阅读说明：本技术 通过高压处理的钨脱氟 (Defluorination of tungsten by high pressure treatment ) 是由 基思·塔特森·王 托马斯·琼万·权 肖恩·康 怡利·Y·叶 于 2018-05-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：与用于处理在工件上的钨膜的工艺相关的方法和系统包括：将工件支撑在腔室中；将氢气引入腔室中且建立至少5个大气压的压力；并且当腔室中的压力是至少5个大气压时,将工件上的钨膜暴露于氢气。(Methods and systems related to a process for treating a tungsten film on a workpiece include: supporting a workpiece in a chamber; introducing hydrogen gas into the chamber and establishing a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres; and exposing the tungsten film on the workpiece to hydrogen gas when the pressure in the chamber is at least 5 atmospheres.)

1. A method of treating a tungsten film on a workpiece, comprising:

supporting the workpiece in a chamber;

introducing hydrogen gas into the chamber;

establishing a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres in the chamber; and is

Exposing the tungsten film on the workpiece to the hydrogen gas when the pressure in the chamber is at least 5 atmospheres.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: heating the tungsten film to a temperature of about 250 ℃ to about 600 ℃.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein heating the tungsten film comprises maintaining support for the workpiece in the chamber at an elevated temperature.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the temperature of the tungsten film is raised prior to establishing the pressure of at least 5 atmospheres in the chamber.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the pressure in the chamber comprises introducing hydrogen and an inert gas to provide a gas mixture in the chamber.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein hydrogen comprises from about 1 volume percent (vol%) to about 4 vol% of the gas mixture.

7. The method of claim 5, exposing the tungsten film to hydrogen gas when the hydrogen gas has a partial pressure of about 1 bar to about 10 bar.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the inert gas comprises nitrogen, argon, or a combination thereof.

9. A method of forming tungsten on a workpiece, comprising:

depositing a tungsten film on the workpiece by chemical vapor deposition using a precursor gas containing tungsten and fluorine; and

exposing the tungsten film on the workpiece to hydrogen gas in a chamber when the pressure in the chamber is at least 5 atmospheres.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the precursor gas comprises tungsten hexafluoride, and the method further comprises: heating the tungsten film to a temperature of about 250 ℃ to about 600 ℃.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising establishing pressure in the chamber by introducing hydrogen and an inert gas to provide a gas mixture in the chamber.

12. An annealing system, comprising:

a chamber body defining a chamber;

a support for holding a workpiece, wherein an outer surface of the workpiece is exposed to an environment in the chamber;

a robot for inserting the workpiece into the chamber;

a first gas source for providing hydrogen;

a pressure source coupled to the chamber to raise the pressure in the chamber to at least 5 atmospheres; and

a controller coupled to the robot, the first gas source, and the pressure source, the controller configured to cause the robot to transport a workpiece having a tungsten film thereon into the chamber, to cause the gas source to supply the hydrogen gas to the chamber, and to cause the pressure source to increase the pressure in the chamber to at least 5 atmospheres while the workpiece is held on the support in the chamber.

13. The annealing system of claim 12, wherein the heater comprises a resistive heater embedded in the support.

14. The annealing system of claim 12, wherein the heater comprises a radiant heater located in a wall of the chamber body and positioned to irradiate the workpiece on the support.

15. The annealing system of claim 12, comprising a second gas source to supply an inert gas to the chamber, and wherein the controller is coupled to the second gas source and configured to cause the first gas source to introduce hydrogen and the second gas source to introduce an inert gas to provide a gas mixture in the chamber.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to high pressure processing of tungsten films on workpieces such as semiconductor wafers.

Background

Microelectronic circuits and other microscale devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing and patterning multiple layers on a substrate or wafer, such as a wafer of silicon or other semiconductor material. For some applications, a metal film (e.g., tungsten) is deposited on a substrate to form microelectronic or other micro-scale features or to provide electrical interconnections.

