Slanted Hoop Assembly for Substrate Transfer and Radical Confinement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Semiconductor processing chambers face challenges in achieving uniformity of processing conditions and reducing particle contamination due to asymmetrical and irregular chamber walls, which affect conductance and electric field asymmetries, leading to non-uniform processing across substrates.
Innovation Solution
A hoop assembly with a slanted hoop body and movable confinement ring is introduced, featuring lifting fingers that form a substrate support surface and a cylindrical confinement region, allowing for symmetrical processing environments and reducing exposure of slit tunnel areas to process chemistry, thereby enhancing process uniformity and reducing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional processing chamber with asymmetrical chamber walls, slit valve doors, gas supply paths, and pumping channels is used, then substrate transfer and processing can be performed, but process uniformity deteriorates due to non-uniform conductance and electric field asymmetries across different substrate areas
Solution Approach 1:
A movable hoop assembly is introduced as an intermediary component within the processing chamber. The hoop assembly includes a confinement ring that defines a confinement region, creating a symmetrical processing environment that mediates between the asymmetrical chamber structure and the substrate, thereby ensuring uniform process conditions across the substrate surface
2Ease of operation
If slit valve doors and gas supply paths are formed through the chamber body to enable substrate transfer and gas delivery, then substrate processing can be performed, but contamination increases as processing gas travels to the slit valve area
Solution Approach 1:
The movable hoop assembly is extracted or removed from the processing chamber during substrate transfer operations. This allows the slit valve doors and gas supply paths to remain in place for ease of operation while preventing contamination by confining processing gas to the chamber volume during actual processing, separating the transfer and processing functions
3Ease of operation
If the confinement ring is positioned at an elevated location to allow substrate transfer, then substrate access is enabled, but radical flux to the substrate decreases when the hoop assembly is in the elevated position
Solution Approach 1:
The hoop assembly is designed to be movable between an elevated position for substrate transfer and a lowered position for processing. This dynamic positioning allows the system to optimize for either substrate access or radical flux depending on the operational phase, with the confinement ring defining a confinement region that enhances radical flux to the substrate when in the lowered position
Data Source
AI summary
Examples of the present invention provide an apparatus for transferring substrates and confining a processing environment in a chamber. One example provides a hoop assembly for use in a processing chamber. The hoop assembly includes a confinement ring defining a confinement region therein. A hoop body mates with the confinement ring. The hoop body is slanted to reduce a thickness across a diameter of the hoop body. Three or more lifting fingers are attached to the hoop body and extend downwards. Each of the three or more lifting fingers has a contact tip positioned radially inward from the hoop body to form a substrate support surface below and spaced apart from the confinement region.