# US 12,760,420 B2 · Apparatus and methods to promote wafer edge temperature uniformity

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- Number: US 12,760,420 B2
- Document ID: US12760420B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/862,138
- Filed: 2022-07-11
- Published: 2023-11-09
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2022-05-05
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Zubin Huang; Jallepally Ravi; Cheng Cheng; Peiqi Wang; Kai Wu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12760420B2

## CPC

- C23C 16/4585: {Devices at or outside the perimeter of the substrate support, e.g. clamping rings, shrouds}
- C23C 16/45565: {Shower nozzles}
- C23C 16/46: characterised by the method used for heating the substrate (C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence)
- H10P 72/7606: {characterised by edge clamping, e.g. clamping ring}
- 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 (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A shadow ring for a processing chamber, such as a semiconductor processing chamber, is an annular member including a body with a radially inwardly projecting lip. The shadow ring includes a feature that mitigates heat transfer between the lip and the rest of the body. In one example, the feature includes a plurality of apertures, each aperture extending from an upper opening at an upper surface of the shadow ring to a corresponding lower opening at a lower surface of the shadow ring. A neck between adjacent apertures creates a bottleneck that hinders conductive heat transfer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A shadow ring set for a processing chamber, the shadow ring set comprising:
a purge ring; and
a shadow ring, the shadow ring comprising:
an annular member including a body, a lip projecting radially inwardly from the body, an upper surface, and a lower surface, wherein the upper surface is stepped such that a thickness of the lip from the upper surface to the lower surface is less than a thickness of the body from the upper surface to the lower surface; and
a plurality of apertures in the annular member, each aperture extending from a corresponding upper opening at the upper surface of the shadow ring to a corresponding lower opening at the lower surface of the shadow ring;
wherein the lower surface of the shadow ring is configured to contact an upper surface of the purge ring such that the purge ring blocks passage of a purge gas through the plurality of apertures.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ring set of claim 1, wherein at least one aperture of the plurality of apertures is a circular hole.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The ring set of claim 1, wherein at least one aperture of the plurality of apertures is a slot.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The ring set of claim 1, further comprising a neck between each pair of adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The ring set of claim 4, wherein the plurality of apertures is arranged in a first circle such that the apertures of the first circle are equidistant from a geometric center of the shadow ring.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The ring set of claim 5, wherein the plurality of apertures is arranged in a second circle surrounding and concentric with the first circle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The shadow ring of claim 4, wherein the neck creates a thermal choke to transfer of heat between the lip and the body.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The ring set of claim 1, wherein the body includes:
an outer body including an inwardly projecting flange; and
an inner body including the lip, the inner body at least partially disposed on the flange.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The ring set of claim 8 wherein an aperture of the plurality of apertures is in the inner body.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The ring set of claim 8 wherein an aperture of the plurality of apertures is in the outer body.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The ring set of claim 1, wherein:
the shadow ring comprises a first material including a first emissivity; and
the shadow ring further comprises a coating of a second material on at least a portion of the lower surface at the lip, the second material including a second emissivity lower than the first emissivity.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The ring set of claim 11, wherein the second material comprises a layered structure of tantalum and a tantalum oxide.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The ring set of claim 11, wherein the second material comprises a titanium-yttrium ceramic.

### Claim 14

A processing chamber comprising:
a chamber body;
a liner disposed within the chamber body, the liner including a heater;
a substrate support enclosed within the chamber body, the substrate support including a support surface configured to receive a substrate, and movable between a raised position and a lowered position;
a purge ring disposed on the substrate support, the purge ring including a lower surface below a level of the support surface and an upper surface above the level of the support surface; and
a shadow ring including a plurality of apertures, each aperture extending from a corresponding upper opening at an upper surface of the shadow ring to a corresponding lower opening at a lower surface of the shadow ring;
wherein:
when the substrate support is in the raised position, the shadow ring is disposed on the purge ring such that the lower surface of the shadow ring contacts the upper surface of the purge ring, and the purge ring blocks the plurality of apertures; and
when the substrate support is in the lowered position, the shadow ring is disposed on the liner.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The processing chamber of claim 14, wherein the shadow ring comprises:
an annular member including a body and a lip projecting radially inwardly from the body.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The processing chamber of claim 15, wherein the shadow ring further comprises:
a first material including a first emissivity; and
a coating of a second material on at least a portion of the lower surface at the lip, the second material including a second emissivity lower than the first emissivity.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The processing chamber of claim 16, wherein the second material comprises one of:
a layered structure of tantalum and a tantalum oxide; or
a titanium-yttrium ceramic.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The processing chamber of claim 14, wherein the shadow ring comprises:
an outer body including an inwardly projecting flange; and
an inner body including a radially inwardly projecting lip, the inner body at least partially disposed on the flange.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The processing chamber of claim 14, wherein the shadow ring further comprises a neck between each pair of adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The processing chamber of claim 19, wherein the neck creates a thermal choke to transfer of heat between the lip and the body.