Secondary purge apparatuses and methods for semiconductor processing

Abstract

Gas injector manifolds for semiconductor processing may have a central bore portion extending around a center axis and having a cylindrical body, an inner bore surface defining a central bore, an outer bore surface, and a bore bottom, an outer body portion extending around the center axis and the central bore portion, and having an upper portion and a lower portion, a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion, an annular gas plenum extending around the center axis and radially outwards of the central bore portion, a gas supply passage extending through the upper body portion and the lower portion, and spanning between, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the annular gas plenum, and a plurality of gas passages arranged around the center axis, fluidically connected to the annular gas plenum, and extending along the center axis.

Description

Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WOSECONDARY PURGE APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSINGINCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

[0001] 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

[0002] Semiconductor manufacturing typically involves one or more processing operations to deposit and / or etch a structure on or in a semiconductor wafer (or substrate). Such processes may employ one or more gas delivery systems in which vapor-phase and sometimes gas precursors are reacted with and / or on a surface of a substrate to deposit material thereon or to remove material therefrom. Various gases are used during the one or more processing operations, including flowing purge gases during purge operations and flowing gases during precursor delivery. Although many forms of gas delivery systems exist, they are generally configured to provide controlled gas flow and delivery of gases and precursors.

[0003] The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. 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 disclosure.SUMMARY

[0004] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. The following, non-limiting implementations are considered part of the disclosure; other implementations will be evident from the entirety of this disclosure and the accompanying drawings as well.

[0005] In one embodiment, a gas injection manifold for semiconductor processing may be provided. The manifold may include a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end, a central bore extending from the first end to the second end, an inner bore surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface, an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a low er portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion, a gas inlet coupled to the upperAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO portion, an annular gas plenum extending circumferentially around the inner body portion and partially defined by an annular groove in the lower portion, a gas supply passage extending from the gas inlet, through the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer body portion, and to the annular gas plenum, and a plurality of gas passages arranged circumferentially around the inner body portion and extending from the annular gas plenum to a passage outlet partially defined by the outer surface of the inner body portion and the inner surface of the lower portion, each gas passage partially defined by the outer surface of the inner body portion and a channel in the inner surface of the lower portion.

[0006] In some embodiments, the outer body portion may have a first height in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the inner body portion may have a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis greater than the first height.

[0007] In some embodiments, the plurality of gas passages may be arranged circumferentially around the inner body portion in an equally spaced manner.

[0008] In some embodiments, the gas passages may be parallel to the center axis.

[0009] In some embodiments, the annular gas plenum may have a second radial thickness, and each gas passage may have a third radial thickness smaller than the second radial thickness.

[0010] In some embodiments, the gas supply passage may have a first portion spanning from the annular gas plenum to a first point in the outer body portion, and the first portion may form an acute angle relative to an axis parallel to the center axis.

[0011] In some embodiments, the upper portion may have a first outer diameter, and the lower portion may have a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter.

[0012] In one embodiment, a semiconductor processing system may be provided. The system may include a processing chamber having a chamber top with a gas injection manifold, a gas distribution plenum, and a secondary chamber outlet, and a chamber interior at least partially defined by the chamber top and fluidically connected to the secondary chamber outlet. The gas injection manifold may have a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end. a central bore extending from the first end to the second end, an inner surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface, an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion, a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion, and a manifold gas flowpath spanning from, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the secondary chamber outlet. The central bore may be configured to receive a showerhead stem of a showerhead, the gas injection manifold may be electrically connected to the chamber top, the gas distribution plenum may be a part of the manifold gas flowpath, may extend circumferentially around the center axis and is radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion, may beAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO partially formed by the outer surface, and may be fluidically connected to the secondary chamber outlet, and gas may be configured to flow from the gas inlet, through the manifold gas flowpath, to the gas distribution plenum, and through the secondary chamber outlet into the chamber interior.

[0013] In some embodiments, the chamber top may have a circumferential surface extending around the center axis, radially offset outwards of the outer surface, and extending for a first length in the direction parallel to the center axis, and the circumferential surface and the outer surface may at least partially form the gas distribution plenum.

[0014] In some such embodiments, the gas distribution plenum may be an annular channel.

[0015] In some such embodiments, the inner body portion may be a sleeve surrounding the showerhead stem, and the circumferential surface is a part of the chamber top.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first end may be coplanar with an internal surface of the chamber top.

[0017] In some embodiments, the chamber top may have an outer top surface, an inner top surface at least partially defining the chamber interior, a showerhead stem port extending through the chamber top, the showerhead stem port may have an outer boundary' that extends around, and is radially outwards of, the inner body portion, the gas injection manifold may be positioned at least partially inside the showerhead stem port, the central bore and the showerhead stem port may be coaxial, and a showerhead stem may be configured to extend through the showerhead stem port and the central bore.

[0018] In some embodiments, the manifold gas flowpath of the gas injection manifold may further includes an annular gas plenum extending around the center axis, partially defined by an annular groove in the outer body portion and the inner body portion, and radially outwards of the inner body portion, a gas supply passage extending through the outer body portion, and spanning between, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the annular gas plenum, and a plurality' of gas passages arranged around the center axis, fluidically connected to the annular gas plenum, and extending along the center axis.

[0019] In some embodiments, the outer body portion may have a first height in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the inner body portion may have a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis greater than the first height.

[0020] In some embodiments, the system may further include a showerhead body positioned in the chamber interior and configured to flow process gases into the chamber interior, and a showerhead stem connected to the showerhead body, extending along the center axis through the chamber top of the processing chamber and through at least a portion of the central bore, and having a showerhead inlet outside the chamber interior and configured to receive process gasesAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO and flow the received process gases to the showerhead body. The showerhead may be configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals, and the chamber top of the processing chamber and the gas injection manifold may be configured to be electrically connected to a ground when the showerhead receives RF signals.

[0021] In some such embodiments, the system may further include an insulator collar having a circumferential body and a central cavity. The insulator collar may extend through the central bore, the inner body portion may surround and be radially outwards of the insulator collar, the showerhead stem may extend through the central cavity , and the insulator collar may be radially interposed between the showerhead stem and the inner body portion.

[0022] In some further such embodiments, the insulator collar may have an outer collar surface, and the inner bore surface may face the outer collar surface and be radially offset from the outer collar surface by a non-zero offset distance.

[0023] In some further such embodiments, the insulator collar may have a second end positioned outside the chamber interior.In some embodiments, the upper portion may have a first outer diameter, the lower portion may have a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter, the lower portion may be inside a portion of the chamber top, and the upper portion may be above a top surface of the chamber top.

[0024] Additional aspects will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and, in part, will be apparent from the disclosure, or may be learned by practice of the disclosed implementations and / or the claimed subject matter.

[0025] The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are illustrative and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the claimed subject matter.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Various implementations disclosed herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

[0027] Figure 1 schematically shows an implementation of a processing station for semiconductor processing.

[0028] Figure 2 depicts a magnified cross-sectional view of a portion of the process station of Figure 1.

[0029] Figure 3 depicts a magnified cross-sectional slice of a portion of the processing station of Figure 2.

[0030] Figure 4 depicts a magnified portion of Figure 3.Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO

[0031] Figure 5 depicts a cross-sectional top view of the gas injection manifold.

[0032] Figure 6 depicts a magnified detail view of the gas injection manifold without the cylindrical inner body portion of Figure 5.

[0033] Figure 7 depicts a bottom view of the gas injection manifold and a portion of the chamber top.

[0034] Figure 8 depicts an off-angle cross-sectional view of a portion of the chamber top and gas injection manifold.

[0035] Figure 9 depicts another gas injection manifold 930.

[0036] Figure 10 depicts an off-angle view of the portion of the chamber top of Figure 8 without the gas injection manifold.

[0037] Figure 11 depicts a magnified portion area of Figure 2.

[0038] Figure 12 depicts example gas flowpaths through the gas injection manifold and into the chamber interior.

[0039] Figure 13 depicts a schematic view of an implementation of a multi-station processing tool.

[0040] Figure 14 depicts another implementation of a magnified portion of a processing station or system.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various implementations. The disclosed implementations may be 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 implementations. While the disclosed implementations will be described in conjunction with specific implementations, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the disclosed implementations.

[0042] In this application, the terms “semiconductor wafer,"’ “wafer,’" “substrate,” “wafer substrate” and “partially fabricated integrated circuit” are used interchangeably. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the term “partially fabricated integrated circuit” can refer to a silicon wafer during any of many stages of integrated circuit 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. In addition to semiconductor wafers, other work pieces that may take advantage of the disclosed implementations include various articles, such as printed circuit boards, magnetic recording media, magnetic recording sensors, mirrors, optical elements, micromechanical devices, and the like.

[0043] Various semiconductor manufacturing processes, such as atomic layer depositionAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO (ALD). atomic layer etching (ALE), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), chemical vapor etching (CVE), and the like, as well as plasma-enhanced versions of the same, may employ at least one gas delivery' system in which vapor-phase and sometimes gas precursors are reacted with and / or on a surface of a substrate to deposit material thereon or remove material therefrom. Many semiconductor processing tools and apparatuses have a gas delivery system with a showerhead in a processing chamber that is configured to flow process gases onto a substrate in the chamber. Some semiconductor processing performs purge operations during or after performing a processing cycle. These purge operations may flow purge gas through the showerhead and into the chamber. Gas flow, including purge gas or process gases, into and through the showerhead may be considered a "primary gas flowpath / ’ a "primary flowpath, “ a “primary purge flowpath”, or a “primary purge.”

[0044] Some semiconductor processing may also flow process gases, such as a purge gas, through a “secondary purge gas flowpath” that is separate from the primary flowpath through the showerhead. The secondary purge gas flowpath flows gas into the chamber in a region between the top of the showerhead and the top of the chamber. This “secondary purge gas flowpath” may also be referred to herein as a "secondary gas flowpath,” a “secondary' flowpath,” a “secondary' purge flowpath”, or a “secondary' purge.” Gas may be flowed through this secondary flowpath during processing operations, such as deposition, etching, and a purge step.

[0045] The use of a secondary purge during processing operations may have several benefits, such as directing gas to remote areas of the processing chamber, rather than directly at the substrate (as with the primary' purge), and thereby helping to remove gas constituents in these areas and preventing the unwanted deposition of material. This secondary purge gas flow may also prevent unwanted formation of parasitic plasma above the showerhead which can cause unwanted reactions of materials as well as damage to the chamber and showerhead.

[0046] As new7and emerging processes and hardware are being developed, providing secondary' purge gas flowpaths presents numerous challenges. For example, some showerheads may be considered a chandelier-type showerhead which have a showerhead body positioned in the chamber and offset from the top of the chamber, and a showerhead stem extending through the top of the chamber and secured thereto. Gas flows through the showerhead stem into one or more internal plenums of the showerhead body, and then through a plurality' of through-holes onto the substrate. The position of some such showerheads with respect to processing chamber may be adjusted, such as an axial tilt. For some secondary purge gas flowpaths that are at least partially defined by the showerhead, such as the showerhead stem, the potential movement of the showerhead may adversely affect the secondary purge flowpaths. For instance, the secondarypurge flowpath is dependent on showerhead surfaces and the showerhead’s movement affects theAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO resulting secondary purge flowpath. This can result in nonuniformity of the secondary purge gas flow into the chamber, as well as station-to-station nonuniformity for multi-station processing chambers. Further, some other secondary' purge flowpath structures may not allow for movement or adjustment of the showerhead, which is undesirable.

