Corrosion-resistant components and methods of making

Abstract

A corrosion-resistant component configured for use with a semiconductor processing reactor, the corrosion-resistant component comprising: a) a ceramic insulating substrate; and, b) a corrosion-resistant non-porous layer associated with the ceramic insulating substrate, the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer having a composition comprising at least 15% by weight of a rare earth compound based on total weight of the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer; and, the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer characterized by a microstructure substantially devoid of microcracks and fissures, and having an average grain size of at least about 100 nm and at most about 100 μm. Assemblies including corrosion-resistant components and methods of making are also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A corrosion-resistant component configured for use with a semiconductor processing reactor, the corrosion-resistant component comprising:
 a) a ceramic insulating substrate; and,   b) a corrosion-resistant non-porous layer associated with the ceramic insulating substrate, the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer having a composition comprising at least 15% by weight of a rare earth compound based on total weight of the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer; and, the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer characterized by a microstructure substantially devoid of microcracks and fissures, and having an average grain size of at least about 100 nm and at most about 100 μm.   
     
     
         2 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic insulating substrate is selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, silicate-based materials and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 2 , wherein the rare earth compound is selected from the group consisting of yttrium oxide (Y 2 O 3 ), yttrium silicates, yttrium fluorides, yttrium oxyfluorides, yttrium aluminates, nitrides, complex nitride compounds, and combinations of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 3 , wherein the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer is adhered to the ceramic insulating substrate, and the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer has:
 a. a porosity of at most 1%;   b. an adhesion strength of at least 20 MPa; and,   c. a thickness of at least 50 μm.   
     
     
         5 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 4 , wherein the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer has:
 a. a porosity of at most 0.5%;   b. an adhesion strength of at least 30 MPa;   c. a thickness of at least 100 μm; and,   d. an average grain size of at least about 300 nm and at most about 30 μm.   
     
     
         6 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic insulating substrate is aluminum oxide and the rare earth compound is a trivalent rare earth oxide. 
     
     
         7 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 1 , wherein the ceramic insulating substrate is aluminum nitride and the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer is a rare earth silicate. 
     
     
         8 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 1 , wherein the corrosion-resistant component is a lid configured for releasable engagement with a plasma etch reactor and has a loss tangent of less than 1×10 −4 . 
     
     
         9 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one interposing layer embedded in the ceramic insulating substrate, or layered between the ceramic insulating substrate and the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer. 
     
     
         10 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one interposing layer is selected from the group consisting of rare earth oxides, rare earth silicates, rare earth aluminates, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one interposing layer is ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ). 
     
     
         12 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one interposing layer comprises conducting materials. 
     
     
         13 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one interposing layer further comprises insulating materials. 
     
     
         14 . The corrosion-resistant component of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one interposing layer is adhered to both the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer and to the ceramic insulating substrate, and the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer has:
 a. a porosity of at most 1%;   b. an adhesion strength of at least 20 MPa; and,   c. a thickness of at least 50 μm.   
     
     
         15 . A green laminate configured for use with a semiconductor processing reactor, the green laminate comprising:
 a first layer of green sinterable material selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, silicate-based materials, and mixtures of two or more thereof;   a second layer of green sinterable material selected from the group consisting of yttrium oxide (Y 2 O 3 ), yttrium silicates, yttrium fluorides, yttrium oxyfluorides, yttrium aluminates, nitrides, complex nitride compounds, and combinations of two or more thereof; and,   wherein upon heat treatment of the green laminate, the second layer has a porosity of at most 1% and an average grain size of at least about 100 nm and at most about 100 μm.   
     
     
         16 . The green laminate of  claim 15 , wherein upon heat treatment of the green laminate, the second layer has a porosity of at most 0.5% and an average grain size of at least about 300 nm and at most about 30 μm. 
     
     
         17 . The green laminate of  claim 16 , further comprising at least one interposing layer between the first and second layers, wherein the at least one interposing layer comprises green sinterable material selected from the group consisting of rare earth oxides, rare earth silicates, rare earth aluminates, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The green laminate of  claim 16 , wherein the heat treatment is selected from the group consisting of hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing. 
     
     
         19 . An assembly configured for use in fabricating semiconductor chips, the assembly comprising:
 a. a reactor; and,   b. a corrosion-resistant component including:
 i. a ceramic insulating substrate; and, 
 ii. a corrosion-resistant non-porous layer associated with the ceramic insulating substrate, the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer of a composition comprising at least 15% by weight of a rare earth compound based on total weight of the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer and is characterized by a microstructure substantially devoid of microcracks and fissures, and having:
 a thickness of at least 50 μm; 
 a porosity of at most 1%; and, 
 an average grain size of at least 100 nm and at most 100 μm. 
 
   
     
     
         20 . The assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the ceramic insulating substrate is selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, silicate-based materials and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The assembly of  claim 20 , wherein the rare earth compound is selected from the group consisting of yttrium oxide (Y 2 O 3 ), yttrium silicates, yttrium fluorides, yttrium oxyfluorides, yttrium aluminates, nitrides, complex nitride compounds, and combinations of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The assembly of  claim 21 , wherein the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer is adhered to the ceramic insulating substrate and has an adhesion strength of at least 20 MPa. 
     
     
         23 . The assembly of  claim 22 , wherein the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer has:
 a thickness of at least 100 μm;   a porosity of at most 0.5%;   an adhesion strength of at least 30 MPa; and,   an average grain size of at least about 300 nm and at most about 30 μm.   
     
     
         24 . The assembly of  claim 19 , further comprising at least one interposing layer embedded in the ceramic insulating substrate, or layered between the ceramic insulating substrate and the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer. 
     
     
         25 . The assembly of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one interposing layer is selected from the group consisting of rare earth oxides, rare earth silicates, rare earth aluminates, and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         26 . The assembly of  claim 25 , wherein the at least one interposing layer is ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ). 
     
     
         27 . The assembly of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one interposing layer comprises conducting materials. 
     
     
         28 . The assembly of  claim 27 , wherein the at least one interposing layer further comprises insulating materials. 
     
     
         29 . The assembly of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one interposing layer is selected from the group consisting of ytterbium oxide (Yb 2 O 3 ), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), molybdenum disilicide (MoSi 2 ), tungsten carbide (WC), tungsten disilicide (WSi 2 ), and mixtures of two or more thereof. 
     
     
         30 . The assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the reactor is a plasma etch reactor configured for plasma etching and the corrosion-resistant component is a lid configured for releasable engagement with the plasma etch reactor; and, wherein the lid has a loss tangent of less than 1×10 −4 . 
     
     
         31 . The assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the reactor is a deposition reactor configured for in-situ cleaning with halogen gases and the corrosion-resistant component is a heater. 
     
     
         32 . The assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the reactor is a deposition reactor configured for in-situ cleaning with halogen gases and the corrosion-resistant component is a showerhead. 
     
     
         33 . The assembly of  claim 31 , wherein the substrate further includes at least one interposing conductive layer embedded therein, the conductive layer having a sheet resistivity of at most 10 Megaohm-cm and a coefficient thermal expansion difference of at most 4×10 −6 /K relative to the coefficients of thermal expansion for the ceramic insulating substrate and the corrosion-resistant non-porous layer.