Methods, systems, and apparatus for uniform chemical-vapor depositions
First Claim
1. A gas distribution fixture for atomic-layer deposition, the fixture comprising:
- a non-reactive plate including a plurality of holes; and
a wall surrounding at least a portion of the plate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Integrated circuits, the key components in thousands of electronic and computer products, are generally built layer by layer on a silicon substrate. One common technique for forming layers is called chemical-vapor deposition (CVD.) Conventional CVD systems not only form layers that have non-uniform thickness, but also have large chambers that make the CVD process wasteful and slow. Accordingly, the inventor devised new CVD systems, methods, and apparatuses. One exemplary CVD system includes an outer chamber, a substrate holder, and a unique gas-distribution fixture. The fixture includes a gas-distribution surface having holes for dispensing a gas and a gas-confinement member that engages or cooperates with the substrate holder to form an inner chamber within the outer chamber. The inner chamber has a smaller volume than the outer chamber, which not only facilitates depositions of more uniform thickness, but also saves gas and speeds up the deposition process.
57 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A gas distribution fixture for atomic-layer deposition, the fixture comprising:
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a non-reactive plate including a plurality of holes; and
a wall surrounding at least a portion of the plate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A gas distribution fixture for atomic-layer deposition, comprising:
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a first plate including one or more channels configured to communicate a gas flow; and
a second plate including two or more apertures configured to communicate a gas flow, wherein the first plate and the second plate are aligned to provide a continuous gas flow path from one of the channels to the apertures. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A gas distribution fixture for atomic-layer deposition, comprising:
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a first plate that includes at least one channel on a surface of a first plate and a gas inlet on an opposing surface of the first plate that is configured to fluidly communicate with the at least one channel; and
a second plate that includes at least one aperture that extends through the second plate. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A gas distribution fixture for atomic-layer deposition, comprising:
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a first plate including a plurality of channels on a surface and a gas inlet on an opposing surface of the first plate that is configured to fluidly communicate with the plurality of channels; and
a second plate including a plurality of apertures that extend through the second plate, the first plate and the second plate being sealably joined to provide a continuous flow passage that extends from the apertures to the gas inlet. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A gas distribution fixture for atomic-layer deposition, comprising:
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a non-reactive plate including a plurality of apertures extending through the plate; and
a projection member extending outwardly from at least a portion of the plate. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification