Head for vaporizing and flowing various precursor materials onto semiconductor wafers during chemical vapor deposition

US6299692A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Vincent Ku · San Jose, US
• Ming Xi · Palo Alto, US
• Xiaoxiong Yuan · Cupertino, US
• Anzhong Chang · San Jose, US
• Anh N. Nguyen · Milpitas, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 21, 2000
• Grant date: Oct 9, 2001
• Expiry date: Jul 21, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C23C16/4485
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A vaporizer head for evenly flowing at low pressure into a processing chamber vaporized precursor compounds for deposition of metal and other layers onto a semiconductor, has a bulb-like body with a center axis, a lengthwise cavity, an input end and an output end. The cavity has an opening for receiving a stream of vaporized precursor compound. There are a plurality of passages for flow of vapor through the head, each passage having a length and a diameter. They extend radially from along and around the cavity like the spokes of a wheel at inclined angles relative to the center axis from the cavity to a tapered output surface of the head. The cavity has a well-like bottom for capturing any droplets or particles of precursor compound and preventing them from leaving the head except as vapor. The plurality of passages have sufficiently large diameters such that there is only a low pressure drop in the vapor flowing through the head.