a processing system adapted for use in semiconductor processing is provided. The method includes moving a first susceptor from an interior volume of a first housing to an interior volume of a processing chamber during a first time period; and during a second time period, positioning a first substrate on the first susceptor while the first susceptor is in the processing chamber, where the interior volume of the first housing and the interior volume of the processing chamber are maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure from a start of the first time period to an end of the second time period.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed to methods and related apparatus configured for moving a susceptor and substrate through different portions of a processing system. Background Art

[0002] Pedestals are often used when performing processes (e.g., deposition) on substrates such as semiconductor substrates. During processing, the substrate is positioned on the pedestal. Pedestals are often replaced with new or different pedestals, for example, to perform a different process or when process performance is out of specification, as the process may be very sensitive to pedestal properties (e.g., particle deposition on the pedestal may affect thermal performance). Replacement of a pedestal can result in significant downtime (e.g., hours or days) of the processing equipment, as replacement involves substantial disassembly and requalification of the processing equipment.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and apparatus to reduce downtime caused by susceptor replacement. Summary of the invention

[0004] In one embodiment, a method of moving a pedestal in a processing system suitable for use in semiconductor processing is provided. The method includes: during a first time period, moving a first pedestal from an interior volume of a first housing to an interior volume of a processing chamber; and during a second time period, while the first pedestal is in the processing chamber, positioning a first substrate on the first pedestal, wherein from the beginning of the first time period until the end of the second time period, the interior volume of the first housing and the interior volume of the processing chamber are maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure.

[0005] In another embodiment, a method of moving a pedestal in a processing system is provided. The method includes: during a first time period, moving a first pedestal from an interior volume of a first housing to an interior volume of a processing chamber by a first robot; and when the first pedestal is in the processing chamber, during a second time period, positioning a first substrate on the first pedestal by the first robot.

[0006] In another embodiment, a method of moving a pedestal in a processing system is provided. The method includes: moving a first pedestal through a first opening of a processing chamber from an interior volume of a first housing to an interior volume of the processing chamber during a first time period; and while the first pedestal is in the processing chamber, moving a first substrate through the first opening of the processing chamber to position the first substrate on the first pedestal during a second time period. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The features of the present disclosure have been briefly summarized above and discussed in more detail below, and can be understood by reference to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it is noted that the drawings only illustrate exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope thereof, and the present disclosure may allow other equally effective embodiments.

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a multi-chamber processing system according to one embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber according to one embodiment.

[0010] Figure 3 According to one embodiment, Figure 1 A process flow chart of a method for moving one or more bases in a processing system of A.

[0011] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without further recitation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed to methods and apparatus configured for moving susceptors and substrates through different portions of a processing system without having to significantly change conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, gases present) in various internal volumes of the processing system. Replacing a susceptor in a processing chamber (e.g., a deposition chamber) is conventionally a manual process that requires significant downtime of the processing system and significant changes in the internal volumes of different portions of the processing system, such as moving the internal volumes from vacuum pressure to atmospheric pressure.

[0013] The method and processing system disclosed in this case allow the substrate and the pedestal to be transferred through the processing system using equipment (e.g., a robot) located inside the processing system. In addition, the same equipment (e.g., a robot, a load lock chamber, a transfer chamber) can be used to move both the substrate and the pedestal. In addition, the same opening (e.g., a slit valve opening leading to the processing chamber) for different parts of the processing system can be used to receive both the substrate and the pedestal, which can have different sizes (e.g., different diameters). Enabling the use of equipment (e.g., a robot) inside the processing system to replace the pedestal can avoid the downtime conventionally associated with the replacement of the pedestal. Using the same equipment (e.g., the same transfer robot) and other components (e.g., the same slit valve opening) to transfer both the substrate and the pedestal can increase the ability to automatically transfer the pedestal without significantly increasing the footprint or capital cost of the processing system. In addition, since the pedestal can be replaced in the processing chamber, it is much easier to perform shorter production runs using different recipes that may require different pedestals. Additionally, because automated equipment is used to replace the susceptor, errors associated with manual manipulation of the susceptor may be reduced or eliminated, while processing consistency and accuracy of susceptor placement may be improved, which may result in improved product uniformity of substrates processed on the susceptor.