For some layers, to achieve the desired material properties, the substrate is typically subjected to an annealing process in which the substrate is often rapidly heated to about 200 ℃ to 500 ℃, and more typically to about 300 ℃ to 400 ℃. The substrate may be held at the temperature for a relatively short time, for example 60 to 300 seconds. The substrate can then be cooled down quickly, wherein the entire process typically takes only a few minutes. Annealing may be used to change the material properties of layers on the substrate. Annealing may also be used to activate dopants, drive dopants between films on a substrate, alter film-to-film or film-to-substrate interfaces, densify deposited films, or repair damage from ion implantation.

As feature sizes for microelectronic devices and interconnects become smaller, the allowable defect rate substantially decreases. Some defects result from contamination embedded in one or more layers.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, processing a tungsten film on a workpiece comprises: supporting the workpiece in a chamber, introducing hydrogen gas into the chamber, and establishing a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres in the chamber; and exposing the tungsten film on the workpiece to hydrogen gas when the pressure in the chamber is at least 5 atmospheres.

Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs configured to perform the actions of the methods encoded on computer storage.

These and other embodiments may each optionally include one or more of the following features.

The temperature of the tungsten film may be raised to between 250 ℃ and 600 ℃. The temperature of the tungsten film may be increased by maintaining support for the workpiece in the chamber at an elevated temperature. The temperature of the tungsten film may be raised before a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres is established in the chamber.

Establishing pressure in the chamber may include introducing hydrogen gas and an inert gas to provide a gas mixture in the chamber. The hydrogen gas in the gas mixture in the chamber may be between 1% and 4% by volume of the gas mixture. The inert gas in the gas mixture in the chamber may include nitrogen and/or argon. The tungsten film may be exposed to hydrogen gas when the hydrogen gas has a partial pressure of 1 to 10 bar (bar).

The tungsten film may be part of a fabricated three-dimensional NAND (3D NAND) structure.

In another aspect, a method of forming tungsten on a workpiece includes: depositing a tungsten film on a workpiece by chemical vapor deposition using a precursor gas containing tungsten and fluorine; and exposing the tungsten film on the workpiece to hydrogen gas in the chamber when the pressure in the chamber is at least 5 atmospheres.

The tungsten film may be part of a three-dimensional NAND (3D NAND) in fabrication. The precursor gas may comprise tungsten hexafluoride. The tungsten film is raised to a temperature between 250 ℃ and 600 ℃. The chamber pressure may be established by introducing hydrogen and an inert gas (e.g., argon and/or nitrogen) to provide a gas mixture in the chamber.

In another aspect, an annealing system includes: a chamber body defining a chamber; a support for holding a workpiece, wherein an outer surface of the workpiece is exposed to an environment in the chamber; a robot for inserting a workpiece into the chamber; a first gas source for providing hydrogen; a pressure source coupled to the chamber to raise a pressure in the chamber to at least 5 atmospheres; and a controller coupled to the robot, the first gas source, and the pressure source. The controller is configured to cause the robot to transport the workpiece having the tungsten film thereon into the chamber, cause the gas source to supply hydrogen gas to the chamber, and cause the pressure source to increase the pressure in the chamber to at least 5 atmospheres while the workpiece is held on the support in the chamber.

The annealing system may include a heater to raise the temperature of the workpiece on the support to between 250 ℃ and 600 ℃. The heater may comprise a resistive heater embedded in the support, and/or the heater may be a radiant heater located in a wall of the chamber body, the radiant heater being positioned to irradiate the workpiece on the support. The pressure source may comprise a pump.

The annealing system can include a second gas source to supply an inert gas (e.g., argon and/or nitrogen) to the chamber, and the controller can be coupled to the second gas source and can be configured to cause the first gas source to introduce hydrogen and the second gas source to introduce the inert gas to provide a gas mixture in the chamber.

Particular implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. Post-deposition annealing of tungsten films can improve film quality by reducing the presence of fluorine in the tungsten film. Reducing fluorine can reduce the likelihood of defects and can increase yield. The use of a defluorinated high pressure gas allows the use of low temperatures during the annealing process by increasing the diffusion of the gas into the layer, maintaining a relatively low thermal budget after treatment of the workpiece, and preserving the overall layer structure quality. In addition, the low temperature of deposition can be used to deposit tungsten films, thereby reducing layer mixing resulting from higher temperature deposition.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a high pressure substrate processing system.

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process flow for tungsten defluorination by high pressure processing in a high pressure substrate processing system.

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary high pressure substrate processing system.

Fig. 4 illustrates another example of a high pressure substrate processing system.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Detailed Description

Introduction to

In general, it is desirable to reduce the defect density of layers deposited on a workpiece, for example, a tungsten film deposited on a semiconductor wafer (e.g., a semiconductor wafer used to fabricate 3D NAND structures). The defect density may occur in various ways, including residues from precursor gases (e.g., tungsten hexafluoride) used in the deposition process of the tungsten film. Reducing residual fluorine in the deposited tungsten film can reduce deleterious effects such as unintentional oxide etching leading to defects in adjacent layers and reduced k-values in gate oxides deposited adjacent to the tungsten film.

Systems and methods for high pressure processing are described below to defluorinate tungsten films using high pressure annealing. The tungsten film deposited on the workpiece is exposed to a high pressure (e.g., at least 5 atmospheres) of a forming gas (e.g., 4% hydrogen gas mixed with an inert gas) while being held at a high temperature (e.g., 200 ℃ to 500 ℃) for several minutes to one hour.

System for controlling a power supply

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a high pressure substrate processing system 100. The high pressure substrate processing system 100 includes a high pressure chamber 102. The high pressure chamber 102 is configured to contain a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres (e.g., at least 10 atmospheres) and is capable of maintaining a vacuum level of up to 10^ -3 Torr. In some embodiments, the high pressure substrate processing system 100 includes a low pressure environment 104 (e.g., a vacuum environment) for controlling the relative pressures within the high pressure chamber 102 and the low pressure chamber 104 independently of one another as workpieces are transferred between process chambers (e.g., from another process chamber into the high pressure chamber 102).

A robot (not shown in fig. 1) including a robotic arm may be used to transfer workpieces into and out of the high pressure chamber 102, for example, between chambers of a multi-chamber substrate processing tool.

The high pressure chamber 102 includes a support, such as a pedestal 106 for supporting a workpiece in the high pressure chamber 102. The pedestal 106 may use various support mechanisms to support one or more workpieces, for example, the pedestal 106 may use locking pins (lockingpins) and springs to support the workpiece, and/or the workpiece may be placed directly on top of the pedestal 106.

In some embodiments, the high pressure chamber 102 includes one or more heating elements 108. For example, the heating element 108a is a resistive heater and is integrated into the pedestal 106 for heating the workpiece. In some embodiments, the high pressure chamber 102 includes a heating element 108b, wherein the heating element 108b can heat and maintain a selected temperature within the high pressure chamber 102. The heating element 108b may be a radiant heater embedded in the wall of the high pressure chamber body and positioned to illuminate the workpiece on the pedestal 106. When the workpiece is supported on the pedestal 106 and gas (if used) has been introduced into the high pressure chamber 102, the heat from the heating element 108 may be sufficient to anneal the workpiece. The heating element 108 may be a resistive heating element and may conductively and/or radiatively heat the workpiece. Additionally, the heating element 108 may include discrete heating coils, or radiant heaters (e.g., infrared lamps).

The gas delivery system 110 is operable to pressurize and depressurize the high pressure chamber 102. The gas delivery system 110 provides a gas mixture to the high pressure chamber 102 to establish a high pressure, e.g., a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres. In some embodiments, the gas delivery system 110 includes an exhaust system 112 to exhaust gas from the high pressure chamber 102 to depressurize the high pressure chamber 102. The gas delivery system includes a pressure source to raise the pressure in the chamber 102 to a high pressure. The pressure source may include a pump, such as a rotary pump, a scroll pump, and/or a progressive cavity pump, configured to pump gas into the chamber 102 until a desired pressure is reached; and/or include compressed gas cylinders (compressed gas cylinders) having a pressure sufficient such that, after the cylinders are fluidly connected to the chamber 102, the equilibrium pressure will reach the desired pressure.

