Method for growing thin films

• US 6,015,590 A
• Filed: 09/25/1996
• Issued: 01/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ASM America Incorporated (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: Neste Oy (Neste Corporation)
• Inventors: Lindfors, Sven, Suntola, Tuomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Shrive
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, BRET P
• Application Number:
  US08/682,705
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 427/255.1, 427/255.2, 427/255.7, 427/255.23, 427/255.28, 117/89, 117/93, 117/102, 118/719
• US Class Current: 427/255.23
• 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 16/45525 Atomic layer deposition [ALD]
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45527 characterized by the ALD cycle, e.g. different flows or temperatures during half-reactions, unusual pulsing sequence, use of precursor mixtures or auxiliary reactants or activations
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45546 specially adapted for a substrate stack in the ALD reactor
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/10 Heating of the reaction chamber or the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/14 Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the reactive gases

Abstract

A method for growing a thin film on a substrate. A substrate is placed in a reaction space. The substrate is subjected to at least two vapor phase reactants in the form of vapor phase pulses, repeatedly and alternately. Gas within the reaction space is purged between two successive vapor phase pulses essentially entirely by use of a pump connected to the reaction space. The reaction space is purged between two successive vapor phase pulses such that less than 1% of the residual components from the first vapor phase pulse remains prior to the inflow of the second vapor phase pulse.

Claims

1. A method for growing a thin film onto a substrate, in which a substrate is placed in a reaction space and said substrate is subjected to alternately repeated surface reactions of a plurality of vapor phase reactants to form a thin film, said method comprising the steps of:

feeding said vapor phase reactants into said reaction space in the form of vapor phase pulses repeatedly and alternately, each reactant separately from its own source;

causing said vapor phase reactants to react with the surface of the substrate to form a thin film compound on said substrate;

evacuating said reaction space between two successive vapor phase pulses by connecting the reaction space to a pump so that substantially all of said reactants remaining in said reaction space and adsorbed on inner walls of said reaction space are removed to a level of less than 1% prior to the inflow of a second pulse of said two successive vapor phase pulses; and

feeding an inactive gas into said reaction space simultaneously with said evacuating step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a gas volume of said reaction space is evacuated two to ten times between said two successive vapor phase pulses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said reaction space is evacuated so that substantially all of said reactants remaining in said reaction space and adsorbed on inner walls of said reaction space are removed to a level of less than 1%, prior to the inflow of a second pulse of said two successive vapor phase pulses.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said vapor phase reactants is fed into said reaction space via a seperate inflow path in order to minimize the gas volume to be evacuated from said reaction space.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said vapor phase pulses is mixed with said inactive gas flow prior to its entry into said reaction space.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said reaction space comprises a reaction chamber into which said substrate is disposed, and gas flow channels communicated with said reaction chamber, said gas flow channels being suited for the inflow of said vapor phase pulses into said reaction chamber and, correspondingly, for the outflow of the nonreacted components of said vapor phase pulses from said reaction chamber, wherein at least a portion of said gas flow channels are provided with an oblong cross section, having a width greater than a height, in order to minimize the volume of said reaction space.

7. The method of claim 1 or 6, wherein said reaction space comprises a reaction chamber into which said substrate is disposed, and gas flow channels communicated with said reaction chamber, said gas flow channels being suited for the inflow of said vapor phase pulses into said reaction chamber and, correspondingly, for the outflow of the nonreacted components of said vapor phase pulses from said reaction chamber, wherein said reaction chamber is provided with an oblong cross section, having a width greater than a height in order to minimize the volume of said reaction space.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said vapor phase pulses are fed via said gas flow channels having an oblong cross section, having a width greater than a height, in order to form planar pulses of vapor phase reactant and to improve the intermixing of the vapor-phase reactant flow with a carrier gas flow.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said vapor phase pulses of each reactant group are fed via their individual inflow channels directly into said reaction chamber, wherein said vapor phase pulses are allowed to intermix with a carrier gas flow prior to bringing the reactant into contact with the substrate.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said vapor phase pulses are fed in an laminar flow into said reaction chamber.