AMPOULE WITH A THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE COATING

• US 20080149031A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Ganguli, Seshadri, Marcadal, Christophe, CHU, SCHUBERT S., Wu, Dien-Yeh, Nakashima, Norman M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,951,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/726
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4481 by evaporation using carrier gas in contact with the source material C23C16/4486 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4482 by bubbling of carrier gas through liquid source material

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus and a process for generating a chemical precursor used in a vapor deposition processing system. The apparatus includes a canister (e.g., ampoule) having a sidewall, a top, and a bottom encompassing an interior volume therein, inlet and outlet ports in fluid communication with the interior volume, and a thermally conductive coating disposed on or over the outside surface of the canister. The thermally conductive coating is more thermally conductive than the outside surface of the canister. The thermally conductive coating may contain aluminum, aluminum nitride, copper, brass, silver, titanium, silicon nitride, or alloys thereof. In some embodiments, an adhesion layer (e.g., titanium or tantalum) may be disposed between the outside surface of the canister and the thermally conductive coating. In other embodiments, the canister may contain a plurality of baffles or solid heat-transfer particles to help evenly heat a solid precursor therein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a chemical precursor used in a vapor deposition processing system, comprising:

a canister comprising a sidewall, a top, and a bottom encompassing an interior volume therein;

an adhesion layer disposed over an outside surface of the canister;

a thermally conductive coating disposed over the adhesion layer; and

an inlet port and an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior volume.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outside surface of the canister comprises steel, stainless steel, nickel, chromium, or alloys thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the thermally conductive coating is more thermally conductive than the outside surface of the canister.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum nitride, copper, brass, silver, titanium, silicon nitride, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises aluminum, copper, or alloys thereof.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein an adhesion layer comprises titanium or tantalum.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of baffles extends from the bottom and forms an extended mean flow path between the inlet port and the outlet port within the interior volume of the canister.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an inlet tube extends from the inlet port into the canister, and the inlet tube comprises an outlet end positioned to direct a gas flow away from the outlet port.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the canister further comprises a plurality of solid heat-transfer particles at least partially filling the interior volume, and the solid heat-transfer particles comprises a material selected from the group consisting of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the canister further comprises a solid chemical precursor at least partially filling the interior volume, and the solid chemical precursor comprises pentakis(dimethylamido) tantalum.

11. An apparatus for generating a chemical precursor used in a vapor deposition processing system, comprising:

a canister comprising a sidewall, a top, and a bottom encompassing an interior volume therein;

a thermally conductive coating disposed over an outside surface of the canister;

an inlet port and an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior volume; and

a plurality of baffles extending from the bottom and forming an extended mean flow path between the inlet port and the outlet port within the interior volume of the canister.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the outside surface of the canister comprises steel, stainless steel, nickel, chromium, or alloys thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the thermally conductive coating is more thermally conductive than the outside surface of the canister.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum nitride, copper, brass, silver, titanium, silicon nitride, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises aluminum, copper, or alloys thereof.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein an adhesion layer is disposed between the outside surface and the thermally conductive coating of the canister.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein an adhesion layer comprises titanium or tantalum.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the baffles are a removable, fabricated insert positioned on the bottom of the canister.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein an inlet tube extends from the inlet port into the canister, and the inlet tube comprises an outlet end positioned to direct the gas flow away from the outlet port.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the canister further comprises a plurality of solid heat-transfer particles at least partially filling the interior volume, and the solid heat-transfer particles comprises a material selected from the group consisting of steel, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the canister further comprises a solid chemical precursor at least partially filling the interior volume, and the solid chemical precursor comprises pentakis(dimethylamido) tantalum.

22. An apparatus for generating a chemical precursor used in a vapor deposition processing system, comprising:

a canister comprising a sidewall, a top, and a bottom encompassing an interior volume therein;

an adhesion layer comprising titanium or tantalum disposed over the outside surface of the canister;

a thermally conductive coating disposed over the adhesion layer; and

an inlet port and an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior volume.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the outside surface of the canister comprises steel, stainless steel, nickel, chromium, or alloys thereof.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the thermally conductive coating is more thermally conductive than the outside surface of the canister.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum nitride, copper, brass, silver, titanium, silicon nitride, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises aluminum, copper, or alloys thereof.

27. An apparatus for generating a chemical precursor used in a vapor deposition processing system, comprising:

a canister comprising a sidewall, a top, and a bottom encompassing an interior volume therein;

an adhesion layer disposed over the outside surface of the canister;

a thermally conductive coating disposed over the adhesion layer, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, aluminum nitride, copper, brass, silver, titanium, silicon nitride, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof; and

an inlet port and an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior volume.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the outside surface of the canister comprises steel, stainless steel, nickel, chromium, or alloys thereof.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the thermally conductive coating is more thermally conductive than the outside surface of the canister.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the thermally conductive coating comprises aluminum, copper, or alloys thereof.