EXHAUST FOR CVD REACTOR

• US 20120027936A1
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veeco Instruments Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Veeco Instruments Incorporated
• Inventors: Gurary, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 8,460,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/255.5
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4407 Cleaning of reactor or reactor parts by using wet or mechanical methods
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/14 Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68771 characterised by supporting more than one semiconductor substrate

Abstract

A chemical vapor deposition reactor and a method of wafer processing are provided. The reactor includes a reaction chamber having an interior, a gas inlet manifold communicating with the interior of the chamber, an exhaust system including an exhaust manifold having a passage and one or more ports, and one or more cleaning elements mounted within the chamber. The gas inlet manifold can admit process gasses to form a deposit on substrates held within the interior. The passage can communicate with the interior of the chamber through the one or more ports. The one or more cleaning elements are movable between (i) a run position in which the cleaning elements are remote from the one or more ports and (ii) a cleaning position in which the one or more cleaning elements are engaged in the one or more ports.

Claims

1. A chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising:

(a) a reaction chamber having an interior;

(b) a gas inlet manifold communicating with the interior of the chamber for admitting process gasses to form a deposit on substrates held within the interior;

(c) an exhaust system including an exhaust manifold having a passage and one or more ports, the passage communicating with the interior of the chamber through the one or more ports; and

(d) one or more cleaning elements mounted within the chamber, the one or more cleaning elements being movable between (i) a run position in which the cleaning elements are remote from the one or more ports and (ii) a cleaning position in which the one or more cleaning elements are engaged in the one or more ports.

2. A reactor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the chamber has an entry port for insertion and removal of substrates and a shutter mounted to the chamber and movable between (i) an open position in which the shutter is clear of the entry port and (ii) a closed position in which the shutter blocks the entry port, and the one or more cleaning elements are mounted to the shutter for movement therewith.

3. A reactor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cleaning elements are (i) in the run position when the shutter is in the closed position and (ii) in the cleaning position when the shutter is in the open position.

4. A reactor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the exhaust manifold defines a ring shape and the one or more ports includes a plurality of round apertures.

5. A reactor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the one or more cleaning elements is a plurality of plungers attached to the shutter.

6. A reactor as claimed in claim 5, wherein each plunger has a conical tip.

7. A reactor as claimed in claim 6, wherein each conical tip defines an angle relative to a central axis of the chamber that is approximately equal to the angle defined by a chamfered inner edge of each of the plurality of round apertures.

8. A reactor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the exhaust manifold includes a labyrinth including a plurality of baffles and the one or more ports is a single cylindrical aperture.

9. A reactor as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more cleaning elements is a lower portion of the shutter.

10. A reactor as claimed in claim 9, wherein the lower portion of the shutter has a chamfered inner edge.

11. A reactor as claimed in claim 10, wherein the chamfered inner edge of the lower portion of the shutter defines an angle relative to a central axis of the reactor that is approximately equal to the angle defined by a chamfered inner edge of the aperture of the exhaust manifold.

12. A reactor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a spindle mounted within the chamber configured to rotate about an axis extending in upward and downward directions, an upper end of the spindle configured to releasably engage a wafer carrier configured to hold a plurality of wafers.

13. A reactor as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a motor drive configured to rotate the spindle about the axis.

14. A reactor as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a heater configured to heat the wafer carrier.

15. A method of wafer processing, comprising:

(a) providing a reaction chamber defining an interior and including an entry port for insertion and removal of wafer carriers;

(b) holding one or more wafers on a wafer carrier so that a top surface of each wafer is exposed at a top surface of the wafer carrier;

(c) applying one or more process gasses to the exposed top surfaces of the wafers;

(d) removing a portion of the process gasses through an exhaust system, the exhaust system including an exhaust manifold, the exhaust manifold having a passage and one or more ports, the passage communicating with the interior of the chamber through the one or more ports;

(e) moving one or more cleaning elements mounted within the chamber downward;

(f) inserting at least a portion of each cleaning element into the exhaust manifold so as to clean the exhaust manifold.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of (g) moving a shutter mounted to the chamber from (i) an open position in which the shutter is clear of the entry port to (ii) a closed position in which the shutter blocks the entry port.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the one or more cleaning elements are directly joined to the shutter for movement therewith.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the step (g) of moving a shutter includes moving the cleaning elements to (i) a run position when the shutter is in the closed position and (ii) a cleaning position when the shutter is in the open position.

19. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of (g) releasably engaging the wafer carrier with an upper end of a spindle mounted within the chamber, the spindle oriented substantially parallel to a central axis extending in upward and downward directions.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising the step of (h) rotating the spindle and the wafer carrier about the central axis.

21. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the exhaust manifold defines a ring shape and the one or more ports includes a plurality of round apertures.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the one or more cleaning elements is a plurality of plungers attached to the shutter.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein each plunger has a conical tip.

24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein each conical tip defines an angle relative to a central axis of the reactor that is approximately equal to the angle defined by a chamfered inner edge of each of the plurality of round apertures.

25. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the exhaust manifold includes a labyrinth including a plurality of baffles and the one or more ports is a single cylindrical aperture.

26. A method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the one or more cleaning elements is a lower portion of the shutter.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the lower portion of the shutter has a chamfered inner edge.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the chamfered inner edge of the lower portion of the shutter defines an angle relative to a central axis of the reactor that is approximately equal to the angle defined by a chamfered inner edge of the aperture of the exhaust manifold.

29. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of heating the wafers at least in part by heat transfer from the wafer carrier.