Process Chamber Port Shield for Electric Field Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor manufacturing technologies face challenges in providing effective access to processing chambers while protecting against electrical fields, which can lead to clogging and reduced reliability due to plasma sheaths and inadequate grounding techniques.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves configuring the port, injector, and shield to minimize the impact of electric fields, with a shield having dual-function slots for Faraday protection and improved retention, and a retainer arm system that allows for easy insertion and removal, ensuring the shield is as close as possible to the injector and far from the electric field source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a port is provided for access to the processing chamber, then access for gas injectors and measurement tools is enabled, but the access opening is exposed to electric fields causing plasma sheath formation and clogging
Solution Approach 1:
A shield member is introduced as an intermediary component between the port and the processing chamber interior. This shield member includes a shield portion that blocks electric fields from reaching the port region, while still allowing the port to provide access for gas injectors and measurement tools. The shield member effectively mediates between the need for access and the need for electric field protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The port structure is segmented into multiple functional components: the port itself for access, the shield member with shield portion for electric field blocking, and the retainer groove system for securing the shield. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while working together as an integrated system.
2Reliability
If a shield is added to protect from electric fields, then protection from plasma sheath and clogging is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the shield member: the shield portion provides electric field blocking, the retainer arms provide mechanical retention, and the flexure junctions provide both structural connection and installation flexibility. This merging reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer arms are designed with flexure junctions that allow dynamic movement during installation and operation. The retainer arms can flex outward to allow easy insertion of the shield member, then return to a retained position to secure the shield. This dynamic design simplifies installation while maintaining secure retention.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the shield is positioned close to the injector, then electric field protection is maximized, but retention and sealing reliability become more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer arms act as intermediary elements between the shield member and the port structure. These retainer arms provide a mechanical connection that ensures reliable retention and sealing even when the shield is positioned close to the injector. The retainer arms mediate the mechanical stresses and maintain the seal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer arms incorporate flexure junctions that provide flexible connection between the shield member and the port structure. This flexibility allows the retainer arms to accommodate positioning variations while maintaining secure retention and sealing, ensuring reliability even when the shield is positioned close to the injector for maximum electric field protection.
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
This configuration enhances the reliability and ease of use by reducing the impact of electric fields on access openings, preventing clogging and maintaining the structural integrity of the window, while ensuring effective sealing and protection from electric fields.
Implementation Method 1
A shield is adapted to block electric field lines from entering an access region defined by a port
Implementation Method 2
The flexure junction is configured to permit movement of the retainer arm toward the longitudinal axis
Data Source
AI summary
A port provides access to a process chamber interior for exemplary gas injection and process analysis and measurement. Centering the port in an external RF coil reduces the strength of an electric field across the port in generating plasma in the chamber. Plasma-induced etching and deposition in a bore of a gas injection injector mounted in the port is reduced by a grounded shield surrounding a region defined by the port, extending the life of the injector and of a chamber window in which the port is provided. The shield surrounds the region, and is configured with a longitudinally-extending slot defining a retainer arm and a flexure junction, and with a retainer foot on the arm. The junction urges the arm to extend the foot into a retainer groove of the port, and flexes to permit foot movement out of the groove in removal of the shield from the port.