Automatic shower head tilt adjustment

Abstract

In some examples, an automated tilt system for adjusting the orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber is provided, the automated tilt system including at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with the component and coupled to a portion of the component by a coupling, the coupling configured such that automated rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts corresponding axial movement to the coupled portion of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or datum structure to adjust the orientation of the processing chamber component.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [Priority claim] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 042,980, filed June 23, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to systems, apparatus, and methods for automatic tilt adjustment of a showerhead component in a substrate processing system. [Background technology]

[0003] Conventional showerhead and cooling plate assemblies in substrate processing systems typically include a series of threaded rods or screws that can be manually adjusted to tilt the showerhead cooling plate in a desired direction. A particular orientation may be desired, for example, after planned maintenance or when replacing the showerhead. The orientation typically involves some form of metrology to verify manual gap checking of the substrate support assembly each time an initial adjustment of the orientation is made, and then "fine-tuning" the tilt operation until it matches the desired orientation. This manual adjustment typically requires the presence of a properly qualified technician on-site and typically requires several hours for cooling and heating of the showerhead components. Machine operators cannot quickly change the tilt direction, and incomplete or abrupt tilts result in the generation of unwanted wafer waste. Additionally, the cooling plate components are often in brazed form, and the extra complexity and inspection of these components can increase manufacturing time and cost.

[0004] The background description provided herein is intended to provide a general overview of the contents of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the information provided in this section is provided to provide those skilled in the art with some of the content of the subject matter of the present disclosure below, and should not be considered as admitted prior art. More specifically, within the scope of what is described in this Background section, aspects of the description that would not otherwise be considered prior art at the time of the currently named inventors' work and filing are not admitted, expressly or impliedly, as prior art against the present disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure generally relates to systems, apparatus, and methods for automatic tilt adjustment of a showerhead component in a substrate processing system.

[0006] In some examples, an automated tilt system for adjusting an orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber is provided. An exemplary automated tilt system includes at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with the component, the at least one tilt adjustment motor being coupled, directly or indirectly, to an interface of the component by a coupling configured such that automated rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting an orientation of the component of the processing chamber.

[0007] In some examples, the component is a showerhead component or a cooling plate component. In some examples, the coupling includes an axial plunge coupler-screw interface. In some examples, the axial plunge coupler-screw interface relieves axial load from an associated tilt adjustment motor. In some examples, the axial plunge coupler-screw interface includes a ball-end screw housed in a spherical cup. In some examples, the automated tilt system further includes a bellows disposed between the component and a processing chamber. In some examples, the bellows provides at least a partial vacuum seal between the component and a processing chamber. In some examples, the automated tilt system further includes one or more load compensation devices. In some examples, the component is or includes a friction stir welding component.

[0008] In some examples, the substrate processing system includes an automatic tilt system for adjusting an orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber, the automatic tilt system including at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with the component, the at least one tilt adjustment motor coupled, directly or indirectly, to an interface portion of the component by a coupling, the coupling configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface portion of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting an orientation of the component of the processing chamber. In some examples, the automatic tilt adjustment system of the substrate processing system includes any of one or more of the elements summarized above.

[0009] In some examples, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided. An exemplary computer-readable storage medium, when executed by a controller, causes the controller to communicate with at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with a component of a substrate processing chamber, where the at least one tilt adjustment motor is coupled, directly or indirectly, to an interface of the component by a coupling, where the coupling is configured such that automated rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure; and selectively engages the at least one tilt adjustment motor to adjust an orientation of the component. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] Several embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the accompanying drawing figures.

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example arrangement of a processing chamber in which some examples of the present disclosure may be used, according to some exemplary embodiments.

[0012] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a representative diagram illustrating a friction stir welding arrangement according to one embodiment.

[0013] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a representative diagram illustrating an auto-tilt system according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0014] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a controller upon which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented or which may control one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0015] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] The following description includes systems, arrangements, methods, techniques, and computing machine program products embodying exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details.

[0017] Portions of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the patent document or patent disclosure being reproduced by anyone solely as such, as such patent document or patent disclosure appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights. The following notice applies to all data hereinafter described or illustrated and forming a part of this document:Copyright Lam Research Corporation,2020,All Rights Reserved.

[0018] Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary arrangement 100 of a plasma-based processing chamber is shown. While the present subject matter can be used in a variety of semiconductor manufacturing and wafer processing operations, in the illustrated example, the plasma-based processing chamber is described in the context of plasma-enhanced or radical-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD) operations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other types of ALD processing techniques are known (e.g., thermal-based ALD operations) and non-plasma-based processing chambers can also be incorporated. An ALD tool is a special type of CVD processing system in which an ALD reaction occurs between two or more chemical species. The two or more chemical species are called precursor gases and are used to form thin film deposits of materials on substrates, such as silicon wafers, as used in the semiconductor industry. The precursor gases are sequentially introduced into an ALD processing chamber and react with the substrate surface to form a deposition layer. Typically, the substrate repeatedly interacts with the precursors to deposit an increasingly thicker layer of one or more material films on the substrate. In certain applications, multiple precursor gases may be used in a substrate manufacturing process to form one or more films of various types. The gases may be highly chemical or extremely corrosive.

[0019] 1 is shown to include a plasma-based processing chamber 102 in which a showerhead 104 and a substrate support assembly 108 or pedestal are disposed. The showerhead 104 may include components such as, for example, a showerhead electrode or a chandelier-type showerhead. The showerhead 104 may include components such as a cooling plate 120, which are described further below. Other showerhead components are possible. Some examples include systems, apparatus, and methods for automated tilt adjustment of showerhead components in a substrate processing system, and more specifically, automated fine-tuning of these components.

[0020] Typically, the substrate support assembly 108 attempts to provide a surface with a substantially constant temperature and may act as both a heating element and a heat sink for the substrate. The substrate support assembly 108 includes an electrostatic chuck (ESC) that includes a heating element to aid in processing the substrate 106, as described above. The substrate 106 may include, for example, a wafer including elemental semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon (Si) or germanium (Ge)) or compound semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon germanium (SiGe) or gallium arsenide (GaAs)). Additionally, other materials include, for example, dielectric materials such as quartz, sapphire, semi-crystalline polymers, or other non-metallic and non-semiconductor materials.

[0021] In operation, a substrate 106 is placed on the substrate support assembly 108 through a load port 110. Gas lines 114 can supply one or more process gases (e.g., precursor gases) to the showerhead 104. The showerhead 104 then delivers the one or more process gases into the processing chamber 102. A gas source 112 (e.g., one or more gas ampoules) for supplying one or more process gases is coupled to the gas lines 114. In some examples, an RF (radio frequency) power source 116 is coupled to the showerhead 104. In other examples, the power source is coupled to the substrate support assembly 108 or the ESC.

[0022] A point of use (POU) and manifold combination (not shown) controls the flow of one or more process gases into the processing chamber 102 prior to flowing through the showerhead 104 and downstream gas lines 114. For processing chamber 102 used to deposit thin films in plasma-enhanced ALD operations, precursor gases may be mixed in the showerhead 104.

[0023] In operation, the process chamber 102 is evacuated by a vacuum pump 118. RF power is capacitively coupled between the showerhead 104 and a lower power supply (not explicitly shown) housed in or on the substrate support assembly 108. The RF power may be inductively or transformer coupled in some examples. Typically, two or more RF frequencies are provided to the substrate support assembly 108. For example, in various embodiments, the RF frequencies may be selected from at least one of approximately 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 13.56 MHz, 27 MHz, 60 MHz, and other frequencies, as desired. Coils designed to block or partially block specific RF frequencies may be designed as needed. For this reason, the specific frequencies discussed herein are provided merely for ease of understanding. RF power is used to energize one or more process gases and generate a plasma in the space between the substrate 106 and the showerhead 104. The plasma may facilitate deposition of various layers (not shown) on the substrate 106. In other applications, the plasma may be used to etch device features in various layers on the substrate 106. RF power is coupled through at least the substrate support assembly 108. The substrate support assembly 108 may have a heater built into it (not shown in FIG. 1). The detailed design of the processing chamber 102 may vary.

