Patent US3614112A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US5759923A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5759923A
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US
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Method and apparatus for fabricating silicon dioxide and silicon glass layers in integrated circuits
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 1996-03-14
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Granted: 1998-06-02
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Expires: 2016-03-14
Abstract
Abstract A precursor liquid comprising silicon in a xylenes solvent is prepared, a substrate is placed within a vacuum deposition chamber, the precursor liquid is misted, and the mist is flowed into the deposition chamber while maintaining the chamber at ambient temperature to deposit a layer of the precursor liquid on the substrate. The liquid is dried, baked, and annealed to form a thin film of silicon dioxide or silicon glass on the substrate. Then an integrated circuit is completed to include at least a portion of the silicon dioxide or silicon glass layer as an insulator for an electronic device in the integrated circuit.
Inventors
- 👤 Larry D. McMillan
- 👤 Michael C. Scott
- 👤 Carlos A. Paz de Araujo
- 👤 Tatsuo Otsuki
- 👤 Shinichiro Hayashi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 03:01
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6342; B; B05; B05D; B05D1/00; B05D1/60; B05D3/00; B05D3/04; B05D3/0493; C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/4412; C23C16/448; C23C16/4486; C23C16/455; C23C16/45561; C23C16/45563; C23C16/4558; C23C16/46; C23C16/48; C23C16/482; C23C16/52; C23C18/00; C23C18/02; C23C18/12; C23C18/1204; C23C18/1208; C23C18/1212; C23C18/125; C23C18/1287; C23C18/14; C23C18/143; C23C26/00; C23C26/02; C30; C30B; C30B29/00; C30B29/60; C30B29/68; C30B7/00; H10B; H10B53/00; H10D; H10D1/00; H10D1/60; H10D1/68; H10D1/682; H10D1/684; H10D1/692; H10N; H10N30/00; H10N30/01; H10N30/07; H10N30/074; H10N30/076; H10P14/65; H10P14/6516; H10P14/6536; H10P14/6538; H10P14/66; H10P14/668; H10P14/6681; H10P14/6684; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/69215; H10P14/6922; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/10; H05K3/105
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
105 words
A method of fabricating a thin film of silicon dioxide or silicon glass, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a liquid precursor; containing a silicon compound selected from the group consisting of carboxysilanes, alkoxycarboxysilanes and water-free alkoxysilanes, (b) placing a substrate inside an enclosed deposition chamber; (c) producing a mist of said liquid precursor; (d) flowing said mist through said deposition chamber to form a layer of the precursor liquid on said substrate; and (e) treating the liquid layer deposited on said substrate to form a solid film of a silicon material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide and silicon glass.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
105 words
A method of fabricating a thin film of silicon dioxide or silicon glass, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a liquid precursor; containing a silicon compound selected from the group consisting of carboxysilanes, alkoxycarboxysilanes and water-free alkoxysilanes, (b) placing a substrate inside an enclosed deposition chamber; (c) producing a mist of said liquid precursor; (d) flowing said mist through said deposition chamber to form a layer of the precursor liquid on said substrate; and (e) treating the liquid layer deposited on said substrate to form a solid film of a silicon material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide and silicon glass.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as in claim 1 wherein said step of flowing is performed while maintaining said deposition chamber at ambient temperature.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
50 words
A method as in claim I wherein said silicon material forms part of an integrated circuit, said method further including the step completing the fabrication of said integrated circuit to include at least a portion of the silicon material as an insulator for an electronic device in the integrated circuit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said liquid precursor comprises a metal alkoxide in a solvent.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said liquid precursor comprises a metal carboxylate in a solvent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said step of flowing said mist into said deposition chamber is performed while maintaining a vacuum in the deposition chamber.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said film is deposited while said deposition chamber is maintained at a vacuum of between approximately 200 Torr and 800 Torr.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said step of flowing comprises injecting said mist into said deposition chamber in close proximity to and around the periphery of one side of said substrate and exhausting said mist from said deposition chamber at a region in close proximity to and around the periphery of an opposite side of said substrate to create a substantially evenly distributed flow of mist across the substrate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 1, wherein a surface of said substrate defines a substrate plane and said mist is flowed between said substrate and a barrier plate located within said deposition chamber in a spaced relation to said substrate and parallel to said substrate plane.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 9, wherein said barrier plate is adjustable to vary the distance between the barrier plate and the substrate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1, including the additional step of rotating said substrate in a plane parallel to a surface of said substrate while said mist is flowing over said substrate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1, including the additional step of applying ultraviolet radiation to said mist while the mist is flowing through the deposition chamber.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1, including the step of applying a DC bias between said deposition chamber and said substrate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said step of producing a mist comprises ultrasonically vibrating a quantity of said liquid precursor to form said mist by nebulization.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said step of treating includes one or more steps from the group of drying, baking and annealing said layer deposited on said substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of treating comprises drying said liquid precursor deposited on said substrate.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 16 wherein said step of drying comprises maintaining a sub-atmospheric pressure in said deposition chamber.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said liquid precursor includes a metal compound in a solvent, said solvent selected from the group consisting of xylenes, 2-methoxyethanol, n-octane, and n-butyl acetate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5456945A
Cited
WO1994010084A1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-06-01 | 2001-12-01 | 2002-06-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-06-01 | 2005-12-01 | 2006-06-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-06-01 | 2009-12-01 | 2010-06-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |