Gas Injection Assembly With Mixing Plate for Radical Species Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional remote plasma sources struggle to provide radical molecular species like NH and/or NH2 in predetermined quantities and often produce undesired species due to recombination, while hot-wire dissociation of hydrogen leads to metal contamination.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing system with a mixing plate and gas injection assembly that bypasses the radical plasma source, introducing gases like H2 to mix with plasma before entering the process chamber, using a labyrinth structure to reduce recombination and control species delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a molecular gas (e.g., NH3) is provided to a remote plasma source to produce radical molecular species (NH, NH2), then radical species are generated, but controlling the quantity of radical molecular species is prohibitively difficult and recombination produces undesired species
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mixing volume as an intermediary region between the plasma source and process chamber. In this mixing volume, radical atomic species from the plasma source react with molecular precursor gas to form radical molecular species. This mediator approach allows controlled conversion from atomic to molecular radicals, solving the difficulty of directly controlling radical molecular species quantity in conventional plasma sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into distinct functional regions: a plasma generation region, a mixing volume with controlled residence time, and a delivery system. By segmenting the process, the patent can control the formation and delivery of radical molecular species separately, improving precision over the conventional single-stage approach.
2Quantity of substance
If a remote plasma source is used to provide activated gases, then radical species are delivered to the substrate, but recombination of radical atomic species in delivery lines produces undesired unreactive species
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary conversion of radical atomic species to radical molecular species in the mixing volume before delivery. By converting species in advance (preliminary action), the system reduces subsequent recombination losses during delivery, as radical molecular species are more stable than atomic radicals in the delivery line.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters in the mixing volume (temperature, pressure, residence time) to control the conversion of atomic radicals to molecular radicals. By optimizing these parameters, the system maximizes radical molecular species formation while minimizing recombination losses during delivery.
3Quantity of substance
If hot-wire dissociation is used to produce atomic hydrogen, then hydrogen radicals are provided to the substrate, but metal contamination occurs from the hot-wire filament
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful hot-wire filament from the hydrogen generation process. Instead of using hot-wire dissociation, the system uses plasma-generated atomic hydrogen combined with molecular hydrogen in a mixing volume. This removes the source of metal contamination while maintaining atomic hydrogen production.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing volume acts as an intermediary that enables atomic hydrogen production without direct hot-wire contact with the substrate. Atomic hydrogen from plasma combines with molecular hydrogen in the mixing volume, providing a contamination-free source of hydrogen radicals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the delivery of metastable radical molecular and atomic species to the processing volume, reducing recombination and metal contamination, and improving process efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a processing gas is provided to the remote plasma source, a plasma is formed from the processing gas in the remote plasma source, and the plasma is flowed into the processing volume
Implementation Method 2
molecular hydrogen is thermally dissociated into radical (atomic) species through collision with a hot-wire filament
Implementation Method 3
introducing gases like H2 to mix with plasma before entering the process chamber, using a labyrinth structure to reduce recombination
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure generally provides methods of providing at least metastable radical molecular species and/or radical atomic species to a processing volume of a process chamber during an electronic device fabrication process, and apparatus related thereto. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a gas injection assembly disposed between a remote plasma source and a process chamber. The gas injection assembly includes a body, a dielectric liner disposed in the body that defines a gas mixing volume, a first flange to couple the gas injection assembly to a process chamber, and a second flange to couple the gas injection assembly to the remote plasma source. The gas injection assembly further includes one or more gas injection ports formed through the body and the liner.