[0024] In some examples, friction stir welding (FSW) is used to manufacture or join pedestal or showerhead parts such as faceplates, cooling plates, and pedestal stems. Manufacturing or joining of other components is also possible. The methods and articles of manufacture described herein may exhibit improved thermal and mechanical properties compared to articles made using conventional techniques such as vacuum brazing and electron beam welding. Friction stir welded components may also be easier to manufacture in terms of time, cost, and reduced complexity, especially in sophisticated substrate components for substrate processing tools.

[0025] FSW addresses some of the limitations of conventional techniques, including weld cracks and voids that can reduce heat transfer within the pedestal or showerhead components and reduce the efficiency of the processing chamber in which such a pedestal or showerhead is installed.

[0026] With reference to FIG. 2, a friction stir welding arrangement 200 is provided. A first component 202 of the showerhead 104 or cooling plate 120 may be bonded to a second component 204 in the manner shown. The first component 202 shown may include, for example, an edge of the cooling plate 120 disposed within the processing chamber 102 (see FIG. 3 below). The second component 204 shown may include an edge of another component of the showerhead 104, for example, a platen disposed in the same zone as the first component 202. As shown, a downward force is applied to the first component 202 and the second component 204, which are bonded together by a rotating FSW tool 206. The FSW tool 206 advances in a bonding direction 208 between the edges of the first component 202 and the second component 204. The FSW tool 206 includes a shoulder 210 and a pin 212 and forms an FSW region 214 as the FSW tool 206 advances through the joining of the materials of the first component 202 and the second component 204. The FSW region 214 thus formed includes a nugget 216 that bonds the first component 202 and the second component 204 together. The nugget 216 has an advancing side 218 and a retreating side 220 that correspond to a rotational direction 222 of the FSW tool 206.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an automated tilt system 300 for adjusting an orientation of a showerhead component, such as the showerhead 104 or cooling plate 120, within the processing chamber 102. The orientation can include a face orientation. In the illustrated example, the cooling plate 120 is coupled to the showerhead 104, although other arrangements are possible. In some examples, the cooling plate 120 is a friction stir welded cooling plate 120 or includes a friction stir welded component. The cooling plate 120 may include components bonded together or may be at least partially manufactured by the FSW tool 206 in the FSW process described above with reference to FIG. 2. The cooling plate 120 may include one or more channels 306 or tubes for passing a coolant or gas.

[0028] As described more fully below, the automated tilt system 300 operates to adjust the surface orientation (or tilt) of the cooling plate 120, and thereby the showerhead 104 coupled to the cooling plate 120, in an automated manner relative to the processing chamber 102 and the substrate 106 supported therein. To this end, the automated tilt system 300 includes an arrangement of tilt adjustment motors 302. In the illustrated example, three tilt adjustment motors 302 are arranged. Only one motor 302 is fully visible in FIG. 3, a second motor 302 is shown in cross section, while a third motor is hidden by the cross section lines. Other numbers and / or configurations of tilt adjustment motors 302 are possible. It is believed that the automated tilt system 300 including three adjustment motors 302 provides an acceptable degree of fine tilt adjustment performance.

[0029] Each tilt adjustment motor 302 includes a mounting plate 303 coupled to a motor base 308. Each motor base 308 is secured to the cooling plate 120 by one or more fasteners 310. Each tilt adjustment motor 302 includes a motor shaft 314. Each motor shaft 314 is coupled and secured within a coupling 318. The coupling may include several components, which are described in more detail below. In some examples, the motor shaft 314 is splined and secured within a complementary recess within an upper portion 320 of the coupling 318. The splines transfer torque applied by the tilt adjustment motor 302 to the upper portion 320 of the coupling 318. The torque is transferred to the lower portion 322 of the coupling 318 by an internal key or connector 324.