[0047] In another example, some new processes perform a chamber cleaning operation by flowing a remote plasma cleaning gas, such as a radicalized fluorine, into the chamber through the primary flowpath through the showerhead. For some processes and chambers, it is challenging to clean some areas of the chamber by flowing the cleaning gas through the showerhead alone. In some instances, these areas are hard to reach by the cleaning gas flowthrough the showerhead. Further, flowing the radicalized cleaning gas flow through the showerhead leads to recombination of the fluorine radicals exiting the showerhead which can decrease the cleaning ability' of the gas flow7out of the showerhead and to the other areas of the chamber. For example, some cleaning gas flows through the show erhead resulted in recombination of greater than 75%, 80%, or 90% of the radical species. These factors can lead to increased cleaning time and poor cleaning results. Similarly, the configuration of some conventional secondary purge flo 'paths also results in the unw anted recombination of the cleaning gas. For example, some secondary7purge flowpaths have various slots or channels which can cause recombination of the remote plasma gas flowing therethrough and prevent the gas from adequately cleaning, and also lead to unwanted parasitic plasma formation.

[0048] Some new and emerging showerheads and processes also provide radio frequency (RF) pow er to the showerhead, referred to as an “RF hof ' showerhead, instead of having the showerhead electrically grounded. In contrast, the outer walls of many semiconductor processing chambers, including the top, are electrically grounded. While having the showerhead as RF hot may be advantageous for various processing operations, it presents numerous challenges for providing the secondary' purge gas flowpath. For example, using some conventional secondary7purge gas flowpaths may result in the formation of unwanted plasma in the secondary7flowpath. As referred to above, some of these secondary purge paths have slots, channels, or plates which are areas where the unwanted plasma can form. This parasitic plasma formation can damage the showerhead and cause unwanted chemical reactions. In another example, additional structural components are used, such as an electrical insulator collar, in order to provide an RF hot showerhead. These additional components may further adversely affect the secondary7purge flowpaths dependent on the showerhead as well as create more areas for unwanted plasma to form.

[0049] Provided herein are new7and novel apparatuses and systems with secondary7purge gas flowpaths configured to uniformly deliver gas into the chamber and reduce the formation ofAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO parasitic plasma around the showerhead and processing chamber. These new secondary purge flowpaths are able to flow gas into the chamber in a uniform, balanced manner independent of the showerhead’s tilt, positioning, or adjustment. For systems with an RF hot showerhead, these secondary' purge flowpaths prevent or reduce the formation of parasitic plasma in the region above the showerhead. In some instances, these new secondary purge flowpaths minimize the unwanted recombination of cleaning gas flowed into the chamber.

[0050] In some implementations, a processing chamber top has a gas injection manifold that forms a part of the secondary gas flowpath. The processing chamber top and gas injection manifold are configured to flow the secondary gas into the chamber through a secondary chamber outlet in the top surface of the chamber. In some instances, a circumferential surface of the top and a surface of the gas injection manifold together define an annular gas distribution plenum that extends around the showerhead stem and is configured to flow7the gas to the secondary chamber outlet and into the chamber. In some implementations, the secondary chamber outlet has an annular shape and is positioned at the top of the chamber. The secondarychamber outlet may be parallel to an inner top surface of the chamber, and the secondary chamber outlet may flow gas into the chamber in a direction parallel to showerhead stem.

[0051] The gas injection manifold has a central bore and the showerhead stem extends through and is positioned in the central bore. A cylindrical inner body portion of the gas injection manifold extends around the showerhead stem and has an inner cylindrical surface that defines the central bore. In other words, the cylindrical inner body portion surrounds, or extends circumferentially around, the showerhead stem. An outer body portion of the gas injection manifold extends around, or surrounds, the cylindrical inner body portion and has various gas flow features configured to flow gas within the manifold and out the secondary chamber outlet. The gas injection manifold has a gas inlet, an annular gas plenum extending circumferentially around and radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion, and a gas supply passage fluidically connecting the gas inlet to the annular gas plenum. In some instances, the annular gas plenum is partially formed by an annular groove in the outer body portion and an outer surface of the cylindrical inner body portion. The gas injection manifold also has a plurality of gas passages arranged circumferentially around the cylindrical inner body portion, which in some instances may be in an equally spaced manner. Each gas passage may extend from the annular gas plenum to a passage outlet at the gas distribution plenum, and each passage may extend in a direction parallel to a longitudinal center axis of the manifold and fluidically connect the annular gas plenum to the gas distribution plenum. As mentioned above, the gas distribution plenum may be formed by an outer surface of the cylindrical inner body portion and a circumferential surface extending around and radially outwards of the outer surface. In some instances, theAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO circumferential surface may be a surface of the chamber. The annular gas plenum and gas passages may provide flow and pressure equalization and balancing before the gas flows downstream and out the secondary' chamber outlet.

[0052] Gas may therefore be configured to flow from the gas inlet, through the gas supply passage to the annular gas plenum, from the annular gas plenum through the plurality of gas passages and to the gas distribution plenum, and from the gas distribution plenum to the secondary chamber outlet into the chamber. These features may be considered to form the secondary' purge gas flowpath. As provided herein, the showerhead stem does not form these portions of the secondary purge gas flowpath. The secondary purge gas flowpath may be considered independent of the showerhead stem. For example, the cylindrical inner body portion and the outer bore portion of the gas injection manifold, along with the top of the processing chamber form the flowpath for delivering the secondary' purge gas to the chamber. These features may all be considered radially outwards of the showerhead stem, in some instances. Accordingly, the axial tilt or positioning of the showerhead stem does not affect the configuration of the secondary purge gas flowpath and the gas flow therethrough.

[0053] In some implementations, the showerhead may be configured to receive RF power and considered an RF hot showerhead. The showerhead stem may also be RF hot. and the injection manifold may be electrically isolated from the showerhead stem. In some instances, an insulator collar is positioned around the showerhead stem, inside the central bore, and interposed betw een the showerhead stem and cylindrical inner body portion of the gas injection manifold. The insulator collar may electrically insulate the showerhead stem from the injector gas manifold which may be electrically connected to the chamber top, both of which may be electrically grounded.

[0054] Figure 1 depicts an implementation of a semiconductor processing station, which may also be considered a semiconductor processing system, that may be used to deposit material using atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer etching (ALE), or other etching process, all of which may be plasma enhanced. For simplicity, the processing station 100 is depicted as a standalone process station having a processing chamber body 102 for maintaining a low-pressure environment. The processing chamber body 102 has a top 128 and forms a chamber interior 111. However, it will be appreciated that a plurality' of process stations 100 may be included in a common process tool environment. Further, it will be appreciated that, in some implementations, one or more hardware parameters of process station 100, including those discussed in detail below, may be adjusted programmatically by7one or more computer controllers.

[0055] Process station 100 fluidly communicates with gas delivery system 101 for deliveringAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO process gases to a showerhead 106. The showerhead 106 has a showerhead body 113 positioned in the chamber interior 111 and a showerhead stem 115 extending through the top 128 of the processing chamber body 102. The gas delivery system 101 includes a first process gas source 120 and a second process gas source 122 that are both fluidically connected to a mixer vessel 104. The mixing vessel 104 is configured to blend, condition, or mix process gases for delivery’ to showerhead 106. One or more mixing vessel inlet valves 121 may control introduction of process gases to the mixing vessel 104. Similarly, a showerhead inlet valve 105 may control introduction of process gasses to an inlet 107 of the showerhead 106. The first process gas 120 may be a reactant, precursor, or a mixture, and the second process gas 122 may be a purge gas source which may be an inert gas, like argon or nitrogen. Flow through the showerhead inlet valve 105 and the showerhead inlet 107 into the showerhead 106, such as flow of the inert gas from the second gas source 122 may be considered a primary’ purge flowpath.

[0056] The top 128 of the processing chamber body 102 has a gas injection manifold 130 positioned at least partially therein. The gas injection manifold 130 has a gas inlet 132 fluidically connected to the second process gas sources 122 and configured to receive the second process gas from the second gas source 122 through a fluid conduit 109. The top 128 and gas injection manifold 130 form the secondary' purge gas flowpath and are configured to flow the second process gas into the chamber interior. Another control valve 121 A is illustrated upstream of the gas inlet 132 and configured to control the flow of gas into the gas inlet 132.

[0057] Showerhead 106 distributes process gases toward substrate 112. In the implementation shown in Figure 1, substrate 112 is located beneath showerhead 106, and is shown resting on a pedestal 108. It will be appreciated that showerhead 106 may have any suitable shape, and may have any suitable number and arrangement of ports for distributing processes gases to substrate 112. As depicted, the showerhead 106 is a chandelier-type with the showerhead body 113 positioned in the chamber interior 111 and the showerhead stem 115 connected to the showerhead body 113 and extending from the chamber interior 111, through the top 128 and gas injection manifold 130, and to an area outside the chamber body 102. The showerhead body 113 is supported by the showerhead stem 115 and its direct or indirect connection to the chamber top 128.

[0058] In some implementations, a microvolume 103 is located beneath showerhead 106.Performing an ALD and / or CVD process in a microvolume rather than in the entire volume of a process station may reduce reactant exposure and sweep times, may reduce times for altering process conditions (e.g., pressure, temperature, etc.), may limit an exposure of process station robotics to process gases, etc. Example microvolume sizes include, but are not limited to, volumes between 0.1 liter and 2 liters. This microvolume also impacts productivity throughput.Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO While deposition rate per cycle drops, the cycle time also simultaneously reduces. In certain cases, the effect of the latter is dramatic enough to improve overall throughput of the module for a given target thickness of film.

[0059] In some implementations, pedestal 108 may be raised or lowered to expose substrate 112 to microvolume 103 and / or to vary a volume of microvolume 103. For example, in a substrate transfer phase, pedestal 108 may be lowered to allow substrate 112 to be loaded onto pedestal 108. During a deposition process phase, pedestal 108 may be raised to position substrate 112 within microvolume 103. In some implementations, microvolume 103 may completely enclose substrate 112 as well as a portion of pedestal 108 to create a region of high flow impedance during a deposition process.

[0060] Optionally, pedestal 108 may be lowered and / or raised during portions the deposition process to modulate process pressure, reactant concentration, etc., within microvolume 103. In one scenario where processing chamber body 102 remains at a base pressure during the deposition process, lowering pedestal 108 may allow microvolume 103 to be evacuated.Example ratios of microvolume to processing chamber volume include, but are not limited to, volume ratios between 1:100 and 1: 10. It will be appreciated that, in some implementations, pedestal height may be adjusted programmatically by a suitable computer controller.

[0061] In another scenario, adjusting a height of pedestal 108 may allow a plasma density to be varied during plasma activation and / or treatment cycles included in the deposition process. At the conclusion of the deposition process phase, pedestal 108 may be lowered during another substrate transfer phase to allow removal of substrate 112 from pedestal 108.

[0062] While the example microvolume variations described herein refer to a height-adjustable pedestal, it will be appreciated that, in some implementations, a position of showerhead 106 may be adjusted relative to pedestal 108 to vary a volume of microvolume 103. Further, it will be appreciated that a vertical position of pedestal 108 and / or showerhead 106 may be varied by any suitable mechanism within the scope of the present disclosure. In some implementations, pedestal 108 may include a rotational axis for rotating an orientation of substrate 112. It will be appreciated that, in some implementations, one or more of these example adjustments may be performed programmatically by one or more suitable computer controllers.

[0063] Returning to the implementation show n in Figure 1, showerhead 106 and pedestal 108 electrically communicate with RF power supply 114 and matching network 116 for powering a plasma. In some implementations, the plasma energy may be controlled by controlling one or more of a process station pressure, a gas concentration, an RF source power, an RF source frequency, and a plasma power pulse timing. For example, RF power supply 114 and matching network 116 may be operated at any suitable power to form a plasma having a desiredAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO composition of radical species. Examples of suitable powers are included above. Likewise, RF power supply 114 may provide RF power of any suitable frequency. In some implementations, RF power supply 114 may be configured to control high- and low-frequency RF power sources independently of one another. Example low-frequency RF frequencies may include, but are not limited to, frequencies between 50 kHz and 100 kHz. Example high-frequency RF frequencies may include, but are not limited to, frequencies between 1.8 MHz and 2.45 GHz. It will be appreciated that any suitable parameters may be modulated discretely or continuously to provide plasma energy for the surface reactions. In one non-limiting example, the plasma power may be intermittently pulsed to reduce ion bombardment with the substrate surface relative to continuously powered plasmas.

[0064] In some implementations, the showerhead 106 is electrically connected to the RF power supply 114 and may be considered an RF hot showerhead 106. The pedestal 108, the chamber body 102 including the top 128 and the gas injection manifold 130 may be electrically grounded. As detailed below, the showerhead stem is electrically isolated from the gas injection manifold 130 and the chamber top 128.

[0065] In some implementations, the plasma may be monitored in-situ by one or more plasma monitors. In one scenario, plasma power may be monitored by one or more voltage, current sensors (e.g., VI probes). In another scenario, plasma density and / or process gas concentration may be measured by one or more optical emission spectroscopy sensors (OES). In some implementations, one or more plasma parameters may be programmatically adjusted based on measurements from such in-situ plasma monitors. For example, an OES sensor may be used in a feedback loop for providing programmatic control of plasma power. It will be appreciated that, in some implementations, other monitors may be used to monitor the plasma and other process characteristics. Such monitors may include, but are not limited to, infrared (IR) monitors, acoustic monitors, and pressure transducers.

[0066] In some implementations, the plasma may be controlled via input / output control (IOC) sequencing instructions. In one example, the instructions for setting plasma conditions for a plasma process phase may be included in a corresponding plasma activation recipe phase of a deposition process recipe. In some cases, process recipe phases may be sequentially arranged, so that all instructions for a deposition process phase are executed concurrently with that process phase. In some implementations, instructions for setting one or more plasma parameters may be included in a recipe phase preceding a plasma process phase. For example, a first recipe phase may include instructions for setting a flow rate of an inert and / or a reactant gas, instructions for setting a plasma generator to a power set point, and time delay instructions for the first recipe phase. A second, subsequent recipe phase may include instructions for enabling the plasmaAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO generator and time delay instructions for the second recipe phase. A third recipe phase may include instructions for disabling the plasma generator and time delay instructions for the third recipe phase. It will be appreciated that these recipe phases may be further subdivided and / or iterated in any suitable way within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0067] In some deposition processes, plasma strikes last on the order of a few seconds or more in duration. In certain implementations, much shorter plasma strikes may be used. These may be on the order of 10 ms to 1 second, typically, about 20 to 80 ms, with 50 ms being a specific example. Such very short RF plasma strikes require extremely quick stabilization of the plasma. To accomplish this, the plasma generator may be configured such that the impedance match is set preset to a particular voltage, while the frequency is allowed to float. Conventionally, high- frequency plasmas are generated at an RF frequency at about 13.56 MHz. In various implementations disclosed herein, the frequency is allowed to float to a value that is different from this standard value. By permitting the frequency to float while fixing the impedance match to a predetermined voltage, the plasma can stabilize much more quickly, a result which may be important when using the very short plasma strikes associated with some types of deposition cycles.

[0068] In some implementations, pedestal 108 may be temperature controlled via heater 110. Further, in some implementations, pressure control for deposition process station 100 may be provided by butterfly valve 1 18. As shown in the implementation of Figure 1, butterfly valve 118 throttles a vacuum provided by a dow nstream vacuum pump (not shown). However, in some implementations, pressure control of process station 100 may also be adjusted by vary ing a flow rate of one or more gases introduced to process station 100.

[0069] Features of the chamber top and gas injection manifold will now be discussed. Figure 2 depicts a magnified cross-sectional view of a portion of the process station of Figure 1. Here in Figure 2, a portion of the chamber top 128 of the processing chamber body 102 is shown along with the chamber interior 111 and the showerhead body 113 positioned in the chamber interior 111. The showerhead 106 has the showerhead inlet 107 at the top of the showerhead stem 115 outside the chamber interior 111 , the show erhead stem 115 has an internal flow-path 117 and the showerhead body 113 has an internal plenum 119 and a plurality of through-holes 123 fluidically connected to the internal plenum 119 and the internal flowpath 117. Gas is configured to flow7into the showerhead 106 via the showerhead inlet 107, through the internal flowpath 117 of the showerhead stem 115, into the internal plenum 119, and out the through-holes 123 onto a wafer during processing operations.

[0070] The chamber top 128 also has the gas injection manifold 130 positioned partially inside the chamber top 128, such as partially inside a body of the top 128. The showerhead stem 115 isAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO positioned partially in the chamber interior 111, extends through the chamber top 128 and the gas injection manifold 130, and outside and above the chamber body 102. The showerhead 106 has the showerhead inlet 107 connected to the outside of the chamber body 102. In some implementations, the gas injection manifold 130 has a longitudinal center axis 131 (also referred to herein as the center axis), a cylindrical inner body portion 136 extending around the center axis, and an outer body portion 137 that extends around, and is radially outwards of, the cylindrical inner body portion 136. In some instances, the outer body portion 137 may be considered to surround the cylindrical inner body portion 136. The cy lindrical inner body portion 136 defines a central bore 138 configured to receive the showerhead stem 115, as illustrated. The central bore 138 may be considered a central through-hole, or cavity. Here, the showerhead stem 115 extends fully through the central bore 138. In some implementations, the showerhead stem extends through at least a portion of the chamber top 128.

[0071] In some implementations, the showerhead stem may not extend through all of the chamber top 128 and may instead extend through only a portion of the chamber top and thereby terminate at or inside the chamber top 128, or at other elements. For instance, referring to Figure 2, the showerhead stem 115 may terminate or stop at the top of the cool plate CPI, below the cooling plate CPI, at the top collar end 190. In these examples, the showerhead inlet 107 may be inside the chamber top 128 or inside the insulator collar 182.

[0072] In some implementations, the gas distribution manifold 130 also has an annular gas plenum 140 that is radially outw ards of the central bore 138 and that extends circumferentially around, or surrounds, the center axis 131 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136. The gas inlet 132 is fluidically connected to the annular gas plenum 140 by a gas supply passage 142 that spans between the gas inlet 132 and the annular gas plenum 140. The gas inlet 132 may be considered coupled to the gas an upper portion of the gas injection manifold. As discussed in more detail below, the annular gas plenum 140 may be partially defined by a groove in the outer body portion 137 and an outer surface of the cylindrical inner body portion 136.

[0073] Gas in the gas distribution manifold 130 is configured to flow into the chamber interior 111 through a secondary chamber outlet 144. The secondary chamber outlet 144 may be positioned at the chamber top 128, such as coplanar or even with an inner top surface 146 of the chamber top 128. In some instances, as seen in Figure 2, the secondary chamber outlet 144 may be defined by the inner top surface 146, which may be a top internal surface of the top 129 or top edge of the chamber top 128, and the cylindrical inner body portion 136. In some instances, the secondary chamber outlet 144 may be considered outside the chamber interior 111 and may be considered to define an outer boundary' of the chamber interior 111. In some instances, the secondary chamber outlet 144 may be parallel to or coplanar with the inner top surface 146, andAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO the secondary chamber outlet 144 may also be configured to flow gas into the chamber in a direction parallel to the showerhead stem 115 or center axis 131.

[0074] In some implementations, gas is configured to flow through one or more flow passages of the gas injection manifold 130 to reach the secondary chamber outlet 144. For example, the gas injection manifold 130 has a plurality of gas passages 148 fluidically connected to the annular gas plenum 140 and the secondary chamber outlet 144. These passages 148 may be radially arranged around the center axis in an equally spaced manner which may provide symmetric and uniform gas flow therethrough. As shown, these passages 148 are fluidically interposed between the annular gas plenum 140 and the secondary’ chamber outlet 144. Similar to the annular gas plenum, each passage 148 may be partially defined by a respective channel in the outer body portion 137 and an outer surface of the cylindrical inner body portion 136. These passages may extend from the annular gas plenum to a passage outlet (items 174 and OT1 in Figure 4), which may be an interface with the gas distribution plenum 150. These passages may also extend in a direction parallel to the center axis 131. The passage outlet OT1 may be partially defined by a lowermost end LEI of the lower portion 158 and the outer surface 154 (in Figure 4). The passage outlet OT1 may also be partially defined by the inner surface IS1 of the low er portion 158 of the inner body portion 136, which may be at the lowermost end LEI.

[0075] In some instances, the gas injection manifold 130 may also have a gas distribution plenum 150 extending circumferentially around and radially outw ards of the central bore 138, and fluidically connected to and interposed between the gas passages 148 and the secondary chamber outlet 144. This gas distribution plenum 150 may be an annular channel and may provide uniform and balanced flow into the chamber interior 111. Also similar to the annular gas plenum, the gas distribution plenum 150 may be partially defined by a circumferential surface of the chamber top 128 and an outer surface of the cylindrical inner body portion 136.

[0076] Various features of the gas injection manifold are further described below. Figure 3 depicts a magnified cross-sectional slice of a portion of the processing station of Figure 2. For clarity, the showerhead and some other features have been removed. Here, two slices of the cylindrical inner body portion 136 are shown. As provided below, the cylindrical inner body portion 136 may have a cylindrical body that extends around the center axis 131 and that has a first radial thickness tl. The cylindrical inner body portion 136 has a first end 136B and a second end 136A, and a central bore 138 extending from the first end 136B to the second end 136A. The cylindrical inner body portion 136 has an inner bore surface 152 that define the central bore 138. As illustrated, the central bore 138 is a hole or cavity that extends through the gas injection manifold 130. The cylindrical inner body portion 136 also has an outer surface 154 and a first end 136B. This first end 136B may be considered a bottom of the central bore 138. The outerAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO surface 154 may partially define the annular gas plenum 140, each gas passages 148, and the gas distribution plenum 150.

[0077] In Figures 2 and 3, the outer body portion 137 is seen extending around and surrounding the center axis 131, the cylindrical inner body portion 136, and radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion 136. In some implementations, the outer body portion 137 is in direct, and electrical, contact with the cylindrical inner body portion 136 and they may be separate structures coupled, or connected together, such as by a shrink fit, a variety of welding methods, or fabricated as a single piece via additive manufacturing. In some other implementations described below, the outer body portion 137 may be the same contiguous structure as the cylindrical inner body portion 136. The outer body portion 137 has the gas inlet 132 and the gas supply passage 142 spanning between and fluidically connecting the annular gas plenum 140 to the gas inlet 132. The outer body portion 137 may also have an upper portion 156 with the gas inlet 132 and a lower portion 158 having the annular gas plenum 140 which is radially outwards of the central bore 138. The gas supply passage 142 extends through the upper portion 156 and lower portion 158.

[0078] The annular gas plenum 140 extends circumferentially around, or surrounds, and is radially outwards from the central bore 138 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136. In some instances, the annular gas plenum 140 is partially defined by the outer surface 154 and an annular groove (AG1 in Figure 4, for example) in the lower portion 158. Although the annular gas plenum 140 may be partially defined by the outer surface 154 of the cylindrical inner body portion 136, the annular gas plenum 140 may still be considered radially outwards from the cylindrical inner body portion 136 with respect to the center axis 131. The cross-sectional area of the annular groove in a plane parallel to the center axis 131 may be rectangular, U-shaped, or C- shaped, and in a plane perpendicular to the center axis 131, it may be annular or ring-shaped.

[0079] In some instances, the lower portion 158 may be considered to have an inner surface the encircles the inner body portion 136. As discussed in more detail below, this inner surface IS1 defines the annular groove AG1. the outer plenum surface 168, and the channel surface 170.

[0080] In Figure 3, the gas passages 148 are also more visible than in Figure 2. Each passage 148 fluidically connects the annular gas plenum 140 to the gas distribution plenum 150 and the secondary chamber outlet 144. Features of the gas passages are described in more detail below. The gas distribution plenum 150 is also seen and partially defined by the outer surface 154 of the cylindrical inner body portion 136. In the illustrated example of Figure 3, the gas distribution plenum 150 is also defined by a circumferential surface 160 that extends around, or surrounds, the center axis 131 and is radially offset from the cylindrical inner body portion 136. In some implementations, like in Figure 3, the circumferential surface 160 may be a surface of theAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO chamber top 128 itself. The gas distribution plenum 150 may be an annular channel. For example, the cross-sectional area of the gas distribution plenum 150 in a plane perpendicular to the center axis 131 may be annular or ring-shaped.

[0081] Figure 4 depicts a magnified portion of Figure 3. Here, only the left-side of Figure 3 is shown and for clarity, the cross-hatching has been removed. Many of the same features illustrated in Figure 4 are also shown in Figure 3 and described herein. In Figure 4, the outer body portion 137 has a first height Hl in a direction parallel to the center axis 131 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136 has a second height H2 in the direction parallel to the center axis 131. In some implementations, the second height H2 is greater than the first height Hl. In some instances, the first end 136B is offset from a bottom 162 of the outer body portion 137 by a first offset distance OD1 in the direction parallel to the center axis 131. The bottom 162 of the outer body portion 137 may be positioned directly on a support surface 164 of the chamber top 128; in the Figures, these features overlap with each other. In some instances, support surface 164 extends radially inwards from the outer side wall 178 towards the center axis 131. This configuration may advantageously provide structural support for the gas injection manifold 130 by the chamber top 128 and electrical connection between the gas injection manifold 130 and the chamber top 128. The gas injection manifold 130 may be electrically connected to the chamber top 128 in multiple locations, including at the surface 164 and / or at an outer top surface 166 of the chamber top 128. As provided herein, in some implementations, the gas injection manifold 130 and the chamber top 128 are electrically grounded, or electrically connected to a ground.

[0082] Similarly, referring back to Figure 3, the upper portion 156 may have a first outer diameter DI and the lower portion 158 may have a second outer diameter D2 smaller than the first outer diameter DI. This may again allow for the outer flange of the upper portion 156 to rest on and be physically and electrically connected to the chamber top 128. This and the surface 164 seen in Figure 4 may also prevent the gas injection manifold 130 from falling through the chamber top 128 or moving after installation.

[0083] As seen in Figure 4, the circumferential surface 160 may extend for a second length L2 in a direction parallel to the center axis 131. In some instances, the second length L2 may be the same length as the first offset distance OD1. This may result in the first end 136B being coplanar with the inner top surface 146 of the chamber top 128. As also seen in Figure 4, a first portion 142A of the gas supply passage 142 forms at an angle 01 relative to an axis 133 parallel to the center axis 131. This first portion 142A may span from the annular gas plenum 140 to a first point FP1 in the outer body portion 137. In some implementations, this angle 01 may be an acute angle and range between about 15 degrees to about 85 degrees, for example. This angle may advantageously provide for a smooth transition of gas flow into the annular gas plenum 140 andAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO prevent eddies or recirculation therein, and also provide for ease of manufacturability with a drill bit extended through the annular gas plenum 140 to form the first portion 142A of the gas supply passage 142. In Figure 4, the gas passages 148 each extend for a first length LI in the direction parallel to the center axis 131.

[0084] In some implementations, the gas injection manifold 130 may have a manifold gas flowpath spanning from, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet 132 and the secondary chamber outlet 144. For example, the manifold gas flowpath may provide fluidic connection between the gas inlet, gas supply passage 142, the annular gas plenum 140, the gas passage 148, the gas distribution plenum 150, and the secondary chamber outlet 144. This manifold gas flowpath and the fluidic connection between these elements is illustrated by arrows Al; this manifold flowpath may be considered at least a portion of the secondary purge gas flowpath. Here, gas flows through the gas inlet 132 into the gas supply passage 142, then into and through the annular gas plenum 140, into and through the gas passage 148, into and through the gas distribution plenum 150, and out the secondary chamber outlet 144 into the chamber interior 111. The secondary chamber outlet 144 is encircled with a dashed ellipse for clarity.

[0085] Aspects of the gas injection manifold are further seen in Figure 5 which depicts a cross- sectional top view of the gas injection manifold 130. The cross-section is taken along a plane through the annular gas plenum 140 perpendicular to the center axis 131 and viewed parallel to the center axis 131. The central bore 138 is seen, along with the inner bore surface 152 and outer surface 154 radially offset outwards from the inner bore surface 152. The inner bore surface 152 and the outer surface 154 are circles extending around all of the center axis 131. The inner bore surface 152 is at a first radial distance R1 from the center axis 131 and the outer surface 154 is at a second radial distance R2 greater than the first radial distance R1 from the center axis 131, and these distances define the radial thickness tl of the cylindrical inner body portion 136.

[0086] Similarly, the annular gas plenum 140 has an annular, ring-shape extending circumferentially around, or surrounding, all of the center axis 131, the central bore 138, and the cylindrical inner body portion. As depicted, the annular gas plenum 140 is partially defined by the outer surface 154 at the second radial distance R2 and an outer plenum surface 168 at a third radial distance R3 from the center axis 131. These surfaces define the radial thickness t2 of the annular gas plenum 140.

[0087] Also seen in the Figure 5 are the plurality’ of gas passages 148, which are shows an rectangles. In some implementations, the plurality may have at least eight passages, like in Figure 5. In some other implementations, the plurality may have at least nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 16 passages. As illustrated, the passages 148 are arranged around the center axis 131 in an equally spaced manner which may advantageously assist with providing uniform flow out of theAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO secondary chamber outlet (not depicted here). The plurality of gas passages 148 extend around the center axis 131 and are radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion 136. As depicted, each gas passage 148 is partially defined by the outer surface 154 at the radial distance R2 and by a respective channel having a channel surface 170 at a fourth radial distance R4 from the center axis. The respective channels are along the lower portion 158 of the outer body portion 137 and extend from the annular gas plenum 140 to a respective passage outlet OT1. In Figure 4, the channel surface 170 is identified. The fourth radial distance R4 is greater than the second radial distance R2 and less than the third radial distance R3. Each passage has a radial thickness t3 less than the radial thickness of the annular gas plenum 140. Each gas passage 148 may also have a cross-sectional area in a plane perpendicular to the center axis 131 that is rectangular, as illustrated. In some implementations, the comers of this cross-sectional area may be rounded. In some other instances, the cross-sectional area of these passages may be a different shape, such as semi-circular or curved. In various implementations, some chamber design requirements may- lead to these passages having a different cross-sectional area, and these passages may be located along the circumference of R2 with uniform distribution or non-uniform distribution and be geometrically biased towards other features. Additional details of the passages are described below.

[0088] In some implementations, each gas passage 148 is a channel in the outer body portion 137, such as the lower portion 158. Figure 6 depicts a magnified detail view of the gas injection manifold without the cylindrical inner body portion of Figure 5. Here, for illustration purposes, the cylindrical inner body portion 136 has been removed and a portion of the annular gas plenum 140 and one channel 149 of a passage is shown. The annular gas plenum 140 here has an inner circumferential boundary 151 that is closest to the center axis 131 (not visible here) and the outer plenum surface 168 that is the outer boundary of the annular gas plenum 140. In some instances, the outer plenum surface 168 is a part of the annular groove defining the annular gas plenum 140. Three surfaces of the annular groove are labeled AG1 in Figure 4 and the annular groove AG1 is labeled in Figure 8. A portion of the lower portion 158 is also shown. The channel 139 in this example has a cross-sectional area 141 that may be considered rectangular and defined by outer boundary7surfaces, including the channel surface 170 which is the most radial outwards surface of the channel 139, in this example. In some instances, the outer boundary- surfaces maybe c-shaped, or u-shaped, as shown here. The cross-sectional area 141 is highlighted by a dashed rectangle. In some implementations, the cross-sectional area 141 of the channel may have different shapes, such as curved edges. As illustrated in Figure 4, the channel 139 extends through the lower portion 158 for the first length LI in a direction parallel to the center axis 131.Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO

[0089] Each gas passage 148 also has a top end and a bottom end. Referring back to Figure 4, the passage 148 has a top end 172 at the annular gas plenum 140 and a bottom end 174 at the gas distribution plenum 150. Each passage extends for the first length LI between the top end 172 and the bottom end 174. Each passage may also be considered to extend from the annular gas plenum 140 to a respective passage outlet OT1, which is at the same location as the bottom end 174. The passage outlet OT1 is partially defined by a lowermost end LEI of the lower portion 158 and the outer surface 154.

[0090] Aspects of the gas injection manifold are further seen in Figure 7 which depicts a bottom view of the gas injection manifold and a portion of the chamber top. The Figure is viewed parallel to the center axis 131. With respect to Figure 7, Figure 5 is viewed from the top down and Figure 7 is viewed from the opposite direction, bottom up. The central bore 138 is again seen, along with the inner bore surface 152 and outer surface 154 radially offset outwards from the inner bore surface 152. Also shown here is the gas distribution plenum 150 that is partially defined by the outer surface 154 and the circumferential surface 160. The circumferential surface 160 is radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion 136 and at a fifth radial distance R5, and the gas distribution plenum 150 has a fourth radial thickness t4. From this bottom view, the plurality of gas passages 148 are also visible and as provided above, gas flows form the annular gas plenum 140 to the gas distribution plenum 150 through the gas passages 148. The gas flows through each gas passage 148, through the respective passage outlet OT1 of each gas passage 148, and into the gas distribution plenum 150.

[0091] Gas in the gas distribution plenum 150 flows through the secondary chamber outlet 144 into the chamber interior (not illustrated here). From this bottom view the gas distribution plenum 150 and the secondary chamber outlet 144 overlap each other. For illustration purposes, the gas distribution plenum 150 and the secondary chamber outlet 144 are shown with shading. As can be seen, the gas distribution plenum 150 and the secondary chamber outlet 144 are annular, or ring shaped. The gas distribution plenum 150 may also be considered an annular channel because as shown in the view, the cross-sectional area of the gas distribution plenum 150 in a plane perpendicular to the center axis 131 is annular or ring-shaped. The gas distribution plenum 150 and the secondary chamber outlet 144 are circumferential and extend around all of the center axis 131. As provided, the gas distribution plenum 150 and the secondary chamber outlet 144 are also fluidically connected to the chamber interior, and the secondary chamber outlet 144 may be partially defined by the inner top surface 146 of the chamber to 128.

[0092] Figure 8 depicts an off-angle cross-sectional view of a portion of the chamber top and gas injection manifold. This view is similar to Figure 3 with some features removed, although Figure 3 is a cross-sectional slice and Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view. Here, only someAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO features are labeled and for conciseness, some redundant features will not be discussed. Further, the cylindrical inner body portion 136 is illustrated as transparent so various gas injection manifold 130 features are visible. For example, the annular gas plenum 140 extends around the center axis 131 and is fluidically connected to the gas passages 148 that are fl radically interposed between the annular gas plenum 140 and the gas distribution plenum 150. The secondary chamber outlet 144 is at the downstream end of the gas distribution plenum and defined by the first end 136B and the inner top surface 146 of the chamber top 128.

[0093] As illustrated in Figures 2-8, various features of the gas injection manifold 130 and the chamber top 128 are coaxial. For example, the circumferential surface 160 and the outer surface 154 are coaxial and parallel to each other. The cylindrical inner body portion 136 is also coaxial to the outer body portion 137.

