Versatile atomic layer deposition apparatus
First Claim
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1. An atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising:
- a first atomic layer deposition region for depositing a first gas species on a first substrate as a monolayer;
a second atomic layer deposition region for depositing a second gas species on said first substrate as a monolayer, said first and second deposition regions being chemically isolated from one another; and
a loading assembly for moving said first substrate from said first deposition region to said second deposition region, thereby enabling deposition of a first atomic monolayer in said first deposition region, followed by deposition of a second atomic monolayer in said second deposition region.
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Abstract
An improved ALD apparatus is disclosed as having multiple deposition regions in which individual monolayer species are deposited on a substrate under different processing conditions in each region. Each deposition region is chemically separated from an adjacent deposition region. A loading assembly is programmed to follow pre-defined transfer sequences for moving semiconductor substrates into and out of the respective adjacent deposition regions. According to the number of deposition regions provided, a multitude of substrates could be simultaneously processed and run through the cycle of deposition regions until a desired thickness of deposited solid film is obtained.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. An atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising:
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a first atomic layer deposition region for depositing a first gas species on a first substrate as a monolayer;
a second atomic layer deposition region for depositing a second gas species on said first substrate as a monolayer, said first and second deposition regions being chemically isolated from one another; and
a loading assembly for moving said first substrate from said first deposition region to said second deposition region, thereby enabling deposition of a first atomic monolayer in said first deposition region, followed by deposition of a second atomic monolayer in said second deposition region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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18. An atomic layer deposition apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of atomic layer deposition regions, each for depositing a respective gas species on a first substrate as a monolayer, each of said plurality of regions being chemically isolated from one another; and
a loading assembly for moving said first substrate through at least two of said plurality of atomic layer deposition regions in accordance with a first predefined pattern.
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32. A method of operating an atomic layer deposition apparatus, said deposition apparatus comprising a first deposition region and a second deposition region, said first and second deposition regions being chemically isolated from one another, said method comprising the steps of:
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positioning a wafer in said first deposition region;
introducing a first gas species into said first deposition region and depositing said first gas species on said wafer as a first atomic monolayer;
moving said wafer from said first deposition region to said second deposition region; and
introducing a second gas species into said second deposition region and depositing said second gas species on said wafer as a second atomic monolayer. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49)
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37. A method of conducting atomic layer deposition comprising the steps of:
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depositing a first monolayer species on a substrate in a first deposition region;
moving said substrate from said first deposition region to a second deposition region, which is chemically isolated from said first deposition region; and
depositing a second monolayer species on said substrate in said second deposition region.
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46. A method of operating an atomic layer deposition apparatus, said deposition apparatus comprising a plurality of deposition regions, said deposition regions being chemically isolated from one another, said method comprising the steps of:
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positioning a plurality of wafers in respective deposition regions;
introducing a first gas species into some of said plurality of deposition regions and depositing said first gas species on at least one of said plurality of wafers as a first atomic monolayer;
moving said plurality of wafers from said some of said plurality of deposition regions to other deposition regions; and
introducing a second gas species into said other deposition regions and depositing said second gas species on at least one of said plurality of wafers as a second atomic monolayer.
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Specification