阅读说明：本技术 具有主动温度控制的沉积处理系统及相关方法 (Deposition processing systems with active temperature control and related methods ) 是由 安格斯·麦克法登 杰森·瑞特 于 2018-12-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：本技术的几个示例涉及在制造材料或薄膜期间主动控制腔室中的衬底的温度。在一些示例中,该方法可以包括冷却或加热衬底以使其温度在目标范围内,在衬底的表面上沉积材料,以及在沉积材料的同时控制衬底的温度。在一些示例中,控制衬底的温度可以包括通过在衬底上引导流体而从衬底去除热能以在整个沉积过程中将衬底的温度保持在目标范围内。(Several examples of the present technology relate to actively controlling the temperature of a substrate in a chamber during the fabrication of a material or film. In some examples, the method may include cooling or heating the substrate to bring its temperature within a target range, depositing a material on a surface of the substrate, and controlling the temperature of the substrate while depositing the material. In some examples, controlling the temperature of the substrate may include removing thermal energy from the substrate by directing a fluid over the substrate to maintain the temperature of the substrate within a target range throughout the deposition process.)

1. A method for controlling the temperature of a substrate within a chamber processing system, the method comprising:

depositing a material on a surface of the substrate, an

Controlling a temperature of the substrate within a target range while depositing at least a portion of the material.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

heating the substrate with a heating device to a temperature within the target range prior to depositing the material,

wherein controlling the temperature of the substrate within the target range comprises maintaining the temperature of the substrate within the target range by moving a fluid over the substrate to remove thermal energy from the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein moving a fluid over the substrate comprises moving a fluid at least partially through a channel of the substrate, wherein heat is transferred from the substrate to the fluid.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein moving a fluid over the substrate comprises moving the fluid at least partially through a plate in direct contact with the substrate, wherein heat is transferred from the substrate to the plate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the target range is (a) from about-30 ℃ to about 300 ℃, and (b) based in part on the material being deposited.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the material comprises depositing a thin film via the deposition device using ion assisted beam deposition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the thin film has a thickness of less than or equal to about 40 nanometers.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the thin film has a thickness of about 100 angstroms to about 25 microns.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target range is based on the material being deposited, and wherein the material comprises yttria (Y)₂O₃) Yttrium Fluoride (YF)₃) And/or Yttrium Oxyfluoride (YOF).

10. A semiconductor processing system, comprising:

a chamber having a substrate with a substantially planar surface, wherein the substrate comprises a temperature;

a deposition device configured to deposit material on the substantially planar surface of the substrate; and

a mechanism in thermal contact with the substrate, wherein the mechanism is configured to actively control the temperature of the substrate while the material is being deposited.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mechanism comprises a channel in thermal contact with the substrate, and wherein the channel has a fluid therein to remove thermal energy from the substrate.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a controller electrically coupled to the mechanism and configured to control flow of the fluid through the channel;

a first thermal measurement element for measuring a temperature associated with the substrate and operatively coupled to the controller;

a second thermal measurement element for measuring a temperature associated with the deposition device and operatively coupled to the controller; and

a third thermal measurement element for measuring a temperature associated with the chamber and operatively coupled to the controller,

wherein the controller is configured to control the temperature of the substrate within a temperature range based on the second or third temperature.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the temperature range varies from about-30 ℃ to about 300 ℃.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the temperature range varies from about 120 ℃ to about 180 ℃.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the deposition device comprises an ion beam deposition device.

16. A method of manufacturing a thin film, the method comprising:

providing a chamber, a substrate in the chamber, and a deposition apparatus for depositing material on the substrate;

measuring a first temperature associated with deposition of the material on the substrate;

actively causing or maintaining the substrate at a second temperature within a target range, wherein the target range is based in part on at least one of the first temperature or the material.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein actively causing or maintaining the substrate at the second temperature comprises: actively bringing or maintaining the substrate to the second temperature while depositing at least a portion of the material on the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the material has a first thermal stress at the first temperature and a second thermal stress at the second temperature, wherein the second thermal stress is less than the first thermal stress.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein actively cooling comprises removing heat from the substrate by a cooling fluid, and wherein at least a portion of the heat is introduced to the substrate by deposition of the material.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein actively cooling further comprises actively heating the substrate to about the second temperature prior to removing heat from the substrate.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising limiting a cooling rate of the substrate after completing the depositing.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to deposition processing systems having active temperature control, and more particularly to managing thermal stress of deposited materials using active temperature control of chamber components and related systems.

Background

Processing chambers suitable for depositing materials on a variety of surfaces are well known in the art. In one particular example, the process chamber is used in a semiconductor processing system. The process chamber of a semiconductor processing system may include, for example, an electrostatic chuck (ESC), a chamber shield, a showerhead, and similarly positioned chamber components for forming semiconductor materials, such as thin films. During operation, individual components may be exposed to and eroded by the extreme environment caused by the corrosive plasma conditions. Corrosion resistant coatings are commonly used to protect chamber components exposed to such conditions. Slight distortions are caused by the high temperatures generated during operation and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) mismatches between, for example, the ESC and the thin films deposited thereon. For example, during the preparation of thin film coatings, material is deposited on the ESC, and the thermal energy associated with the deposited material can rapidly heat the ESC and other chamber components. Given the different thermal mass of each chamber component, the thermal energy associated with depositing materials can create CTE mismatches within the chamber, leading to warping and deformation.

Fig. 1A and 1B are schematic cross-sectional views of a chamber component 20 (e.g., a stationary substrate or ESC) and a workpiece 30 (e.g., a semiconductor material, an insulating material, a thin film, etc.) according to the prior art and are intended to illustrate the effects of CTE mismatch. Fig. 1A shows the part 20 and the workpiece 30 after being warped into a concave shape, and fig. 1B shows the part 20 and the workpiece 30 after being warped into a convex shape. More specifically, fig. 1A and 1B illustrate that the concave or convex shape assumed by part 20 may result in defects that may subsequently be transferred to workpiece 30 formed thereon.

One approach traditionally used to alleviate the CTE mismatch problem is to cover the chamber components with a thermal coating (e.g., plasma spray) to protect them from the harsh environment of the processing chamber. However, over time, the thermal coating itself may still suffer from CTE mismatch (and/or thermal non-uniformity) and may result in particle generation and yield loss due to deformation, delamination, and contamination of the thin film. As the demand continues for semiconductor geometries to become smaller, the problem of particle generation (and contamination) has become an increasingly common problem. Therefore, other methods are needed to limit the CTE mismatch of components within the chamber.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1A and 1B are schematic cross-sectional views of chamber components of a deposition processing system according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor system in accordance with an example of the present technique.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process according to an example of the present technology.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a simulation in accordance with an example of the present technology.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are discussed to provide a thorough and enabling description of examples of the present technology. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details. In other instances, well-known structures or operations typically associated with semiconductor devices are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring other aspects of the technology. In general, it should be understood that a variety of other devices, systems, and methods, in addition to those specific examples disclosed herein, may also be within the scope of the present technology.