[0014] Figure 1 1 is a schematic top view of a multi-chamber processing system 100 according to one embodiment. The processing system 100 includes a factory interface 102, load lock chambers 104, 106, a transfer chamber 108, storage chambers 120, 122, and processing chambers 300A, 300B. As described in detail herein, substrates 50 and pedestals 60 can be transferred between various parts of the processing system 100 without exposing the substrates 50 or pedestals 60 to an external ambient environment 190 (e.g., an atmospheric ambient environment such as may exist in a semiconductor foundry (fab)). For example, substrates 50 and pedestals 60 can be transferred between various chambers maintained at a low pressure or vacuum pressure (e.g., less than or equal to about 300 Torr) without disrupting the low pressure or vacuum environment in the processing system 100. Although the processing system 100 is generally described as operating at low pressure or vacuum pressure, the benefits of the present disclosure also apply to systems operating at atmospheric pressure or pressures greater than atmospheric pressure, with the advantage that the susceptor can be moved through the processing system while the internal volume of the processing system is largely unaffected by such movement and the internal volume of the processing system is not exposed to the external ambient environment 190.

[0015] The factory interface 102 includes a docking station 132 and factory interface robots 134A, 134B (also referred to as transfer robots) to facilitate the transfer of substrates 50 and pedestals 60. The docking station 132 is adapted to receive one or more front opening unpacking units (FOUPs) 136, 137. The FOUP 136 is configured to store substrates 50. The FOUP 137 is configured to store pedestals 60. In some examples, each factory interface robot 134A, 134B generally includes an end effector 138 adapted to transfer the substrate 50 and / or pedestal 60 from the factory interface 102 to one of the load lock chambers 104, 106. Each transfer robot 134A, 134B and each load lock chamber 104, 106 can be configured to transfer substrates 50 and pedestals 60.

[0016] The load lock chambers 104, 106 connect the factory interface 102 to the transfer chamber 108. The transfer chamber 108 is connected to the processing chambers 300A, 300B and to the storage chambers 120, 122. The transfer chamber 108 may include a transfer robot 112, which can transfer the substrate 50 and the pedestal 60 from one of the load lock chambers 104, 106 to one of the processing chambers 300A, 300B. The transfer robot 112 can also transfer the pedestal 60 to one of the storage chambers 120, 122. The storage chambers 120, 122 can be used to store frequently used pedestals 60. The storage chambers 120, 122 are optional components of the processing system 100. Although the storage chambers 120, 122 may be optional, when the storage chambers 120, 122 are used, it is not necessary to use a custom FOUP designed for the pedestal. Thus, in some embodiments, the storage chambers 120, 122 may eliminate costs associated with custom FOUPs for pedestals and with ensuring that other equipment in the processing system 100 is configured to work with the custom FOUPs (eg, transfer robots 134A, 134B).

[0017] In some embodiments, one or more of the load lock chambers 104, 106 and / or one or more of the storage chambers 120, 122 may include a removable lid or outer door that connects to the external ambient environment 190. The removable lid or outer door may enable the pedestal 60 to be positioned in the corresponding load lock chamber 104, 106 or storage chamber 120, 122 from the external ambient environment without having to transfer the pedestal 60 from a FOUP (such as FOUP 137) and through the docking station 132. Having the load lock chambers 104, 106 and / or storage chambers 120, 122 include a removable lid or door 190 that opens to the external ambient environment may eliminate the costs associated with custom FOUPs for the pedestals and with ensuring that other equipment in the processing system 100 is configured to work with the custom FOUPs (such as the transfer robots 134A, 134B). The load lock chambers 104, 106 and the storage chambers 120, 122 may also each include an inner door to isolate the interior environment of the respective load lock chamber 104, 106 or storage chamber 120, 122 from the interior environment of the transfer chamber 108. This isolation may prevent other portions of the processing system from experiencing pressure changes when the pedestal 60 is added to one of the load lock chambers 104, 106 or one of the storage chambers 120, 122 through an opening associated with the respective removable cover or outer door.

[0018] The processing chambers 300A, 300B may be any type of processing chamber configured to use a susceptor (eg, deposition, etching, annealing, etc.) In one embodiment, as described in further detail below, the processing chambers 300A, 300B may be epitaxial deposition chambers.

[0019] The processing system 100 may further include a system controller 168 for controlling and monitoring other components of the processing system 100. In operation, the system controller 168 enables data to be collected and fed back from various chambers and other equipment to coordinate the performance of the processing system 100.

