Deposition apparatus using a perforated pumping plate
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsAshok K. Sinha, Steve G. Ghanayem, Virendra V. S. Rana
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Abstract
In a deposition apparatus, a barrier is used to separate a process gas section from the section of the chamber below the substrate on which a metal layer is deposited. The substrate is supported on a support. During an unloading stage, purge gas is introduced into the chamber below the substrate. To prevent the substrate from being moved on the support by the purge gas, the barrier is perforated so that the process gas can flow through the barrier and into a vacuum manifold system.
Claims24
An apparatus for depositing a material on a substrate, the substrate comprising a deposition surface and a second surface on which substantially less material deposition is to occur, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a support for the substrate;
- (b) a process gas section in contact with the deposition surface of the substrate when the substrate is on the support;
- (c) a first inlet for introducing a process gas comprising at least a component of the material into the process gas section during a deposition stage;
- (d) a barrier means separating the process gas section from the second surface of the substrate for inhibiting process gas from contacting the second surface;
- (e) a second inlet for introducing a purge gas into a flow path comprising a section proximate to the second surface of the substrate when the substrate is positioned on the support during a purge stage;
- and
- (f) a plurality of perforations in the barrier, the cross sectional area of the perforations being sufficiently large to allow the purge gas to flow through the barrier into the process gas section without moving the substrate relative to the support.
An apparatus for depositing a layer of a material on a substrate, the substrate comprising a deposition surface, an opposed backside on which substantially no material deposition is to occur, and an edge therebetween, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a moveable support for the substrate,
- (b) a process gas section in contact with the deposition surface of the substrate when the substrate is on the support,
- (c) a gas purge section in fluid contact with the backside of the substrate when the substrate is on the support,
- (d) a process gas inlet for process gas into the process gas section during a material deposition stage,
- (e) an outlet for removing spent process gas and process gas byproducts from the process gas input section,
- (f) a separation plate separating the process gas section from the gas purge section, and
- (g) a purge gas inlet for inputting a purge gas into the gas purge section during a purge stage,
- wherein the separation plate comprises a plurality of perforations providing sufficient cross sectional area to allow the purge gas to flow from the gas purge section and through the separation plate into the process gas section without moving the substrate relative to the support, the cross sectional area of the perforations being sufficiently small that substantially no deposition of material on the backside of the substrate occurs during the deposition stage.
A method for depositing material on a substrate, the substrate comprising a deposition surface and a second surface on which substantially less material deposition is to occur, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) loading the substrate onto a support contained in a deposition chamber, the chamber having a process gas section in contact with the deposition surface of the substrate
- (b) after the loading step, depositing the material on the substrate by introducing a process gas into the process gas section, the deposition chamber having a perforated plate separating the process gas section from the second surface of the substrate for inhibiting process gas from contacting the second surface, the perforations being sufficiently small that substantially no deposition of material on the backside of the substrate occurs;
- and
- (c) after the deposition step, introducing a purge gas into a flow path that comprises a section proximate to the second surface of the substrate, the cross sectional area of the perforations being sufficiently large to allow the purge gas to flow through the separation plate into the process gas section without moving the substrate relative to the support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.