GAS TREATMENT SYSTEMS

• US 20110088623A1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veeco Instruments Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Veeco Instruments Incorporated
• Inventors: Mitrovic, Bojan, Armour, Eric A., Gurary, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,287,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/730
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45574 Nozzles for more than one gas

Abstract

An MOCVD reactor such as a rotating disc reactor (10) is equipped with a gas injector head having diffusers (129) disposed between adjacent gas inlets. The diffusers taper in the downstream direction. The injector head desirably has inlets (117) for a first gas such as a metal alkyl disposed in radial rows which terminate radially inward from the reactor wall to minimize deposition of the reactants on the reactor wall. The injector head desirably also has inlets (125) for a second gas such as ammonia arranged in a field between the rows of first gas inlets, and additionally has a center inlet (135) for the second gas coaxial with the axis of rotation.

Claims

1. An injector head for a gas treatment reactor, the head comprising:

(a) a structure defining a plurality of gas inlets disposed in rows extending in one or more row direction transverse to the downstream direction, the gas inlets having openings facing in a downstream direction; and

(b) diffuser elements disposed between adjacent ones of the gas inlets, the diffuser elements extending in the downstream direction from the gas inlets, the diffuser elements including elongated blades extending in the row directions between adjacent rows of gas inlets and tapering in the downstream direction to sharp edges.

2. The injector head as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sharp edges have radii of less than 1 mm.

3. The injector head as claimed in claim 1 wherein each diffuser element has side walls facing generally in opposite lateral directions transverse to the downstream direction and the side walls define an included angle of between 15 degrees and 75 degrees.

4. The injector head as claimed in claim 1 wherein the openings of the inlets are disposed in a plane transverse to the downstream direction and the diffuser elements project downstream from the plane.

5. A reactor comprising a reaction chamber, an injector head as claimed in claim 1 mounted to the reaction chamber, and a substrate carrier mounted in the chamber downstream from the injector head.

6. A reactor as claimed in claim 5 wherein the substrate carrier is rotatable around an axis substantially parallel to the downstream direction.

8. The injector head as claimed in claim 4 wherein each of the diffuser elements is generally in the form of a pyramid.

11. A reactor comprising a reaction chamber, an injector head as claimed in claim 1 mounted to the reaction chamber, and a substrate carrier mounted in the chamber downstream from the injector head.

12. A reactor as claimed in claim 11 wherein the substrate carrier is rotatable around an axis substantially parallel to the downstream direction.

7. An injector head for a gas treatment reactor, the head comprising:

(a) a structure defining a plurality of gas inlets the gas inlets having openings facing in a downstream direction; and

(b) diffuser elements disposed between adjacent ones of the gas inlets, the diffuser elements extending in the downstream direction from the gas inlets, wherein the diffuser elements taper to points.

9. The injector head as claimed in claim 7 wherein each diffuser element has side walls facing generally in opposite lateral directions transverse to the downstream direction and the side walls define an included angle of between 15 degrees and 81 degrees.

10. The injector head as claimed in claim 7 wherein the openings of the inlets are disposed in a plane transverse to the downstream direction and the diffuser elements project downstream from the plane.