The present disclosure relates generally to depositing films onto substrates. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to supporting substrates during the deposition of films onto substrates during the fabrication of semiconductor devices.
Semiconductor devices are commonly fabricated by depositing thin films onto substrates, such as using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) like atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) techniques. ALD is a surface-controlled layer-by-layer process that results in the deposition of thin films one atomic layer at a time during a sequence of reaction cycles. PEALD is similar to ALD and additionally employs dissociated reactant ions and molecules to sequentially deposition the thin film one atomic layer at a time during the sequence of reaction cycles. Film deposition in either technique generally involves supporting the substrate on chuck, heating the substrate to a desired deposition temperature, and introducing a reactant into the reaction chamber cyclically to form a film on the substrate. The chuck may be formed from a ceramic material having electrical properties that allow the substrate to be electrostatically fixed to the chuck during deposition of the film onto the substrate.
In some film deposition processes, the deposition temperature employed in the film deposition process may limit the expected service life of the chuck. For example, thermal stress within the ceramic material forming the chuck associated with a desired film deposition temperatures may cause cracking within the ceramic material forming the chuck, potentially requiring periodic replacement of the chuck. Temperature ramping of the substrate to the film deposition temperature may induce thermal stress within the ceramic material forming the chuck may also cause cracking, also potentially requiring periodic replacement of the chuck. And thermal cycling of the chuck associated with sequential film deposition events within the reaction chamber may further cause cracking within the ceramic material forming the chuck, further driving a need to periodically replace the chuck.
To limit the need for periodic chuck replacement, the film deposition temperature employed in some ALD and PEALD processes may be limited according to the ceramic material forming the chuck, for example to less than 350° C., or less than 300° C., or even less than 250° C., the film deposition temperature employed by the film deposition process limiting (or eliminating) the need to periodically replace the chuck. While generally acceptable for its intended purpose, limiting film deposition temperature due to temperature limitations associated with the ceramic material forming the chuck may, in some semiconductor processing systems, reduce throughput.
Such systems and methods have generally been acceptable for their intended purpose. However, there remains a need for improved substrate support structures, semiconductor processing systems, and methods of making substrate support structures. The present disclosure provides a solution to one or more these needs.
A substrate support structure includes a substrate support structure body formed from a ceramic composite and having a first surface, a second surface spaced apart from the first surface, and a periphery spanning the first surface to the second surface. The first surface, the second surface, and the periphery of the substrate support structure body are defined by the ceramic composite. The ceramic composite includes two or more of (a) aluminum nitride (AlN), (b) aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON), (c) alpha-alumina (α-Al2O3), (d) yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG), (e) yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM), (f) yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP), and (g) yttrium oxide (Y2O3).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite consists essentially of or consists of aluminum nitride (AlN) and yttrium oxide (Y2O3).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has more aluminum nitride (AlN) than yttrium oxide (Y2O3).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has between about 35% and about 65% aluminum nitride (AlN).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite consists essentially of or consists of aluminum nitride (AlN), yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM), and yttrium oxide (Y2O3).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the substrate support structure body includes a coating.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the coating consists of the ceramic composite or of titanium dioxide (TiO2).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has more aluminum nitride (AlN) than yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has between about 25% and about 40% aluminum nitride (AlN), between about 20% and about 30% yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM), and between about 30% and about 55% yttrium oxide (Y2O3).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite consists essentially of or consists of aluminum nitride (AlN), yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM), and yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has more yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP) than aluminum nitride (AlN).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has between about 15% and about 30% aluminum nitride (AlN), between about 15% and about 45% yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM), and between about 30% and about 70% yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite consists essentially of or consists of aluminum nitride (AlN), yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG), and yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has more yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG) than aluminum nitride (AlN). The bulk composite material may have more yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG) than yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has between about 15% and about 35% aluminum nitride (AlN), between about 40% and about 50% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG), and about 20% and about 40% yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite consists essentially of or consists of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON), and yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) has a γ-spinel crystalline structure.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has more aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) than each of aluminum nitride (AlN) and yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has between about 25% and about 30% aluminum nitride (AlN), between about 55% and about 60% aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON), and between about 10% and about 20% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite consists essentially of or consists of aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) and yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has more aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) than yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite has between about 60% and about 95% aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON), and between about 5% and about 40% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composite consists essentially of or consists of aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON), alpha-alumina (alpha-alumina (α-Al2O3), and yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the ceramic composition forming the substrate support structure includes titanium dioxide (TiO2).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the substrate support structure may include that the substrate support structure is an electrostatic chuck or a wafer tray configured to seat a substrate during deposition of a material layer onto the substrate within a process chamber of a semiconductor processing system.