The pumping system 114 includes one or more pumps for reducing the pressure in the high pressure chamber 102 and/or the vacuum chamber 104. The pump may include a rotary pump, a scroll pump, and/or a progressive cavity pump. For example, the pumping system 114 may be used to reduce the pressure in the vacuum chamber 104 to at or near vacuum pressure, e.g., less than 1 milliTorr (milliTorr). In another example, the pumping system 114 may be used during pumping and purging cycles of the high pressure chamber 102 to reduce the presence of contaminants in the high pressure chamber 102 prior to process operations.

In some embodiments, the valve assembly 116 isolates the relative pressure between the high pressure chamber 102 and the vacuum chamber 104. The high pressure environment within the high pressure chamber 102 may thereby be isolated and sealed from the low pressure environment within the vacuum chamber 104. The valve assembly 116 is operable to transfer workpieces directly between the high pressure chamber 102 and the vacuum chamber 104.

In some embodiments, the high pressure substrate processing system 100 includes a foreline (foreline)118, the foreline 118 being connected to the vacuum chamber 104 and to the external environment. An isolation valve 120 is disposed along the foreline 118 to isolate the pressure within the vacuum chamber 104 from the pressure of the external environment. The isolation valve 120 is operable to adjust the pressure within the vacuum chamber 104 and release the gas within the vacuum chamber 104. The isolation valve 120 is operable in conjunction with the pumping system 114 to regulate the pressure within the vacuum chamber 104.

One or more operations of the high pressure substrate processing system 100 may be controlled by one or more controllers 122. A controller 122 (e.g., a general purpose programmable computer) is connected to and operable to control some or all of the various components of the high pressure substrate processing system 100. The operations controlled by the controller 122 may include, for example, temperature regulation of the heating element 108 within the high pressure chamber 102, pressure regulation within the high pressure chamber 102, vacuum regulation within the vacuum chamber 104, flow rate and gas delivery of the gas delivery system 110, and operation of one or more pumps in the pumping system 114. For example, the controller 122 may be programmed to generate control signals that cause components of the high pressure substrate processing system 100 to perform the processes described below with reference to fig. 2.

High pressure treatment of tungsten films

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process flow 200 for defluorinating tungsten films on workpieces by high pressure processing in a high pressure substrate processing system 100. In one example, the workpiece includes a semiconductor substrate (e.g., silicon) having a tungsten film deposited on the substrate. In some embodiments, a tungsten film forms a portion of a 3D NAND structure fabricated on a substrate; and the workpiece may also comprise a layer of other material (e.g. SiN, TiN). The tungsten film may be deposited on the workpiece in a separate processing step using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). In some embodiments, the tungsten film is deposited using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD).

The workpiece is inserted into the chamber, such as by a robot, and then supported in the chamber, such as on the pedestal 106 within the high pressure chamber 102 (202). In some embodiments, the high pressure chamber 102 and/or the susceptor 106 are maintained at a particular temperature (e.g., 300 ℃ to 500 ℃) using one or more heating elements 108. The temperature of the high pressure chamber 102 and/or the pedestal 106 may be established prior to introducing the workpiece into the high pressure chamber 102. Further, the temperature of the workpiece (e.g., a tungsten film on a substrate) may be established at a particular temperature (e.g., 250 ℃ to 600 ℃) by using one or more heating elements 108 when the workpiece is supported by the pedestal 106 in the high pressure chamber 102. In some embodiments, the temperature of the workpiece (e.g., a tungsten film on a substrate) is raised prior to establishing a pressure of at least 5 atmospheres in the high pressure chamber 102.

Hydrogen gas is introduced into the high pressure chamber 102 (204). The hydrogen gas may be H₂Or deuterium (D)₂) In the form of (1). The hydrogen gas may be part of a forming gas that includes one or more inert gases (e.g., nitrogen and/or argon). In some embodiments, the percentage of hydrogen in the forming gas is at least 1%, and at most 4.5% by volume. The inert gas may be mixed with the hydrogen gas prior to delivery into the high pressure chamber 102 by the gas delivery system 110, or the inert gas and hydrogen gas may be delivered into the high pressure chamber 102 by various nozzles of the gas delivery system 110 and mixed in the high pressure chamber 102.

The gas delivery system 110 may establish a total pressure (inert gas and hydrogen) of 5 to 50 atmospheres in the high pressure chamber 102 (206). In some embodiments, the total pressure in the high pressure chamber 102 is at least 10 atmospheres. The pressure in the high pressure chamber 102 may be established as a static pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure in the high pressure chamber is established by flowing forming gas into the high pressure chamber 102 through the inlet/outlet of the gas delivery system 110. In some embodiments, the tungsten film is exposed to hydrogen gas when the hydrogen gas has a partial pressure of 1 to 10 bar.

After the desired pressure is established in the high pressure chamber 102, the tungsten film on the workpiece is exposed to hydrogen while the high pressure chamber 102 is maintained at an elevated pressure (208). The exposure time includes a few minutes to a few hours (e.g., at least 5 minutes, and no more than an hour). In some embodiments, the annealing temperature (temperature of the workpiece during the annealing process), the partial pressure of hydrogen in the high pressure chamber 102, and the exposure time to the defluorination process may be correlated so that the optimum operating parameters may be found by adjusting the above (and other) variables.

Without being bound to any particular theory, molecular hydrogen gas cracks to atomic hydrogen on the surface of the heated tungsten film and then diffuses along the grain boundaries of the tungsten film. Diffusion of reactants (e.g., cracked hydrogen) into the tungsten film may be a limiting factor in the rate at which the defluorination process occurs. As the cracked hydrogen diffuses into the tungsten film, the cracked hydrogen bonds with fluorine on the surface of the tungsten film or embedded within the tungsten film. The bonded hydrogen and fluorine form hydrogen fluoride which can then diffuse out of the tungsten film. Atomic hydrogen can additionally be used to weaken and break the bonds between fluorine and tungsten in tungsten films.

In some embodiments, hydrogen gas is introduced into the high pressure chamber 102 through the gas delivery system 110 prior to or during the heating process of the workpiece. For example, high pressure hydrogen gas may be introduced into the high pressure chamber 102 when the heating element 108 brings the workpiece on the pedestal 106 to a particular desired temperature.

In some embodiments, the workpieces may be heated to a particular temperature while in the vacuum chamber 104 and then transferred by a robot (not shown) to the high pressure chamber 102, into which hydrogen gas may be introduced.

In some embodiments, a tungsten film is deposited on a workpiece that is subsequently subjected to the high pressure processing described herein. For example, a tungsten film may be deposited on a workpiece by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) using a precursor gas containing tungsten and fluorine (e.g., tungsten hexafluoride). In some embodiments, tungsten hexafluoride may be used as a precursor gas to deposit a tungsten film. The amount of residual fluorine trapped within the deposited tungsten film may depend in part on the deposition temperature (e.g., lower deposition produces higher concentrations of residual fluorine). The tungsten film may then be exposed to hydrogen gas in the high pressure chamber 102 when the pressure in the high pressure chamber 102 is at least 5 atmospheres.

Embodiments of high pressure substrate processing systems

Fig. 3 and 4 illustrate two embodiments of a high pressure substrate processing system. Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary high pressure substrate processing system 300 comprising a first chamber 302 (e.g., high pressure chamber 102), a pedestal 304, a second chamber 306 (e.g., vacuum chamber 104), and a controller (e.g., controller 122). The high pressure substrate processing system 300 further includes a pumping system (not shown) similar to the pumping system 114 described with respect to fig. 1 and a gas delivery system 307 similar to the gas delivery system 110 described with respect to fig. 1. For example, the gas delivery system 307 includes an input line 307a and an exhaust line 307 b. Precursor gas is introduced into the first chamber 302 through input line 307a and precursor gas is exhausted from the first chamber 302 through exhaust line 307 b.

