AVS 49th International Symposium
    Manufacturing Science and Technology Monday Sessions
       Session MS-MoA

Paper MS-MoA5
Spatially Programmable Reactor Design: Toward a New Paradigm for Equipment Effectiveness

Monday, November 4, 2002, 3:20 pm, Room C-109

Session: Control Issues in Electronics Manufacturing
Presenter: Y. Liu, University of Maryland
Authors: Y. Liu, University of Maryland
J. Choo, University of Maryland
L. Henn-Lecordier, University of Maryland
G.W. Rubloff, University of Maryland
R.A. Adomaitis, University of Maryland
Correspondent: Click to Email
Conventional single-wafer CVD reactor designs employ showerhead gas inlets which distribute impinging gases across the wafer in an attempt to achieve across-wafer process uniformity. However, it is difficult to maintain acceptable manufacturing uniformity as process parameters are changed, or to compensate for equipment asymmetries that influence uniformity. We have developed a new approach which exploits spatial programmability of impingment gas flux and stoichiometry, using a multi-segment showerhead design that accommodates gas inlet, exhaust, and sensing in each element of a 2-D array, with two goals: (1) to achieve across-wafer uniformity at any desired process design point; and (2) to intentionally introduce across-wafer nonuniformity so as to carry out multiple experiments on a single wafer (then followed by retuning to achieve uniformity at the optimized process design point). We have constructed a three-segment prototype for initial proof-of-concept, parameter identification, and model validation. Experimental results for W CVD demonstrate both inter-segment and intra-segment deposition rate tunability, in accord with expectations from modeling and simulation. Spatially programmability of reactor design, if scalable to higher integration levels with effective sensing, actuation, and control systems, could bring forth a new paradigm in equipment design that enables rapid optimization, higher process performance at high uniformity, and design scalability to larger substrates and multiple technology generations.