Gas dispersion disk for use in plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor

• US 4,792,378 A
• Filed: 12/15/1987
• Issued: 12/20/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Kennedy, Robert M. III, Rose, Alan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, William A.
• Application Number:
  US07/132,305
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 156/345, 156/643, 156/646, 118/728, 118/50.1, 118/620, 204/192.12, 204/192.32, 204/192.3, 204/298, 427/38, 427/39, 422/186.05, 422/186.06
• US Class Current: 438/706
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45508 Radial flow
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• 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: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means

Abstract

A chemical vapor transport reactor gas dispersion disk (20) for counteracting vapor pressure gradients to provide a uniform deposition of material films on a semiconductor slice (37). The disk (20) has a number of apertures (22) arranged so as to increase in aperture area per unit of disk area when extending from the center of the disk (20) to its outer peripheral edge.

Claims

1. A gas dispersion disk for use in a chemical vapor transport system exhibiting a gas pressure gradient, comprising a disk having a plurality of apertures formed therein and distributed over the surface thereof so as to have a low aperture area per unit of disk area at disk locations exposed to high gas pressures, and a higher aperture area per unit of disk area at disk locations exposed to lower gas pressures.

2. The gas dispersion disk of claim 1, wherein said disk has said higher aperture area per unit of disk area at a central part of said disk.

3. The gas dispersion disk of claim 1, wherein said apertures are arranged in concentric circles.

4. The gas dispersion disk of claim 1, wherein said disk includes an equal number of said apertures per unit area of said disk, with said apertures radially remote from the center of said disk being larger in diameter than the apertures located proximate the center of said disk.

5. The gas dispersion disk of claim 1, wherein said plurality of apertures are each of substantially equal size, and said disk includes more apertures per unit area of said disk at areas radially remote from the disk center than at areas located proximate the center of said disk.

6. The gas dispersion disk of claim 4, wherein said apertures include a general diameter of about 0.02 inch proximate the center of the said disk, and including aperture diameters of about 0.043 near the edge of said disk, and other said apertures located therebetween have diameters between 0.020 and 0.043 inch.

7. The gas dispersion disk of claim 6, wherein said disk includes five groups of apertures, said groups being arranged in concentric circles.

8. The gas dispersion disk of claim 1, wherein said disk is constructed of anodized aluminum.

9. The gas dispersion disk of claim 1, further including selected areas of said disk being apertureless so as to block the diffusion of gases therethrough and thus prevent gases from reaching a corresponding area of a slice located adjacent said disk.

10. The gas dispersion disk of claim 1, including in combination a plasma reactor for dispersing plasma gases through said disk for depositing a uniform layer of material on a slice.

11. The gas dispersion disk of claim 10, further including in combination, an apertured annular ring located adjacent said slice for exhausting plasma gases from said reactor.

12. Plasma reactor apparatus for depositing a uniform layer of material on a slice, comprising:

an electrode with a gas inlet for providing a gas flow to a reactor chamber of a reactor;

a gas distribution plate for distributing the gas emitted from said electrode into said chamber;

a gas dispersion disk having a nonuniform apertured area over the surface thereof for counteracting chamber gas pressure gradients so as to provide a uniform gas pressure to said slice;

a shower head for dispersing said uniform gas pressure in said chamber to said slice;

a spacer for separating said shower head from said gas dispersion disk;

a slice holder for holding a slice exposed to said uniform gas pressure; and

means for exhausting said gas from said chamber.

13. The reactor apparatus of claim 12, wherein said gas dispersion disk includes a high aperture area per unit of disk area at disk locations exposed to low gas pressures.

14. The reactor apparatus of claim 12, wherein said gas dispersion disk includes a high density of disk open areas proximate an edge thereof, as compared to an open area proximate the center of said disk.

15. The reactor apparatus of claim 12, wherein said gas exhaust means comprises an annular ring having exhaust outlets spaced therearound.

16. A method of dispersing a gas in a chemical vapor transport system exhibiting a gas pressure gradient, comprising the steps of:

separating a gas inlet chamber area which exhibits said pressure gradient from a slice processing area by a barrier for restricting the flow of gas from the inlet chamber area to the slice processing area such that in the high gas pressure areas there is a higher restriction than in low gas pressure areas.

17. The method of claim 16, further including dividing said chamber with a barrier having a nonuniform apertured area over a surface thereof, which nonuniformity corresponds to pressure gradients within said chamber.

18. The method of claim 17, further including forming in said barrier an aperture density proximate an edge thereof which is greater than an aperture density proximate a central part of the disk.

19. The method of claim 16, further including restricting the flow of gas from said inlet chamber area to said slice processing area more at central areas thereof than at peripheral areas thereof.

20. The method of claim 16, further including exhausting said gas from said slice processing area by plural exhaust ports spaced around said slice processing area.

21. The method of claim 16, further including dispersing a gas effective to etch a material utilized in a semiconductor process.

22. The method of claim 16, further including dispersing a gas effective to deposit a material utilized in a semiconductor process.