[0030] The lower portion 322 of the coupling 318 interacts with the screw 326 to provide a so-called axial plunge coupler-screw interface. In the illustrated example, the upper end 328 of the screw 326 is box-sectioned so that the upper end 328 can receive torque from the lower portion 322 of the coupling 318. Further embodiments may include hexagonal or other cross-sections, internal or external coupling arrangements, splines, and tripod joints. The lower portion 322 of the coupling 318 includes a complementary box-section recess 330 recess. The box-section recess 330 is deeper than the length of the upper end 328 of the screw 326, thereby providing a free "plunge space." Thus, the screw 326 can receive torque from the tilt adjustment motor 302 but move axially (i.e., plunge) within the box-section recess 330 of the lower portion 322 of the coupling 318. Because of the axial orientation, the tilt adjustment motor 302 is separated from the cooling plate 120 and the showerhead 104. Therefore, the tilt adjustment motor 302 has no axial load.

[0031] The actuated lower end of the screw 326 includes a ball 332. The ball 332 cooperates with a socket clamp 334. The ball and socket arrangement provides a degree of freedom to the auto-tilt system 300 so that the cooling plate 120 and showerhead 104 assembly can assume a planar orientation that is not necessarily horizontal, or a "tilted" or misaligned orientation with respect to the processing chamber 102 or other datum structure. Other coupling arrangements for this are also possible, including, for example, spherical or other types of bearing types or assemblies, such as needle point or jewel bearings. The datum structure may include, for example, an external base or support component. Other datum structures are also possible.

[0032] The socket clamp 334 is secured to the processing chamber 102, and the screw 326 is threadedly engaged with a threaded portion 338 of the showerhead 104. Thus, selective rotational movement of the screw 326 by the tilt motor 302 moves the screw 326 up or down axially or vertically relative to the tilt motor 302 and showerhead 104, drawing the associated portion of the processing chamber 102 closer or farther from the showerhead 104. The term "vertical" herein is not intended to be necessarily limited to a strict "geometrically vertical" value (although such values ​​are included in the range), but rather is intended to include examples that are generally vertical or upright.

[0033] The surface orientation of the showerhead 104 and cooling plate 120 can be adjusted by controlled operation of the tilt adjustment motors 302 working together. The precise degree of control provided by the rotary encoders 304 allows the auto-tilt system 300 to adjust the orientation of the showerhead 104 and cooling plate 120 in a "fine tuned" manner. In an exemplary arrangement including three tilt adjustment motors 302, the auto-tilt system 300 provides an automatic three-axis tilt capability. Other arrangements including fewer or more auto-tilt adjustment motors 302 are possible.

[0034] The processing chamber 102 includes a bellows 312. The bellows 312 defines an expandable and compressible vacuum seal or zone between the processing chamber 102 and the showerhead 104 and can accommodate movement between the processing chamber 102 and the showerhead 104. The bellows 312 allows the showerhead 102 to move without breaking the vacuum seal. In some examples, other sealing means can be provided, such as, for example, an arrangement including one or more O-rings.

[0035] In some examples, fasteners 316 attach the processing chamber 102 to an external base or support component. In these examples, the processing chamber 102 can be said to be fixed (a datum structure), in which case the adjusted showerhead 104 or cooling plate 120 moves relative to the processing chamber 102. In other examples, the opposite situation occurs. In the illustrated example, the load from the weight of the showerhead 104 and the differential pressure (i.e., external atmosphere vs. internal "vacuum" load) is supported by three ball and socket clamps (i.e., ball 332 and socket clamp 334), but is offset, at least in part, by one or more load compensation springs 336. Other compensation mechanisms or arrangements (e.g., gas springs) are also possible. The degree of load compensation can be selected to take into account the force of any vacuum suction inside the bellows 312.

[0036] The rotary encoder 304 may include or be controlled by one or more controllers 400. In some examples, the controller 400 provides intelligent or "smart" control capabilities. Intelligent control may include, for example, tilt between substrate processing steps, making tilt adjustments simpler and easier to use. Some examples include preemptive control of tilt to reduce the impact of component wear on processing results. Some examples allow tracking of how much tilt has been used for any tool, set of tools, design, etc. over time. In some examples, previous showerhead tilt settings may be stored, and when the next showerhead is installed, any tool-identifying offsets may be applied to "predict" the correct tilt and increase the chance of first-time success.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example controller 400 that may implement or control one or more systems or methods described herein. In alternative embodiments, the controller 400 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a network deployment, the controller 400 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a client machine, or both, in a server-client network environment. In one example, the controller 400 may operate as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Furthermore, although only a single controller 400 is shown, the term "machine" (controller) should also be construed to include any collection of machines (controllers) that individually or jointly execute a set (or sets) of instructions to implement any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, such as via cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations. In some examples, referring to FIG. 4, a non-transitory machine-readable medium includes instructions 424 that, when read by the controller 400, cause the controller to control operations in a manner that includes at least the non-limiting example operations described herein.

[0038] The examples described herein may include or operate by logic, some components, or mechanisms. A circuit set is a collection of circuits implemented in a tangible entity that includes hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.). The membership of a circuit set may be flexible over time and over variability of the underlying hardware. A circuit set includes members that, alone or in combination, may perform a particular operation when operated. In one example, the hardware of a circuit set may be immutably designed (e.g., hardwired) to perform a particular operation. In one example, the hardware of a circuit set may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits, etc.) that include a computer-readable medium that is physically modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, by a movable arrangement of immutable mass particles, etc.) to encode instructions for a particular operation. In connecting the physical components, the underlying electrical properties of the hardware components are changed (e.g., from insulator to conductor or vice versa). The instructions enable the embedded hardware (e.g., execution units or loading mechanisms) to create the members of the circuit set in the hardware through the variable connections to perform some of the particular operations when operated. Thus, the computer-readable medium is communicatively coupled to other components of the circuit set when the device is operating. In one example, any of the physical components may be used in multiple members of multiple circuit sets. For example, during operation, an execution unit may be used in a first circuit of a first circuit set at one time and reused at another time by a second circuit in the first circuit set or by a third circuit in the second circuit set.

[0039] The machine (e.g., computer system) controller 400 may include a hardware processor 402 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a GPU 432 (graphics processing unit), a main memory 404, and a static memory 406, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink 408 (e.g., a bus). The controller 400 may further include a display device 410, an alphanumeric input device 412 (e.g., a keyboard), and a UI navigation device 414 (e.g., a mouse or other interface). In one example, the display device 410, the alphanumeric input device 812, and the UI navigation device 414 may be touch screen displays. The controller 400 may further include a mass storage device 416 (e.g., a drive unit), a signal generating device 418 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 420, and one or more sensors 430 (such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or another sensor). The controller 400 may include an output controller 428, such as a serial (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection, for communicating with or controlling one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.).

[0040] The mass storage device 416 may include a machine-readable medium 422 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or instructions 424 (e.g., software) that embody or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. Also as illustrated, the instructions 424 may reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 404, the static memory 406, the hardware processor 402, or the GPU 432 during execution by the controller 400. In one example, the machine-readable medium 422 may be comprised by any one of the hardware processor 402, the GPU 432, the main memory 404, the static memory 406, or the mass storage device 416, or any combination thereof.

[0041] Although the machine-readable medium 422 is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 824.

[0042] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions 424 for execution by the controller 400 and causing the controller 400 to perform any one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or related to such instructions 424. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media may include solid-state memory, optical media, and magnetic media. In one example, a high-capacity machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium 422 having a plurality of particles having an unchanging (e.g., stationary) mass. Thus, a high-capacity machine-readable medium is not a signal that propagates temporarily. Specific examples of high-capacity machine-readable media may include non-volatile memory such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Further, the instructions 424 may be transmitted or received over the communications network 426 via the network interface device 420 using a transmission medium.