As noted above, there is a need to control CTE mismatch of components within a deposition processing system. Accordingly, several examples of systems in accordance with the present technology include heating/cooling mechanisms for supplying thermal energy to or removing thermal energy from components or substrates (e.g., fixed or movable substrates) within a chamber. Based on temperature measurements made of the substrate, as well as temperature measurements of the chamber and/or deposition of material, the mechanism may be used to adjust the temperature of the substrate to remain within a target range. In some examples, the mechanism may also be used to adjust the temperature of the substrate to approach the deposition temperature of the material. In each of these examples, the CTE of the substrate and the CTE difference between the substrate and other chamber components (e.g., films) may be controlled. Thus, the present techniques provide the ability to increase the yield of materials by, for example, reducing deformation and contamination of the thin film.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a deposition processing system 200 ("system 200"). The system 200 includes a chamber 202, a substrate 204, a deposition mechanism 206 for depositing a deposition material 208 over the substrate 204, a heating and/or cooling mechanism 210, and a controller 212 operatively coupled to the mechanism 210. The chamber 202 may be operated between vacuum and a temperature of about-30 c to about 300 c. The substrate 204 may comprise an electrostatic chuck (ESC) formed from a material comprising a thin ceramic and may have a thickness greater than 5mm or in the range of greater than about 1mm or greater than a smaller dimension. The substrate 204 may be mechanically coupled to the housing of the chamber 202 via a rotatable support 207. The rotatable support may be operable to rotate and adjust the substrate 204 (and material 208 thereon) to achieve an angle of incidence at which material is deposited on the substrate 204. The substrate 204 includes a substantially planar outer surface 205 to support a deposition material 208 disposed thereon. The deposition mechanism 206 may include a number of devices commonly used to deposit thin films, such as evaporation source materials and ion sources. The deposition mechanism 206 is capable of performing Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD), thermal evaporation, electron beam evaporation, ion beam sputtering, and cathodic arc, as well as other deposition techniques commonly used or known in the relevant art. The deposition mechanism 206 may also include an Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) system that combines a vapor flux source with an ion beam source. The deposition material 208 may include yttria (Y)₂O₃) Yttrium Fluoride (YF)₃) And/or Yttrium Oxyfluoride (YOF), as well as other insulating or semiconducting materials commonly used or known in the relevant art.

The system 200 may further include a plurality of temperature measurement devices 220 (e.g., thermocouples, Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs), optical pyrometers, etc.), including a first temperature measurement device 220a to measure the temperature of the substrate 204, a second temperature measurement device 220b to measure the temperature inside the chamber 202, and a third temperature measurement device 220c to measure the temperature of the deposition device 206. The third temperature measurement device 220c may correspond to, for example, a temperature at which material is deposited in the chamber 202 or on the substrate 204. In some examples, the temperature of the deposited material may be calculated based on a combination of thermocouples, such as the second and third temperature measurement devices 220 b-c. For example, the calculated temperature at which the material is deposited may be a weighted average between the measurements of the second and third temperature measurement devices 220 b-c. As explained in more detail below with reference to the description of the controller 212, the temperature of the deposited material may be used to determine the temperature to which the substrate 204 is to be conditioned. Each temperature measurement device 220a-c is operatively coupled to the controller 212 and may be used as an input to the controller 212. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each temperature measurement device 220a-c may correspond to multiple thermocouples (e.g., for redundancy purposes).

The heating/cooling mechanism 210 may include one or more heat exchange devices configured to (a) heat the substrate to a target temperature via a heating element, an infrared lamp, or other means known in the relevant art, and/or (b) provide a fluid to cool (e.g., remove thermal energy from the substrate 204) the substrate 204 and then receive the fluid (e.g., with the thermal energy removed) from the substrate 204. The fluid provided to the substrate 204 may be passed through a convection device (e.g., a cooling fan), a chiller, a coolant, and other methods known in the relevant art. Alternatively, a fluid may also be provided to heat (e.g., add thermal energy to) the substrate 204. In some examples, the substrate 204 includes one or more channels through which a fluid may flow to remove thermal energy from the substrate 204. In other examples, the fluid may flow through channels of the plate in direct contact with the substrate 204, such that the fluid cools the plate and then cools the substrate 204 by conduction. In some examples, a channel through the plate or substrate 204 may include (a) multiple portions corresponding to different regions of the substrate 204 and the surface of the substrate 204, and (b) one or more valves operable to control the flow of fluid through the different portions. In such an example, the flow of fluid through the plate or stationary substrate may be based on a target temperature for each individual portion. For example, it may be beneficial for the component to have a first portion at a first temperature and a second portion at a second temperature higher than the first temperature in order to adjust thermal stresses associated with different portions of the film.

