Shared Foreline Small Cell Reactors for Uniform Deposition Pressure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor processing chambers suffer from non-uniformity in film deposition due to temperature and flow discrepancies, leading to reduced throughput and quality of semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
A processing system with symmetric chamber design, including a shared foreline and pressure conduits, which ensures equal pressure and uniform gas flow across multiple process volumes, utilizing baffles and pressure sensors for precise control and independent operation of each chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate forelines are used for each process chamber, then pressure control precision is improved, but device complexity and gas consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple forelines into a single shared foreline that serves multiple process chambers. The shared foreline includes a common pump ring with baffles that can be positioned to control pressure distribution to different chambers, reducing the number of separate foreline components while maintaining pressure control capability through the baffle mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared foreline is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides pressure control for multiple process chambers simultaneously, acts as a common exhaust pathway, and incorporates baffles that can be positioned to selectively control pressure distribution. This multi-functional design reduces overall system complexity while maintaining precision through the universal pressure control mechanism.
2Reliability
If separate forelines are used for each process chamber, then pressure control independence is improved, but gas consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple forelines are merged into a single shared foreline structure that serves multiple process chambers. The common pump ring with adjustable baffles allows independent pressure control for each chamber while sharing the same foreline infrastructure, reducing redundant gas flow paths and minimizing overall gas consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared foreline system with movable baffles allows each process chamber to self-regulate its pressure independently through the baffle positioning mechanism. The baffles can be adjusted to control gas flow distribution to different chambers, enabling each chamber to receive appropriate gas flow without requiring separate dedicated forelines, thus reducing total gas consumption.
3Manufacturing precision
If symmetric chamber design with shared foreline is used, then deposition uniformity is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
While the overall chamber design is symmetric, the patent introduces asymmetric elements in the form of movable baffles within the pump ring that can be positioned asymmetrically to compensate for manufacturing variations and achieve uniform pressure distribution. This allows deposition uniformity to be improved without requiring perfect symmetric manufacturing of all components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates movable or adjustable baffles in the pump ring that can be dynamically positioned to optimize pressure distribution across process chambers. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to compensate for manufacturing tolerances and achieve uniform deposition without requiring extremely precise manufacturing of all components.
4Device complexity
If shared foreline with common pump ring is used, then device complexity is reduced, but pressure control precision may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The shared foreline system incorporates pressure sensors in each process chamber that provide feedback to the control system. The control system adjusts baffle positions in the common pump ring based on pressure feedback from each chamber, maintaining precise pressure control despite the simplified shared foreline structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable baffles in the common pump ring provide dynamic pressure control capability. The baffles can be adjusted in real-time to compensate for pressure variations in different chambers, maintaining precision control while using a simplified shared foreline structure instead of multiple independent forelines.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a processing system for semiconductor manufacturing, includes a chamber housing, a first process chamber, a second process chamber and a foreline disposed in the chamber housing and between the first process chamber and the second process chamber. The first and second process chambers are in the chamber housing and each includes a pump ring and a liner. The pump ring includes a port and baffle. The pump rings and liners each partially define a first and second process volume respectively. The foreline includes a first exhaust chamber fluidly coupled to the first process volume and a second exhaust chamber fluidly coupled to the second process volume.