Patent · US Expired

Varying conductance out of a process region to control gas flux in an ALD reactor

US7189432B2 · kind B2 · utility

29Cited by
16References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 19, 2001
Grant dateMar 13, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 19, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/76814
  • WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A deposition system includes a process chamber for conducting an ALD process to deposit layers on a substrate. In one embodiment, instead of varying the gas flux on a substrate in the chamber by controlling the flow of gas upstream of the process chamber, the gas flux on the substrate is controlled by controlling the conductance between the process chamber and a lower pressure volume outside the process chamber. The flux of the gas on the substrate varies inversely with the chamber conductance, such that the flux of the gas on the substrate increases when the conductance decreases. Various methods of performing an ALD process by controlling the conductance are disclosed as well as various structures for controlling the conductance.

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