[0094] In some implementations, the cylindrical inner body portion may be a separate structure from the gas injection manifold and these components are connected together. For example, the cylindrical inner body portion 136 may be a cylindrical sleeve that is placed inside a central cavity of the outer body portion 137. The cylindrical inner body portion 136 and the outer body portion 137 may be connected to each other in various manners, such as by a shrink fit operation, a variety of welding methods, or fabricated in a single piece via additive manufacturing. The cylindrical inner body portion 136 and the outer body portion 137 may be in both physical and electrical contact with each other. In some other implementations, the cylindrical inner body portion is the same structure as the outer body portion, such as a monolithic and contiguous single structure and not separate pieces connected together. This may be constructed using additive manufacturing.

[0095] Similarly, in some implementations, the circumferential surface 160 is a part of the chamber top 128, as described herein. In some other implementations, the circumferential surface 160 is a part of the gas injection manifold 130. For example, Figure 9 depicts another gas injection manifold 930. Here, the gas injection manifold 930 has an outer body portion 958 that has a greater height than manifold 130. This manifold 930 extends to the inner top surface 146 of the chamber top 128 and forms the circumferential surface 960 for the gas distribution plenum 950 and the secondary chamber outlet 944.

[0096] Various features of the chamber top will now be discussed. Figure 10 depicts an off- angle view of the portion of the chamber top of Figure 8 without the gas injection manifold. The chamber top 128 is seen with the outer top surface 166 and the inner top surface 146 opposite each other, and the inner top surface 146 partially defining the chamber interior 111. The chamber top 128 has a showerhead stem port 176 extending through the top 128 and being partially defined by the outer top surface 166 and the inner top surface 146. The showerheadAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO stem port 176 is illustrated with light shading and it is a through-hole, or bore, through the chamber top 128 through which the showerhead stem (not illustrated) is configured to pass through. The outer boundary7of the showerhead stem port 176 is also highlighted with a heavy weight line and labeled 176A. The showerhead stem port 176 is partially defined by, or includes, the circumferential surface 160 of the top 128. The outer boundary 176A may also be considered partially defined by the circumferential surface 160. In some implementations, like in Figure 10, the showerhead stem port 176 has a recess formed by the support surface 164 and an outer side wall 178. The outer boundary7176A of the showerhead stem port 176 extends around, or is swept around, and is radially outwards of the center axis 131.

[0097] For example, referring back to Figures 3 and 4, the outer boundary 176A is radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion 136 of the gas injection manifold. In some implementations, the outer side wall 178 extends around and is radially outwards of the outer body portion 137. As further illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the gas injection manifold 130 is positioned at least partially inside the showerhead stem port 176. The central bore 138 and the showerhead stem port 176 are coaxial, and the showerhead stem 1 15 extends through the showerhead stem port 176 and the central bore 138. Further, in some implementations like in Figure 4, the bottom 162 of the outer body portion 137 may be in contact with the support surface 164 of the recess of the showerhead stem port 176. In some implementations, there may be a seal 180 between the bottom 162 and the support surface 164 to create a seal between the chamber interior 111 and the environment outside the interior 111. In some implementations, like in Figures 3 and 4, the outer body portion 137 extends only partially through the showerhead stem port 176 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136 extends through all of the showerhead stem port 176. In some other implementations, like in Figure 9, the outer body portion 137 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136 extend through all of the showerhead stem port 176.

[0098] In some implementations, the showerhead stem port 176 has a port length L3, shown in Figures 3, 4, and 10, in a direction parallel to the center axis 131. As can be seen, the lower portion 158 has a third height H3 in the direction parallel to the center axis 131 smaller than the port length L3. Further, the cylindrical inner body portion 136 has the second height H2 greater than the third height H3 and the port length L3.

[0099] Referring back to Figure 2, the show erhead 106 is configured to receive RF power, or RF signals, such that it is RF hot. The chamber top 128 may be electrically grounded and the gas injection manifold 130 is electrically connected to, and thus electrically grounded by, the chamber top 128. In Figure 2, the showerhead stem 115 is electrically connected to RF power and the chamber top 128 is electrically connected to a ground. When the show erhead 106 receives the RF power, the chamber top 128 and the gas injection manifold 130 are configured to be electricallyAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO grounded. This configuration may include the processing station 100 having an insulator collar 182 interposed between the showerhead stem 115 and the gas inj ection manifold 130. The insulator collar 182 is configured to electrically insulate the showerhead 106 from the gas inj ection manifold 130 and chamber top 128. The insulator collar 182 has a circumferential body 184 and a central cavity 186 that is a through-hole through the entire circumferential body 184. In some implementations, the gas injection manifold 130 may be an electrically conductive material, such as an aluminum or aluminum alloy. In some instances, the cylindrical inner body portion 136 and the outer body portion 137 are comprised of the same material, such as an aluminum or aluminum alloy.

[0100] As can be seen in Figure 2, the insulator collar 182 extends through the central bore 138 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136 extends around and is radially outwards of the insulator collar 182. In some instances, cylindrical inner body portion 136 is considered to the surround the insulator collar 182. Further, the showerhead stem 115 extends through the central cavity 186 of the insulator collar 182 and the insulator collar 182 is radially interposed between the showerhead stem 1 15 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136. The showerhead stem 115 is surrounded by the insulator collar 182 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136. The insulator collar 182 may have an outer collar surface 188 that faces the inner bore surface 152 of the cylindrical inner body portion 136. These surfaces may be offset from each other by a non-zero offset distance. The radial placement and spacing of the insulator collar assist with electrically isolating, or separating, the RF hot showerhead stem 115 and the grounded gas injection manifold 130. In some implementations, the insulator collar 182 may made of a dielectric material, such as a ceramic.

[0101] The insulator collar 182 may also have a collar bottom end 192 that is positioned inside the chamber interior 111. This may provide additional electrical insulation between the RF hot showerhead stem 115 and the grounded gas injection manifold 130 and chamber top 128. As shown, the insulator collar 182 may have a collar height CHI in the direction parallel to the center axis 131 that is greater than the first height Hl of the outer body portion 137 and the second height H2 of the cylindrical inner body portion 136. At the opposite end. the insulator collar 182 may have an outer flange, such as a top collar end 190 positioned outside the chamber interior 1 11 and above the gas injection manifold 130 and top 128. The top collar end 190 may have an outer collar diameter CD1 greater than the diameter of the cylindrical inner body portion 136. The top collar end 190 may also be in direct contact with the gas injection manifold 130. In some instances, the insulator collar 182 may also be physically connected to the gas injection manifold 130 and to a connector plate CPI, which may be a cooling plate, that is connected to the showerhead stem 115.

[0102] Features of the chamber are further described in Figure 11 w hich depicts a magnified portion area of Figure 2. Here, the right side of Figure 2 with respect to the center axis 131 isAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO shown. As can be seen, the outer collar surface 188 faces the inner bore surface 152 of the cylindrical inner body portion 136, and these surfaces are offset by a second offset distance OD2. Similarly, an inner collar surface 194 faces the showerhead stem 115, and these are offset from each other by a third offset distance OD3. The second and third offset distances OD2 and OD3, as well as the radial thickness t4 of the secondary chamber outlet 144 and gas distribution plenum 150, advantageously reduce or eliminate formation of parasitic plasma at the top of the chamber, around the showerhead stem 115, and in the gas distribution manifold 130. In some implementations, the second offset distance may range from 0.015 inches to 0.5 inches, 0.015 inches to 0.125 inches. 0.2 inches to 0.5 inches. 0.015 inches to 0.07 inches, and the third offset distance may range from 0.015 inches to 0.5 inches, 0.015 inches to 0. 125 inches, 0.2 inches to 0.5 inches, 0.015 inches to 0.07 inches. These ranges may advantageously reduce or eliminate the formation of parasitic plasma. For example, the formation of a plasma in a space, such as parasitic plasma in the areas between the insulator collar 182 and the cylindrical inner body portion 136, are a function of space between surfaces, with increased offset distances resulting in more plasma formation. Conversely, reducing the offset distances can prevent the formation of plasma formation. Here, the second distance OD2 is small enough to reduce or eliminate the formation of parasitic plasma in the area between the insulator collar and the cylindrical inner body portion 136. Similarly, the radial thickness t4 of the secondary chamber outlet 144 and gas distribution plenum 150 are also configured to reduce or eliminate the formation of parasitic plasma therein.

[0103] Further, the insulator collar 182 may be fixed in position with respect to the showerhead stem 115, and these features are configured to be movable or tiltable to adjust for manufacturing or installation inconsistencies or misalignments and thereby result in uniform gas flow and plasma creation in the chamber interior 111. The second distance OD2 also advantageously allows for the insulator collar 182 and the showerhead stem 1 15 to be moved while the gas injection manifold remains stationar . As provided above, the secondary purge gas flowpath through the gas injection manifold and into the chamber interior are independent from the showerhead and the configuration of the gas injection manifold is configured to flow gas into the chamber interior through the secondary chamber outlet in a uniform and balanced manner independent of the showerhead and insulator collar movement or tilt.

[0104] Figure 12 depicts example gas flowpaths through the gas injection manifold and into the chamber interior. In this Figure, the negative space of the annular gas plenum 140, the plurality of gas passages 148, of which there are twelve, and the gas distribution plenum 150 are shown. As can be seen, the gas flows through the gas passage 148 into the annular gas plenum 140 and around the annular gas plenum 140. The gas then flows dow nstream and out of the annular gas plenum 140 through the plurality of gas passages 148 and into the gas distribution plenum 150. Here in theAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO gas distribution plenum 150, the gas spreads out evenly and flows out of the secondary chamber outlet 144 and into the chamber interior 111. As also illustrated in Figures 11 and 4, the gas from the secondary' chamber outlet 144 flows downwards into the chamber interior and has a directional component parallel to the center axis 131. In some instances, this flow may be considered parallel to or substantially parallel to the center axis and the showerhead stem 115. As also shown, the gas flow enters the chamber interior at the top 128; in the depicted implementations, gas does not enter the chamber interior 111 through the secondary chamber outlet 144 in a perpendicular or sideways manner. Further, in some instances, gas does not enter the chamber interior 111 at a location inbetween the inner top surface 146 and the showerhead body 113.

[0105] In some implementations, the gas injection manifold may have a plurality of gas inlets, a plurality of gas supply passages, or both. For example, the gas injection manifold may have a plurality' of gas inlets and a plurality' of gas supply passages with each inlet fluidically connected to one respective gas supply passage that is fluidically connected to the annular plenum. This may provide multiple gas supply flowpaths to the annular plenum 140 to provide additional flow control, for instance. In another example, the gas injection manifold may have one gas inlet and a plurality7of gas supply passages that are fluidically connected to the gas inlet and the annular plenum.

[0106] In some implementations, the showerhead may be a different type of showerhead, such as a flush-mounted showerhead, and the gas injection manifold may be configured to flow gas into the chamber interior around the periphery of these different showerheads. These gas injection manifolds may be similar to described above and may be larger so that they can extend around, and surround, the showerhead body. In some such instances, the gas injection manifolds may have a larger central bore diameter so that the showerhead body, not just a showerhead stem, can be positioned radially inwards of the cylindrical inner body portion.

