Patent · US Expired

Control system for use when growing thin-films on semiconductor-based materials

US6511544B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
14References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 30, 2001
Grant dateJan 28, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 30, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L22/12
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A process and system for use during the growth of a thin film upon the surface of a substrate by exposing the substrate surface ti vaporized material in a high vacuum (HV) facility involves the directing of an electron beam generally toward the surface of the substrate as the substrate is exposed to vaporized material so that electrons are diffracted from the substrate surface by the beam and the monitoring of the pattern of electrons diffracted from the substrate surfaces as vaporized material settles upon the substrate surface. When the monitored pattern achieves a condition indicative of the desired condition of the thin film being grown upon the substrate, the exposure of the substrate to the vaporized materials is shut off of otherwise adjusted. To facilitate the adjustment of the crystallographic orientation of the film relative to the electron beam, the system includes a mechanism for altering the orientation of the surface of the substrate relative to the electron beam.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.