Watkins- Johnson Company

Silicon Valley Group, Thermal Systems Llp

Intermolecular, Inc.

Aviza Technology Limited

Lawrence Duane Bartholomew

Jay Brian DeDontney

Robert J Bailey

Christopher A Peabody

Karl Anthony Littau

Bernardo Donoso

Nicholas M Gralenski

Robert A Ewald

Soon K Yuh

George D Kamian

Seung Gyun Park

Michael A Richie

John T Boland

Kenneth M Provancha

Gregory M McDaniel

Michael L Hersh

Embodiments provided herein describe systems and method for processing substrates. A substrate is provided. A showerhead is positioned above the substrate. The showerhead includes a plurality of injection ports, at least one isolation channel, and at least one exhaust port on a bottom surface thereof. The at least one isolation channel separates the plurality of injection ports into two or more sections. The at least one exhaust port is positioned within the at least one isolation channel. The plurality of injection ports are not in fluid communication with the at least one exhaust port within the showerhead. At least one processing fluid is caused to be delivered from the plurality of injection ports onto the substrate. At least some of the at least one processing fluid is caused to be removed from the substrate through the at least one exhaust port.

Vapor based site-isolated processing systems and methods

An atmospheric pressure wafer processing system for delivering at least one gas is provided, having an exhaust control feedback system that utilizes sensors to measure the pressure within the system and adjusts control units to maintain the desired set pressures within the system. In particular the sensors measure the small differential pressures inside a muffle, and specifically the load, bypass center and unload sections of the muffle, relative to the chase ambient pressure. Controlling the muffle pressures directly within the atmospheric system yields a more stable pressure balance for processing wafers less subject to changes in the external environment and allows for compensation of varying input gas flows as occurs when the supply pressure to the system may vary. This system and method of pressure control is particularly advantageous for chemical vapor deposition application yielding improved process repeatability over an extended period of runtime.

Atmospheric pressure wafer processing reactor having an internal pressure control system and method

A protective shield and a semiconductor processing system including a protective shield is provided. The shield includes a frame assembly including a pair of spaced end walls and a pair of side walls extending between and mounted to the end walls, and a plurality of shield bodies carried by the frame assembly. Each of the shield bodies includes a base having a continuous unit frame, a perforated sheet carried by said continuous frame, a plenum between the base and the perforated sheet, and a gas delivery device for delivering an inert gas to the plenum at a flow rate such that the gas diffuses through the perforated sheet. The chemical vapor deposition system includes a plurality of processing chambers, a conveyor for transporting substrates through the processing chambers, buffer modules isolating the processing chambers from the rest of the process path all enclosed within a muffle, a protective shield mounted in the processing chambers includes injector shield bodies positioned adjacent the injector and shunt shield bodies spaced from the injector shield bodies, an inlet port between the injector shield bodies, and an outlet port between the shunt shield bodies for the flow of reagents through the protective shield. The shunt shield bodies each include a plenum filled with an inert gas and a bottom outlet port coupled to the plenum for delivering a supply of inert gas below the protective shield to form buffer barriers on opposite sides of the injection ports. The shield body captures the perforated sheets and shield bodies such that the sheets and shield body base can freely expand and contract relative to each other and the end walls under varying temperature conditions, maintaining the precise chamber geometry control required for CVD processing. The buffer modules are connected to a common by-pass exhaust which is independent from the system. The processing chambers are connected to a common chamber exhaust plenum which is separate from the by-pass exhaust. Such separate exhaust paths allow for separate control of each and for the substantially constant flow of gases within the system.

Free floating shield and semiconductor processing system

A wafer processing system for delivering a processing gas and an inert gas to a chamber which includes a CVD processing region having a plurality of gas flow paths for conveying the gases to the chamber and exhausting them from the chamber. A flow control system is coupled to each of the exhaust gas flow paths and each of the process gas exhaust flow paths are separately controlled to maintain a constant rate of flow within each of the gas flow paths, independent of the accumulation of deposition byproducts. Utilization of a self-cleaning orifice allows a pressure differential measurement in a process exhaust line to measure flow. The wafer processing system is provided with load and unload regions surrounding the chamber(s), each having additional inert gas exhaust flow paths. A flow characteristic, preferably pressure differential across an orifice, of the gases in each of the regions is measured and a flow control unit is selectively adjusted to maintain a substantially constant exhaust flow rate from each of the regions, in order to compensate for any pressure imbalance across the chamber due to internal (thermal load) or external (environmental) asymmetry that would degrade the performance of an APCVD system.

