Showerhead for uniform distribution of process gas

An apparatus for uniformly distributing process gas over a substrate surface comprising:

• a gas supply conduit supplying process gas to be energized into a plasma state;
• a plasma generator in fluid communication with the gas supply conduit, the plasma generator energizing process gas supplied from the gas supply conduit into a plasma state;
• a gas delivery conduit in fluid communication with the plasma generator, the gas delivery conduit carrying the process gas energized in the plasma generator;
• a process chamber wherein a substrate is processed, the process chamber including a first region in fluid communication with the gas delivery conduit, a second region wherein the substrate is processed, a third region in fluid communication with the second region and through which gas and volatile byproducts are removed from the second region, and a showerhead separating the first and second regions, the process gas supplied from the gas delivery conduit passing into the first region, through the showerhead and into the second region for processing the substrate;
• the showerhead including gas inlets and gas outlets, the gas inlets supplying the process gas from the first region to the second region, the gas outlets withdrawing gas and volatile byproducts from the second region to the third region;
• and
• an exhaust conduit in fluid communication with the third region, the gas and volatile byproducts being withdrawn from the process chamber through the exhaust conduit.