A semiconductor processing system is provided. The semiconductor processing system includes a precursor source, a remote plasma unit connected to the precursor source, and a process chamber with a showerhead and a substrate support structure as described above. The showerhead fluidly couples the substrate support structure to the precursor source through the remote plasma unit.
A method of making a substrate support structure is provided. The includes intermixing mixing an aluminum oxide (Al2O3) powder with an yttrium oxide (Y2O3) powder and an aluminum nitride (AlN) powder and forming a powder compact from the intermixed aluminum oxide (Al2O3) powder, yttrium oxide (Y2O3) powder, and aluminum nitride (AlN) powder. The powder compact is sintered for a predetermined sintering period at a predetermined sintering temperature and at a predetermined sintering pressure. The sintered powder compact is thereafter cooled to form a ceramic composite including two or more constituents selected from a group including (a) an aluminum nitride (AlN) constituent, (b) an aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) constituent, (c) an alpha-alumina (α-Al2O3) constituent, (d) a yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG) constituent, (e) a yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM) constituent, (f) a yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP) constituent, and (g) a yttrium oxide (Y2O3) constituent.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the method may include that the powder compact includes between about 0.02 Mol % and about 85 Mol % aluminum oxide (Al2O3), between about 10 Mol % and about 65 Mol % yttrium oxide (Y2O3), and between about 5 Mol % and about 65 Mol % aluminum nitride (AlN).
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further examples of the method may include that the predetermined sintering temperature is between about 1500° C. and about 1750° C., or about 1525° C. and about 1725° C., or about 1550° C. and about 1700° C.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are described in further detail in the detailed description of examples of the disclosure below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention disclosed herein are described below with reference to the drawings of certain embodiments, which are intended to illustrate and not to limit the invention.
It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the relative size of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.
Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a substrate support structure, e.g., a chuck or heater, in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in
Referring to
The back-end module 14 is configured for moving substrates between one or more process module 16 and in this respect includes a transfer chamber gate valve 28, a transfer chamber 30, and a back-end robot 32. The transfer chamber gate valve 28 connects the transfer chamber 30 to the load lock 24 and is configured to selectively separate the environment within the load lock 24 from the environment within the transfer chamber 30. The transfer chamber 30 is connected to the load lock 24, couples the process module 16 to the front-end module 12, and houses therein the back-end robot 32. The back-end robot 32 arranged within the transfer chamber 30, is supported for movement relative to the transfer chamber 30, and is configured for transferring substrates between the load lock 24 and the process module 16.
The process module 16 is configured for depositing a material layer 4 (shown in
With reference to
The showerhead 42 and the substrate support structure 100 are arranged within an interior 50 of the chamber body 36 and are spaced apart from one another. In this respect the showerhead 42 has an aperture array 52, is fixed within the interior of the chamber body 36, and separates the substrate support structure 100 from the gas delivery system 38 such that the aperture array 52 (and thereby the showerhead 42) fluidly couples the substrate support structure 100 to the gas delivery system 38, which may include a precursor source. The substrate support structure 100 is also fixed within the interior of the chamber body 36, is spaced apart from the showerhead 42 by a process space, and separates the showerhead 42 from the exhaust module 40. In certain examples, the process module 16 may include a voltage source 54. In such examples the voltage source 54 may be configured to introduce a voltage difference between components within the process module 16, e.g., for electrostatic chucking of the substrate 2 and/or to direct radical specie within the interior 50 of the chamber body 36, using a first lead 56 electrically connected to the showerhead 42 and a second lead 58 electrically connected to the substrate support structure 100.
