Clean aluminum alloy for semiconductor processing equipment
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsShun Wu, Clifford C. Stow, Hong Wang, Yixing Lin, Brian West
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Abstract
We have discovered that the formation of particulate inclusions at the surface and the interior of an aluminum alloy article interferes with the performance of the article when a surface of the article is protected by an anodized coating. We have also discovered that the formation of such particulate inclusions can be controlled to a large extent by controlling the concentration of particular impurities present in the alloy used to fabricate the aluminum alloy article.
Claims33
A clean aluminum alloy for use in the fabrication of semiconductor apparatus where at least a portion of the clean aluminum alloy surface is protected by an anodized coating, said clean aluminum alloy comprising impurity particulates such that at least 85% said impurity particulates are less than 5 μm in size, less than 15% of said impurity particulates range in size from 5 μm to 20 μm in size, and less than about 1% of said impurity particulates are larger than 20 μm in size, with no impurity particulates being larger than 40 μm, wherein iron is present at a concentration ranging from about 0.001% to about 0.2% by weight, silicon is present at a concentration ranging from about 0.4% to about 0.8% by weight, and copper is present at a concentration ranging from about 0.15% to about 0.30% by weight.
A method of producing a corrosion-resistant article for use in semiconductor processing, wherein said article comprises a body formed from a clean aluminum alloy, and wherein at least one surface of said body, which is to be exposed to a corrosive environment, is covered with an anodized layer, wherein at least said surface of said body which is covered with said anodized layer is an aluminum alloy having impurity particulates controlled within limits so that at least 85% of all impurity particulates are less than about 5 μm in size, less than 15% of said impurity particulates range from 5 μm to 20 μm in size, less than about 1% of said impurity particulates are be larger than 20 μm in size, and no impurity particulates are larger than 40 μm in size, and wherein iron is present at a concentration ranging from about 0.001% to about 0.2% by weight, silicon is present at a concentration ranging from about 0.4% to about 0.8% by weight, and copper is present at a concentration ranging from about 0.15% to about 0.30% by weight.
A clean aluminum alloy for use in the fabrication of semiconductor apparatus, where at least a portion of the clean aluminum alloy surface is protected by a native oxide having a thickness ranging from about 30 Å to about 50 Å, said clean aluminum alloy comprising impurity particulates such that at least 85% said impurity particulates are less than 5 μm in size, less than 15% of said impurity particulates range in size from 5 μm to 20 μm in size, and less than about 1% of said impurity particulates are larger than 20 μm in size, with no impurity particulates being larger than 40 μm.
A method of producing a corrosion-resistant article for use in semiconductor processing, wherein said article comprises a body formed from a clean aluminum alloy, and wherein at least one surface of said body, which is to be exposed to a corrosive environment, is covered with a native oxide layer having a thickness ranging from about 30 Å to about 50 Å, and wherein at least said surface of said body which is covered with said native oxide layer is an aluminum alloy having impurity particulates controlled within limits so that at least 85% of all impurity particulates are less than about 5 μm in size, less than 15% of said impurity particulates range from 5 μm to 20 μm in size, less than about 1% of said impurity particulates are be larger than 20 μm in size, and no impurity particulates are larger than 40 μm in size.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.