IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,540,398
Granted Patent B2
US 12,540,398 · App. 17/861,395 · Granted Feb 3, 2026

Showerhead pumping geometry for precursor containment

Inventors: Prahallad Iyengar (Santa Clara, CA); Sanjeev Baluja (Campbell, CA); Kartik Shah (Saratoga, CA); Chaowei Wang (San Diego, CA); Janisht Golcha (San Francisco, CA); Eric J. Hoffmann (San Francisco, CA); Joseph AuBuchon (San Jose, CA); Ashutosh Agarwal (San Jose, CA); Lin Sun (Milpitas, CA); Cong Trinh (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
C23C16/45565C23C16/4412
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,540,398
App. No.
17/861,395
Granted
Feb 3, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Gas injector with a vacuum channel having an inlet opening in the front face and an outlet opening in the back face of the injector are described. The vacuum channel comprises a first leg extending a first length from the inlet opening in the front face at a first angle relative to the front face and a second leg extending a second length from the first leg to the outlet opening in the back face at a second angle relative to the front face. Processing chambers and methods of use comprising a plurality of processing regions bounded around an outer peripheral edge by one or more vacuum channel. A first processing region has a first vacuum channel with a first outer diameter and a second processing region has a second vacuum channel with a second outer diameter, the first outer diameter being less than the second outer diameter.

Claims (22)

1 . A processing chamber comprising:

a substrate support with a top surface configured to support a wafer during processing and move the wafer between a plurality of processing regions, the substrate support comprising an edge ring mounted on the substrate support with an inwardly projecting inner protrusion sized to provide a gap between the top surface of the substate support and a top surface of the inwardly projecting inner protrusion and the substrate support is further configured so that the wafer overhangs the inwardly projecting inner protrusion;

a first processing region comprising a first gas distribution plate having a first front face opposite the top surface of the substrate support, the first gas distribution plate having a first vacuum channel on the first front face, the first vacuum channel having a first outer diameter OD 1 ; and

a second processing region spatially separated from the first processing region and comprising a second gas distribution plate having a second front face opposite the top surface of the substrate support, the second gas distribution plate having a second vacuum channel on the second front face, the second vacuum channel having an inlet opening in the front face and an outlet opening in a second back face of the second gas distribution plate, the second vacuum channel comprising a first leg extending a first length from the inlet opening in the second front face at a first angle relative to the second front face and a second leg extending a second length from the first leg to the outlet opening in the second back face at a second angle relative to the second front face, the inlet opening of the second vacuum channel having a second inner diameter ID 2 , which is greater than the first outer diameter OD 1 .

2 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the first leg has a first length in a range of 1 mm to 7.5 mm.

3 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the first angle is in a range of 80° to 100° relative to the front face.

4 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the first leg has a first width in a range of 1 mm to 3 mm.

5 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the top surface of the substrate support is configured to support the wafer having a diameter of 300 mm, and the first leg of the vacuum channel has an inner diameter in a range of 300 mm to 302 mm.

6 . The processing chamber of claim 5 , wherein the first leg of the vacuum channel has an outer diameter in a range of 301 mm to 305 mm.

7 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the inlet opening has a fillet at the front face, the fillet having a radius in a range of 0.15 mm to 0.4 mm.

8 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the inlet opening has a chamfer at the front face, the chamfer having a chamfered face with a length in a range of 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm.

9 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the second leg has a second width in a range of 2 mm to 5 mm.

10 . The processing chamber of claim 1 , wherein the second angle is in a range of 35° to 60° relative to the front face.

11 . The processing chamber of claim 10 , wherein the first leg has an inner diameter in a range of 300 mm to 302 mm and an outer diameter in a range of 301 mm to 305 mm to define a first width of at least 1 mm.

12 . The processing chamber of claim 10 , wherein the first leg has a first width in a range of 1 mm to 3 mm.

13 . The processing chamber of claim 10 , wherein the second leg has a second width that is greater than the first width of the first leg.

14 . The processing chamber of claim 10 , wherein the first angle is in a range of 85° to 95° relative to the front face.

15 . The processing chamber of claim 14 , wherein the second angle is in a range of 40° to 55° relative to the front face.

16 . A method of processing a substrate in the processing chamber of claim 1 , the method comprising:

exposing a wafer supported on the substrate support to a first reactant within the first processing region;

moving the wafer to the second processing region; and

exposing the wafer to a second reactant within the second processing region.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 24, 2023
From: IYENGAR, PRAHALLAD; BALUJA, SANJEEV; SHAH, KARTIK; WANG, CHAOWEI; GOLCHA, JANISHT; HOFFMANN, ERIC J.; AUBUCHON, JOSEPH; AGARWAL, ASHUTOSH; SUN, LIN; TRINH, CONG
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 062463/0333 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63220793 · Jul 12, 2021
Related Publication 20230008986A1 · Jan 12, 2023
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