IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,655,521
Granted Patent B2
US 12,655,521 · App. 17/968,561 · Granted Jun 16, 2026

Injection module for a process chamber

Inventors: Christopher S. Olsen (Fremont, CA); Kartik Bhupendra Shah (Saratoga, CA); Chaitanya Anjaneyalu Prasad (Cupertino, CA); Vishwas Kumar Pandey (Madhya Pradesh, IN); Anilkumar Bodepudi (Bangalore, IN); Erika Hansen (San Jose, CA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
C23C16/45563C23C16/4584C23C16/52
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,655,521
App. No.
17/968,561
Granted
Jun 16, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a gas injection module for a process chamber. The process chamber includes a chamber body, a rotatable substrate support disposed inside a process volume of the chamber body, the substrate support configured to have a rotational spin rate; an inlet port formed in the chamber body, and an injection module coupled to the inlet port. The injection module includes a body, one or more gas inlets coupled to the body, and a plurality of nozzles formed in a supply face of the body, the supply face configured to face inside the chamber body, and gas exiting from the injection module is configured to have a flow rate; the process chamber also includes a controller configured to operate the process chamber such that the ratio of the flow rate to the rotational spin rate is between about ⅓ and 3.

Claims (65)

1 . A process chamber suitable for use in semiconductor manufacturing, comprising:

a chamber body comprising a sidewall portion and a lower portion;

a chamber base coupled to the chamber body;

an annular channel formed in the chamber body and disposed around the chamber base, the annular channel comprising an outer wall and an inner wall;

a rotatable substrate support disposed inside a process volume of the chamber body, the substrate support configured to support a single substrate and have a rotational spin rate;

a window disposed on the sidewall portion above the rotatable substrate support;

a rapid annealing lamp assembly disposed over the window and the rotatable substrate support;

an inlet port formed in the chamber body; and

an injection module coupled to the inlet port, the injection module having:

a body;

one or more gas inlets coupled to the body; and

a plurality of nozzles formed in a supply face of the body, each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles located on the same horizontal plane with one another and parallel with an upper surface of the rotatable substrate support, the supply face configured to face inside the chamber body, wherein gas exiting from the injection module passes through the inlet port to enter the process volume, and the gas exiting from the injection module is configured to have a flow rate; and

a controller configured to operate the process chamber such that the ratio of the flow rate to the rotational spin rate is between about ⅓ meters per second/Hertz and 3 meters per second/Hertz.

2 . The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising an outlet port formed in the chamber body, wherein the outlet port is located 270° counterclockwise from the inlet port.

3 . The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein:

the substrate support is configured to have a rotational spin rate of greater than or equal to about 2 Hertz,

the process volume is configured to have a pressure of at least about 100 Torr, and

the controller is configured to operate the process chamber such that the ratio of the flow rate to the rotational spin rate is between about ½ meters per second/Hertz and 2 meters per second/Hertz.

4 . The process chamber of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are perpendicular to the supply face.

5 . The process chamber of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second inlet port formed in the chamber body; and

a second injection module coupled to the second inlet port.

6 . A process chamber, comprising:

a chamber body comprising a sidewall portion;

a chamber base coupled to the chamber body;

an annular channel formed in the chamber body and disposed around the chamber base, the annular channel comprising an outer wall and an inner wall;

a rotatable substrate support disposed inside a process volume of the chamber body, the substrate support configured to support a single substrate and have a rotational spin rate;

a window disposed on the sidewall portion above the rotatable substrate support;

a rapid annealing lamp assembly disposed over the window and the rotatable substrate support;

an inlet port formed in the sidewall portion of the chamber body; and

an injection module coupled to the inlet port, the injection module having:

a body;

one or more gas inlets coupled to the body; and

a plurality of nozzles formed in a supply face of the body, each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles located on the same horizontal plane with one another and parallel with and upper surface of the rotatable substrate support, the supply face configured to face inside the chamber body, and gas exiting from the injection module configured to have a flow rate; and

a controller configured to operate the process chamber such that the ratio of the flow rate to the rotational spin rate is between about ⅓ meters per second/Hertz and 3 meters per second/Hertz.

7 . The process chamber of claim 6 , further comprising an outlet port formed in the chamber body, wherein the outlet port is level on an X-Y plane with the inlet port.

8 . The process chamber of claim 7 , wherein the outlet port is located 270° counterclockwise from the inlet port.

9 . The process chamber of claim 6 , wherein:

the substrate support is configured to have a rotational spin rate of greater than or equal to about 2 Hertz,

the process volume is configured to have a pressure of at least about 100 Torr, and

the controller is configured to operate the process chamber such that the ratio of the flow rate to the rotational spin rate is between about ½ meters per second/Hertz and 2 meters per second/Hertz.

10 . The process chamber of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are perpendicular to the supply face.

11 . The process chamber of claim 6 , wherein the supply face of the injection module is perpendicular to the rotatable substrate support.

12 . The process chamber of claim 6 , wherein each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles has a diameter between 20 mils and 100 mils.

13 . A process chamber, comprising:

a chamber body comprising a sidewall portion and a lower portion;

a chamber base coupled to the chamber body;

an annular channel formed in the chamber body and disposed around the chamber base, the annular channel comprising an outer wall and an inner wall;

a rotatable substrate support disposed inside a process volume of the chamber body, the substrate support configured to support a single substrate and have a rotational spin rate;

a window disposed on the sidewall portion above the rotatable substrate support;

a rapid annealing lamp assembly disposed over the window and the rotatable substrate support;

an inlet port formed in the chamber body;

a conduit for conveying gases into the process volume through the inlet port; and

an injection module coupled between the inlet port and the conduit, the injection module having:

a body;

one or more gas inlets coupled to the body; and

a plurality of nozzles formed in a supply face of the body, each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles located on the same horizontal plane with one another and parallel with an upper surface of the rotatable substrate support, the supply face configured to face inside the chamber body, and gas exiting from the injection module configured to have a flow rate; and

a controller configured to operate the process chamber such that the ratio of the flow rate to the rotational spin rate is between about ⅓ meters per second/Hertz and 3 meters per second/Hertz.

14 . The process chamber of claim 13 , wherein the inlet port, the conduit, and the injection module are coplanar.

15 . The process chamber of claim 13 , wherein the body of the injection module, the plurality of nozzles, and the one or more gas inlets are coplanar.

16 . The process chamber of claim 13 , further comprising a manifold disposed between the conduit and the injection module.

17 . The process chamber of claim 13 , further comprising an outlet port formed in the chamber body, wherein the outlet port is level on an X-Y plane with the inlet port.

18 . The process chamber of claim 17 , wherein the outlet port is located 270° counterclockwise from the inlet port.

19 . The process chamber of claim 13 , wherein the supply face of the injection module is perpendicular to the rotatable substrate support.

20 . The process chamber of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable substrate support is disposed between the outer wall and the inner wall of the annular channel.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 27, 2023
From: OLSEN, CHRISTOPHER S.; SHAH, KARTIK BHUPENDRA; PRASAD, CHAITANYA ANJANEYALU; PANDEY, VISHWAS KUMAR; BODEPUDI, ANILKUMAR; HANSEN, ERIKA
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 062513/0043 →
Priority Claims (1)
IN 202141050502 · Nov 3, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230133402A1 · May 4, 2023
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