METHOD AND APPARATUS TO HELP PROMOTE CONTACT OF GAS WITH VAPORIZED MATERIAL

• US 20090136668A1
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entegris Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. (Entegris Incorporated)
• Inventors: Naito, Donn K., Laxman, Ravi, Banton, Jeffrey I., Gregg, John N., Battle, Scott L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,828,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/255.280
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4408 by purging residual gases from the reaction chamber or gas lines
• 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 16/4483 using a porous body
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45544 characterized by the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 11/00 Use of gas-solvents or gas-sorbents in vessels absorbing compositions for acetylene C10L3/04; absorbing compositions for hydrogen C01B3/0005
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2203/03 Thermal insulations
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 3/00 Vessels not under pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 3/02 with provision for thermal insulation thermal insulation in general F16L59/00 ; refrigerators F25D; insulation specially adapted for cryogenic vessels F17C13/001; tank vehicles B60P3/22; railway tank wagons B61D5/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/32 Hydrogen storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/65 Vaporizers

Abstract

Vaporizable material is supported within a vessel to promote contact of an introduced gas with the vaporizable material, and produce a product gas including vaporized material. A heating element supplies heat to a wall of the vessel to heat vaporizable material disposed therein. The vessel may comprise an amoule having a removable top. Multiple containers defining multiple material support surfaces may be stacked disposed within a vessel in thermal communication with the vessel. A tube may be disposed within the vessel and coupled to a gas inlet. Filters, flow meters, and level sensors may be further provided. Product gas resulting from contact of introduced gas with vaporized material may be delivered to atomic layer deposition (ALD) or similar process equipment. At least a portion of source material including a solid may be dissolved in a solvent, followed by removal of solvent to yield source material (e.g., a metal complex) disposed within the vaporizer.

Claims

1. A method utilizing a plurality of containers, wherein each container of the plurality of containers defines a cavity therein, the method comprising:

introducing source material comprising a solid into the cavity of each container of the plurality of containers;

dissolving at least a portion of the source material in a solvent;

removing said solvent from said source material; and

stacking said plurality of containers in a vaporizer ampoule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the source material.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the vaporizer ampoule to vaporize at least a portion of the source material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing said solvent from said source material comprises use of reduced pressure.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising flowing a first gas to the vaporizer ampoule to contact said source material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said source material comprises a metal complex.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said source material comprises at least one of:

boron (B), phosphorous (P), copper (Cu), gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), ruthenium (Ru), indium (In), antimony (Sb), lanthanum (La), tantalum (Ta), iridium (Ir), decaborane (B₁₀H₁₄), hafnium tetrachloride (HfCl₄), zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl₄), indium trichloride (InCl₃), a metal organic β

-diketonate complex, cyclopentadienyl cycloheptatrienyl titanium (CpTiChT), aluminum trichloride (AlCl₃), titanium iodide (Ti_xI_y), cyclooctatetraene cyclopentadienyl titanium ((Cot)(Cp)Ti), bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium diazide, tungsten carbonyl (W_x(CO)_y), bis(cyclopentadienyl)ruthenium (II) (Ru(Cp)₂), and ruthenium trichloride (RuCl₃).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the source material is dissolved in the solvent before the source material is introduced into the cavity.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising vaporizing at least a portion of the source material to form vaporized source material, and flowing the vaporized source material through a filtering element.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the filtering element comprises a porous frit.

11. A vapor delivery system comprising:

a plurality of containers, wherein each container of the plurality of containers defines therein a cavity, and the cavity of each container contains a solid source material and a solvent; and

a vaporizer ampoule adapted to receive said plurality of containers.

12. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, further comprising a solvent removal element arranged to permit removal of solvent from the cavity of each container of the plurality of containers.

13. The vapor delivery system of claim 12, wherein the solvent removal element is adapted to reduce pressure within the cavity of each container of the plurality of containers.

14. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, wherein:

the vaporizer ampoule has an ampoule wall;

each container has a solid source material support surface and a thermally conductive container sidewall extending above the solid source material support surface;

each container sidewall is adapted to be in substantial thermal contact with the ampoule wall at an ampoule operating temperature; and

the ampoule is adapted to transfer heat through the ampoule wall to the thermally conductive container sidewall.

15. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, further comprising a heating element arranged to heat the vaporizer ampoule.

16. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of containers embodies a stack of containers disposed within the vaporizer ampoule.

17. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, wherein each solid source material support surface defines a plurality of gas flow passages.

18. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, wherein the vaporizer ampoule includes a gas inlet that is connectable to a first gas source and is adapted to supply a first gas to the vaporizer ampoule.

19. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, wherein the vaporizer ampoule has an outlet and has an associated filter element, wherein the filter element is arranged to filter vaporized source material delivered to or through the outlet.

20. The vapor delivery system of claim 19, wherein the filter element comprises a porous frit.

21. The vapor delivery system of claim 11, coupled in vapor delivery relationship to a process tool adapted to perform at least one step in the manufacture of a semiconductor device.

22. A vaporizer comprising:

at least one wall defining an internal compartment; and

a solid source material disposed within the internal compartment, the solid source material comprising a metal complex processed by dissolution in a solvent followed by removal of the solvent under reduced pressure.

23. The vaporizer of claim 22, further comprising a heating element adapted to supply heat to any of (i) the at least one wall and (ii) the solid source material.

24. The vaporizer of claim 22, comprising a plurality of solid source material holders disposed at different levels within the internal compartment.

25. The vaporizer of claim 24, wherein each solid source material holder includes a solid source material support surface defining a plurality of gas flow passages.

26. The vaporizer of claim 24, wherein:

the at least one wall comprises a vaporizer ampoule wall;

each solid source material holder has a solid source material support surface and a thermally conductive holder sidewall extending above the solid source material support surface;

each holder sidewall is adapted to be in substantial thermal contact with the vaporizer ampoule wall at an ampoule operating temperature; and

the ampoule wall is adapted to transfer heat to the thermally conductive holder sidewall.

27. The vaporizer of claim 22, wherein the vaporizer includes a gas inlet that is connectable to a first gas source and is adapted to supply a first gas to the internal compartment.

28. The vaporizer of claim 22, comprising an outlet and a filter element, wherein the filter element is arranged to filter vaporized source material delivered to or through the outlet.

29. The vaporizer of claim 28, wherein the filter element comprises a porous frit.

30. The vaporizer of claim 22, coupled in vapor delivery relationship to a process tool adapted to perform at least one step in the manufacture of a semiconductor device.

31. A method utilizing a vaporizer including at least one wall defining an internal compartment, the method comprising:

dissolving a solid source material in a solvent; and

removing said solvent to yield a metal complex, wherein the metal complex is disposed within the internal compartment of the vaporizer.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising vaporizing at least a portion of the metal complex and delivering a resulting vapor to an outlet of the vaporizer.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of removing said solvent comprises use of reduced pressure.