[0107] Figure 14 depicts another implementation of a magnified portion of a processing station 1400, or system. Here, the system is similar to that of Figure 2, except for noted differences, including that the showerhead 1406 has a different configuration than showerhead 106 provided above. In this example, the showerhead is a flush mount showerhead which has a body 1413 positioned within the chamber top 1428. In some instances, the showerhead 1406 may be positioned outside, or partially bounding, the chamber interior 1411. The showerhead 1406 also has a showerhead inlet 1407 outside the chamber interior. This is different from a chandelier style showerhead. The gas injection manifold 1430 may be the same or similar to provided above, except that in this example, gas injection manifold 1430 has a larger overall diameter as well as chamber bore 1438 to accommodate the showerhead 1406. For instance, the chamber bore 1438 is configured to receive the showerhead 1406 and the showerhead body 1413.Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO

[0108] The gas injection manifold 1430 may also have the same internal features described above and sized differently to be positioned around the showerhead 1406. For example, the gas injection manifold 1430 may have cylindrical inner body portion 1436 that extends around, or surrounds, and is radially offset from the showerhead 1406 and the showerhead body 1413. The gas injection manifold 1430 also has the annular gas plenum 1440 extending around, surrounding, and radially offset from the cylindrical inner body portion 1436, the gas inlet 1432, and the gas supply passage 1442 that spans between the gas inlet 1432. The chamber top 1428 also has the secondary chamber outlet 1444 that extends around, or surrounds, and is radially offset from the showerhead 1406 and showerhead body 1413. As can be seen, the secondary chamber outlet 1444 is configured to flow gas into the chamber interior in the form or an annular channel, similar to above. Here, the secondary chamber outlet 1444 flows gas around the outer periphery of the showerhead body 1413 and showerhead 1406.

[0109] In some implementations, showerhead 1406 may be RF hot, as indicated by its connection to the RF power. The system 1402 may also have an electrical insulator collar 1482 interposed between the showerhead 1406 and the gas injection manifold 1430. The electrical insulator collar 1482 may be configured the same as above, such that it has a circumferential body 1484 extending around, or surrounding, the showerhead 1406 and showerhead body 1413. The electrical insulator collar 1482 may also have the central cavity 1486 that is a through-hole through the entire circumferential body 1484. The electrical insulator collar 1482 is configured to electrically isolate the showerhead 1406 from the gas injection manifold 1430.

[0110] Figure 13 shows a schematic view' of an implementation of a multi-station processing tool 1300 with an inbound load lock 1302 and an outbound load lock 1304, either or both of which may comprise a remote plasma source. A robot 1306, at atmospheric pressure, is configured to move wafers from a cassette loaded through a pod 1308 into inbound load lock 1302 via an atmospheric port 1310. A wafer is placed by the robot 1306 on apedestal 1312 in the inbound load lock 1302, the atmospheric port 1310 is closed, and the load lock is pumped down. Where the inbound load lock 1302 comprises a remote plasma source, the wafer may be exposed to a remote plasma treatment in the load lock prior to being introduced into a processing chamber 1314. Further, the wafer also may be heated in the inbound load lock 1302 as well, for example, to remove moisture and adsorbed gases. Next, a chamber transport port 1316 to processing chamber 1314 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 Figure 13 includes load locks, it will be appreciated that, in some implementations, direct entry of a wafer into a process station may be provided.[OHl] The depicted processing chamber 1314 comprises four process stations, numbered fromAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO 1 to 4 in the implementation shown in Figure 13. Each station has a heated pedestal (shown at 1318 for station 1), and gas line inlets. It will be appreciated that in some implementations, each process station may have different or multiple purposes. While the depicted processing chamber 1314 comprises four stations, it will be understood that a processing chamber according to the present disclosure may have any suitable number of stations. For example, in some implementations, a processing chamber may have five or more stations, while in other implementations a processing chamber may have three or fewer stations.

[0112] Figure 13 also depicts an implementation of a wafer handling system 1390 for transferring wafers within processing chamber 1314. In some implementations, wafer handling system 1390 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. Figure 13 also depicts an implementation of a system controller 1350 employed to control process conditions and hardware states of process tool 1300. System controller 1350 may include one or more memory devices 1356, one or more mass storage devices 1354, and one or more processors 1352. Processor 1352 may include a CPU or computer, analog and / or digital input / output connections, stepper motor controller boards, etc.

[0113] In some implementations, system controller 1350 controls all of the activities of process tool 1300. System controller 1350 executes system control software 1358 stored in mass storage device 1354, loaded into memory device 1356, and executed on processor 1352. System control software 1358 may include instructions for controlling the timing, mixture of gases, chamber and / or station pressure, chamber and / or station temperature, purge conditions and timing, wafer temperature, RF power levels, RF frequencies, substrate, pedestal, chuck and / or susceptor position, and other parameters of a particular process performed by process tool 1300. System control software 1358 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 necessary to carry out various process tool processes in accordance with the disclosed methods. System control software 1358 may be coded in any suitable computer readable programming language.

[0114] In some implementations, system control software 1358 may include input / output control (IOC) sequencing instructions for controlling the various parameters described above. For example, each phase of a PEALD process may include one or more instructions for execution by system controller 1350. The instructions for setting process conditions for a PEALD process phase may be included in a corresponding PEALD recipe phase. In some implementations, the PEALD recipe phases may be sequentially arranged, so that all instructions for a PEALD process phase areAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO executed concurrently with that process phase.

[0115] Other computer software and / or programs stored on mass storage device 1354 and / or memory device 1356 associated with system controller 1350 may be employed in some implementations. Examples of programs or sections of programs for this purpose include a substrate positioning program, a process gas control program, a pressure control program, a heater control program, and a plasma control program.

[0116] A substrate positioning program may include program code for process tool components that are used to load the substrate onto pedestal 1318 and to control the spacing between the substrate and other parts of process tool 1300.

[0117] A process gas control program may include code for controlling gas composition and flow rates and optionally for flowing gas into one or more process stations prior to deposition in order to stabilize the pressure in the process station. The process gas control program may include code for controlling gas composition and flow rates within any of the disclosed ranges. A pressure control program may include code for controlling the pressure in the process station by regulating, for example, a throttle valve in the exhaust system of the process station, a gas flow into the process station, etc. The pressure control program may include code for maintaining the pressure in the process station within any of the disclosed pressure ranges.

[0118] A heater control program may include code for controlling the current to a heating unit that is used to heat the substrate. Alternatively, the heater control program may control delivery of a heat transfer gas (such as helium) to the substrate. The heater control program may include instructions to maintain the temperature of the substrate within any of the disclosed ranges.

[0119] A plasma control program may include code for setting RF power levels and frequencies applied to the process electrodes in one or more process stations, for example using any of the RF power levels disclosed herein. The plasma control program may also include code for controlling the duration of each plasma exposure.

[0120] In some implementations, there may be a user interface associated with system controller 1350. The user interface may include a display screen, graphical software displays of the apparatus and / or process conditions, and user input devices such as pointing devices, keyboards, touch screens, microphones, etc.

[0121] In some implementations, parameters adjusted by system controller 1350 may relate to process conditions. Non-limiting examples include process gas composition and flow rates, temperature, pressure, plasma conditions (such as RF power levels, frequency, and exposure time), etc. These parameters may be provided to the user in the form of a recipe, which may be entered utilizing the user interface.

[0122] Signals for monitoring the process may be provided by analog and / or digital inputAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO connections of system controller 1350 from various process tool sensors. The signals for controlling the process may be output on the analog and digital output connections of process tool 1300. Non-limiting examples of process tool sensors that may be monitored include mass flow controllers, pressure sensors (such as manometers), thermocouples, etc. Appropriately programmed feedback and control algorithms may be used with data from these sensors to maintain process conditions.

[0123] Similarly, in some implementations, the controller 1350 is part of a system, which may be part of the above-described examples. Such systems can include semiconductor processing equipment, including a processing tool or tools, chamber or chambers, a platform or platforms for processing, and / or specific processing components (a wafer pedestal, a gas flow system, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics for controlling their operation before, during, and after processing of a semiconductor wafer or substrate. The electronics may be referred to as the “controller,'’ which may control various components or subparts of the system or systems. The controller 1350, depending on the processing requirements and / or the type of system, may be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein, including the delivery of processing gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings in some systems, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow rate settings, fluid delivery settings, positional and operation settings, wafer transfers into and out of a tool and other transfer tools and / or load locks connected to or interfaced with a specific system.

[0124] Broadly speaking, the controller may be defined as electronics having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operation, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, and the like. The integrated circuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors, or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions communicated to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files), defining operational parameters for carrying out a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer or to a system. The operational parameters may, in some implementations, be part of a recipe defined by process engineers to accomplish one or more processing steps during the fabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or dies of a wafer.

[0125] The controller, in some implementations, may be a part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with, coupled to the system, otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the “cloud” or all or a part of a fab host computerAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO system, which can allow for remote access of the wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor current progress of fabrication operations, examine a history of past fabrication operations, examine trends or performance metrics from a plurality of fabrication operations, to change parameters of current processing, to set processing steps to follow a current processing, or to start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g. a server) can provide process recipes to a system over a network, which may include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that enables entry' or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then communicated to the system from the remote computer. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data, which specify parameters for each of the processing steps to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process to be performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus as described above, the controller may be distributed, such as by comprising one or more discrete controllers that are networked together and working towards a common purpose, such as the processes and controls described herein. An example of a distributed controller for such purposes would be one or more integrated circuits on a chamber in communication with one or more integrated circuits located remotely (such as at the platform level or as part of a remote computer) that combine to control a process on the chamber.

[0126] Without limitation, example systems may include a plasma etch chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin-rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a clean chamber or module, a bevel edge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etch (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a track chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing systems that may be associated or used in the fabrication and / or manufacturing of semiconductor wafers.

[0127] As noted above, depending on the process step or steps to be performed by the tool, the controller 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.

[0128] Broadly speaking, the controller may be defined as electronics having various integrated circuits, logic, memory', and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operation, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, and the like. The integratedAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO circuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors, or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions communicated to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files), defining operational parameters for carrying out a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer or to a system. The operational parameters may, in some implementations, be part of a recipe defined by process engineers to accomplish one or more processing steps during the fabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or dies of a wafer.

[0129] The controller, in some implementations, may be a part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated with, coupled to the system, otherwise networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the “cloud” or all or a part of a fab host computer system, which can allow for remote access of the wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor current progress of fabrication operations, examine a history of past fabrication operations, examine trends or performance metrics from a plurality of fabrication operations, to change parameters of current processing, to set processing steps to follow a current processing, or to start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g. a server) can provide process recipes to a system over a network, which may include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that enables entry or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then communicated to the system from the remote computer. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data, which specify parameters for each of the processing steps to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process to be performed and the type of tool that the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus as described above, the controller may be distributed, such as by comprising one or more discrete controllers that are networked together and working towards a common purpose, such as the processes and controls described herein. An example of a distributed controller for such purposes would be one or more integrated circuits on a chamber in communication with one or more integrated circuits located remotely (such as at the platform level or as part of a remote computer) that combine to control a process on the chamber.

[0130] Without limitation, example systems may include a plasma etch chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin-rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a clean chamber or module, a bevel edge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an ALD chamber or module, an ALE chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, aAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO track chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing systems that may be associated or used in the fabrication and / or manufacturing of semiconductor wafers.

[0131] As noted above, depending on the process step or steps to be performed by the tool, the controller 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 factory7.

[0132] Unless otherwise specified, the illustrated implementations are to be understood as providing example features of varying detail of some implementations. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the features, components, modules, layers, films, regions, aspects, structures, etc. (hereinafter individually or collectively referred to as an “element” or “elements”), of the various illustrations may be otherwise combined, separated, interchanged, and / or rearranged without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

[0133] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing some implementations and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is to be understood that the phrases “for each <item> of the one or more <items> ” “each <item> of the one or more <items>,” and / or the like, if used herein, are inclusive of both a single-item group and multiple-item groups, i.e., the phrase “for . . . each” is used in the sense that it is used in programming languages to refer to each item of whatever population of items is referenced. For example, if the population of items referenced is a single item, then “each” would refer to only that single item (despite dictionary definitions of “each” frequently defining the term to refer to “every one of two or more things”) and would not imply that there must be at least two of those items. Similarly, the term “set” or “subset” should not be viewed, in itself, as necessarily encompassing a plurality of items — it is to be understood that a set or a subset can encompass only one member or multiple members (unless the context indicates otherwise). The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and / or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms “substantially,” “about,” and other similar terms, are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree, and, as such, are utilized to account for inherent deviations in measured, calculated, and / or provided values that w ould be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, the term “substantially” as used herein, unlessAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO otherwise specified, means within 5% of a referenced value. For example, substantially perpendicular means within ±5% of parallel.