[0020] The system controller 168 generally includes a central processing unit (CPU) 170, a memory 172, and support circuits 174. The CPU 170 may be any form of general purpose processor that may be used in an industrial environment. The memory 172 or non-transitory computer readable storage medium is accessible to the CPU 170 and may be one or more memories, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), floppy disk, hard disk, or any other digital storage format, local or remote. The support circuits 174 are coupled to the CPU 170 and may include caches, clock circuits, input / output subsystems, power supplies, and the like. The various methods disclosed herein may generally be implemented by the CPU 170 executing code stored in the memory 172 under the control of the controller 168. When the code is executed by the CPU 170, the CPU 170 may control different devices in the processing system 100 to perform processing according to the various methods described herein.

[0021] Figure 1 The processing system 100 shown is one embodiment of a processing system that can be used to transfer substrates and susceptors. Other processing systems can have different configurations, such as more or fewer processing chambers, different types of processing chambers, more or fewer (such as zero) storage chambers, etc.

[0022] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber 300 according to one embodiment. The processing chamber 300 may be Figure 1 The process chambers 300A and 300B are shown. The process chamber 300 can be configured to perform an epitaxial (Epi) deposition process. The susceptor 60 is positioned in the process chamber 300. The substrate 50 is positioned on the susceptor 60. The process chamber 300 is configured to allow the substrate 50 and the susceptor 60 to be exchanged through an opening 360, which can be opened by a slit valve 365 of the process chamber 300.

[0023] The processing chamber 300 includes a housing structure 302 made of a process-resistant material such as aluminum or stainless steel (e.g., 316L stainless steel). The housing structure 302 surrounds various functional elements of the processing chamber 300, such as a quartz chamber 304, which includes an upper quartz chamber 306 and a lower quartz chamber 308. The quartz chamber 304 surrounds a processing volume 310 (also referred to as an inner volume). One or more liners 336, 337 can isolate the quartz chamber 304 from the housing structure 302.

[0024] The processing chamber 300 includes a substrate support assembly 316. The substrate support assembly 316 may include a support member 317 and an axis 318. The substrate support assembly 316 may be provided by, for example, a transfer robot 112 (see Figure 1) positions the pedestal 60 on the supports 317. The substrate support assembly 316 may further include an actuator 319 to raise and lower the supports 317 to enable the exchange of the pedestal 60 and the substrate 50 using the transfer robot 112. In some embodiments, the substrate support assembly 316 may include lift pins (not shown) that may be raised and lowered to facilitate the exchange of the pedestal 60 and / or the substrate 50 from the transfer robot 112. In some embodiments, the first set of lift pins may be configured to lift the pedestal 60 and the second set of lift pins may be configured to lift the substrate 50. For example, in one embodiment, the substrate support assembly 316 may include six supports 317, three of which have lift pins to lift the pedestal 60, and another three of which have lift pins that may extend through holes in the pedestal 60 to lift the substrate 50.

[0025] The susceptor 60 may be formed of a ceramic material or a graphite material coated with a silicon material (eg, silicon carbide) or other process-resistant material.

[0026] Reactive species may be provided to the processing volume 310 through a gas distribution assembly (not shown), and processing byproducts may be removed from the processing volume 310 through an outlet port (not shown) that is typically in communication with a vacuum source (not shown). In some embodiments, gas is provided to an exterior portion of the processing volume 310, such as through one or more openings in the liners 336, 337. In these embodiments, the gas may flow from the exterior portion to an area above the susceptor 60 and substrate 50, and then out through the outlet port.

[0027] A purge gas (not shown) may also be provided below the susceptor 60 to prevent reactive species from entering the area of ​​the processing volume 310 below the susceptor 60. A preheat ring 370 may be positioned around the susceptor 60. The preheat ring 370 may be used to preheat reactive species as the gas moves from an outer portion of the processing volume 310 to an inner portion of the processing volume (e.g., above the susceptor 60). The preheat ring 370 may also be used to control the flow of the purge gas around the susceptor 60.

[0028] Heating of the substrate 50 and / or the processing volume 310 may be provided by a radiation source, such as an upper lamp module 324A and a lower lamp module 324B. In one embodiment, the upper lamp module 324A and the lower lamp module 324B are infrared (IR) lamps.

[0029] Figure 3 According to one embodiment, Figure 1 A process flow chart of a method 1000 for moving one or more bases 60 in a processing system 100 of A. Figure 1-3Method 1000 is described. System controller 168 may execute a program stored in memory to perform method 1000. The method begins at block 1002.

[0030] At block 1002, the first pedestal 60 and the first substrate 50 are moved from the FOUPs 136, 137 into the load lock chamber. The first pedestal 60 may be moved from the FOUP 137 into the load lock chamber 106 by the transfer robot 134B. The first substrate 50 may be moved from the FOUP 136 into the load lock chamber 104 by the transfer robot 134A.