With reference to
The ceramic composite 114 is formed from a plurality of constituent ceramic materials and is a bulk material. In this respect the substrate support structure 100 may consists of (or consists essentially of) the ceramic composite 114. For example, the ceramic composite 114 may form more than 50% of the substrate support structure body 102 by weight or volume, or more than 70% of the substrate support structure body 102 by weight or volume, or even more than 90% of the substrate support structure body 102 by weight or volume. In certain examples, the ceramic composite 114 may define the upper surface 104. In accordance with certain examples, the ceramic composite 114 may define the lower surface 106. In further examples, the ceramic composite 114 may extend contiguously (or monolithically) between the upper surface 104 and the lower surface 106 of the substrate support structure body 102 and/or contiguously between diametrically opposite sides of periphery 108 of the substrate support structure body 102. It is also contemplated that, in accordance with certain examples, one or more of the upper surface 104, the lower surface 106, and/or the periphery 108 of substrate support structure body 102 may have a coating 116 thereon. In such examples the coating 116 may include a ceramic material 118. In certain examples, the ceramic material 118 forming the coating 116 may include (e.g., consist of or consist essentially of) the ceramic composite 114. In accordance with certain examples, the ceramic material 118 forming the coating may include (e.g., consist of or consist essentially of) titanium dioxide (TiO2). The ceramic material 118 may be deposited onto the bulk material forming the substrate support structure body 102 using an ALD technique.
In certain examples, the substrate support structure body 102 may include one or more of a heater element 120, a coolant circuit 122, and/or a temperature sensor 124. The heater element 120 may be embedded within the substrate support structure body 102, e.g., such that the heater element 120 is surrounded by the ceramic composite 114, to communicate heat to the upper surface 104 of the substrate support structure body 102 via the ceramic composite 114. The heater element 120 may be a resistive heater element, the heater element 120 configured to resistively heat the substrate 2 (shown in
The coolant circuit 122 may be embedded within the substrate support structure body 102, e.g., such that the heater element 120 is surrounded by ceramic composite 114, the coolant circuit 122 configured to transfer heat between the upper surface 104 of the substrate support structure body 102 and a coolant flowing through coolant circuit 122 via the ceramic composite 114. In this respect the substrate support structure body 102 have an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit for circulating a coolant therethrough, such as glycol or nitrogen by way of non-limiting examples. Although a singular coolant circuit 122 is shown and described herein, it is to be understood and appreciated that the substrate support structure body 102 may have two or more coolant circuits and remain within the scope of the present disclosure. Further, although shown in
The temperature sensor 124 may be embedded within the substrate support structure body 102, e.g., such that the temperature sensor 124 is surrounded by ceramic composite 114, the temperature sensor 124 thereby configured generate a signal including information indicative of temperature within the substrate support structure body 102 at the location of the temperature sensor 124. In this respect the substrate support structure body 102 have one or more temperature sensor lead extending from the substrate support structure body 102, the temperature sensor lead configured to convey the signal to an external device. Although a singular temperature sensor 124 is shown and described herein, it is to be understood and appreciated that the substrate support structure body 102 may two or more temperature sensors, or temperature sensor arrays, and remain within the scope of the present disclosure. Further, although shown in
With continuing reference to
As has been explained above, heating substrates to a desired deposition temperature can, in some deposition operations, cause cracking within the ceramic material forming the substrate support structure. For example, material layer deposition temperatures less than 350° C., or less than 300° C., or even less than 250° C. can cause some ceramic materials to crack, for example, due to thermal stress associated with heating the ceramic material to the material layer deposition temperature, heating the ceramic material relatively quickly to the material layer deposition temperature, and/or cooling the ceramic material relatively quickly from the material layer deposition temperature. Thermal stress within the ceramic material forming the substrate support structure associated with ramping the substrate to a desired deposition temperature can, in some substrate support structures, also cause cracking within the ceramic material forming the substrate. And sequentially heating substrates to a desired material layer deposition temperature can cause cracking of the ceramic material forming the substrate support structure can, in some substrate support structures, cause cracking within the ceramic material forming the substrate support structure. To limit (or eliminate) cracking of the substrate support structure 100 during the deposition of the material layer 4 onto the substrate 2 while supported within the chamber body 36 allow for employment of deposition temperatures between about 250° C. and about 850° C., or between about between about 450° C. and about 850° C., or even between abut between about 650° C. and about 850° C., the ceramic composite 114 is provided.
