Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/02104—Forming layers
  • H01L21/02107—Forming insulating materials on a substrate
  • H01L21/02296—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer
  • H01L21/02318—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer post-treatment
  • H01L21/02345—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer post-treatment treatment by exposure to radiation, e.g. visible light
  • H01L21/02348—Forming insulating materials on a substrate characterised by the treatment performed before or after the formation of the layer post-treatment treatment by exposure to radiation, e.g. visible light treatment by exposure to UV light
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
  • H01L21/67098—Apparatus for thermal treatment
  • H01L21/67115—Apparatus for thermal treatment mainly by radiation
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C16/00—Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes
  • C23C16/56—After-treatment
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B19/00—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics
  • G02B19/0033—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use
  • G02B19/0047—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use for use with a light source
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B3/00—Simple or compound lenses
  • G02B3/02—Simple or compound lenses with non-spherical faces
  • G02B3/08—Simple or compound lenses with non-spherical faces with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/683—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for supporting or gripping
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B19/00—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics
  • G02B19/0033—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use
  • G02B19/0095—Condensers, e.g. light collectors or similar non-imaging optics characterised by the use for use with ultraviolet radiation

Definitions

• Embodiments described herein generally relate to a processing chamber, and more specifically, to an ultra-violet (UV) curing chamber for UV curing of thin films on a substrate.
• UV ultra-violet
• Silicon containing materials such as silicon oxide, silicon carbide and carbon doped silicon oxide films are frequently used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices.
• Silicon-containing films can be deposited on a semiconductor substrate through various deposition processes, one example of which is chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
• CVD chemical vapor deposition
• a semiconductor substrate may be positioned within a CVD chamber, and a silicon containing compound may be supplied along with an oxygen source to react and deposit a silicon oxide film on the substrate.
• organosilicon sources may be used to deposit a film having Si— C bond.
• Film layers made by CVD processes may also be stacked to form composite films.
• ultraviolet (UV) radiation can be used to cure, densify, and/or relieve internal stresses of films or film layers created by the deposition process. Additionally, byproducts such as water, organic fragments, or undesired bonds may be reduced or eliminated.
• UV radiation for curing and densifying CVD films can also reduce the overall thermal budget of an individual wafer and speed up the fabrication process.
• UV curing of thin films oftentimes results in radial non-uniformities on the surface of the substrate. Characteristics such as thickness, density, and shrinkage may differ across the substrate.
• control of processing parameters is used to optimize on-substrate uniformity without having the change hardware components. Unfortunately, these controls cannot address all uniformity issues present during UV curing.
• Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a processing chamber having a lens for enhancing UV curing.
• the processing chamber includes a chamber body, a substrate support assembly, a light source, and a lens.
• the chamber body defines an interior volume of the processing chamber.
• the interior volume has a first area and a second area.
• the substrate support assembly is disposed in the second area.
• the substrate support assembly is configured to support a substrate.
• the light source is disposed above the substrate support assembly in the first area.
• the lens includes a plurality of features formed therein. The plurality of features is configured to direct light from the light source to an area of interest on the substrate when positioned on the substrate support assembly.
• a processing chamber in another embodiment, includes a chamber body, a substrate support assembly, a light source, a primary reflector, a secondary reflector, and a lens.
• the chamber body defines an interior volume of the processing chamber.
• the interior volume has a first area and a second area.
• the substrate support assembly is disposed in the second area.
• the substrate support assembly is configured to support a substrate.
• the light source is disposed above the substrate support assembly in the first area.
• the primary reflector is disposed in the first area.
• the primary reflector at least partially surrounds the light source.
• the secondary reflector is disposed in the first area below the primary reflector and above the substrate support assembly.
• the secondary reflector is configured to channel light from the light source to a surface of the substrate.
• the lens is disposed in the interior volume.
• the lens has a plurality of features formed therein. The features are configured to direct the channeled light from the secondary reflector to an area of interest on the substrate.
• a method of UV processing a substrate includes channeling UV light using a reflector.
• the channeled UV light is directed with a lens having a plurality of features formed therein towards an area of interest on the substrate positioned in a UV processing chamber.
• the method further includes changing a property of the film by exposure to the directed UV light.
• Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a curing chamber, according to one embodiment.
• Figure 2 is a top view of a lens of Figure 1 , according to one embodiment.
• Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lens of Figure 2, taken across the B-B line, according to one embodiment.
• Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a UV curing chamber, according to another embodiment.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a UV processing chamber 100 with a lens 128 configured to direct UV light within the chamber 100, according to one embodiment.
• the UV processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 102.
• the chamber body 102 includes an upper housing 104 and a lower housing 106.
• the upper housing 104 defines an upper area 108.
• the lower housing 106 defines a lower area 1 10 below the upper area 108.
• the upper area 108 and the lower area 1 10 collectively define an interior volume 1 12 of the UV processing chamber 100.
• the UV processing chamber 100 further includes a substrate support assembly 1 14 disposed in the lower area 1 10.
• the substrate support assembly 1 14 includes a support plate 1 16 and a stem 1 18 coupled to the support plate 1 16.
• the support plate 1 16 is configured to support a substrate 101 during processing.
• the UV processing chamber 100 may further include a light source 120 and a primary reflector 124 disposed in the upper area 108.