The pedestal 304 supports a workpiece 314 on which a film of material (e.g., tungsten film) is to be defluorinated by high pressure processing. The pedestal 304 is positioned or positionable within the first chamber 302. In some embodiments, the substrate 314 is directly on the flat top surface of the susceptor. In some embodiments, the substrate 314 is positioned on a pin 330 protruding from the base.

The high pressure substrate processing system 300 includes an inner wall 320, a pedestal 322, and an outer wall 324. The first chamber 302 is provided by a volume within the inner wall 320 (e.g., between the inner wall 320 and the base 322). The second chamber 304 is provided by a volume outside of the inner wall 320 (e.g., between the inner wall 320 and the outer wall 324).

The high pressure substrate processing system 300 further includes a valve assembly 316 located between the first chamber 302 and the second chamber 306 that provides the functionality of the valve assembly 116 of fig. 1, i.e., the valve assembly is operable to isolate the first chamber 302 from the second chamber 306. For example, the valve assembly 316 includes an inner wall 320, a base 322, and an actuator 323 that moves the base 322 relative to the inner wall 320. The actuator 323 may be controlled to drive the base 322 to move vertically, e.g., away from or toward the wall 320 defining the first chamber 302. Bellows 328 may be used to seal second chamber 306 from the outside atmosphere while allowing base 322 to move vertically. Bellows 328 may extend from the bottom of base 322 to the floor of second chamber 306 formed by outer wall 324.

When the valve assembly 316 is in the closed position, the bottom 322 is in contact with the wall 320 such that a seal is formed between the bottom 322 and the wall 320, separating the outer chamber 306 from the inner chamber 302. The actuator 323 is operated to drive the seat 322 toward the inner wall 320 with sufficient force to form a seal. The seal prevents air from the first high pressure chamber 302 from venting into the low pressure second chamber 306.

When the valve assembly 316 is in the open position, the seat 322 is spaced from the wall 320, allowing air to be conducted between the first chamber 302 and the second chamber 306, and also allowing the substrate 314 to be accessed and transferred to the other chamber.

Because the base 304 is supported on the base 322, the base 304 is thus also movable relative to the inner wall 320. The pedestal 304 may be movable to make the substrate 314 more accessible to the transfer robot. For example, an arm of a transfer robot (not shown) may extend through an aperture (aperture)326 in the outer wall 324. When the valve assembly 316 is in the open position, the robotic arm may pass through the gap between the inner wall 320 and the pedestal 322 to reach the substrate 314.

In some embodiments, the high pressure substrate processing system 300 includes one or more heating elements 318 configured to apply heat to the substrate 314. When the substrate 314 is supported on the pedestal 304 and a precursor gas (if used) has been introduced into the first chamber 302, the heat from the heating element 318 may be sufficient to anneal the substrate 314. The heating element 318 may be a resistive heating element. The one or more heating elements 318 may be positioned, for example embedded, in an inner wall 320 defining the first chamber 302. This heats the inner wall 320 so that the radiant heat reaches the substrate 314. The substrate 314 may be held by the pedestal 304 in close proximity to the ceiling of the inner wall to improve the transfer of heat from the inner wall 320 to the substrate 314.

However, the one or more heating elements 318 may be disposed in other locations within the high pressure substrate processing system 300, for example, within a sidewall rather than a ceiling. Examples of heating elements 318 include discrete heating coils. Instead of or in addition to the heater embedded in the inner wall 320, a radiant heater (e.g., an infrared lamp) may be located outside the first chamber 302 and direct infrared radiation through a window in the inner wall 320. Wires connect a power source (not shown), such as a voltage source, to the heating elements, and may connect one or more of the heating elements 318 to the controller.

A controller is operatively connected to the pumping system, the gas delivery system 307, and the valve assembly 316 for controlling operation to perform high pressure processing of a material layer on the substrate 314. In some embodiments, the controller may also be operably connected to other systems. For example, the controller may also be operably connected to one or more of a transfer robot (not shown), one or more heating elements 318, and/or an actuator 323. In some cases, the controller 122 shown in fig. 1 comprises a controller of the high pressure substrate processing system 300.

