Low cost high conductance chamber
OwnerTugrul Samir, Michael S. Barnes +1inventors
InventorsTugrul Samir, Michael S. Barnes, Terry Bluck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process chamber having high conductance and a method of manufacturing the process chamber are disclosed. The process chamber is machined from a single piece of aluminum where a process cavity and a pump cavity are created by intersecting cylinders. A substrate opening is also created at a bottom of the process cavity to provide conduit for services, such as cooling gas and electrical connections. A large undercut area is formed at a top of the pump cavity between the pump cavity and the process cavity. The undercut extends past the process chamber centerline at the process cavity. A circular saw is used to remove material and create a plenum which extends beyond the process cavity centerline.
Claims22
A chamber comprising:
- a chamber body comprising:
- a first cylindrical cut defining a process cavity;
- a second cylindrical cut defining a pumping cavity, the second cylindrical cut partially intersecting the first cylindrical cut to form fluid conduit therebetween;
- and
- an undercut connecting the first cylindrical cut to the second cylindrical cut and enlarging the fluid conduit.
A substrate processing system comprising:
- a chamber body formed in a single piece of material, the chamber body comprising:
- a first cylindrical cut defining a process cavity;
- a second cylindrical cut defining a pump cavity;
- and
- an undercut connecting the first cylindrical cut to the second cylindrical cut;
- a vacuum pump coupled to the pump cavity;
- a substrate holder situated within the process cavity;
- a gas source for providing processing gas to the process cavity;
- an RF power source connected to the process cavity;
- and
- a controller for controlling a flow of the processing gas to the process cavity and for controlling the RF power source.
A method for manufacturing a processing system, the method comprising:
- forming a first cylindrical cavity in a single piece of material from a first face thereof;
- forming a second cylindrical cavity in the single piece of material from a second face thereof, the second face being opposite to the first face;
- and
- forming an undercut passage between the first cylindrical cavity and the second cylindrical cavity.
A chamber being formed from a single block of aluminum, the chamber comprising:
- a chamber body including:
- a process cavity being cylindrical and having an opening in a top surface of the block;
- a pump cavity being cylindrical and having an opening in a bottom surface of the block, a bottom portion of the process cavity intersecting a top portion of the pump cavity in an intersection region;
- a substrate access hole being cylindrical and having an opening in the bottom surface of the block substantially coaxial with the process cavity;
- and
- an undercut region between the process cavity and the pump cavity and widening the intersection region,
- wherein walls of the undercut are tangential to walls of the pump cavity and extend beyond a chamber centerline at the process cavity,
- wherein the undercut extends vertically throughout a height of the intersection region.
A method of forming a chamber from a single block of aluminum, the method comprising:
- milling a process cavity being cylindrical and having an opening in a top surface of the block;
- milling a pump cavity being cylindrical and having an opening in a bottom surface of the block, a bottom portion of the process cavity intersecting a top portion of the pump cavity in an intersection region;
- milling a substrate access hole being cylindrical and having an opening in the bottom surface of the block substantially coaxial with the process cavity;
- and
- cutting, using a circular saw, an undercut region between the process cavity and the pump cavity to thereby widen the intersection region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.