# US 7,744,720 B2 · Suppressor of hollow cathode discharge in a shower head fluid distribution system

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- Number: US 7,744,720 B2
- Document ID: US7744720B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/951,861
- Filed: 2007-12-06
- Published: 2009-06-11
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2007-12-06
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Lee Chen; Lin Xu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744720B2

## CPC

- H01J 37/32623: {Mechanical discharge control means}
- H01J 37/3244: {Gas supply means}
- H01J 2237/0206: Extinguishing, preventing or controlling unwanted discharges
- Y10T 29/49432: Nozzle making
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A chamber component configured to be coupled to a process chamber and a method of fabricating the chamber component is described. The chamber component comprises a chamber element comprising a first surface on a supply side of the chamber element and a second surface on a process side of the chamber element, wherein the chamber element comprises a reentrant cavity formed in the first surface and a conduit having an inlet coupled to the reentrant cavity and an outlet coupled to the second surface. Furthermore, the chamber component comprises an insertable member configured to couple with the reentrant cavity, the insertable member having one or more passages formed there through and each of the one or more passages are aligned off-axis from the conduit, wherein the one or more passages are configured to receive a process fluid on the supply side and the conduit is configured to distribute the process fluid from the one or more passages on the process side.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A chamber component configured to be coupled to a process chamber, comprising:
a chamber element comprising a first surface on a supply side of said chamber element and a second surface on a process side of said chamber element, said process side opposing said supply side, wherein said chamber element comprises a reentrant cavity formed in said first surface and a conduit having an inlet coupled to said reentrant cavity and an outlet coupled to said second surface; and
an insertable member configured to slidably insert into said reentrant cavity and occupy said reentrant cavity, said insertable member having one or more passages formed there through and each of said one or more passages are aligned off-axis from said conduit;
wherein said one or more passages are configured to receive a process fluid on said supply side and said conduit is configured to distribute said process fluid from said one or more passages on said process side,
wherein said chamber component comprises a shower head gas distribution plate configured to be coupled to a gas distribution system and distribute said process fluid in a plasma processing system, and wherein said shower head gas distribution plate comprises a plurality of said insertable members coupled to a plurality of said reentrant cavities formed on said supply side of said shower head gas distribution plate and configured to permit the passage of said process fluid through a plurality of said conduits to said process side,
wherein said gas distribution system is integrated with a powered radio frequency (RF) electrode,
wherein a bottom surface of said insertable member comprises a groove to allow a less-restricted flow of said process fluid from said one or more passages in said insertable member to said conduit, and
wherein said bottom surface of said insertable member contacts an upper surface of said reentrant cavity such that a spacing between said bottom surface of said insertable member and said upper surface of said reentrant cavity is less than a debye length for plasma at said process side.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The chamber component of claim 1, wherein said insertable member is composed of a dielectric material.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The chamber component of claim 1, wherein said insertable member is composed of silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or polyimide, or a combination of two or more thereof

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The chamber component of claim 1, wherein said reentrant cavity comprises a counter-bore formed in said first surface and said conduit comprises a cylindrical passage having a diameter less than the diameter of said counter-bore, and wherein said insertable member comprises a cylindrical member configured to slidably insert into said counter-bore.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The chamber component of claim 4, wherein said one or more passages in said insertable member comprise one or more cylindrical passages extending through said insertable member from a top surface of said insertable member to said bottom surface of said insertable member at the base of said counter-bore.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The chamber component of claim 1, wherein a diameter of said conduit ranges from about 10 microns to about 1 millimeter, and a diameter of each of said one or more passages ranges from about 10 microns to about 1 millimeter.