Multi-plate faceplate conical openings uniform coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
In semiconductor device manufacturing, the geometry of gas flow passages in faceplates and showerheads leads to non-uniform coating application due to backpressure issues, resulting in reduced coating thickness and exposed uncoated regions, which shortens the component's lifetime due to corrosion and erosion.
Innovation Solution
A multi-plate faceplate design where the second plate, with conical openings, is mechanically coupled to the first plate, allowing for uniform application of a protective coating on the second plate's surfaces, eliminating backpressure constraints and enabling easier coating access, thus protecting the components from corrosive and erosive environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a plasma spray process is used to coat conical openings in a faceplate, then the coating material can be applied to protect the surface, but the backpressure in the tapered opening decreases the flux of plasma spray material reaching the base, resulting in non-uniform coating thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The faceplate is divided into multiple plates (first plate, second plate, third plate) with the conical opening segmented across different components. The second plate contains the conical portion while the first and third plates provide access from opposite sides, allowing the coating process to be performed without backpressure constraints by coating each segment separately before assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating is applied to the conical opening surfaces before the faceplate components are assembled together. This preliminary coating action allows the plasma spray material to reach all surfaces uniformly without the backpressure problem that would occur if coating were attempted after assembly, ensuring uniform coating thickness throughout the conical geometry.
2Productivity
If the faceplate uses conical openings with larger cross-sectional area at the surface narrowing into smaller cross-sectional area at the base, then gas flow is provided effectively, but the backpressure increases in the inner portion, decreasing the flux of plasma spray material and reducing coating thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The conical opening is segmented across multiple faceplate components (first plate, second plate, third plate), with the taper located in the second plate. This segmentation allows the coating to be applied to each flat or gently sloped surface separately before assembly, eliminating the backpressure problem that would prevent uniform coating in a single-piece tapered structure while maintaining the gas flow efficiency of the conical geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating is applied preliminarily to each component's surface before assembly. This timing allows the plasma spray process to deposit uniform coating thickness on each component's exposed surfaces without the backpressure constraints that would exist if coating were attempted through the assembled conical passage, thereby maintaining both gas flow efficiency and coating uniformity.
3Device complexity
If a single plate faceplate with conical openings is used, then the structure is simple, but the coating cannot be uniformly applied to the inner surfaces, resulting in exposed uncoated regions and reduced component lifetime
Solution Approach 1:
The faceplate is segmented into multiple plates (first plate, second plate, third plate) where each component can be independently coated on its exposed surfaces before assembly. This segmentation ensures that all surfaces requiring protection, including those that would be inaccessible in a single-piece design, receive uniform protective coating, thereby increasing component lifetime while maintaining reasonable structural complexity through modular construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating is applied to all surfaces of each faceplate component before assembly into the final multi-plate structure. This preliminary coating action ensures that no surfaces remain uncoated, including the conical portions and internal surfaces, eliminating the reliability problem of exposed uncoated regions while achieving complete protection throughout the gas flow passages.
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
The multi-plate design ensures a uniform and thicker protective coating on the faceplate surfaces, extending its operational life and reducing the need for premature replacement, while allowing only the second plate to be replaced, thereby lowering the cost of ownership.
Implementation Method 1
A plasma spray process is a well-known coating process where the coating material combines in a plasma region of a plasma spray tool and then ballistically travels to the surface to be coated.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a multi-plate faceplate having a first plate and a second plate. The first plate has a plurality of first plate openings. The second plate has a first surface, an opposed second surface and a plurality of second plate openings extending therethrough. The first surface is mechanically coupled to the first plate. A second plate opening has a conical portion configured to be fluidly coupled to a first plate opening and decreasing in cross-section in the depth direction thereof from the second surface. A surface of the conical portion is coated with a protective coating adjacent to the first and second surfaces. In another embodiment, the first plate has a protrusion extending therefrom into a recess formed inwardly of the first surface. The protrusion has a passage extending therethrough fluidly connected to the recess, which is fluidly connected to the second plate opening.