[0134] The use of cross-hatching and / or shading in the accompanying drawings is generally provided to clarify boundaries between adjacent elements. As such, neither the presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shading conveys or indicates any preference or requirement for particular materials, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalities between illustrated elements, and / or any other characteristic, attribute, property, etc., of the elements, unless specified. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the size and relative sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clarity and / or descriptive purposes. As such, the sizes and relative sizes of the respective elements are not necessarily limited to the sizes and relative sizes shown in the drawings. When an implementation may be implemented differently, a specific process order may be performed differently from the described order. For example, two consecutively described processes may be performed substantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to the described order.

[0135] When an element, such as a layer, is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, directly connected to, or directly coupled to the other element or at least one intervening element may be present. When, however, an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to.” or “directly coupled to” another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other terms and / or phrases if used herein to describe a relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion, such as “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” “on” versus “directly on,” etc. Further, the term “connected” may refer to physical, electrical, and / or fluid connection. To this end, for the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase “fluidically connected” is used with respect to volumes, plenums, holes, etc., that may be connected to one another, either directly or via one or more intervening components or volumes, to form a fluidic connection, similar to how the phrase “electrically connected” is used with respect to components that are connected to form an electric connection. The phrase “fluidically interposed.” if used, may be used to refer to a component, volume, plenum, hole, etc., that is fluidically connected with at least two other components, volumes, plenums, holes, etc., such that fluid flowing from one of those other components, volumes, plenums, holes etc., to the other or another of those components, volumes, plenums, holes, etc., would first flow through the “fluidically interposed” component before reaching that other or another of those components, volumes, plenums, holes, etc.. For example, if a pump is fluidically interposed between a reservoir and an outlet, fluid flowing from the reservoir to the outlet would first flow through the pump before reaching the outlet. The phrase "fluidically adjacent," if used, refers to placement of a fluidic element relativeAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO to another fluidic element such that no potential structures fluidically are interposed between the two elements that might potentially interrupt fluid flow between the two fluidic elements. For example, in a flowpath having a first valve, a second valve, and a third valve arranged sequentially therealong, the first valve would be fluidically adjacent to the second valve, the second valve fluidically adjacent to both the first and third valves, and the third valve fluidically adjacent to the second valve.

[0136] For the purposes of this disclosure, “at least one of X, Y, . . ., and Z” and “at least one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, . . ., and Z” may be construed as X only, Y only, . . ., Z only, or any combination of two or more of X, Y, . . .. and Z, such as. for instance, XYZ. XYY, YZ, and ZZ. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0137] Although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another element. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed a second element without departing from the teachings of the disclosure. To this end, use of such identifiers, e.g., “a first element,” should not be read as suggesting, implicitly or inherently, that there is necessarily another instance, e.g., “a second element.” Further, the use, if any, of ordinal indicators, such as (a), (b), (c), . . ., or (1), (2), (3). . . ., or the like, in this disclosure and accompanying claims, is to be understood as not conveying any particular order or sequence, except to the extent that such an order or sequence is explicitly indicated. For example, if there are three steps labeled (i), (ii), and (iii), it is to be understood that these steps may be performed in any order (or even concurrently, if not otherwise contraindicated), unless indicated otherwise. For example, if step (ii) involves the handling of an element that is created in step (i), then step (ii) may be viewed as happening at some point after step (i). In a similar manner, if step (i) involves the handling of an element that is created in step (ii), the reverse is to be understood.

[0138] Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “under,” “lower.” “above,” “upper,” “over,” “higher,” “side” (e.g., as in “sidewall”), and the like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and, thereby, to describe one element’s spatial relationship to at least one other element as illustrated in the drawings. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of an apparatus in use, operation, and / or manufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if the apparatus in the drawings is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” or “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below; Furthermore, the apparatus may beAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other onentations), and, as such, the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0139] The term “between,” as used herein and when used with a range of values, is to be understood, unless otherwise indicated, as being inclusive of the start and end values of that range. For example, between 1 and 5 is to be understood as inclusive of the numbers 1, 2, 3. 4, and 5, not just the numbers 2, 3, and 4.

[0140] As used herein, the phrase “operatively connected” is to be understood as referring to a state in which two components and / or systems are connected, either directly or indirectly, such that, for example, at least one component or system can control the other. For instance, a controller may be described as being operatively connected with (or to) a resistive heating unit, which is inclusive of the controller being connected with a sub-controller of the resistive heating unit that is electrically connected with a relay that is configured to controllably connect or disconnect the resistive heating unit with a power source that is capable of providing an amount of power that is able to power the resistive heating unit so as to generate a desired degree of heating. The controller itself likely will not supply such power directly to the resistive heating unit due to the current(s) involved, but it is to be understood that the controller is nonetheless operatively connected with the resistive heating unit.

[0141] As used herein, the singular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It is also to be understood that the phrases “for each <item> of the one or more <items>,” “each <item> of the one or more <items>,” and / or the like, if used herein, are inclusive of both a single-item group and multipleitem groups, i.e., the phrase “for . . . each” is used in the sense that it is used in programming languages to refer to each item of whatever population of items is referenced. For example, if the population of items referenced is a single item, then “each” would refer to only that single item (despite dictionary definitions of “each” frequently defining the term to refer to “every one of two or more things”) and would not imply that there must be at least two of those items. Similarly, the term “set” or “subset” should not be viewed, in itself, as necessarily encompassing a plurality of items — it is to be understood that a set or a subset can encompass only one member or multiple members (unless the context indicates otherwise). In addition, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and / or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0142] Various implementations are described herein with reference to sectional views, isometric views, perspective views, plan views, and / or exploded illustrations that are schematicAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO depictions of idealized implementations and / or intermediate structures. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result of, for example, manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, implementations disclosed herein should not be construed as limited to the particular illustrated shapes of regions, but are to include deviations in shapes that result from, for instance, manufacturing. To this end. regions illustrated in the drawings may be schematic in nature and shapes of these regions may not reflect the actual shapes of regions of a device, and, as such, are not intended to be limiting.

[0143] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and are not to be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

[0144] As customary in the field, some implementations are described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in terms of functional blocks, units, and / or modules. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these blocks, units, and / or modules are physically implemented by electronic (or optical) circuits, such as logic circuits, discrete components, microprocessors, hard-wired circuits, memory elements, wiring connections, and the like, which may be formed using semiconductor-based fabrication techniques or other manufacturing technologies. In the case of the blocks, units, and / or modules being implemented by microprocessors or other similar hardware, they may be programmed and controlled using software (e.g., microcode) to perform various functions discussed herein and may optionally be driven by firmware and / or software. It is also contemplated that each block, unit, and / or module may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or as a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions and a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry) to perform other functions. Also, each block, unit, and / or module of some implementations may be physically separated into two or more interacting and discrete blocks, units, and / or modules without departing from the inventive concepts. Further, the blocks, units, and / or modules of some implementations may be physically combined into more complex blocks, units, and / or modules without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

[0145] Although the foregoing implementations 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 apparatuses of the disclosed implementations. Accordingly, implementations are to be considered as illustrative and not asAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO restrictive, and implementations are not to be limited to the details given herein.

[0146] It is to be understood that the above disclosure, while focusing on a particular example implementation or implementations, is not limited to only the discussed example, but may also apply to similar variants and mechanisms as well, and such similar variants and mechanisms are also considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the above disclosure is directed to at least, but not exclusively, the following numbered implementations.

[0147] Implementation 1 : A gas injection manifold for semiconductor processing, the manifold comprising: a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end, a central bore extending from the first end to the second end, an inner bore surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface; an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion; a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion; an annular gas plenum extending circumferentially around the inner body portion and partially defined by an annular groove in the lower portion; a gas supply passage extending from the gas inlet, through the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer body portion, and to the annular gas plenum; and a lurality of gas passages arranged circumferentially around the inner body portion and extending from the annular gas plenum to a passage outlet partially defined by the outer surface of the inner body portion and the inner surface of the lower portion, each gas passage partially defined by the outer surface of the inner body portion and a channel in the inner surface of the lower portion.

[0148] Implementation 2: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein: the outer body portion has a first height in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the inner body portion has a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis greater than the first height.

[0149] Implementation 3: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein the inner body portion is a separate structure coupled to the outer body portion.

[0150] Implementation 4: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein the plurality of gas passages is arranged circumferentially around the inner body portion in an equally spaced manner.

[0151] Implementation 5: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein the gas passages are parallel to the center axis.

[0152] Implementation 6: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein the inner body portionAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO and the outer body portion are the same structure.

[0153] Implementation 7: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein: the annular gas plenum has a second radial thickness, and each gas passage has a third radial thickness smaller than the second radial thickness.

[0154] Implementation 8: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein: the gas supply passage has a first portion spanning from the annular gas plenum to a first point in the outer body portion, and the first portion forms an acute angle relative to an axis parallel to the center axis.

[0155] Implementation 9: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein: the upper portion has a first outer diameter, and the lower portion has a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter.

[0156] Implementation 10: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein the gas inlet is at a top of the outer body portion.

[0157] Implementation 11: The manifold of implementation 1, wherein the inner body portion and the outer body portion are comprised of aluminum.

[0158] Implementation 12: A semiconductor processing system, the system comprising: a processing chamber having: a chamber top with a gas injection manifold, a gas distribution plenum, and a secondary chamber outlet, and a chamber interior at least partially defined by the chamber top and fluidically connected to the secondary chamber outlet, wherein: the gas injection manifold has: a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end, a central bore extending from the first end to the second end, an inner surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface, an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion, a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion, and a manifold gas flowpath spanning from, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the secondary chamber outlet, the central bore is configured to receive a showerhead stem of a showerhead, the gas injection manifold is electrically connected to the chamber top, the gas distribution plenum:Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO is a part of the manifold gas flowpath, extends circumferentially around the center axis and is radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion, is partially formed by the outer surface, and is fluidically connected to the secondary chamber outlet, and gas is configured to flow from the gas inlet, through the manifold gas flowpath, to the gas distribution plenum, and through the secondary chamber outlet into the chamber interior.

[0159] Implementation 13: The system of implementation 12. wherein: the chamber top has a circumferential surface extending around the center axis, radially offset outwards of the outer surface, and extending for a first length in the direction parallel to the center axis, and the circumferential surface and the outer surface at least partially form the gas distribution plenum.

[0160] Implementation 14: The system of implementation 13, wherein the gas distribution plenum is an annular channel.

[0161] Implementation 15: The system of implementation 13, wherein the circumferential surface and the outer surface are coaxial and parallel to each other.

[0162] Implementation 16: The system of implementation 13, wherein the circumferential surface is a part of a structure separate from the gas injection manifold.

[0163] Implementation 17: The system of implementation 13, wherein the inner body portion is a sleeve surrounding the showerhead stem, and the circumferential surface is a part of the chamber top.

[0164] Implementation 18: The system of implementation 12, wherein the first end is coplanar with an internal surface of the chamber top.

[0165] Implementation 19: The system of implementation 12, wherein: the chamber top has an outer top surface, an inner top surface at least partially defining the chamber interior, a showerhead stem port extending through the chamber top, the showerhead stem port has an outer boundary that extends around, and is radially outwards of, the inner body portion, the gas injection manifold is positioned at least partially inside the showerhead stem port, the central bore and the showerhead stem port are coaxial, and a showerhead stem is configured to extend through the showerhead stem port and the central bore.

