Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Balaraman Mani

Bill Chen

Eric N Paton

Che-Hoo Ng

Exposure time is determined by a device which is sensitive to an environmental substance in a controlled environment. Embodiments include a humidity sensitive timer treated with a cobalt salt which changes colors after a certain exposure time within the controlled environment. Elapsed time is measured by exposing the timer to a humidity controlled environment and monitoring the timer for a change in color.

Elapsed time indicator for controlled environments and method of use

Contamination of semiconductor wafers are minimized during implantation processes within an implantation system. An implantation chamber of the implantation system and components within the implantation chamber are coated with additional material to minimize contaminants within the implantation chamber. For example, surfaces of the implantation chamber and/or the components of the implantation chamber are coated by performing an implantation process with a coating dopant before a semiconductor wafer is placed within the implantation chamber. In this manner, contaminants on the surfaces of the implantation chamber and/or the components within the implantation chamber are substantially coated and encapsulated with the coating dopant to prevent contact of the contaminant with the semiconductor wafer placed within the implantation chamber. Alternatively, shields are placed on surfaces of the implantation chamber and/or on surfaces of the components of the implantation chamber during an implantation process for a first semiconductor wafer having a contaminant source. Such shields are amenable for absorbing the contaminant and are removed after this implantation process and before a second semiconductor wafer is placed within the implantation chamber to minimize contamination of the second semiconductor wafer.

Minimized contamination of semiconductor wafers within an implantation system

For depositing semiconductor films on a plurality of sets of semiconductor wafers, a first set of semiconductor wafers carried by a wafer boat are placed within a reaction chamber. An in-situ doped amorphous semiconductor film is deposited on the first set of semiconductor wafers while the first set of semiconductor wafers carried by the wafer boat are within the reaction chamber. The first set of semiconductor wafers carried by the wafer boat are removed from the reaction chamber, and the first set of semiconductor wafers are removed from the wafer boat. The wafer boat that is empty of any semiconductor wafers is placed back within the reaction chamber. A first undoped semiconductor film having a thickness in a range of from about 8,000 &angst; (angstroms) to about 12,000 &angst; (angstroms) is deposited on the wafer boat and on components of the reaction chamber. The wafer boat is then removed from the reaction chamber, and a second set of semiconductor wafers are loaded within the wafer boat. The wafer boat having the second set of semiconductor wafers loaded therein is placed within the reaction chamber. A second undoped semiconductor film is deposited on the second set of semiconductor wafers while the second set of semiconductor wafers carried by the wafer boat are within the reaction chamber. In this manner, the in-situ phosphorous doped amorphous silicon film is deposited on the first set of semiconductor wafers and the undoped polysilicon film is deposited on the second set of semiconductor wafers within the same reaction chamber to minimize cost and labor during integrated circuit manufacture.

Deposition of in-situ doped semiconductor film and undoped semiconductor film in the same reaction chamber

A LPCVD (Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition) process is used for formation of a doped amorphous semiconductor film with in-situ doping of the semiconductor film on a plurality of semiconductor wafers with reduced defects and with predictable electrical characteristics. The plurality of semiconductor wafers are placed in a reaction chamber. The pressure within the reaction chamber is set to be less than approximately 1.0 Torr, and the temperature within the reaction chamber is set to a predetermined temperature in a range of from about 500&deg; Celsius to about 550&deg; Celsius. A semiconductor film reactant and a dopant reactant are introduced into the reaction chamber through at least two gas inlets. Each gas inlet is disposed on a respective location of the reaction chamber near the pluralty of semiconductor wafers, and each gas inlet carries both of the semiconductor film reactant and the dopant reactant. The doped amorphous semiconductor film is formed from the semiconductor film reactant with in-situ doping from the dopant reactant on the plurality of semiconductor wafers in a LPCVD (Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition) process. With the at least two gas inlets carrying the semiconductor film reactant and the dopant reactant in the LPCVD (Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition) process, the doped amorphous semiconductor film deposited on the plurality of semiconductor wafers has more predictable and uniform electrical characteristics such as sheet resistance across a semiconductor wafer.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Balaraman Mani