Radiant energy – Irradiation of objects or material
Reexamination Certificate
2003-07-17
2004-11-02
Lee, John R. (Department: 2881)
Radiant energy
Irradiation of objects or material
Reexamination Certificate
active
06812471
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to using a beam of electromagnetic radiation to modify the surface of a material. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of using an electron beam to modify the surface of components used in a process chamber to provide a textured surface on chamber components.
2. Description of the Related Art
As integrated circuit devices continue to be fabricated with reduced dimensions, the manufacture of these devices become more susceptible to reduced yields due to contamination. Consequently, fabricating integrated circuit devices, particularly those having smaller physical sizes, requires that contamination be controlled to a greater extent than previously considered to be necessary.
Contamination of integrated circuit devices may arise from sources such as undesirable stray particles impinging on a substrate during thin film deposition, etching or other semiconductor fabrication processes. In general, the manufacturing of the integrated circuit devices includes the use of such chambers as physical vapor deposition (PVD) and sputtering chambers, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers, plasma etching chambers, etc. During the course of deposition and etch processes, materials often condense from the gas phase onto various internal surfaces in the chamber to form solid masses that reside on these surfaces of the chamber. This condensed foreign matter accumulates on the internal surfaces of the chamber and is prone to detaching or flaking off from the internal surfaces in between or during a wafer process sequence. This detached foreign matter may then impinge upon and contaminate the wafer substrate and devices thereon. Contaminated devices frequently must be discarded, thereby decreasing the manufacturing yield of the process.
In order to prevent detachment of foreign matter that has condensed on internal surfaces of the process chamber, internal surfaces may be textured such that the condensed foreign matter that forms on these surfaces has enhanced adhesion to the surface and is less likely to detach and contaminate a wafer substrate. Methods currently used to texture chamber surfaces include “bead blasting.” Bead blasting includes spraying hard particles onto the surface in order to affect a roughening of the surface. Alternatively, the surface may be texturized by applying a coating, such as a thin coating of aluminum deposited by an aluminum arc spray, to the surface. However, these and other commonly used methods for modifying the surfaces within a process chamber are sometimes ineffective at creating sufficient adhesion between the condensed masses and the chamber surface.
In order to circumvent the problems associated with detached foreign matter, chamber surfaces require frequent, and sometimes lengthy cleaning steps to remove condensed masses from the chamber surfaces. Also, despite the amount of cleaning that is performed, in some instances, contamination from detached foreign matter may still occur.
Therefore, there is a need to reduce contamination from foreign matter that has condensed on interior surfaces of a process chamber and a need to develop a method for improving the adhesion of condensed foreign matter onto the interior surfaces of a process chamber.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally provides a method of providing a texture to a surface of a workpiece. The method comprises providing a workpiece to a texturizing chamber and scanning a beam of electromagnetic energy across the surface of the workpiece to form a plurality of features thereon. The features that are formed are selected from the group consisting of depressions, protuberances, and combinations thereof.
The present invention generally provides a method of providing a texture to a surface of a workpiece. The method comprises providing a workpiece to a texturizing chamber and scanning an electron beam across the surface of the workpiece to form a plurality of features thereon. The features that are formed are selected from the group consisting of depressions, protuberances, and combinations thereof.
Also provided is a method of reducing contamination in a process chamber. The method comprises scanning a beam of electromagnetic energy across a surface of one or more process chamber components to form a plurality of features thereon. The features that are formed are selected from the group consisting of depressions, protuberances, and combinations thereof. The method further comprises positioning the one or more chamber components into a process chamber and initiating a process sequence within the process chamber.
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Hart Shannon M.
Liu Alan B.
Menzie Mark
Popiolkowski Alan R
Schweitzer Marc O.
Applied Materials Inc.
Lebourne James J.
Lee John R.
Moser Patterson & Sheridan
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