Coating processes – Interior of hollow article coating – Coating by vapor – gas – mist – or smoke
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-26
2002-11-12
Meeks, Timothy (Department: 1762)
Coating processes
Interior of hollow article coating
Coating by vapor, gas, mist, or smoke
C427S255180, C427S255370, C427S579000, C134S022100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06479098
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In high temperature plasma processes, such as high-density plasma (HDP), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes, the likelihood that undesirable mobile ion and metal contaminants will be driven out of the reaction chamber components increases. Therefore the chamber components and the exposed surface of the wafer chucks are seasoned, or coated, to minimize these undesirable mobile ion and metal contaminants and to also protect these parts/surfaces during the necessary cleaning processes.
HDP-CVD Processing Chamber
FIG. 1
illustrates a cross-sectional view of a typical HDP-CVD processing chamber
10
. Processing chamber
10
includes chamber body
12
supporting dielectric dome
14
on its upper edge. Chamber body
12
functions as an anode and may be composed of aluminum, for example. Inductive coil
16
, insulated within insulative coil holder
18
, is positioned around dielectric dome
12
to provide an inductive plasma source. Conducting, or semi-conducting, chamber lid
20
is supported on the upper surface of dielectric dome
14
and functions as another anode. An electrostatic chuck
22
is positioned in the lower part of chamber
10
and supports substrate
24
during processing. Insulative dielectric material ring
26
surrounds the outer perimeter of chuck
22
to prevent arcing between chuck
22
and the grounded chamber walls. Insulative ring
26
may be comprised of a ceramic, for example.
Gases enter chamber
10
through gas inlets (not shown) positioned around the perimeter of chamber body
12
and in chamber lid
20
above chuck
22
. Chamber
10
is exhausted through exhaust passage
28
outward of the outer edge of chuck
22
by an exhaust pump (not shown). A throttle and gate valve assembly control pressure within chamber
10
by controlling the exhaust of gases out of chamber
10
.
An RF voltage is provided through inductive coil
16
(source RF) to generate a high density plasma (HDP). The RF voltage applied to coil
16
excite the gas introduced into chamber
10
into a plasma state. Additionally, an RF voltage may be coupled to chamber lid
20
to provide a bias RF signal into chamber
10
.
Depending upon the application, precursor gases may be introduced into chamber
10
to deposit a material onto substrate
24
, or etch material from substrate
24
, to form integrated circuits (IC) on substrate
24
.
Contaminant Material Chamber lid
20
, ceramic ring
26
, dielectric dome
14
, enclosure wall
12
and gas inlets form part of the plasma processing region and are sources of contaminant material which may be volatilized into the gas phase under operating conditions within chamber
10
, thereby contaminating the processing environment. For example mobile ions such as Na, Li and K, and metal particles such as Fe, Cr, Ar, Ni and Mg may be leached out of chamber components
20
,
26
,
14
,
12
when a capacitive or an inductive plasma is struck in chamber
10
. Such mobile ions and/or metal particles, when incorporated into the deposited films, compromise the structural integrity and electrical performance of the devices formed on substrate
24
. Also, deposits on chamber components
20
,
26
,
14
,
12
can buildup after a series of substrates
24
have been processed that can flake off and become another source of particles that can damage the circuits.
Chamber Cleaning/Seasoning
Such particle contamination within chamber
10
is controlled by periodically cleaning chamber
10
using cleaning gases, usually fluorinated compounds and inductively and capacitively coupled plasmas. Once the chamber has been sufficiently cleaned of the process gases and the cleaning by-products have been exhausted out of chamber
10
, a season step is performed to deposit a layer of material onto components
20
,
26
,
14
,
12
of chamber
10
forming the processing region to seal the contaminants and reduce the contamination level during processing. The cleaning step is typically carried out by depositing a film to coat the interior surfaces forming the processing region.
Silane gas may be used to deposit a layer of silicon dioxide onto components
20
,
26
,
14
,
12
:
SiH
4
+O
2
→SiO
2
+2H
2
Silicon tetrafluoride may likewise be used to deposit a layer of silicon oxyfluoride:
SiF
4
+O
2
→SiO
x
F
y
Other season films may also be used.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,356 to Murugesh et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,035 to Gupta et al. describe seasoning processes involving fluorinated silica glass (FSG) layers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,397 to Seamons et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,979 to Van Autryve et al. describe seasoning processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,900 to Qiao et al. describes a method whereby a phosphorous and/or a boron coating film is used after cleaning.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to utilize a sandwich USG/FSG/USG (UFU) chamber season film regimen for high temperature chamber processing.
Another object of the present invention is to improve the particle performance of the FSG season film.
A further object of the present invention is to increase the available time of HDP FSG CVD machine (M/C) result from particle down.
Yet another object of the present invention is to maintain a minimal statistical deviation of fluorine concentration ([F]) within the FSG layer of a UFU chamber season film.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.
It has now been discovered that the above and other objects of the present invention may be accomplished in the following manner. Specifically, the chamber plasma processing region components of a processing chamber are cleaned. The chamber is then seasoned as follows. A first USG layer is formed over the chamber plasma processing region components. An FSG layer is formed over the first USG layer. A second USG layer is formed over the FSG layer. Wherein the USG, FSG, and second USG layers comprise a UFU season film. A UFU season film coating the chamber plasma processing region components of a processing chamber comprises: an inner USG layer over the chamber plasma processing region components; an FSG layer over the inner USG layer; and an outer USG layer over the FSG layer.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5811356 (1998-09-01), Murugesh et al.
patent: 5976900 (1999-11-01), Qiao et al.
patent: 6014979 (2000-01-01), Van Autryve et al.
patent: 6020035 (2000-02-01), Gupta et al.
patent: 6060397 (2000-05-01), Seamons et al.
patent: 6071573 (2000-06-01), Koemtzopoulos et al.
patent: 6121161 (2000-09-01), Rossman et al.
Cheng Yi-Lung
Wang Ying-Lang
Wu Szu-An
Yoo Ming-Hwa
Ackerman Stephen B.
Meeks Timothy
Saile George O.
Stanton Stephen G.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
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