Watkins- Johnson Company

Genus, Inc.

Focus Semiconductor Systems, Inc.

American Flow Systems, Inc.

Imad Mahawili

Timothy J Boyle

A heater assembly and method of operation for use in processing of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, for example in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor chamber, the heater assembly including a dielectric heater base, radially spaced apart and circumferentially extending heater element segments being arranged on the heater base, operation of the plurality of heater elements being independently regulated, a heater shroud being arranged in spaced apart relation over the heater elements while supporting the substrate for maintaining a blanket of inert gas between the heater elements and the heater shroud. Inert gas is preferably introduced through a central opening in the heater base and is selectively regulated for facilitating processing of the substrate.

Multi-zone planar heater assembly and method of operation

A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor and method are disclosed wherein a chamber, preferably configured for receiving a single wafer as a deposition substrate, has multiple gas inlet orifices and exhaust ports which are independently adjustable for dynamically varying and controlling directionality of local gas flow vectors toward and past the deposition substrate. The injection angle of reactant gas being introduced into the chamber is adjusted by baffles for statically deflecting gas flow entering the chamber. Adjustment of the gas inlet orifices and/or exhaust ports and adjustment of the injection angle for the reactant gas is selected for achieving enhanced coating uniformity, and conformality of deposition if necessary or desired, on the substrate.

Chemical vapor deposition reactor and method of operation

A CVD reactor has a unique geometry to control the thickness of a film formed on the surface of a substrate. The reactor is approximately cylindrical in shape. The base of the reactor is inclined at an angle of approximately 3.degree.-5.degree. from the vertical and has a central platform with a recessed well. The substrate is placed in the well so that the surface of the substrate on which the film is deposited does not protrude above the platform surface. The reactant gases are mixed in a region adjacent the cylindrical wall of the reactor and flow radially inward across the wafer surface. The thickness of the deposited film is controlled by contouring a plate positioned opposite the wafer surface so that the distance between the wafer surface and the plate, and hence the deposition rate, is controlled.

CVD reactor and gas injection system

A vapor deposition system is provided which uses electromagnetic radiation for heating of a semiconductor wafer. The source of the electromagnetic radiation is typically a lamp having a color temperature corresponding to a wavelength in the range of 0.3 to 0.9 micrometers, and generally for a particular semiconductor to an energy greater than the energy required to cause transitions from the valence band to the conduction band of the semiconductor material used to construct the wafer and more preferably to a color temperature corresponding to an energy substantially at or above the energy required for direct (vertical) transitions from the valence band to the conduction band, thereby providing very high absorption of the incident radiation and very efficient direct heating of the wafer. No substrate is required for conducting heat to the wafer. The radiation is directed by a reflector through a window forming one side of the deposition chamber and impinges directly on the surface of the wafer. Although the window is typically chosen to be substantially transparent at the frequencies desired for heating the wafer, some absorption does occur, thereby heating the window as well. To maintain optimum control over the deposition process, the window is typically constructed with two spaced-apart plates and water is pumped therethrough to actively control window temperature.

Cooled optical window for semiconductor wafer heating

A fluidized bed heater for uniformly raising the surface temperature of semiconductor wafers. The heater includes a mantle having at least one planar surface for supporting wafers, a bed of particles adjacent the mantle which is fluidized by passing a gas through the particle bed, and a bed heater which heats the bed particles to a uniform temperature so that wafers supported on the planar surface are heated to a uniform temperature. A reactor is also described which contains a reactor chamber for processing semiconductor wafers and a fluidized bed heater for uniformly heating semiconductor wafers in the reactor chamber.

Fluidized bed heater for semiconductor processing

A vapor deposition system is provided which uses electromagnetic radiation for heating of a semiconductor wafer. The source of the electromagnetic radiation is typically a lamp having a color temperature corresponding to a wavelength in the range of 0.3 to 0.9 micrometers, and generally for a particular semiconductor to an energy greater than the energy required to cause transitions from the valence band to the conduction band of the semiconductor material used to construct the wafer and more preferably to a color temperature corresponding to an energy substantially at or above the energy required for direct (vertical) transitions from the valence band to the conduction band, thereby providing very high absorption of the incident radiation and very efficient direct heating of the wafer. No substrate is required for conducting heat to the wafer. The radiation is directed by a reflector through a window forming one side of the deposition chamber and impinges directly on the surface of the wafer. Although the windown is typically chosen to be substantially transparent at the frequencies desired for heating the wafer, some absorption does occur, thereby heating the window as well. To maintain optimum control over the deposition process, the window is typically constructed with two spaced-apart plates and water is pumped therethrough to actively control window temperature.

A novel, low-friction, low-inertia flexible diaphragm containing a magnet formed as an integral part of the diaphragm is mounted in a chamber (preferably cylindrical). The chamber comprises part of the flow meter in a flow control system. One or more sensing devices are mounted on the walls of the chamber to sense the instantaneous position of the diaphragm. A novel electronic control circuit processes the data from the one or more sensing devices to provide measures of the flow rate during the displacement of the diaphragm along the cylinder. Signals are generated by the electronic control circuitry for switching a pair of three-way valves (one valve comprising the input valve and the other valve comprising the output valve) such that during one-half of a cycle the intput valve transfers fluid into the cylinder on one side of the diaphragm and, during the other half of the cycle, transfers fluid into the cylinder on the other side of the diaphragm. The output valve is switched synchronously with the input valve to transmit fluid from the other side or one side of the diaphragm to the output valve. The electronic control system includes means for amplifying the output signals from the one or more sensing devices ('sensors') to provide one or more signals representing the position of the diaphragm as a function of time, means for converting the output signals from these amplifiers to digital form, and computation means for operating on the digitized output signals from the sensing devices to provide control signals for controlling a second input valve thereby to control the flow rate of the fluid being metered to within a desired range.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Imad Mahawili