The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 18, 1994
Filed:
Jun. 15, 1992
Robert F Foster, Weston, MA (US);
Helen E Rebenne, Fair Lawn, NJ (US);
Rene E LeBlanc, Branford, CT (US);
Carl L White, Gilbert, AZ (US);
Rikhit Arora, Mesa, AZ (US);
Materials Research Corporation, Orangeburg, NY (US);
Abstract
A semiconductor wafer processing apparatus is provided with a susceptor for supporting a wafer for CVD of films such as blanket or selective deposition of tungsten or titanium nitride, and degassing and annealing processes. Preferably, a downwardly facing showerhead directs a gas mixture from a cooled mixing chamber onto an upwardly facing wafer on the susceptor. Smooth interior reactor surfaces include baffles and a susceptor lip and wall shaped to minimize turbulence. Inert gases flow to minimize turbulence by filling gaps in susceptor structure, prevent contamination of moving parts, conduct heat between the susceptor and the wafer, and vacuum clamp the wafer to the susceptor. A susceptor lip surrounds the wafer and is removable for cleaning, to accommodate different size wafers, and allows change of lip materials to for different processes, such as, one which will resist deposits during selective CVD, or one which scavenges unspent gases in blanket CVD. The lip smooths gas flow, reduces thermal gradients at the wafer edge. The susceptor design reduces heat flow from the susceptor to other reactor parts by conduction or radiation.