Abstract: Apparatus having a plurality of temperature sensors (probes) positioned at a number of locations upon a platform such as a placebo or dummy wafer and a method of fabricating and using the apparatus. The temperature sensors are photoemissive temperature sensors. To fabricate each of the photoemissive sensors, a thermally conductive epoxy is placed in a mound at each sensor location upon the platform. Upon one side of this mound, a coating of phosphorous material is applied. One end of a fiber optic cable abuts the phosphor material, and a an encapsulation layer such as a polyimide tape is positioned atop the conductive epoxy and the fiber optic cable such that the fiber optic cable is maintained in a stationary position relative to the phosphor material to obtain a local temperature of the wafer surface.

Abstract: A removable insulation jacket for a fluid carrying conduit includes an inner backing layer preformed to securely fit around the conduit. Insulation material is affixed to the inner backing layer and joined to an outer shell. The insulation jacket is placed around the conduit by engaging the insulation jacket with the conduit along an axial opening formed along the length of the insulation jacket, and the opening is then sealed at the outer shell to secure the insulation material about the conduit. The insulation jacket is pleated to conform to bends and curves that may occur along the length of the conduit.

Abstract: An inductively coupled RF plasma reactor for processing semiconductor wafer includes a reactor chamber having a side wall and a ceiling, a wafer pedestal for supporting the wafer in the chamber, an RF power source, apparatus for introducing a processing gas into the reactor chamber, and a coil inductor adjacent the reactor chamber connected to the RF power source, the coil inductor including (a) a side section facing a portion of the side wall and including a bottom winding and a top winding, the top winding being at a height corresponding at least approximately to a top height of the ceiling, and (b) a top section extending radially inwardly from the top winding of the side section so as to overlie at least a substantial portion of the ceiling. The present invention adheres to an optimized coil-dome geometry including a particular dome apex height range relative to the dome base and a particular wafer position range relative to the dome apex.

Abstract: The system and method prepare a gas stream comprising particles at a known concentration using a particle disperser for moving particles from a reservoir of particles into a stream of flowing carrier gas. The electrostatic charges on the particles entrained in the carrier gas are then neutralized or otherwise altered, and the resulting particle-laden gas stream is then diluted to provide an acceptable particle concentration. The diluted gas stream is then split into a calibration stream and the desired output stream. The particles in the calibration stream are detected to provide an indication of the actual size distribution and concentration of particles in the output stream that is supplied to a process chamber being analyzed.

Abstract: An inlet gas manifold for a vacuum deposition chamber incorporates inlet apertures which increase in diameter or cross-section transverse to the direction of gas flow. The aperture configuration increases the dissociation gases such as nitrogen and, thus increases the rate of silicon nitride deposition provided by nitrogen gas chemistry, without requiring the use of reactants such as ammonia. While one could use ammonia in the deposition gas chemistry if desired, the process provides the option of completely eliminating ammonia. The inlet manifold containing the increasing-diameter gas inlet holes provides enhanced control of the process and the deposited film.

Abstract: A heating and lifting mechanism for positioning a semiconductor wafer within a processing chamber is provided including a pedestal for supporting the wafer within the process chamber, a drive shaft extending downwardly from a lower region of the pedestal, which has a lead screw at a distal portion thereof, and a drive mechanism, which is coaxial with the drive shaft, for providing linear vertical translation of the shaft and pedestal. The device also includes a CONFLAT.RTM. assembly located between the pedestal and drive shaft. The CONFLAT.RTM. assembly includes upper and lower substantially flat planar plates removably connected to one another. The upper plate is connected to a lower region of the pedestal, and the lower plate is connected to an upper end of the drive shaft. The CONFLAT.RTM. assembly permits removal of the heater pedestal without removing the entire lift assembly.

Abstract: In an apparatus for producing an electromagnetically coupled planar plasma comprising a chamber having a dielectric shield in a wall thereof and a planar coil outside of said chamber and adjacent to said window coupled to a radio frequency source, the improvement whereby a scavenger for fluorine is mounted in or added to said chamber. When a silicon oxide is etched with a plasma of a fluorohydrocarbon gas, the fluorine scavenger reduces the free fluorine radicals, thereby improving the selectivity and anisotropy of etching and improving the etch rate while reducing particle formation.

Abstract: An improved deposition chamber (2) includes a housing (4) defining a vacuum chamber (18) which houses a substrate support (14). A set of first nozzles (34) have orifices (38) opening into the vacuum chamber in a circumferential pattern spaced apart from and generally overlying the periphery (40) of the substrate support. One or more seconds nozzle (56, 56a), positioned centrally above the substrate support, inject process gases into the vacuum chamber to improve deposition thickness uniformity. Deposition thickness uniformity is also improved by ensuring that the process gases are supplied to the first nozzles at the same pressure. If needed, enhanced cleaning of the nozzles can be achieved by slowly drawing a cleaning gas from within the vacuum chamber in a reverse flow direction through the nozzles using a vacuum pump (84).

Abstract: A magnetron sputtering process and apparatus for cleaning a target, thereby eliminating back sputtered particles from the target surface and effecting uniform erosion of the target is provided. A deposition chamber comprises a magnetron assembly, a shutter mechanism, D.C. and R.F. power sources, and means for alternatively switching the power sources for sputter deposition and target cleaning. As an example, application of D.C. power sputters target material in regions located between the poles of the magnets of the magnetron assembly. At selected intervals during which a processed substrate is removed from the chamber, R.F. power is then applied to the chamber to establish a plasma which sputters the target in lesser eroded regions and removes previously deposited back sputtered particles thereon.

Abstract: The invention is embodied in a method of operating a plasma etch reactor, consisting of introducing a gas into the reactor which disassociates as a plasma into an etch species which etches oxide films on a work piece in the reactor and a non-etching species combinable with the etch species into an etch-preventing polymer condensable onto the work piece below a characteristic deposition temperature, providing an interior wall comprising a material which scavenges the etching species, and maintaining a temperature of the interior wall above the deposition temperature.

Abstract: A workpiece loading interface is included within a workpiece processing system which processes workpieces, typically wafers, in a vacuum. The workpiece loading interface includes two separate chambers. Each chamber may be separately pumped down. Thus, while a first cassette of wafers, from a first chamber is being accessed, a second cassette of wafers may be loaded in the second chamber and the second chamber pumped down. Each chamber is designed to minimize intrusion to a clean room. Thus a door to each chamber has a mechanism which, when opening the door, first moves the door slightly away from an opening in the chamber and then the door is moved down parallel to the chamber. After the door is opened, a cassette of wafers is lowered through the opening in a motion much like a drawbridge. The cassette may be pivoted within the chamber when the position from which wafers are accessed from the cassette differs from the position from which the cassette is lowered out of the chamber.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus comprising a processing chamber in which a substrate support is located. The substrate support, which is in the form of a heater pedestal, has a surface dimensioned to receive the substrate, and is circumscribed by a removable purge ring which defines an annulus between itself and the pedestal. At the outer edge of the pedestal is a purge gas manifold, in the form of a cavity between the purge ring and the pedestal. The lower end of the manifold is sealed by means of a mechanical seal that is formed at process temperature as the pedestal expands from heating and comes into contact with the purge ring's lower edge. The upper end of the manifold opens into the annulus defined by the purge ring and the pedestal. The manifold is arranged so that during processing, purge gas is injected into the manifold and projected toward the edge of a substrate received on the surface of the pedestal.

Abstract: A rapid thermal heating apparatus including an evacuable chamber having a window, a plurality of radiant energy sources and reflectors associated with the radiant energy sources. The radiant energy sources are disposed outside of the chamber and positioned adjacent to the window. They have a central longitudinal axis that extends in a substantially perpendicular direction relative to the window. The reflectors direct radiant energy through the window to radiate predetermined regions of a backside surface of a substrate in the chamber. The reflectors extend along a major portion of the longitudinal axis of the radiant energy sources. The substrate sits on a support in the chamber, and a source of processing gas, including a gas inlet manifold, is provided for passing processing gas to a frontside surface of the substrate.

Abstract: Currents input to and output from a device, such as a heater, in a daisy chain connection are measured and compared. Failure of an individual device, as well as device location, is indicated if no current is consumed by the device. A latch is activated in response to detection of a non-functioning device, sending a signal that gives notice and location of the failure.

Abstract: A calibration instrument for calibrating a temperature probe, such as pyrometer, uses a stable light source and a filter to simulate a blackbody of a known temperature. An alignment tool aligns a light-emitting surface of the calibration instrument to the input of the temperature probe. The calibration instrument may include a fiber optic bundle to transmit light from the light source to the light emitting surface.

Abstract: A coil shield assembly for an RF field coil in a plasma processing system includes a first shield positioned inside the coil. The first shield has a central opening substantially surrounding a central space of a processing chamber in which the plasma is maintained. At least one slot is formed in the first shield and extends therethrough. A barrier is positioned between the first shield and the coil and spaced apart from the first shield near the at least one slot. The slot permits an RF signal from the coil to couple with the plasma, and the first shield and the barrier are structured and arranged to prevent plasma ions or sputtered material from bombarding the coil by a direct path from the central space and through the at least one slot.

Abstract: A robot having a pair of magnetic couplings that each couple a motor in a cylindrical first chamber to an associated cylindrical ring closely spaced from the cylindrical wall of said first chamber. The robot includes a mechanism to convert rotation of each of these rings into separate motions of the robot. In the preferred embodiment, these separate motions are radial and rotational.

Abstract: Replaceable parts for a vacuum chamber including an aluminum lid and a quartz door and shield, are treated to clean and roughen their surfaces to increase adhesion of materials deposited thereon during substrate processing in said chamber, thereby reducing downtime of the equipment. The parts can be chemically cleaned, rinsed to remove the chemicals and dried in a first step; subjected to bead blasting to roughen the surface of the part and improve adhesion thereon of deposited material; in a succeeding step the part be cleaned ultrasonically to remove all loose particles; and in a last step the parts rinsed and dried to remove moisture, prior to packaging or using the part. A novel single-piece machined aluminum lid has an extension wall from a first surface that fits into the door of the chamber, and an overlying portion of said first surface that sealingly engages the door when the lid is closed.

Abstract: A plasma guard member that has the configuration of a flat concentric ring is used in a vacuum process chamber equipped with a plasma reaction chamber, a plasma source and a lower chamber which houses an electrostatic chuck for preventing charged particles from drifting or diffusing to the lower chamber and contact the electrostatic chuck such that the substrate holding capability of the chuck is not adversely affected.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck containing apparatus, and a concomitant method, for balancing the electrostatic force that the chuck imparts upon a workpiece. More specifically, the electrostatic chuck contains a chuck body having a pair of coplanar electrodes embedded therein and a wafer spacing mask containing a plurality of conductive support members deposited upon a support surface of the chuck body. The support members maintain a wafer, or other workpiece, in a spaced-part relation with respect to the support surface of the chuck body. Each electrode within the chuck is respectively connected to a terminal dual voltage power supply having a center tap. The center tap of the power supply is connected to the wafer spacing mask.