Cooling, sealing, and gas injection for efficient, extended lifetime inductively-coupled-plasma sources

Abstract

Inductively coupled plasma apparatus having a reaction chamber for generating an inductively coupled plasma, a liquid cooling induction coil with at least a portion helically wound around the reactor chamber, an annular heat sink encircling a flange of the reactor chamber, and a thermally conductive potting material disposed between the annular heat sink and the flange of the reactor chamber.

Description

Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WOCOOLING, SEALING, AND GAS INJECTION FOR EFFICIENT, EXTENDED LIFETIME INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED-PLASMA SOURCESRELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0000] A PCT Request Form is filed concurrently with this specification as part of the present application. Each application that the present application claims benefit of or priority to as identified in the concurrently filed PCT Request Form is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and for all purposes.BACKGROUND

[0001] Plasma has long been employed for processing thin films on substrates. For example, plasma processes are commonly used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices. Plasma is generated by supplying a plasma-generating chamber with reactant gases and applying an electromagnetic field. Some examples of plasma generating techniques involve capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) technology, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technology, transformer- coupled plasma (TCP) technology, electron cyclotron technology, and microwave technology. High-energy ions and / or radicals from the plasma generated are delivered to the processing chamber with the substrate to react with materials on the substrate surface.

[0002] The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present technology. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology.SUMMARY

[0003] According to some embodiments, an inductively coupled plasma apparatus includes a reaction chamber, a liquid cooling induction coil, an annular heat sink, and a first thermally conductive potting material. The reaction chamber is configured to generate an inductively coupled plasma comprising radicals and ions of one or more process gases. The reactor chamber has a first flange extending radially inward and a second flange extending radially outward. At least a portion of the liquid cooling induction coil is helically wound in a plurality of turns around the reactor chamber. The annular heat sink encircles at least the second flange of the reactor chamber. The first thermally conductive potting material is disposed between the annular heat sink and at least the second flange of the reactor chamber. In some cases, the firstAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO flange is configured to interface with a first annular vacuum seal and the second flange is configured to interface with a second annular vacuum seal.

[0004] According to some embodiments, an apparatus includes liquid cooling induction coil helically wound in a plurality of turns. The apparatus also includes an annular heat sink having a helical surface following a path of, and at a gap from, a first turn of the plurality of turns of the liquid cooling induction coil. The apparatus also includes a thermally conductive potting material between adjacent turns of the plurality of turns of the liquid cooling induction coil and between the annular heat sink and the first turn of the liquid cooling induction coil.

[0005] According to some embodiments, an inductively coupled plasma apparatus includes a reactor chamber configured to generate an inductively coupled plasma comprising radicals and ions of one or more process gases. The reactor chamber has a first flange extending radially inward and a second flange extending radially outward. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus also includes a liquid cooling induction coil. At least a portion of the liquid cooling induction coil is helically wound in a plurality of turns around the reactor chamber. In addition, the inductively coupled plasma apparatus includes a heat sink configured for thermally conducting heat away from the second flange of the reactor chamber via a thermally conductive potting material, a processing chamber, a pedestal configured to support a substrate in the processing chamber, and a showerhead in fluidic communication with the reactor chamber and the processing chamber. In some cases, the inductively coupled plasma apparatus also includes a plenum in a baseplate of the processing chamber, wherein the plenum has a shape of a conical frustrum. The plenum includes a first open end with a first diameter and a second open end with a second diameter wider than the first diameter, wherein the first open end is coupled to the reactor chamber and the second open end is coupled to the showerhead. In some cases, the inductively coupled plasma apparatus also includes an apparatus for facilitating a seal, the apparatus including an annular seal member having a radial cross-section that includes a body portion and a flange portion extending radially inwards from the body portion. The body portion is thicker than the flange portion in a direction perpendicular to the flange portion, the body portion includes a first portion that faces radially inwards, the first portion slopes radially inward with increasing distance from the flange portion, and the annular seal member is made of an elastomeric material.

[0006] According to some embodiments, an annular heat sink for an inductively coupled plasma apparatus including a reaction chamber. The annular heat sink includes a main annularAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO portion, a helical surface of the main annular portion, and a flat surface of the main annular portion. The helical surface follows a path of, and is at a gap from, a turn of a helical liquid cooling induction coil wound around the reactor chamber.

[0007] According to some embodiments, a process gas injector for an inductively coupled plasma apparatus includes a process gas inlet for receiving one more process gases, an internal volume, a baffle plate, and a gas distributor for delivering one or more process gases to an internal volume of a reactor chamber of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus. The baffle plate is located in an internal volume between the process gas inlet and the gas distributor. The process gas injector also includes a linear actuator coupled to the baffle plate. The linear actuator is configured to adjust height of the baffle plate above a surface of the gas distributor to modulate velocity distribution of the one or more process gases into the reactor chamber.

[0008] According to some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate includes delivering one or more process gases to a reactor chamber using a gas injector apparatus. The method also includes generating an inductively coupled plasma in the reactor chamber. The method also includes flowing one or more precursor gases into a processing chamber in fluid communication with the reactor chamber. The one or more precursor gases are configured to react with radicals of the inductively coupled plasma to deposit a first layer on the substrate in the processing chamber.

[0009] These and other aspects are described in further detail below with reference to the drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic drawing of an example of a process station with an inductively coupled plasma apparatus, according to embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 2 depicts a schematic illustration of an example of an inductively coupled plasma apparatus with an ICP source that can be powered at a 13.56 Mhz radio frequency, according to an embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 3A depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus in FIG. 2 with an annular seal, according to an embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 3B depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus in FIG. 2 with two annular seals, according to an embodiment.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO

[0014] FIG. 3C depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of an example of an uninstalled state of the annular seal shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B.

[0015] FIG. 4 depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of components of an example an inductively coupled plasma source with the reactor chamber shown in FIG. 2, according to an embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 5 depicts a schematic illustration of an example of an inductively coupled plasma apparatus with an inductively coupled plasma source that can be powered at a 400 KHz radio frequency, according to an embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 6A depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus in FIG. 5 in a region around an annular seal, according to an embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 6B depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus in FIG. 5 in a region around an annular seal, according to an embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 7 depicts a schematic drawing of an example of a process station with an inductively coupled plasma apparatus, according to embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 8 depicts a schematic drawing of an example of an inductively coupled plasma apparatus, according to embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 9 depicts a radial cross-sectional drawing of a portion of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus in FIG. 8 in a region around a first annular seal, according to according to embodiments.

[0022] FIG. 10 depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus in FIG. 8 in a region around a second annular seal, according to embodiments.

[0023] FIG. 11 depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of the inductively coupled plasma apparatus in FIG. 8 in a larger region around second annular seal that includes a heat sink, according to embodiments.

[0024] FIG. 12 depicts an isometric drawing of the heat sink, according to embodiments.

[0025] FIG. 13A depicts the second annular seal in the uninstalled position, according to an embodiment.

[0026] FIG. 13B depicts the second annular seal in the installed position showing compression, according to an embodiment.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO

[0027] FIG. 14A depicts the second annular seal in a nominally installed position, according to an embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 14B depicts an illustration of displacement magnitude (m) for the second annular seal in the nominally installed position in FIG. 14A to demonstrate stability in the installed position, according to an embodiment.

[0029] FIG. 15 depicts another illustration of the gas injector apparatus in FIG. 8, according to an embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 16A depicts a schematic illustration of components of a gas injector apparatus with a baffle plate, according to an embodiment.

[0031] FIG. 16B depicts a schematic illustration of the components of the gas injector apparatus in FIG. ISA with the baffle height being adjusted between a first position and a second position, according to an embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 16C depicts an isometric view of the components of the gas injector apparatus in FIG. ISA and 16B, according to an embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 17A is a plot of the velocity magnitude of process gas for a baffle height or baffle gap of 3.75 mm for the example of the gas injector apparatus shown in FIGS. 16A-C, according to an embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 17B is a plot of the velocity magnitude of process gas for a baffle height or baffle gap of 1.75 mm for the example of the gas injector apparatus shown in FIGS. 16A-C. according to an embodiment.

[0035] FIG. 18 shows a flow diagram of an example method for processing a substrate using an inductively-coupled plasma, according to implementations.

[0036] FIG. 19 shows a schematic diagram of an example process tool including multiple stations, where one or more stations are each configured to generate an inductively-coupled plasma according to some implementations.

[0037] The figures and components therein may not be drawn to scale.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the presented embodiments. The disclosed embodiments may beAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known process operations have not been described in detail to not unnecessarily obscure the disclosed embodiments. While the disclosed embodiments will be described in conjunction with the specific embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the disclosed embodiments.I. Terminology

[0039] The terms "wafer" and "substrate" may be used interchangeably. Those of ordinary skill in the art understand that these terms can refer to a substrate during any of many stages of electronic device fabrication thereon. A wafer or substrate used in the semiconductor device industry typically has a diameter of 200 mm, or 300 mm, or 450 mm. Besides semiconductor devices, other work pieces that may take advantage of the disclosed embodiments include various articles such as printed circuit boards, magnetic recording media, magnetic recording sensors, mirrors, optical elements, display devices or components such as backplanes for pixelated display devices, flat-panel displays, micro-electromechanical devices (e.g., actuators and sensors), image sensors (e.g., complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor), and the like. The work piece may be of various shapes, sizes, and materials.

[0040] A "platen" as used herein refers to a top surface of a pedestal / ESC on which a substrate undergoing fabrication is positioned. There may be a gap between the substrate and the platen surface (e.g., the upper surface), which is generally referred to herein as "d."

[0041] A "pedestal" as used herein may refer to a structure or housing that supports, or includes, the platen.

[0042] An "electronic device fabrication operation" as used herein is an operation performed during fabrication of electronic devices (e.g., semiconductor devices). As referred to herein, such an electronic device fabrication operation is sometimes simply referred to as a "process" or as "processing." Examples of processing include deposition of a material on a substrate, selectively etching material from a substrate, and ashing of photoresist on a substrate. Typically, the overall fabrication process includes multiple electronic device fabrication operations, each performed in its own fabrication tool such as a plasma reactor, an electroplating cell, a chemical mechanical planarization tool, a wet etch tool, and the like. Categories of electronic device fabrication operations include subtractive processes, such as etch processes and planarization processes, and material additive processes, such as depositionAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO processes (e.g., physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, electrochemical deposition, electroless deposition). In the context of etch processes, a substrate etch process includes processes that etch a mask layer or, more generally, processes that etch any layer of material previously deposited on and / or otherwise residing on a substrate surface. Such an etch process may etch a stack of layers in the substrate.

[0043] As used herein, "manufacturing equipment" refers generally to equipment in which a manufacturing process takes place. Manufacturing equipment often includes a process chamber in which the workpiece resides during processing. Typically, when in use, manufacturing equipment performs one or more semiconductor device fabrication operations. Examples of manufacturing equipment for semiconductor device fabrication include deposition reactors such as electroplating cells, physical vapor deposition reactors, chemical vapor deposition reactors, atomic layer deposition reactors, and subtractive process reactors such as dry etch reactors (e.g., chemical and / or physical etch reactors), wet etch reactors, and ashers.

[0044] In certain examples herein, manufacturing equipment may be referred to as a "process chamber." In some examples, the process chamber may be a sealed enclosure in which a substrate is immobilized during processing. The process chamber may include components associated with delivery of and removal of gases. It may also include components associated with generating plasma and controlling properties of plasma within the chamber. It may include components for controlling the pressure, including pulling a vacuum within the chamber. In the context of this disclosure, the process chamber may include a pedestal on which the substrate sits while it is being processed. A pedestal may be outfitted with a chuck such as an ESC to hold the wafer in position during processing.II. Introduction to inductively coupled plasma (ICP) apparatus

[0045] An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) generating apparatus can be used in a variety of microfabrication processes including substrate cleaning processes, surface conditioning processes, thin film deposition processes, etching processes, and cleaning processes, among other applications. In an ICP apparatus, a power generator supplies a radio frequency (RF) supply signal to one or more induction coils. The supply signal generates time-varying magnetic fields around the induction coil (s) that create electric currents through process gas by way of electromagnetic induction. The electric currents supply energy to generate the inductively coupled plasma from the process gas. In some cases, an impedance matching network may be included to facilitate the transfer of power from the supply signal generator to the inductionAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO coil(s) to facilitate formation of the plasma while minimizing the wasted reflected power and potentially reducing risk of damage to a device being fabricated in the processing chamber as well as damage to the apparatus components themselves.

[0046] An ICP apparatus generally includes an ICP source with a reactor chamber for generating plasma based on inductively coupled plasma generation. ICP sources may be used in processing stations of a single or multi-station processing apparatus. Generally speaking, ICP sources produce radicals that allow film growth in the case of deposition chemistry or etch in the case of etch chemistry. Design and operational features of an ICP source can impact the efficiency of radical production. Some examples of features that can impact radical production include RF power, RF frequency, RF inductive coil design, RF transmission losses, velocity distribution of process gases, reactor volume and shape, materials for the reactor walls, reactor wall surface temperature, and gas composition. Certain embodiments described herein pertain to features related to cooling, sealing, and gas injection components of ICP apparatus that may advantageously improve ICP source efficiency and / or operational life.

[0047] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic drawing of an example of a process station 100 with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) apparatus 101 that can generate an inductively coupled plasma 102 (also referred to herein simply as "plasma"), according to embodiments. ICP apparatus 101 includes an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source 110 with a reactor chamber 111 (also sometimes referred to herein as a "bell jar" or "reactor") for generating the inductively coupled plasma 102, a processing chamber 160 for processing a substrate 161, and a showerhead 170 between the reactor chamber 111 and the processing chamber 160. Reactor chamber 111 is in fluidic communication with the processing chamber 160 via the showerhead 170.

