IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,390,910
Granted Patent B2
US 9,390,910 · App. 14/549,380 · Granted Jul 12, 2016

Gas flow profile modulated control of overlay in plasma CVD films

Inventors: Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha (San Jose, CA); Sudha Rathi (San Jose, CA); Praket P. Jha (San Jose, CA); Saptarshi Basu (San Jose, CA); Kwangduk Douglas Lee (Redwood City, CA); Martin J. Seamons (San Jose, CA); Bok Hoen Kim (San Jose, CA); Ganesh Balasubramanian (Sunnyvale, CA); Ziqing Duan (Sunnyvale, CA); Lei Jing (Santa Clara, CA); Mandar B. Pandit (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
H01L21/02274C23C16/455C23C16/458C23C16/46H01L21/0337H01L22/12
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,390,910
App. No.
14/549,380
Granted
Jul 12, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods for modulating local stress and overlay error of one or more patterning films may include modulating a gas flow profile of gases introduced into a chamber body, flowing gases within the chamber body toward a substrate, rotating the substrate, and unifying a center-to-edge temperature profile of the substrate by controlling the substrate temperature with a dual zone heater. A chamber for depositing a film may include a chamber body comprising one or more processing regions. The chamber body may include a gas distribution assembly having a blocker plate for delivering gases into the one or more processing regions. The blocker plate may have a first region and a second region, and the first region and second region each may have a plurality of holes. The chamber body may have a dual zone heater.

Claims (27)

1. A method of modulating local stress and overlay error of one or more patterning films, comprising:

modulating a gas flow profile of gases via a blocker plate comprising a first region and a second region, wherein the first region and second region each have a plurality of holes, wherein the plurality of holes of the first region are spaced more closely relative to one another than the plurality of holes of the second region;

introducing the gases into a chamber body through the holes of the first region of the blocker plate and the second region of the blocker plate;

flowing the gases within the chamber body toward a first region and a second region of a substrate; and

rotating the substrate after deposition of at least a partial film onto the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

unifying a center-to-edge temperature profile of the substrate by controlling the substrate temperature with a dual zone heater, wherein the dual zone heater comprises a first heating zone and a second heating zone, wherein the second heating zone circumscribes the first heating zone, and wherein a temperature of the first heating zone is different than a temperature of the second heating zone.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

monitoring film morphology across one or more of the patterning films with a metrology tool.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein rotating the substrate is performed ex-situ.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region of the blocker plate is a center region and the second region of the blocker plate is an edge region.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is rotated while supported by a shadow ring.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is rotated 180° .

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure within the chamber body is about 0.4T to about 10 T.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying an RF voltage to a showerhead.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gases comprise one or more carrier gases selected from the group consisting of helium, argon, carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein a flow rate of the carrier gas is between about 500 sccm to about 1,500 sccm.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gases comprise an oxidizing gas selected from the group consisting of O 2 , O 3 , N 2 O, CO, and carbon dioxide.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein a flow rate of the oxidizing gas is between about 100 sccm to about 3,000 sccm.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gases comprise a hydrocarbon compound.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a ratio of molar flow of diluent gas to molar flow rate of hydrocarbon gas is between about 2:1 and about 40:1.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the hydrocarbon compound is a nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon, a fluorine-containing hydrocarbon, an oxygen-containing hydrocarbon, a hydroxyl-containing hydrocarbon, or a boron-containing hydrocarbon.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gases comprise krypton, xenon, or argon.

18. The method of claim 2 , wherein the temperature of the first heating zone and the temperature of the second heating zone are maintained between about 100° C. and about 650° C.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modulating a gas flow profile of gases is further carried out via a showerhead comprising a first region and a second region, wherein the first region and second region each have a plurality of holes, wherein the first region comprises a higher density of the plurality of holes than a density of the plurality of holes of the second region.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

unifying a center-to-edge temperature profile of the substrate by controlling the substrate temperature with a dual zone heater, wherein the dual zone heater comprises a first heating zone and a second heating zone, and wherein the second heating zone circumscribes the first heating zone.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 17, 2015
From: KULSHRESHTHA, PRASHANT KUMAR; RATHI, SUDHA; JHA, PRAKET P.; BASU, SAPTARSHI; LEE, KWANGDUK DOUGLAS; SEAMONS, MARTIN J.; KIM, BOK HOEN; BALASUBRAMANIAN, GANESH; DUAN, ZIQING; JING, LEI; PANDIT, MANDAR B.
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 034971/0161 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62059751 · Oct 3, 2014
Related Publication 20160099147A1 · Apr 7, 2016