TWI773910B - Batch curing chamber with gas distribution and individual pumping - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a batch processing chamber that is adapted to simultaneously cure multiple substrates at one time. The batch processing chamber includes multiple processing sub-regions that are each independently temperature controlled. The batch processing chamber may include a first and a second sub-processing region that are each serviced by a substrate transport device external to the batch processing chamber. In addition, a slotted cover mounted on the loading opening of the batch curing chamber reduces the effect of ambient air entering the chamber during loading and unloading.

Description

Batch curing chamber with gas distribution and individual pumping

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to apparatus and methods for processing multiple substrates (eg, semiconductor wafers), and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for curing dielectric materials disposed on multiple substrates.

Semiconductor components have decreased significantly in size since their introduction decades ago. Today's semiconductor fabrication equipment routinely produces devices with 32nm, 28nm and 22nm feature sizes, and new equipment is developed and implemented to manufacture even smaller size devices. The reduced feature size enables features of structures on components to be reduced in size. As a result, the width of structures on components such as gaps, grooves, and the like can be reduced to a point where the aspect ratio of gap depth to gap width becomes so high that filling such gaps with dielectric material becomes problematic. This is due to a phenomenon in which the deposited dielectric material tends to "pinch off", where high aspect ratio gaps or access areas to other structures may close before bottom-up filling is complete, leaving holes or weak points in the within the structure.

Over the years, a number of techniques have been developed to avoid pinch-off or to "heal" holes or crevices created by pinch-off. One approach begins with a highly fluid precursor material that can be applied in liquid phase to a rotating substrate surface (eg, SOG deposition techniques). These flowable precursors can flow into and fill small substrate gaps without forming holes or frangible gaps. However, once these high flow materials are deposited, these high flow materials must harden into solid dielectric materials.

In many instances, the hardening process includes a heat treatment to remove volatile elements necessary to make the initially deposited film flowable from the deposition material. After these components are removed, a hardened and dense dielectric material with high etch resistance is left, such as silicon oxide.

The fluidity of these films may result from the various chemical compositions contained in the films, but hardening or densifying the films by removing these same chemical compositions is almost uniformly beneficial across the set of fluid deposition techniques. These hardening and densification processes can be time consuming. Therefore, there is a need for new post-processing techniques and equipment currently available or under development for densification of various types of flowable films. This and other needs are addressed in the present disclosure.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to apparatus and methods for processing substrates, such as semiconductor wafers, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for batch curing of dielectric materials disposed on a plurality of substrates.

Embodiments disclosed herein may provide a system for forming a dielectric material on a surface of a substrate, the system including a host, a production interface, a load lock chamber, a plurality of flow CVD deposition chambers, and a batch processing chamber, The production interface includes at least one atmospheric robot and is configured to receive substrates of one or more cassettes, the load lock chamber is coupled to the host and is configured to receive one or more substrates from the at least one atmospheric robot in the production interface , a plurality of fluid CVD deposition chambers are respectively coupled with the host, the batch processing chamber is coupled with the production interface, the batch processing chamber includes a plurality of sub-processing areas, a loading opening and a cover plate, and the plurality of sub-processing areas are respectively configured While the substrate is received from at least one atmospheric robot and a curing process is performed on the substrate received from the atmospheric robot, a loading opening is formed in the wall of the batch processing chamber, and the cover plate includes a plurality of slot-shaped openings and is disposed on the loading opening , wherein each of the plurality of slot openings is configured to allow at least one atmospheric manipulator to extend an arm from a location outside the batch processing chamber to one of the plurality of sub-processing regions, and wherein when the loading opening is open, the plurality of slot openings Each of the openings is configured to reduce the free area of the loading opening.

Embodiments disclosed herein may further provide a batch substrate processing chamber including a plurality of sub-processing regions, a load opening, and a cover plate, each of the plurality of sub-processing regions being configured to receive substrates from an atmospheric robot and to receive substrates from the atmospheric robot A curing process is performed on the substrate, a load opening is formed in the wall of the batch processing chamber, a cover plate is disposed on the load opening and includes a plurality of slot openings, each of the plurality of slot openings is configured to allow at least one atmospheric manipulator An arm extends from a location outside the batch processing chamber toward one of the plurality of sub-processing regions, and wherein each of the plurality of slotted openings is configured to reduce the free area of the loading opening when the loading opening is open.

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to batch processing chambers that are tuned to cure multiple substrates simultaneously at one time. The chamber includes first and second sub-processing areas, each of which is serviced by a substrate transfer device outside the batch processing chamber, and each sub-processing area can support a substrate. In one embodiment, the first sub-processing area is directly below the second sub-processing area, wherein the first and second sub-processing areas are accessible by the substrate transfer device through a cover plate that covers the loads formed in the chamber part of the opening.

FIG. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of a processing tool including a production interface 105 having a batch curing chamber 103 configured in accordance with disclosed embodiments of the present invention. The processing tool 100 generally includes a production interface 105, a batch curing chamber 103, a transfer chamber 112, an atmospheric gripping station 109, and a plurality of pairs of processing chambers 108a-b, 108c-d, and 108e-f. In the processing tool 100 , a pair of FOUPs (Front Open Unified Troughs) 102 supplies substrates (eg, 300 mm diameter wafers) that are received by one arm of an atmospheric robot 104 and placed into a load lock chamber 106 . The second robot arm 110 is disposed in the transfer chamber 112 coupled to the load lock chamber 106 . The second robotic arm 110 is used to transfer substrates from the load lock chamber 106 to the processing chambers 108a-f coupled to the transfer chamber 112.

The processing chambers 108a-f may include one or more system elements for depositing, annealing, curing, and/or etching a fluid dielectric film on a substrate. In one configuration, three pairs of processing chambers (eg, 108a-b, 108c-d, and 108e-f) can be used to deposit a flowable dielectric material on a substrate.

In certain embodiments, batch curing chamber 103 is configured to perform batch curing processes simultaneously on multiple substrates having a flowable dielectric material deposited thereon. In such embodiments, batch curing chamber 103 is typically configured to perform curing processes on a number of substrates, which may be performed in pairs of process chambers 108a-b, 108c-d, and 108e. Simultaneous film deposition in -f. Thus, in the setup shown in Figure 1, the batch curing chamber 103 is advantageously sized to accommodate six substrates at one time during the curing process. Thus, all of the substrates that have been processed by the pair of processing chambers 108a-b, 108c-d, and 108e-f can be cured simultaneously, thereby maximizing the substrate throughput of the processing tool 100.