The mechanism 210 may be configured to control the temperature of the substrate 204 (or a portion of the substrate 204) within a target range. For example, in some examples, mechanism 210 may regulate the temperature of substrate 204 in a range of about-30 ℃ to about 300 ℃, about-10 ℃ to about 180 ℃, or about 20 ℃ to about 150 ℃. In some examples, the target range may be based on the material 208 deposited over the substrate 204, as well as the desired quality of the final product. For example, the target range may be plus or minus 10 ℃ of the deposition temperature corresponding to a particular thermal stress of material 208. In some examples, the target range may be based on the substrate 204 itself (e.g., the ceramic material of the substrate) to ensure that the outer surface 205 on which the material 208 is deposited is and remains substantially flat during the deposition process.

The controller 212 may, more particularly, be in the form of computer-executable instructions, including routines executed by a programmable computer, many examples of the controller 212 may also, for example, include a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, a Distributed Control System (DCS), a programmable logic controller (P L C), control devices, and combinations of processors configured to process computer-executable instructions.

One benefit of the present technique is the ability to actively control the temperature and rate of temperature change of the substrate. Thus, unlike conventional methods, which are prone to thermal stress due to CTE mismatch between the substrate and the deposited material, the present technique provides the ability to control (e.g., limit or amplify) any such stress within a target temperature range by actively cooling or heating the substrate. Another benefit of the present technique is the ability to vary the temperature of the substrate and the rate of change of the temperature independently of other components. In this way, in operation, the present techniques may allow the substrate to be heated at a slower rate to ensure that there is little or no deformation of the outer surface of the substrate, for example, during the initial heating process. Another advantage of this technique is the ability to control the CTE mismatch between the substrate and the material deposited thereon by varying only one variable (i.e., the temperature of the substrate). For example, since the temperature of the substrate can be adjusted independently of other variables associated with the chamber (e.g., chamber temperature, deposition material, deposition temperature, etc.), the operator need not change operations associated with other aspects of the deposition.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process 300 in accordance with an example of the present technique. The process 300 generally involves controlling the temperature of a stationary component (e.g., the substrate 204) within a chamber (e.g., the chamber 202) of a deposition processing system (e.g., the system 200). The processing portion 302 includes heating and/or cooling the substrate to have a target range of temperatures. As previously described, heating the substrate may be accomplished by heating elements, infrared lamps, and/or other means known in the relevant art. A heating step may be used prior to deposition to raise the temperature of the substrate to a temperature within a target range where deposition is expected to occur. For example, if deposition is expected to occur within a temperature range of 120 ℃ to 150 ℃, the substrate may be heated to a temperature within this range prior to deposition. Cooling of the substrate may be accomplished by directing a fluid from a cooling mechanism (e.g., mechanism 210) to the substrate and removing heat via the fluid, as previously described with reference to fig. 2. In some examples, the cooling step may be performed after heating, after deposition begins, and/or throughout deposition. In other examples, the cooling step may be completed after the first film has been deposited and before the second film is deposited. In other examples, a cooling step may be performed between the deposition of the first and second layers of the same film (e.g., material 208) to control the mechanical properties of the material or resulting thin film. A benefit of heating and/or cooling the substrate prior to depositing the material is the ability to control (e.g., limit) the rate at which the temperature is increased or decreased to ensure that CTE-induced substrate deformation does not occur. Another benefit of heating and/or cooling the substrate prior to deposition is that once deposition begins, the substrate does not experience a rapid temperature rise due to deposition. Again, this may help ensure that mechanical damage to the substrate caused by CTE does not occur.

Process portion 304 includes depositing a material over a surface of a substrate. In a preferred example, the deposition of material on the substrate occurs after the substrate has been cooled or heated to have a temperature within a target range. The material may be deposited using any of the deposition methods previously described with reference to fig. 2, or other deposition methods known or used in the relevant art.

