MOCVD apparatus and MOCVD method

• US 20050172895A1
• Filed: 03/03/2003
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group), Youtec Co., Ltd
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group), Youtec Co., Ltd
• Inventors: Suzuki, Mitsuhiro, Kijima, Takeshi, Natori, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,077,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45508 Radial flow

Abstract

[Object] To provide an MOCVD apparatus and a MOCVD method which can deposit a thin film having satisfactory properties by preventing temperature decrease of a source gas.

[Solving Means] An MOCVD apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for supplying a source gas as a mixture of an MO source gas with an oxidizing gas to a substrate 13 to thereby form a film. The MOCVD apparatus includes a substrate holder 14 for holding the substrate 13; a deposition chamber for housing the substrate holder; a supply mechanism for supplying the source gas to a surface of the substrate; and a heating device for heating the substrate 13 held by the substrate holder. The deposition chamber includes a substrate housing unit for housing the substrate holder holding the substrate, and a passage housing unit being connected to the substrate housing unit and constituting a passage for supplying the source gas to the substrate. The passage has a cross-sectional area smaller than the area of a deposition plane of the substrate 13 when the passage housing unit is cut in parallel with the deposition plane of the substrate 13.

Claims

1. An MOCVD apparatus to supply a source gas, as a mixture of an MO source gas, with an oxidizing gas to a substrate to thereby form a film, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder to hold the substrate;

a deposition chamber to house the substrate holder;

a supply mechanism to supply the source gas to a surface of the substrate; and

a heating device to heat the substrate held by the substrate holder;

the deposition chamber including a substrate housing unit to house the substrate holder holding the substrate, and a passage housing unit which is formed by the slope of the upside of the deposition chamber and the substrate being connected to the substrate housing unit and constituting a passage to supply the source gas to the substrate, the passage having a cross-sectional area that is smaller than an area of a deposition plane of the substrate when the passage housing unit is cut in parallel with the deposition plane of the substrate, to thereby reduce an adiabatic expansion of the source gas to suppress a temperature decrease of the source gas.

4. The MOCVD apparatus according to claim 1, further including a rotating mechanism to rotate the substrate holder.

5. The MOCVD apparatus according to claim 1, further including an ultrasonic generator to apply ultrasonic vibration to at least one of the supply mechanism and the substrate holder.

6. The MOCVD apparatus according to claim 1, further including at least one of an ultraviolet irradiation device and a soft X-ray irradiation device to apply at least one of ultraviolet rays and soft X-rays to the substrate held by the substrate holder.

2. An MOCVD apparatus to supply a source gas, as a mixture of an MO source gas, with an oxidizing gas to a substrate to thereby form a film, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder to hold the substrate;

a deposition chamber to house the substrate holder;

a gas inlet arranged in the deposition chamber;

a supply mechanism to supply the source gas to the gas inlet; and

a heating device to heat the substrate held by the substrate holder;

a gas passage, which is formed by the slope of the upside of the deposition chamber and the substrate;

the deposition chamber defining the gas passage that has a cross-sectional area 100 times or less as large as an opening area of the gas inlet, the cross-sectional area being obtained by cutting the deposition chamber in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the source gas when the supply mechanism supplies the source gas to the gas inlet to thereby supply the source gas to the substrate in the deposition chamber.

3. The MOCVD apparatus according to claim 2, the supply mechanism including an MO source container housing the MO source, a first heating mechanism to heat the MO source in the MO source container, an oxidizing gas container housing the oxidizing gas, and a second heating mechanism to heat the oxidizing gas in the oxidizing gas container, the MO source container and the oxidizing gas container being connected to the gas inlet, respectively.

7. An MOCVD method of forming a thin film using an MOCVD apparatus to supply a source gas, as a mixture of an MO source gas, with an oxidizing gas to a substrate to thereby form a film, the apparatus including:

a substrate holder to hold the substrate;

a deposition chamber to house the substrate holder;

a gas inlet arranged in the deposition chamber;

a supply mechanism to supply the source gas to the gas inlet; and

a heating device to heat the substrate held by the substrate holder;

the deposition chamber defining a gas passage that has a cross-sectional area 100 times or less as large as an opening area of the gas inlet, the cross-sectional area being obtained by cutting the deposition chamber in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the source gas when the supply mechanism supplies the source gas to the gas inlet to thereby supply the source gas to the substrate in the deposition chamber, the method comprising;

holding the substrate on the substrate holder;

supplying the source gas as a mixture of the MO source gas with the oxidizing gas to a surface of the substrate by action of the supply mechanism to thereby form a thin film on the substrate; and

heating the substrate by the heating device.

8. The MOCVD method according to claim 7, further including:

supplying the source gas to the surface of the substrate while applying ultrasonic vibration to at least one of the supply mechanism and the substrate holder in the step of forming a thin film.

9. The MOCVD method according to claim 7, further including:

applying ultraviolet rays or soft-X rays to the thin film between the forming of the thin film and the heating.

10. An MOCVD apparatus to supply a source gas, as a mixture of an MO source gas, with an oxidizing gas to a substrate to thereby form a film, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder to hold the substrate;

a deposition chamber to house the substrate holder;

a supply mechanism to supply the source gas to a surface of the substrate; and

a heating device to heat the substrate held by the substrate holder;

the deposition chamber including a substrate housing unit to house the substrate holder and a passage housing unit, the passage housing unit having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion formed by a slope of the upside of the deposition chamber and the substrate, the second portion formed by a substantially planar surface of the deposition chamber and substrate, the passage housing unit being connected to the substrate housing unit and constituting a passage to supply the source gas to the substrate, the passage having a cross-sectional area that is smaller than an area of a deposition plane of the substrate when the passage housing unit is cut in parallel with the deposition plane of the substrate.

11. An MOCVD apparatus to supply a source gas, as a mixture of an MO source gas, with an oxidizing gas to a substrate to thereby form a film, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder to hold the substrate;

a deposition chamber to house the substrate holder;

a gas inlet arranged in the deposition chamber;

a supply mechanism to supply the source gas to the gas inlet; and

a heating device to heat the substrate held by the substrate holder;

a gas passage, having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion formed by the slope of the upside of the deposition chamber and the substrate, the second portion formed by a substantially planar surface of the deposition chamber and the substrate;

the deposition chamber defining the gas passage that has a cross-sectional area 100 times or less as large as an opening area of the gas inlet, the cross-sectional area being obtained by cutting the deposition chamber in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the source gas when the supply mechanism supplies the source gas to the gas inlet to thereby supply the source gas to the substrate in the deposition chamber.

12. An MOCVD apparatus to supply a source gas, as a mixture of an MO source gas, with an oxidizing gas to a substrate to thereby form a film, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder to hold the substrate;

a deposition chamber to house the substrate holder;

a gas inlet arranged in the deposition chamber;

a supply mechanism to supply the source gas to the gas inlet; and

a heating device to heat the substrate held by the substrate holder;

a gas passage, which is formed by the slope of the upside of the deposition chamber and the substrate;

the deposition chamber defining the gas passage that has a cross-sectional area 100 times or less as large as an opening area of the gas inlet, the cross-sectional area being obtained by cutting the deposition chamber in a direction perpendicular to a flow direction of the source gas when the supply mechanism supplies the source gas to the gas inlet to thereby supply the source gas to the substrate in the deposition chamber and reduce an adiabatic expansion of the source gas to suppress a temperature decrease of the source gas.