Additionally, in order to avoid substrates remaining in batch curing chambers 103 for significantly different times in situations where multiple processing chambers have different processing method start and end times, the processing tool 100 may include an atmospheric clamping station 109, an atmospheric clamping The holding station 109 is used to hold the processed substrate until the other successively processed substrates are completed with their deposition processing. The atmospheric clamping station allows all substrates to be placed in batch curing chamber 103 at once. For example, atmospheric clamping station 109 is configured to temporarily store substrates outside batch curing chamber 103 until a desired number of substrates are available for processing in batch curing chamber 103 . The atmospheric robotic arm 104 then loads the substrates into the batch curing chamber 103 in rapid succession such that substrates without thin film deposition stay at a relatively high temperature in the batch curing chamber 103 compared to any other thin film deposited batch curing chamber 103 It took a few seconds longer. Thus, substrate-to-substrate variation during the curing process can be minimized or reduced.

The batch curing chamber 103 generally includes a chamber body 103B and a slit valve 103A. After the substrate is positioned in the chamber body 103B by the atmospheric robot 104, the slit valve 103A is used to seal off the inner region of the chamber body 103B. The batch curing process and batch curing chamber 103 are further described with respect to Figures 4-10 below. Fluid CVD Chamber and Deposition Process Demonstration

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a fluid chemical vapor deposition chamber 200 with zoned plasma generation regions. The processing chamber 200 may be any of the processing chambers 108a-f of the processing tool 100 that are at least configured for depositing a flowable dielectric material on a substrate. In certain embodiments, processing tool 100 may include any other suitable chemical vapor deposition chamber instead of processing chamber 200 .

During thin film deposition (eg, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or silicon oxycarbide deposition), process gases may flow into the first plasma region 215 via the gas inlet assembly 205 . The process gas may be excited within the remote plasma system (RPS) 201 before entering the first plasma region 215 . The processing chamber 200 includes a cover 212 and a shower head 225 . Cap 212 is shown with an applied AC voltage source and showerhead 225 grounded, consistent with plasma generation in first plasma region 215. The insulating ring 220 is positioned between the cover 212 and the showerhead 225 to enable capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) to form in the first plasma region 215 . The cap 212 and the showerhead 225 are shown with an insulating ring 220 between the cap 212 and the showerhead 225 to allow an AC potential to be applied to the cap 212 relative to the showerhead 225 .

Cover 212 may be a dual source cover for use with a processing chamber. Two different supply channels are visible within the gas inlet assembly 205 . The first channel 202 carries gas through the Remote Plasma System (RPS) 201 , while the second channel 204 bypasses the RPS 201 . The first channel 202 may be used for treatment gas and the second channel 204 may be used for treatment gas. The gases flowing into the first plasma region 215 may be dispersed by the baffle 206 .

A fluid, such as a precursor, may flow into the second plasma region 233 through the showerhead 225 . Species excited from the precursors in the first plasma region 215 travel through the holes 214 in the showerhead 225 and react with the precursors flowing from the showerhead 225 into the second plasma region 233 . Little or no plasma is present in the second plasma region 233 . Excited derivatives of the precursors are combined in the second plasma region 233 to form a fluid dielectric material on the substrate. As the dielectric material grows, the material added more recently has higher mobility than the material below. Mobility decreases with evaporation of reduced organic content. Gaps can be filled with a fluid dielectric material using this technique without leaving conventional density organic content within the dielectric material after deposition is complete. The curing step (described below) can be used to further reduce or remove organic content from the deposited dielectric material.

Exciting the precursor in the first plasmonic region 215 alone or in combination with the remote plasmonic system (RPS) 201 in the first plasmonic region 215 provides several benefits. Due to the plasma in the first plasma region 215, the concentration of excitation species from the precursor can increase within the second plasma region 233. This increase may be due to the location of the plasma in the first plasma region 215 . Compared to the remote plasma system (RPS) 201, the second plasma region 233 is located closer to the first plasma region 215, leaving less time for the excited species to pass through with other gas particles, chamber walls and to leave the excited state on the surface of the spray head.

The concentration uniformity of the excited species from the precursors can also be increased within the second plasma region 233 . This may be due to the shape of the first plasma region 215 , which is similar to the shape of the second plasma region 233 . Excited species generated in the Remote Plasma System (RPS) 201 travel more distances to pass through the holes 214 near the edge of the showerhead 225 relative to the species passing through the holes 214 near the center of the showerhead 225 . More distances result in less excitation of the excited species and, for example, may result in slower growth rates near the edge of the substrate. Exciting the precursor in the first plasma region 215 mitigates this change.

In addition to the precursors, other gases may be introduced at different times for different purposes. Process gases may be introduced to remove unwanted species from the chamber walls, substrate, deposited films, and/or films during deposition. _The process gas may comprise at least one of the following group of gases, the group comprising _H2 , _H2 / _N2 mixture, _NH3 , _NH4OH , _O3 , _O2 , _H2O2 , and water vapor. The process gas can be excited in the plasma and then used to reduce or remove the remaining organic content from the deposited film. In other embodiments, a process gas may be used instead of a plasma. When the process gas includes water vapor, delivery can be accomplished using a mass flow meter (MFM) and injection valve or by other suitable water vapor generators.

In one embodiment, the dielectric layer may be deposited by introducing a dielectric material precursor (eg, a silicon-containing precursor) and reacting the precursor in the second plasma region 233 . Exemplary dielectric material precursors are silicon-containing precursors, including silane, disilane, methylsilane, dimethylsilane, trimethylsilane, tetramethylsilane, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), triethylsilane Oxysilane (TES), Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), Tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO), Tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), Tetramethyldiethoxydioxane Siloxane (TMDDSO), Dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMS) or a combination of the above. Additional precursors for silicon nitride deposition include _{Six N y H z - containing} precursors such as silyl-amine and its derivatives, including trisillylamine (TSA) and dimethylsilylamine ( _{disillylamine} , _DSA )), a _SixNyHzOzz - _{containing precursor} , a _SixNyHzClzz - _{containing precursor} , or a combination of the above.