[0048] During operation, process station 100 generates inductively coupled plasma 102 in the reactor chamber 111. The reactor chamber 111 may be generally dome-shaped or hemispherical as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 or have other shapes such as a substantially cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 or have a shape of a conical frustrum as shown in FIG. 2. The process station 100 also includes an RF generator system 195 and a system controller 190 in electrical communication with the power generator 191 to send control signals.

[0049] The substrate 161 is shown supported on a substrate support or pedestal 162. In some cases, the pedestal 162 may be able to move, rotate, and / or tilt within the processing chamber 160 to position the substrate 161 within the processing chamber 160. The pedestal 162Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO typically includes a chuck (not shown) that can hold the substrate 161 in place during processing. The chuck may be an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, or another type of chuck suitable for use in the industry.

[0050] Process station 100 includes a reactor chamber 111 separate from the processing chamber 160. The reactor chamber 111 may be formed of a dielectric material such as a dielectric quartz or a ceramic material. The ICP source 110 also includes an induction coil 112 arranged around an outer surface of the reactor chamber 111. The induction coil 112 is a hollow tube with integral fluid cooling. In the illustrated example, a single induction coil 112 is shown with five turns wrapped around the reactor chamber 111. In other implementations, additional coils or different number of turns may be used. The induction coil 112 may be formed of a copper material or another highly conductive material. The power generator 191 is in electrical communication with one end of the induction coil 112 to supply power used to generate the plasma 102 by inductive coupled generation. Another end of the induction coil 112 is grounded or returned directly to the generator. The RF power generator 196 may generate an RF alternating current (AC) supply signal to the induction coil 112, where the signal may have a frequency between about 50 kHz and about 60 MHz. In one example, the frequency is 400 KHz. In another example, the frequency is 13.56 MHz. The power generator 191 may supply RF power in a range between about 100 W and about 20000 W, or between about 1000 W and about 8000 W.

[0051] The ICP source 110 also includes a process gas inlet 151 for receiving one or more process gases. The process gas inlet 151 may be in fluidic communication with one or more process gas sources. During operation, the one or more process gases are delivered to the reactor chamber 111 via the process gas inlet 151 and the ICP apparatus 101 transforms the process gas or gases into the inductively generated plasma 102 in the reactor chamber 111. In various implementations, process gases may or may not be premixed. In some implementations, the ICP apparatus 101 includes a gas injector (e.g., gas injector 1540 shown in FIG. 15) that can adjust the velocity profile of the process gas being injected into the reactor chamber 111, for example, to inject process gas along the chamber walls. In one example, the gas injector may include a baffle plate or one or more gas inlets with orifices that can orient the process gas or gases.

[0052] The process station 100 also includes an RF generator system 195 with an RF power generator 196 and an impedance matching network 197 in electrical communication with theAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO induction coil 118. The impedance matching network 197 is in electrical communication with the RF power generator 196 to facilitate the transfer of power to the induction coil 112 and thereby facilitate the formation of the plasma 102 while minimizing the wasted reflected power and potentially reducing the risk of damage to a device being fabricated in the processing chamber 160 as well as damage to the apparatus components themselves. The process station 100 also includes an system controller 190 in electrical communication with the RF power generator 196 to send control signals. The system controller 190 includes a processor system 193 and a data system 194 in electrical communication with the processor system 193 to receive data for storage and to retrieve data.

[0053] During operation, as the RF power generator 196 supplies an RF supply signal to the induction coil 112, energy is created in reactor chamber 111 to form and sustain the plasma 102 within the reactor chamber 111. The plasma 102 contains a mixture of at least ions and neutral species (e.g., radicals). Ions and radicals of the process gas may be continuously generated in the reactor chamber 111. Radical species of plasma 102 may flow from reactor chamber 111 to the processing chamber 160 via showerhead 170.

[0054] In some implementations, the showerhead 170 may also include or act as an ion filter and / or photon filter. Filtering ions and / or photons may advantageously reduce substrate damage, undesirable re-excitation of molecules, and / or selective breakdown or decomposition or precursors within the processing chamber 160. The showerhead 170 may include a plurality of holes to diffuse the flow of gases into processing chamber 160. For example, the plurality of holes may be arranged as an array of regularly spaced apart channels or through-holes extending through a plate that separates the reactor chamber 111 and the processing chamber 160.

[0055] In some cases, excited state radical species exiting the showerhead 170 may flow into an interior of the processing chamber 160. The excited state radical species may transition into relaxed state or ground state radical species in the processing chamber 160. In some implementations, precursor gases or other reactant gases may flow into the processing chamber 160 via gas ports, which may be located downstream from gas outlets of the showerhead 170. That way, the precursor gases or other reactant gases do not interact with the radical species generated from reactor chamber 111 until entering the processing chamber 160. The radical species, which may be in a relaxed or ground state, react with the precursor gases or other reactant gases in an environment adjacent to the substrate 161 in the processingAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO chamber 160. The reaction may cause chemical vapor deposition (CVD) formation of a thin film(e.g., dielectric material) on the substrate 161.

[0056] The processing chamber 160 also includes gas outlet 163, which may be in fluidic communication with a pump (not shown). Gases may be removed from the processing chamber 160 via the gas outlet 163. For example, excess precursor gases, reactant gases, radical species, diluent gases, displacement gases, purge gases, and other gases may be removed from the processing chamber 160 via the gas outlet 163.

[0057] The system controller 190 includes a processor system 193 and a data system 194 in electrical communication with the processor system 193. The processor system 193 (e.g., one or more microprocessors) is configured to execute instructions stored in the data system 194 (e.g., non-transitory memory). In some implementations, the system controller 192 is in operative communication with one or more components of the process station 100 to control processing conditions such as, for example, radio frequency (RF) power settings, frequency settings, duty cycles, pulse times, pressure within the processing chamber 160, pressure within the reactor chamber 111, gas flow rates, and temperature of the pedestal 162, among other processing conditions. For example, the system controller 192 may be in operative communication with the RF power generator 191 to be able to adjust the RF power supplied to the induction coil 112 to control plasma parameters and / or conditions during operation. As another example, optionally (denoted by dashed line), the system controller 192 may be in operative communication with the pedestal 162 to control pedestal elevation, tilt, rotation, and / or temperature. As another example, the system controller 192 may be in operative communication with a baffle plate of a gas injector to adjust baffle height to control the velocity profile of process gas flow into the reactor chamber 111.III. ICP sources with dome and conical frustum shaped reactor chambers

[0058] The size (e.g., diameter) of an inductively coupled reactor chamber is a design factor used to determine the frequency required for powering radical production. For example, ICP sources with large reactor chambers (also sometimes referred to as "large inductors") can be driven at a lower radio frequency with the same voltage drop than ICP sources having relatively smaller reactor chambers. For instance, the ICP source 210 in FIG. 2 has a smaller reactor chamber 211 than the reactor chamber 511 of the ICP source 510 shown in FIG. 5. In this case, the ICP source 510 with the larger reactor chamber 511 can be driven at a lower frequency of about 400 KHz than the ICP source 210 with the smaller reactor chamber 211, which can beAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO driven at about 13.56 Mhz. Larger reactor chambers have greater cooling needs than smaller reactors. For example, larger reactors may require fluid cooled induction coils wrapped around a larger area of the vacuum vessel as opposed to smaller reactor chambers that could have fewer coils or turns of a single coil over a smaller area and with air cooling.

[0059] FIG. 2 depicts a schematic illustration of an example of an ICP apparatus 201 with an ICP source 210 that can be powered at a 13.56 Mhz radio frequency, according to an embodiment. FIG. 3A depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the ICP apparatus in FIG. 2 with an annular seal 232. FIG. 3B depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the ICP apparatus in FIG. 2 with two annular seals 234, 235. FIG. 3C depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of an example of an uninstalled state of the annular seal 234 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B.

[0060] The ICP apparatus 201 includes an ICP source 210 with a reactor chamber 211 for generating an inductively coupled plasma 202 and a separate processing chamber 260 for processing a substrate 261. The middle portion of a wall 213 of the reactor chamber 211 has a shape of a conical frustrum. The wall 213 may be formed of a dielectric material such as a dielectric quartz or a ceramic material. The wall 213 includes an outer surface 214 and an inner surface 215. The reactor chamber 211 also includes a top dielectric flange 217 and a bottom dielectric flange 218. The bottom dielectric flange 218 has a thickness, ter, and a width, WBF. The wall 213 has a substantially uniform thickness at a middle portion between the top dielectric flange 217 and bottom dielectric flange 218. Both the top dielectric flange 217 and the bottom flange extend radially outwardly from the wall 213. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the thickness of the bottom dielectric flange 218 (t BF) is greater than the average thickness (typ) of the top dielectric flange 217.

[0061] The ICP source 210 also includes an induction coil 212 that is a hollow tube with integral fluid cooling from a cooling gas such as air flowing through the inner volume. In some implementations, forced convection cooling from fans and / or exhaust may also be used to extract heat away from the outer surface 214 of the reactor chamber 211 and / or induction coil 212 to cool the reactor chamber 211. The induction coil 212 includes turns around the outer surface 214 of the reactor chamber 211. The ICP source 210 includes a supporting arm or other structural element or elements coupled to the induction coil 212 to maintain an air gap 219 between the induction coil 212 and the outer surface 214 of the reactor chamber 211 to prevent electrical breakdown of the air around the reactor chamber 211. The induction coil 212Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO may be formed of a copper material or other highly conductive material.

[0062] In various embodiments, ICP apparatus include techniques for extracting heat away from the outer surface of a reactor chamber which results in cooling to the interior surfaces of the dielectric reactor chamber. Elevated temperatures of the surface of the inner dielectric wall of a reactor chamber and elevated recombination rates of the inner dielectric wall can negatively impact radical delivery to a substrate in the processing chamber and lifetime of the dielectric reactor chamber. In addition, elevated temperatures at the seals of the reactor chamber can degrade lifetime of the seals.

[0063] The ICP apparatus 201 also includes a showerhead 270 with the reactor chamber 211 above the showerhead 270. The reactor chamber 211 is in fluidic communication with the processing chamber 260 via the showerhead 270. The showerhead 270 includes a base portion 271 and a cylindrical portion 272 that extends perpendicularly downward from the base portion 271. The cylindrical portion 272 has an inner wall 273 that defines a bore 274 of the showerhead 270. The diameter of bore 274 is equal to the diameter of the inner wall 273 of the cylindrical portion 207 of the showerhead 270.

[0064] The base portion 271 of the showerhead 270 includes a first set of holes 277. The first set of holes 277 may also be referred to as radical holes or through-holes. The first set of holes 277 extends through the thickness of the base portion 271 of the showerhead 270 from the top surface 275 to the bottom surface 276. The first set of holes 277 may have dimensions and be in a pattern that provide nominally uniform distribution of the gases and attenuates ions more than radicals. For example, the showerhead 270 may filter ions from the inductively coupled plasma 202 and pass radicals from the inductively coupled plasma 202 through the first set of holes 277 into the processing chamber 260. The total cross-sectional area of the first set of holes Til may be optimized to filter ions from the inductively coupled plasma 202, to pass only radicals from the inductively coupled plasma 202 through the showerhead 270 into the processing chamber 260, and to limit back-diffusion of precursor gases through the showerhead 270 into the reactor chamber 211.

[0065] The base portion 271 of the showerhead 270 also includes one or more gas plenums 282 for precursor distribution to the substrate 261 and for fluid cooling. The plenum(s) are separate from and not in fluidic communication with the first set of holes 277. The gas plenum(s) 282 can receive one or more precursor gases from a gas delivery system. The base portion 271 of the showerhead 270 also includes a second set of holes 278. The second set ofAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO holes 278 may also be referred to as precursor holes or ports. The second set of holes 278 extends from the plenum(s) 282 to the bottom surface 276 of the base portion 271 of the showerhead 270. The first set of holes 277 are not in fluidic communication with the plenum(s) 282 and the second set of holes 278. In some embodiments, the first set of holes 277 are greater in diameter and length 279 than the second set of holes 278. The plenum(s) 282 represents a volume, space, or cavity defined in the base portion 271 in fluidic communication with the second set of holes 278.

[0066] During operation, ICP source 210 generates inductively coupled plasma 202 in the reactor chamber 211. The substrate 261 is shown supported on a substrate support or pedestal 262. In some cases, the pedestal 262 may be able to move within the processing chamber 260 to position the substrate 261 within the processing chamber 260. The pedestal 262 typically includes a chuck (not shown) that can hold the substrate 261 in place during processing. The chuck may be an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, or other type of chuck suitable for use in the industry.

[0067] The ICP apparatus 201 also includes a gas injector apparatus 250 arranged at the top of the reactor chamber 211. The reactor chamber 211 receives one or more process gases via the gas injector apparatus 250. The gas injector apparatus 250 includes an injector cap 252 with a cylindrical base portion 253 and an injector flange 254 extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical base portion 253. The cylindrical base portion 253 of the injector cap 252 also includes a gas inlet 251 passing through the cylindrical base portion 253. The gas inlet 251 has a first end for receiving one or more process gases from one or more sources (e.g., via one or more fluidic connectors) and a second end in fluidic communication with an interior volume of the gas distributor 255 to deliver process gas. The gas injector apparatus 250 also includes a gas distributor 255 with a plurality of holes (not shown) in a bottom portion of the gas distributor 255. The holes are in fluidic communication with the interior volume of the reactor chamber 211 to distribute process gas into the reactor chamber 211. For example, the holes may be sized and have a pattern for delivering a predefined flow profile of process gas to the reactor chamber 211. The gas distributor 255 includes a cylindrical portion and a hemispherical portion extending downward from the cylindrical portion. At the top of the cylindrical portion is a distributor flange 256 extending radially outward from a top edge of a wall 301 of the gas distributor 255.

[0068] ICP apparatus 201 also includes a top annular seal 232 for forming a vacuum sealAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO between the top dielectric flange 217 of the reactor chamber 211 and the injector flange 254 of the gas injector apparatus 250. The distributor flange 256 has a thickness, tDF, and a groove 302 at a distal end for interfacing with the top annular seal 232. The top annular seal 232 is an O-ring seal that is gap limited by a spacer / centering ring 239. The spacer / centering ring 239 includes a base portion 305 and two flanges 306 that extend upward and downward respectively from the base portion 305. The upper and lower outer surfaces of the base portion 305 of the spacer / centering ring 239 are sandwiched between the injector flange 254 and the top dielectric flange 217 of the reactor chamber 211 to maintain the gap. The spacer / centering ring 239 may be made of a plastic material. Localized stresses may be created on the top flange 217 as the top annular seal 232 compresses due to temperature changes and cycling. Excessive clamping between the injector cap 252 and the top flange 217 may cause high localized stress on top flange 217. The spacer / centering ring 239 maintains a gap between the injector cap 252 and the top flange 217 to limit localized stress on the top flange 217 and can prevent cracking of the top flange 217.

[0069] ICP apparatus 201 also includes a first bottom annular seal 234 for forming a vacuum seal between the bottom dielectric flange 218 of the reactor chamber 211 and an attachment ring 238 coupled to the base portion 271 of the showerhead 270. The combined thickness of the bottom dielectric flange 218, ter, and the wall 213, tWaii, of the reactor chamber 211 may be limiting on the ability to extract heat from the flange area. The attachment ring 238 is made of aluminum or other suitable metal. The attachment ring 238 has a first rectangular groove 308 and a second rectangular groove 310. The first bottom annular seal 234 is a P-shaped seal with an O-ring portion 312 and a flat portion or flange 314 extending radially inward from the O-ring portion 312. Upon installation, the O-ring portion 312 fits over the corner of and into the first rectangular groove 308 of the attachment ring 238 and the flange 314 is sandwiched between the bottom dielectric flange 218 of the reactor chamber 211 and a first surface 311 of the attachment ring 238. The first bottom annular seal 234 may be made of an elastomer or other suitable material. Elastomer is well suited to alleviating stress concentrations due to its softness. As the first bottom annular seal 234 is compressed during thermal cycling and temperature loading, the flange 314 of the first bottom annular seal 234 prevents direct contact of the top dielectric flange 217 of the reactor chamber 211 to the hard mating surface of the attachment ring 238 (e.g. metal ring). The loading on the first bottom annular seal 234 is primarily due to the differential pressure created by vacuum and is limited. In addition, ICP apparatus 201 includes a second bottom annular seal 235 for forming a vacuum seal betweenAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO the attachment ring 238 and an upper surface of the showerhead 270. The second bottom annular seal 235 is an O-ring seal. Upon installation, the second bottom annular seal 235 fits into the second rectangular groove 310 of the attachment ring 238.

[0070] The ICP apparatus 201 also includes an RF enclosure 203 around ICP source 210 for RF shielding to lower electromagnetic interference for safety purposes. The walls of the RF enclosure may be made of metal. The RF enclosure 203 may also act to constrain the flow of cooling air or other cooling gas passing within the inner volume of the enclosure. The bottom edge of the sidewalls of the RF enclosure 203 are in contact with the base portion 271 of the showerhead 270.

[0071] During operation, as an RF power generator (not shown) supplies an RF supply signal to the induction coil 212, energy is created in reactor chamber 211 to form and sustain the plasma 202 within the reactor chamber 211. The RF power supplied to the induction coil 212 ignites the process gases injected by the gas injector apparatus 250 into the reactor chamber 211 and generates an inductively coupled plasma 202. The plasma 202 contains a mixture of at least ions and neutral species (e.g., radicals). Ions and radicals of the process gas or process gases may be continuously generated in the reactor chamber 211. Radical species of plasma 202 may flow from reactor chamber 211 to the processing chamber 260 via showerhead 270. Precursor gases or other reactant gases may flow into the processing chamber 260 via the second set of holes 278 in fluidic communication with the plenum(s) 282. The radical species, which may be in a relaxed or ground state, react with the precursor gases or other reactant gases in the processing chamber 260. The reaction may cause chemical vapor deposition (CVD) formation of a thin film (e.g., dielectric material) on the substrate 261.

[0072] FIG. 4 depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of components of an example an ICP source 410 with the reactor chamber 211 shown in FIG. 2, according to an embodiment. The ICP source 410 includes a first bottom annular seal 434 for forming a vacuum seal between the bottom dielectric flange 218 of the reactor chamber 211 and an attachment ring 438. The attachment ring 438 is made of aluminum or other suitable metal. The attachment ring 438 has a first rectangular groove 408 and a third rectangular groove 419. The ICP source 410 also includes a centering element 439 for centering and guiding the reactor chamber 211 being lowered onto the attachment ring 438 during installation. The centering element 439 may prevent the inner surfaces of the reactor chamber 211 from contacting the attachment ring 438 (e.g., metallic ring) during installation and preventing damage to the reactor chamber 211.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO

[0073] FIG. 5 depicts a schematic illustration of an example of an ICP apparatus 501 with an ICP source 510 that can be powered at a 400 KHz radio frequency, according to an embodiment. FIG. 6A depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the ICP apparatus 501 in FIG. 5 in a region around annular seal 532. FIG. 6B depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of the ICP apparatus 501 in FIG. 5 in a region around annular seal 534.

[0074] The ICP source 510 has a dome-shaped or hemispherical reaction chamber 511 for generating an inductively coupled plasma 502 and a separate processing chamber 560 for processing a substrate 561. The reactor chamber 511 has a dielectric wall 513 formed of a dielectric material such as a dielectric quartz or a ceramic material. The dielectric wall 513 includes an outer surface 514, an inner surface 515, and a dielectric flange 518 extending radially outwardly from the dielectric wall 513. The dielectric flange 518 has a thickness, ter, and a width, WBF- Although the dielectric wall 513 shows a substantially uniform thickness above the bottom dielectric flange 518, other varying thicknesses may be used. The ICP apparatus 501 also includes a metallic baseplate 570 with a plurality of gas injectors 577 that deliver the inductively coupled plasma 502 from the reactor chamber 511 to the processing chamber 560. The metallic baseplate 570 is made of an aluminum material or other suitable metal.

[0075] The ICP source 510 also includes an RF induction coil 512 that is a hollow tube with integral fluid cooling. The fluid cooling is provided by a cooling liquid flowing through the inner volume of the hollow tube. The wall thickness of the hollow tube may be in a range of 1 mm to 20 mm. The induction coil 512 includes a plurality of turns around the outer surface 514 of the reactor chamber 511. The induction coil 512 may be formed of a copper material or other highly conductive material. The turns of the induction coil 512 cover a substantial fraction of the area of the outer surface 514 of the reactor chamber 511 and are potted with a thermally conductive potting material 519. The thermally conductive potting material 519 may transfer heat from the outer surface 514 of the reactor chamber 511 to the induction coil 512. The thermally conductive potting material 519 may also function to prevent breakdown from arcing and / or corona between the turns of the induction coil 512 and between the induction coil 512 and the reactor chamber 511.

[0076] During operation, process station 500 generates inductively coupled plasma 502 in the reactor chamber 511. The substrate 561 is shown supported on a substrate support or pedestal 562. In some cases, the pedestal 562 may be able to move (vertically, tilt, or rotate) within the processing chamber 560 to position the substrate 561. The pedestal 562 typically includes aAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO chuck (not shown) that can hold the substrate 561 in place during processing. The chuck may be an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, or other type of chuck suitable for use in the industry.

[0077] The ICP apparatus 501 also includes a gas injector apparatus 550 arranged at the top of the reactor chamber 511. The reactor chamber 511 receives one or more process gases from one or more process gas sources via the gas injector apparatus 550. The gas injector apparatus 550 includes an injector cap 552 located to the outside of the outer surface 514 of the dielectric wall 513 and a gas distributor 555 located to the outside of the inner surface 515 of the dielectric wall 513. The injector cap 552 includes a base portion 553 and a cylindrical portion 554 (also referred to as a "shaft") extending downward from base portion 553.

[0078] A gas inlet 551 passes through the base portion 553 of the injector cap 552 and is in fluidic communication with a plurality of gas outlets 656. The gas inlet 551 includes a first end for receiving one or more process gases from one or more sources (e.g., via one or more fluidic connectors) and a second end in fluidic communication with the gas outlets 656. Distal ends of the gas outlets 656 are in fluidic communication with an interior volume of the reactor chamber 511 to deliver process gas. The gas outlets may be an arrangement of tubes that are sized and with a pitch and distribution pattern for delivering a predefined flow profile of process gas to the reactor chamber 511.

[0079] The gas distributor 555 includes a cylindrical upper portion 652 and a hemispherical portion 651 extending downward from the cylindrical upper portion 652. The hemispherical portion 651 includes a flat 654 that is coupled to the inner surface 515 of the dielectric wall 513 of the reactor chamber 511. The reactor chamber 511 also includes a circular aperture 650. During assembly, the cylindrical upper portion 652 of the gas distributor 555 fits into the circular aperture 650 until the flat 654 contacts a mating portion of the inner surface 515 of the wall 513 of the reactor chamber 511. The circular aperture 650 has a diameter sized for clearance with the outer diameter of the cylindrical upper portion 652 of the distributor 545.

[0080] ICP apparatus 501 also includes a top annular seal 532 for forming a vacuum seal between the reactor chamber 511 and a spacer / centering ring 539 sandwiched between a shaft surface 670 of the gas injector apparatus 550 and the reactor chamber 511. The top annular seal 532 is an O-ring seal that is gap limited by a spacer / centering ring 539. The spacer / centering ring 539 includes a cylindrical portion 660, a flange 661 extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical portion 660, and a substantially rectangular groove 663 along anAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO outer surface of the cylindrical portion 660 and the flange 661. The top annular seal 532 is positioned within the substantially rectangular groove 663. The spacer / centering ring 539 may be made of a plastic material. By maintaining a gap between the injector cap 552 and dielectric wall 513, the spacer / centering ring 539 may act to minimize localized stresses on the dielectric wall 513 of the reactor chamber 511 at the edge of the circular aperture 650 due to thermal cycling and clamping. The spacer / centering ring 539 may be made of an elastomer material. Compression on the top annular seal 532 during vacuum sealing or thermal cycling may impart bending stresses in the dielectric wall 513 of the reactor chamber 511 at or near the circular aperture 650.

[0081] ICP apparatus 501 also includes a bottom annular seal 534 forming a vacuum seal between the bottom dielectric flange 518 of the reactor chamber 511 and the metallic baseplate 570. The bottom annular seal 534 is an O-ring seal made of an elastomer or other suitable material. The base portion 571 of the metallic baseplate 570 has a rectangular groove 508 for receiving the bottom annular seal 534. Upon installation, the bottom annular seal 534 fits over the corner of and into the rectangular groove 508 of the base portion 571 of the metallic baseplate 570.

[0082] As the bottom annular seal 534 is placed in compression, the bottom dielectric flange 518 is placed in direct contact with a mating surface 680 of the metallic baseplate 570. In the illustrated example, the bottom annular seal 534 does not prevent hard contact of the bottom dielectric flange 518 with the metallic baseplate 570 when the O-ring is in compression. The compression loading on the bottom annular seal 534 is primarily due to the differential pressure created by the vacuum seal and the differential thermal expansion between the dielectric wall 513 and the metallic baseplate 570. This loading may cause localized stress and failure of the dielectric wall 513 if the contact with the metallic baseplate 570 is too hard. As the bottom annular seal 534 is placed in compression, the dielectric wall 513 may be at high stress due to contact with the hard metal of the metallic baseplate 570 that also has higher thermal expansion. In some cases, preventive maintenance in replacing the bottom annular seal 534 periodically may be necessary to prevent excessive compression stresses and strains, which builds with time and temperature and cycling.

[0083] The ICP source 510 also includes a plastic attachment ring 538 having a cylindrical portion 692 and a flange 694 extending radially inward from the cylindrical portion 692. The flange 694 of the plastic attachment ring 538 is located between the bottom dielectric flangeAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO518 of the reactor chamber 511 and the thermally conductive potting material 519. There is a gap with a distance, d, between a bottom turn 695 of the induction coil 512 and the flange 694 of the plastic attachment ring 538. Since the plastic attachment ring 538 has low thermal conductivity properties and there is a gap between the induction coil 512 and the plastic attachment ring 538, any heat extraction by the plastic attachment ring 538 may be negligible. Since the plastic material of the plastic attachment ring 538 has thermal conductivity properties that are many times lower than the thermal conductivity properties of the thermal conductive potting material 519, the plastic attachment ring 538 may be thermally insulating in comparison with the thermal conductive potting material 519 and diminish the heat removal capability in the area surrounding the plastic attachment ring 538.

