Chemical resistant multi-layer coatings applied by atomic layer deposition
Described are multi-layer coatings, substrates (i.e., articles) coated with a multi-layer coating, and methods of preparing a multi-layer coating by atomic layer deposition, wherein the coating includes layers alumina and yttria.
1. A chemically-resistant multi-layer protective coating prepared by atomic layer deposition, the coating comprising alternating layers of yttria having a crystallinity of less than 10% and amorphous alumina, wherein the coating has a measured Y/Al ratio in a range of from between 2:1 to 1:2 and has a thickness of from 0.01 to 1.0 micron.
2. The coating of claim 1 , wherein the layer of yttria is a layer of amorphous yttria.
3. The coating of claim 1 , wherein the coating is vertically homogeneous and has a ratio of a total thickness of the amorphous alumina layers to a total thickness of the yttria layers (total thickness of Y y O x layers:total thickness of Al y O x layers) in a range of from between 1:50 to 50:1.
4. The coating of claim 1 , wherein the coating is a composite coating of yttria and amorphous alumina.
5. The coating of claim 1 , wherein the coating contains substantially no grain boundaries.
6. The coating of any of claim 1 , wherein the coating contains substantially no pinholes.
7. The coating of claim 1 , wherein the yttria layers have less than 10 nm crystalline size.
8. A coated article comprising a substrate having on a surface a chemically-resistant multi-layer protective coating prepared by atomic layer deposition, the coating comprising alternating layers of yttria having a crystallinity of less than 10% and amorphous alumina, wherein the coating has a measured Y/Al ratio in a range of from between 2:1 to 1:2 and has a thickness of from 0.01 to 1.0 micron.
9. The coated article of claim 8 , wherein the substrate is a reactor component of a microelectronic device or semiconductor manufacturing system.
10. The coated article of claim 8 , wherein the substrate is a vacuum-compatible substrate.
11. The coated article of claim 9 , wherein the substrate comprises a wall surface of a plasma etch chamber, a wafer susceptor, a chuck, a showerhead, a liner, a ring, a nozzle, a baffle, a fastener, a wafer support, a wafer transport structure, or a portion or component of any one or these.
12. The coated article of claim 9 , wherein the substrate includes a three-dimensional feature selected from a threaded screw, a threaded nut, a porous membrane, a filter, a three-dimensional network, a hole, and a channel.
13. The coated article of claim 8 , wherein the substrate includes three-dimensional structure having an aspect ratio of at least 20:1.
14. Processing equipment comprising a reaction chamber, the reaction chamber comprising a component having a chemically-resistant multi-layer protective coating prepared by atomic layer deposition, the coating comprising alternating layers of yttria having a crystallinity of less than 10% and amorphous alumina, wherein the coating has a measured Y/Al ratio in a range of from between 2:1 to 1:2 and has a thickness of from 0.01 to 1.0 micron, and wherein the processing equipment is a microelectronic processing equipment or a semiconductor processing equipment.
15. The processing equipment of claim 14 , wherein the reaction chamber is an etch chamber or a deposition chamber.
16. The processing equipment of claim 14 , wherein the component is a wall surface, a wafer susceptor, a chuck, a showerhead, a liner, a ring, a nozzle, a baffle, a fastener, a wafer support, a wafer transport structure, or a portion or component of any one or these.
17. The processing equipment of claim 14 , wherein the component comprises a substrate having a three-dimensional feature selected from: a threaded screw, a threaded nut, a porous membrane, a filter, a three-dimensional network, a hole, and a channel.
18. The processing equipment of claim 14 , wherein the component includes three-dimensional structure having an aspect ratio of at least 20:1.