Process precursors include hydrogen-containing compounds, oxygen-containing compounds, nitrogen-containing compounds, or combinations thereof. Examples of suitable process precursors include one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of _H2 , _H2 / _N2 mixtures, _NH3 , _NH4OH , _O3 , _O2 , H _2O2 , _N2 , _{NxHy compounds} containing _N2H4 vapor, _NO , _N2O , _NO2 , water _vapor , or a combination of the above. The processing precursors may be in the presence of a plasma (as in the RPS unit) to include N ^* and/or H ^* and/or O ^* -containing groups or plasmas, eg, _NH3 , _NH2 ^* , NH ^* , N ^* , H ^* , O ^* , N ^* O ^* or a combination of the above. Alternatively, the treatment precursor may include one or more of the precursors described in this specification.

Process precursors can be associated with the plasma excited in the first plasma region 215 to generate process gas plasmas and radicals (including N ^* and/or H ^* and/or O ^* containing radicals or plasmas) , eg, _NH3 , _NH2 ^* , NH ^* , N ^* , H ^* , O ^* , N ^* O ^* , or a combination of the above. Alternatively, the processing precursor may already be tied to the plasma state prior to introduction into the first plasma region 215 after passing through the distal plasma system.

The excited process precursor 290 is then delivered into the second plasma region 233 to react with the precursor through the aperture 214 . Once in the processing space, the processing precursors can mix and react to deposit the dielectric material.

In one embodiment, the flowable CVD process performed in the processing chamber 200 may deposit the dielectric material as a polysilazane-based silicon-containing film (a PSZ-type film) that is flowable and can be Filling of recesses, features, vias, or other holes defined in a substrate on which a polysilazane-based silicon-containing film is deposited.

In addition to the dielectric material precursors and processing precursors, other gases may be introduced at different times for different purposes. Process gases may be introduced to remove unwanted species, such as hydrogen, carbon and fluorine, from the chamber walls, substrate, deposited films and/or films during deposition. The process precursor and/or process gas may include at least one gas from the group consisting of _H2 , _H2 / _N2 mixture, _NH3 , _NH4OH , _O3 , _O2 , _{H2O 2} , N ₂ , N ₂ H ₄ vapor, NO, N ₂ O, NO ₂ , water vapor, or a combination of the above. The process gas can be excited in the plasma and then used to reduce or remove the remaining organic content from the deposited film. In other embodiments, a process gas may be used instead of a plasma. The process gas can be introduced into the first processing zone through the RPS unit or bypassing the RPS unit and can be further excited in the first plasma zone.

Silicon nitride materials include silicon nitride, Six N _y , hydrogen-containing silicon nitride, SixNyHz, silicon oxynitride (including hydrogen-containing silicon oxynitride), _{Six N y H z} O _zz and halogen _- containing silicon nitride (Including Chlorinated Silicon Nitride, _{Six N y H z} Cl _zz ). The deposited dielectric material can then be converted to a silicon oxide-based material. Example deposition and batch curing procedures

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a process 300 that may be implemented in process chamber 200 and batch curing chamber 103 . FIGS. 4A-4C are schematic cross-sectional views of portions of the substrate corresponding to various stages of process 300 . Although process 300 is shown for forming a dielectric material in or on a substrate with defined grooves, such as a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure fabrication process, process 300 can be used to form other structures on a substrate, such as interlayer dielectrics ( ILD) structure.

Process 300 begins at step 302 by transferring substrate 400 (shown in FIG. 4A ) to a deposition processing chamber (flowable chemical vapor (CVD) chamber 200 shown in FIG. 2 ). In one embodiment, the substrate 400 may be a silicon substrate having one or more layers formed thereon to form structures, such as shallow trench isolation (STI) structures 404 . In another embodiment, the substrate 400 may be a silicon substrate with multiple layers (eg, thin film stacks) for forming different patterns and/or features. The substrate 400 may be, for example, crystalline silicon (eg, Si>100> or Si>111>), silicon oxide, strained silicon, silicon germanium, doped or undoped polysilicon, doped or undoped silicon wafers, and patterns or unpatterned silicon-on-insulator (SOI), carbon-doped silicon oxide, silicon nitride, doped silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, glass, sapphire, metal layers on silicon, or the like s material. Substrate 400 can be of any variety of shapes and sizes, such as 200mm, 300mm or 450mm diameter wafers, or rectangular or square plates.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A, layer 402 is disposed on substrate 400 and is suitable for fabrication of STI structure 404 by deposition of a flowable dielectric material. In certain embodiments, layer 402 may be etched or patterned to form grooves 406 within layer 402 for forming shallow trench isolation (STI) structures that may be used to incorporate The elements are electrically insulated from each other. Alternatively, in embodiments where layer 402 is not present, the processes described herein that are performed on layer 402 may be performed on substrate 400 .

At step 304, a dielectric material 408 is deposited on the substrate 400 to fill the recesses 406 defined in the layer 402, as shown in FIG. 4B. The dielectric material 408 may be deposited as a result of a fluid chemical vapor deposition process performed in the processing chamber 200, as described with respect to FIG. 2 above. In one embodiment, the dielectric material 408 is a silicon-containing material deposited from the gas mixture supplied into the processing chamber 200 .

In one embodiment, the gas mixture supplied into the process chamber 200 for forming the dielectric material 408 may include the dielectric material precursors and process precursors as discussed above. Additionally, suitable examples of processing precursors may include nitrogen-containing precursors as discussed above. In addition, the processing precursor may also include hydrogen-containing compounds, oxygen-containing compounds, or combinations thereof, such as NH ₃ gas. Alternatively the treatment precursors may include one or more of the desired precursors.

In one embodiment, the substrate temperature during the deposition process is maintained within a predetermined temperature range. In one embodiment, the substrate temperature is maintained at less than about 200 degrees Celsius, such as less than 100 degrees Celsius, to allow the dielectric material 408 formed on the substrate to be fluid to reflow and fill the grooves 406 . It is believed that a relatively low substrate temperature (eg, less than 100 degrees Celsius) can help maintain the fluidity of the film initially formed on the substrate surface in a liquid-like fluid state to maintain the fluidity and viscosity of the resulting film formed on the substrate surface. With the resulting film formed on the substrate with a certain degree of fluidity and viscosity, the bonding structure of the film can be changed, switched, or substituted into different functional groups or bonding structures after subsequent heat and humidity treatments. In one embodiment, the substrate temperature in the processing chamber is maintained between about room temperature and about 200 degrees Celsius, such as less than about 100 degrees Celsius, eg, between about 30 degrees Celsius and about 80 degrees Celsius.

