1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the semiconductor processing equipment, and more particularly, containment of semiconductor processing fluid and reducing potential sources of contamination from processing fluid interaction with the processing equipment.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In the field of semiconductor processing, processing equipment can expose substrates to a variety of processing fluids that are highly reactive. The reactive nature of the processing fluids can result in contamination of the substrate and decreased yields. To contain the processing fluids, processing equipment using the processing fluids can be positioned within a chamber body fabricated from non-reactive plastics. The use of non-reactive plastics provides a chamber body that can minimize a source of contamination should the chamber body is exposed to the processing fluids. While plastics can reduce possible sources of contamination, a chamber body fabricated using plastics may not be as robust as a chamber body fabricated using metals. However, using a metallic chamber body may increase the likelihood of contaminating the substrate if the metallic chamber body is exposed to the processing fluids. In view of the forgoing, there is a need for a robust, non-reactive chamber body.
In one embodiment a chamber body enabling semiconductor processing equipment to be at least partially housed in the chamber body, the semiconductor processing equipment being configured to process a substrate using fluids is disclosed. The chamber body being comprised of a base material implemented to form the chamber body, the chamber body defined by at least a bottom surface and wall surfaces that are integrally connected to the bottom surface to enable capture of overflows of fluids during the processing of the substrate over the chamber body. Additionally, the base material is metallic. The chamber body also has a primer coat material disposed over and on the base material. The primer coat material has metallic constituents to define an integrated bond with the base material along with non-metallic constituents. The chamber body further includes a main coat material disposed over and on the primer coat material. The main coat material being defined from non-metallic constituents, the non-metallic constituents of the main coat material defining an integrated bond with the primer coat material. The main coat material defined to completely overlie all the metallic constituents of the primer coat.
In another embodiment a method for manufacturing a chamber body for at least partially containing semiconductor processing equipment and capturing any excess fluids as a result of processing a substrate is disclosed. The method begins by forming the chamber body from a base material. The chamber body has at least a bottom surface and wall surfaces that are integrally connected to the bottom surface. The bottom and wall surfaces enable capture of overflows of fluids during the processing of the substrate over the chamber body and the base material is metallic. The method continues by preparing the chamber body for a primer coat material in order to promote a stable bonding surface for the primer coat material. Next, the primer coat material is applied over and on the base material. The primer coat material having non-metallic constituents and metallic constituents capable of forming a bond with the base material. The next step is curing the primer coat material to a dimensionally stable hardness which is followed by preparing the chamber body for a main coat material in order to promote a stable bonding surface for the main coat material. The method continues by applying the main coat material over and on the primer coat material. The main coat material defined from non-metallic constituents, the non-metallic constituents of the main coat forming an integrated bond with the primer coat material and completely covering the primer coat. The method is finalized by curing the main coat material to a dimensionally stable hardness, wherein the cured main coat material isolates the metallic constituents of the primer coat from reacting with elements of the captured overflow of fluids.
In yet another embodiment a device for processing semiconductor substrates using process fluids is disclosed. The device is comprised of an enclosure which defines a processing semiconductor processing unit that includes a frame system and a chamber body coupled to the frame system. The chamber body has a base material implemented to form the chamber body. The chamber body being defined by at least a bottom surface and wall surfaces that are integrally connected to the bottom surface. The bottom surface and wall surfaces enable capture of overflows of fluids during the processing of the substrate over the chamber body and the base material is metallic. The chamber body also has a primer coat material disposed over and on the base material. The primer coat material having metallic constituents to define an integrated bond with the base material and non-metallic constituents. The chamber body also has a main coat disposed over and on the primer coat material. The main coat material defined from non-metallic constituents, the non-metallic constituents defining an integrated bond with the primer coat material and the main coat completely overlying all the metallic constituents of the primer coat. The device for processing semiconductor substrates also includes semiconductor processing equipment at least partially housed in the chamber body and a system which controls the environment within the enclosure. The device for processing semiconductor substrates also includes a system that stores and supplies process fluids to the semiconductor processing equipment and a system that controls and monitors the semiconductor processing equipment.
