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EP-3855479-B1 - PROCESS CHAMBER WITH SIDE SUPPORT

EP3855479B1EP 3855479 B1EP3855479 B1EP 3855479B1EP-3855479-B1

Inventors

  • ALVANDI-TABRIZI, Youness
  • DISANTO, JOHN
  • RAJAVELU MURALIDHAR, Shiva K. T.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20210122

Claims (17)

  1. A process chamber (32, 132) comprising: a curved upper wall (101) extending longitudinally from a first end portion (102) of the process chamber (32, 132) to a second end portion (103) of the process chamber (32, 132); and a curved lower wall (104) cooperating with the curved upper wall (101) to at least partially define an internal cavity (105), the curved lower wall (104) connected to the curved upper wall (101) from the first end portion (102) to the second end portion (103) at a first side (107) of the process chamber (32, 132) and at a second side (109) of the process chamber (32, 132); at least one rail (116) extending along an exterior surface of the process chamber (32, 132) from the first end portion (102) to the second end portion (103), the at least one rail (116) disposed at or near a connection between the curved upper wall (101) and the curved lower wall (104), characterized in that the at least one rail (116) is directly connected to at least one of the upper wall (101) and the lower wall (104).
  2. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 1, further comprising a plurality of rib support structures (115) disposed along only a portion of the curved upper wall (101) and along only a portion of the curved lower wall (104) at or near a connection between the curved upper wall (101) and the curved lower wall (104).
  3. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the curved upper wall (101) and curved lower wall (104) comprises a circular, elliptical, or polynomial shape.
  4. The process chamber (32, 132) of any of the above Claims, wherein at least one of the curved upper wall (101) and curved lower wall (104) comprises a substantially uniform thickness.
  5. The process chamber (32, 132) of any of the above Claims, wherein the curved upper wall (101) and curved lower wall (104) are welded together.
  6. The process chamber (32, 132) of any of the above Claims, wherein the curved upper wall (101) and curved lower wall (104) are connected through a connector (118), wherein the connector (118) may in particular be curved or E-shaped, such as the connector (118) including a top portion, a bottom portion, and an intermediate portion, wherein optionally the intermediate portion is connected to a horizontal shelf (114).
  7. The process chamber (32, 132) of any of the above Claims, wherein the process chamber (32, 132) is made out of a material that is substantially transparent to radiant energy, wherein the process chamber (32, 132) is preferably made out of quartz.
  8. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 2 and any of the above Claims 3 to 7 as far as they depend on Claim 2, wherein the rib support structures (115) are directly welded onto the curved upper wall (101) and curved lower wall (104).
  9. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 2 and any of the above Claims 3 to 7 as far as they depend on Claim 2, wherein the plurality of rib support structures (115) do not contact the curved top wall (101) and curved bottom wall (104).
  10. The process chamber (32, 132) of any of the above Claims, further comprising at least one flange (110, 111) in contact with the curved upper wall (101) and curved lower wall (104) at the first end portion (102) and the second end portion (103), wherein the at least one flange (110, 111) is optionally configured to connect with an input manifold (34) or an output manifold (36), wherein the at least one flange (110, 111) preferably comprises a first flange (110) configured to connect with an input manifold (34) and a second flange (111) configured to connect with an output manifold (36).
  11. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 2 and any of the above Claims 3 to 10 as far as they depend on Claim 2, wherein the at least one rail (116) is connected to the plurality of rib support structures (115).
  12. The process chamber according to claim 11, wherein the curved upper wall (101) and the curved lower wall (104) meet at first and second interfaces (106, 108), a first one (116A) of the at least one rail (116) extends along the first interface (106), and a second one (116B) of the at least one rail (116) extends along the second interface (108).
  13. The process chamber according to claim 11 or 12, the at least one rail (116) being welded to at least one of the curved upper wall (101) and the curved lower wall (104).
  14. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 11, wherein the plurality of rib support structures (115) comprises a top plurality of rib support structures (115') located on the top of the at least one rail (116) and a bottom plurality of rib support structures (115") located on the bottom of the at least one rail (116).
  15. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 11, wherein the at least one rail (116) comprises a first rail (116A) and a second rail (116B), and wherein the plurality of rib support structures (115) comprises a first plurality of rib support structures (115A) connected to the first rail (116A) and a second plurality of rib support structures (115B) connected to the second rail (116B).
