Embodiments related to managing the process feed conditions for a semiconductor process module are provided. In one example, a gas channel plate for a semiconductor process module is provided. The example gas channel plate includes a heat exchange surface including a plurality of heat exchange structures separated from one another by intervening gaps. The example gas channel plate also includes a heat exchange fluid director plate support surface for supporting a heat exchange fluid director plate above the plurality of heat exchange structures so that at least a portion of the plurality of heat exchange structures are spaced from the heat exchange fluid director plate.

Process feed management for semiconductor substrate processing

An optical inspection module is provided for detecting defects on a substrate having first and second opposite planar surfaces. The module includes a substrate holding position and first and second measurement instruments. The first instrument includes a first illumination path extending to the substrate holding position and having a grazing angle of incidence with the first surface, which illuminates substantially the entire first surface. A first optical element is oriented to collect non-specularly reflected light scattered by the first surface. A first photodetector has a plurality of pixels positioned within a focal plane of the first lens, which together form a field of view that covers substantially the entire first surface. The second instrument includes a sensor oriented for sensing a physical characteristic of the second surface when the substrate is held in the substrate holding position and the first surface is being illuminated.

Optical method and apparatus for inspecting large area planar objects

An exemplary system may include a chamber configured to contain a semiconductor substrate in a processing region of the chamber. The system may include a first remote plasma unit fluidly coupled with a first access of the chamber and configured to deliver a first precursor into the chamber through the first access. The system may still further include a second remote plasma unit fluidly coupled with a second access of the chamber and configured to deliver a second precursor into the chamber through the second access. The first and second access may be fluidly coupled with a mixing region of the chamber that is separate from and fluidly coupled with the processing region of the chamber. The mixing region may be configured to allow the first and second precursors to interact with each other externally from the processing region of the chamber.

Semiconductor processing systems having multiple plasma configurations

A plasma processing apparatus wherein a layer structure consisting of plural layers formed in stack one upon another on a semiconductor wafer placed on the sample holder located in the process chamber, is etched with plasma generated in the process chamber by supplying high frequency power to the electrode disposed in the sample holder, the apparatus comprising a ring-shaped electrode disposed above the electrode and around the periphery of the top portion of the sample holder, an outer circumferential ring of dielectric material disposed above the ring-shaped electrode and opposite to the plasma, and a power source for supplying power at different values to the ring-shaped electrode depending on the sorts of layers of the layer structure.

Plasma Processing Apparatus

The present invention relates to a process and system for depositing a thin film onto a substrate. One aspect of the invention is depositing a thin film metal oxide layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD).

Systems and methods for thin-film deposition of metal oxides using excited nitrogen-oxygen species

In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that processing a substrate by applying a voltage to a gas to create a plasma, positively charged particles are trapped or guided at the instant that the cathode voltage is stopped, by an electrode to which is imparted a negative voltage, so as to prevent particles reaching the substrate.

Particle-removing apparatus for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and method of removing particles

The mechanism of particle generation is investigated in order to prevent defects formed on wafers in the plasma etching of multi-layered films composed of tungsten silicide (WSi) and polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si). Particles are measured by an in situ monitoring system using laser light scattering during the etching process. The particles are composed of AlF3, which is presumably generated by reacting the coating material Al2O3 on the etching chamber wall with plasma containing fluorine atoms, F in the presence of H2O absorbed into the chamber parts and materials. We demonstrated successfully that dehydration of the chamber parts and materials by plasma discharge suppresses particle generation.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1143/JJAP.47.3630/pdf

Reduction of Particle Contamination in Plasma-Etching Equipment by Dehydration of Chamber Wall

An apparatus includes a housing defining a chamber in which an electric field is generated, and an internal member provided in the chamber. At least one part of the internal member is formed of a dielectric material. A process is executed in the chamber so that a dielectric deposit is formed on the at least one part of the internal member. An m 1 (d∈ 1 /dm 1 ) value of the dielectric material and an m 2 (d∈ 2 /dm 2 ) value of the dielectric deposit are set so that production of particles from the deposit is properly controlled. The term m 1 is a mass density of the dielectric material, ∈ 1 is a permittivity of the dielectric material, m 2 is a mass density of the dielectric deposit, and ∈ 2 is a permittivity of the dielectric deposit.

Object-processing apparatus controlling production of particles in electric field or magnetic field

In order to detect a single particle of several tens of nanometers and to clarify the relationship between particle outbreak and the workings of wafer processing equipment, a scattered laser light measurement system has been produced experimentally. The system is composed of a high frequency pulse-laser oscillator, a two-dimensional charge-coupled device image processor, and a status-signal processor connected to the wafer process equipment. By using this system, in situ monitoring of a single particle of several tens of nanometers that flakes off films deposited on the upper ground electrode of the plasma etching chamber, and observation of its trajectory are successfully demonstrated for real tungsten etchback processing. Moreover, data from the system show that, after processing several hundred wafers, the outbreak of particles in the etching chamber had a correlation with specific workings of the etching equipment, such as turning off the rf power and the injection of purge gas to the chamber. The sca...

Real-time monitoring of scattered laser light by a single particle of several tens of nanometers in the etching chamber in relation to its status with the equipment

An in situ scattered laser light measurement system, which can detect individual particles and observe their trajectories, has been produced experimentally and has been used with tungsten (W) etchback reactive ion etching (RIE) equipment. The particles which are smaller than 100 nm in size can be detected during plasma emission if the stray light that is caused by the laser light is properly suppressed. The trajectories of the particles are successfully observed in the W etchback RIE chamber by using this system under mass production conditions. Not only the appearance of the particle but also the direction of particle trajectory correlate distinctly with the specific operating state of the equipment. When the rf power was turned off, many of the particles that were observed seemed to be drawn towards the wafer. On the other hand, during injection of the N2 purge gas to the process chamber, the few particles that were frequently observed seemed to fall down, away from the wafer.

Natsuko Ito

Papers

Particle-removing apparatus for a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and method of removing particles

Reduction of Particle Contamination in Plasma-Etching Equipment by Dehydration of Chamber Wall

Object-processing apparatus controlling production of particles in electric field or magnetic field

Real-time monitoring of scattered laser light by a single particle of several tens of nanometers in the etching chamber in relation to its status with the equipment

Observation of the trajectories of particles in process equipment by an in situ monitoring system using a laser light scattering method