Granted Patent B2

US 12,338,531 · App. 18/427,348 · Granted Jun 24, 2025

Inventors: Fayaz A. Shaikh (Lake Oswego, OR); Adriana Vintila (Wilsonville, OR); Matthew Mudrow (Tigard, OR); Nick Ray Linebarger, Jr. (Tualatin, OR); Xin Yin (Beaverton, OR); James F. Lee (Casper, WY); Brian Joseph Williams (Tigard, OR)

Assignee: Lam Research Corporation

C23C16/4585C23C16/042C23C16/4409C23C16/45521C23C16/45565C23C16/45574C23C16/45597C23C16/509

Abstract

Claims (38)

1. An apparatus for processing a wafer, the apparatus comprising:

a shower-pedestal;

a first plenum located within the shower-pedestal;

a second plenum located within the shower-pedestal;

one or more first gas feeds in fluidic communication with the first plenum within the shower-pedestal;

one or more second gas feeds in fluidic communication with the second plenum within the shower-pedestal;

a first set of outlets distributed across two first zones on a top surface of the shower-pedestal and in fluidic communication with the first plenum within the shower-pedestal;

a second set of outlets distributed across one or more second zones on the top surface of the shower-pedestal and in fluidic communication with the second plenum within the shower-pedestal; and

a wafer support mechanism configured to support a wafer over the shower-pedestal such that the wafer is elevated above the top surface of the shower-pedestal, wherein:

the top surface of the shower-pedestal faces a backside of the wafer,

the one or more second zones are interposed between the two first zones and separate the two first zones from one another, and

the two first zones are mirror images of each other about the one or more second zones.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first gas feeds are configured to provide a first set of one or more gases to the first plenum and the one or more second gas feeds are configured to provide a second set of one or more gases to the second plenum.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first set of one or more gases and the second set of one or more gases include the same gas.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the shower-pedestal is configured to deliver process gases differentially with respect to the one or more first zones and the one or more second zones.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shower-pedestal is configured to deliver process gases differentially with respect to the one or more first zones and the one or more second zones.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wafer support mechanism includes a plurality of spacers that extend upward from the top surface of the shower-pedestal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the spacers are configured to support a carrier ring that is configured to support the wafer above the top surface of the shower-pedestal.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the top surface of the shower-pedestal includes a carrier ring support region on an outer edge of the top surface of the shower-pedestal and the spacers are positioned within the carrier ring support region.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the spacers are configured to support a carrier ring that is configured to support the wafer above the top surface of the shower-pedestal.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein each of the spacers has a recess that is located in a top surface of that spacer and that is configured to receive a corresponding ring extension on an underside of the carrier ring.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first zones have bilateral symmetry across two orthogonal axes of symmetry.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the one or more second zones at least define a rectangular region that extends across at least a portion of the shower-pedestal and is centered on the top surface of the shower-pedestal.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein:

the one or more second zones also at least define two end regions that each have an edge that is coextensive with a corresponding edge of the rectangular region,

the rectangular region is positioned between the end regions, and

each end region expands in width with increasing distance from the rectangular region.

14. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first set of one or more gases is different from the second set of one or more gases.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outlets in the first set of outlets are of a different size than the outlets in the second set of outlets.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the outlets in the first set of outlets are smaller than the outlets in the second set of outlets.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one lower separator fin located within the shower-pedestal, the at least one lower separator fin defining a boundary between the first plenum and the second plenum.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising at least one upper separator fin, the at least one upper separator fin extending to a location above the top surface of the shower-pedestal and aligning with the at least one lower separator fin.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a heater configured to heat the shower-pedestal.

20. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a processing chamber; and

a showerhead, wherein:

the shower-pedestal is positioned within the processing chamber and beneath the showerhead, and

the showerhead includes a third set of outlets distributed across a bottom surface of the showerhead and in fluidic communication with a plenum within the showerhead.

Continuity (3)

References Cited (400)