• the light source 120 may be, for example, a UV lamp.
• the light source 120 includes a bulb 122.
• the bulb 122 may be at least partially surrounded by the primary reflector 124.
• the primary reflector 124 is configured to reflect the light radiation towards the substrate support assembly 1 14.
• the UV processing chamber 100 further includes a secondary reflector 126 disposed in the upper area 108.
• the secondary reflector 126 is positioned beneath the primary reflector 124 and above the substrate support assembly 1 14.
• the secondary reflector 126 has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the substrate.
• the secondary reflector 126 functions to channel the light generated by the bulb 122, reflecting the light that would otherwise fall outside on the boundary of the primary reflectors' flood pattern such that the radiation impinges upon the substrate 101 , thus allowing the substrate 101 to be UV processed.
• knobs are used to adjust process uniformity without the need to change hardware components.
• these knobs may include controlling the spacing between the substrate 101 and the light source 120, controlling the intensity of the bulb 122, position and shape of the primary reflectors 124, and the position and shape of the secondary reflector 126.
• these knobs may be difficult to optimize the uniformity of substrate processing results across the entire width of the substrate 101 .
• a knob to control the intensity near the edge of the substrate 101 is not currently available.
• the UV processing chamber 100 further includes a lens 128 disposed between the upper housing 104 and the lower housing 106.
• the lens 128 functions as an additional knob to control substrate processing uniformity in specific zones of the substrate.
• the lens 128 may act as a knob to control the substrate uniformity near the edge of the substrate 101 .
• the lens 128 may be formed from a transparent material, such as quartz.
• the lens 128 is configured to direct the light from the secondary reflector 126 to a region of interest (or zone) on the substrate. For example, light rays may be lost to the chamber body and walls during curing.
• the lens 128 may be configured to redirect the light that would be otherwise lost to the chamber body to the surface of the substrate 101 . This allows for better uniformity along the surface of the substrate 101 due to additional light rays contacting the surface of the substrate 101 .
• FIG. 4 illustrates a UV processing chamber 400, according to another example.
• the UV processing chamber 400 is substantially similar to UV processing chamber 100.
• the location of the lens 128 in Figure 1 is replaced with a quartz window 402, positioned between the upper housing 104 and the lower housing 106 in UV processing chamber 400.
• the UV processing chamber 400 further includes one or more lenses 128.
• the one or more lenses 128 may be positioned beneath the primary reflectors 124.
• the one or more lenses 128 may be positioned near the secondary reflector 126. As illustrated in Figure 4, one or more lenses 128 are positioned beneath the primary reflectors 124 and near the secondary reflector 126.
• Figure 2 and 3 illustrate the lens 128, according to one embodiment.
• Figure 2 illustrates a top view of the lens 128.
• Figure 3 illustrate a cross-sectional view of the lens 128, taken across the B-B line.
• the lens 128 includes body 202 having a top surface 201 and a bottom surface 203.
• the body 202 may have a diameter 209 that is greater than the diameter of the secondary reflector 126.
• the diameter 209 of the lens 128 is greater than the diameter of the substrate 101 .
• the body may have a thickness of about 1 inch.
• the body includes a plurality of features 204 formed in a bottom surface 203 of the body 202.
• the features 204 may be formed in a lens 128 having a thickness of about 1 inch.
• the features 204 may extend at least partially into the body 202.
• the features 204 may be formed from concentric circles formed into the body 202 of the lens 128.
• the features 204 may be etched, ground, or engraved into the lens 128.
• the features 204 may be machined into the lens 128.
• the features 204 may be formed exterior to the body 202, such that the features 204 extend out from the body 202.
• the features 204 may be etched such that the features 204 have a specific depth 208, spacing 210, and angle 212 to direct the incoming light from the bulb to a specific area on the substrate 101 .
• the depth 208, spacing 210, and angle 212 may be selected to preferentially direct light to an outer region or an inner region of the substrate when the substrate is disposed on the substrate support assembly For example, given a depth S, a spacing D, and an angle ⁇ .
• the lens 128 may direct the incoming light to an outer edge of the substrate 101 when disposed on the substrate support assembly 1 14.
• the lens 128 may be configured to direct the incoming light to a center of the substrate 101 .
• modulating the valleys may be used to direct the incoming light towards an area of interest on the substrate 101 .
• the positioning of the features 204 formed in the body 202 aid in adjusting where the light is directed on the substrate 101 .
• the position of the lens with respect to the sources impacts the overall irradiance profile. For example, the closer the lens is to the source, the greater impact the lens 128 will have on the overall irradiance profile.
• the features 204 are formed near the periphery of the lens 128, there will be intensity changes towards the edge of the substrate 101 .
• the correlation between the position of the features 204 on the lens 128 and the intensity of changes on the substrate 101 is not as clear.
• the features 204 are formed near a periphery of the lens 128, and are configured to direct light to the outer edge of the substrate 101 .
• the features 204 may be formed such that the features fall outside the diameter of the secondary reflector 126.
• the features 204 may be formed closer to a center of the lens 128, and be angled such that that the features 204 direct light just about the center of the lens 128. Additional features 204 are illustrated in phantom in Figure 2A, corresponding to different areas of interests on the substrate 101 .
• the UV light is channeled using a reflector (either primary or secondary).
• the channeled UV light is directed with a lens having a plurality of features formed therein.
• the channeled UV light is directed to an area of interest on a substrate positioned in a UV processing chamber.
• a property of a film formed on a substrate is changed by exposure to the direct UV light.
• the lens 128 provides an additional knob for controlling substrate uniformity without the need for replacing additional chamber 100 components.

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• Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
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• Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)
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• 2016
  • 2016-05-26 US US15/165,930 patent/US10541159B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2017
  • 2017-05-26 KR KR1020187036359A patent/KR102171712B1/ko active Active
  • 2017-05-26 CN CN201780030199.4A patent/CN109155234B/zh active Active
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