The invention, together with further advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
An invention is described for improving the chemical resistance of a chamber body for use during semi-conductor substrate processing. The embodiments of the present invention enable a chamber body to be made of any size, and specifically, larger than single substrate chambers, without compromising the structural integrity and resistivity to chemicals designed for use in the chamber. Today's feature sizes, which continue to shrink into the nanometer range and smaller, require the minimization of potential sources of contamination. Wafer processes utilizing highly reactive chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid (referred to as HF) are conducted in chamber bodies composed of materials that do not produce detrimental contamination when exposed to HF. For example, forming a chamber body from plastics such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) reduces the possibility of contamination because the materials are non-reactive in the presence of HF. However, forming large chamber bodies from plastics can be expensive, difficult and not necessarily geometrically nor statically stable enough to accommodate the precision tolerances required in semiconductor processing. The use of non-plastics such as metals, ceramics, and composite materials for the chamber body can alleviate the geometric and stability problems that can be associated with large plastic chamber bodies. However, HF and other reactive chemicals can react with a metallic chamber body and result in detrimental contamination of the wafer.
As will be discussed below, a coating of HF resistant material on top of a non-plastic chamber body can alleviate the potential of the non-plastic chamber to detrimentally contaminate the wafer. A non-plastic chamber body with a HF resistant coating can be used for single-wafer wet clean processes. These single-wafer wet clean processes can have several stages, and thus, the chamber body may be relatively large. It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some, or all, of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
The clean room 100 can have input lines 114 that supply power and processing fluids. The clean room 100 can also have output lines 120 that allow for the removal of used processing fluids from the semiconductor processing unit 118. Some of the input lines 114 can provide computer-networking capacity allowing the semiconductor processing unit 118 to be monitored and controlled from a remote location. Other input lines 114 may supply processing fluid to a storage tank within the ancillary chamber 116. The output lines 120 can facilitate the removal of used processing fluid from a storage tank within the ancillary chamber 116.
Process fluids 202 that can be used within the chamber body 104 found in
The primer coat 404 is applied over the base material 406. The primer coat 404 can contain metallic as well as non-metallic components and can be applied using a variety of techniques. In one embodiment the primer coat 404 can be a powder coating that is electrostatically sprayed onto the base material 406. In another embodiment the primer coat 404 can be painted on the base material 406. In yet another embodiment the base material can be dipped into a vat filled with the primer coat 404 material. After the application of the primer coat 404 the base material with the primer coat can be cured using any variety of techniques capable of varying temperature, pressure, and humidity. The application of multiple layers of primer coat 404 may be necessary to create a layer of sufficient thickness to protect the base material 406 and provide a stable bonding surface for the main coat 402. In one embodiment, the primer coat 404 is Composition 1 applied and cured as multiple layers of an electrostatic powder coating to a thickness of between about 0.005 inches and about 0.025 inches over a base material 406 of an aluminum alloy.
In one embodiment, Composition 1 can be a coating material obtained from Solvay Solexis, S.p.A. of Bollate, Italy, and Composition 1 can be Halar 9414. Halar 9414 was selected, as its performance in application to the chamber body was found to be of high quality. The constituents of particular usefulness include about 0.5% titanium, about 2.4% aluminum, about 1.3% silicon, about 40% carbon, about 0.6% chlorine, about 32% oxygen and about 23% fluorine. Note that Halar 9414 is only one example, and Composition 1 can be either mixed from base elements or obtained from other suppliers that can approximate the mixture of the constituents. In particular, it is believed that the constituents of Composition 1, find particular usefulness in defining good adhesion and integration with the metallic structure of the chamber body. As will be discussed below, Composition 1 was also selected so as to define a base for the following main coat 402.
The main coat 402 is therefore applied over the primer coat 404. In order to minimize the possibility of creating metallic contamination from a reaction between the main coat 402 and any chemicals used within the chamber body 104 the composition of the main coat 402 should minimize metallic content. The techniques used to apply and cure the main coat can be the same as those used to apply the primer coat 404. As with the primer coat 404, multiple applications of the main coat 402 may be required to achieve the desired thickness. In one embodiment the main coat 402 is Composition 2 applied and cured in multiple layers of an electrostatic powder coating to a thickness of 0.010-0.090 inches over the primer coat 404 of Composition 1. In one embodiment, Composition 2 can be coating material obtained from Solvay Solexis, S.p.A. of Bollate, Italy, and Composition 2 can be Halar 6014F. Halar 6014F was selected, as its performance in application to the chamber body was found to be of high quality. The constituents of particular usefulness include about 65% carbon, about 4.4% chlorine, and about 30% fluorine. It is noted that Halar 6014F is only one example, and Composition 2 can be either mixed from base elements or obtained from other suppliers that can approximate the mixture of the constituents. In particular, it is believed that the constituents of Composition 2, find particular usefulness in not producing detrimental contamination when exposed to the process chemicals 202. As will be discussed below, Composition 2 was also selected because of its clear color and machinable qualities when fully cured.