[0043] Some examples herein include methods. Referring to FIG. 5, a method 500 for adjusting an orientation of a component in a substrate processing chamber is provided. The method 500 includes, in operation 502, disposing at least one tilt adjustment motor in cooperation with the component. In operation 504, coupling each tilt adjustment motor, directly or indirectly, to an interface portion of the component by a coupling. The coupling is configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface portion of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or datum structure, thereby adjusting an orientation of the component in the processing chamber. And in operation 506, selectively engaging the at least one tilt adjustment motor to adjust the orientation of the component.

[0044] Although the examples have been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments or methods, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the present embodiments. Thus, the specification and drawings should be considered in an illustrative and not a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, show, by way of example and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. The illustrated embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and other embodiments may be derived from the teachings disclosed in the specification, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, this detailed description is not to be construed in a limiting sense, and the scope of the various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[0045] Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be individually and / or collectively referred to herein by the term "invention", but this is merely a matter of convenience and is not intended to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept (if in fact more than one is disclosed). Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that any configuration calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown. The present disclosure is intended to cover all adaptations or variations of the various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments with other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to one of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The present disclosure includes the following application examples: [Application example 1] 1. An automated tilt system for adjusting the orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber, comprising: at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with said component; an automatic tilt system, wherein the at least one tilt adjustment motor is coupled, directly or indirectly, to a connecting portion of the component by a coupling configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the connecting portion of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber. [Application example 2] An automatic tilting system according to Application Example 1, wherein the component is a showerhead component or a cooling plate component. [Application example 3] An automatic tilting system as described in Application Example 1, wherein the coupling includes an interface between an axial plunge coupler and a screw. [Application example 4] The automatic tilt system of application example 3, wherein the interface between the axial plunge coupler and the screw relieves axial load from an associated tilt adjustment motor. [Application example 5] The automatic tilting system of application example 3, wherein the interface between the axial plunge coupler and the screw includes a ball end screw housed in a spherical cup. [Application Example 6] The automatic tilting system according to application example 1, further comprising a bellows disposed between the component and the processing chamber. [Application Example 7] 7. The automatic tilting system of claim 6, wherein the bellows provides at least a partial vacuum seal between the component and the processing chamber. [Application Example 8] An automatic tilting system as described in Application Example 1, further comprising one or more load compensation devices. [Application Example 9] An automatic tilting system according to application example 1, wherein the component is a friction stir welding component or includes a friction stir welding component. [Example 10] 1. A substrate processing system, comprising: an automatic tilt system for adjusting an orientation of a component of the substrate processing chamber, the automatic tilt system comprising: at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with said component; a coupling configured to couple, directly or indirectly, to a mating portion of the component, the coupling being configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the mating portion of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber. [Application Example 11] The substrate processing system according to application example 10, wherein the component is a showerhead component or a cooling plate component. [Application Example 12] A substrate processing system according to application example 10, wherein the coupling includes an interface between an axial plunge coupler and a screw. [Application Example 13] 13. The substrate processing system of claim 12, wherein the interface between the axial plunge coupler and the screw relieves axial load from an associated tilt adjustment motor. [Example 14] A substrate processing system according to application example 12, wherein the interface between the axial plunge coupler and the screw includes a ball end screw housed in a spherical cup. [Example 15] A substrate processing system according to application example 10, wherein the automatic tilting system further includes a bellows disposed between the component and the processing chamber. [Example 16] A substrate processing system as described in application example 15, wherein the bellows provides at least a partial vacuum seal between the component and the processing chamber. [Application Example 17] A substrate processing system according to Application Example 10, wherein the automatic tilt system further includes one or more load compensation devices. [Example 18] A substrate processing system according to application example 10, wherein the component is a friction stir welding component or includes a friction stir welding component. [Example 19] 1. A method for adjusting an orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber, comprising: disposing at least one tilt adjustment motor in cooperation with said component; coupling, directly or indirectly, each tilt adjustment motor to an interface of the component by a coupling configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber; selectively engaging the at least one tilt adjustment motor to adjust the orientation of the component; A method comprising: [Example 20] A tangible computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by a computer, communicating with at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with a component of a substrate processing chamber, the at least one tilt adjustment motor being coupled, directly or indirectly, to an interface of the component by a coupling configured such that automated rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure; Selectively engaging the at least one tilt adjustment motor to adjust an orientation of the component. 23. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that cause the computer to perform operations including:

Claims

1. 1. An automated tilt system for adjusting the orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber, comprising: at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with said component; the at least one tilt adjustment motor is coupled, directly or indirectly, to an interface of the component by a coupling configured such that an automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber; the coupling includes an axial plunge coupler and a screw interface; the axial plunge coupler-screw interface relieves axial load from an associated tilt adjustment motor; Automatic tilt system.

2. 10. The auto-tilt system of claim 1, wherein the component is a showerhead component or a cooling plate component.

3. 10. The auto-tilt system of claim 1, wherein the axial plunge coupler-screw interface comprises a ball end screw received in a spherical cup.

4. 10. The auto-tilting system of claim 1, further comprising a bellows disposed between said component and said processing chamber.

5. 5. The automated tilt system of claim 4, wherein the bellows provides at least a partial vacuum seal between the component and the processing chamber.

6. An automated tilt system for adjusting the orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber, comprising: at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with said component; one or more load compensation devices; an automatic tilt system, wherein the at least one tilt adjustment motor is coupled, directly or indirectly, to a connecting portion of the component by a coupling, the coupling being configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the connecting portion of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber.

7. The automated tilting system of claim 1 , wherein the component is or includes a friction stir welding component.

8. 1. A substrate processing system, comprising: an automatic tilt system for adjusting an orientation of a component of the substrate processing chamber, the automatic tilt system comprising: at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with said component; the at least one tilt adjustment motor is coupled, directly or indirectly, to an interface of the component by a coupling configured such that an automatic rotational movement of the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber; the coupling includes an axial plunge coupler and a screw interface; the axial plunge coupler-screw interface relieves axial load from an associated tilt adjustment motor; Substrate processing system.

9. 9. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the component is a showerhead component or a cooling plate component.

10. 9. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the axial plunge coupler-screw interface comprises a ball-end screw received in a spherical cup.

11. 9. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the automatic tilt system further comprises a bellows disposed between the component and the processing chamber.

12. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the bellows provides at least a partial vacuum seal between the component and the processing chamber.

13. A substrate processing system comprising: an automatic tilt system for adjusting an orientation of a component of the substrate processing chamber, the automatic tilt system comprising: at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with said component; one or more load compensation devices; a coupling configured to couple, directly or indirectly, to a mating portion of the component, the coupling being configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the mating portion of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber.

14. 10. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the component is or includes a friction stir welding component.

15. 1. A method for adjusting an orientation of a component of a substrate processing chamber, comprising: disposing at least one tilt adjustment motor in cooperation with said component; coupling, directly or indirectly, each tilt adjustment motor to an interface of the component by a coupling configured such that automatic rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure, thereby adjusting the orientation of the component in the processing chamber; selectively engaging the at least one tilt adjustment motor to adjust the orientation of the component; Including, the coupling includes an axial plunge coupler and a screw interface; the axial plunge coupler-screw interface relieves axial load from an associated tilt adjustment motor; method.

16. A tangible computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by a computer, in communication with at least one tilt adjustment motor arranged to cooperate with a component of a substrate processing chamber, the at least one tilt adjustment motor being coupled, directly or indirectly, to an interface of the component by a coupling configured such that automated rotational movement by the at least one tilt adjustment motor imparts a corresponding axial movement to the interface of the component relative to the at least one tilt adjustment motor or a datum structure; Selectively engaging the at least one tilt adjustment motor to adjust an orientation of the component. instructions for causing the computer to perform operations including the coupling includes an axial plunge coupler and a screw interface; the axial plunge coupler-screw interface relieves axial load from an associated tilt adjustment motor; A computer-readable storage medium.

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