With reference to
In certain examples, the ceramic composite 114 may consist essentially of the two or more constituents selected from the group including the AlN constituent 126, the AlON constituent 128, the alpha-alumina constituent 130, the YAG constituent 132, the YAM constituent 132, the YAP constituent 134, and the Y2O3 constituent 138. In accordance with certain examples, the ceramic composite 114 may consist of the two or more constituents selected from the group including the AlN constituent 126, the AlON constituent 128, the alpha-alumina constituent 130, the YAG constituent 132, the YAM constituent 134, the YAP constituent 136, and the Y2O3 constituent 138.
It is contemplated that the ceramic composite 114 may have electrical and mechanical properties that allow the substrate support structure 100 to heat the substrate 2 (shown in
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Intermixing 910 the powders may include mixing an alpha-aluminum oxide (Al2O3) powder with an yttrium oxide (Y2O3) powder and an aluminum nitride (AlN) powder, as shown with box 912 and box 914. The powders may be intermixed such that the resulting mixture includes between about 0.02 Mol % and about 85 Mol % aluminum oxide (Al2O3), between about 10 Mol % and about 65 Mol % yttrium oxide (Y2O3), and/or between about 5 Mol % and about 65 Mol % aluminum nitride (AlN). In certain examples, the AlN powder included in the mixture may be about 99.90% pure, the alpha-alumina powder included in the mixture about 99.99% pure, and the yttrium oxide power included in the mixture about 99.90% pure. In accordance with certain examples, one or more of the intermixed powders may have particles having sized such that D50 is less than about 2 microns, for example particles of each powder includes in the AlN-A2O3—Y2O3 system sized such that D50 is less than 2 microns.
Forming 920 the powder compact may include intermixing the powders with isopropanol. The intermixed powder may be milled, such using a planetary ball mill, as shown with box 922. The intermixed powders may be milled in the planetary ball mill at a predetermined rate for a predetermined interval of time, for example, at a speed of about 200 rotations per minute for about two (2) hours. The intermixed powders may be dried subsequent to milling, such as using a rotary evaporator, as shown with box 924. The intermixed powders may be granulated, such as by passing the dried powder through a 325-micron sieve, and the granulated intermixed powders thereafter pressed to form the powder compact, as shown with box 926. As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, milling the intermixed powders prior to granulating provides uniformity to the distribution of the two or more powders within the pressed compact to ensure that the desired constituents from within the sintered compact with predetermined compositions and/or crystalline structure.
Sintering 930 the powder compact may include densifying the powder compact, for example, using a spark plasma sintering technique, as shown with box 932. In this respect the powder compact may be plasma sintered for a predetermined sintering period. The predetermined sintering period may be between about 2 minutes and about 10 minutes, or between about 3 minutes and about 8 minutes, or even between about 4 minutes and about 6 minutes. The plasma compact may be plasma sintered for about 5 minutes. The powder compact may be sintered at a predetermined sintering pressure. The predetermined sintering pressure may be between about 20 MPa and about 100 MPa, or between about 30 MPa and about 80 MPa, or between about 40 MPa and about 60 MPa, or at about 50 MPa, as shown with box 934. The powder compact may be sintered at a predetermined sintering temperature. The predetermined sintering temperature may be between about 1500° C. and about 1750° C., or is between about 1525° C. and about 1725° C., or is between about 1550° C. and about 1700° C., as shown with box 934. Sintering the powder compact may include heating the powder compact at rate that is between about 50° K/min and about 150° K/min, or between about 70° K/min and about 130° K/min, or is between about 90° K/min and about 110° K/min, or is about 100° K/min.
Cooling 940 the sintered powder compact includes cooling the sintered powder compact such that the ceramic powder compact including two or more constituents selected from a group including (a) an aluminum nitride (AlN) constituent, (b) an aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) constituent, (c) an alpha-alumina (α-Al2O3) constituent, (d) a yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG) constituent, (e) a yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM) constituent, (f) a yttrium alumina perovskite (YAlO3, YAP) constituent, and (g) a yttrium oxide (Y2O3) constituent, as shown with boxes 941-945. In certain examples, cooling the sintered powder compact may include supercooling the sintered powder compact such that one or more of the constituents form relatively large crystals. In accordance with certain examples, a liquid phase of one or more of the constituents of the ceramic composites may be limited (or completely absent) from the ceramic composite as a result of the cooling.