One of the many advantages of using the combination of Composition 1 as the primer coat 404 and Composition 2 as the main coat 402 is that the final color of the chamber body 104 conforms to industry tradition. Traditionally, chamber bodies have been constructed from plastics such as PVC or PTFE that have a whitish or yellowish color. When fully cured the primer coat 404 of Composition 1 is a whitish color while the main coat 402 of cured Composition 2 is substantially clear. Therefore, application of Composition 1 over Composition 2 to a chamber body results in a chamber body with a whitish color. Because users of semiconductor processing equipment have become accustomed to the whitish or yellowish color of chamber bodies the use of Composition 1 and Composition 2 provides users with a familiar color.
The precision and accuracy required to maximize output from modern semiconductor processing equipment requires exacting tolerances. Multiple reference data surfaces that are part of a chamber body 104 can minimize process variations by locating process equipment in definite areas. The over application of the primer coat 404 and the main coat 402 can require the removal of excess material from a reference data surface. One of the many advantages of using Composition 2 as the main coat 402 is ability to machine Composition 2 after the final coating is cured without adversely affecting chemical resistance of the Composition 2. Thus, if a reference data surface has an excessive amount of main coating a mill or other type of process can be used to remove the excess material and bring the reference data surface back within specified tolerances.
After the chamber body is formed, execution of operation 504 coats the chamber body. As discussed above, coating the chamber body can be done with a primer coat and a main coat. Multiple applications of coatings may be required to achieve the desired thickness of the respective coatings. Additionally, it is possible that one or both of the primer coat and main coat may be composed of non-homogenous layers of various coatings.
Upon completion of operation 504, operation 506 processes the coated chamber body. Processing the chamber body is intended to identify uneven application of the coatings to the chamber body. Processing the chamber body can also include removing uneven applications of the coating that are found to compromise the dimensional tolerances of the chamber body. Once the chamber body has been processed, the procedure is completed with operation 508.
Operation 612 applies a layer of the main coat followed by operation 614 that cures the main coat to a dimensionally stable hardness. Operation 616 allows the chamber body to cool after going through the curing operation. Note that operation 616 may not be necessary depending on the conditions required to cure the main coat. Operation 618 checks if the main coat is at the desired thickness. If the chamber body requires additional main coating the procedure execute operation 612 through 618. Similar to the primer coat, before additional lawyers of the main coat are added, the chamber body may be abraded to improve adhesion of a next layer of main coat. Once the main coat has reached the desired thickness, the procedure is completed at operation 620.
As shown in
A frame 900 is located within an enclosure 908. The chamber body 104 can be coupled to the frame 900. In one embodiment, semiconductor processing equipment is attached to the frame 900 and the chamber body 104. In other embodiments, semiconductor processing equipment is attached to only the chamber body 104. Wafer carriers 108 and 108′ are one of the many types of semiconductor processing equipment that can be associated with the chamber body 104. The wafer carrier 108 can assist in moving a substrate into the chamber body via port 806. Similarly, wafer carrier 108′ can be used to move a substrate out of the chamber body via port 806′. A proximity head 110 for performing wet substrate processing can be associated with the chamber body 104. The proximity head 110 can perform a variety of wet processes including cleaning and plating of a substrate. Other embodiment can include multiple proximity heads or additional semiconductor processing equipment associated with the chamber body 104. The particular types of semiconductor processing equipment discussed are not intended to be limiting.
In one embodiment, fluids are supplied to the semiconductor processing equipment from vessels 910. The vessels 910 can be used to store and/or mix process fluids supplied from input lines 114. In one embodiment, supply lines 912 and 912′ can pass through ports in the chamber body 104 to transport process fluids from the vessels 910 to the proximity head 110. Additionally, drain line 914 can be connected to a port on the chamber body 104 to provide recovery of overflow fluid from the proximity head 110. In other embodiments, the proximity head 110 can be configured to recover and recycle process fluids that may require recycling lines to return process fluids to the vessels 910. In yet other embodiments utilizing more than one proximity head or additional semiconductor processing equipment, individual drains can be formed in the chamber body 104 to enable recycling of different process fluids.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In one embodiment, chamber body components are formed and exposed to primer coat material and main coat material before being assembled into a completed chamber body. In another embodiment, chamber body components are formed and assembled into a completed chamber body before the application of primer coat and main coat materials. In yet other embodiments, as previously discussed, the chamber body is not formed from modular chamber body components, but rather from a single piece of base material.
The embodiment shown in
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail herein, it should be understood, by those of ordinary skill, that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details provided therein, but may be modified and practiced within the scope of the invention.
The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/822,228, filed on Aug. 11, 2006, which is herein incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60822228 | Aug 2006 | US |