The dielectric material precursor may be supplied to the processing chamber at a flow rate between about 1 seem to about 5000 seem. The processing precursor may be supplied to the processing chamber at a flow rate between about 1 seem and about 1000 seem. Alternatively, during processing, the supplied gas mixture can also be controlled at a flow ratio between about 0.1 to 100 of the dielectric material precursor to the processing precursor. The processing pressure is maintained between about 0.10 Torr and about 10 Torr, such as between about 0.1 Torr and about 1 Torr, such as between about 0.5 Torr and 0.7 Torr.

One or more inert gases may also be included in the gas mixture provided to the processing chamber 200 . Inert gases may include, but are not limited to, noble gases such as Ar, He, Xe, and the like. The inert gas may be supplied to the processing chamber at a flow rate of about 1 sccm to about 50,000 sccm.

RF power was used to maintain the plasma during deposition. The RF power is supplied between about 100 kHz and about 100 MHz, such as about 350 kHz or about 13.56 MHz. Alternatively, a VHF power supply can be used to provide frequencies up to between about 27MHz and 200MHz. In one embodiment, the RF power may be supplied between about 1000 watts to 10000 watts. The spacing from the substrate to the showerhead 225 can be controlled according to the size of the substrate. In one embodiment, the treatment interval is controlled between about 100 mils (mil) to about 5 inches (inch).

In one embodiment, the dielectric material 408 formed on the substrate 400 is a silicon-containing material having nitrogen or hydrogen atoms, such as Si _x N _y H _z or —Si—N—H—bonds formed on the substrate, Wherein x is an integer from 1 to 200, and y and z are integers from 0 to 400. The silicon atoms formed in the dielectric material 408 may comprise -Si-N-H-, -Si-N-, or -Si-H- as process precursors provided in the gas mixture may provide nitrogen and hydrogen species during deposition or other bonds. The Si—N, N—H, Si—H bonds will be further replaced by Si—O—Si bonds by subsequent thermal and wet treatments to form the dielectric material 408 as a silicon oxide layer.

At step 306, after the dielectric material 408 is formed on the substrate 400, the substrate 400 is cured and/or thermally treated. The curing process removes moisture and other volatile components from the deposited dielectric material 408 to form a solid phase dielectric material 408, as shown in Figure 4C. As the dielectric material 408 cures, the moisture and solvent in the deposited dielectric material 408 are drained, causing the deposited dielectric material 408 to refill and reflow in the grooves 406 defined in the substrate 400 , thereby forming substantially the same on the substrate 400 . Flat surface 410. In one embodiment, the curing step 306 may be performed in the batch curing chamber 103 .

In some embodiments, the curing temperature can be controlled to a temperature below 150 degrees Celsius, such as below 100 degrees Celsius, for example, about 50 degrees Celsius. The curing time can be controlled from about 1 second to about 10 hours. For example, in one embodiment, the curing process is performed at a temperature of about 90 degrees Celsius for 8 to 10 minutes. In certain embodiments, during the curing process, a heated purge gas and/or an inert carrier gas (argon (Ar) or nitrogen ( _N2 )) is used and flowed onto the substrate, eg, via a heated showerhead. In other embodiments, the carrier gas may be used in combination with ozone (O ₃ ) during the curing process. In other examples, the flow of thermal processing gas over the surface of the substrate and heating of the substrate can effectively remove volatile components from the thin film on which the fluid dielectric thin film has been formed. In this method, films formed via flow CVD processes (such as those deposited in step 304) can be converted into dense, solid dielectric films with little or no voids, even as high aspect ratio features formed on the substrate. In certain embodiments, the curing process includes a preheating step in which the substrate rests on the heated susceptor for a specified duration (eg, about 1 second to about 10 minutes) prior to the flow of the process gas. .

At step 310 , after the curing process is complete, the dielectric material 408 may be selectively exposed to a thermal annealing process to form the annealed dielectric material 408 . Typically, thermal annealing processes are performed in separate processing chambers rather than the curing processes described above. An example of a suitable thermal annealing chamber in which step 310 may be performed is a CENTURA® RADIANCE® RTP chamber available from Applied Materials, Inc., among others. Notably, other types of annealing chambers or RTP chambers, including those obtained from other manufacturers, may also be used to perform the thermal annealing process as described in step 310 . Sample batch curing process

5 is a side cross-sectional view of a batch curing chamber 500 configured in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The batch curing chamber 500 can be used as the batch curing chamber 103 in FIG. 1 , and thus can be used to perform the batch curing process described in step 306 above. The batch curing chamber 500 generally includes a chamber body 510 , a plurality of curing stations 530 disposed within the chamber body 510 , and a plurality of substrate lift assemblies 540 partially disposed within the chamber body 510 .

The chamber body 510 includes a chamber wall 512 coupled with the chamber cover 511 and the chamber bottom plate 513 . A vacuum pump foreline 514 (configured to pump process and purge gases from the chamber body 510 ) penetrates the chamber 510 through the chamber floor 513 . In other embodiments, the vacuum pump foreline 514 may penetrate the chamber 510 through one or more of the chamber walls 512 and/or the chamber cover 511 . Vacuum pump foreline 514 is fluidly coupled to processing region 522 of chamber 510 through opening 521 and to each of plurality of exhaust inlet arrays 523 disposed adjacent to each of plurality of curing stations 530 . Accordingly, process gases, purge gases, and volatile compounds exhausted from the substrate during the curing process may be removed from the process region 522 and from each of the process sub-regions 524 located between the plurality of curing stations 530 . The plurality of exhaust inlet arrays 523 are described in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 8 .