Wafer processing reactor having a gas flow control system and method

A protective shield and a semiconductor processing system including a protective shield is provided. The shield includes a frame assembly including a pair of spaced end walls and a pair of side walls extending between and mounted to the end walls, and a plurality of shield bodies carried by the frame assembly. Each of the shield bodies includes a base having a continuous unit frame, a perforated sheet carried by said continuous frame, a plenum between the base and the perforated sheet, and a gas delivery device for delivering an inert gas to the plenum at a flow rate such that the gas diffuses through the perforated sheet. The chemical vapor deposition system includes a plurality of processing chambers, a conveyor for transporting substrates through the processing chambers, buffer modules isolating the processing chambers from the rest of the process path all enclosed within a muffle. a protective shield mounted in the processing chambers includes injector shield bodies positioned adjacent the injector and shunt shield bodies spaced from the injector shield bodies, an inlet port between the injector shield bodies, and an outlet port between the shunt shield bodies for the flow of reagents through the protective shield. The shunt shield bodies each include a plenum filled with an inert gas and a bottom outlet port coupled to the plenum for delivering a supply of inert gas below the protective shield to form buffer barriers on opposite sides of the injection ports. The shield body captures the perforated sheets and shield bodies such that the sheets and shield body base can freely expand and contract relative to each other and the end walls under varying temperature conditions, maintaining the precise chamber geometry control required for CVD processing. The buffer modules are connected to a common by-pass exhaust which is independent from the system. The processing chambers are connected to a common chamber exhaust plenum which is separate from the by-pass exhaust. Such separate exhaust paths allow for separate control of each and for the substantially constant flow of gases within the system.

A protective shield and an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition system including a protective shield. The shield includes a frame assembly including a pair of spaced end walls and a pair of side walls extending between and mounted to the end walls, and a plurality of shield bodies carried by the frame assembly. Each of the shield bodies includes a base, a perforated sheet carried by the base, a plenum between the base and the perforated sheet, and a gas delivery device for delivering an inert gas to the plenum at a flow rate such that the gas diffuses through the perforated sheet. The chemical vapor deposition system includes a plurality of processing chambers, a conveyor for transporting substrates through the processing chambers, buffer chambers isolating the processing chambers from the rest of the process path all enclosed within a muffle. A protective shield mounted in the processing chambers includes injector shield bodies positioned adjacent the injector and shunt shield bodies spaced from the injector shield bodies, an inlet port between the injector shield bodies, and an outlet port between the shunt shield bodies for the flow of reagents through the protective shield. The shunt shield bodies each include a plenum filled with an inert gas and a bottom outlet port coupled to the plenum for delivering a supply of inert gas below the protective shield to form buffer barriers on opposite sides of the injection ports. The shield body captures the perforated sheets and shield bodies such that the sheets and shield body base can freely expand and contract relative to each other and the end walls under varying temperature conditions, maintaining the precise chamber geometry control required for CVD processing.

Free floating shield

What is disclosed is an injector of the type commonly used in atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition equipment. The injector includes a number of plates with a number of linear hole arrays. The plates are layered in order to produce a number of cascaded holes arrays. The layered plates define a hole matrix. A chute is positioned beneath the hole matrix. On both sides of the chute is a cooling plate. The chute includes a passage, the regions between the cooling plate and the chute form ducts. The top of the hole matrix receives a number of gases and discretely conveys them to the top of the individual cascaded hole arrays. The gaseous chemicals are then forced through the cascaded hole arrays which induces the gases to flow in an increasingly uniform manner. The gases are then individually fed to the passage and ducts which convey them to a region above the surface where the gases are exposed to one another, react and form a layer on the surface.

Injector and method for delivering gaseous chemicals to a surface

A conveyorized atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition apparatus having a heated muffle and a conveyor belt for conveying objects to be coated through said muffle. At least one chemical vapor deposition zone is provided in the muffle. An injector assembly is also provided for uniformly injecting first and second reactant gases in the deposition zone across the width of the conveyor belt and against the surfaces of the objects to be coated. The gases exit from slots connected to distribution plenums. Polished cooled surfaces are used on the injector assembly to minimize deposition of chemicals thereon.

Growing community of inventors

Felton, CA, United States of America

Lawrence Duane Bartholomew