Thermal reactor with improved gas flow distribution

US8056500B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Ming-Kuei Tseng · San Jose, US
• Norman L. Tam · Cupertino, US
• Yoshitaka Yokota · San Jose, US
• Agus Sofian Tjandra · San Jose, US
• Robert Navasca · Redwood City, US
• Mehran Behdjat · San Jose, US
• Sundar Ramamurthy · Fremont, US
• Kedarnath Sangam · Sunnyvale, US
• Alexander Lerner · Carmiel, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 19, 2008
• Grant date: Nov 15, 2011
• Expiry date: Aug 18, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/67098
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for improving gas distribution during thermal processing. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate comprising a chamber body defining a processing volume, a substrate support disposed in the processing volume, wherein the substrate support is configured to support and rotate the substrate, a gas inlet assembly coupled to an inlet of the chamber body and configured to provide a first gas flow to the processing volume, and an exhaust assembly coupled to an outlet of the chamber body, wherein the gas inlet assembly and the exhaust assembly are disposed on opposite sides of the chamber body, and the exhaust assembly defines an exhaust volume configured to extend the processing volume.