US 12,421,602 B2
Multi-station semiconductor processing with independently adjustable pedestals
Frank Loren Pasquale, Tigard, OR (US); Jennifer Leigh Petraglia, Portland, OR (US); Dinesh Baskar, Portland, OR (US); and Adrien LaVoie, Newberg, OR (US)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Appl. No. 17/593,106
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 6, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/021323
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 9, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/185539, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/817,332, filed on Mar. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0136104 A1, May 5, 2022
Int. Cl. C23C 16/455 (2006.01); C23C 16/458 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 16/45544 (2013.01) [C23C 16/45536 (2013.01); C23C 16/4583 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of depositing material onto substrates in a multi-station deposition apparatus having a first station and a second station, the method comprising:
providing a first substrate onto a first pedestal of the first station;
providing a second substrate onto a second pedestal of the second station; and
for a first part of a deposition process, simultaneously generating:
a first plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a first distance from a first showerhead of the first station, thereby depositing a first layer of material onto the first substrate, and
a second plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by a second distance from a second showerhead of the second station, thereby depositing a second layer of material onto the second substrate;
wherein, subsequent to the first part of the deposition process, a value of a property associated with the first layer of material on the first substrate and a value of the property associated with the second layer of material on the second substrate are different by a first amount, the property comprising a thickness of the material; and
for a second part of the deposition process initiated based on nonuniformity between at least a thickness associated with the first layer of material and a thickness associated with the second layer of material from the first part of the deposition process, subsequent to adjusting, based on calibration data correlating the thickness of the material measured with respect to distances between a showerhead and a pedestal, at least one of the first distance or the second distance, simultaneously generating:
a third plasma at the first station, thereby depositing a third layer of material onto the first substrate; and
a fourth plasma at the second station, thereby depositing a fourth layer of material onto the second substrate;
wherein the adjusting of the at least one of the first distance or the second distance for the second part of the deposition process based on the calibration data comprises:
(i) selecting a distance for the first distance such that the thickness associated with the third layer of material on the first substrate matches the thickness associated with the second layer of material on the second substrate; or
(ii) selecting a distance for the second distance such that the thickness associated with the fourth layer of material on the second substrate matches the thickness associated with the first layer of material on the first substrate; or
(iii) a combination of (i) and (ii);
wherein, subsequent to the second part of the deposition process, the value of the property associated with material on the first substrate and the value of the property associated with material on the second substrate are different by a second amount that is less than the first amount such that the nonuniformity from the first part of the deposition process is reduced.