In a process for performing high pressure processing of a material layer on the substrate 314, the controller may operate the pumping system to depressurize the second chamber 306 to a low pressure state, for example to a state in which the second chamber 306 has a pressure of less than 1 atmosphere, in preparation for transfer of the substrate 314 through the second chamber 306. The low pressure state may be a state close to a vacuum state, for example, a state of a pressure of less than 1 mtorr. The substrate 314 is moved through the second chamber 306 by a transfer robot (not shown) while the second chamber 306 is under a low pressure so that contamination and oxidation of the substrate 314 can be suppressed.

The substrate 314 is transferred into the first chamber 302 for processing. To transfer the substrate 314 into the first chamber 302, the controller may operate the valve assembly 316, e.g., open the valve assembly 316 to provide an opening through which the substrate 314 may be transferred into the first chamber 302. The controller may operate the transfer robot to carry the substrate 314 into the first chamber 302 and place the substrate 314 on the pedestal 304.

After the substrate 314 is transferred into the first chamber 302, the controller may operate the valve assembly 316 to close the opening (e.g., close the valve assembly 316), thereby isolating the first chamber 302 and the second chamber 306 from each other. With the valve assembly 316 closed, the pressures in the first chamber 302 and the second chamber 306 may be set to different values. The controller may operate the gas delivery system 307 to introduce hydrogen gas into the first chamber 302 to pressurize the first chamber 302. The introduction of hydrogen may increase the pressure within the first chamber 302, for example, to 5 atmospheres or more.

The hydrogen gas and appropriate temperature and pressure conditions in the first chamber 302 may cause high pressure processing of the material to occur, for example, as described with reference to fig. 2. During high pressure processing, the controller may operate the one or more heating elements 318 to add heat to the substrate 314 to facilitate annealing of the material layer on the substrate 314.

When the high pressure processing is complete, the substrate 314 may be removed from the first chamber 302 using a transfer robot; and the substrate 314 may be transferred to a subsequent processing chamber or to an external environment, if necessary. Alternatively, the substrate 314 is transferred to a load lock chamber (not shown). To prepare for the transfer of the substrate 314 out of the first chamber 302, the controller may operate the exhaust system of the gas delivery system 307 to depressurize the first chamber 302 before the valve assembly 316 is opened. Specifically, the precursor gas is exhausted from the first chamber 302 to reduce the pressure within the first chamber 202 before the substrate 314 is transferred out of the first chamber 202. The pressure in the first chamber 302 may be reduced to near vacuum pressure so that the pressure differential between the first chamber 302 and the second chamber 306 may be minimized.

To enable the substrate 314 to be transferred out of the first chamber 302, the controller may open the valve assembly 316. The open valve assembly 316 provides an opening through which the substrate 314 is moved for transfer into the second chamber 306. Specifically, the open valve assembly 316 allows the substrate 314 to be transferred directly into the second chamber 306, for example, to the low pressure environment of the second chamber 306.

Fig. 4 illustrates another example of a high pressure substrate processing system 400 including a first chamber 402 (e.g., high pressure chamber 102), a pedestal 404, a second chamber 406 (e.g., vacuum chamber 104), and a controller similar to controller 122 shown in fig. 1. The high pressure substrate processing system 400 is similar to the high pressure substrate processing system 300 described with respect to fig. 3; various options and embodiments are also applicable to this embodiment, unless otherwise specified.

For example, the gas delivery system and pumping system of the high pressure substrate processing system 400 operate in a similar manner for maintaining a low pressure and high pressure environment for substrates 414 processed using the high pressure substrate processing system 400. The second chamber 406 may be defined by a volume between the inner wall 420 and the outer wall 424. In addition, a substrate 414 may also be supported on the pedestal 404 for processing within the first chamber 402. Again, the substrate may be located directly on the pedestal 404 or on lift pins 430 that extend through the pedestal.

The high pressure substrate processing system 400 differs from the high pressure substrate processing system 300 of fig. 3 in some respects. First, the inner wall 420 defining the first chamber 402 is immovable relative to the base 422 defining the first chamber 402. The base 404 is thus fixed relative to the inner wall 420 and the base 422. In some examples, the pedestal 404 is secured to a base 422 defining the first chamber 402.