The process portion 306 includes controlling the temperature of the substrate within a target range. Depositing a material on a substrate will inherently (innately) include adding thermal energy (e.g., heat) to the substrate. Thus, in order to maintain the substrate at a temperature within a target range, the system needs to remove the added heat while depositing the material. As previously disclosed with reference to fig. 2, heat may be removed from the substrate by moving a fluid toward the substrate and absorbing the heat added by the deposition process. A controller (e.g., controller 212) may be used to control the control of the temperature to monitor and maintain the temperature within a target range. As such, the process 300 may operate according to a control loop feedback mechanism (e.g., PID control) that iteratively performs the operations outlined above.

FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating a simulation of a number of examples. Graph 400 includes data corresponding to temperature, T_SOr the y-axis of the substrate, and the x-axis corresponding to time. The diagram 400 also includes a first line 402 corresponding to a simulation according to an example of the prior art, and a second line 404 corresponding to a simulation according to an example of the present technology. As shown in fig. 4, the graph 400 also includes a first plane (a) corresponding to the time at which material deposition begins and a second plane (B) corresponding to the time at which material deposition ends. Referring first to line 402 according to an example configuration of the prior art, the temperature profile of the substrate begins at room temperature and increases at a first rate before reaching an equilibrium temperature. Maintaining the equilibrium temperature until deposition is complete or stops at plane (B), at which time T_SAnd then cooled back to near room temperature. As shown by line 402, the temperature of the substrate may experience a rapid increase in temperature associated with the addition of heat into the chamber by deposition, and a rapid decrease in temperature associated with the cessation of the addition of heat by deposition. As such, the substrate may be particularly susceptible to thermal stress during these periods of time. Stress can be transmitted to the material deposited thereon and can cause particle contamination, delamination, and deformation, among other problems.

Referring next to line 404 in accordance with an example configuration of the present technique, the temperature profile of the substrate includes a steady rise to a deposition temperature at plane (a) at which deposition is initiated. As material is deposited onto the substrate, the temperature profile of the substrate generally remains stable until deposition is complete or stopped at plane (B). Thereafter, the temperature of the control line 404 is decreased to stabilize the temperature back to room temperature.

As shown by a comparison of lines 402 and 404, the present technique has a number of advantages over conventional techniques. For example, unlike conventional techniques, which may include a rapid temperature increase in an early stage of deposition and a rapid temperature decrease after a last stage of deposition, the respective deposition stages of the present techniques are controlled and less extreme. In this way, the present technique reduces the likelihood of production loss due to contamination, delamination, and deformation.

Another benefit of the present technique is the ability to perform the entire deposition of the thin film at a generally uniform temperature (e.g., in the range of 10 c). Approximately one-third of the deposition occurs before the substrate reaches its equilibrium temperature, as shown by line 402. The deposition of line 404 occurs at an approximately uniform temperature compared to line 402, resulting in a film with more uniform properties. This benefit of the present technique may be even more pronounced at the beginning of the deposition, which may be a significant period of the coating process. The onset of deposition is when an interface is established between the coating and the substrate, which can significantly affect adhesion and other mechanical properties. The ability to maintain a controlled and/or uniform temperature during the start of deposition will result in a more uniform film with improved adhesion and mechanical toughness.

Another advantage of the present technique is the ability to control the deposition temperature at a preferred temperature with a target CTE value. As shown in fig. 4, the temperature of the substrate during deposition of line 402 is at a higher temperature than the temperature of line 404, which means that an optimum temperature is present to limit the CTE mismatch. As shown in equation 1, the thermal stress σ associated with the CTE of the film_FILMPartly due to inherent stresses σ associated with the membrane_INTAnd CTE stress σ associated with deposition of the film_CTE. For film applications, such as those in accordance with the present techniques, the intrinsic stress may be based in part on the deposition method (e.g., IBAD, CVD, sputtering, evaporation, cathodic arc, etc.). The CTE stress may be based on the difference between the deposition temperature and the use temperature of the substrate. More specifically, as shown in equation 2, the CTE stress is based on the elastic modulus, E, of the film_FILMPoisson ratio of film, v_FILMDifferential CTE constant, Δ α ═ α_FILM-α_SUBSTRATEAnd the temperature change, Δ T, of the film. In some examples, Δ T corresponds to a temperature difference between the deposition temperature and the temperature of the base substrate.

