US5093149A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of depositing directly activated species onto a remotely located substrate
Assignee: Energy Conversion Devices Inc
•
Filing: 1990-05-07
•
Granted: 1992-03-03
•
Expires: 2010-05-07
Abstract
Abstract A method of depositing high quality thin film at a high rate of deposition through the formation of a high flux of activated precursor species of a precursor deposition gas by employing a substantial pressure differential between the pressure adjacent the aperture in a conduit from which said precursor deposition gas is introduced into the interior of a vacuumized enclosure and the background pressure which exits in said enclosure. As the precursor deposition gas is introduced into said enclosure, a high density plume of said activated precursor species are formed therefrom due to an electromagnetic field established in an activation region adjacent said aperture. The pressure differential is sufficient to cause those activated precursor species to be deposited upon a remotely positioned substrate. In order to obtain a sufficient pressure differential, it is preferred that the flow of the precursor deposition gas reaches transonic velocity. And in order to obtain a high quality thin film, it is preferred that the plume of activated precursor species is spaced from the substrate; without structural or electrical confinement, a distance from the activation region greater than the mean free path of undesired activated precursor species and within the mean free path of desired species.
Inventors
- 👤 Joachim Doehler
- 👤 Stephen J. Hudgens
- 👤 Stanford R. Ovshinsky
- 👤 Lester R. Peedin
- 👤 Jeffrey M. Krisko
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 00:26
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/455; C23C16/45502; C23C16/4551; C23C16/448; C23C16/452; C23C16/45514
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 70
Claim 1
Independent Claim
156 words
A method of depositing a high quality thin film at a relatively high rate of deposition, said method comprising the steps of: providing an enclosure; maintaining the interior of said enclosure at a subatmospheric background pressure; introducing a precursor deposition gas into the interior of said enclosure through at least one aperture formed in a conduit, said precursor deposition gas including silicon; activating said precursor deposition gas in a activation region so as to form a high density plume of activated precursor species; operatively disposing a substrate interiorly of said enclosure, said substrate spaced from said plume; establishing a sufficient flow of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture in said conduit so as to define a substantially clear boundary of said plume of activated precursor species without the structural, electrical, or magnetic confinement thereof; and depositing a high quality thin film of silicon containing material at a relatively high rate from the activated precursor species.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
156 words
A method of depositing a high quality thin film at a relatively high rate of deposition, said method comprising the steps of: providing an enclosure; maintaining the interior of said enclosure at a subatmospheric background pressure; introducing a precursor deposition gas into the interior of said enclosure through at least one aperture formed in a conduit, said precursor deposition gas including silicon; activating said precursor deposition gas in a activation region so as to form a high density plume of activated precursor species; operatively disposing a substrate interiorly of said enclosure, said substrate spaced from said plume; establishing a sufficient flow of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture in said conduit so as to define a substantially clear boundary of said plume of activated precursor species without the structural, electrical, or magnetic confinement thereof; and depositing a high quality thin film of silicon containing material at a relatively high rate from the activated precursor species.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as in claim 1, including a further step of establishing a flow of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture in said conduit at substantially transonic velocity.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as in claim 2, including the further step of forming the size of said aperture relative to the size of said conduit so as to form a choke adjacent said aperture for providing said high density plume.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 3, including the further step of utilizing microwave energy to activate said deposition precursor gas.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as in claim 4, including the further step of operatively disposing the aperture portion of said conduit adjacent said activation region for activating said precursor deposition gas downstream of said choke.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as in claim 5, including the further steps of forming said conduit from a microwave non-transmissive material, whereby said activated precursor species are primarily initiated exteriorly of said conduit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of increasing the time of residency of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture so as to increase the energy of said plume of activated precursor species.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of circulating a coolant medium through a tube concentrically disposed about said conduit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of providing means for reducing degradation of the surface of said conduit adjacent said aperture.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as in claim 6, including the further step of providing a protective overcoat at least partially encapsulating the aperture portion of said conduit to reduce the degradation thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as in claim 7, including the further step of selecting said protective overcoat from a substantially high temperature, sputter-resistant material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of selecting said precursor deposition gas from the group consisting essentially of a silicon-containing gas, a germanium-containing gas, a carbon-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, a p-dopant containing gas, an n-dopant containing gas, and combinations thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of disposing said substrate a distance from said plume so as to define a directed drift zone in which collisions of activated precursor species of said precursor deposition gas form one or more desired deposition species of said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as in claim 13, including the further step of disposing means for increasing the residency time of the activated species in said drift zone.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as in claim 14, wherein the residency time increasing means is an air-brake.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of utilizing r.f. energy to activate said deposition precursor gas.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of maintaining the background pressure in said enclosure at least about a factor of five less than the pressure adjacent said aperture in said conduit, whereby a plume of pressure isobars is formed by the activated precursor species of said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of controlling the volume of said plume of activated precursor species by controlling the pressure differential existing between the background pressure in said enclosure and the pressure adjacent the aperture in said conduit.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of maintaining the background pressure in said enclosure of less than about 50 torr.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as in claim 17, including the further step of introducing a flow rate of at least about 100 SCCM of said precursor deposition gas through said conduit into said enclosure.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as in claim 20, including the further step of introducing a flow rate of about 100 to 2000 SCCM of said precursor deposition gas through said conduit into said enclosure.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as in claim 1, including the further step of maintaining pressure isobars adjacent the aperture portion of said conduit of about one-half the pressure at which the substantial minimum of the Paschen curve for a given precursor deposition gas occurs.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
135 words
A method of depositing a high quality thin film at a relatively high rate of deposition, said method comprising the steps of: providing an enclosure; maintaining the interior of said enclosure at a subatmospheric background pressure; introducing a precursor deposition gas into the interior of said enclosure through at least one aperture formed in a conduit, said precursor deposition including silicon; activating said precursor deposition gas in an activation region so as to form a high density plume of activated precursor species; operatively disposing a substrate interiorly of said enclosure, said substrate spaced from said plume; establishing a flow of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture in said conduit at substantially transonic velocity; and depositing a high quality thin film of silicon containing material at a relatively high rate from the activated precursor species.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
135 words
A method of depositing a high quality thin film at a relatively high rate of deposition, said method comprising the steps of: providing an enclosure; maintaining the interior of said enclosure at a subatmospheric background pressure; introducing a precursor deposition gas into the interior of said enclosure through at least one aperture formed in a conduit, said precursor deposition including silicon; activating said precursor deposition gas in an activation region so as to form a high density plume of activated precursor species; operatively disposing a substrate interiorly of said enclosure, said substrate spaced from said plume; establishing a flow of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture in said conduit at substantially transonic velocity; and depositing a high quality thin film of silicon containing material at a relatively high rate from the activated precursor species.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of reducing the size of said aperture relative to the size of said conduit so as to form a choke adjacent said aperture for providing a high density plume of said activated precursor species.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 24, including the further step of utilizing microwave energy to activate said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as in claim 25, including the further step of operatively disposing the aperture portion of said conduit adjacent said activation region for activating said precursor deposition gas downstream of said choke.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as in claim 26, including the further steps of forming said conduit from a microwave non-transmissive material, whereby said activated precursor species are primarily initiated exteriorly of said conduit.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of increasing the time of residency of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture so as to increase the energy of said plume of activated precursor species.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of circulating a coolant medium through a tube concentrically disposed around said conduit.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of providing means for reducing degradation of the surface of said conduit adjacent said aperture.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as in claim 30, including the further step of providing a protective overcoat at least partially encapsulating the aperture portion of said conduit to reduce the degradation thereof.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as in claim 31, including the further step of selecting said protective overcoat from a substantially high temperature, sputter-resistant material.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of selecting said precursor deposition gas from the group consisting essentially of a silicon-containing gas, a germanium-containing gas, a carbon-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, a p-dopant containing gas, an n-dopant containing gas, and combinations thereof.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of disposing said substrate means an operative distance from said plume so as to define a directed drift zone in which collisions of activated precursor species of said precursor deposition gas form on one more desired deposition species of said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as in claim 34, including the further step of disposing means for increasing the residency time of the activated species in said drift zone.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as in claim 35, wherein the residency time increasing means is an air-brake.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of utilizing r.f. energy to activate said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of maintaining the background pressure in said enclosure at least about a factor of five less than the pressure adjacent said aperture in said conduit, whereby a plume of pressure isobars is formed by the activated precursor species of said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of controlling the volume of said plume of activated precursor species by controlling the pressure differential existing between the background pressure in said enclosure and the pressure adjacent the aperture in said conduit.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as in claim 39, including the further step of maintaining the background pressure in said enclosure of less than about 50 torr.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as in claim 40, including the further step of introducing a flow rate of at least about 100 SCCM of said precursor deposition gas through said conduit into said enclosure.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as in claim 41, including the further step of introducing a flow rate of about 100 to 2000 SCCM of said precursor deposition gas through said conduit into said enclosure.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as in claim 23, including the further step of maintaining pressure isobars adjacent the aperture portion of said conduit of about one-half the pressure at which the substantial minimum of the Paschen curve for a given precursor deposition gas occurs.
Claim 46
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of depositing a high quality thin film at a relatively high rate of deposition, said method comprising the steps of: providing an enclosure; maintaining the interior of said enclosure at a subatmospheric background pressure; introducing a precursor deposition gas including silicon into the interior of said enclosure through at least one aperture formed in a conduit, said pressure at said aperture being at least a factor of five greater than said background pressure; activating said precursor deposition gas in an activation region so as to form a high density plume of activated precursor species;
Claim 47
Independent Claim
96 words
A method of depositing a high quality thin film at a relatively high rate of deposition, said method comprising the steps of: providing an enclosure; maintaining the interior of said enclosure at a subatmospheric background pressure; introducing a precursor deposition gas including silicon into the interior of said enclosure through at least one aperture formed in a conduit, said pressure at said aperture being at least a factor of five greater than said background pressure; activating said precursor deposition gas in an activation region so as to form a high density plume of activated precursor species;
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
53 words
operatively disposing a substrate interiorly of said enclosure, said substrate spaced from said plume, whereby said activated precursor species react with one another prior to being deposited upon said substrate; and depositing a high quality thin film of silicon containing material at a relatively high rate of deposition from the activated precursor species.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
53 words
operatively disposing a substrate interiorly of said enclosure, said substrate spaced from said plume, whereby said activated precursor species react with one another prior to being deposited upon said substrate; and depositing a high quality thin film of silicon containing material at a relatively high rate of deposition from the activated precursor species.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
61 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of selecting the flow rate of precursor deposition gas in said conduit so as to provide a sufficient pressure of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture for initiating a plasma from said precursor deposition gas at a power-pressure-aperture size regime which is at the substantial minimum of the Paschen curve.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of forming the size of said aperture relative to the size of said conduit so as to form a choke adjacent said aperture for providing said high density plume.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of increasing the time of residency of said precursor deposition gas adjacent said aperture so as to increase the energy of said activated precursor species.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of circulating a coolant medium through a tube concentrically disposed about said conduit.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of providing means for reducing degradation of the surface of said conduit adjacent said aperture.
Claim 55
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as in claim 49, including the further step of providing a protective overcoat at least partially encapsulating the aperture portion of said conduit to reduce the degradation thereof.
Claim 56
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as in claim 50, including the further step of selecting said protective overcoat from a substantially high temperature, sputter-resistant material.
Claim 57
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of selecting said precursor deposition gas from the group consisting essentially of a silicon-containing gas, a germanium-containing gas, a carbon-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, a p-dopant-containing gas, an n-dopant-containing gas, and combinations thereof.
Claim 58
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of disposing said substrate means a distance from said plume so as to define a directed drift zone in which collisions of activated precursor species of said precursor deposition gas form one or more desired deposition species of said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 59
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as in claim 53, including the further step of disposing means for increasing the residency time of the activated species in said drift zone.
Claim 60
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as in claim 54, wherein the residency time increasing means is an air-brake.
Claim 61
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of utilizing r.f. energy to activate said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 62
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of utilizing microwave energy to activate said precursor deposition gas.
Claim 63
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as in claim 57, including the further step of operatively disposing the aperture portion of said conduit adjacent said activation region for activating said precursor deposition gas downstream of said choke.
Claim 64
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as in claim 58, including the further step of forming said conduit from a microwave non-transmissive material, whereby said activated precursor species are primarily initiated exteriorly of said conduit.
Claim 65
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of applying an electromagnetic field to form said plume of activated precursor species, and limiting, without the use of structural or electrical confinement, the volume occupied by said plume of activated precursor species.
Claim 66
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of controlling the volume of said plume of activated precursor species by controlling the pressure differential existing between the background pressure in said enclosure and the pressure adjacent the aperture in said conduit.
Claim 67
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of maintaining the background pressure in said enclosure in the range of less than about 5 torr.
Claim 68
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as in claim 62, including the further step of introducing a flow rate of at least about 100 SCCM of said precursor deposition gas through said conduit into said enclosure.
Claim 69
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as in claim 63, including the further step of introducing a flow rate of about 100 to 2000 SCCM of said precursor deposition gas through said conduit into said enclosure.
Claim 70
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as in claim 44, including the further step of maintaining pressure isobars adjacent the aperture portion of said conduit of about one-half the pressure at which the substantial minimum of the Paschen curve for a given precursor deposition gas occurs.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4937094A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-03-03 | 1995-09-02 | 1996-03-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-03-03 | 1999-09-02 | 2000-03-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-03-03 | 2003-09-02 | 2004-03-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |