APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR SAFELY PROVIDING HAZARDOUS REACTANTS

• US 20110311725A1
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sundew Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Sundew Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Sneh, Ofer, Winkler, Jereld L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,181,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/250
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 21/16 Hydrazine; Salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/18 from metallo-organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/402 Silicon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/448 characterised by the method used for generating reactive gas streams, e.g. by evaporation or sublimation of precursor materials
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4485 by evaporation without using carrier gas in contact with the source material C23C16/4486 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45527 characterized by the ALD cycle, e.g. different flows or temperatures during half-reactions, unusual pulsing sequence, use of precursor mixtures or auxiliary reactants or activations
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45544 characterized by the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45557 Pulsed pressure or control pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a reactant comprises a reactant space and a reservoir space. The reactant space comprises a chemical complex capable of evolving the reactant when heated. The reservoir space, in turn, is in gas communication with the reactant space. The apparatus is operative to heat the chemical complex when a pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is below a predetermined set-point, and to cool the chemical complex when the pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is above the predetermined set-point.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a reactant, the apparatus comprising:

a reactant space, the reactant space comprising a chemical complex capable of evolving the reactant when heated; and

a reservoir space in gas communication with the reactant space;

wherein the apparatus is operative to heat the chemical complex when a pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is below a predetermined set-point, and to cool the chemical complex when the pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is above the predetermined set-point.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a source space, the source space being in gas communication with the reservoir space through a pressure control valve.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the pressure control valve is operative to maintain the source space at a pressure lower than the pressure of the reservoir space.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a source space, the source space being in gas communication with the reservoir space through a mass flow controller.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further operative to maintain the chemical complex above a predetermined temperature.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is operative to heat the chemical complex by at least one of heated fluid, resistive heating, and radiant heating.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is operative to cool the chemical complex by at least one of circulated gas and cooled fluid.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is operative to limit the temperature of the chemical complex to a maximum predetermined temperature.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the chemical complex is monitored by one or more temperature snap switches.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of one or more portions of the apparatus is heated to a temperature above a respective dew point of the reactant at that respective portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the temperature of each heated portion is monitored by one or more respective temperature snap switches.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a vacuum pump that is in gas communication with the reservoir space through one or more valves.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more valves are normally-open valves.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is adapted to place the reservoir space in open connection with the vacuum pump if one of one or more faults is detected in the apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more faults comprise a fault related to not maintaining a preset temperature in a portion of the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is adapted to isolate the reservoir space from the vacuum pump if a fault is detected with the vacuum pump.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the vacuum pump causes any of the reactant pumped by the vacuum pump to be diluted with another chemical species.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the another chemical species comprises nitrogen.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising an abatement space downstream of the vacuum pump, the abatement portion operative to cause substantially all of any of the reactant that is pumped by the vacuum pump to be chemically converted.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the abatement portion is operative to react any of the reactant that is pumped by the vacuum pump with at least one of ozone and oxygen.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reactant has National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) flammability and instability ratings greater than or equal to three, and the chemical complex has NFPA flammability and instability ratings less than or equal to one.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reactant is hydrazine.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the chemical complex is hydrazine cyanurate.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reactant is arsine, phosphine, tungsten hexafluoride, boron trichloride, silane, disilane, trisilane, ClF₃ or diborane.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reactant space comprises a removable cartridge that houses the chemical complex while keeping the chemical complex chemically isolated from any ambient gases that surround the removable cartridge.

26. A method for providing a reactant, the method comprising the steps of:

placing a chemical complex that is capable of evolving the reactant when heated into a reactant space;

placing a reservoir space in gas communication with the reactant space; and

heating the chemical complex when a pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is below a predetermined set-point, and cooling the chemical complex when the pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is above the predetermined set-point.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the chemical complex comprises hydrazine cyanurate, the reactant comprises hydrazine, and the method further comprises the step of performing atomic layer deposition to form a film utilizing hydrazine from the reservoir space.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises one or more nitrides.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises at least one of aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, gallium nitride, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, niobium nitride, tungsten nitride, and boron nitride.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises titanium nitride, and the atomic layer deposition further utilizes titanium tetrachloride.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises silicon nitride, and the atomic layer deposition further utilizes at least one of hexachlorodisilane, trisilane, and disilane.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises one or more metals.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises at least one of copper, molybdenum, platinum, titanium, and silver.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises platinum, and the atomic layer deposition further utilizes methylcyclopentadienyltrimethylplatinum.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises copper, and the atomic layer deposition further utilizes at least one of copper acetylacetonate, copper bistetramethylheptanedionate, and copper hexafluoroacetylacetonate.

36. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises one or more oxides.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises at least one of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, and niobium oxide.

38. The method of claim 27, wherein the film comprises silicon oxide, and the atomic layer deposition further utilizes bisdiethylaminosilane.

39. The method of claim 26, wherein the chemical complex comprises hydrazine cyanurate, the reactant comprises hydrazine, and the method further comprises cleaning a surface and terminating the surface with functional groups utilizing hydrazine from the reservoir space.

40. The method of claim 26, wherein the chemical complex comprises hydrazine cyanurate, the reactant comprises hydrazine, and the method further comprises reacting hydrazine from the reservoir space with one or more unreacted process reactants from a process for forming a film.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the one or more unreacted process reactants comprise at least one of titanium tetrachloride and tungsten hexafluoride.

42. The method of claim 26, wherein the chemical complex comprises hydrazine cyanurate, the reactant comprises hydrazine, and the method further comprises reacting hydrazine from the reservoir space with an existing film such that one or more properties of the film are modified by the hydrazine.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the existing film comprises at least one of a low-k dielectric, a high-k dielectric, and copper.

44. A product of manufacture produced at least in part using a method for providing a reactant, the method for providing the reactant comprising the steps of:

placing a chemical complex that is capable of evolving the reactant when heated into a reactant space;

placing a reservoir space in gas communication with the reactant space; and

heating the chemical complex when a pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is below a predetermined set-point, and cooling the chemical complex when the pressure of the reactant in the reservoir space is above the predetermined set-point.