CVD reactor having heated process chamber within isolation chamber
First Claim
1. A CVD reactor comprising:
- a pressure chamber for maintaining a reduced pressure environment;
a reaction chamber contained entirely within said pressure chamber, said reaction chamber comprising a susceptor upon which rests a wafer to be processed therein using one or more process gases, the interior of said reaction chamber being substantially isolated from said pressure chamber such that said process gases present in said reaction chamber do not contact a surface of said pressure chamber; and
a first plurality of induction coils positioned on an external periphery of said pressure chamber, said induction coils generating an RF field which inductively couples with a portion of said reaction chamber which in turn heats said wafer in said reaction chamber, wherein said first plurality of induction coils are arranged in two or more independently controllable concentric zones.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A CVD reactor includes separate reaction and pressure chambers, where the reaction chamber is contained within and isolates process gases from the pressure chamber. In this manner, each of the chambers may be designed specifically for its intended purpose. The pressure chamber is of a bell-jar shaped designed to sustain a low-pressure environment. The reaction chamber is of a parallel-plate shaped designed for optimized process gas flow. The reaction chamber is isolated from the pressure chamber such that process gases present in the reaction chamber are separated from and cannot come into contact with the inner surface of the bell jar. In this manner, process gases do not deposit on the walls of the pressure chamber. In one embodiment, the wafer is heated by induction coils external to the process chamber. In this manner, the heat transferred to the wafer is not dependent upon the thickness of deposition layers formed on the walls of the reaction chamber.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A CVD reactor comprising:
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a pressure chamber for maintaining a reduced pressure environment; a reaction chamber contained entirely within said pressure chamber, said reaction chamber comprising a susceptor upon which rests a wafer to be processed therein using one or more process gases, the interior of said reaction chamber being substantially isolated from said pressure chamber such that said process gases present in said reaction chamber do not contact a surface of said pressure chamber; and a first plurality of induction coils positioned on an external periphery of said pressure chamber, said induction coils generating an RF field which inductively couples with a portion of said reaction chamber which in turn heats said wafer in said reaction chamber, wherein said first plurality of induction coils are arranged in two or more independently controllable concentric zones.
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2. A CVD reactor comprising:
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a pressure chamber for maintaining a reduced pressure environment; a reaction chamber contained entirely within said pressure chamber, said reaction chamber comprising a susceptor upon which rests a wafer to be processed therein using one or more process gases, the interior of said reaction chamber being substantially isolated from said pressure chamber such that said process gases present in said reaction chamber do not contact a surface of said pressure chamber; and a first plurality of induction coils positioned on an external periphery of said pressure chamber, said induction coils generating an RF field which inductively couples with a portion of said reaction chamber which in turn heats said wafer in said reaction chamber, wherein said portion of said reaction chamber comprises a dish structure positioned immediately above said wafer in said reaction chamber, said dish structure heating said from above said wafer. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A CVD reactor comprising:
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a pressure chamber for maintaining a reduced pressure environment; a reaction chamber contained entirely within said pressure chamber, said reaction chamber comprising a susceptor upon which rests a wafer to be processed therein using one or more process gases, the interior of said reaction chamber being substantially isolated from said pressure chamber such that said process gases present in said reaction chamber do not contact a surface of said pressure chamber; a first plurality of induction coils positioned on an external periphery of said pressure chamber, said induction coils generating an RF field which inductively couples with a portion of said reaction chamber which in turn heats said wafer in said reaction chamber; a second plurality of induction coils positioned immediately below said wafer, said second plurality of induction coils generating an RF field which inductively couples with and thus heats said susceptor which in turn heats said wafer from below said wafer. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A CVD reactor comprising:
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a pressure chamber for maintaining a reduced pressure environment; a reaction chamber contained entirely within said pressure chamber, said reaction chamber comprising a susceptor upon which rests a wafer to be processed therein using one or more process gases, the interior of said reaction chamber being substantially isolated from said pressure chamber such that said process gases present in said reaction chamber do not contact a surface of said pressure chamber; a dish formed as part of said reaction chamber, said dish, said susceptor, and said wafer approximating a black body cavity; and a first plurality of radiant energy sources positioned on an external periphery of said pressure chamber, said radiant energy sources radiantly heating said dish which in turn heats said wafer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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Specification