Planar-Heated Showerhead for Uniform Substrate Processing Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing showerheads in semiconductor manufacturing processes face challenges in maintaining uniform temperature distribution due to the positioning of heating members outside the electrostatic chuck, leading to non-uniform heat dissipation and thermal conductivity.
Innovation Solution
A showerhead design incorporating a planar heating element made of graphene or a graphene-mixed material, positioned between the shower plate and lower plate, or between the lower and upper plates, with a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, and a temperature control system using a temperature measuring unit and power supply to maintain uniform temperature distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If heating members are positioned outside the electrostatic chuck, then the substrate can be heated during the etching process, but uniform temperature distribution cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The heating function is extracted from the traditional external heating member and integrated into the showerhead itself through the planar heating element. This allows the heating source to be positioned where it is needed (in the processing gas path) rather than outside the electrostatic chuck, resolving the contradiction between heating capability and temperature uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The planar heating element uses a composite structure combining a support layer and a heating layer with high thermal conductivity. This composite material approach enables efficient heat distribution across the showerhead surface, maintaining uniform temperature distribution while keeping the heating structure relatively simple.
2Loss of energy
If the showerhead uses traditional heating members positioned outside the electrostatic chuck, then heating can be provided, but heat dissipation properties are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The planar heating element employs a composite structure with a support layer and a heating layer made of materials with high thermal conductivity (such as graphite or metal). This composite design enables efficient heat dissipation by conducting heat uniformly across the showerhead surface, improving heat dissipation efficiency without requiring complex thermal management structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the thermal conductivity parameter of the showerhead by incorporating the planar heating element with high thermal conductivity materials. This parameter change directly improves heat dissipation efficiency, allowing the showerhead to effectively manage thermal energy without adding complex thermal management systems.
3Manufacturing precision
If the showerhead structure is simplified without a planar heating element, then manufacturing is easier, but temperature control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The heating function is extracted and integrated into a separate planar heating element that can be independently manufactured and then assembled into the showerhead. This extraction allows the heating element to be precision-manufactured with controlled thermal properties while keeping the overall showerhead assembly relatively simple, resolving the contradiction between temperature control precision and ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The planar heating element uses composite materials with specific thermal conductivity properties that enable precise temperature control. The composite structure allows for controlled heat distribution patterns, achieving high temperature control precision while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes for each component.
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 solution ensures uniform temperature distribution and excellent heat dissipation properties, enhancing the thermal conductivity of the showerhead, thereby improving the efficiency and consistency of substrate treatment processes.
Implementation Method 1
a planar heating element configured to heat the processing gas sprayed through the shower plate
Implementation Method 2
The planar heating element may have excellent heat dissipation properties and thermal conductivity
Data Source
AI summary
A showerhead spraying a processing gas for treating a substrate into a treatment space of a processing chamber, the showerhead includes a shower plate in which a plurality of spray holes are formed, the shower plate configured to spray a processing gas into the treatment space through the plurality of spray holes, a lower plate installed on an upper side of the shower plate, the lower plate in which a plurality of spray flow paths, connected to the plurality of spray holes, are formed, an upper plate installed on an upper side of the lower plate, the upper plate configured to spray the processing gas to the plurality of spray flow paths, and a planar heating element configured to heat the processing gas sprayed through the shower plate.