[0031] At block 1004, during a first time period, the first pedestal 60 may be moved from the load lock chamber 106 into the first processing chamber 300A by the transfer robot 112 of the transfer chamber 108. The slit valve 365 may be opened to provide access for the transfer robot 112 to position the pedestal 60 within the first processing chamber 300A. All housings in the processing system 100 may be designed to have openings (e.g., slit tunnels) sized to allow the substrate 50 and pedestal 60 to be moved into each portion of the processing system 100.

[0032] At block 1006, while the first pedestal 60 is in the first processing chamber 300A, during a second time period, the first substrate 50 may be moved from the load lock chamber 104 to the first processing chamber 300A by the transfer robot 112 of the transfer chamber 108 to position the first substrate 50 on the first pedestal 60. The second time period occurs after the first time period.

[0033] At block 1008, during a second time period, a first process (eg, deposition) is performed on the first substrate 50 in the first processing chamber 300A. From the beginning of the first time period to the end of the second time period, all interior volumes of the processing system 100 may be maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure.

[0034] At block 1010, during a third time period, the first substrate 50 is removed from the first processing chamber 300A, and then the first pedestal 60 is replaced with the second pedestal 60. The third time period occurs after the second time period. From the beginning of the first time period to the end of the third time period, all of the internal volume of the processing system 100 can be maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure. The second pedestal 60 can be provided by a FOUP 137 as described above or by one of the optional storage chambers 120, 122.

[0035] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first pedestal 60 and / or the second pedestal 60 may be provided to one of the load lock chambers 104, 106 or one of the storage chambers 120, 122 through an opening associated with a corresponding removable cover or door to the external ambient environment 190 as described above. When the pedestal 60 is provided to the load lock chamber 104, 106 or the storage chamber 120, 122 using a removable cover or external door, the interior of the load lock chamber 104, 106 or the storage chamber 120, 122 may remain isolated from the interior of the transfer chamber 108. If the base 60 is provided to one of the loading lock chambers 104, 106 or storage chambers 120, 122 through an opening associated with a corresponding removable cover or door leading to the external environment, the pressure of the corresponding loading lock chamber 104, 106 or storage chamber 120, 122 can be adjusted (e.g., pumped down to vacuum pressure) to match the pressure of the transfer chamber 108 after the base 60 is added and the corresponding cover is replaced or the external door is closed.

[0036] At block 1012, a second substrate 50 is positioned on the second pedestal 60 during a fourth time period while the second pedestal 60 is in the first processing chamber 300A.

[0037] At block 1014, during a fourth time period, a second process (eg, deposition) is performed on the second substrate 50 in the first processing chamber 300A. The fourth time period occurs after the third time period.

[0038] In some embodiments, the second process is a different process than the first process. For example, the first process may be the deposition of a first layer formed by a first set of gases provided to the interior volume of the processing chamber 300A, while the second process may be the deposition of another layer formed by a different set of gases provided to the interior volume of the processing chamber 300A. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the second pedestal 60 is a different pedestal than the first pedestal 60. For example, the second pedestal 60 may be formed of a different material or have a differently contoured top surface as compared to the first pedestal 60, among other differences.

[0039] All of the internal volumes of the processing system 100 (including the internal volumes of the FOUPs 136, 137, the docking station 132, the load lock chambers 104, 106, the transfer chamber 108, the storage chambers 120, 122, and the processing chambers 300A, 300B) can be maintained at atmospheric pressure (e.g., 760 Torr), non-atmospheric pressure, or vacuum pressure from the beginning of the first time period to the end of the fourth time period. As used herein, non-atmospheric pressure refers to a pressure that is at least 5% higher or at least 5% lower than atmospheric pressure (i.e., 760 Torr). As used herein, vacuum pressure refers to a pressure that is less than 300 Torr. Furthermore, because the movement of the substrate 50 and the pedestal 60 is performed by components located inside the processing system 100 (e.g., the transfer robots 134A, 134B, 112), and thus the interior volumes in the processing system are not exposed to the external ambient environment 190, there are only slight changes in the temperature or gas mixture (e.g., inert gas) in the different interior volumes of the processing system 100 as the substrate 50 and the pedestal 60 are moved into and out of different housings in the processing system 100.