The chamber body 510 may also include an RPS manifold 515 coupled to one of the chamber walls 512 . During the periodic purge process, the RPS manifold 515 is configured to direct purge gas to each of the process sub-regions 524 via the plurality of purge gas openings 516 . The cleaning gas may be generated by the remote plasma source 550 . For example, NH ₃ or any other purge gas can be passed through the remote plasma source and then used to remove unwanted deposits on one or more interior surfaces of the chamber body and the plurality of curing stations 530 . This processing may be performed at specific time intervals after a predetermined amount of cured films are processed by batch curing chamber 500 , or after a predetermined number of substrates are processed by batch curing chamber 500 .

The chamber body 510 also generally includes a loading opening 517 formed in one of the chamber walls 512, a slotted opening cover 518 (shown in more detail in Figure 6), and a loading opening door 520. The opening cover 518 is provided with a plurality of substrate slits 519, and the loading opening door 520 is provided to seal the loading opening 517 during the curing process. Generally, each of the substrate slits 519 corresponds to, and is substantially aligned with, a respective one of the curing stations 530 to allow the atmospheric robot arm 104 to extend an arm into when the load opening door 520 is in the open position Each of the plurality of sub-processing regions 524 . Figure 5 shows the load opening door 520 tied in the closed position.

The load opening 517 is configured to allow substrates to be loaded into each of the plurality of curing stations 530 without repositioning the load opening relative to the plurality of curing stations 530 or the production interface 105 . For example, when the plurality of curing stations 530 are arranged in a stacked array, as shown in FIG. 5, the load opening 517 is configured to span the stacked array in two dimensions (ie, height and width) such that the All or at least a substantial proportion of the plurality of curing stations 530 may be accessed by the atmospheric manipulator 104 . Thus, when the curing stations 530 are arranged in a vertically stacked array, the height 525 of the loading opening 517 is relatively large to accommodate the height of the multiple curing stations 530 combined. The slotted opening cover 518 may be a plate or other structure configured to minimize or reduce the open area of the loading opening 517 when the loading opening 517 is open, such as during loading and unloading of substrates. Because the loading opening 517 has a relatively large height 525, the free area of the loading opening is correspondingly large, allowing a large amount of ambient air from the production interface 105 to enter the batch curing chamber 500 in the absence of the slot opening cover 518. A large amount of ambient air entering batch curing chamber 500 may cause unnecessary cooling of batch curing chamber 500 or oxidation and/or contamination of internal components in batch curing chamber 500 , and also cause batch curing chamber 500 The process gas and exhaust products leak into the production interface 105 . Thus, the slotted opening cover 518 helps avoid the transfer of particles and/or unnecessary gases or process by-products to and from the batch curing chamber 500 .

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the slotted opening cover 518 for the batch curing chamber 500 shown in FIG. 5, arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The slotted opening cover 518 may be a plate or other structure configured to minimize or reduce the open area of the loading opening 517 when the loading opening 517 is open, such as during loading and unloading of substrates. For example, the dimensions of the plurality of substrate slits 519 may be selected to be as small as practicable without causing interference with substrates being loaded and unloaded through the loading openings 517 . In this embodiment, the position of the atmospheric robot 104 (shown in FIG. 1 ), the slotted opening cover 518 , the loading opening 517 , and the individual positions of the plurality of substrate slits 519 relative to the atmospheric robot 104 may be affected. Tolerance stack-up of any components of batch curing chamber 500 and chamber-to-chamber variation determine the dimensions of the plurality of substrate slits 519 . Thus, in this embodiment, multiple substrate slits can be configured to conform to the cross-section of the substrate resting on the arms of the atmospheric robot 104 plus additional free area to accommodate the components, production of the batch curing chamber 500 Tolerance stacking of interface 105, atmospheric manipulator 104, and the like.

In order to reduce the free area of the loading opening 517 when substrates are loaded into the batch curing chamber 500 , the slotted opening cover 518 greatly reduces or minimizes the entry of ambient air and the exit of process and purge gases from the batch curing chamber 500 . Export. Thus, despite the relatively large size of the load opening 517, little or no process gas and/or volatile components exit the batch curing chamber 500 during substrate loading and unloading. Furthermore, unnecessary cooling of the batch curing chamber 500 due to ambient air entering from the production interface 105 or thermal radiation leaving the batch curing chamber 500 is avoided.

7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a plurality of curing stations 530 configured in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Each of the plurality of curing stations 530 disposed in the chamber main body 510 includes a heating substrate base 531, a shower head 532 positioned on the heating base 531, a shower head air chamber 533 formed between the heating base 531 and the shower head 532, An annular plenum 534, a curing station heater 535, and a thermocouple 537 are fluidly coupled to the showerhead plenum 533 and the process gas plate (not shown). For clarity, the exhaust inlet array 523 that may be positioned adjacent to the curing station 530 is omitted from FIG. 7 . The processing sub-region 524 is located between each of the plurality of curing stations 530 .

The heated substrate pedestal 531 is configured to support and in some embodiments heat the substrate during the curing process. Showerhead 532 is configured to evenly distribute process gas (ie, curing gas) and purge gas entering showerhead plenum 533 to adjacent process sub-regions 524 . Additionally, the heated substrate pedestal 531 and the showerhead 532 are configured to form a showerhead plenum 533 as shown. Notably, the gas passing through the showerhead plenum 533 and into the processing sub-region 524 may be heated by the heated substrate pedestal 531 associated with the processing sub-region 524, which is distinct from and adjacent to the processing in which the gas flows. Sub-area 524. Alternatively or even further, the gas passing through the showerhead plenum 533 and entering the processing sub-region 524 may be heated by the showerhead 532 through which the gas passes.

In certain embodiments, the process and/or purge gases that pass through the showerhead plenum 533 and into the processing sub-region 524 may first pass through an annular plenum 534 that is fluidly coupled to the showerhead plenum 533, as shown in FIG. 7 Show. The annular plenum 534 is configured with a plurality of orifices 701 that are sized on the process gas 702 compared to the flow resistance created on the process gas 702 as the process gas 702 flows through the showerhead plenum 533 Creates greater resistance to flow (i.e. pressure drop). In this approach, the flow of process gas 702 entering showerhead plenum 533 is substantially uniform around showerhead 532, although annular plenum 534 may be coupled to the process gas plate through a single inlet or a small number of inlets. In general, uniform flow of process gas 702 entering showerhead plenum 533 promotes uniform flow through showerhead 532 into processing sub-region 524 . To further facilitate uniform flow of the process gas 702 , the orifices 701 may be symmetrically distributed near the inner circumference of the annular gas chamber 534 .

The maximum free area of the orifices 701 that facilitates uniform flow of the process gas 702 into the showerhead plenum 533 may be based on the number of orifices 701, the size of the showerhead plenum 533, the flow resistance created by the showerhead 532, the approximate flow rate of the process gas 702, etc. to decide. The maximum free area of this orifice 701 can be determined by those of ordinary skill in the art with the knowledge described above.

Batch curing chamber 500 may include curing station heaters 535 and thermocouples 537 that together enable individual closed loop temperature control for each of multiple curing stations 530 . Thus, batch curing chamber 500 can process multiple substrates without the risk of substrate-to-substrate variation due to temperature variations among multiple curing stations 530 . Without individual temperature control of the curing station heaters 535, substrates processed at the top and bottom of the processing sub-region 524 of the batch curing chamber 500 are typically exposed to lower temperatures than substrates processed in the central processing sub-region 524, which may Severely affects the results of cured wafer-to-wafer batch processing.

In some embodiments, both the thermocouple 537 and the curing station heater 535 are disposed in the heated substrate base 531 , as shown in FIG. 7 . In these embodiments, the walls of the showerhead 532 and annular plenum 534 are heated to a temperature close to the heated substrate pedestal 531 via conduction and radiative heating transfer. Therefore, the process gas passing through the annular gas chamber 534 , the shower head gas chamber 533 and the shower head 532 are also heated to a temperature close to the temperature of the heated substrate susceptor 531 . Thermocouple 537 provides temperature feedback to the closed loop control of the temperature of the heated substrate pedestal 531 and thus the processing gas entering one of the processing sub-regions 524. Alternatively, a thermocouple 537 may be placed in contact with the showerhead 532 and/or with the process gas entering one of the process sub-regions 524.

As described above, a plurality of exhaust inlet arrays 523 are provided adjacent to each of the plurality of curing stations 530 . In certain curing processes performed on the substrates in one of the processing sub-regions 524, volatile components expelled from the dielectric material formed on the substrates may form particles, such as SiO2 particles. Such particles may settle on the substrate being processed, which is highly undesirable. Thus, the flow patterns of purge and process gases in batch curing chamber 500 can affect contamination of substrates being processed in process sub-region 524 . The exhaust inlet array 523 is configured to exhaust volatile components and particles, if formed, from the substrate being processed. In some embodiments, two or more exhaust inlet arrays 523 are disposed adjacent to each curing station 530 such as in a symmetrical arrangement, as shown in Figures 7 and 8A-8C.

8A is an isometric view of a plurality of groups of exhaust inlet arrays 523 arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8B is a plan view of the plurality of group exhaust inlet arrays 523 shown in Figure 8A and Figure 8C is a side view of the plurality of group exhaust inlet arrays 523 shown in Figure 8A. Most other elements of batch curing chamber 500 have been omitted for clarity. As shown in the embodiment shown in Figures 8A-8C, a group of four exhaust inlet arrays 523 is positioned adjacent a particular curing station 530 for a total of six groups of four exhaust inlet arrays 523. In other embodiments, a group of more or less than four exhaust inlet arrays 523 may be positioned adjacent to a single curing station 530 .

Each exhaust inlet array 523 includes a plurality of exhaust inlets 801 fluidly coupled to an exhaust plenum 802 located within the exhaust inlet array 523 . In certain embodiments, each exhaust inlet array 523 is mechanically coupled to a support member 810 that structurally supports and positions the exhaust inlet array 523 to which it is coupled. In the embodiment shown in Figures 8A-C, the batch curing chamber 500 includes four separate support members 810, while in other embodiments, the batch curing members 500 may be configured with more or less than a total of Four support members 810 . Additionally, each exhaust inlet array 523 is fluidly coupled to an exhaust manifold (not shown for clarity), which is in turn fluidly coupled to the fore vacuum line 514 of the batch curing chamber 500 . In certain embodiments, one or more of the support members 810 may also be configured as exhaust manifolds.

In certain embodiments, some or all of exhaust inlet array 523 may include flow equalization orifices 811 . In these embodiments, each flow balance orifice 811 is configured to restrict flow to the associated exhaust inlet array 523 such that the flow of process gas and exhaust components through each exhaust inlet array 523 is relative to adjacent exhaust gas The inlet arrays 523 are equal or substantially equal. In some embodiments, the flow balance orifice 811 is a fixed orifice. In these embodiments, the specific dimensions of each fixed orifice can be determined using computer simulation, flow visualization, trial-and-error methods, or a combination of the above. In other embodiments, some or all of the flow balance orifice 811 is an adjustable orifice (eg, a needle valve) that can be set at the time of manufacture (in the field) and/or responsive to the batch curing chamber 500 Exhaust balance problem in .

The plurality of substrate lift assemblies 540 are configured to remove and place individual substrates from the atmospheric robot 104 during loading and unloading. Furthermore, multiple substrate lift assemblies 540 are configured to simultaneously position multiple substrates during processing in batch curing chamber 500 . For example, in some embodiments, multiple substrate lift assemblies 540 are configured to simultaneously position each substrate being processed into a processing position and into a preheat position. Generally, when in the processing position, the substrate is positioned close to the showerhead 532, and when in the preheat position, the substrate is positioned on the heated substrate pedestal 531.

The plurality of substrate lift assemblies 540 include a plurality of lift pin indexers 541, such as three or more. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the plurality of substrate lift assemblies 540 includes three lift pin indexers 541, but only one is visible. FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a portion of the chamber cover 511 and all three lift pin indexers 541 of the plurality of substrate lift assemblies 540 . For clarity, the chamber wall 512 and the chamber bottom plate 513 are omitted from FIG. 9 . Portions of each of the three lift pin indexers 541 are disposed within the chamber body 510 and are coupled to a lift mechanism 544 (shown in Figure 5 and omitted in Figure 9 for clarity). The lift mechanism 544 can be any mechanical actuator suitable for positioning the substrates in the loading, unloading, preheating, and processing positions described above. For example, lift mechanisms may include pneumatic actuators, stepper motors, and the like.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a lift pin indexer 541 configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, lift pin indexer 541 generally includes lift pins 542 for each of processing sub-regions 524 in batch curing chamber 500 . Thus, in the exemplary example shown in Figures 5, 9 and 10, each lift pin indexer 541 includes six lift pins 542 coupled to a vertical axis 543. The three lift pin indexers 541 can simultaneously position six substrates in the processing position or simultaneously set six substrates in the preheat position on the respective heated substrate pedestals 531 .

In certain embodiments, each lift pin 542 is configured with a low contact, thermally insulating contact surface 1001 to reduce and/or minimize heat transfer from the substrate to the lift pin 542 during processing. In this way, so-called "cold spots" on the substrate are reduced or removed during processing, thereby improving the uniformity of the dielectric film being cured in batch curing chamber 500 . In some embodiments, the contact surface 1001 is formed with cylindrical elements 1002 such that the contact surface between the substrate and the contact surface 1001 is reduced to a line or point contact. Additionally, the cylindrical element 1002 may be formed from a material that has a lower thermal conductivity than materials commonly used to form the lift pins 542, such as aluminum and stainless steel. For example, in certain embodiments, cylindrical element 1002 may be formed from sapphire (Al ₂ O ₃ ).

In summary, one or more embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for curing a dielectric material disposed on a plurality of substrates without the substrate-to-substrate variation typically associated with batch processing. In particular, the batch curing chamber includes a plurality of processing sub-zones that are each independently temperature controlled. In addition, the slotted cover that fits over the loading opening of the chamber greatly reduces the effect of ambient air entering the chamber during loading and unloading.

Although the foregoing is directed to the disclosed embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the essential scope of the present invention, which is defined by the following claims.

100‧‧‧Processing Tools 103A‧‧‧Slit valve 103B‧‧‧Chamber body 103‧‧‧Batch curing chamber 104‧‧‧Atmospheric Manipulator 105‧‧‧Production Interface 106‧‧‧Load lock chamber 108a‧‧‧Processing chamber 109‧‧‧Atmospheric clamping station 110‧‧‧Second Robot Arm 112‧‧‧Chamber 200‧‧‧Processing chamber 201‧‧‧RPS 202‧‧‧First Pass 204‧‧‧Second Channel 205‧‧‧Gas inlet assembly 206‧‧‧Bezel 212‧‧‧Cover 214‧‧‧hole 215‧‧‧First Plasma Region 220‧‧‧Insulation ring 225‧‧‧Sprinkler 233‧‧‧Second Plasma Region 290 ‧‧‧ Excited Processing Precursors 300‧‧‧processing 302‧‧‧Steps 304‧‧‧Steps 306‧‧‧Steps 310‧‧‧Steps 400‧‧‧Substrate Floor 402‧‧‧ 404‧‧‧STI structure 406‧‧‧Grooving 408‧‧‧Dielectric Materials 410‧‧‧Flat surface 500‧‧‧batch curing chamber 510‧‧‧Chamber body 511‧‧‧Chamber cover 512‧‧‧Chamber wall 513‧‧‧Chamber floor 514‧‧‧Foreline vacuum line 515‧‧‧RPS Manifold 516‧‧‧Purge gas opening 517‧‧‧Load opening 518‧‧‧Slotted opening cover 519‧‧‧Substrate slit 520‧‧‧Load opening door 521‧‧‧Opening 522‧‧‧Processing area 523‧‧‧Exhaust Inlet Array 524‧‧‧Processing subregions 525‧‧‧Height 530‧‧‧Cure Station 531‧‧‧Heating Substrate Base 532‧‧‧Sprinkler 533‧‧‧Nozzle air chamber 534‧‧‧Annular air chamber 535‧‧‧Cure Station Heater 537‧‧‧Thermocouple 540‧‧‧Substrate lift assembly 541‧‧‧Lifting Pin Indexer 542‧‧‧Lifting pins 543‧‧‧Vertical axis 544‧‧‧Ascension Organization 550‧‧‧Remote Plasma Source 701‧‧‧Orifice 702‧‧‧Processing gas 801‧‧‧Exhaust inlet 802‧‧‧Exhaust air chamber 810‧‧‧Support member 811‧‧‧Flow balance orifice 1001‧‧‧Contact surface 1002‧‧‧Cylinder element

The disclosed features of the present invention have been briefly summarized above and are discussed in greater detail below, which can be understood by reference to the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the appended drawings depict only typical embodiments disclosed in this invention, and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention since the invention may admit to other equivalent embodiments. .

FIG. 1 is a top view of a processing tool including a production interface having a batch curing chamber according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a fluid chemical vapor deposition chamber having zoned plasma generation regions;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a process that may be implemented in the process chamber 200 and batch curing chamber 103 shown in FIG. 1;

Figures 4A-4C are schematic cross-sectional views of portions of the substrate corresponding to various stages of the processing shown in Figure 3;

5 is a cross-sectional side view of a batch curing chamber configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the slotted opening cover for the batch curing chamber shown in FIG. 5, arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a plurality of curing stations arranged in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

8A is an isometric view of a plurality of groups of exhaust inlet arrays arranged in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein;

Figure 8B is a plan view of the plurality of group exhaust inlet arrays shown in Figure 8A;

Fig. 8C is a side view of the plurality of group exhaust inlet arrays shown in Fig. 8A;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the portion of the chamber cover and lift pin indexer of the plurality of substrate lift assemblies shown in FIG. 5; and

10 is a cross-sectional view of a lift pin indexer configured in accordance with disclosed embodiments of the present invention.

To facilitate understanding, where possible, the same numerals have been used to refer to the same elements in the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be advantageously used in other embodiments without further elaboration.

Domestic storage information (please note in the order of storage institution, date and number) none

Foreign deposit information (please mark in the order of deposit country, institution, date and number) none

500‧‧‧batch curing chamber

510‧‧‧Chamber body

511‧‧‧Chamber cover

512‧‧‧Chamber wall

513‧‧‧Chamber floor

514‧‧‧Foreline vacuum line

515‧‧‧RPS Manifold

516‧‧‧Purge gas opening

517‧‧‧Load opening

518‧‧‧Slotted opening cover

519‧‧‧Substrate slit

520‧‧‧Load opening door

521‧‧‧Opening

522‧‧‧processing area

523‧‧‧Exhaust Inlet Array

524‧‧‧Processing subregions

525‧‧‧Height

530‧‧‧Cure Station

531‧‧‧Heating Substrate Base

532‧‧‧Sprinkler

533‧‧‧Nozzle air chamber

534‧‧‧Annular air chamber

535‧‧‧Cure Station Heater

537‧‧‧Thermocouple

540‧‧‧Substrate lift assembly

541‧‧‧Lifting Pin Indexer

542‧‧‧Lifting pins

543‧‧‧Vertical axis

544‧‧‧Ascension Organization

550‧‧‧Remote Plasma Source

Claims (24)

A batch processing chamber comprising: one or more walls and a cover secured to the one or more walls; a plurality of curing stations arranged in a stack, each curing station comprising : a heating base, a spray head disposed on the heating base, and a processing area disposed between the spray head and the heating base; and a plurality of substrate lifting assemblies, the plurality of substrate lifting assemblies comprising: a plurality of lift pin indexers, each lift pin indexer extending through the cover and each lift pin indexer comprising: a shaft and a plurality of lift pins connected to the shaft, wherein each lift pin indexer A lift pin extends into a processing area of a different one of the plurality of curing stations, and the shaft of each lift pin indexer extends through the spray head of each curing station. The batch processing chamber of claim 1, wherein: the stack is a vertical stack of the plurality of curing stations, the axis of the lift pin indexer extends vertically through the stack of curing stations, and each A lift pin extends horizontally from the shaft. The batch processing chamber of claim 2, wherein: the plurality of curing stations comprises: four or more curing stations, and The plurality of substrate lift assemblies include: three or more lift pin indexers. The batch processing chamber of claim 2, wherein each lift pin comprises: a cylindrical element forming a top surface of the lift pin. The batch processing chamber of claim 1, wherein each lift pin includes a cylindrical element configured to support a substrate. The batch processing chamber of claim 5, wherein the cylindrical element is formed of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ). The batch processing chamber of claim 5, wherein the cylindrical element is formed from sapphire. A batch processing chamber comprising: a plurality of curing stations arranged in a stack, each curing station comprising: a heating base, a spray head disposed on the heating base, and a a processing area between the showerhead and the heating base; and a plurality of exhaust assemblies, each exhaust assembly comprising: a plurality of exhaust arrays, each exhaust assembly coupled to the A treatment area, wherein each exhaust array includes: a flow balancing orifice. The batch processing chamber of claim 8, wherein: the plurality of exhaust components include: a first exhaust component, the first exhaust component The exhaust assembly includes a first exhaust array and a second exhaust array, the first exhaust array has a first flow balancing orifice, the first flow balancing orifice has a first size, the second row The gas array has a second flow balance orifice, the second flow balance orifice has a second size, and the first size is different from the second size. The batch processing chamber of claim 8, wherein each flow balancing orifice is adjustable and each exhaust array for each exhaust assembly has a different angular position about the exhaust assembly Extends relative to the other one or more exhaust arrays of that exhaust assembly. The batch processing chamber of claim 8, wherein the plurality of exhaust arrays of each exhaust assembly are positioned in a symmetrical arrangement and around the corresponding processing region to which each exhaust assembly is coupled. The batch processing chamber of claim 8, wherein: each exhaust array comprises: a plenum and a plurality of exhaust inlets, and the flow balancing orifice of each exhaust array is connected to the exhaust for the exhaust an outlet of the plenum of the array. The batch processing chamber of claim 12, wherein each flow balance orifice is adjustable. The batch processing chamber of claim 8, wherein the flow balancing orifice comprises: a needle valve. The batch processing chamber of claim 8, wherein the plurality of exhaust arrays of each exhaust assembly comprises: four exhaust arrays, and each exhaust array is separated from the other exhaust arrays. A batch processing chamber comprising: a plurality of curing stations arranged in a stack, each curing station comprising: a heating base, a spray head disposed on the heating base, and a a processing area between the showerhead and the heated base; a plurality of substrate lift assemblies comprising: one or more lift pin indexers, each lift pin indexer comprising : a shaft and a plurality of lift pins connected to the shaft, wherein each lift pin extends into a processing area of a different one of the plurality of curing stations; and a plurality of exhaust assemblies, each row The air assembly includes a plurality of exhaust arrays, each exhaust assembly is coupled to the processing area of a different curing station, wherein each exhaust array includes a flow equalization orifice. The batch processing chamber of claim 16, wherein: the stack is a vertical stack of the plurality of curing stations, the axis of the lift pin indexer extending vertically through the curing station stack, and each lift pin extends horizontally from the shaft. The batch processing chamber of claim 17, wherein each lift pin comprises: a cylindrical element forming a top surface of the lift pin. The batch processing chamber of claim 16, wherein: each exhaust array comprises: a plenum and a plurality of exhaust inlets, and the flow balancing orifice of each exhaust array is connected to the exhaust for the exhaust an outlet of the plenum of the array. The batch processing chamber of claim 19, wherein each flow balancing orifice is adjustable and each exhaust array for each exhaust assembly has a different angular position about the exhaust assembly Extends relative to the other one or more exhaust arrays of that exhaust assembly. The batch processing chamber of claim 8, wherein each exhaust assembly extends around a different heating pedestal, and for each exhaust assembly, each exhaust array extends around the heating pedestal. A different angled portion extends, and each exhaust assembly is configured to exhaust gas from the processing area of a different one of the curing stations. The batch processing chamber of claim 21, wherein Each exhaust array includes: a plenum and a plurality of exhaust inlets, and the plenum for each exhaust array along the plurality of exhaust inlets and the flow balance orifice for the exhaust array An exhaust flow path is positioned between. The batch processing chamber of claim 16, wherein each exhaust assembly extends around a different heating pedestal, and for each exhaust assembly, each exhaust array extends around the heating pedestal. A different angled portion extends, and each exhaust assembly is configured to exhaust gas from the processing area of a different one of the curing stations. The batch processing chamber of claim 23, wherein each exhaust array comprises: a plenum and a plurality of exhaust inlets, and the plenum for each exhaust array is located along a line for the exhaust An exhaust flow path is positioned between the plurality of exhaust inlets of the array and the flow balance orifice.

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