IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,163,229
Granted Patent B2
US 12,163,229 · App. 18/381,543 · Granted Dec 10, 2024

Multi zone spot heating in EPI

Inventors: Shu-Kwan Lau (Sunnyvale, CA); Koji Nakanishi (Taito-Ku, JP); Toshiyuki Nakagawa (Narita, JP); Zuoming Zhu (Sunnyvale, CA); Zhiyuan Ye (San Jose, CA); Joseph M. Ranish (San Jose, CA); Nyi Oo Myo (San Jose, CA); Errol Antonio C. Sanchez (Tracy, CA); Schubert S. Chu (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
C23C16/46B23K26/0006B23K26/032B23K26/034B23K26/0604B23K26/08B23K26/123B23K26/126B23K26/127B23K26/128B23K26/352C23C16/52H01L21/67115H01L21/6719H01L21/67248H01L21/68742H01L21/68764H01L21/68785H01L21/68757
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,163,229
App. No.
18/381,543
Granted
Dec 10, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. The thermal process chamber includes a substrate support, a first plurality of heating elements disposed over or below the substrate support, and a spot heating module disposed over the substrate support. The spot heating module is utilized to provide local heating of cold regions on a substrate disposed on the substrate support during processing. Localized heating of the substrate improves temperature profile, which in turn improves deposition uniformity.

Claims (35)

1. A process chamber, comprising:

a chamber body;

a substrate support disposed in the chamber body;

a support disposed outside the chamber body;

a mounting bracket disposed on the support outside the chamber body; and

a plurality of spot heating modules each comprising a movable stage and coupled to the mounting bracket, the mounting bracket including a plurality of openings formed therein, wherein each opening of the plurality of openings is positioned between a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules and the substrate support, wherein the movable stage includes a slider and a wedge.

2. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein each spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules comprises a laser source and a plurality of collimators, wherein each collimator is optically coupled to a respective laser source by an optical fiber.

3. The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising a reflector located adjacent to the mounting bracket.

4. The process chamber of claim 3 , wherein the reflector includes a plurality of openings formed therein, each opening of the plurality of openings of the reflector positioned between the substrate support and a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules.

5. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket is planar.

6. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket includes an annular portion surrounding a central opening, and one or more plates extending from the annular portion.

7. The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sensors disposed on the mounting bracket, each sensor of the plurality of sensors corresponding to a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is a pyrometer.

8. The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein each spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules is a laser source.

9. A process chamber, comprising:

a chamber body;

a substrate support disposed in the chamber body;

a support disposed outside the chamber body;

a mounting bracket disposed on the support outside the chamber body; and

a plurality of spot heating modules coupled to the mounting bracket, each spot heating module comprising a movable stage coupled to the mounting bracket, wherein the movable stage includes a slider and a wedge.

10. The process chamber of claim 9 , wherein a respective sensor of a plurality of sensors is mounted on each movable stage.

11. The process chamber of claim 9 , wherein the mounting bracket includes a plurality of openings formed therein at different angular positions with respect to a center of the mounting bracket, wherein each opening of the plurality of openings is positioned between a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules and the substrate support.

12. The process chamber of claim 11 , wherein each opening of the plurality of openings in the mounting bracket is aligned with a corresponding opening formed in the support disposed outside the chamber body.

13. The process chamber of claim 9 , wherein the mounting bracket includes an annular portion surrounding a central opening, and one or more plates extending from the annular portion.

14. A spot heating assembly, comprising:

a support;

a mounting bracket disposed on the support;

a plurality of spot heating modules coupled to the mounting bracket, wherein the mounting bracket comprises:

an annular portion surrounding a central opening; and

a plurality of openings formed in the mounting bracket, wherein each opening of the plurality of openings is positioned adjacent to a respective spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules, wherein each spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules is disposed on a respective movable stage.

15. The spot heating assembly of claim 14 , further comprising a slider that is linearly movable on the mounting bracket.

16. The spot heating assembly of claim 14 , wherein each opening of the plurality of openings in the mounting bracket is aligned with a corresponding opening formed in the support.

17. The spot heating assembly of claim 14 , wherein each spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules comprises a laser source and a plurality of collimators, each collimator optically coupled to a respective laser source by an optical fiber.

18. The spot heating assembly of claim 14 , wherein the mounting bracket further comprises a plurality of plates extending from the annular portion, and wherein each spot heating module of the plurality of spot heating modules is coupled to one of the plurality of plates.

19. The spot heating assembly of claim 18 , further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is disposed on the respective movable stage.

20. The spot heating assembly of claim 19 , wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is a pyrometer.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 18, 2024
From: LAU, SHU-KWAN; NAKANISHI, KOJI; NAKAGAWA, TOSHIYUKI; ZHU, ZUOMING; YE, ZHIYUAN; RANISH, JOSEPH M.; MYO, NYI O.; SANCHEZ, ERROL ANTONIO C.; CHU, SCHUBERT S.
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 066162/0124 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17331401 · May 26, 2021
Division 16170255 · Oct 25, 2018
Provisional Application 62578850 · Oct 30, 2017
Related Publication 20240044004A1 · Feb 8, 2024
Cited By (1)
US 12,341,038