Abstract: A processing chamber such as a plasma etch chamber can perform deposition and etch operations, where byproducts of the deposition and etch operations can build up in a vacuum pump system fluidly coupled to the processing chamber. A vacuum pump system may have multiple roughing pumps so that etch gases can be diverted a roughing pump and deposition precursors can be diverted to another roughing pump. A divert line may route unused deposition precursors through a separate roughing pump. Deposition byproducts can be prevented from forming by incorporating one or more gas ejectors or venturi pumps at an outlet of a primary pump in a vacuum pump system. Cleaning operations, such as waferless automated cleaning operations, using certain clean chemistries may remove deposition byproducts before or after etch operations.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a heat shield assembly for a processing chamber. The processing chamber includes a body having sidewalls, a bottom and a lid that define an interior volume. The heat shield assembly is disposed in the interior volume, and includes a heat shield and a preheat member. The preheat member includes an inner circumference, and is positioned below the heat shield. A susceptor is disposed in the interior volume and configured to support a substrate, and is positioned within the inner circumference of the preheat member. An opening is positioned between the susceptor and the preheat member. A first section of the opening is proximate to a gas inlet, and is covered by the heat shield. A second section of the annular opening is proximate a gas outlet, and is not covered by the heat shield member.

Abstract: Implementations disclosed herein describe a bevel etch apparatus within a loadlock bevel etch chamber and methods of using the same. The bevel etch apparatus has a mask assembly within the loadlock bevel etch chamber. During an etch process, the mask assembly delivers a gas flow to control bevel etch without the use of a shadow frame. As such, the edge exclusion at the bevel edge can be reduced, thus increasing product yield.

Abstract: A gas injector includes first and second gas introduction passages extending in a first direction toward a central axis of a process chamber respectively, a first bypass passage extending from the first gas introduction passage in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, a second bypass passage extending from the second gas introduction passage in a reverse direction to the second direction, a first distribution passage isolated from the first bypass passage in the first direction and extending from an outlet of the first bypass passage in the reverse direction to the second direction, a second distribution passage isolated from the second bypass passage in the first direction and extending from an outlet of the second bypass passage in the second direction, and a plurality of spray holes in an outer surface of the first and second distribution passages and configured to spray the process gas.

Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to chamber liners with a multi-piece design for use in processing chambers. The multi-piece design can have an inner portion and an outer portion. A portion of the inner surface of the outer portion may be designed to be in contact with the outer surface of the inner portion at a single junction point, creating a thermal barrier between the inner portion and outer portion, thus reducing heat transfer from the inner portion and outer portion. The thermal barrier creates higher temperatures at the chamber liner inner surface and therefore leads to shorter heat up times within the chamber. Additionally, the thermal barrier also creates lower temperatures near the base ring and outer surface of the outer ring, thereby protecting the chamber walls and requiring less thermal regulation/dissipation at the chamber walls.

Abstract: A chamber component for a processing chamber comprises a ceramic body consisting of a sintered ceramic material consisting essentially of one or more phase of Y2O3—ZrO2. The ceramic material consists essentially of 55-65 mol % Y2O3 and 35-45 mol % ZrO2.

Abstract: A showerhead for a substrate processing system includes a lower surface, a plasma-facing upper surface, a gas plenum defined between the lower surface and the upper surface, and a plurality of injectors distributed on the lower surface, wherein the plurality of injectors are in fluid communication with the gas plenum. A plurality of through holes extends from the upper surface to the lower surface. Selected ones of the plurality of through holes have a diameter that is different from a diameter of remaining ones of the plurality of through holes. The diameter of the selected ones of the plurality of through holes is predetermined in accordance with a desired ratio of respective gases provided via the selected ones of the plurality of through holes and the remaining ones of the plurality of through holes.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus including an inner chamber formed by an upper portion and a lower portion, a substrate support to support a substrate within the upper portion of the inner chamber, a plasma system to provide the inner chamber with plasma species from the top side of the inner chamber, and an outer chamber surrounding the upper portion of the inner chamber. The lower portion of the inner chamber extends to the outside of the outer chamber and remains uncovered by the outer chamber.

Abstract: A faceplate of a showerhead has a bottom side that faces a plasma generation region and a top side that faces a plenum into which a process gas is supplied during operation of a substrate processing system. The faceplate includes apertures formed through the bottom side and openings formed through the top side. Each of the apertures is formed to extend through a portion of an overall thickness of the faceplate to intersect with at least one of the openings to form a corresponding flow path for process gas through the faceplate. Each of the apertures has a cross-section that has a hollow cathode discharge suppression dimension in at least one direction. Each of the openings has a cross-section that has a smallest cross-sectional dimension that is greater than the hollow cathode discharge suppression dimension.

Abstract: In a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate mounted on a mounting table in a processing chamber by supplying a gas to the substrate, the apparatus includes: a partition unit provided, between a process space where a substrate is provided and a diffusion space where a first gas is diffused, to face the mounting table; a first as supply unit for supplying the first gas to the diffusion space; first gas injection holes, formed through the partition unit, for injecting the first gas diffused in the diffusion space into the processing space; and a second gas supply unit including second gas injection holes opened on a gas injection surface of the partition unit which faces the processing space. The second gas supply unit independently supplies a second gas to each of a plurality of regions arranged in a horizontal direction in the processing space separately from the first gas.

Abstract: A thin-film deposition apparatus, related systems and methods are provided. The thin-film deposition apparatus 200 comprises a reaction chamber 201 for accommodating substrates 10 arranged with their side faces adjacent to each other and a fluid distribution device 100 with an expansion region 101 into which precursor fluid(s) enter via a number of inlets 103, and a transition region 102 for mixing said fluids. From the transition region, fluidic flow is directed into the reaction chamber 201 to propagate between the substrates 10 in a strictly laminar manner. By the invention, uniformity of precursor distribution on the substrates can be markedly improved.

Abstract: A chamber lid assembly includes: a central channel having an upper portion and a lower portion and extending along a central axis; a housing at least partially defining a first and a second annular channel, each fluidly coupled to the central channel; a first plurality of apertures disposed along a horizontal plane through the housing to provide a multi-aperture inlet between the first annular channel and the central channel; a second plurality of apertures disposed along a horizontal plane through the housing to provide a multi-aperture inlet between the second annular channel and the central channel, wherein the first and the second plurality of apertures are angled differently with respect to the central axis so as to induce opposing rotational flow of gases about the central axis; and a tapered bottom surface extending from the lower portion of the central channel to a peripheral portion of the chamber lid assembly.

Abstract: An epitaxial deposition chamber having an upper cone for controlling air flow above a dome in the chamber, such as a high growth rate epitaxy chamber, is described herein. The upper cone has first and second components separated by two or more gaps in the chamber, each component having a partial cylindrical region having a first concave inner surface, a first convex outer surface, and a fixed radius of curvature of the first concave inner surface, and a partial conical region extending from the partial cylindrical region, the partial conical region having a second concave inner surface, a second convex outer surface, and a varying radius of curvature of the second concave inner surface, wherein the second concave inner surface extends from the partial cylindrical region to a second radius of curvature less than the fixed radius of curvature.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a vacuum evacuation system used to evacuate a processing gas from one or more process chambers for use in, for example, a semiconductor-device manufacturing apparatus. The vacuum evacuation system is a vacuum apparatus for evacuating a gas from a plurality of process chambers (1). The vacuum evacuation system includes a plurality of first vacuum pumps (5) coupled to the plurality of process chambers (1) respectively, a collecting pipe (7) coupled to the plurality of first vacuum pumps (5), and a second vacuum pump (8) coupled to the collecting pipe (7).

Abstract: There is provision of a showerhead assembly including a plate provided with multiple gas holes. Each of the gas holes has a first opening, a second opening, and a gas passage disposed between the first opening and the second opening. The gas passage has a first portion communicating with the first opening and a second portion communicating with the second opening. The second portion has a funnel-like shape or a bell-like shape, and an edge of the second opening is rounded.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide a gas supply system for reducing purge time and increasing processing throughput, and an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber having the same. The gas supply system includes an inert gas line and a precursor supply line. The inert gas line is configured to be coupled to an inlet of the chamber separate from the precursor supply line. Therefore, the inert gas is supplied concurrently to the precursor supply line and the processing region of the chamber such that total purge time is reduced. The reduction of the total purge time due to the gas supply system increases purge efficiency and increases processing throughput. Furthermore, the gas supply system allows inert gas to be utilized as a dilution gas during flow of precursors.

Abstract: Embodiments of a showerhead for use in a substrate processing chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a showerhead for use in a substrate processing chamber includes an upper plate having an outer gas inlet fluidly coupled to an outer recursive gas path and an inner gas inlet fluidly coupled to an inner recursive gas path; and a lower plate having an upper surface bonded to the upper plate and a lower surface having a plurality of outer gas distribution holes and a plurality of inner gas distribution holes, wherein the upper surface includes an outer recess to define an outer annular gas plenum fluidly coupled to the outer gas inlet and to the plurality of outer gas distribution holes and an inner recess to define one or more inner annular gas plenums fluidly coupled to the inner gas inlet and to the plurality of inner gas distribution holes.

Abstract: A multi-zone gas distribution plate (GDP) for high uniformity in plasma-based etching is provided. A housing defines a process chamber and comprises a gas inlet configured to receive a process gas. A GDP is arranged in the process chamber and is configured to distribute the process gas within the process chamber. The GDP comprises a plurality of holes extending through the GDP, and further comprises a plurality of zones into which the holes are grouped. The zones comprise a first zone and a second zone. Holes of the first zone share a first cross-sectional profile and holes of the second zone share a second cross-sectional profile different than the first cross-sectional profile. A method for designing the multi-zone GDP is also provided.

Abstract: A dual channel showerhead comprising a first plurality of channels formed in the back surface of the showerhead and extending from a first end to a second end, a second plurality of channels formed through the thickness of the showerhead and extending from a first end to a second end, a first end plenum in fluid connection with the second plurality of channels at the first end and a second end plenum in fluid connection with the second plurality of channels at the second end. Processing chambers including the dual channel showerhead and a blocker ring separating the edge ring from the pumping ring are also discussed.

Abstract: A first device is provided. The device includes a print head. The print head further includes a first nozzle hermetically sealed to a first source of gas. The first nozzle has an aperture having a smallest dimension of 0.5 to 500 microns in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the first nozzle. At a distance from the aperture into the first nozzle that is 5 times the smallest dimension of the aperture of the first nozzle, the smallest dimension perpendicular to the flow direction is at least twice the smallest dimension of the aperture of the first nozzle.