Apparatus and process for plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

US9032906B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Paul F. Ma · Santa Clara, US
• Kavita Shah · San Francisco, US
• Dien-Yeh Wu · San Jose, US
• Seshadri Ganguli · Sunnyvale, US
• Christophe Marcadal · Sunnyvale, US
• Frederick Wu · Cupertino, US
• Schubert S. Chu · San Francisco, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 16, 2007
• Grant date: May 19, 2015
• Expiry date: Jun 13, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L2924/0002
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus configured to form a material during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, such as a plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD) process. In one embodiment, a plasma baffle assembly for receiving a process gas within a plasma-enhanced vapor deposition chamber is provided which includes a plasma baffle plate containing an upper surface to receive a process gas and a lower surface to emit the process gas, a plurality of openings configured to flow the process gas from above the upper surface to below the lower surface, wherein each opening is positioned at a predetermined angle of a vertical axis that is perpendicular to the lower surface, and a conical nose cone on the upper surface. In one example, the openings are slots positioned at a predetermined angle to emit the process gas with a circular flow pattern.