The one or more heating elements 418 of the embodiment shown in fig. 4 are not disposed in the inner wall 420 of the first chamber 402 as shown for the case of the one or more heating elements 318 of the embodiment of fig. 3, but are disposed within the susceptor 404. The substrate 414 is thereby heated by contact with the susceptor 404.

The high pressure substrate processing system 400 further includes a valve assembly 416 located between the first chamber 402 and the second chamber 406, similar to the valve assembly 316 of fig. 3, the valve assembly 416 isolating the first chamber 402 from the second chamber 406. Unlike valve assembly 316, however, valve assembly 416 is not formed by a wall 420 and a base 422 that define first chamber 402, but rather is formed by an arm 424 that is movable relative to an inner wall 420 and base 422 of first chamber 402. The arm 424 is movable relative to the inner wall 420 and the base 422 of the first chamber 402.

Specifically, the valve assembly 416 includes a slit valve 423 located between the first chamber 402 and the second chamber 406. Slit valve 423 includes slit 423a and arm 424. The slit 423a extends through one of the inner walls 420 of the first chamber 402. The proximal end 424a of the arm 424 is positioned outside of the first chamber 402, while the distal end 424b of the arm 424 is positioned within the first chamber 402. The proximal end 425a of the arm 425 may be positioned within the second chamber 406 and may be driven by an actuator positioned within the second chamber 406. Alternatively, the proximal ends 425a of the arms 425 may be positioned outside the second chamber 406 and thereby driven by an actuator 428 that is also positioned outside the second chamber 406.

The arm 425 extends through the slit 423a and is movable relative to the wall 420 such that the arm 425 may be moved to a position in which it may form a seal with the wall 420. The actuator 428 is coupled to the proximal end 425a of the arm 425 and drives the distal end 425b of the arm 425 relative to the wall 420. The arm 425 is also vertically movable to cover or expose the slit 423 a. In particular, the proximal ends 425a of the arms 425 may be or include flanges that extend generally parallel to the adjacent inner surface of the inner wall 420. The arms 425 may also be moved or actuated laterally so that the distal ends 425b of the arms 425 may engage or disengage the inner wall 420.

The arms 425 may also extend through the apertures 426 in the outer wall 424.

Similar to valve assembly 316, valve assembly 416 is movable between an open position and a closed position. When the valve assembly 416 is in the closed position, the distal end 425b of the arm 425 covers the slit 426 and contacts one of the inner walls 420, forming a seal to isolate the first chamber 402 from the second chamber 406. In particular, the distal ends 425b (e.g., flanges) of the arms 425 contact the inner surface of the wall 420 defining the first chamber 402.

When the valve assembly 416 is in the open position, the distal ends 425b of the arms 425 are laterally spaced from the inner wall 420 (e.g., the inner surface of the inner wall 420). Further, the distal ends 425b of the arms 425 are positioned vertically so as to expose the slits 426. The slot 426 thus provides an opening that enables fluid communication between the first chamber 402 and the second chamber 406, and also enables the substrate 414 to be moved into and out of the first chamber 402, such as by a robot as discussed above.

The controller may operate the high pressure substrate processing system 400 in a similar manner to the process described with respect to the controller of the high pressure substrate processing system 300 to transfer the substrate 414 into and out of the first chamber 402 and perform high pressure processing on the material layer on the substrate 414. In the process, to open or close the valve assembly 416, the controller may operate the actuator 428 to drive the arm 425.

The configuration shown in fig. 4 has the advantages that: the pressure within the first chamber 402 helps to push the distal ends 425 of the arms 425 against the inner surface of the inner wall 420. As a result, the actuator may be less powerful than the configuration shown in fig. 3.

The controller and other computing device portions of the systems described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware. For example, the controller may include a processor executing a computer program as stored in a computer program product (e.g., in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). Such a computer program (also known as a program, software application, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment.

While this document contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any inventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular implementations of particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.