  16. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 12, wherein the plurality of rib support structures (115) are spaced evenly apart across the first interface (106) or second interface (108).
  17. The process chamber (32, 132) of Claim 12, wherein the plurality of rib support structures (115) comprises a first plurality of side rib support structures (115A) located on the first interface (106) and a second plurality of rib support structures (115B) located on the second interface (108).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/965,717, filed January 24, 2020. BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure This disclosure relates generally to semiconductor processing chambers with side supports, and, more particularly, to the use of ribs on exterior surfaces of a process chamber to enhance the structural integrity of the process chamber. Description of the Related Art Process or reaction chambers for processing semiconductor wafers typically are made of quartz (Vitreous silica) or similar material because quartz is substantially transparent to radiant energy. Radiant heaters may be positioned adjacent the exterior of the chamber, and a wafer being processed in the chamber can be heated to elevated temperatures without having the chamber walls heated to the same level. Furthermore, quartz is desirable because it can withstand very high temperatures, and its inert characteristics enable it to withstand degradation by various processing gases. When positioning a flat wafer for chemical vapor deposition purposes where the deposition gases flow parallel to the wafer, it may be desirable that the chamber wall be parallel to the flat surface of the wafer, to obtain uniform deposition on the wafer surface. However, for applications in which the pressure within a quartz chamber is to be reduced much lower than the surrounding ambient pressure, rounded chambers often are preferred from a strength standpoint because their curved surfaces can best withstand the inwardly directed force. A flat wall may collapse inwardly with reduced interior pressure sooner than will an outwardly convex wall of similar size and thickness. US 2002/0033232 A1 relates to a quartz process chamber according to the pre-characterizing portion of claim 1. Accordingly, there remains a continuing need for improved mechanical support for reaction chambers. SUMMARY To that end, the present disclosure provides a process chamber according to claim 1. In some embodiments, a plurality of rib support structures may be disposed along only a portion of the curved upper wall and along only a portion of the curved lower wall at or near a connection between the curved upper wall and the curved lower wall. In some embodiments, at least one of the curved upper wall and curved lower wall comprises a circular, elliptical, or polynomial shape. In some embodiments, at least one of the curved upper wall and curved lower wall comprises a substantially uniform thickness. In some embodiments, the curved upper wall and curved lower wall are welded together. In some embodiments, the curved upper wall and curved lower wall are connected through a connector. In some embodiments, the connector is E-shaped. In some embodiments, the connector includes a top portion, a bottom portion, and an intermediate portion. In some embodiments, the intermediate portion is connected to a horizontal shelf. In some embodiments, the connector is curved. In some embodiments, the process chamber is made out of a material that is substantially transparent to radiant energy. In some embodiments, the process chamber is made out of quartz. In some embodiments, the side ribs are directly welded onto the curved upper wall and curved lower wall. In some embodiments, the plurality of side ribs do not contact the curved top wall and curved bottom wall. In some embodiments, the process chamber includes at least one flange in contact with the curved upper wall and curved lower wall at the first end portion and the second end portion. In some embodiments, the at least one flange is configured to connect with an input manifold or an output manifold. In some embodiments, the at least one flange comprises a first flange configured to connect with an input manifold and a second flange configured to connect with an output manifold. In some embodiments, the process chamber includes at least one rail connected to the plurality of side ribs. In some embodiments, the at least one rail extends along the first interface or the second interface. In some embodiments, the at least one rail connects to at least one of the curved upper wall and the curved lower wall. In some embodiments, the at least one rail is welded to at least one of the curved upper wall and the curved lower wall. In some embodiments, the plurality of side ribs comprises a top plurality of rib support structures located on the top of the at least one rail and a bottom plurality of rib support structures located on the bottom of the rail. In some embodiments, the at least one rail comprises a first rail and a second rail, and wherein the plurality of rib support structures comprises a first plurality of rib support structures connected to the first rail and a second plurality of rib support structures connected to the second rail. In some embodiments, the plurality of rib support structures are spaced evenly apart across the first interface or second interface. In som