Without wishing to be bound by theory, applicant has determined that, by sintering compacts of AlN—Al2O3—Y2O3 powders at temperatures above 1550° C., ceramic composites may be formed having predetermined compounds and/or compound phases providing mechanical properties required for electrostatic chucks and substrate support structures and resistance to crack formation and crack growth at high temperatures. Specifically, the ceramic composite 114 (shown in
In one example, a powder compact including 56% Al2O3, 14% Y2O3, and 30% AlN was formed using AlN (99.90%), α-Al2O3 (99.99%), and Y2O3 (99.90%) powders. The powders had particle sizes of D50<2 um, were intermixed with one another and isopropanol in a planetary ball mill at 200 rpm for two hours, dried in a rotary evaporator, and granulated through a 325-micron sieve. A powder compact was formed from the granulated powders and densified using a spark plasma sintering technique for 5 minutes at 1600° C. while under vacuum (e.g., about 50 MPa) to form a ceramic substrate support structure. XRD (Rietveld) inspection of the resulting ceramic substrate support structure showed a ceramic composite having 28.10% aluminum nitride (AlN), 57.52% aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON), and 14.38% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In another example, a powder compact including 63% Al2O3, 14.5% Y2O3, and 22.50% AlN was formed using AlN (99.90%), α-Al2O3 (99.99%), and Y2O3 (99.90%) powders. The powders had particle sizes of D50<2 um, were intermixed with one another and isopropanol in a planetary ball mill at 200 rpm for two hours, dried in a rotary evaporator, and granulated through a 325-micron sieve. A powder compact was formed from the granulated powders and densified using a spark plasma sintering technique for 5 minutes at 1700° C. while under vacuum (50 MPa) to form a ceramic substrate support structure. XRD (Rietveld) inspection of the resulting ceramic substrate support structure showed a ceramic composite having 61.40% aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) and 38.60% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In a further example, a powder compact including 61.50% Al2O3, 11.00% Y2O3, and 27.50% AlN was formed using AlN (99.90%), α-Al2O3 (99.99%), and Y2O3 (99.90%) powders. The powders had particle sizes of D50<2 um, were intermixed with one another and isopropanol in a planetary ball mill at 200 rpm for two hours, dried in a rotary evaporator, and granulated through a 325-micron sieve. A powder compact was formed from the granulated powders and densified using a spark plasma sintering technique for 5 minutes at 1700° C. while under vacuum (50 MPa) to form a ceramic substrate support structure. XRD (Rietveld) inspection of the resulting ceramic substrate support structure showed a ceramic composite having 74.21% aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) and 25.79% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In yet another example, a powder compact including 70.00% Al2O3, 15.60% Y2O3, and 14.40% AlN was formed using AlN (99.90%), α-Al2O3 (99.99%), and Y2O3 (99.90%) powders. The powders had particle sizes of D50<2 um, were intermixed with one another and isopropanol in a planetary ball mill at 200 rpm for two hours, dried in a rotary evaporator, and granulated through a 325-micron sieve. A powder compact was formed from the granulated powders and densified using a spark plasma sintering technique for 5 minutes at 1700° C. while under vacuum (50 MPa) to form a ceramic substrate support structure. XRD (Rietveld) inspection of the resulting ceramic substrate support structure showed a ceramic composite having 92.30% aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) and 7.70% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
In a further example, a powder compact including 79.00% Al2O3, 14.00% Y2O3, and 7.00% AlN was formed using AlN (99.90%), α-Al2O3 (99.99%), and Y2O3 (99.90%) powders. The powders had particle sizes of D50<2 um, were intermixed with one another and isopropanol in a planetary ball mill at 200 rpm for two hours, dried in a rotary evaporator, and granulated through a 325-micron sieve. A powder compact was formed from the granulated powders and densified using a spark plasma sintering technique for 5 minutes at 1600° C. while under vacuum (e.g., about 50 MPa) to form a ceramic substrate support structure. XRD (Rietveld) inspection of the resulting ceramic substrate support structure showed a ceramic composite having 35.00% aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON), 26.00% alpha alumina (α-Al2O3), and 39.00% yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG).
