Patent US6511539B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6511539B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Apparatus and method for growth of a thin film
Assignee: ASM IP Holding BV
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Filing: 1999-09-08
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Granted: 2003-01-28
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Expires: 2019-09-08
Abstract
Abstract An improved apparatus and method for substrate layer deposition in which substrate layers are grown by carrier gas delivery of sequential pulses of reactants to the substrate surface. At least one of the reactants comprises excited species, e.g., radicals. In a specific embodiment, the apparatus of this invention provides sequential repeated pulses of reactants in a flow of carrier gas for reaction at a substrate surface. The reactant pulses are delivered with sufficient intervening delay times to minimize undesirable reaction between reactants in adjacent pulses in the gas phase or undesired uncontrolled reactions on the substrate surface.
Inventors
- 👤 Ivo Raaijmakers
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 01:14
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/455; C23C16/45523; C23C16/45525; C23C16/45544; C23C16/448; C23C16/452; C23C16/45519; C23C16/45521; C23C16/45527; C23C16/45536; C23C16/45542; C30; C30B; C30B25/00; C30B25/02; C30B25/14; C30B29/00; C30B29/10; C30B29/38; H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32431; H01J37/3244; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T117/00; Y10T117/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
69 words
A method for depositing a layer on a substrate comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reaction chamber for receiving said substrate; (b) evacuating said reaction chamber through a vacuum pump; (c) providing a continuous flow of carrier gas to said reaction chamber; (d) providing alternating and sequential concentration pulses of at least two reactants to the carrier gas flow, at least one of the reactants containing excited species.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
69 words
A method for depositing a layer on a substrate comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reaction chamber for receiving said substrate; (b) evacuating said reaction chamber through a vacuum pump; (c) providing a continuous flow of carrier gas to said reaction chamber; (d) providing alternating and sequential concentration pulses of at least two reactants to the carrier gas flow, at least one of the reactants containing excited species.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 where the layer thickness per cycle is less than about 1 nm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the concentration of any one reactant in a carrier flow at a point in space and time is no greater than 10% of its maximum value when at that same point in space, time, or both another reactant is at its maximum concentration.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the concentration of any one reactant in a carrier flow at a point in space and time is no greater than 1% of its maximum value when at that same point in space and time another reactant is at its maximum concentration.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
74 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the concentration pulses of reactants are supplied to the carrier gas flow through the reaction chamber with an intermediate delay time sufficiently large to achieve a spatial separation between the pulses in the reaction chamber such that the characteristic diffusion length of the reactants or excited species in the carrier gas (L D ) is smaller than the distance between the trailing and leading edges of the pulses.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
78 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the concentration pulses of reactants are supplied to the carrier gas flow through the reaction chamber with an intermediate delay time sufficiently large to achieve a spatial separation between the pulses in the reaction chamber such that the characteristic diffusion length of the reactants or excited species in the carrier gas (L D ) is 5 to 10 times smaller than the distance between the trailing and leading edges of the pulses.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the excited species are excited neutrals or radicals formed in a plasma.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 wherein pulses of a reactant gas without excited species alternate with pulses of a reactant comprising excited species.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the gas inlet system comprises a first gas inlet for introducing carrier gas flow into the reaction chamber and a second gas inlet for introducing reactants comprising excited species into. said carrier gas flow.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein concentration pulses of the reactant containing excited species are generated by pulsing on an energy source coupled to a flow of precursor of the excited species.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 10 where the energy source provides thermal energy.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 10 wherein the energy source provides visable, UV or IR radiation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the layer deposited on the substrate consists of a metal nitride.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the metal nitride is tantalum nitride.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 13 wherein the metal nitride is titanium nitride.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the layer deposited on the substrate consists of an elemental metal.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the metal is tantalum.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
10 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the metal is titanium.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
110 words
A method for depositing a layer on a substrate comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reaction chamber for receiving said substrate; (b) evacuating said reaction chamber through a vacuum pump; (c) providing a continuous flow of carrier gas to said reaction chamber to establish a gas flow parallel to said substrate surface while said reaction chamber is evacuated; (d) supplying alternating and sequential concentration pulses of at least two reactants to the carrier gas flow, at least one of the reactants containing excited species; (e) maintaining the pressure of said reaction chamber during the supply of the alternating and sequential pulses at a level between 1 and 20 torr.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
110 words
A method for depositing a layer on a substrate comprising the steps of: (a) providing a reaction chamber for receiving said substrate; (b) evacuating said reaction chamber through a vacuum pump; (c) providing a continuous flow of carrier gas to said reaction chamber to establish a gas flow parallel to said substrate surface while said reaction chamber is evacuated; (d) supplying alternating and sequential concentration pulses of at least two reactants to the carrier gas flow, at least one of the reactants containing excited species; (e) maintaining the pressure of said reaction chamber during the supply of the alternating and sequential pulses at a level between 1 and 20 torr.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein at least one reactant is mixed with said continuous flow of carrier gas before entering said reaction chamber.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein providing the continuous flow of carrier gas comprises providing a first continuous flow of carrier gas via a first gas inlet and providing a second continuous flow of carrier gas via a second gas inlet.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 21 wherein supplying the alternating and sequential concentration pulses of at least two reactants comprises: (a) supplying concentration pulses of a first reactant to the first continuous flow of carrier gas; (b) supplying concentration pulses of a second reactant containing excited species to the second continuous flow of carrier gas.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 21 wherein at least one of said reactants is mixed with the respective flow of carrier gas prior to entering the reaction chamber.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 19 wherein the excited species are excited neutrals or radicals formed in a plasma.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 24 wherein the reactant to be excited comprises nitrogen, hydrogen, ammonia or oxygen.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein the concentration pulses of a reactant containing excited species are generated by pulsing on and off an energy source coupled to a continuous flow of a reactant to be excited.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method according claim 26 wherein the energy source provides thermal energy.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method according claim 26 wherein the energy source provides visible, UV or IR radiation.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein the concentration pulses of the reactants are supplied to the carrier gas flow through the reaction chamber with an intermediate delay time sufficiently large to achieve a spatial separation between the pulses in the reaction chamber such that the distance between the leading and trailing edges of the pulses is larger than the characteristic diffusion length (L D ) of the reactants or excited species in the gas.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
79 words
The method according to claim 19 wherein the concentration pulses of the reactants are supplied to the carrier gas flow through the reaction chamber with an intermediate delay time sufficiently large to achieve a spatial separation between the pulses in the reaction chamber such that the distance between the leading and trailing edges of the pulses is 5 to 10 times larger than the characteristic diffusion length (L D ) of the reactants or excited species in the gas.
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