Chamber body, chamber apparatus, semiconductor processing system, and method of manufacturing chamber body

Abstract

A chamber body includes a ceramic weld having an upper wall, a side wall, and a lower wall. The upper wall is coupled to the side wall by a side wall and upper wall weld, and includes an upper wall rib section coupled to the upper wall panel by an upper wall rib section weld. The side wall is coupled to the lower wall by welding the side wall to the lower wall. The lower wall has a lower wall panel portion and a lower wall rib portion extending therefrom, both portions being formed from a single ceramic workpiece using a subtractive manufacturing technique, the lower wall panel portion thereby defining a lower wall unwelded rib region comprising a plurality of lower wall rib segments defined by the lower wall rib portions of the lower wall. A chamber apparatus, a semiconductor processing system, and a method of manufacturing a ceramic weld assembly for a chamber body in a chamber apparatus and a semiconductor processing system are also described.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 546,606, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 546,608 filed on October 31, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 546,611, all of which were filed on October 31, 2023, and the contents of each of which are also incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to chamber bodies and, more particularly, to methods of making chamber bodies, such as chamber bodies formed at least in part from a ceramic material such as quartz. Background Art

[0004] Quartz articles, such as chambers used to deposit material layers in semiconductor processing systems, are often formed using welding techniques. For example, a cold wall chamber used to deposit material layers using chemical vapor deposition techniques often includes walls defining a processing volume, with structural members joined to the walls by welding. The structural members are often welded to the walls, such as using hydrogen gas welding techniques, so that the processing volume contained within the chamber walls can be maintained at a relatively low pressure relative to the external environment during deposition of the material layer onto a substrate supported within the chamber.

[0005] One challenge with welded quartz articles is that the welding process can easily introduce artifacts into the chamber weld during fabrication. For example, bubbles and / or inclusions formed from non-native materials can infiltrate the weld structure during welding, potentially altering the optical properties of the weld and / or the strength of the weld. The localized nature of the heating employed during the welding process and subsequent cooling can impart residual stresses into the weld structure, potentially limiting the strength of the weld and increasing the risk of fracture of the weld during subsequent handling and / or fabrication processes. The heat used during the welding process can cause the shape of the weld to deform during welding, thereby deviating dimensionally from the dimensions of the intended weld, potentially altering the characteristics of the final weld.

[0006] There are various countermeasures to limit the introduction of artifacts into the weld and / or remove artifacts from the weld after the welding process. For example, welding can be done in an environmentally controlled workspace to limit the introduction of contaminants.

[0007] The components being welded can be further cleaned prior to welding, also limiting the risk of contaminants being introduced into the weld during welding. Residual stresses created by the welding process can be eliminated (at least partially) by annealing the weld after the welding process, with uniform heating and subsequent controlled cooling limiting stresses that would otherwise limit the strength of the weld. And the heating of the joined articles can be carefully controlled during the heating process to limit deformation of the shape defined by the resulting weld, so that the weld is more likely to meet the dimensional requirements of the application in which the weld is used. While this technique generally meets its intended purpose, it can increase the cost and complexity of quartz article manufacturing. For example, a weld formed by multiple welds may require multiple annealing operations because residual stresses introduced during the previous welding operation need to be removed before subsequent welding operations are performed, thereby prolonging the manufacturing process.

[0008] Such chambers and methods of manufacturing chambers using welding techniques are generally considered suitable for their intended purposes. However, there is still a need in the art for improved chamber bodies, chamber devices, and semiconductor processing systems including chamber bodies, and related methods of manufacturing chamber bodies. The present disclosure provides a solution to this need. Summary of the invention

[0009] A chamber body is provided. The chamber body includes a ceramic weldment having an upper wall, a side wall and a lower wall. The upper wall is connected to the side wall by side wall-to-upper wall welding, and includes an upper wall rib segment connected to the upper wall plate by upper wall rib segment welding. The side wall is connected to the lower wall by side wall-to-lower wall welding. The lower wall has a lower wall plate portion and a lower wall rib portion extending therefrom, both of which are formed from a single ceramic workpiece using a subtractive manufacturing technique (e.g., not cast), the lower wall plate portion thereby defining a lower wall unwelded rib region, which includes a plurality of lower wall rib segments defined by the lower wall rib portion.

[0010] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, a further example of the chamber body may include an upper wall rib segment of the ceramic weldment covering a lower wall un-welded rib region of a lower wall of the ceramic weldment.

[0011] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, a further example of the chamber body may include an upper wall rib segment of the ceramic weldment welded to cover a lower wall unwelded rib region of a lower wall of the ceramic weldment.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the above features, or as an alternative, a further example of the chamber body can include a ceramic weld having an injection end flange coupled to a lower wall of the ceramic weld and a discharge end flange coupled to the lower wall of the ceramic weld. A lower wall un-welded ribbed area of ​​the lower wall of the ceramic weld can separate the discharge end flange of the ceramic weld from the injection end flange of the ceramic weld.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the above features, or as an alternative, a further example of the chamber body, more specifically the ceramic weldment, can include that the injection end flange can be connected to the upper wall plate by welding the injection end flange to the upper wall plate. The discharge end flange can be connected to the upper wall plate by welding the discharge end flange to the upper wall plate. The lower wall unwelded ribbed area of ​​the lower wall of the ceramic weldment can separate the discharge end flange from the upper wall plate welding and the injection end flange from the upper wall plate welding.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further examples of the chamber body may include a lower wall unwelded ribbed area of ​​the lower wall may longitudinally span the injection end flange welded to the upper wall plate and the discharge end flange welded to the upper wall plate.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, a further example of the chamber body can include the sidewall being a first sidewall, and the ceramic weldment further comprising a second sidewall. The second sidewall can couple the lower wall to the upper wall. The lower wall unwelded ribbed region can laterally separate the second sidewall from the first sidewall.

[0016] In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the above features, further examples of the chamber body may include that the first side wall may be coupled to the lower wall plate portion by welding the first side wall to the lower wall plate portion. The second side wall may be coupled to the lower wall plate portion by welding the second side wall to the lower wall plate portion. The lower wall unwelded ribbed region of the lower wall of the ceramic weldment may be coupled to the second side wall to the lower wall plate portion by welding.

[0017] In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the features described above, further examples of chamber bodies may include an upper wall rib segment that spans laterally across the first side wall and the second side wall.

[0018] In addition to one or more of the above features, or as an alternative, a further example of the chamber body can include an upper wall rib segment welding the upper wall rib segment to the upper wall plate. The upper wall rib segment welding can transversely span the first side wall and the lower wall plate portion welding and the second side wall and the lower wall plate portion welding.

[0019] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further examples of the chamber body may include a lower wall un-welded ribbed region having a width greater than at least 300 millimeters.

[0020] In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the features described above, further examples of chamber bodies may include a ceramic weldment consisting of or consisting essentially of quartz.

[0021] A chamber arrangement is provided. The chamber arrangement includes a chamber body as described above, wherein the lower wall defines a channel, and the ceramic weldment of the chamber body further has a tube body aligned to the channel, the tube body connected thereto at the channel. A substrate support may be arranged within the interior of the chamber body and supported to rotate about a rotation axis extending through the channel, a support member arranged along the rotation axis and rotationally fixed relative to the substrate support, and a shaft member arranged along the rotation axis and rotationally fixed relative to the support member. The shaft member extends through the channel and the tube body, such that the shaft member operably couples the substrate support, the lift and rotation module.

[0022] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the above features, further examples of the chamber apparatus may include that the substrate support may cover the lower wall unwelded ribbed area. The chamber apparatus may also include a pyrometer optically coupled to the substrate support through the lower wall unwelded ribbed area.

[0023] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, a further example of a chamber apparatus can include a lower heater element array including lower heater elements supported below a lower wall of a ceramic weldment. The lower wall unwelded ribbed region can optically couple the lower heater elements to the substrate support.

[0024] In addition to or in lieu of one or more of the features described above, further examples of chamber devices may include the sidewall being a first sidewall, and the ceramic weld further comprising a second sidewall coupling the lower wall to the upper wall, an injection end flange coupled to the lower wall, and a discharge end flange coupled to the lower wall. The lower wall unwelded ribbed region may laterally separate the second sidewall from the first sidewall. The lower wall unwelded ribbed region may separate the discharge end flange from the injection end flange.

[0025] A semiconductor processing system is provided. The semiconductor processing system includes a chamber device having a chamber body, the chamber body having a ceramic welded part as described above, and the unwelded rib-shaped area of ​​the lower wall of the ceramic welded part having a width greater than at least 300 mm. A precursor source including a precursor of a silicon-containing material layer can be connected to the injection end of the chamber body, and an exhaust source including a vacuum pump can be connected to the exhaust end of the chamber body and connected to the precursor source through the chamber body.

[0026] A method for manufacturing a welded part for a chamber body is provided. The method includes forming a lower wall plate portion and a lower wall rib portion extending from the lower wall plate portion from a single ceramic workpiece using a subtractive manufacturing technique. The side wall is welded to the lower wall by the side wall formed using a welding technique and the lower wall, the upper wall plate is welded to the side wall by the side wall formed using a welding technique and the upper wall rib segment is welded to the upper wall plate by the upper wall rib segment formed using a welding technique, so that the lower wall plate has an unwelded rib-shaped area including two or more lower wall rib segments defined by the lower wall rib portion of the lower wall.

[0027] In addition to or instead of one or more of the features described above, a further example of the method may include defining a channel within the lower wall panel portion that connects the lower wall interior surface with the lower wall exterior surface, the channel being longitudinally defined within an unwelded rib region of the lower wall and by two lower wall rib segments defined by a lower wall rib portion of the lower wall.

[0028] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further examples of the method may include subtractive manufacturing techniques including at least one of milling, drilling, and sawing.

[0029] A semiconductor processing system may have a chamber apparatus having a chamber body manufactured using the above method.

[0030] The present invention summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are further described in detail in the detailed description of the examples of the following disclosure. The present invention summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention disclosed herein are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of certain embodiments, which are intended to illustrate rather than to limit the present invention.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor processing system according to the present disclosure showing a material layer being deposited onto a substrate while in a chamber apparatus including a chamber body having a ceramic weldment;

[0033] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 a cross-sectional side view of a chamber body showing a lower heater element array and a pyrometer optically coupled to the interior of the chamber body via an unwelded ribbed region of a lower wall of a ceramic weldment;

[0034] Figures 3 to 6 It is limited Figure 1 A plan view and a side view of a ceramic weldment of a chamber body showing an upper wall including welds connecting an upper rib segment to an upper wall plate, and an un-welded ribbed area of ​​a lower wall of the ceramic weldment;

[0035] Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of a ceramic weldment defining a chamber body, schematically illustrating a lower wall rib portion and a lower wall plate portion defined using subtractive manufacturing techniques; and

[0036] Figure 8 is a process flow diagram of a method of manufacturing a ceramic weldment for a chamber body for a semiconductor processing system showing operations of the method according to illustrative and non-limiting examples of the method.

[0037] It should be understood that the elements in the drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the relative sizes of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, Figure 1 A partial view of an example of a semiconductor processing system including a chamber apparatus having a chamber body according to the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 and is generally indicated by the reference numeral 100 . Figure 2-8 Other examples of chamber bodies, chamber arrangements, and semiconductor processing systems including chamber bodies according to the present disclosure are provided in, as well as related methods of manufacturing chamber bodies and depositing material layers onto substrates supported in chamber bodies according to the present disclosure, or aspects thereof, as will be described. The systems and methods of the present disclosure may be used to manufacture and use chamber bodies for depositing material layers onto substrates, such as silicon-containing epitaxial material layers deposited using chemical vapor deposition techniques in a chamber arrangement having a lateral flow architecture, although the present disclosure is generally not limited to any particular deposition technique or chamber structure.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 , a semiconductor processing system 100 is shown. The semiconductor processing system 100 includes a precursor source 102, a chamber arrangement 200 including a chamber body 300, an exhaust source 104, and a controller 106. The precursor source 102 is connected to the chamber arrangement 200 via a precursor supply conduit 108 and is configured to provide a flow of a material layer precursor 10 to the chamber arrangement 200. The chamber arrangement 200 is connected to the exhaust source 104 and is configured to expose a substrate 2 supported within the chamber arrangement 200 under selected environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and pressure) so that a material layer 4 is deposited onto an upper surface 6 of the substrate 2. The exhaust source 104 is connected to the chamber arrangement 200 via an exhaust conduit 110, is fluidically coupled to an external environment 8 outside the semiconductor processing system 100 (e.g., via a vacuum pump 112 and / or an abatement device such as a scrubber), and is configured to convey a flow of residual material layer precursors and / or reaction products 12 to the external environment 8.

[0040] It is contemplated that the controller 106 may be operably connected to one or more of the precursor source 102, the chamber apparatus 200, and the exhaust source 104 to control the deposition of the material layer 4 onto the substrate 2. In this regard, the controller 106 may be connected to one or more of the precursor source 102, the chamber apparatus 200, and the exhaust source 104 via a wired or wireless link 114 to control the temperature of the substrate 2 and / or the pressure within the chamber body 300. The temperature of the substrate 2 may be controlled, for example, using a heater element included in the chamber apparatus 200 and operably associated with the controller 106. The pressure within the chamber body 300 may be controlled using a vacuum pump 112 included in the exhaust source 104.

[0041] In some examples, the material layer precursor 10 may include one or more silicon-containing material layer precursors. Examples of suitable silicon-containing material layer precursors include non-halogenated silicon-containing material layer precursors, such as silane (SiH4) and disilane (Si2H6), and halogenated silicon-containing material layer precursors, such as dichlorosilane (H2SiCl2) and trichlorosilane (HCl3Si). According to some examples, the material layer precursor 10 may include alloy components, such as germanium-containing material layer precursors, such as germanium (GeH4), gallium-containing material layer precursors, such as triethylgallium Ga(C2H5)3, or indium-containing material layer precursors, such as trimethylindium ((CH3)3In). It is conceivable that in some examples, the material layer precursor 10 may include one or more dopant-containing material layer precursors. Examples of suitable dopant-containing material layer precursors include p-type dopants such as boron (B) and arsenic (As) and n-type dopants such as phosphorus (P) and antimony (Sb). It is contemplated that the material layer precursor 10 may be co-flowed with a diluent / carrier gas such as hydrogen (H2) or nitrogen (N2) and / or an etchant such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) or chlorine (Cl2), according to some examples.

[0042] As used herein, the term "substrate" may refer to any one or more underlying materials, including any one or more underlying materials that can be modified or on which a device, circuit or membrane can be formed. The substrate can be continuous or non-continuous; rigid or flexible; solid or porous; and combinations thereof. The substrate can be in any form, such as (but not limited to) powder, plate or workpiece. The substrate in plate form can include wafers of various shapes and sizes, including, for example, 300 mm wafers. The substrate can be formed of semiconductor materials, including, for example, silicon (Si), silicon germanium (SiGe), silicon oxide (SiO2), gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC). The substrate can include a pattern or can be unpatterned, such as a so-called blanket substrate. For example, a substrate in powder form can be used in drug manufacturing. The porous substrate can include one or more polymers. Examples of workpieces can include medical devices (such as stents and syringes), jewelry, tool equipment, components for battery manufacturing (such as anodes, cathodes or separators), or components of photovoltaic cells, etc. The continuous substrate can extend beyond the boundaries of the processing chamber where the deposition process occurs. In some processes, the continuous substrate can be moved through the processing chamber so that the process continues until the end of the substrate is reached. The continuous substrate can be provided from a continuous substrate feeding system to allow the continuous substrate to be manufactured and output in any suitable form. Non-limiting examples of continuous substrates may include thin sheets, nonwoven films, rolls, foils, nets, flexible materials, bundled continuous filaments or fibers (e.g., ceramic fibers or polymer fibers). The continuous substrate may also include a carrier or thin sheet on which one or more non-continuous substrates are mounted.

[0043] refer to Figure 2 , a chamber arrangement 200 is shown. In the example shown, the chamber arrangement 200 includes a chamber body 300, an injection flange 202, and an exhaust flange 204. In the example shown, the chamber arrangement 200 also includes an upper heater element array 206, a lower heater element array 208, a pyrometer 210, and a lift and rotation module 212. Although shown and described herein as having certain elements and a particular architecture, such as a single substrate cross-flow architecture, it should be understood and appreciated that semiconductor processing systems having chamber arrangements including other elements and / or excluding elements may also benefit from the present disclosure.

[0044] The chamber body 300 is formed of a ceramic material 302 and has an upper wall 304, a lower wall 306, a first side wall 308, and a second side wall 310. The upper wall 304 extends longitudinally between an injection end 312 and a longitudinally opposite discharge end 314. The lower wall 306 is separated from the upper wall 304 by an interior 316 of the chamber body 300 and may be substantially parallel to the upper wall 304 of the chamber body 300. The first side wall 308 couples the lower wall 306 of the chamber body 300 to the upper wall 304 of the chamber body 300, longitudinally spans the injection end 312 and the discharge end 314 of the chamber body 300, and may be substantially orthogonal relative to either (or both) of the lower wall 306 and the upper wall 304 of the chamber body 300. The second side wall 310 is similar to the first side wall 308 and is additionally laterally separated from the first side wall 308 by a lateral width of the interior 316 of the chamber body 300. It is contemplated that the chamber body 300 may have a plurality of external ribs 318 extending transversely around the exterior surfaces of the upper wall 304, the lower wall 306, the first side wall 308, and the second side wall 310, and the plurality of external ribs 318 are longitudinally spaced apart from each other between the injection end 312 and the exhaust end 314 of the chamber body 300. It is also contemplated that the injection flange 202 abuts the injection end 312 of the chamber body 300 and couples the precursor supply conduit 108 to the chamber body 300, the exhaust flange 204 abuts the exhaust end 314 of the chamber body 300 and couples the chamber body 300 to the exhaust conduit 110, and the injection flange 202 couples the gate valve 214 and the substrate transfer robot 216 to the chamber body 300. In some examples, the ceramic material 302 may include a transparent material, such as a ceramic material that is transparent to electromagnetic radiation in the infrared band. Examples of suitable transparent materials include quartz, fused silica, and sapphire. In some examples, the ceramic weld 324 may consist of or consist essentially of the ceramic material 302, and in some examples of the present disclosure, the ceramic weld 324 consists of or consists essentially of quartz. Although shown and described herein as having a particular number of external ribs 318, it should be understood and appreciated that the chamber body 300 may have fewer or more external ribs than shown and described herein and still be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] The upper heater element array 206 is configured to heat the substrate 2 (e.g., using electromagnetic radiation in the infrared band) during deposition of the material layer 4 onto the upper surface 6 of the substrate 2, and in this regard is supported above the chamber body 300, optically coupled to the interior 316 of the chamber body 300 through the upper wall 304 of the chamber body 300, and includes a plurality of upper heater elements 218. The plurality of upper heater elements 218 may each include a linear filament, may extend laterally above the upper wall 304 of the chamber body 300 and between the first side wall 308 and the second side wall 310, and may be longitudinally spaced apart from each other between the injection end 312 and the exhaust end 314 of the chamber body 300. The lower heater element array 208 may be similar to the upper heater element array 206, additionally supported below the chamber body 300, and also include a plurality of lower heater elements 220. The plurality of lower heater elements 220 may extend longitudinally between the injection end 312 and the discharge end 314 of the chamber body 300 and may be laterally spaced apart from one another between the first sidewall 308 and the second sidewall 310 of the chamber body 300. In some examples, the plurality of lower heater elements 220 may be substantially orthogonal relative to the plurality of upper heater elements 218. According to some examples, either (or both) of the upper heater element array 206 and the lower heater element array 208 may include bulb-type lamps and still be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0046] The pyrometer 210 is configured to obtain temperature measurements of the substrate 2 during deposition of the material layer 4 onto the upper surface 6 of the substrate 2, and in this regard may be supported below the chamber body 300. In this regard, it is contemplated that the pyrometer 210 is arranged along an optical axis 222 that intersects a substrate support 224 disposed within the interior 316 of the chamber body 300 and is configured to seat the substrate 2 thereon and through the lower wall 306 of the chamber body 300, for example, through the lower wall unwelded ribbed region 360 (e.g., Figure 4 316 of the chamber body 300. The temperature measurement may be acquired using electromagnetic radiation emitted by either (or both) the substrate 2 and the material layer 4 during deposition onto the upper surface 6 of the substrate 2 and transmitted along the optical axis 222 through the ceramic material 302 forming the lower wall 306 of the chamber body 300. In some examples, the pyrometer 210 may cooperate with one or more second pyrometers supported above the upper wall 304 of the chamber body 300 and disposed along the optical axis intersecting the substrate support 224. According to some examples, the pyrometer 210 may cooperate with one or more chamber pyrometers, such as a pyrometer external to the chamber body 300, which is configured to acquire the temperature of the ceramic material 302 using electromagnetic radiation emitted by the chamber body 300. Examples of suitable pyrometers include those shown and described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022 / 0298672A1 to M'Saad, filed on March 17, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0047] In the illustrated example, the chamber apparatus 200 further includes a divider 226, a support member 228, and an axis member 230. The divider 226 is formed of an opaque material 232 (e.g., a material that is opaque to electromagnetic radiation in the infrared band), is located within the interior 316 of the chamber body 300, divides the interior 316 into an upper chamber 234 and a lower chamber 236, and defines a divider hole 238 through which the upper chamber 234 is coupled to the lower chamber 236. The substrate support 224 is supported within the divider hole 238 for rotation R about a rotation axis 240, may be formed of an opaque material 242, e.g., a material that is opaque to electromagnetic radiation in the infrared band, and is operably associated with the lift and rotate module 212 via the support member 228 and the axis member 230. In this regard, the support member 228 may be disposed within the lower chamber 236 of the chamber body 300 along the rotation axis 240 and is rotationally fixed relative to the substrate support 224. The shaft member 230 may be arranged along the rotation axis 240, extending through a channel 320 defined in the lower wall 306 of the chamber body 300, and extending therefrom to a tube body 322 (e.g., a tube body 322) protruding from the lower wall 306 below the chamber body 300 and substantially coaxial with the rotation axis 240. Figure 5 In some examples of the present disclosure, either (or both) of the opaque material 232 and the opaque material 242 may include a carbonaceous material or a ceramic material. Examples of suitable carbonaceous materials include graphite and pyrolytic carbon; examples of suitable ceramic materials include silicon carbide. According to some examples, either (or both) of the support member 228 and the shaft member 230 may be formed of a ceramic material 302.

[0048] As described above, certain manufacturing techniques used to manufacture the chamber body may introduce artifacts into the structure of the chamber body. For example, welding techniques such as hydrogen (H2) gas welding may impose residual stresses into the weld formed using the welding technique due to the local characteristics of the heating used to form the weld. The welding technique may also cause the weld to deviate in size from the expected geometry of the weld formed using the welding technique, such as by changing the flatness and / or contour of the resulting fillet formed using the welding technique. Residual stresses can usually be eliminated using a post-weld annealing operation, although at the expense of additional manufacturing cycle time, typically corresponding to the number of welds that require post-weld annealing. Dimensional deviations may be more difficult to correct after welding, requiring dimensional tolerances to be expanded to reflect the processing capabilities of the welding technique used to manufacture the chamber body and / or higher scrap rates due to dimensional inconsistencies. And even so, some material layer deposition processes may be sensitive to welding artifacts, such as welding artifacts generated in the chamber structure where external heating elements and / or temperature sensors are optically coupled to the substrate during processing. In order to limit (or eliminate) such human factors from affecting the reliability of the chamber device 200, the chamber body 300 includes a ceramic weldment 324 (such as Figure 3 ), which includes a single ceramic workpiece 362 (such as Figure 7 The lower wall 306 formed by the chamber body 300 uses a subtractive manufacturing technique to define a lower wall un-welded ribbed region 360 of the chamber body 300.

[0049] Reference Figure 3-6 , showing a ceramic weldment 324. Figure 3 , the ceramic welded part 324 is shown in a top view. It can be imagined that the ceramic welded part 324 includes the upper wall 304 and the lower wall 306 (such as Figure 2 As shown), the first side wall 308 (as Figure 2 as shown) and the second side wall 310 (as shown Figure 2 It is also contemplated that the ceramic weldment 324 includes an injection end flange 326, a discharge end flange 328, a plurality of first side rib segments 330, and a plurality of second side rib segments 332. Although shown and described herein as including specific elements and having a specific arrangement, it should be understood and appreciated that the ceramic weldment 324 may include other elements and / or exclude different arrangements of elements shown and described herein and in other examples and still be within the scope of the present invention.

[0050] The upper wall 304 includes an upper wall plate 336 and one or more upper rib segments connected to the upper wall plate 336 by one or more upper rib segment welds, such as a plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 connected to the upper wall plate 336 by a plurality of upper wall rib segment welds 338. It is contemplated that the upper wall plate 336 has an upper wall interior surface 340 (e.g., Figure 2The upper wall panel 336 may be provided with an upper wall interior surface 340 and an upper wall exterior surface 342, which are separated from each other by the thickness of the upper wall panel 336. It is also contemplated that the upper wall panel 336 has an upper wall panel injection edge 344, an upper wall panel discharge edge 346, an upper wall panel first longitudinal edge 348, and an upper wall panel second longitudinal edge 350. The upper wall interior surface 340 may be substantially planar, extending longitudinally between the upper wall panel injection edge 344 and the upper wall panel discharge edge 346, and further extending transversely between the upper wall panel first longitudinal edge 348 and the upper wall panel second longitudinal edge 350. The upper wall exterior surface 342 may also be substantially planar, and extending longitudinally between the upper wall panel injection edge 344 and the upper wall panel discharge edge 346. It is also contemplated that the upper wall exterior surface 342 extends transversely between the upper wall panel first longitudinal edge 348 and the upper wall panel second longitudinal edge 350.

[0051] In some examples, the upper panel discharge edge 346 can be substantially parallel to the upper panel injection edge 344. According to some examples, the upper panel second longitudinal edge 350 can be substantially parallel to the upper panel first longitudinal edge 348. It is contemplated that the upper panel first longitudinal edge 348 can be substantially orthogonal with respect to either (or both) of the upper panel injection edge 344 and the upper panel discharge edge 346. It is also contemplated that the upper panel second longitudinal edge 350 can be substantially orthogonal with respect to either (or both) of the upper panel injection edge 344 and the upper panel discharge edge 346. In this regard, the panel can be substantially rectangular in shape.

[0052] A plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 may be coupled to the upper wall exterior surface 342 by a plurality of upper wall rib segment welds 338, extending transversely between an upper wall panel first longitudinal edge 348 and an upper wall panel second longitudinal edge 350, and coupling the upper wall panel first longitudinal edge 348 to the upper wall panel second longitudinal edge 350. In the illustrated example, the upper wall rib segment 334 is one of the nine (9) upper wall rib segments 334 coupled to the upper wall exterior surface 342 by the nine (9) upper wall rib segment welds 338. In view of the present disclosure, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the upper wall 304 may have fewer or more plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 and / or upper wall rib segment welds 338 and still be within the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term "welding" refers to a thermal bond, connection, or structure that joins two elements by a process involving softening or melting ceramic material within at least one element such that the materials of the elements are fixed to each other upon cooling, the welded elements thus being structurally fixed to each other as a result of cooling.

[0053] The injection end flange 326 is configured to receive the injection flange 202 ( Figure 2 ), and also made of ceramic material 302 ( Figure 2It is contemplated that the injection end flange 326 is longitudinally adjacent to the upper wall plate 336, separated from the upper wall plate discharge edge 346 by the upper wall rib segment 334, and connected to the upper wall 304 by the injection end flange and upper wall plate weld 352. The injection end flange and upper wall plate weld 352 are also connected along the first side wall 308 ( Figure 2 shown) and the second side wall 310 ( Figure 2 304 of the upper wall plate injection edge 344 between the first side wall 308 and the second side wall 310). In some examples, the injection end flange and upper wall plate weld 352 can extend continuously and uninterruptedly between the first side wall 308 and the second side wall 310, and the injection end flange and upper wall plate weld 352 in these examples sealably connects the injection end flange 326 to the upper wall 304 of the ceramic weld 324. It is contemplated that any of the aforementioned welds can be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques, thereby limiting (or eliminating) the risk of contaminants being incorporated into the injection end flange and upper wall plate weld 352 during the welding process.

[0054] The discharge end flange 328 is configured to receive the discharge flange 204 (eg, Figure 2 ), and also made of ceramic material 302 (such as Figure 2 34. The discharge end flange 328 is formed by the upper wall plate 336 and the discharge end flange 328. It is contemplated that the discharge end flange 328 is longitudinally adjacent to the upper wall plate 336, separated from the upper wall plate discharge edge 346 by the upper wall rib segment 334, and longitudinally opposite to the injection end flange 326. The discharge end flange 328 can also be connected to the upper wall 304 by a discharge end flange and upper wall plate weld 354, which weld 354 in turn extends transversely between the first side wall 308 and the second side wall 310 along the upper wall plate discharge edge 346 at a longitudinal position between the upper wall plate 336 and the discharge end flange 328. In some examples, the discharge end flange and upper wall plate weld 354 can extend continuously and uninterruptedly between the first side wall 308 and the second side wall 310, in which examples, the discharge end flange and upper wall plate weld 354 sealably connects the discharge end flange 328 to the upper wall 304 of the ceramic weld 324. According to certain examples, the lower wall unwelded ribbed region 360 of the lower wall 306 may longitudinally span the injection end flange to upper wall plate weld 352 and the discharge end flange to upper wall plate weld 354. It is also contemplated that any of the above welds may be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques, thereby limiting (or eliminating) the risk of introducing non-ceramic inclusions and / or forming voids (e.g., bubbles) within the weld.

[0055] refer to Figure 4 , the ceramic weldment 324 is shown in a bottom plan view. In the example shown, the lower wall 306 of the ceramic weldment 324 has a lower wall plate portion 356 and a lower wall rib portion 358 extending therefrom. It is contemplated that the lower wall 306 may be formed from a single ceramic workpiece 362 (e.g., Figure 7306 is formed by the lower wall 306, thereby defining a lower wall unwelded rib region 360. In this regard, it is contemplated that the lower wall 306 has an integral single-piece structure and is formed of the ceramic material 302 (such as Figure 2 Advantageously, the lower wall 306 is formed using subtractive manufacturing techniques such that the lower wall 306 has an integral, one-piece structure, which imparts lateral rigidity to the lower wall 306. The lateral rigidity imparted by the integral, one-piece structure of the lower wall 306 in turn limits the tendency of the lower wall 306 to deform due to localized heating during welding, such as at the first side wall 308 (as shown). Figure 2 as shown) and / or the second side wall 310 (as shown Figure 2 324) is coupled to the lower wall 306. In view of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that this can limit (or eliminate) the need to grind either (or both) of the injection end flange 326 and the discharge end flange 328 after manufacturing in order to correct the parallelism of the injection end flange 326 relative to the discharge end flange 328 caused by heating of the ceramic weld 324 during manufacturing. As used herein, the term "unwelded ribbed area" refers to an integral single-piece structure with no intervening welds and no welding or casting artifacts that may change the size or optical properties of the unwelded ribbed area.

[0056] The lower wall panel portion 356 is similar to the upper wall panel 336 (eg Figure 3 306 ) and in this regard has a lower panel portion injection edge 364, a lower panel portion discharge edge 366, a lower panel portion first longitudinal edge 368, and a lower panel portion second longitudinal edge 370. The lower panel portion injection edge 364 can be longitudinally located between the lower wall rib portion 358 and the injection end flange 326 of the lower wall 306. The lower panel portion discharge edge 366 can be separated from the lower panel portion injection edge 364 by the lower wall rib portion 358, and the lower wall 306 ( Figure 2 The lower wall inner surface 372 (shown) Figure 2 364. The lower panel section first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower panel section second longitudinal edge 370 may both extend longitudinally between the lower panel section injection edge 364 and the lower panel section discharge edge 366, be substantially orthogonal relative to either (or both) of the lower panel section first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower panel section second longitudinal edge 370, and be substantially parallel relative to each other.

[0057] It is contemplated that the lower wall rib 358 defines a plurality of lower wall rib segments 374. The plurality of lower wall rib segments 374 may extend transversely between the lower wall panel portion first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower wall panel portion second longitudinal edge 370 and correspond in number and longitudinal position to the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 (e.g., Figure 3As shown). It is contemplated that in certain examples of the present disclosure, a plurality of lower wall rib segments 374 may couple the lower wall panel portion first longitudinal edge 368 to the lower wall panel portion second longitudinal edge 370. It is also contemplated that a channel 320 is longitudinally located between a pair of the plurality of lower wall rib segments 374 that are longitudinally adjacent to each other, the channel 320 extending through the lower wall panel portion 356, and the channel 320 couples the lower wall exterior surface 376 defined by the lower wall rib portion 358 to the lower wall interior surface 372 (as shown). Figure 2 306 by welding the tube body to the lower wall plate portion 305, the lower wall unwelded ribbed area 360 extends around the channel 320 at a location where the upper wall rib segment 334 covers the lower wall unwelded ribbed area 360, and the lower wall unwelded ribbed area 360 has a width 378 greater than 300 mm. In view of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that setting the size of the lower wall unwelded ribbed area 360 to at least 300 mm can limit temperature non-uniformity and / or noise in temperature measurements of the substrate support 224 obtained using a heater element and / or an external sensor (e.g., a heater element and / or a pyrometer) optically coupled to the substrate support 224 through the lower wall 306.

[0058] It is contemplated that the injection end flange 326 is coupled to the lower panel portion injection edge 364 via an injection end flange to lower panel portion weld 380. The injection end flange to lower panel portion weld 380 may extend between a lower panel portion first longitudinal edge 368 and a lower panel portion second longitudinal edge 370 of the lower panel portion 356. In some examples, the injection end flange to lower panel portion weld 380 may extend continuously and uninterruptedly between the lower panel portion first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower panel portion second longitudinal edge 370, which in turn sealingly couples the injection end flange 326 to the lower panel portion 356 of the lower wall 306.

[0059] The discharge end flange 328 can similarly be coupled to the lower panel portion discharge edge 366 via a discharge end flange to lower panel portion weld 382. In this regard, the discharge end flange to lower panel portion weld 382 can extend between the lower panel portion first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower panel portion second longitudinal edge 370. In certain examples of the present disclosure, the discharge end flange to lower panel portion weld 382 can extend continuously and uninterruptedly between the lower panel portion first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower panel portion second longitudinal edge 370 of the lower panel portion 356, in which examples the discharge end flange to lower panel portion weld 382 sealingly couples the discharge end flange 328 to the lower panel portion 356 of the lower wall 306.

[0060] Reference Figure 5, the ceramic weldment 324 is shown in a first side view. Figure 5 As shown, the first side wall 308 connects the upper wall 304 (such as Figure 2 ) is connected to the lower wall 306 of the ceramic weldment 324 (as shown Figure 2 More specifically, the first side wall 308 is connected to the lower wall plate portion 356 of the lower wall 306 (as shown in FIG. Figure 4 304. Specifically, the first side wall 308 connects the lower wall panel portion 356 of the lower wall 306 to the upper wall panel 336 of the upper wall 304 (as shown in FIG. Figure 3 356 of the lower wall 306 via a first side wall to lower wall panel portion weld 384. It is also contemplated that the first side wall 308 is coupled to the upper wall panel 336 via a first side wall to upper wall panel weld 386. In some examples, the first side wall to lower wall panel portion weld 384 may extend continuously and uninterruptedly between the first side wall 308 and the lower wall panel portion 356, such as at a point defining the lower wall interior surface 372 (e.g., Figure 2 According to some examples, the first side wall to upper wall plate weld 386 can extend continuously between the first side wall 308 and the upper wall plate 336 and within the interruption, similar to the location defining the upper wall interior surface 340. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this can be Figure 1 316 (shown) Figure 2 ) and the external environment 8 outside the chamber body 300 ( Figure 1 It is contemplated that any of the above welds may be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques, limiting (or eliminating) the risk of introducing non-ceramic inclusions and / or voids in the weld.

[0061] It is contemplated that the injection end flange 326 and the discharge end flange 328 are connected by the first side wall 308 by welding. In this regard, the injection end flange 326 can be connected to the first side wall 308 by the injection end flange and first side wall weld 388. In another aspect, the discharge end flange 328 can be connected to the first side wall 308 by the discharge end flange and first side wall weld 390, and the discharge end flange and first side wall weld 390 can be longitudinally separated by the pipe body 322 and the injection end flange and first side wall weld 388. In some examples, the injection end flange and first side wall weld 388 can be connected to the upper wall 304 ( Figure 2 The upper wall plate 336 (shown) Figure 3 shown) and the lower wall 306 ( Figure 4 The lower wall panel portion 356 (shown) Figure 4 The injection end flange is welded 388 to the first side wall, thereby connecting the chamber body 300 ( Figure 1316 (shown) Figure 2 ) and external environment 8 (as shown Figure 1 According to some examples, the discharge end flange to first sidewall weld 390 can similarly extend continuously and uninterruptedly between the upper wall plate 336 and the lower wall plate portion 356 of the lower wall 306 of the ceramic weld 324, the discharge end flange to first sidewall weld 390 also thereby separating the interior 316 of the chamber body 300 from the external environment 8. It is contemplated that any of the above welds can be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques, limiting (or eliminating) the risk of introducing non-ceramic inclusions and / or voids in the weld.

[0062] It is also conceivable that the plurality of first side rib segments 330 are welded to the ceramic welding member 392 (eg, individually through one or more) first side rib segments. Figure 3 374 . In some examples, one or more first side rib segments and ceramic welds weld 392 may couple a single one of the plurality of first side rib segments 330 to one of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334. According to some examples, one or more first side rib segments and ceramic welds weld 392 may couple a single one of the plurality of first side rib segments 330 to a single one of the plurality of lower wall rib segments 374. In these aspects, the plurality of first side rib segments and ceramic welds weld 392 may be as shown and described in U.S. Patent Application No. 99 / 999,999 filed on the same date, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. It is also contemplated that one or more of the plurality of first side rib segments and ceramic welds weld 392 may extend continuously between one of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 and the plurality of lower wall rib segments 374, thereby imparting rigidity to the ceramic weld 324.

[0063] refer to Figure 6 , the ceramic weldment 324 is shown in the second side view. Figure 6 As shown, the second side wall 310 can be similar to the first side wall 308 (eg, Figure 2 ), and in this regard, the upper wall 304 of the ceramic weldment 324 (as shown) can be similarly Figure 2 ) is connected to the lower wall 306 of the ceramic weldment 324 (as shown Figure 2 More specifically, the second side wall 310 may include a lower wall plate portion 356 (such as Figure 4 304. Specifically, the second side wall 310 can connect the lower wall panel portion 356 of the lower wall 306 to the upper wall panel 336 of the upper wall 304 (as shown in FIG. Figure 3 The connection can be achieved by welding the second side wall to the lower wall portion 394, which can extend parallel to the welding 384 of the first side wall and the lower wall portion (as shown). Figure 5The connection can also be achieved by welding the second side wall to the upper wall plate 396, which can similarly extend parallel to the first side wall to the upper wall plate weld 386 (as shown). Figure 5 As described above, any one (or both) of the second side wall and lower wall plate portion weld 394 and the second side wall and upper wall plate weld 396 can extend continuously and uninterruptedly between the first side wall 308 and the lower wall plate portion 356, and any one (or both) can connect the chamber body 300 ( Figure 1 316 (shown) Figure 2 ) and the external environment 8 outside the chamber body 300 ( Figure 1 Advantageously, the rigidity imparted to the lower wall 306 by the subtractive manufacturing process used to form the lower wall 306 can limit deflection between welds by separating the material layers 4 ( Figure 1 as shown) is deposited onto substrate 2 ( Figure 1 The upper surface 6 (shown) Figure 1 ) during the evacuation of the interior 316 of the chamber body 300, so that the ceramic weldment 324 is "finished" in size and is more likely to conform to the external environment 8 ( Figure 1 The ceramic weld 324 is “modeled” with respect to the stress applied by the ceramic weld 324 (as shown) to improve the reliability of the ceramic weld 324.

[0064] It is contemplated that the injection end flange 326 and the discharge end flange 328 are also connected by welding to the second side wall 310. In this regard, the injection end flange 326 can be connected to the second side wall 310 by the injection end flange to second side wall weld 398, and the discharge end flange 328 can be connected to the second side wall 310 by the discharge end flange to second side wall weld 301. The injection end flange to second side wall weld 398 and the discharge end flange to second side wall weld 301 can be similar to the injection end flange to first side wall weld 388 and the discharge end flange to first side wall weld 390, respectively, and the injection end flange to second side wall weld 398 is substantially parallel to the injection end flange to first side wall weld 388, and the discharge end flange to second side wall weld 301 is substantially parallel to the discharge end flange to first side wall weld 390. Advantageously, the dimensional consistency imparted to lower wall 306 by the subtractive manufacturing process used to form lower wall 306 of ceramic weld 324 may limit deflection of the aforementioned welds relative to one another and also improve the yield of the process used to manufacture ceramic weld 324 .

[0065] The plurality of second side rib segments 332 may be similar to the plurality of first side rib segments 330 (eg, Figure 5 As shown), and in this regard, the second side rib segments can be connected to the ceramic weld 324 by welding 303 with the corresponding second side rib segments. In this regard, it is contemplated that each of the plurality of second side rib segments 332 can cooperate with each of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334, the plurality of lower wall rib segments 374, and the plurality of first side rib segments 330 to form the chamber body 300 ( Figure 1 The outer rib 318 (shown) Figure 2 ). Advantageously, the dimensional consistency imparted to the lower wall 306 by the subtractive manufacturing process used to form the lower wall 306 of the ceramic weld 324 can limit (or eliminate) the possibility of misalignment of the rib segments forming any of the plurality of external ribs 318, thereby potentially improving the yield of the manufacturing process used to manufacture the ceramic weld 324. In view of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that by reducing (or eliminating) the need to compensate for dimensional inconsistencies during the manufacturing process, the necessary skill level of the individual performing the welding can also be limited.

[0066] Reference Figure 7 , a ceramic weldment 324 is shown assembled according to an example of the present invention. As indicated by arrow A, the manufacture of the ceramic weldment 324 may begin by forming the lower wall 306 of the ceramic weldment 324 using a subtractive manufacturing technique. Forming the lower wall 306 may be accomplished by defining a lower wall plate portion 356 and a lower wall rib portion 358 from a single ceramic workpiece 362, for example using a machining operation. Non-limiting examples of suitable machining operations include milling, drilling, grinding, cutting, sawing, and grinding, as well as using certain rotary grinding tools.

[0067] Once the lower wall 306 has been formed, it is contemplated that the first side wall 308 and the second side wall 310 can be coupled to the lower wall 306, as indicated by arrows B and C. In this regard, it is contemplated that the first side wall 308 is registered to the lower wall interior surface 372 at a location proximate the lower wall panel portion first longitudinal edge 368, and the first side wall is welded 384 to the lower wall panel portion. Figure 5 ) is formed along it and longitudinally between the lower wall panel portion injection edge 364 and the lower wall panel portion discharge edge 366. On the other hand, it is also conceivable that the second side wall 310 is similarly aligned to the lower wall interior surface 372 at a position close to the lower wall panel portion second longitudinal edge 370, and the second side wall and lower wall panel portion weld 394 is also formed along its longitudinal direction between the lower wall panel portion injection edge 364 and the lower wall panel portion discharge edge 366.

[0068] As shown by arrows D and E, the injection end flange 326 and the discharge end flange 328 can then be coupled to the lower wall 306, the first side wall 308 and the second side wall 310 of the ceramic weld 324. In this regard, it is contemplated that the injection end flange 326 can be aligned to the lower wall panel portion injection edge 364 and the injection end flange to lower wall panel portion weld 380 ( Figure 4364 ), the weld is formed longitudinally between the injection end flange 326 and the lower panel portion injection edge 364, and the injection end flange to lower panel portion weld 380 extends transversely between the lower panel portion first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower panel portion second longitudinal edge 370. On the other hand, it is also contemplated that the discharge end flange 328 is registered to the lower panel portion 356 at a position longitudinally opposite to the injection end flange 326, and the discharge end flange to lower panel portion weld 382 (as shown) Figure 4 The discharge end flange 328 and the lower panel section discharge edge 366 are formed at a longitudinal position. It is contemplated that the discharge end flange to lower panel section weld 382 extends transversely between the lower panel section first longitudinal edge 368 and the lower panel section second longitudinal edge 370. Then, the injection end flange to first side wall weld 388 (shown) can be formed between the injection end flange 326 and the first side wall 308 and between the injection end flange 326 and the second side wall 310, respectively. Figure 5 As shown) and the injection end flange is welded to the second side wall 398 ( Figure 6 It is conceivable that the discharge end flange is welded to the first side wall 390 (as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown) and the discharge end flange is welded to the second side wall 301 (as shown Figure 6 308 and between the discharge end flange 328 and the second side wall 310, respectively.

[0069] As indicated by arrow F, it is contemplated that the channel 320 is defined within the lower wall 306. In this regard, it is contemplated that, for example, using drilling and / or reaming operations, a plurality of lower wall rib segments 374 ( Figure 4 The channel 320 is defined in the lower wall panel portion 356 (shown) at a position between two (2) longitudinally adjacent ones of Figure 4 372) such that the channel 320 couples the lower wall exterior surface 376 to the lower wall interior surface 372. More specifically, it is contemplated that the channel 320 is defined in the lower wall unwelded ribbed region 360 (as shown). Figure 4 ) and passing through the lower wall plate portion 356, the lower wall outer surface 376 (as shown in Figure 4 306) is coupled to the lower wall interior surface 372 of the lower wall 306. As shown by arrow G, the pipe body 322 can then be aligned to the channel 320 and the pipe body and the lower wall plate portion weld 305 (as shown in FIG. Figure 4306 ), the weld being formed between the tube body 322 and the lower wall plate portion 356. In view of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subtractive manufacturing process used to form the lower wall 306 can simplify either (or both) the formation of the passage 320 and the formation of the tube body and lower wall plate portion weld 305, and the overall structural and dimensional stability of the lower wall 306 is attributed to the absence of welds between the plurality of lower wall rib segments 374 and the lower wall plate portion 356 of the lower wall 306.

[0070] As indicated by arrow H, the coupling of the upper wall panel 336 to the ceramic weld 324 may be accomplished by aligning the upper wall panel 336 to one or more upper wall panels 336 coupled to the first side wall 308, the second side wall 310, the injection end flange 326, and the discharge end flange 328, and forming a weld between the upper wall panel 336 and the ceramic weld 324. In this regard, it is contemplated that the upper wall panel injection edge 344 of the upper wall panel 336 may be aligned to the injection end flange 326, and the injection end flange may be aligned to the upper wall panel weld 352 ( Figure 3 The upper wall panel first longitudinal edge 348 of the upper wall panel 336 can be similarly aligned to the first side wall 308 and the first side wall to upper wall panel weld 386 (as shown) formed between the first side wall 308 and the upper wall panel 336 of the upper wall 304. Figure 5 ), and the upper panel second longitudinal edge 350 is similarly aligned to the second side wall 310 and the second side wall and upper panel weld 396 formed between the second side wall 310 and the upper panel 336 of the upper wall 304 (as shown) Figure 6 It is contemplated that the discharge end flange 328 may then be registered to the upper wall panel discharge edge 346 and the discharge end flange welded 354 to the upper wall panel ( Figure 3 As shown) the discharge end flange and the upper wall plate weld 354 is formed to connect the discharge end flange and the first side wall weld 390 to the discharge end flange and the second side wall weld 301 ( Figure 6 shown).

[0071] Once the upper wall plate 336 has been coupled to the ceramic weld 324, the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 may be coupled to the upper wall plate 336. In this regard, as indicated by arrows I, the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 may be sequentially registered to the ceramic weld 324 and the plurality of upper wall rib segment welds 338 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1 ) formed between the respective upper wall rib segments 334 and the upper wall plate 336. Figure 334). Registration can be achieved at a location that covers the lower wall rib portion 358, which serves as a pre-weld template to inform the manufacturer where any of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 should be positioned for welding purposes, as well as a post-weld indicator to indicate whether the intended position of any of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 has been disturbed by the formation of one or more of the plurality of upper wall rib segment welds 338. In view of this disclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that this can further limit the variation in the predetermined position relative to each upper wall rib segment 334 within the ceramic weld 324, and also improve the yield of the manufacturing process used to manufacture the ceramic weld 324.

[0072] As indicated by arrows J and K, the plurality of first side rib segments 330 and the plurality of second side rib segments 332 may thereafter be coupled to the ceramic weld 324. The coupling of the plurality of first side rib segments 330 may be achieved by registering each of the plurality of first side rib segments 330 at each location that spans a corresponding one of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 and the lower wall rib segments 374, and forming a corresponding one of the plurality of first side rib segment and ceramic weld welds 392 therebetween. The coupling of the plurality of second side rib segments 332 may similarly be achieved by registering each of the plurality of second side rib segments 332 at each location that also spans a corresponding one of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 and the lower wall rib segments 374, and thereafter forming a corresponding one of the plurality of second side rib segment and ceramic weld welds 303 therebetween. Notably, the above-described templates and related improvements in processing capabilities relative to the location of the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 may further simplify the manufacture of the ceramic weld 324, and also increase production yields and / or reduce the skill level required of a fabricator who assembles the ceramic weld 324.

[0073] Reference Figure 8 , showing the manufacture of a ceramic weldment, such as ceramic weldment 324 ( Figure 2 4. The method 400 generally includes forming a lower wall having a lower wall panel portion and a lower wall rib region extending therefrom using a subtractive manufacturing technique, such as a lower wall panel portion 356 (such as Figure 4 as shown) and the lower wall rib portion 358 (as shown Figure 4 The lower wall 306 (as shown) Figure 2 ), as shown in block 402. It is contemplated that the lower wall may be formed (e.g., defined) using a subtractive manufacturing technique to form a lower wall unwelded ribbed region along the lower wall, such as the lower wall unwelded ribbed region 360 (e.g., Figure 4), as shown in box 404. In some examples, the subtractive manufacturing technique may include a machining technique, also shown in box 402. Advantageously, forming the lower wall using subtractive manufacturing techniques can improve the time required to manufacture the ceramic weldment by avoiding the need to connect the upper wall rib segments to the ceramic weldment. More advantageously, forming the lower wall using subtractive manufacturing techniques may also limit the necessary skill level of personnel used to manufacture the ceramic weldment, for example by replacing (at least in part) the experience of individuals skilled in welding ceramic materials with the repeatability and precision of a computer numerical control process. Unexpectedly, the applicant also found that the material layer deposited within the ceramic weldment having an unwelded ribbed area may also exhibit smaller variations within the material layer, which is believed to be due to the absence of welding artifacts and deformations within the ceramic chamber having a welded ribbed area that connects the heater element and / or optical temperature sensor to the interior of the ceramic weldment. Non-limiting examples of suitable subtractive manufacturing techniques that can be used to form the ceramic weldment include milling, grinding, grinding, and cutting. Non-limiting examples of suitable subtractive manufacturing techniques include milling, grinding, grinding, and cutting.

[0074] The method 400 may include coupling the first side wall and the second side wall to the lower wall, such as the first side wall 308 (eg, Figure 2 as shown) and the second side wall 310 (as shown Figure 2 As shown in block 406. The first side wall may be welded to the lower wall plate portion by forming the first side wall using a welding technique, such as welding the first side wall to the lower wall plate portion 384 (as shown in block 406). Figure 5 As shown in block 406, the second side wall is connected to the lower wall by forming a second side wall and a lower wall plate portion weld, such as a second side wall and a lower wall plate portion weld 394 (as shown in block 406). Figure 6 As shown in block 406, the second side wall may be connected to the lower wall using welding techniques. It is contemplated that either (or both) of the first side wall and the lower wall plate portion welding and the second side wall and the lower wall plate portion welding may be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques, as shown in block 406.

[0075] The method 400 may also include coupling the injection end flange and the discharge end flange to a ceramic weldment, such as the injection end flange 326 ( Figure 3 shown) and the discharge end flange 328 ( Figure 3 As shown in block 408 and block 410. The injection end flange can be formed by welding the injection end flange to the lower wall plate portion using welding technology, for example, the injection end flange is welded to the lower wall plate portion 380 (as shown in block 408 and block 410). Figure 3 As shown in block 408, the injection end flange is connected to the lower wall plate portion. The injection end flange is welded to the first side wall and the injection end flange is welded to the second side wall by using welding technology, for example, the injection end flange is welded to the first side wall 388 ( Figure 5) and the injection end flange is welded to the second side wall 398 ( Figure 6 ), the injection end flange may be further coupled to the first side wall and the second side wall, as further shown in block 408 .

[0076] The discharge end flange can be formed by welding the discharge end flange to the lower wall plate portion using welding technology, such as welding the discharge end flange to the lower wall plate portion 382 (such as Figure 4 4) and connected to the lower wall plate portion, as shown in box 410. The discharge end flange is welded to the first side wall and the discharge end flange is welded to the second side wall by using welding technology, such as the discharge end flange and the first side wall weld 390 (as shown in box 410). Figure 5 As shown) and the discharge end flange is welded to the second side wall 301 (as shown Figure 6 ), the discharge end flange may be further coupled to the first sidewall and the second sidewall of the ceramic weldment, as further shown in block 410. It is contemplated that either (or both) of the discharge end flange to first sidewall weld and the discharge end flange to second sidewall weld may be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques.

[0077] The method 400 may also include defining a channel, such as channel 320 (eg, Figure 2 ), as shown in block 412. Once the passage is formed, the tube body can be coupled to the lower wall at the passage, such as the tube body 322 (as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown in block 414. It is contemplated that the passage is defined within the lower wall plate portion of the lower wall, also as shown in block 412. It is also contemplated that the pipe body is welded to the lower wall plate portion, such as the pipe body welded to the lower wall plate portion 307 (as shown in block 414). Figure 5 414. It is also contemplated that the unwelded ribbed region of the lower wall extends around the passage and the weld of the tube body to the lower wall portion. The weld of the tube body to the lower wall portion may be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques, as further shown in block 414.

[0078] The method 400 may further include coupling the upper wall plate to the ceramic weldment, such as the upper wall plate 336 (eg, Figure 3 ), as shown in block 416. Connecting the upper wall to the ceramic weldment may include using a welding technique to form a first side wall to upper wall plate weld and a second side wall to upper wall plate weld, such as the first side wall to upper wall plate weld 386 ( Figure 3 as shown) and the second side wall is welded to the upper wall plate 396 ( Figure 4 ), as also shown in block 416. Connecting the upper wall to the ceramic weldment may include using welding techniques to form an injection end flange to upper wall plate weld and a discharge end flange to upper wall plate weld, such as injection end flange to upper wall plate weld 352 ( Figure 3) and the discharge end flange is welded to the upper wall plate 354 ( Figure 3 ), as further shown in block 416. Either (or both) of the injection end flange to upper wall plate weld and the discharge end flange to upper wall plate weld may be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques.

[0079] It is also contemplated that the method 400 may include coupling a plurality of upper wall rib segments to the upper wall, such as the plurality of upper wall rib segments 334 (eg, Figure 3 As shown in block 418. The plurality of upper wall rib segments may be welded to the upper wall plate by using a plurality of upper wall rib segments formed by welding techniques, such as a plurality of upper wall rib segment welds 338 (in Figure 3 ), as also shown in block 418. In some examples, method 400 may also include welding a plurality of first side rib segments to a ceramic weldment using a first side rib segment formed using a welding technique and a ceramic weldment, for example, welding 392 ( Figure 3 The first side rib segments 330 (shown in FIG. Figure 3 ), as shown in block 420. According to some examples, method 400 may further include welding a plurality of second side rib segments formed using a welding technique with a ceramic welding member to connect the plurality of second side rib segments to the ceramic welding member, for example, welding 303 ( Figure 3 The plurality of second side rib segments 332 (shown in Figure 3 ), as shown in block 422. As described above, one or more of the aforementioned welds may be formed using hydrogen (H2) gas welding techniques.

[0080] Ceramic weldments for chamber bodies may be formed by joining discrete parts to ceramic weldments. While generally satisfactory for its intended purpose, welding may be time consuming and may require specialized skills and experience, such as in ceramic weldments where external ribs are used to provide structural support and where the ceramic weldments are evacuated due to use. Welding may also require post-weld annealing to remove residual stresses in the ceramic weldment associated with the welding process, adding time and cost to the manufacturing process. Welding may further introduce dimensional changes and / or changes in the optical properties of the ceramic, potentially limiting the yield of the manufacturing process used to manufacture the ceramic weldment, and / or in the case of ceramic weldments used to deposit a layer of material onto a substrate, resulting in changes in the layer of material due to the effects of the optical changes on the performance of an external device optically coupled through the wall of the ceramic weldment.

[0081] In an example of the present disclosure, the lower wall of the ceramic weld is formed using subtractive manufacturing techniques. Using subtractive manufacturing techniques to form the lower wall of the ceramic weld can limit the time required to manufacture the ceramic weld, for example by limiting the time required to weld discrete part upper rib segments to the ceramic weld. Using subtractive manufacturing techniques to form the lower wall will limit the necessary skill level required to manufacture the ceramic weld, limiting (or eliminating) the tendency for the skill level of manufacturers used to manufacture ceramic welds to limit the ability to manufacture ceramic welds. And, in an example in which the ceramic weld is used to deposit material onto a substrate using an external device optically connected through the wall of the ceramic weld, using subtractive manufacturing techniques to form the lower wall of the ceramic weld can limit variations in the deposited material layer by limiting (or eliminating) variations in the dimensions and / or optical properties potentially imparted to the ceramic weld by the welding process, which would otherwise be used to attach the part rib segments to the ceramic weld.

[0082] The term "approximately" is intended to include the degree of error associated with the measurement of a particular quantity based on the equipment available at the time the application is filed. To the extent shown and described herein in a particular order in the inclusion method, the operations may be altered from the order shown and described herein and remain within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the method including the operations shown and described herein may include additional operations and / or exclude certain operations shown and described herein and still be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0083] The terms used herein are intended only to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprises" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof.

[0084] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and elements thereof may be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt specific situations or materials to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the substantive scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed as the best mode for implementing the present disclosure, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A chamber body, comprising: Ceramic welding parts, including: lower wall; A side wall connected to the lower wall by welding the side wall to the lower wall; An upper wall plate connected to the side wall by welding the side wall and the upper wall; and The upper wall rib section is connected to the upper wall plate by welding the upper wall rib section, The lower wall has a lower wall plate portion formed from a single ceramic workpiece using subtractive manufacturing technology and a lower wall rib portion extending therefrom, wherein the lower wall plate portion defines a lower wall unwelded rib region including a plurality of lower wall rib segments defined by the lower wall rib portion.

2. The chamber body according to claim 1, wherein: The upper wall rib section covers the un-welded rib-shaped area of ​​the lower wall.

3. The chamber body according to claim 1, wherein The upper wall rib segments are welded to cover the unwelded rib-shaped areas of the lower wall.

4. The chamber body according to claim 1, wherein The ceramic welding part also includes: an injection end flange coupled to a lower wall of the ceramic weldment; and A discharge end flange is coupled to a lower wall of the ceramic weldment, wherein an un-welded ribbed area of ​​the lower wall separates the discharge end flange from the injection end flange.

5. The chamber body according to claim 4, wherein: The injection end flange is connected to the upper wall plate by welding the injection end flange to the upper wall plate, wherein the discharge end flange is connected to the upper wall plate by welding the discharge end flange to the upper wall plate, and wherein the unwelded ribbed area of ​​the lower wall separates the welding of the discharge end flange to the upper wall plate from the welding of the injection end flange to the upper wall plate.

6. The chamber body according to claim 5, wherein The un-welded rib-shaped area of ​​the lower wall longitudinally spans the welding of the injection end flange and the upper wall plate and the welding of the discharge end flange and the upper wall plate.

7. The chamber body according to claim 1, wherein The sidewall is a first sidewall, and the ceramic weld further includes a second sidewall coupling the lower wall to the upper wall plate, and wherein the lower wall un-welded ribbed region laterally separates the second sidewall from the first sidewall.

8. The chamber body according to claim 7, wherein The first side wall is connected to the lower wall plate portion by welding the first side wall to the lower wall plate portion, wherein the second side wall is connected to the lower wall plate portion by welding the second side wall to the lower wall plate portion, and wherein the unwelded ribbed area of ​​the lower wall connects the second side wall to the lower wall plate portion by welding to the first side wall to the lower wall plate portion.

9. The chamber body according to claim 8, wherein: The upper wall rib section spans laterally across the first side wall and the second side wall.

10. The chamber body according to claim 8, wherein The upper wall rib segment weld that couples the upper wall rib segment to the upper wall panel transversely spans the first side wall to lower wall panel portion weld and the second side wall to lower wall panel portion weld.

11. The chamber body according to claim 1, wherein The lower wall un-welded ribbed region has a width greater than at least 300 mm.

12. The chamber body according to claim 1, wherein The ceramic weld consists essentially of quartz.

13. A chamber device comprising: The chamber body of claim 1, wherein the lower wall defines a passage, wherein the ceramic weldment of the chamber body further comprises a tube mounting body registered to the passage; a substrate support disposed within the interior of the chamber body and supported for rotation about a rotation axis extending through the passage; a support member disposed along an axis of rotation and rotationally fixed relative to the substrate support; a shaft member disposed along an axis of rotation and rotationally fixed relative to the support member; wherein the shaft member extends through the passage; and Therein, a shaft member further extends through the tube body and operably couples the substrate support to the lift and rotate module.

14. The chamber arrangement according to claim 13, wherein The substrate support covers the lower wall unwelded ribbed area, and wherein the chamber arrangement further comprises a pyrometer optically coupled to the substrate support through the lower wall unwelded ribbed area.

15. The chamber arrangement of claim 13, further comprising a lower heater element array comprising lower heater elements supported below a lower wall of the ceramic weldment, wherein: The lower wall un-welded ribbed region optically couples the lower heater element to the substrate support.

16. The chamber arrangement according to claim 13, wherein The side wall is a first side wall, and the ceramic weldment further comprises: coupling the lower wall to the second side wall of the upper wall panel; an injection end flange coupled to the lower wall; a discharge end flange coupled to the lower wall; wherein the unwelded rib-shaped area of ​​the lower wall laterally separates the second side wall from the first side wall; and The un-welded rib-shaped area of ​​the lower wall separates the discharge end flange from the injection end flange.

17. A semiconductor processing system comprising: A chamber arrangement comprising a chamber body as claimed in claim 1, wherein the un-welded ribbed area of ​​the lower wall has a width greater than 300 mm; a precursor source including a silicon-containing material layer precursor coupled to an injection end of the chamber body; and An exhaust source including a vacuum pump is coupled to an exhaust end of the chamber body and coupled through the chamber body to a precursor source.

18. A method for manufacturing a ceramic welded part, comprising: forming a lower wall having a lower wall plate portion and a lower wall rib portion extending from the lower wall plate portion from a single ceramic workpiece using a subtractive manufacturing technique; Connecting the side wall to the lower wall by welding the side wall to the lower wall; Connecting the upper wall plate to the side wall by welding the side wall and the upper wall; as well as Connecting the upper wall rib segment to the upper wall plate by welding the upper wall rib segment; and The lower wall plate thus has an unwelded ribbed area comprising a plurality of lower wall rib segments defined by lower wall rib portions of the lower wall.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising defining a channel in the lower wall panel portion coupling a lower wall interior surface with a lower wall exterior surface, the channel being longitudinally bounded within the lower wall un-welded rib region and by two lower wall rib segments defined by the lower wall rib portion of the lower wall.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein: The subtractive manufacturing technique includes at least one of milling, drilling and sawing.

21. A semiconductor processing system having a chamber arrangement having a chamber body manufactured using the method of claim 18.

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