IP Library Granted Patent US 9,337,002
Granted Patent B2
US 9,337,002 · App. 13/796,751 · Granted May 10, 2016

Corrosion resistant aluminum coating on plasma chamber components

Inventors: John Daugherty (Fremont, CA); Hong Shih (Walnut, CA); Lin Xu (Katy, TX); Anthony Amadio (Mountain View, CA); Robert G. O'Neill (Fremont, CA); Peter Holland (Pleasanton, CA); Sivakami Ramanathan (Fremont, CA); Tae Won Kim (Dublin, CA); Duane Outka (Fremont, CA); John Michael Kerns (Livermore, CA); Sonia Castillo (Hayward, CA)
Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
H01J37/32477C22C21/00C22C21/08C23C24/04C23C28/322C23C28/345H01J37/32495H01J37/32559Y10T428/12764Y10T428/218Y10T428/2495Y10T428/24355Y10T428/24967Y10T428/26Y10T428/31678
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,337,002
App. No.
13/796,751
Granted
May 10, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

Components of semiconductor material processing chambers are disclosed, which may include a substrate and at least one corrosion-resistant coating formed on a surface thereof. The at least one corrosion-resistant coating is a high purity metal coating formed by a cold-spray technique. An anodized layer can be formed on the high purity metal coating. The anodized layer comprises a process-exposed surface of the component. Semiconductor material processing apparatuses including one or more of the components are also disclosed, the components being selected from the group consisting of a chamber liner, an electrostatic chuck, a focus ring, a chamber wall, an edge ring, a plasma confinement ring, a substrate support, a baffle, a gas distribution plate, a gas distribution ring, a gas nozzle, a heating element, a plasma screen, a transport mechanism, a gas supply system, a lift mechanism, a load lock, a door mechanism, a robotic arm and a fastener. Methods of making the components and methods of plasma processing using the components are also disclosed.

Claims (37)

1. An aluminum-coated component of a plasma processing chamber, the component comprising:

a substrate having a surface; and

a cold-sprayed aluminum coating over at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises aluminum powder material particles bonded to the surface via plastic deformation of the particles;

wherein

the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises 100 ppm or less of each of Mn, Si, Ni, Cr, Cu, V, Fe, Mg, Zn, Ti, B, Pb, Zr, Bi, Sn and Ca;

the cold-sprayed aluminum coating has a surface roughness, Ra, of about 10 to 20 microinches (0.254-0.508 μm); and

the cold-sprayed aluminum coating has a thickness of at least 15 mils and establishes an impurity or gas diffusion barrier.

2. The component of claim 1 , further comprising an anodized coating over at least a portion of the cold-sprayed aluminum coating.

3. The component of claim 1 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating has a thickness of 15 to 250 mils.

4. The component of claim 2 , wherein the anodized coating has a thickness of 15 to 125 mils.

5. The component of claim 1 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises at least 99.7 wt. % Al and the substrate comprises AL6061-T6.

6. The component of claim 1 , wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of a chamber liner, an electrostatic chuck, a focus ring, a chamber wall, an edge ring, a plasma confinement ring, a substrate support, a baffle, a gas distribution plate, a gas distribution ring, a gas nozzle, a heating element, a plasma screen, a transport mechanism, a gas supply system, a lift mechanism, a load lock, a door mechanism, a robotic arm and a fastener.

7. The component of claim 2 , wherein the anodized coating has a breakdown voltage of at least about 1.2 kV and/or the component does not produce hydrogen bubbles from an HCl bubble test for at least 5 hours.

8. The component of claim 2 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating has a thickness of at least about twice that of the anodized coating.

9. An aluminum-coated component of a plasma processing chamber, the component comprising:

a substrate having a surface; and

a cold-sprayed aluminum coating over at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, the cold-sprayed aluminum coating having a surface roughness, Ra, of about 10 to 20 microinches (0.254-0.508 μm), wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises aluminum powder material particles bonded to the surface via plastic deformation of the particles; and

an anodized coating over at least a portion of the cold-sprayed aluminum coating;

wherein

the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises 100 ppm or less of each of Mn, Si, Ni, Cr, Cu, V, Fe, Mg, Zn, Ti, B, Pb, Zr, Bi, Sn and Ca; and

the cold-sprayed aluminum coating has a thickness of at least 15 mils and establishes an impurity or gas diffusion barrier.

10. The component of claim 9 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises at least 99.7 wt. % Al and the substrate comprises AL6061-T6.

11. The component of claim 9 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating and the anodized coating have thicknesses of 15 to 125 mils and wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating has a thickness of at least about twice that of the anodized coating.

12. The component of claim 9 , wherein the anodized coating has a breakdown voltage of at least about 0.6 kV and/or the component does not produce hydrogen bubbles from an HCl bubble test for at least 5 hours.

13. A method of plasma processing a semiconductor substrate in a plasma processing chamber comprising the component according to claim 1 , the method comprising:

supplying at least one process gas from a process gas source into the plasma processing chamber;

applying RF energy to the process gas using the RF energy source to generate plasma in the plasma processing chamber; and

plasma processing a semiconductor material, insulator or metallic material on a substrate in the plasma processing chamber.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plasma processing comprises an etching process, a cleaning process, a deposition process, a resist-stripping process or a degas process.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the supplying at least one process gas comprises supplying at least one of Cl 2 , HCl, BCl 3 , Br 2 , HBr, O 2 , H 2 O, SO 2 , CF 4 , CH 2 F 2 , NF 3 , CH 3 F, C 2 F 6 , CHF 3 and SF 6 .

16. A method of making the coated component of claim 1 , comprising:

cold-spraying an aluminum coating onto at least a portion of a substrate of the plasma processing chamber such that the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises 100 ppm or less of each of Mn, Si, Ni, Cr, Cu, V, Fe, Mg, Zn, Ti, B, Pb, Zr, Bi, Sn and Ca.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises at least 99.99 wt. % Al and the substrate comprises AL6061-T6.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising at least one of machining the aluminum coating or anodizing the aluminum coating; and optionally wet cleaning the component with a cleaning solution after the machining and/or anodizing.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the anodizing comprising anodizing in an acid bath comprising at least one of oxalic acid and sulfuric acid.

20. The component of claim 1 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating has a thickness of at least 20 mils.

21. The component of claim 1 , wherein the cold-sprayed aluminum coating comprises 25 ppm or less of each of V, B, Pb, Zr, Bi, Sn and Ca.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 12, 2013
From: DAUGHERTY, JOHN; SHIH, HONG; XU, LIN; AMADIO, ANTHONY; O'NEILL, ROBERT G.; HOLLAND, PETER; RAMANATHAN, SIVAKAMI; KIM, TAE WON; OUTKA, DUANE; KERNS, JOHN MICHAEL; CASTILLO, SONIA
To: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 029975/0547 →
Continuity (1)
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