[0166] Implementation 20: The system of implementation 19. wherein:Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO the showerhead stem port further has a recess with an outer side wall and a support surface, extending around the center axis, extending radially inwards towards the inner body portion, and radially outwards of the inner body portion, and a bottom of the outer body portion is in direct contact with the support surface of the recess.

[0167] Implementation 21 : The system of implementation 19, wherein: the outer body portion extends partially through the showerhead stem port, and the cylindrical inner body portion extends through all of the showerhead stem port.

[0168] Implementation 22: The manifold of implementation 19, wherein: the showerhead stem port has a port length in a direction parallel to the center axis, the outer body portion has a first height in the direction parallel to the center axis smaller than the port length, and the central bore portion has a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis greater than the first height and the port length.

[0169] Implementation 23: The system of implementation 12, wherein the manifold gas flowpath of the gas injection manifold further includes: an annular gas plenum extending around the center axis, partially defined by an annular groove in the outer body portion and the inner body portion, and radially outwards of the inner body portion, a gas supply passage extending through the outer body portion, and spanning between, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the annular gas plenum, and a plurality of gas passages arranged around the center axis, fluidically connected to the annular gas plenum, and extending along the center axis.

[0170] Implementation 24: The system of implementation 23, wherein the gas passages are arranged around the center axis in an equally spaced manner.

[0171] Implementation 25: The system of implementation 12, wherein: the outer body portion has a first height in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the inner body portion has a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis greater than the first height.

[0172] Implementation 26: The system of implementation 12, further comprising the showerhead having: a showerhead body positioned in the chamber interior and configured to flow process gases into the chamber interior, and a showerhead stem connected to the showerhead body, extending along the center axis through the chamber top of the processing chamber and through at least a portion of the centralAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO bore, and having a showerhead inlet outside the chamber interior and configured to receive process gases and flow the received process gases to the showerhead body, wherein: the showerhead is configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals, and the chamber top of the processing chamber and the gas injection manifold are configured to be electrically connected to a ground when the showerhead receives RF signals.

[0173] Implementation 27 : The system of implementation 26, further comprising an insulator collar having a circumferential body and a central cavity, wherein: the insulator collar extends through the central bore, the inner body portion surrounds and is radially outwards of the insulator collar, the showerhead stem extends through the central cavity, and the insulator collar is radially interposed between the showerhead stem and the inner body portion.

[0174] Implementation 28: The system of implementation 27. wherein the insulator collar is comprised of a dielectric material.

[0175] Implementation 29: The system of implementation 27, wherein the insulator collar is comprised of a ceramic.

[0176] Implementation 30: The system of implementation 27. wherein the insulator collar has a first end positioned inside the chamber interior.

[0177] Implementation 31 : The system of implementation 30, wherein: the insulator collar has a collar height in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the inner body portion has a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis less than the collar height.

[0178] Implementation 32: The system of implementation 27, wherein: the insulator collar has an outer collar surface, and the inner bore surface faces the outer collar surface and is radially offset from the outer collar surface by a non-zero offset distance.

[0179] Implementation 33: The system of implementation 27, wherein the insulator collar has a second end positioned outside the chamber interior.

[0180] Implementation 34: The system of implementation 33, wherein the second end has an outer collar diameter larger than a diameter of the central bore.

[0181] Implementation 35: The system of implementation 33, wherein the second end is in direct contact with a top surface of the gas injection manifold.

[0182] Implementation 36: The system of implementation 12, wherein: the upper portion has a first outer diameter,Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO the lower portion has a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter, the lower portion is inside a portion of the chamber top, and the upper portion is above a top surface of the chamber top.

[0183] Implementation 37 : A gas injection manifold for semiconductor processing, the manifold comprising: an outer body portion having an upper portion having a first outer diameter, and a lower portion with a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter; a gas inlet coupled the upper portion; a central bore extending through the upper portion and the lower portion along a longitudinal center axis, and being defined by an inner surface extending around the center axis at a first diameter; an annular groove in the lower portion, extending circumferentially around the center axis, facing the central bore, and Iluidically connected to the central bore; a gas supply passage extending from the gas inlet, through the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer body portion, and to the annular groove; and a plurality of channels in the lower portion, arranged circumferentially around the center axis, fluidically connected to the annular groove, facing the central bore, and extending along the center axis to a lowermost end of the lower portion, wherein: the central bore is configured to receive a showerhead stem of a showerhead, and the annular groove is fluidically interposed between the gas supply passage and the plurality of channels.

[0184] Implementation 38: A gas injection manifold for semiconductor processing, the manifold compnsing: a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end, a central bore extending from the first end to the second end, an inner surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface; an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion; a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion; an annular gas plenum extending circumferentially around the cylindrical inner body portion, partially defined by an annular groove along the inner surface of the lower portion; a gas supply passage extending from the gas inlet, through the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer body portion, and to the annular gas plenum; and a plurality of gas passages arranged circumferentially around the inner body portion and extending from the annular gas plenum to a passage outlet partially defined by the outer surfaceAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO of the inner body portion and the inner surface of the lower portion, each gas passage partially defined by the outer surface of the inner body portion and a channel in the inner surface of the lower portion, wherein the central bore is configured to receive a showerhead body, and wherein each passage outlet is partially defined by the lowermost end of the lower portion and the outer bore surface of the cylindrical inner body portion.

[0185] Implementation 39: A semiconductor processing system, the system comprising: a processing chamber having: a chamber top with a gas injection manifold, a gas distribution plenum, and a secondary chamber outlet, and a chamber interior at least partially defined by the chamber top and fluidically connected to the secondary' chamber outlet, wherein: the gas injection manifold has: a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end, a central bore extending from the first end to the second end, an inner surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface, an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion, a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion, and a manifold gas flowpath spanning from, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the secondary chamber outlet, the central bore is configured to receive a showerhead body, the gas injection manifold is electrically connected to the chamber top, the gas distribution plenum: is a part of the manifold gas flowpath, extends circumferentially around the center axis and is radially outwards of the inner body portion, is partially formed by the outer bore surface, and is fluidically connected to the secondary chamber outlet, and gas is configured to flow from the gas inlet, through the manifold gas flowpath, to the gas distribution plenum, and through the secondary chamber outlet into the chamber interior.

[0186] Implementation 40: The system of implementation 39. further comprising theAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO showerhead, wherein: the showerhead has a showerhead body positioned at least partially in the chamber top, a center axis, and a showerhead inlet outside the chamber interior and configured to receive process gases and flow the received process gases to the chamber interior, the showerhead is configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals, and the top of the processing chamber and the gas injection manifold are configured to be electrically connected to a ground when the showerhead receives RF signals.

Claims

Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WOCLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A gas inj ection manifold for semiconductor processing, the manifold comprising: a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end, a central bore extending from the first end to the second end. an inner bore surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface; an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion; a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion; an annular gas plenum extending circumferentially around the inner body portion and partially defined by an annular groove in the lower portion; a gas supply passage extending from the gas inlet, through the upper portion and the lower portion of the outer body portion, and to the annular gas plenum; and a plurality of gas passages arranged circumferentially around the inner body portion and extending from the annular gas plenum to a passage outlet partially defined by the outer surface of the inner body portion and the inner surface of the lower portion, each gas passage partially defined by the outer surface of the inner body portion and a channel in the inner surface of the lower portion.

2. The manifold of claim 1, wherein: the outer body portion has a first height in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the inner body portion has a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis greater than the first height.

3. The manifold of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gas passages is arranged circumferentially around the inner body portion in an equally spaced manner.

4. The manifold of claim 1, wherein the gas passages are parallel to the center axis.

5. The manifold of claim 1 , wherein: the annular gas plenum has a second radial thickness, and each gas passage has a third radial thickness smaller than the second radial thickness.

6. The manifold of claim 1, wherein: the gas supply passage has a first portion spanning from the annular gas plenum to a first point in the outer body portion, and the first portion forms an acute angle relative to an axis parallel to the center axis.

7. The manifold of claim 1, wherein: the upper portion has a first outer diameter, and the lower portion has a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter.Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO8. A semiconductor processing system, the system comprising: a processing chamber having: a chamber top with a gas injection manifold, a gas distribution plenum, and a secondary chamber outlet, and a chamber interior at least partially defined by the chamber top and fluidically connected to the secondary chamber outlet, wherein: the gas injection manifold has: a cylindrical inner body portion, having a longitudinal center axis, a first end, a second end, a central bore extending from the first end to the second end, an inner surface defining the central bore, and an outer surface, an outer body portion surrounding the inner body portion and having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion having an inner surface encircling the inner body portion, a gas inlet coupled to the upper portion, and a manifold gas flowpath spanning from, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the secondary chamber outlet, the central bore is configured to receive a showerhead stem of a showerhead, the gas injection manifold is electrically connected to the chamber top, the gas distribution plenum: is a part of the manifold gas flowpath, extends circumferentially around the center axis and is radially outwards of the cylindrical inner body portion, is partially formed by the outer surface, and is fluidically connected to the secondary chamber outlet, and gas is configured to flow from the gas inlet, through the manifold gas flow-path, to the gas distribution plenum, and through the secondary chamber outlet into the chamber interior.

9. The system of claim 8, w-herein: the chamber top has a circumferential surface extending around the center axis, radially- offset outwards of the outer surface, and extending for a first length in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the circumferential surface and the outer surface at least partially form the gas distribution plenum.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the gas distribution plenum is an annular channel.Attorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO11. The system of claim 9, wherein the inner body portion is a sleeve surrounding the showerhead stem, and the circumferential surface is a part of the chamber top.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the first end is coplanar with an internal surface of the chamber top.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein: the chamber top has an outer top surface, an inner top surface at least partially defining the chamber interior, a showerhead stem port extending through the chamber top, the showerhead stem port has an outer boundary that extends around, and is radially outwards of, the inner body portion, the gas injection manifold is positioned at least partially inside the showerhead stem port, the central bore and the showerhead stem port are coaxial, and a showerhead stem is configured to extend through the showerhead stem port and the central bore.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the manifold gas flowpath of the gas injection manifold further includes: an annular gas plenum extending around the center axis, partially defined by an annular groove in the outer body portion and the inner body portion, and radially outwards of the inner body portion. a gas supply passage extending through the outer body portion, and spanning between, and fluidically connecting, the gas inlet and the annular gas plenum, and a plurality of gas passages arranged around the center axis, fluidically connected to the annular gas plenum, and extending along the center axis.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein: the outer body portion has a first height in a direction parallel to the center axis, and the inner body portion has a second height in the direction parallel to the center axis greater than the first height.

16. The system of claim 8, further comprising the showerhead having: a showerhead body positioned in the chamber interior and configured to flow process gases into the chamber interior, and a showerhead stem connected to the showerhead body, extending along the center axis through the chamber top of the processing chamber and through at least a portion of the central bore, and having a showerhead inlet outside the chamber interior and configured to receive process gases and flow the received process gases to the showerhead body, wherein: the showerhead is configured to receive radio frequency (RF) signals, andAttorney Docket No.: LAM1P082WO-11619-1WO the chamber top of the processing chamber and the gas injection manifold are configured to be electrically connected to a ground when the showerhead receives RF signals.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising an insulator collar having a circumferential body and a central cavity, wherein: the insulator collar extends through the central bore, the inner body portion surrounds and is radially outwards of the insulator collar, the showerhead stem extends through the central cavity7, and the insulator collar is radially interposed between the showerhead stem and the inner body portion.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein: the insulator collar has an outer collar surface, and the inner bore surface faces the outer collar surface and is radially offset from the outer collar surface by a non-zero offset distance.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the insulator collar has a second end positioned outside the chamber interior.

20. The system of claim 8, wherein: the upper portion has a first outer diameter, the lower portion has a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer diameter, the lower portion is inside a portion of the chamber top, and the upper portion is above a top surface of the chamber top.

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