Equation 1: sigma_FILM＝σ_INT+σ_CTE

Equation 2:

in this way, reducing any difference between the temperature of the deposited film material and the temperature of the substrate may reduce the overall thermal stress of the film.

Another benefit of the present technique is the ability to independently control (a) substrate temperature and CTE mismatch, and (b) ion energy associated with each film. In other words, the present techniques allow film manufacturers to control film stress by varying one or both of the intrinsic stress and the CTE stress. As previously described, the intrinsic stress may be based on the deposition method used to deposit the film on the substrate (e.g., IBAD, CVD, sputtering, evaporation, cathodic arc, etc.). Each deposition method has a different level of ion energy associated with it, resulting in a film that will have a different level of intrinsic stress. For example, films deposited using evaporation methods may have lower ion energies, resulting in lower particle densities and more voids within the film, resulting in greater tensile stress. As another example, films deposited using cathodic arc deposition methods may have high ion energies, resulting in higher particle densities and fewer voids, resulting in greater compressive stress. Tensile, compressive, and other stresses may have advantages and disadvantages depending on the use of the film. For example, higher stresses may be beneficial to improve the mechanical toughness of the film, such as wear resistance or corrosion resistance. Still further, it may be desirable for only certain layers (e.g., the outer layer) to have mechanical toughness properties. Thus, the present technique provides a number of variables that can be tuned to achieve a particular stress. For example, a user may adjust the temperature of the substrate, ion beam energy, flux, type of chamber gas (e.g., argon, boron, nitrogen, etc.), angle of incidence, chamber pressure, duty cycle, substrate rotation, and other characteristics, all of which may increase or decrease thermal stress of the film. In addition, since these variables can be adjusted independently of each other, the temperature of the substrate and the deposition method can be used in combination to increase or minimize the effects of thermal stress. For example, at the beginning of deposition, the ion beam energy can be increased by ballistic (ballistic) mixing at the coating/substrate interface to promote adhesion. As another example, ion beam characteristics may be tuned to create a multilayer film structure with alternating high and low stress layers to suppress defect propagation and reduce particle generation.

As noted above, the deposition processing systems described herein with active temperature control are well suited for use in semiconductor processing systems. However, the deposition processing systems described herein may be used in many other contexts and are not limited to use in semiconductor processing systems. In general, the deposition processing systems described herein may be used in any situation where deposition of a material on a surface is desired. For example, the deposition systems described herein are suitable for use in flat panel manufacturing systems that require the deposition of materials on a surface.

This disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present technology to the precise forms disclosed herein. Although specific examples are disclosed herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible without departing from the technology, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. In some instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the examples of the present technology. Although the steps of the methods herein may be presented in a particular order, alternative examples may perform the steps in a different order. Similarly, certain aspects of the present technology disclosed in the context of particular examples may be combined or eliminated in other examples. Moreover, while advantages associated with certain examples of the technology may have been disclosed in the context of those examples, other examples may also exhibit such advantages, and not all examples need necessarily exhibit such advantages or other advantages disclosed herein to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, this disclosure and the related art may encompass other examples not explicitly shown or described herein, and the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.

Throughout this disclosure, the singular terms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Similarly, unless the word "or" is expressly limited to mean only a single item mutually exclusive from other items with respect to a list of two or more items, the use of "or" in this list should be interpreted to include (a) any single item in the list, (b) all items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list. In addition, the terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are used throughout to mean including at least the recited features, such that a greater number of the same features and/or additional types of other features are not excluded. Reference herein to "one example," "an example," or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, operation, or characteristic described in connection with the example can be included in at least one example of the present technology. Thus, the appearances of such phrases or formulations herein are not necessarily all referring to the same example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, operations, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more examples.