[0040] After block 1014, the second substrate 50 may be removed for subsequent processing. The processing system 100 may then continue processing the substrate 50 in the chambers 300A, 300B using the same pedestal 60 or a different pedestal 60. The pedestals 60 in the processing chambers 300A, 300B may be easily exchanged with other pedestals 60 in the storage chambers 120, 122, the load lock chambers 104, 106, or the FOUPs 136, 137. The ease with which a pedestal 60 may be replaced in the processing chambers 300A, 300B avoids the downtime associated with conventional manual replacement of pedestals, and may also make it easier to run a different process that requires the use of a different pedestal that is not currently in one of the processing chambers 300A, 300B.

[0041] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope of the disclosure and the scope of the disclosure is defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of moving a susceptor in a processing system suitable for use in semiconductor processing, the method comprising: moving the first pedestal from the interior volume of the first housing to the interior volume of the processing chamber during a first time period; and During a second time period, a first substrate is positioned on the first pedestal while the first pedestal is in the processing chamber, wherein the interior volume of the first housing and the interior volume of the processing chamber are maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure from the beginning of the first time period until the end of the second time period.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A first process is performed on the first substrate in the interior volume of the processing chamber during the second time period while the first substrate is on the first susceptor.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: During a third time period, the first substrate is removed from the processing chamber and the first pedestal in the processing chamber is replaced with a second pedestal, wherein the interior volume of the first housing and the interior volume of the processing chamber are maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure from the beginning of the first time period until the end of the third time period.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: During a fourth time period, a second substrate is positioned on the second pedestal while the second pedestal is in the processing chamber, wherein the interior volume of the first housing and the interior volume of the processing chamber are maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure from the beginning of the first time period until the end of the fourth time period.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: A second process is performed on the second substrate in the interior volume of the processing chamber during the fourth time period while the second substrate is on the second susceptor, wherein the second process is different from the first process. The method of claim 5 , wherein the non-atmospheric pressure is a vacuum pressure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first susceptor moves through an interior volume of a second housing during the first time period, wherein the interior volume of the second housing is maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure during the first time period.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the first time period, moving the first susceptor from a load lock chamber to the processing chamber, maintaining the interior volume of the load lock chamber at a non-atmospheric pressure during the first time period, and Prior to the first time period, the first susceptor is moved into the load lock chamber through an opening of a removable cover or outer door of the load lock chamber.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the first time period, moving the first susceptor from a storage chamber comprising two or more susceptors to the processing chamber, During the first time period, the interior volume of the storage chamber is maintained at a non-atmospheric pressure, and Prior to the first time period, the first base is moved into the storage compartment through an opening of a removable cover or an outer door of the storage compartment.

10. A method of moving a susceptor in a processing system, the method comprising: during a first time period, moving a first pedestal from an interior volume of a first housing to an interior volume of a processing chamber by a first robot; and A first substrate is positioned on the first pedestal by the first robot during a second time period while the first pedestal is in the processing chamber.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: A first process is performed on the first substrate in the interior volume of the processing chamber during the second time period while the first substrate is on the first susceptor.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: during a third time period, removing the first substrate from the processing chamber by the first robot; and During the third time period, the first susceptor in the process chamber is replaced with a second susceptor by the first robot.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: A second substrate is positioned on the second pedestal by the first robot during a fourth time period while the second pedestal is in the processing chamber.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: A second process is performed on the second substrate in the interior volume of the processing chamber during the fourth time period while the second substrate is on the second susceptor, wherein the second process is different from the first process.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the interior volume of the processing chamber and the interior volume of the first housing are maintained at a vacuum pressure from the beginning of the first time period until the end of the fourth time period.

16. A method of moving a susceptor in a processing system, the method comprising: moving a first pedestal through a first opening of a processing chamber from an interior volume of a first housing to an interior volume of the processing chamber during a first time period; and While the first pedestal is in the processing chamber, during a second time period, a first substrate is moved through the first opening of the processing chamber to position the first substrate on the first pedestal.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: A first process is performed on the first substrate in the interior volume of the processing chamber during the second time period while the first substrate is on the first susceptor.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising: removing the first substrate from the processing chamber through the first opening during a third time period; and During a third time period, a first pedestal in the process chamber is replaced with a second pedestal, wherein the first pedestal and the second pedestal are moved through the first opening to replace the first pedestal with the second pedestal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the interior volume of the processing chamber and the interior volume of the first housing are maintained at a vacuum pressure from the beginning of the first time period until the end of the third time period.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first susceptor and the first substrate are moved into the processing chamber by a first robot, respectively.

Images