Hot-filament chemical vapor deposition chamber and process with multiple gas inlets

• US 6,638,839 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: University of Toledo
• Original Assignee: University of Toledo
• Inventors: Deng, Xunming, Povolny, Henry S.
• Primary Examiner(s): GHYKA, ALEXANDER G
• Application Number:
  US10/205,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20030032265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 438/482, 438/485, 438/795, 427/588, 427/592, 427/593
• US Class Current: 438/485
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/24 Deposition of silicon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34

Abstract

A thin film deposition method uses a vacuum confinement cup that employs a dense hot filament and multiple gas inlets. At least one reactant gas is introduced into the confinement cup both near and spaced apart from the heated filament. An electrode inside the confinement cup is used to generate plasma for film deposition. The method is used to deposit advanced thin films (such as silicon based thin films) at a high quality and at a high deposition rate.

Claims

1. A method for the deposition of a thin film material upon a substrate comprising the steps of:

providing a confinement cup;

providing a substrate in the confinement cup;

providing a vacuum source for evacuating the confinement cup to sub-atmospheric pressure;

providing a dense hot filament which is heated to about 1500 C. or higher;

providing at least one first gas inlet adjacent the dense filament for introducing at least one gas into the evacuated confinement cup through the inlet; and

providing at least one second gas inlet in a spaced apart relationship to the dense filament and introducing at least one gas into the evacuated confinement cup through the inlet.

2. The method of claim 1, including the further step of heating the substrate to a temperature between room temperature and about 500 C. or higher to enhance the surface mobility of atoms during film growth.

3. The method of claim 1, including the further step of evacuating the confinement cup to a sub-atmospheric pressure by evacuating the confinement cup to a pressure of about 10⁻

5 Torr or less.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dense hot filament comprises a densely pack filament coil or other dense filament structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one gas introduced into the evacuated confinement cup includes at least one of the following:

H2, silicon hydride (SiH4, Si2H6, Si3H8, Si_xH_2x+2)), silicon fluoride, germanium hydride, germanium fluoride, carbon hydride, carbon fluoride.

6. The method of claim 1, further including providing at least one electrode in the confinement cup to strike and maintain a plasma for the film deposition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electrode delivers power at the frequency of 0 (DC) to 150 MHz (VHF) including 13.56 MHz (RF).

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the plasma is stricken during the interface treatment.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the plasma is stricken for simultaneous plasma and hot-filament deposition.

10. The method of claim 1, in which the thin film material is deposited at a rate substantially higher than that of PECVD.

11. A thin film material deposited on a substrate using the method of claim 1.

12. The material in claim 11 used as an active layer in a photovoltaic device.

13. The material in claim 11 used as an active layer in a thin film transistor.

14. The material in claim 11 used as an active layer in an ac color plasma display.

15. The material in claim 11 used as a hard coating for tools.