[0084] The bottom dielectric flange 518 has a thickness, ter, and a width, WBF, along a bottom surface. The combined thickness of the bottom dielectric flange 518, ter, and the dielectric wall 513, tWaii, of the reactor chamber 511 may limit the capability to extract heat from the area surrounding the bottom dielectric flange 518.

[0085] During operation, an RF power generator (not shown) supplies an RF supply signal to the induction coil 512, energy is created in reactor chamber 511 to form and sustain the plasma 502 within the reactor chamber 511. The RF power supplied to the induction coil 512 ignites the process gases injected by the gas injector apparatus 550 into the reactor chamber 511 and generates an inductively coupled plasma 502. The plasma 502 contains a mixture of at least ions and neutral species (e.g., radicals). Ions and radicals of the process gas or process gases may be continuously generated in the reactor chamber 511. Radical species of plasma 502 from the reactor chamber 511 may be injected into the processing chamber 560 by the gas injectors 577. The radical species, which may be in a relaxed or ground state, react with precursor gases or other reactant gases in the processing chamber 560. The reaction may cause chemical vapor deposition (CVD) formation of a thin film (e.g., dielectric material) on the substrate 561.IV. ICP sources with cylindrical shaped reactor chambers

[0086] FIG. 7 depicts a schematic drawing of an example of a process station 700 with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) apparatus 701, according to embodiments. Process station 700 also includes an RF generator system 795 and a system controller 790 in electrical communication with the RF power generator 791 to send control signals.

[0087] The ICP apparatus 701 includes an ICP source 710 with a reactor chamber 711 forAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO generating an inductively coupled plasma 702, a processing chamber 760 for processing a substrate 761, and a showerhead 770 between the reactor chamber 711 and the processing chamber 760. Reactor chamber 711 is in fluidic communication with the processing chamber 760 via the showerhead 770. ICP apparatus 701 also includes a gas distributor 755 having a plurality of process gas ports 759 that receive one or more process gases from one of more gas sources via a process gas inlet (not shown). The process gas ports 759 deliver the process gas to the reactor chamber 711 and the ICP apparatus 701 transforms the process gas into the inductively generated plasma 702 in the reactor chamber 711. The ICP source 710 also includes annular vacuum seals at the two ends of the reactor chamber 711. A first annular vacuum seal (e.g., first annular seal 832 in FIG. 8) is installed between the gas distributor 755 and the reactor chamber 711 and a second annular vacuum seal (e.g., second annular seal 834 in FIG. 8) is installed between the showerhead 770 and the reactor chamber 711. The substrate 761 is shown supported on a substrate support or pedestal 762. In some cases, the pedestal 762 may be able to move, rotate, and / or tilt within the processing chamber 760 to position the substrate 761. Pedestal 762 typically includes a chuck (not shown) that can hold the substrate 761 in place during processing. The chuck may be an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, or another type of chuck suitable for use in the industry.

[0088] ICP source 710 also includes an induction coil 712 with integral liquid cooling arranged helically in a plurality of coil turns around an outer surface 714 of the reactor chamber 711. The induction coil 712 is a hollow tube. Although a single induction coil is shown with thirty one (31) turns, additional coils or different number of turns may be used. The pitch between adjacent coil turns and the dimensions (inner and outer diameters) may be selected to provide a desired rate of cooling. For example, the pitch between adjacent coil turns may be in a range of 4 mm to 20 mm, the outer diameter may be in a range of 50 mm to 400 mm, and the inner diameter may be in a range of 45 mm to 395 mm. Having many turns of the induction coil with integral liquid cooling over a substantial portion of the outer surface 714 advantageously improves the cooling capability over other ICP apparatus having fewer coil turns and / or have air cooling such as the ICP apparatus 201 shown in FIG. 2. Any suitable cooling liquid may be used to flow through the internal volume. Some examples of cooling fluids include water, glycol, glycol- water mixtures, perfluoropolyether fluids (PFPE), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). The dielectric fluid should have sufficient electrical resistivity such that the electrical power dissipated by ohmic dissipation in the fluid is not significant compared to the total power delivered. The ICP source 710 includes a cooling fluid inlet 723 at one end of the induction coilAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO712 for receiving a cooling fluid from a source and a cooling fluid outlet 722 at another end of the induction coil 712 for outputting the cooling fluid.

[0089] The induction coil 712 may be formed of a copper material or another highly conductive material. The power generator 791 is in electrical communication with one of the coil turns of the induction coil 712 to supply power used to generate the plasma 702 by inductive coupled generation. Another turn of the induction coil 712 is grounded or returns to the generator directly. The RF power generator 796 may generate an RF alternating current (AC) supply signal to the induction coil 712, where the signal may have a frequency between about 50 Khz and 13 Mhz. In one example, the frequency is 400 KHz. The power generator 191 may supply RF power in a range between about 500 W and about 50000 W.

[0090] The reactor chamber 711 has an inner wall 713 formed of a dielectric material such as a dielectric quartz or a ceramic material such as Aluminum Oxide (AI2O3) or Aluminum Nitride (AIN). An inner surface 715 of an inner wall 713 of the reactor chamber 711 is substantially cylindrical in shape having a constant inner diameter, d, between the gas distributor 755 and the showerhead 770. In various embodiments, the inner diameter of a reactor chamber (e.g., reactor chamber 711 and 811) having a substantially cylindrical shape may be in the range of 40 mm to 390 mm.

[0091] The vacuum loading at the annular seals at both ends of a cylindrical reactor chamber imparts mainly in in-plane compressive loading on the inner wall. Since the inner wall of a cylindrical reactor chamber is mainly under in-plane compression stress, the inner wall of dielectric material can be formed thinner than an inner wall of a chamber where significant bending stresses may be imparted by loading at the vacuum seals. For example, significant bending stress might be imparted on chamber walls having curved shapes (e.g., reactor chamber 511) or on chamber walls that are significantly out-of-plane from the applied compressive load (e.g., reactor chamber 211). In some embodiments, the thickness of the inner wall (e.g., inner walls 713 and 813) of a reactor chamber (e.g., reactor chamber 711 and 811) having a substantially cylindrical shape may be in the range of 1 mm to 20 mm. Having a thin reactor chamber wall advantageously reduces the radial thickness of the material between the internal volume of the reactor chamber and an induction cooling coil around the outer surface, which improves heat extraction by the induction cooling coil, and keeps the inner surface of the reactor chamber cooler. It is advantageous to keep the inner surface of a reactor chamber cool to increase the generation of radicals in the plasma. Recombination of radicals on the innerAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO surface is exponentially related to the temperature at the surface as is the associated loss rate of the radicals. Thus, the recombination coefficient of radicals is lower at lower temperatures. Also, keeping the inner surface of a reactor chamber cool can improve the longevity of the chamber since chemical-driven surface attack is exponentially related to the temperature at the inner wall. Generally, it is advantageous to minimize the rise in temperature of the inner surface in the presence of a power flux. The rise in temperature is proportional to the power flux in watts per meter squared times the wall thickness divided by the thermal conductivity.

[0092] The RF generator system 795 includes an RF power generator 796 and an impedance matching network 797 in electrical communication with one of the turns of the induction coil 718. The impedance matching network 797 is in electrical communication with the RF power generator 796 to facilitate the transfer of power to the induction coil 712 and thereby facilitate the formation of the plasma 702 while minimizing the wasted reflected power and potentially reducing the risk of damage to a device being fabricated in the processing chamber 760 as well as damage to the apparatus components themselves.

[0093] During operation, as the RF power generator 796 supplies an RF supply signal to the induction coil 712, energy is created in reactor chamber 711 to form and sustain the plasma 702 within the reactor chamber 711. The plasma 702 contains a mixture of at least ions and neutral species (e.g., radicals). Ions and radicals of the process gas may be continuously generated in the reactor chamber 711. Radical species of plasma 702 may flow from reactor chamber 711 to the processing chamber 760 via showerhead 770. In some implementations, the showerhead 770 may also include or act as an ion filter and / or photon filter. The radical species, which may be in a relaxed or ground state, react with the precursor gases or other reactant gases in the processing chamber 760. The reaction may cause chemical vapor deposition (CVD) formation of a thin film (e.g., dielectric material) on the substrate 761.

[0094] The processing chamber 760 also includes a gas outlet 763, which may be fluidly coupled to a pump (not shown). Gases may be removed from the processing chamber 760 via the gas outlet 763. For example, excess precursor gases, reactant gases, radical species, diluent gases, displacement gases, purge gases, and other gases may be removed from the processing chamber 760 via the gas outlet 763.

[0095] The system controller 792 includes a processor system 793 (e.g., one or more microprocessors) configured to execute instructions stored in the data system 794 (e.g., non- transitory memory). In some implementations, the system controller 792 is in operativeAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO communication with components of the process station 700 to control one or more processing conditions such as, for example, radio frequency (RF) power settings, frequency settings, duty cycles, pulse times, pressure within the processing chamber 760, pressure within the reactor chamber 711, gas flow rates, and temperature of the pedestal 762, among other processing conditions. For example, the system controller 792 is in operative communication with the power generator 791 to adjust the RF power supplied to the induction coil 712 to control plasma parameters and / or conditions during operation. As another example, optionally (denoted by dashed line), the system controller 792 may be in operative communication with the pedestal 762 to control pedestal elevation, tilt, rotation, and / or temperature. As another example, the system controller 792 may be in operative communication with a baffle plate (e.g., baffle plate 856 in FIG. 8 or baffle plate 1556 in FIG. 15) of a gas injector to adjust baffle height to control the velocity profile of process gas flow into the reactor chamber 711.

[0096] FIG. 8 depicts a schematic drawing of an example of an ICP apparatus 801, according to embodiments. Some of the elements shown in FIG. 8 are similar or analogous to elements shown in FIG. 7. For the sake of brevity, the prior discussion of such similar or analogous elements with regard to FIG. 7 may be assumed to be equally applicable, unless indicated otherwise in the following discussion, to the similar or analogous counterparts of those elements in FIG. 8 that share the same last two digits in their respective callouts as in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 depicts a radial cross-sectional drawing of a portion of the ICP apparatus 801 in FIG. 8 in a region around a first annular seal 832. FIG. 10 depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of the apparatus 801 in FIG. 8 in a region around a second annular seal 834. FIG. 11 depicts a radial cross-sectional illustration of the apparatus 801 in FIG. 8 in a larger region around second annular seal 834 that includes a heat sink 880. FIG. 12 depicts an isometric drawing of the heat sink.

[0097] ICP apparatus 801 includes an ICP source 810 with a reactor chamber 811 for generating an inductively coupled plasma and a processing chamber 860 for processing a substrate 761. ICP apparatus 801 also includes a gas injector apparatus 850 for receiving one or more process gases and delivering the process gas to an internal volume of the reactor chamber 811. The ICP apparatus 801 also includes a baseplate 881 defining a plenum 882. One end of the plenum 882 faces and is in fluidic communication with one end of the reactor chamber 811. The ICP apparatus 801 also includes a showerhead 870 between the plenum 882 and the processing chamber 860. The other end of the plenum 882 faces and is in fluidic communication with a topAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO surface 875 of the showerhead 870. The plenum 882 is in fluidic communication with the processing chamber 860 via the showerhead 870. The ICP source 810 includes two annular vacuum seals 832, 834, at the opposing ends of the reactor chamber 811. A first annular seal 832 forms a vacuum seal between one end of the reactor chamber 811 and a gas distributor 855 of the gas injector apparatus 850. A second annular seal 834 forms a vacuum seal between the other end of the reactor chamber 811 and the baseplate 881 coupled to the showerhead 870.

[0098] The substrate 861 is shown supported on a substrate support or pedestal 862. In some cases, the pedestal 862 may be able to move, rotate, and / or tilt within the processing chamber 860 to position the substrate 861. Pedestal 862 typically includes a chuck (not shown) that can hold the substrate 861 in place during processing. The chuck may be an electrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck, or another type of chuck suitable for use in the industry.

[0099] The reactor chamber 811 has an inner wall 813 formed of a dielectric material such as a dielectric quartz or a ceramic material such as Aluminum Oxide (AI2O3) or Aluminum Nitride (AIN). In examples that implement certain plasma processes, a dielectric quartz may be used due to lower recombination rates and lower cost. In these example, the relatively low thermal conductivity of the dielectric quartz may require a minimum thickness of the inner wall 813 for a given power flux and temperature drop required across the thickness of the innerwall 813.

[0100] The innerwall 813 of the reactor chamber 811 has an inner surface 815 and an outer surface 816. The inner wall 813 has a first flange 817 at one end of the inner wall 813 that extends radially inward from the outer surface 816 and a second flange 818 at the other end of the innerwall 813 that extends radially outward from the inner surface 815. Extending the second flange 818 radially outward may be advantageous in avoiding flow disturbances. The inner surface 815 of the inner wall 813 is substantially cylindrical in shape having a constant inner diameter, dchamber, between a first flange 817 and a second flange 818. As shown in FIG. 9, the first flange 817 has a radial width, WTF, and the innerwall 813 has a thickness, twaii, at a middle portion between the first flange 817 and the second flange 818. In one example, the radial width, WTF, may have a size optimized to provide a minimum surface area required to form a vacuum seal with the first annular seal 832 in order to maximize heat transfer though the dielectric material of the first flange 817. For example, the radial width, WTF, may be equal to the radial width, wseaii, of the first annular seal 832. As mentioned above with reference to FIG. 7, a cylindrical geometry with annular seals at opposing ends may be favorable from aAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO stress perspective allowing for thinner wall thickness, twaii, than other chamber designs. The radial width, WTF, of the first flange 817 may be in a range of 3 mm to 20 mm. The thickness, twaii, of the first flange 817 may be in a range of 1 mm to 20mm.

[0101] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the thickness, twaii, of the inner wall 813 is nominally uniform in the middle portion between the first flange 817 and the second flange 818 and then thickens at the flanges 817, 818. In some cases, the inner wall 813 may be formed of a dielectric material with high thermal conductivity properties such as certain ceramic materials (e.g., Aluminum Oxide, Aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, and silicon carbide), and the thickness, twaii, of the inner wall 813 may be nominally uniform from to end to end without substantially thinning in the middle portion.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 10, the second flange 818 of the inner wall 813 of the reactor chamber 811 has a first portion 1040 with a first radial width, WBFI, and a second portion 1042 with a second radial width, WBF2, smaller than first radial width, WBFI, forming a groove 1085 facing the inner volume of the reactor chamber 811. The second radial width, WBFZ, may have a size optimized to provide a minimum surface area required to form a vacuum seal with the second annular seal 834 in order to maximize heat transfer though the dielectric material of the second flange 818. For example, the second radial width, WBF2, may be equal to the radial width, wseai2, of the second annular seal 834. The first radial width, WBFI, of the second flange 818 may be in a range of 3 mm to 20 mm and the second radial width, WBF2, of the second flange 818 may be in a range of 3 mm to 20mm. An end surface of the first flange 817 and an end surface of the second flange 818 may be nominally flat. The end surfaces may have a surface roughness of less than 16 microinch.

[0103] Returning to FIG. 8, ICP source 810 also includes an induction coil 812 having a plurality of coil turns arranged helically around an outer surface 814 of the reactor chamber 811 and an outer wall 820 outside the induction coil 812. The induction coil 812 may be formed of copper or other highly conductive material. The plurality of coil turns of induction coil 812 include an n- th turn 812-n. The induction coil 812 is a hollow tube with an internal volume within which a cooling fluid may flow to extract heat from, for example, the outer surface 814 of the reactor chamber 811 in order to cool the inner surface 815 of the reactor chamber 811. In some cases, the pitch between adjacent coil turns and / or the dimensions (inner and outer diameters) of the induction coil 812 may be selected to provide a desired rate of cooling. In one example, the pitch between adjacent coil turns of the of the induction coil 812 may be in a range of 4 mm toAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO20 mm, the outer diameter may be in a range of 50 mm to 400 mm, and the inner diameter may be in a range of 45 mm to 395 mm. The many turns of the induction coil 812 are arranged over a substantial portion of the outer surface 814 of the reactor chamber 811, which advantageously improves the cooling capability as compared with other ICP apparatus having fewer coil turns and / or have air cooling. The ICP source 810 also includes a cooling fluid inlet 823 at one end of the induction coil 812 for receiving a cooling fluid from a cooling fluid source and a cooling fluid outlet 822 at another end of the induction coil 712 for outputting the cooling fluid. Some examples of suitable cooling fluids include water, glycol, glycol-water mixtures, perfluoropolyether fluids (PFPE), perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). The dielectric fluid should have sufficient electrical resistivity such that the electrical power dissipated by ohmic dissipation in the fluid is not significant compared to the total power delivered. Although a single induction coil 712 is shown with thirty one (31) turns, additional coils or different number of turns may be used according to other implementations.

[0104] The cooling fluid flowing through the induction coil 812 cools most effectively the closer the induction coil 812 is to the source of the heat being extracted. However, an induction coil812 is typically made of a highly conductive material that must be separated from ground planes to prevent air breakdown. Ground planes typically include, for example, the gas injector cap 852 and the baseplate 881. To avoid contacting the ground planes, the turns of the induction coil 812 of ICP apparatus 801 are not wrapped around the reactor chamber 811 at a lower portion near the baseplate 881 or at an upper portion near the injector cap 852. In order to extract heat from the lower portion of the reactor chamber 811 where there are no turns of the induction coil 812 to extract heat, the ICP source 810 includes a heat sink 880 for extracting heat from the outer surface 814 of the reactor chamber 811 at the lower portion at the second flange 818. The heat sink 880 includes a first portion 1092 with a first radial width, WHSI, and a second portion 1094 with a second radial width, WHS2, extending downward from the first portion 1092. The heat sink 880 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as a ceramic material (e.g., AI2O3, AIN, or other ceramic material with high thermal conductivity properties).

[0105] The heat sink 880 includes a first surface 1097 that is thermally coupled via a thermally conductive potting material 1095 to a mating portion of the outer surface 814 of the inner wall813 of the reactor chamber 811 at and near the second flange 818. In the illustrated example, there is a small gap filled with thermally conductive potting material 1095 between the heatAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO sink 880 and the outer surface 816 of the inner wall 813 of the reactor chamber 811. The thermally conductive potting material 1095 may be a silicone potting material or other similar potting material ceramic-filled silicone, epoxy, and ceramic filled epoxy. The thickness of the thermally conductive potting material 1095 and elastic properties of the material used may be selected to advantageously allow for thermal expansion of the reactor chamber 811 and the thermally conductive potting material 1095 while minimizing stress.

[0106] In some cases, the heat sink 880 and the inner wall 813 of the reactor chamber 811 may be made of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) properties. In these cases, there may be differential thermal expansion between the heat sink 880 and the inner wall 813 of the reactor chamber 811 due to mismatched CTE and temperature gradients, which are necessary for cooling. The stresses induced by the differential thermal expansion may be managed by the thermally conductive potting material 1095 between the heat sink 880 and the reactor chamber 811. For example, the thermally conductive potting material 1095 may have properties with softness and thickness that reduce the stresses induced in the adjoining heat sink 880 and the reactor chamber 811.V. Heat sink

[0107] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the heat sink 880 also includes a helical (second) surface 1082 that has a path that runs substantially parallel to a helical path of the n-th turn 812-n of the induction coil 812. By employing this helical surface 1082, the n-th turn 812-n of the induction coil 812 can be located in close proximity to the heat sink 880 to conduct heat with low thermal resistance from the heat sink 880 to the cooling fluid flowing through the induction coil 812. In the illustrated example, there is a small gap filled with a thermally conductive potting material 819 between the n-th turn 812-n of the induction coil 812 and the heat sink 880. The thermally conductive potting material 819 may be a silicone potting material or other similar potting material ceramic filled silicone, epoxy, or ceramic filled epoxy. Locating the induction coil 812 in close proximity to the heat sink 880 may advantageously improve heat extraction from the lower portion of the reactor chamber 811. For example, the first portion 1092 in close proximity to the n-th turn 812-n of the induction coil 812 may have a first radial width, WHSI, that is substantially greater than the second radial width, WHS2, of the second portion 1094 in close proximity to the second flange 818 of the reactor chamber 811. This increase in thickness can act to extract heat away from the lower portion of the reactor chamber 811 and conduct the heat to the cooling fluid in the induction coil 812. In anotherAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO implementation, the n-th turn 812-n of the induction coil 812 may be in direct contact with the helical (second) surface 1082 of the heat sink 880. The heat sink 880 also includes a third surface 1098. In some cases, the heat sink 880 may be fabricated as a single integrated part. For example, the heat sink 880 may be fabricated as a single monolithic part of ceramic material with a helical surface 1082 cut into the ceramic material to allow the helical surface to follow the induction coil 812.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 11, a gap 1096 lies between the induction coil 812 and the outer surface 816 of the inner wall 813. The radial width of the gap 1096 may vary along the turns of the induction coil 812. The gap 1096 may be in a range of 0.05 mm to 1 mm. A thermally conductive potting material 819 is filled between the turns of the induction coil 812, in the gap 1096 between the induction coil 812 and the outer surface 816 of the inner wall 813, and between the induction coil 812 and the heat sink 880. The thermally conductive potting material 819 in the small gap 1096 may advantageously improve heat transferfrom the outer surface 814 of the reactor chamber 811 to the cooling fluid in the induction coil 812. An example of a suitable thermally conductive potting material 819 is a silicone potting material or other similarthermally conductive potting material ceramic-filled silicone, epoxy, and ceramic filled epoxy. Potting of the induction coil 812 with the thermally conductive potting material 819 may allow the induction coil 812 to be run at higher voltages without air breakdown as compared with other induction coils that do not have potting. The small gap 1096 between the induction coil 812 and the outer surface 816 of the inner wall 813 and the small thickness of the inner wall 813 may also advantageously create stronger coupling of fields to plasma with reduced coil loss.

[0109] In one implementation, the thermally conductive potting material 1095 between the heat sink 880 and the reactor chamber 811 may be a different material than the thermally conductive potting material 819. During operation, there may be more heat transferred through the thermally conductive potting material 1095 between the heat sink 880 and the reactor chamber 811 than through the thermally conductive potting material 819 between the reactor chamber 811 and the induction coil 812. The tolerances of the second portion 1094 of the heat sink 880 and the second flange 818 of the reactor chamber 811 will dictate a minimum nominal gap 1099 to prevent interference and the gap 1099 may be different than the gap 1096. The strain on the thermally conductive potting material 1095 is also function of the heat load, the part geometry, and the gaps chosen. In one example, the thermally conductiveAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO potting material 1095 may be a different material having a higher maximum strain before failure than the thermally conductive potting material 819. For example, the thermally conductive potting material 1095 may have a larger failure strain and the thermally conductive potting material 819 may have a lower failure strain to accommodate the required strains in the two distinct regions.

[0110] During assembly of the ICP apparatus 801, a subassembly including the induction coil 812, heat sink 880, thermally conductive potting material 1095, and outer wall 820 is slid over the reactor chamber 811 from one end. The thermally conductive potting material 819 is then filled between the between the turns of the induction coil 812, in the gap 1096 between the induction coil 812 and the outer surface 816 of the inner wall 813, and between the induction coil 812 and the heat sink 880. To facility this assembly, the first flange 817 extends radially inward which allows the subassembly to fit over the end of the reactor chamber 811. Also, at least one end of the reactor chamber 811 has an outer diameter at the outer surface 814 that allows for clearance with the inner diameter of the induction coil 812. The induction coil 812 may be precision bent on an external tool to be able to easily slide the induction coil 812 over the end of the reactor chamber 811, according to one implementation.

[0111] In the illustrated example shown in FIGS. 8-11, the heat sink 880 is in close proximity via a thermally conductive potting material 1095 to the n-th turn 812-n of the induction coil 812. In another implementation, the heat sink 880 be formed to be able to be placed in close proximity to additional surfaces of the induction coil 812. For example, the heat sink 880 may have a portion extending from the first portion 1092 that wraps around the outside of one or more turns of the induction coil 812.

[0112] In certain implementations, one or more additional cooling mechanisms may be included at the upper portion and / or lower portion of the reactor chamber 811. For example, one or more cooling tubes may be included and potted to the reactor chamber 811 at the lower portion of the reactor chamber 811 between the induction coil 812 and the baseplate 881. In addition or alternatively, one or more cooling tubes may be may be included and potted to the reactor chamber 811 the upper portion of the reactor chamber 811 between the induction coil 812 and the injection cap 852. The cooling tubes may be made of a dielectric material such as high temperature plastic.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 8, the reactor chamber 811 is above a plenum 882 formed in a baseplate 881 coupled to the showerhead 870. During operation, the baseplate 881 with theAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO plenum 882 delivers gas from the reactor chamber 811 through the showerhead 870 to the processing chamber 860. The showerhead 870 includes a base portion 871 and a cylindrical portion 872 that extends perpendicularly downward from the base portion 871. The cylindrical portion 872 has an inner wall 873 that defines a bore 874 of the showerhead 870. The diameter of bore 874 is equal to the diameter of the inner wall 873 of the cylindrical portion 807 of the showerhead 870.

[0114] The plenum 882 represents a volume, space, or cavity defined in the baseplate 881. The plenum 882 is in fluidic communication with the reactor chamber 811 and the showerhead 870. The inner surface of the plenum 882 includes a cylindrical (first) portion and a second portion having the shape of a conical frustrum. The first portion of the plenum 882 includes a first circular aperture end in fluidic communication with an open end of the reactor chamber 811. The first inner diameter, dpi, of the first end is defined at an upper surface of the baseplate 881 and coincides with the inner diameter of the reactor chamber 811. The second portion of the plenum 882 includes a second end defined by an upper surface 875 of the baseplate 881 of the showerhead 870. The second end has a second inner diameter dP2. As shown in FIG. 8, the first inner diameter, dpi, of the plenum 882 at the interface with the reactor chamber 811 is significantly smaller than the second inner diameter, dP2, at the interface with the base portion 871 of the showerhead 870. This increase in diameter between the reactor chamber 811 and the showerhead 870 allows for plasma volumes that are smaller and that tend to be favorable for fast ignition times, high plasma density, and higher uniformity. The first inner diameter, dpi, may be in a range of 40 mm to 390 mm. The second inner diameter, dP2, may be in a range of 250 mm to 450 mm.

[0115] The base portion 871 of the showerhead 870 also includes a first set of holes 877. The first set of holes 877 may also be referred to as radical holes or through-holes. The first set of holes 877 extends through the thickness of the base portion 871 of the showerhead 870 from a top surface 875 to a bottom surface 876. The first set of holes 877 may have dimensions and be in a pattern that provide nominally uniform distribution of the gases and attenuates ions more than radicals. For example, the showerhead 870 may filter ions from the inductively coupled plasma generated in reactor chamber 811 and pass radicals from the inductively coupled plasma through the first set of holes 877 into the processing chamber 860. The total cross- sectional area of the first set of holes 877 may be optimized to filter ions from the inductively coupled plasma 802, to pass only radicals from the inductively coupled plasma 802 through theAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO showerhead 870 into the processing chamber 860, and to limit back-diffusion of precursor gases through the showerhead 870 into the reactor chamber 811.

