Method and apparatus of growing a thin film onto a substrate
First Claim
1. A method for growing a thin film on a surface of a substrate in a reactor according to the ALD method, said method comprising:
- providing a first conduit for delivering a pulse of a first vapor phase reactant and a second conduit for delivering a pulse of a second vapor phase reactant to said reactor;
providing at least a first substrate in a pre-reaction chamber that is defined by a plurality of walls and a second substrate in a reaction chamber, said first substrate being positioned downstream of a point in the pre-reaction chamber where both said first and said second phase reactants have entered the pre-reaction chamber and said pre-reaction chamber being aligned downstream with said reaction chamber and having a single outlet that is directly connected with said reaction chamber, and said first substrate being a separate element from the walls of the pro-reaction chamber;
feeding the pulse of the first vapor phase reactant into said pre-reaction chamber and over the first substrate and subsequently into said reaction chamber and over the second substrate;
reacting the first vapor phase reactant with said surface of said first substrate and subsequently, with a surface of said second substrate to form a thin film on said first and second substrates, wherein residual first vapor phase reactant remains in said pre-reaction chamber; and
feeding a pulse of a second vapor phase reactant into said reactor, wherein said second vapor phase reactant reacts with said residual first vapor phase reactant to form a solid reaction product in said pre-reaction chamber on said first substrate and said second vapor phase reactant subsequently reacts with said surface of said second substrate in said reaction chamber.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for growing a thin film onto a substrate by the ALD process. The apparatus comprises a reaction chamber into which the substrate can be disposed; a plurality of inlet channels communicating with said reaction chamber, said inlet channels being suited for feeding the reactants employed in a thin-film growth process in the form of vapor-phase pulses into said reaction chamber; at least one outlet channel communicating with said reaction chamber, said outlet channel being suited for the outflow of reaction products and excess amounts of reactants from said reaction space; and a pre-reaction chamber arranged immediately upstream of the reaction chamber, said pre-reaction chamber forming a first reaction zone, in which the reactants of successive vapor-phase pulses can be reacted with each other in the vapor phase to form a solid product, whereas said reaction chamber forming a second reaction zone can be operated under conditions conducive to ALD growth of a thin film.
68 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for growing a thin film on a surface of a substrate in a reactor according to the ALD method, said method comprising:
-
providing a first conduit for delivering a pulse of a first vapor phase reactant and a second conduit for delivering a pulse of a second vapor phase reactant to said reactor; providing at least a first substrate in a pre-reaction chamber that is defined by a plurality of walls and a second substrate in a reaction chamber, said first substrate being positioned downstream of a point in the pre-reaction chamber where both said first and said second phase reactants have entered the pre-reaction chamber and said pre-reaction chamber being aligned downstream with said reaction chamber and having a single outlet that is directly connected with said reaction chamber, and said first substrate being a separate element from the walls of the pro-reaction chamber; feeding the pulse of the first vapor phase reactant into said pre-reaction chamber and over the first substrate and subsequently into said reaction chamber and over the second substrate; reacting the first vapor phase reactant with said surface of said first substrate and subsequently, with a surface of said second substrate to form a thin film on said first and second substrates, wherein residual first vapor phase reactant remains in said pre-reaction chamber; and feeding a pulse of a second vapor phase reactant into said reactor, wherein said second vapor phase reactant reacts with said residual first vapor phase reactant to form a solid reaction product in said pre-reaction chamber on said first substrate and said second vapor phase reactant subsequently reacts with said surface of said second substrate in said reaction chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification