CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION FLOW INLET ELEMENTS AND METHODS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising;
- (a) a reaction chamber having upstream and downstream directions;
(b) a carrier support adapted to support a wafer carrier at a carrier location within the reaction chamber for rotation about an axis extending in the upstream and downstream directions;
(c) a flow inlet element mounted to the chamber upstream of the carrier location, the inlet element having a gas distribution surface extending in X and Y horizontal directions perpendicular to one another and perpendicular to the downstream direction, the flow inlet element having a plurality of elongated gas inlets for discharging gases into the chamber, the elongated gas inlets extending parallel to one another and across the gas distribution surface in the X horizontal direction and extending across a Y-direction medial plane of the reactor, the elongated gas inlets including a plurality of first gas inlets for discharging a first reactive gas and a plurality of second gas inlets for discharging a second reactive gas, the first gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in the Y horizontal direction, the second gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in the Y horizontal direction and interspersed with the first gas inlets.
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Abstract
A flow inlet element (22) for a chemical vapor deposition reactor (10) is formed from a plurality of elongated tubular elements (64, 65) extending side-by-side with one another in a plane transverse to the upstream to downstream direction of the reactor. The tubular elements have inlets for ejecting gas in the downstream direction. A wafer carrier (14) rotates around an upstream to downstream axis. The gas distribution elements may provide a pattern of gas distribution which is asymmetrical with respect to a medial plane (108) extending through the axis.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising;
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(a) a reaction chamber having upstream and downstream directions; (b) a carrier support adapted to support a wafer carrier at a carrier location within the reaction chamber for rotation about an axis extending in the upstream and downstream directions; (c) a flow inlet element mounted to the chamber upstream of the carrier location, the inlet element having a gas distribution surface extending in X and Y horizontal directions perpendicular to one another and perpendicular to the downstream direction, the flow inlet element having a plurality of elongated gas inlets for discharging gases into the chamber, the elongated gas inlets extending parallel to one another and across the gas distribution surface in the X horizontal direction and extending across a Y-direction medial plane of the reactor, the elongated gas inlets including a plurality of first gas inlets for discharging a first reactive gas and a plurality of second gas inlets for discharging a second reactive gas, the first gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in the Y horizontal direction, the second gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in the Y horizontal direction and interspersed with the first gas inlets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A flow inlet element having a gas distribution surface facing in a downstream direction and extending in X and Y horizontal directions perpendicular to one another and perpendicular to the downstream direction, the flow inlet element having a plurality of elongated gas inlets for discharging gases into the chamber, the elongated gas inlets extending parallel to one another in the X horizontal direction, the elongated gas inlets being arranged in a pattern extending over a major portion of the gas distribution surface, the elongated gas inlets including a plurality of first gas inlets for discharging a first reactive gas and a plurality of second gas inlets for discharging a second reactive gas, the first gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in the Y horizontal direction, the second gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in the Y horizontal direction and interspersed with the first gas inlets.
- 6. A flow inlet element for a chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising a structure having a downstream side and defining a downstream direction away from the downstream side, the structure defining a plurality of elongated base gas inlets open in the downstream direction and extending parallel to one another in an X horizontal direction perpendicular to the downstream direction, the base gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in a Y horizontal direction perpendicular to the X horizontal direction, the structure further including a plurality of elongated diffusers projecting downstream from the base gas outlets extending parallel to one another in the X horizontal direction between the base gas inlets, the diffusers tapering so that the dimension of each diffuser in the Y horizontal direction diminishes in the downstream direction to an edge downstream from the base gas outlets, at least some of the diffusers having additional gas inlets with openings at the edges of the diffusers.
- 12. A flow inlet element for a chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising a plurality of elongated elements extending parallel to one another and mechanically attached to one another so that the elongated elements cooperatively define a plate having upstream and downstream sides, the plate having base inlet openings extending from the upstream side to the downstream side between adjacent ones of the elongated elements, the flow inlet element further comprising a structure defining one or more gas spaces upstream of the plate and communicating with the base inlet openings.
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17. A chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising;
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(a) a reaction chamber having upstream and downstream directions; (b) a carrier support adapted to support a wafer carrier at a carrier location within the reaction chamber for rotation about an axis extending in the upstream and downstream directions; (c) a flow inlet element mounted to the chamber upstream of the carrier location, the inlet element having a gas distribution surface extending in horizontal directions perpendicular to the downstream direction, the flow inlet element having a plurality of elongated gas inlets for discharging gases into the chamber, the elongated gas inlets extending parallel to one another in a first one of the horizontal directions, the elongated gas inlets including a plurality of first gas inlets for discharging a first reactive gas, a plurality of second gas inlets for discharging a second reactive gas, and a plurality of third gas inlets for discharging a carrier gas substantially devoid of the first and second reactive gasses and substantially nonreactive with first and second reactive gasses, the gas inlets being spaced apart from one another in a second one of the horizontal directions perpendicular to the first horizontal direction and interspersed with one another so that at least some of the first and second gas inlets constitute pairs of adjacent inlets and at least some of the third gas inlets are disposed between the first and second gas inlets of at least some of the pairs. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of chemical vapor deposition comprising the steps of:
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(a) maintaining a wafer carrier holding one or more wafers within a reaction chamber so that surfaces of the wafers face in an upstream direction; (b) rotating the wafer carrier around an axis extending in the upstream and downstream directions; and (c) discharging a plurality of gasses downstream toward the wafer carrier from a plurality of elongated gas inlets extending parallel to one another in a first horizontal direction transverse to the axis, the discharging step being performed so that streams of first and second reactive gases are discharged from separate ones of the elongated inlets and so that a carrier gas carrier gas substantially devoid of the first and second reactive gasses and substantially nonreactive with the first and second reactive gasses is discharged from other ones of the reactive inlets and so that at least some of the streams of carrier gasses are discharged between adjacent streams of first and second carrier gasses. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising;
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(a) a reaction chamber having upstream and downstream directions; (b) a carrier support adapted to support a wafer carrier at a carrier location within the reaction chamber for rotation about an axis extending in the upstream and downstream directions; (c) a flow inlet element mounted to the chamber upstream of the carrier location, the inlet element having a gas distribution surface extending in horizontal directions perpendicular to the downstream direction, the flow inlet element having a plurality of first gas inlets for discharging a first reactive gas, a plurality of second gas inlets for discharging a second reactive gas, and a plurality of third gas inlets for discharging a carrier gas substantially devoid of the first and second reactive gasses and substantially nonreactive with first and second reactive gasses, the first, second and third gas inlets extending to first, second and third radial distances from the axis, respectively, the third radial distance being greater than at least one of the first and second radial distances. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A method of chemical vapor deposition comprising:
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(a) rotating a disc-like holder carrying the substrates about an axis while maintaining surfaces of the substrates substantially perpendicular to the axis and facing in an upstream direction along the axis; and
, during the rotating step,(b) discharging first and second gasses reactive with one another in a downstream direction parallel to the axis toward the substrates as first and second sets of gas streams extending to first and second radial distances from the axis, respectively, and simultaneously discharging a third gas substantially non-reactive with the first and second gases in the downstream direction as a third set of gas streams extending to a third radial distance from the axis greater than at least one of the first and second radial distances.
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Specification