[0116] Although not shown, one or more plenums may be in fluidic communication with the showerhead 870 to provide precursor gases to the substrate 861 in the processing chamber 860. These one or more plenums are separate from, and not in fluidic communication with, the first set of holes 877. These one or more plenums are in fluidic communication with a precursor gas delivery system to receive one or more precursor gases. The base portion 871 of the showerhead 870 also includes a second set of holes 878. The second set of holes 878 may also be referred to as precursor holes or ports. The second set of holes 878 are in fluidic communication with these one or more plenums to receive the one or more precursor gases. In some embodiments, the first set of holes 877 are greater in diameter and length 879 than the second set of holes 878.

[0117] The ICP apparatus 801 also includes a gas injector apparatus 850 arranged at the top of the reactor chamber 811. The reactor chamber 811 receives one or more process gases via the gas injector apparatus 850. The gas injector apparatus 850 includes an injector cap 852 defining an inner volume. The injector cap 852 includes a gas inlet 851 for receiving one or more process gases from one or more sources (e.g., via one or more fluidic connectors). The gas injector apparatus 250 also includes a gas distributor 855 with a plurality of gas ports 859. The gas ports 859 are in fluidic communication with the interior volume of the reactor chamber 811 to distribute process gas into the reactor chamber 211. For example, the gas ports 859 may be sized and have a pattern for delivering a predefined flow profile. The gas injector apparatus 850 also includes a baffle plate 856 above the gas distributor 855. The baffle plate 856 is configured to restrain and / or regulate the flow of process gas delivered to the gas distributor 855. The gas injector apparatus 850 includes two linear actuators 858 coupled to the inner wall of the injector cap 852 at one end and to the baffle plate 856 at the other end. During operation, the linear actuators may be used to adjust the distance between the baffle plate 856 and the gas distributor 855 (also referred to herein as "baffle height") in order to modulate velocity distribution of the process gas delivered to the reactor chamber 811.

[0118] A surface at the outer circular edge of the injector cap 852 of the gas injector apparatus 850 is coupled to a mating surface at the outer edge of the gas distributor 855. As shown in FIG. 9, the gas distributor 855 includes a first groove 902 with a first surface 903 and a second surface 904, a second groove 932 with a first surface 933, and a third groove 908. The secondAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO surface 904 of the first groove 902 slopes radially inward with increasing distance away from a first surface 933 of the second groove 932. The slope of the second surface 904 is at an angle, a, with respect to the first surface 933 of the first groove 902. The dimensions of the first groove 902 and the second groove 932 are sized to receive the first annular seal 832.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 10, baseplate 881 includes a first groove 1002 with a first surface 1003 and a second surface 1004, a second groove 1006 with a first surface 1033 and a second surface 1034, and a third groove 1008. The second surface 1004 of the first groove 1002 slopes radially inward with increasing distance away from the first surface 1033 of the second groove 1006. The slope of the second surface 1004 of the first groove 1002 is at an angle, , with respect to the first surface 1003 of the first groove 1002. The dimensions of the first groove 1002 and the second groove 1006 are sized to receive the second annular seal 834.

[0120] The ICP apparatus also includes a first centering ring 839 and a second centering ring 838 for centering the reactor chamber 811 during installation. The first centering ring 839 and a second centering ring 838 may be made of a plastic material. The centering ring may be an array of balls or arcs spaced azimuthally instead of a discrete ring. The balls, arcs, or discrete ring can be captured by press fitting into features machined in third groove 1008. The cross- sectional diameter of the first centering ring 839 and / or second centering ring 838 may be in a range 2 mm to 8 mm. The third groove 908 of the injector cap 852 of the gas injector apparatus 850 is sized to receive and place the centering ring 839 in tolerance fit during installation to center the reactor chamber 811. The third groove 1008 of the baseplate 881 is sized to receive and place the centering ring 838 in tolerance fit during installation to center the reactor chamber 811.

[0121] The baseplate 881 also includes a heat sinking flange 1081 with a thickness, IHSF, and a length, IHSF- The thickness, tnsF, may be in a range of 0.5 mm to 4 mm. The thickness, IHSF, may be in a range of 2 mm to 10 mm. The heat sinking flange 1081 has an inner surface 1035 that faces the plasma side of the reactor chamber 811. The heat sinking flange 1081 provides a thermally conductive path to extract heat in the vicinity of the second annular seal 834 which may advantageously cool the second annular seal 834 and the lower portion of the reactor chamber 811. The heat sinking flange 1081 also provides a circuitous path for radicals to reach the second annular seal 834 which may advantageously reduce heat load on the second annular seal 834 by radical recombination on surfaces of the second annular seal 834.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WOVI. Annular seals

[0122] In various embodiments, an ICP apparatus includes a reactor chamber having a substantially cylindrical shape with two annular vacuum seals at both ends. The annular vacuum seals may be stretched during installation to fit stably into grooves. The annular vacuum seals are typically made of elastomer material. The stretching of the annular vacuum seal may remove the outer diameter tolerance on the annular seal. For example, where an annular vacuum seal is made of elastomer material, the annular vacuum seal typically has a dimensional tolerance of at least ±1%. In one instance, a 6-inch diameter annular vacuum seal made of elastomer material may have a diameter tolerance of about ±.06 inches, which would otherwise need to be accommodated by a wider flange. In these embodiments, however, an annular vacuum seal may use stretch capabilities that exceed the outer diameter tolerance and the mating groove may be correspondingly designed to keep the annular seal stable when installed. The annular vacuum seals at the two ends of the reactor chamber may also be advantageous sealing surfaces due to their relatively better dimensional tolerances of the surface profile that are readily achievable on nominally flat surfaces as compared to the curved surfaces of other configurations.

[0123] An illustrated example of a first annular vacuum seal 832 and a second annular vacuum seal 834 installed in an ICP apparatus 801 having a reactor chamber 811 with a substantially cylindrical shape is shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 illustrates a radial cross section of the installed first annular vacuum seal 832. FIG. 10 illustrates a radial cross section of the second installed annular vacuum seal 834.

[0124] In FIG. 9, the first annular vacuum seal 832 includes a body portion 910 and a flange portion 912 that extends radially inward from the body portion 910. The body portion 910 is thicker than the flange portion 912 in a direction perpendicular to the flange portion 912. The body portion 910 includes a first portion 931 that faces radially inward. The first portion 931 slopes radially inward with increasing distance away from a first surface 933 of the flange portion 912. During installation, the first annular vacuum seal 832 is stretched such that the body portion 910 fits over the corner and into the first groove 902 of the gas distributor 855.

[0125] In FIG. 10, the second annular vacuum seal 834 includes a body portion 1010 and a flange portion 1012 that extends radially inward from the body portion 1010. The body portion 1010 is thicker than the flange portion 1012 in a direction perpendicular to the flange portion 1012. The body portion 1010 includes a first portion 1031 that faces radially inward. The firstAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO portion 1031 slopes radially inward with increasing distance away from a first surface 1033 of the flange portion 1012. During installation, the first annular vacuum seal 834 is stretched such that the body portion 1010 fits over the corner and into the first groove 1002 of the baseplate 881. The first annular vacuum seal 832 and / or the second annular vacuum seal 834 may be made of an elastomer material. Employing first annular vacuum seal 832 and / or the second annular vacuum seal 834 with an elastomer material may advantageously prevent hard contact between the flanges 817, 818 and the mating surfaces during temperature increases and cycling.

[0126] FIG. 13A depicts the second annular seal 834 in the uninstalled position, according to an implementation. FIG. 13B depicts the second annular seal 834 in the installed position showing compression, according to an implementation. The first portion 1031 of the annular seal 834 slopes radially inward with increasing distance away from the first surface 1033 of the flange portion 1012. In the uninstalled position shown in FIG. 13A, the slope of the first portion 1031 of the body portion 1010 is at an angle, <|>, with respect to the first surface 1033 of the flange portion 1012. The angle, c|>, may be in a range of 5 degrees to 45 degrees. The flange portion 1012 has a nominal thickness, tfiange- The nominal thickness, tfiange, may be in a range of 0.25 mm to 4 mm. In some cases, the thickness, tfiange, of the flange portion may be beneficial to lowering gas permeation.

[0127] During installation, the second annular vacuum seal 834 is stretched such that the body portion 1010 fits over the corner 1005 of the first groove 1002 and into the first groove 1002 of the baseplate 881. In the compressed position, the annular seal 834 provides a first sealing interface between the second flange 818 and the annular seal 834 that extends along nearly the entire radial width, wseai, of the annular seal 834. The second sealing interface between the first groove 1002 and the annular seal 834 extends along a substantial portion of the inner surface of the first groove 1002. The third sealing interface between the first surface 1007 of the second groove 1006 and annular seal 834 extends along nearly the entire radial width of the flange portion 1012 of the annular seal 834. As compared with a round O-ring, the annular seal 834 has a longer seal length and associated lower gas leak rate. The slope of the first portion 1031 of the annular seal 834 and the slope of the mating second surface 1004 of the first groove 1002 allows the annular seal 834 to be captured with the first groove 1002 and be stable at installation. The asymmetric geometry of the body portion 1010 may also advantageously prevent installation of the annular seal 834 upside down. For example, if theAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO annular seal 834 is installed upside down, the body portion 1010 may spring back and pop out of first groove 1002.

[0128] During installation, the second annular seal 834 is stretched into the first groove 1002 which can remove the outer diameter tolerances in the second annular seal 834 that may be built up during fabrication. Removing the outer diameter tolerances in the second annular seal 834 may be particularly advantageous when being installed between a narrow flange (e.g., first flange 817 in FIG. 8) of the inner wall 813 of a reactor chamber 811 and the gas injector apparatus 850 and / or the baseplate 881.

[0129] FIG. 14A depicts the second annular seal 834 in a nominally installed position, according to an implementation. FIG. 14B depicts an illustration of displacement magnitude (m) for the second annular seal 834 in the nominally installed position in FIG. 14A to demonstrate stability in the installed position. The illustration in FIG. 14B shows the second annular seal 834 in the installed position as shown in FIG. 14A in black outline.

[0130] As shown in FIG. 14B, the second annular seal 834 moves slightly to its stable installed position. In the installed position, the second annular seal 834 is captured in the first groove 1002 and is unable to pop out of the first groove 1002 once installed. When the reactor chamber 811 is installed between the baseplate 881 and the gas injector apparatus 850 and placed under vacuum, the second annular seal 834 seats into the first groove 1002 and compresses as shown in FIG. 13B.

[0131] Some of the elements of the first annular seal 832, the first groove 902, the second groove 906 in FIGS. 13A-14B are similar or analogous to elements of the second annular seal 834, first groove 1002, and second groove 1006 respectively. For the sake of brevity, the discussion of such similar or analogous elements with regards to FIGS. 13A-14B may be assumed to be equally applicable, unless indicated otherwise.VII. Gas injector

[0132] In various embodiments, a gas injector apparatus includes a baffle plate that can modulate the velocity distribution of one or more process gases delivered to an internal volume of a reactor chamber of a plasma generating apparatus. An example of a gas injector apparatus that can be implemented to deliver process gas to a reactor chamber having a substantially cylindrical shape is depicted in FIG. 8. FIG. 15 depicts another illustration of the gas injector apparatus 850 in FIG. 8. Although these illustrated examples are described as implemented inAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO an ICP apparatus, other plasma generating apparatus may employ the gas injector apparatus.

[0133] In FIG. 15, the gas injector apparatus 850 includes an injection cap 852 and a gas inlet 851 for receiving one or more process gases from one or more sources and delivering the process gas to an internal space 1585 within the injector cap 852. A housing 1581 with the gas inlet 851 is coupled to the injector cap 852 and sealed by an annular seal 1584 (e.g. a circular O- ring) to a first opening of the injector cap 852. The gas injector apparatus 250 also includes a gas distributor 855 with a plurality of gas ports 859. The gas ports 859 are in fluidic communication with an interior volume of the reactor chamber 811 to deliver process gas into the reactor chamber 811. An outer edge of the injector cap 852 is coupled to and sealed via an annular seal 1582 (e.g., a circular O-ring) to a first surface 1560 of the gas distributor 855.

[0134] The gas injector apparatus 850 also includes a baffle plate 856 above the gas distributor 855. The baffle plate 856 is configured to regulate the flow of process gas delivered to the internal volume of the reactor chamber 811 via the gas distributor 855. For example, the baffle plate 956 may deflect the flow of process gas sideways to direct flow through the gas ports 859 such that the process gas flows with higher velocity along the inner surface 715 of the reactor chamber 811. The outer diameter of the baffle plate 856 extends radially outward past the outermost gas ports of the plurality gas ports 859 of the gas distributor 855.

[0135] The gas injector apparatus 850 also includes two linear actuators 858 coupled to an internal wall of the injector cap 852. During operation, the linear actuators 858 may be used to adjust the distance between a first surface 1550 of the baffle plate 856 and a first surface 1560 of the gas distributor, which is also referred to herein as the baffle height, hb, or baffle gap. In an alternative embodiment, the baffle height may be set by one or more structural elements such as standoffs. The baffle height may be adjusted to optimize radical production and uniformity in the reactor chamber 811.

