US6562140B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for fabrication of thin films
Assignee: ASM IP Holding BV
•
Filing: 2000-05-10
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Granted: 2003-05-13
•
Expires: 2020-05-10
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to an apparatus for growing thin films onto a substrate by exposing the substrate to alternate surface reactions of vapor-phase reactants for forming a thin film onto the substrate by means of said surface reactions. The apparatus comprises a vacuum vessel ( 1 ), a reaction chamber ( 2 ) with a reaction space into which the substrate can be transferred and which has infeed channels ( 6 ) for feeding therein the reactants used in said thin film growth process, as well as outlet channels ( 4 ) for discharging gaseous reaction products and excess reactants. According to the invention, said reaction chamber comprises a base part ( 9, 10 ) mounted stationary in respect to the interior of said vacuum vessel ( 1 ) and a movable part ( 18 ) adapted to be sealably closable against said base part of said reaction chamber. The invention makes it possible to improve the cleanliness of the substrate load chamber and to reduce the degree of substrate contamination. The apparatus is intended for use in the fabrication of thin films by means of the ALE method for semiconductor layer structures and display units.
Inventors
- 👤 Niklas Bondestam
- 👤 Janne Kesälä
- 👤 Leif Keto
- 👤 Pekka T. Soininen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 03:43
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/44; C23C16/455; C23C16/45523; C23C16/45525; C23C16/45544; H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; C30; C30B; C30B25/00; C30B25/02; C30B25/08; C30B25/12; C30B25/16; C30B25/165
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
170 words
An apparatus for growing thin films onto a substrate by exposing the substrate to alternate surface reactions of vapor-phase reactants for forming a thin film onto the substance by means of said surface reactions, the apparatus comprising: a reaction chamber into whose reaction space said substrate can be transferred; inlet channels connected to said reaction chamber for feeding therein said reactants used in said thin film growth process; and outlet channels connected to said reaction chamber for discharging gaseous reaction products and excess reactants, wherein said reaction chamber comprises at least two parts, at least one part being movable with respect to the remaining part(s) of the reaction chamber and adapted to be sealably closable against said remaining part of said reaction chamber; the parts of the reaction chamber are contained in a vacuum vessel, both during processing and during loading/unloading of a substrate; and said vacuum vessel and said reaction chamber have independent hearing means for independently controlling an internal temperature of said vacuum vessel and said reaction chamber.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
170 words
An apparatus for growing thin films onto a substrate by exposing the substrate to alternate surface reactions of vapor-phase reactants for forming a thin film onto the substance by means of said surface reactions, the apparatus comprising: a reaction chamber into whose reaction space said substrate can be transferred; inlet channels connected to said reaction chamber for feeding therein said reactants used in said thin film growth process; and outlet channels connected to said reaction chamber for discharging gaseous reaction products and excess reactants, wherein said reaction chamber comprises at least two parts, at least one part being movable with respect to the remaining part(s) of the reaction chamber and adapted to be sealably closable against said remaining part of said reaction chamber; the parts of the reaction chamber are contained in a vacuum vessel, both during processing and during loading/unloading of a substrate; and said vacuum vessel and said reaction chamber have independent hearing means for independently controlling an internal temperature of said vacuum vessel and said reaction chamber.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the said reaction chamber comprises a base part mounted stationary in respect to the interior of said vacuum vessel and a movable part adapted to be sealably closable against said base part of said reaction chamber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said movable part made transferable either in a direction essentially parallel to the substrate plane, or alternatively, perpendicular to said plane.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said movable part is made transferable in both a direction parallel to the substrate plane and in a direction perpendicular to the plane.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said base part has a rabbet encircling its edge, while said movable part is provided with an outer edge that is shaped conforming to said rabbet shape in order to seal said movable part against said stationary base art.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said movable part of said reaction chamber acts as a substrate support platform on which a substrate can be positioned.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said base part of said reaction chamber acts as a substrate support platform on which a substrate can be positioned.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said reaction chamber is adapted to the interior of a vacuum vessel so that said reaction chamber base part is supported to the walls of said vacuum vessel or, alternatively, so that said base part forms a portion of the wall of said vacuum vessel.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
60 words
The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said reaction chamber is supported to the walls of said vessel so that the center axis of the base part is coincident with the center point of the substrate in order to prevent mechanical deformations of thermal origin from affecting the positioning of the substrate when the reactor chamber is being closed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at least either one of said base part and said movable part of said reaction chamber is provided with a heater element.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein both said base part and said movable part of said reaction chamber are provided with a heater element.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said base part and said movable part of said reaction chamber are thermally insulated from said vacuum vessel by passive insulation, reflective shields and/or active heat insulation elements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said movable part is provided with substrate lift means, whose upright movement facilitates the elevation of said substrate off from said substrate support platform and the subsequent placement of said substrate onto a transfer means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said transfer means is a robotic arm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said substrate lift means comprises pins adapted on said substrate support platform so as to be movable at right angles in respect to said support platform for elevating said substrate off from the surface of said support platform.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein said pins are spring-loaded and adapted to move in holes made to the said substrate support platform.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
62 words
The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the top ends of said pins are shaped downward tapering to seat against said substrate support platform and the seat holes of said substrate support surface are made similarly downward tapering to the depth of said pin ends, thus allowing the pins to be sealably lowered into said seat holes of said support platform.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said movable part is sealed against said base part by means of metal and/or elastomer seals.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said movable part is sealed against said base part by means of a vacuum pump-out groove that may optionally be flushed with a protective gas.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said movable part is sealed against said base part by means of planar mating surfaces.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an internal temperature of said vacuum vessel and an internal temperature of said reaction chamber are independently controlled.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
33 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reactant inlet channels and the outlet channels of gaseous reaction products and excess reactants are passed via the same wall of the vacuum vessel.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reactant inlet channels and the outlet channels of gaseous reaction products and excess reactants are passed into the vacuum vessel via the top and bottom wall of the vacuum vessel, relative to the location of the reaction space housed therein.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
43 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a support structure adaptable to the interior of said reaction chamber, said support structure serving to hold at least two substrates for the deposition of thin films on said substrates in a simultaneous fashion.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein said support structure comprises a rack having platform shelves or brackets provided thereon for supporting said substrates, or alternatively, a cassette unit consisting of stackable modular elements.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
14 words
The apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein said modular elements are mutually identical.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus according to claim 25 , wherein at least some of said modular elements are designed to accommodate a substrate.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein said substrate-accommodating elements exhibit support brackets or platforms for the substrates.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction chamber is at least partially surrounded by a heat reflector.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus according to claim 29 , comprising a cooling system for cooling said vacuum vessel.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-05-12 | 2006-11-11 | 2007-05-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-05-12 | 2010-11-11 | 2011-05-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-05-12 | 2014-11-11 | 2015-05-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |