Chemical Deposition Apparatus Having Conductance Control

Abstract

A chemical deposition apparatus having conductance control, which includes a showerhead module having a faceplate and a backing plate, the showerhead module including a plurality of inlets which deliver reactor chemistries to a cavity and exhaust outlets which remove reactor chemistries, a pedestal module configured to support a substrate and which moves vertically to close the cavity between the pedestal module and an outer portion of the faceplate, and at least one conductance control assembly, which is in fluid communication with the cavity via the exhaust outlets. The at least one conductance control assembly selected from one or more of the following: a ball valve assembly, a fluidic valve, magnetically coupled rotary plates, and/or a linear based magnetic system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling conductance within a cavity of a chemical deposition apparatus, comprising:
 processing a substrate in the cavity of the chemical deposition apparatus, the cavity formed between a showerhead module and a substrate pedestal module configured to receive the substrate, wherein the showerhead module includes a plurality of inlets which delivers reactor chemistries to the cavity and exhaust outlets which remove reactor chemistries and purging gases from the cavity;   injecting a purging gas into the cavity; and   controlling a change in conductance of the cavity with at least one conductance control assembly, which is in fluid communication with the cavity via the exhaust outlets, the at least one conductance control assembly selected from one or more of the following:
 (a) a ball valve assembly, the ball valve assembly comprising:
 a housing having a conical lower portion; 
 a conduit extending from the conical lower portion of the housing to one or more of the exhaust outlets of the cavity, the conduit having an inlet and an outlet; and 
 a spherical body configured to fit within the conical lower portion, and wherein the spherical body is configured to block the outlet of the conduit and prevent a flow of the reactor chemistries through the conduit during a dosing step, and to allow the reactor chemistries and a purge gas to flow from the cavity into one or more evacuation vacuum lines upon exceeding a first pressure and flow rate within the cavity during a purging step by rising upward to provide an opening between a lower surface of the spherical body and the outlet of the conduit; 
 
 (b) a fluidic valve, the fluidic valve having a modulating gas portion and a chamber outflow portion, the modulating gas portion configured to direct a stream of modulating gas from a modulating gas supply into a flow of reactor chemistries from the cavity, and wherein the stream of modulating gas modulates flow resistance experienced by the flow of the reactor chemistries from the cavity; 
 (c) a rotary valve, the rotary valve comprising:
 an upper rotating plate; and 
 a lower rotating plate magnetically coupled to the upper rotating plate, the lower rotating plate having a plurality of conduits, each of the plurality of conduits configured to receive reactor chemistries from the cavity from a corresponding evacuation conduit within the showerhead module, which is in fluid communication with one or more of the exhaust outlets; and/or 
 
 (d) a magnetically coupled linear valve, the magnetically coupled linear valve comprising:
 a magnetic housing; and 
 a plurality of linear rods, which are configured to be magnetically raised and lower within a plurality of channels, each of the plurality of linear rods having a proximal portion, which is configured to be magnetically coupled to the magnetic housing, which raises and lowers the plurality of linear rods within the magnetic housing, and a distal end, which acts as a valve for releasing the reactor chemistries and/or the purge gas from the exhaust outlets. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 connecting the at least one conductance control assembly to an evacuation apparatus with one or more evacuation vacuum lines.   
     
     
         3 . A chemical deposition apparatus, comprising:
 a chemical isolation chamber;   a deposition chamber formed within the chemical isolation chamber;   a showerhead module having a faceplate and a backing plate, the faceplate including a plurality of inlets which deliver reactor chemistries to a cavity and exhaust outlets radially outward of the inlets which remove reactor chemistries from the cavity via exhaust passages extending radially from an outer edge of the cavity; and   at least one conductance control assembly, which is in fluid communication with the cavity via the exhaust outlets and an evacuation apparatus fluidly connected to the at least one conductance control assembly by one or more evacuation vacuum lines, the at least one conductance control assembly comprising a magnetically coupled linear valve, the magnetically coupled linear valve comprising:
 a magnetic housing; and 
 a plurality of linear rods, which are configured to be magnetically raised and lowered within a plurality of channels in fluid communication with the one or more evacuation vacuum lines, each of the plurality of linear rods having a proximal portion, which is configured to be magnetically coupled to the magnetic housing, which raises and lowers the plurality of linear rods within the magnetic housing, and a distal end, which acts as a valve for releasing the reactor chemistries and/or the purge gas from the exhaust outlets. 
   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , comprising: a source of purge gas, which is supplied to the cavity to purge the cavity of the reactor chemistries. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , comprising: a substrate pedestal module configured to support a substrate and which moves vertically to close the cavity between the pedestal module and an outer portion of the faceplate, and wherein the at least one conductance control assembly is a plurality of conductance control assemblies, which are evenly spaced circumferentially around the substrate pedestal module. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of conductance control assemblies is configured to be fluidly connected to two or more exhaust outlets. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , comprising:
 a semiconductor substrate; and   wherein at least one of chemical vapor deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition, pulsed deposition layer, and/or plasma enhanced pulsed deposition layer is performed on the semiconductor substrate.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the exhaust outlets are concentric exhaust outlets. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one conductance control assembly has a minimum to a maximum conductance range, which has three orders of magnitude.