[0136] FIG. 16A depicts a schematic illustration of components of a gas injector apparatus 1650 with a baffle plate 1656, according to an embodiment. FIG. 16B depicts a schematic illustration of the components of the gas injector apparatus 1650 in FIG. 16A with the baffle height being adjusted between a first position and a second position. FIG. 16C depicts an isometric view of the components of the gas injector apparatus 1650 in FIG. 16A and 16B. Some of the elements shown in FIGS. 16A-C are similar or analogous to elements shown in FIG. 15. For the sake of brevity, the prior discussion of such similar or analogous elements with regard to FIGS. 16A-C may be assumed to be equally applicable, unless indicated otherwise in the followingAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO discussion, to the similar or analogous counterparts of those elements in FIG. 15 that share the same last two digits in their respective callouts as in FIG. 15.

[0137] In FIG. 16A, the baffle plate 1656 of the gas injector apparatus 1650 is located at a distance between a first surface 1550 of the baffle plate 856 and a first surface 1560 of the gas distributor or at a baffle height, hb- The example in FIG. 16B shows the baffle height, hb, adjusted between a first position and a second position by the linear actuator(s) 1658 for a change of baffle height, Aheight. The baffle plate 1656 is configured to regulate the velocity distribution of the process gas delivered to an internal volume of a reactor chamber 1611 via the gas distributor 1655.

[0138] FIG. 17A is a plot of the velocity magnitude of process gas for a baffle height or baffle gap of 3.75 mm for the example of the gas injector apparatus 1650 shown in FIGS. 16A-C. FIG. 17B is a plot of the velocity magnitude of process gas for a baffle height or baffle gap of 1.75 mm for the example of the gas injector apparatus 1650 shown in FIGS. 16A-C. As shown by the plots in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the small baffle gap of 1.75 mm resulted in higher velocity near the inner wall of the reactor chamber relative to the center than the larger baffle gap of 3.75 mm. Smaller baffle gaps result in higher velocity near the inner wall of reactor chamber relative to the center of the center. Higher gas velocity near the inner surfaces of the reactor chamber may increase radical production since the most active area for radical production can be near the walls of the reactor chamber. Similarly, the active area of the plasma may be most concentrated closer to the walls of the reactor chamber and passing more of the process gas within the most concentrated plasma region may result in higher radical production.

[0139] In some cases, the baffle plate 1656 is moved using one or more linear actuators 1658. In these cases, the baffle plate 1565 may be adjusted to optimize the baffle height for different process gas flows, RF powers, and other process parameters. The control over adjusting the baffle height may also allow for tuning process parameters during processing for nonuniformity tuning of process results on the substrate being processed. Alternatively, the baffle plate 1656 may be fixed to a predefined height that maximizes the radical production. For example, structural elements such as standoffs may be used to set the baffle plate 1656 at a predefined height.

[0140] In some cases, a controller (e.g., controller 790 in FIG. 7) may be in electrical communication with the linear actuator(s) 1658 to send control signals to move the baffle plate 1656 to adjust the baffle height and the associated velocity distribution of process gas deliveredAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO to the reactor chamber 811.VIII. Method of processing a substrate using an inductively-coupled plasma

[0141] FIG. 18 shows a flow diagram of an example of a method 1800 for processing a substrate using an inductively-coupled plasma, according to implementations. The operations of the method 1800 may be performed in different orders and / or with different, fewer, or additional operations. One or more operations of the method 1800 may be performed using the ICP apparatus 701, 801 described in FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively. In some implementations, one or more operations of the method may be implemented, at least in part, according to software stored in one or more non-transitory computer readable media.

[0142] At optional operation 1810 (denoted by dashed line), the distance between a baffle plate and a gas distributor of a gas injector apparatus (e.g., gas injector apparatus 850 shown in FIG. 15) may be adjusted to control the velocity distribution of one or more process gases delivered to an internal volume of a reactor chamber of an inductive-coupled apparatus. In some cases, one or more linear actuators coupled to the baffle plate move the baffle plate to adjust the baffle plate. In another implementation, structural elements such as standoffs may be used to set the baffle height to a predetermined value that, for example, maximizes radical production. The inductive-coupled apparatus includes a baseplate defining a plenum in fluidic communication with the reactor chamber. The inductive-coupled apparatus also includes a showerhead between the plenum and a processing chamber for processing a substrate. An induction coil with integral fluid cooling is wrapped around the outside of the reactor chamber. An RF generator is electrically coupled to the induction coil to provide RF power to the reactor chamber to ignite the inductively-coupled plasma.

[0143] At operation 1820, one or more process gases are delivered by the gas injector apparatus to the internal volume of the reactor chamber. In some cases, the one or more process gases may be delivered with a velocity distribution having a higher velocity near the inner surfaces of the reactor chamber. Higher gas velocity near the inner surfaces of the reactor chamber may increase radical production since the most active area for radical production can be near the walls of the reactor chamber. Also, the active area of the plasma may be most concentrated closer to the wall of the reactor chamber.

[0144] At operation 1820, one or more process gases are delivered by the gas injector apparatus to the internal volume of the reactor chamber. In some cases, the one or moreAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO process gases may be delivered with a velocity distribution having a higher velocity near the inner surfaces of the reactor chamber. Higher gas velocity near the inner surfaces of the reactor chamber may increase radical production since the most active area for radical production can be near the walls of the reactor chamber. Also, the active area of the plasma may be most concentrated closer to the wall of the reactor chamber.

[0145] At operation 1830, an inductively-coupled plasma is generated in a reactor chamber to assist in deposition of a first layer on a substrate in a processing chamber. The reactor chamber and the processing chamber are in fluid communication with one another via a plenum and a showerhead. An RF generator is electrically coupled to an inductive coil that is wrapped in multiple turns around the reactor chamber. The RF generator is configured to provide RF power to the inductor coil to ignite the inductively-coupled plasma in the reactor chamber.

[0146] At operation 1840, one or more precursor gases are delivered into the processing chamber to react with radicals of the inductively-coupled plasma to deposit a layer on the substrate in the processing chamber. In some cases, the precursor gas may be flowed into the processing chamber through gas ports in the showerhead. In some implementations, the precursor gas includes a silicon-containing precursor. The precursor gas may react with the radicals of the inductively-coupled plasma in an environment adjacent to the substrate. The radicals of the inductively-coupled plasma may relax or transition from an excited energy state to a lower energy state (e.g., ground state) in the processing chamber. The precursor gas reacts with the radicals of the inductively-coupled plasma to deposit the layer on the substrate. In some implementations, the layer is a dielectric layer such as silicon oxide, doped or undoped silicon carbide, or doped or undoped silicon nitride.IX. Multi-station apparatus

[0147] FIG. 19 shows a schematic diagram of an example process tool including multiple stations, where one or more stations are each configured to generate an inductively-coupled plasma according to some implementations. FIG. 19 shows a schematic view of an implementation of a multi-station processing apparatus 1900 with an inbound load lock 1902 and an outbound load lock 1904, either or both of which may include a remote plasma source. A robot 1906 at atmospheric pressure is configured to move wafers from a cassette loaded through a pod 1908 into inbound load lock 1902 via an atmospheric port 1910. A wafer is placed by the robot 1906 on a pedestal 1912 in the inbound load lock 1902, the atmospheric port 1910 is closed, and the load lock is pumped down. Where the inbound load lock 1902Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO includes a remote plasma source, the wafer may be exposed to a remote plasma to treat the substrate surface in the load lock prior to being introduced into a processing chamber 1914. Further, the wafer also may be heated in the inbound load lock 1902 as well, for example, to remove moisture and adsorbed gases. Next, a chamber transport port 1916 to processing chamber 1914 is opened, and another robot (not shown) places the wafer into the reactor on a pedestal of a first station shown in the reactor for processing. While the implementation depicted in FIG. 19 includes load locks, it will be appreciated that, in some implementations, direct entry of a wafer into a process station may be provided.

[0148] The depicted processing chamber 1914 includes four process stations, numbered from 1 to 4 in the implementation shown in FIG. 19. Each station has a heated pedestal (shown at 1918 for station 1), and gas line inlets. It will be appreciated that in some implementations, each process station may have different or multiple purposes. For example, in some implementations, a process station may be configured to perform deposition and etch process operations. In some implementations, a process station may be configured to perform deposition and treatment process operations. In some implementations, a process station may be configured for etch and treatment operations. In some implementations, a process station may be configured for deposition operations only. While the depicted processing chamber 1914 includes four stations, it will be understood that a processing chamber 1914 according to the present disclosure may have any suitable number of stations. For example, in some implementations, a processing chamber 1914 may have five or more stations, while in other implementations a processing chamber 1914 may have three or fewer stations.

[0149] The multi-station processing apparatus 1900 comprises a plurality of processing stations. At least one of the stations may be configured generate an inductively-coupled plasma in an ICP generating chamber, where a showerhead separates the CCP generating chamber from the ICP generating chamber. The wafer may be supported on a pedestal in the CCP generating chamber for processing. The ICP generating chamber may be a remote plasma source in fluid communication with the CCP generating chamber. In some implementations, the ICP generating chamber may be configured to generate an inductively-coupled plasma comprising radicals and ions of one or more first gases, and the CCP generating chamber may be configured to generate radicals and ions of one or more second gases. The showerhead filters out ions of the inductively-coupled plasma.

[0150] FIG. 19 depicts an implementation of a wafer handling system 1990 for transferringAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO wafers within processing chamber 1914. In some implementations, wafer handling system 1990 may transfer wafers between various process stations and / or between a process station and a load lock. It will be appreciated that any suitable wafer handling system may be employed. Non-limiting examples include wafer carousels and wafer handling robots. FIG. 19 also depicts an implementation of a system controller 1950 employed to control process conditions and hardware states of the multi-station processing apparatus 1900. System controller 1950 may include one or more memory devices 1956, one or more mass storage devices 1954, and one or more processors 1952. Processor 1952 may include a CPU or computer, analog, and / or digital input / output connections, stepper motor controller boards, etc.

[0151] In some implementations, system controller 1950 controls all of the activities of the multi-station processing apparatus 1900. System controller 1950 executes system control software 1958 stored in mass storage device 1954, loaded into memory device 1956, and executed on processor 1952. Alternatively, the control logic may be hard coded in the system controller 1950. Applications Specific Integrated Circuits, Programmable Logic Devices (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays, or FPGAs) and the like may be used for these purposes. In the following discussion, wherever "software" or "code" is used, functionally comparable hard coded logic may be used in its place. System control software 1958 may include instructions for controlling the timing, mixture of gases, gas flow rates, chamber and / or station pressure, chamber and / or station temperature, wafer temperature, target power levels, RF power levels, substrate pedestal, chuck and / or susceptor position, and other parameters of a particular process performed by the multi-station processing apparatus 1900. System control software 1958 may be configured in any suitable way. For example, various process tool component subroutines or control objects may be written to control operation of the process tool components used to carry out various process tool processes. System control software 1958 may be coded in any suitable computer readable programming language.

[0152] In some embodiments, the system controller 1950 may be configured with instructions to perform the following operations: generate the inductively-coupled plasma in the ICP generating chamber for depositing a layer on the substrate. Multiple stations in the processing chamber 1914 may be equipped to process a wafer in the station using an inductively-coupled plasma. If a wafer is initially processed using an inductively-coupled plasma, the wafer need not be transferred to downstream tools or applications for processing via the other type of plasma technique.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO

[0153] In some implementations, system control software 1958 may include input / output control (IOC) sequencing instructions for controlling the various parameters described above. Other computer software and / or programs stored on mass storage device 1954 and / or memory device 1956 associated with system controller 1950 may be employed in some implementations. Examples of programs or sections of programs forthis purpose include a substrate positioning program, a process gas control program, a pressure control program, a heater control program, and a plasma control program.

[0154] As noted above, depending on the process step or steps to be performed by the tool, the system controller 1950 might communicate with one or more of other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools located throughout a factory, a main computer, another controller, or tools used in material transport that bring containers of wafers to and from tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing factory.X. Conclusion

[0155] Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the processes, systems, and apparatus of the present embodiments. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the embodiments are not to be limited to the details given herein.

[0156] It will be understood that the above disclosure encompasses the following numbered implementations, although this list is not exclusive of other implementations that may be apparent from the discussion above and the Figures.

[0157] I mplementation 1: An inductively coupled plasma apparatus comprising: a reactor chamber configured to generate an inductively coupled plasma comprising radicals and ions of one or more process gases, the reactor chamber having a first flange extending radially inward and a second flange extending radially outward; a liquid cooling induction coil, wherein at least a portion of the liquid cooling induction coil is helically wound in a plurality of turns around the reactor chamber; an annular heat sink encircling at least the second flange of the reactor chamber; and a first thermally conductive potting material disposed between the annular heat sinkAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO and at least the second flange of the reactor chamber.

[0158] I implementation 2: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, further comprising a second thermally conductive potting material disposed between at least a portion of the liquid cooling induction coil and the reactor chamber.

[0159] I mplementation 3: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 2, wherein the first thermally conductive potting material comprises a same material as the second thermally conductive potting material.

[0160] Implementation 4: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein: the annular heat sink comprises a helical surface following a path of, and at a gap from, a first turn of the plurality of turns of the liquid cooling induction coil; and the first thermally conductive potting material is also disposed between the annular heat sink and the first turn of the liquid cooling induction coil.

[0161] I mplementation 5: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the annular heat sink comprises a downward portion thermally coupled to the second flange of the reactor chamber via the first thermally conductive potting material.

[0162] Implementation 6: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the first flange of the reactor chamber has a first radial width in a range of 2 mm to 12 mm and / or the second flange of the reactor chamber has a second radial width in a range between 2 mm to 12 mm.

[0163] I mplementation 7: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the reactor chamber has a middle portion between the first flange and the second flange with a wall thickness in a range between 0.5 mm to 4 mm.

[0164] I mplementation 8: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the first flange is configured to interface with a first annular vacuum seal and the second flange is configured to interface with a second annular vacuum seal.

[0165] I mplementation 9: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 8, wherein the first annular vacuum seal is configured to seal between the first flange and a gas injector apparatus and the second annular vacuum seal is configured to seal between the second flange and baseplate of a processing chamber.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO

[0166] Implementation 10: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 9, wherein the first flange and / or the second flange have a surface roughness of less than 16 Ra.

[0167] I mplementation 11: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the reactor chamber comprises a dielectric quartz or a ceramic material.

[0168] I mplementation 12: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the liquid cooling induction coil comprises copper tubing.

[0169] I mplementation 13: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein: the liquid cooling induction coil is a hollow tube configured to pass a cooling fluid; and the liquid cooling induction coil comprises a cooling fluid inlet at a first end and a cooling fluid outlet at a second end.

[0170] I mplementation 14: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the liquid cooling induction coil is at at least a minimum distance away from an outer surface of the reactor chamber.

[0171] I mplementation 15: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 14, wherein the minimum distance is about 0.1 mm.

[0172] Implementation 16: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the plurality of turns is at least 4 turns.

[0173] I mplementation 17: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein a pitch between turns is in a range of 4 mm to 200 mm and an outer diameter of the liquid cooling induction coil is in a range of 75 mm to 400 mm.

[0174] I mplementation 18: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the annular heat sink comprises aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride.

[0175] Implementation 19: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 1, wherein the annular heat sink comprises a downward portion configured to thermally conduct heat away from the second flange of the reactor chamber via the first thermally conductive potting material.

[0176] I mplementation 20: An apparatus comprising: a liquid cooling induction coil helically wound in a plurality of turns;Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO an annular heat sink comprising a helical surface following a path of, and at a gap from, a first turn of the plurality of turns of the liquid cooling induction coil; and a thermally conductive potting material between adjacent turns of the plurality of turns of the liquid cooling induction coil and between the annular heat sink and the first turn of the liquid cooling induction coil.

[0177] I mplementation 21: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the annular heat sink comprises aluminum oxide.

[0178] I mplementation 22: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the annular heat sink comprises aluminum nitride.

[0179] Implementation 23: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the annular heat sink comprises: an annular base portion having a first diameter; and a downward portion extending downward from the annular base portion, the downward portion having a second diameter width narrower than the first diameter.

[0180] I mplementation 24: The apparatus of implementation 23, wherein the downward portion is configured to engage with an annular vacuum seal.

[0181] Implementation 25: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the liquid cooling induction coil comprises a copper tubing.

[0182] I mplementation 26: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the liquid cooling induction coil is a hollow tube configured to pass a cooling fluid.

[0183] I mplementation 27: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the liquid cooling induction coil comprises a cooling fluid inlet at a first end and a cooling fluid outlet at a second end.

[0184] I mplementation 28: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the turns have an inner diameter configured to clear an outside surface of a reactor chamber during installation.

[0185] Implementation 29: The apparatus of implementation 20, wherein the plurality of turns is at least 4 turns.

[0186] I mplementation 30: The apparatus of implementation 20, further comprising one or more dielectric cooling tubes, at least one of the one or more dielectric cooling tubes locatedAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO between adjacent turns of the liquid cooling induction coil.

[0187] I implementation 31: An inductively coupled plasma apparatus comprising: a reactor chamber configured to generate an inductively coupled plasma comprising radicals and ions of one or more process gases, the reactor chamber having a first flange extending radially inward and a second flange extending radially outward; a liquid cooling induction coil, wherein at least a portion of the liquid cooling induction coil is helically wound in a plurality of turns around the reactor chamber; a heat sink configured for thermally conducting heat away from the second flange of the reactor chamber via a thermally conductive potting material; a processing chamber; a pedestal configured to support a substrate in the processing chamber; and a showerhead in fluidic communication with the reactor chamber and the processing chamber.

[0188] I mplementation 32: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 31, further comprising a baseplate between the reactor chamber and the showerhead, the baseplate comprising a heat sinking cylindrical wall extending upward and located between a narrowed downward portion of the second flange of the reactor chamber and an internal volume of the reactor chamber.

[0189] Implementation 33: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 31, further comprising a plenum in a baseplate of the processing chamber, wherein the plenum has a shape of a conical frustrum, the plenum comprising a first open end with a first diameter and a second open end with a second diameter widerthan the first diameter, wherein the first open end is coupled to the reactor chamber and the second open end is coupled to the showerhead.

[0190] Implementation 34: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 31, wherein the showerhead further comprises a plurality of through holes configured to filter out ions from the inductively coupled plasma generated in the reactor chamber.

[0191] I mplementation 35: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 31, further comprising a radio frequency generator in electrical communication with the liquid cooling induction coil.

[0192] I mplementation 36: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 31, further comprising a process gas injector in fluid communication with the reactor chamber forAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO delivering one or more process gases to an interior of the reactor chamber.

[0193] I mplementation 37: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 36, further comprising a first annular vacuum seal forforming a vacuum seal between the first flange of the reactor chamber and a first annular groove in a showerhead of the process gas injector.

[0194] I mplementation 38: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 36, further comprising a second annular vacuum seal for forming a vacuum seal between the second flange of the reactor chamber and a second annular groove in a baseplate of the processing chamber.

[0195] Implementation 39: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 31, further comprising an apparatus for facilitating a seal, the apparatus comprising an annular seal member having a radial cross-section that includes a body portion and a flange portion extending radially inwards from the body portion, wherein: the body portion is thicker than the flange portion in a direction perpendicular to the flange portion, the body portion includes a first portion that faces radially inwards, the first portion slopes radially inward with increasing distance from the flange portion, and the annular seal member is made of an elastomeric material.

[0196] I mplementation 40: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 39, wherein the body portion has a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional shape.

[0197] Implementation 41: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 39, wherein the body portion has an asymmetric cross-sectional shape.

[0198] I mplementation 42: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 39, wherein the elastic material comprises one or more of Fluoroelastomer (FKM), Perfluoroelastomer (FFKM).

[0199] I mplementation 43: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 39, wherein the flange portion has a thickness in a range of 0.5 mm to 4 mm.

[0200] Implementation 44: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 31, further comprising a controller configured to execute instructions to perform:Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO delivering one or more process gases to a reactor chamber using a gas injector apparatus; generating an inductively coupled plasma in the reactor chamber; and flowing one or more precursor gases into a processing chamber in fluid communication with the reactor chamber, wherein the one or more precursor gases are configured to react with radicals of the inductively coupled plasma to deposit a first layer on the substrate in the processing chamber.

[0201] I mplementation 45: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 44, wherein the controller is further configured to execute instructions to perform adjusting a distance between (i) a surface of a baffle plate of the gas injector apparatus and (ii) a surface of a gas distributor of the gas injector apparatus modulate velocity distribution of the one or more process gases.

[0202] Implementation 46: The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of implementation 45, wherein the distance is adjusted by causing a linear actuator to move the baffle plate in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the baffle plate.

[0203] Implementation 47: An annular heat sink for an inductively coupled plasma apparatus comprising a reactor chamber, the annular heat sink comprising: a main annular portion; a helical surface of the main annular portion, the helical surface configured to follow a path of, and at a gap from, a turn of a helical liquid cooling induction coil wound around the reactor chamber; and a flat surface of the main annular portion.

[0204] I mplementation 48: The annular heat sink of implementation 47, wherein the annular heat sink comprises aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride.

[0205] Implementation 49: The annular heat sink of implementation 47, wherein: the main annular portion has a first radial width; and the annular heat sink comprises a downward portion extending downward from the main annular base portion, the downward portion having a second radial width narrowerthan the first radial width.

[0206] I mplementation 50: The annular heat sink of implementation 49, wherein the downward portion is configured to engage with an annular vacuum seal.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO

[0207] Implementation 51: A process gas injector for an inductively coupled plasma apparatus comprising a reactor chamber, the process gas injector comprising: a process gas inlet for receiving one more process gases; an internal volume; a baffle plate; a gas distributor for delivering one or more process gases to an internal volume of the reactor chamber, wherein the baffle plate is located in an internal volume between the process gas inlet and the gas distributor; and a linear actuator coupled to the baffle plate and configured to adjust height of the baffle plate above a surface of the gas distributor to modulate velocity distribution of the one or more process gases into the reactor chamber.

[0208] Implementation 52: The process gas injector of implementation 51, wherein the gas distributor comprises an annular groove with a radially inward angled wall for receiving an annular vacuum seal.

[0209] Implementation 53: The process gas injector of implementation 52, wherein the annular groove is at an outer edge of the gas distributor.

[0210] I mplementation 54: The process gas injector of implementation 51, wherein the gas distributor comprises a plurality of process gas ports.

[0211] Implementation 55: The process gas injector of implementation 54, wherein an outer diameter of the baffle plate is greater than an outer diameter of the plurality of process gas ports.

[0212] Implementation 56: The process gas injector of implementation 51, wherein the linear actuator is configured to move the baffle plate in a direction orthogonal to a plane at a surface of the baffle plate.

[0213] Implementation 57: A method of processing a substrate, the method comprising: delivering one or more process gases to a reactor chamber using a gas injector apparatus; generating an inductively coupled plasma in the reactor chamber; and flowing one or more precursor gases into a processing chamber in fluid communication with the reactor chamber, wherein the one or more precursor gases are configured to react with radicals of the inductively coupled plasma to deposit a first layer on the substrate in theAttorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO processing chamber.

[0214] I implementation 58: The method of implementation 57, further comprising adjusting a distance between (i) a surface of a baffle plate of the gas injector apparatus and (ii) a surface of a gas distributor of the gas injector apparatus to modulate velocity distribution of the one or more process gases.

[0215] I mplementation 59: The method of implementation 58, wherein the distance is adjusted by causing a linear actuator to move the baffle plate in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the baffle plate.

Claims

Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WOCLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An inductively coupled plasma apparatus comprising: a reactor chamber configured to generate an inductively coupled plasma comprising radicals and ions of one or more process gases, the reactor chamber having a first flange extending radially inward and a second flange extending radially outward; a liquid cooling induction coil, wherein at least a portion of the liquid cooling induction coil is helically wound in a plurality of turns around the reactor chamber; an annular heat sink encircling at least the second flange of the reactor chamber; and a first thermally conductive potting material disposed between the annular heat sink and at least the second flange of the reactor chamber.

2. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second thermally conductive potting material disposed between at least a portion of the liquid cooling induction coil and the reactor chamber.

3. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first thermally conductive potting material comprises a same material as the second thermally conductive potting material.

4. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the annular heat sink comprises a helical surface following a path of, and at a gap from, a first turn of the plurality of turns of the liquid cooling induction coil; and the first thermally conductive potting material is also disposed between the annular heat sink and the first turn of the liquid cooling induction coil.

5. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annular heat sink comprises a downward portion thermally coupled to the second flange of the reactor chamber via the first thermally conductive potting material.

6. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first flange of the reactor chamber has a first radial width in a range of 2 mm to 12 mm and / or the second flange of the reactor chamber has a second radial width in a range between 2 mm to 12 mm.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO7. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reactor chamber has a middle portion between the first flange and the second flange with a wall thickness in a range between 0.5 mm to 4 mm.

8. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first flange is configured to interface with a first annular vacuum seal and the second flange is configured to interface with a second annular vacuum seal.

9. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first annular vacuum seal is configured to seal between the first flange and a gas injector apparatus and the second annular vacuum seal is configured to seal between the second flange and baseplate of a processing chamber.

10. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first flange and / or the second flange have a surface roughness of less than 16 Ra.

11. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reactor chamber comprises a dielectric quartz or a ceramic material.

12. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid cooling induction coil comprises copper tubing.

13. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the liquid cooling induction coil is a hollow tube configured to pass a cooling fluid; and the liquid cooling induction coil comprises a cooling fluid inlet at a first end and a cooling fluid outlet at a second end.

14. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid cooling induction coil is at at least a minimum distance away from an outer surface of the reactor chamber.

15. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 14, wherein the minimum distance is about 0.1 mm.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO16. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of turns is at least 4 turns.

17. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pitch between turns is in a range of 4 mm to 200 mm and an outer diameter of the liquid cooling induction coil is in a range of 75 mm to 400 mm.

18. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annular heat sink comprises aluminum oxide or aluminum nitride.

19. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, wherein the annular heat sink comprises a downward portion configured to thermally conduct heat away from the second flange of the reactor chamber via the first thermally conductive potting material.

20. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a process gas injector, the process gas injector comprising: a process gas inlet for receiving one more process gases; an internal volume; a baffle plate; a gas distributor for delivering one or more process gases to an internal volume of the reactor chamber, wherein the baffle plate is located in an internal volume between the process gas inlet and the gas distributor and the gas distributor comprises a plurality of process gas ports; and a linear actuator coupled to the baffle plate and configured to adjust height of the baffle plate above a surface of the gas distributor to modulate velocity distribution of the one or more process gases into the reactor chamber.

21. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 20, wherein an outer diameter of the baffle plate is greater than an outer diameter of the plurality of process gas ports.Attorney Docket No. LAM1P043WO-11913-1WO22. The inductively coupled plasma apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a controller, the controller configured to control the linear actuator to modulate a distance between (i) a surface of a baffle plate of the gas injector apparatus and (ii) a surface of a gas distributor of the gas injector apparatus to modulate a velocity distribution of one or more process gases flowed through the gas distributor.

Images