Examples of AlN—Al2O3—Y2O3 powder mixtures, powder compact sintering temperatures, and the associated resultant ceramic composite following sintering are provided in Table 1.
Advantageously, ceramic composites formed using the foregoing composition N show mechanical resistance in the range of 300-450 MPa, thermal conductivity in the range of 25-80 W/m°, and volume resistivity in the range of 1010-1011 Ohm-cm within a temperature range of 550-650 degrees Celsius. Volume resistivity within this range at temperatures between 550 degrees Celsius and 650 degrees Celsius is unexpectedly good, and indicates that electrostatic chucking is possible at temperatures greater previously contemplated while having retaining mechanical resistance and thermal conductivity suitable of material layer deposition at higher temperatures than previously possible.
Although the examples provided above are directed to ceramic composites including aluminum oxynitride (Al2.81O3.56N0.44, AlON) and yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG), it is to be understood and appreciated that other ceramic composites having reduced susceptibility to nano-micro crack formation and cracking during thermal cycling at temperatures greater than 450° C. may also be fabricated using methods described herein. For example, ceramic composites including two or more of aluminum nitride (AlN), yttrium alumina garnet (Y3Al5O12, YAG), yttrium alumina monoclinic (Y4Al2O9, YAM), and yttrium oxide (Y2O3) having excellent tolerance for contact with chemistries employed in the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of material layers may also be formed using the methods described herein. It will be apparent to the skilled person that the ceramic composites described herein can be used to form any substrate support structure used in semiconductor manufacturing that comes into contact with the chemistries employed in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of material layers, such as but not limited to chamber and chamber components, wafer susceptor or chuck, showerhead, liners, rings, nozzles, baffles and fasteners, and wafer transport components.
While various ceramic composites and methods are described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular molecules, ceramic composites, designs, methodologies or protocols described, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention which will be limited only by the appended claims.
It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “phase” is a reference to one or more constituent compound and/or crystalline structure of the compound of a ceramic material and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth. As used herein, the term “high temperature” refers to temperatures greater than 300° C., or greater than 400° C., or even greater than 500° C. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present invention. All publications mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the invention is not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention. “Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not. All numeric values herein can be modified by the term “about,” whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generally refers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function or result). In some embodiments the term “about” refers to +/−0.10% of the stated value, in other embodiments the term “about” refers to +/−0.20% of the stated value. While ceramic composites and methods are described in terms of “comprising” various components or steps (interpreted as meaning “including, but not limited to”), the ceramic composites and methods can also “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps, such terminology should be interpreted as defining essentially closed or closed member groups.
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art based upon a reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. The invention includes all such modifications and alterations and is limited only by the scope of the following claims. In addition, while a particular feature or aspect of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other features or aspects of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Also, the term “exemplary” is merely meant to mean an example, rather than the best. It is also to be appreciated that features and/or elements depicted herein are illustrated with particular dimensions and/or orientations relative to one another for purposes of simplicity and ease of understanding, and that the actual dimensions and/or orientations may differ substantially from that illustrated herein.
Although this disclosure has been provided in the context of certain embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosure extends beyond the specifically described embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the embodiments and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while several variations of the embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of this disclosure, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the disclosure. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with, or substituted for, one another in order to form varying modes of the embodiments of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the disclosure should not be limited by the particular embodiments described above.
The headings provided herein, if any, are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the devices and methods disclosed herein.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/219,245 filed Jul. 7, 2021 and titled ESC CHUCKS BASED ON CERAMIC SYSTEM AIN-AI2O3-Y2O3: MATERIAL CONDITIONING, PROCESS OF MANUFACTURE AND COMPOSITION; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/283,709 filed Nov. 29, 2021 and titled SUBSTRATE SUPPORT STRUCTURES AND METHODS OF MAKING SUBSTRATE SUPPORT STRUCTURES, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63219245 | Jul 2021 | US | |
63283709 | Nov 2021 | US |