Coating device and coating method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10734584-B2
Application number	US-201716307110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2017
Priority date	Jun 14, 2016
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A device for depositing a layer onto one or more substrates includes a process chamber; a gas inlet element, which can be temperature-controlled, for delivering a process gas into the process chamber in a flow direction towards the substrates; a shielding element, arranged directly after the gas inlet element in the flow direction and which, when in a shielding position, thermally insulates the gas inlet element and the substrates from each other; mask holders arranged after the shielding element in the flow direction, each for holding a mask; and substrate holders for holding at least one of the substrates, each substrate holder corresponding to one of the plurality of mask holders. For each of the substrate holders, a displacement element is provided for displacing the substrate holder from a position distant from the mask holder to a position adjacent to the mask holder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for depositing a layer onto one or more substrates ( 10 ), the device comprising:
a process chamber ( 2 ) arranged in a reactor housing ( 1 );
at least one temperature-controlled gas inlet element ( 3 ) for introducing a process gas into the process chamber ( 2 ) in a flow direction (S) toward the one or more substrates ( 10 ), wherein the process gas is discharged from a gas discharge surface of the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 );
at least one shielding element ( 6 ) that, when located in a shielding position, is arranged directly downstream of the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) with reference to the flow direction (S) and thermally insulates the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) and the one or more substrates ( 10 ) from one another;
mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) arranged downstream of the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) with respect to the flow direction (S) and respectively are configured to hold a mask ( 8 , 8 ′);
substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) that respectively correspond to one or more of the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) and are arranged downstream of the masks ( 8 , 8 ′) with respect to the flow direction (S), wherein said substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) are physically separated from one another and are configured to hold at least one of the one or more substrates ( 10 ); and
displacement elements ( 11 , 11 ′) assigned to each of the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) and configured to displace the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) from a first position distant from the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′), in which the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) are loaded on and unloaded from the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′), to a second position adjoining the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′), in which at least one of the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) arranged on the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) is coated while in contact with one or more of the masks ( 8 , 8 ′),
wherein the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is a unitary shielding element or multiple shielding elements and is displaceable between the shielding position and a storage space ( 17 ),
wherein the storage space ( 17 ) is formed as a slot in a wall of the reactor housing ( 1 ), the slot having a slot height that is less than a distance between the gas discharge surface of the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) and the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′),
wherein, while the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is located in the shielding position, the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is arranged between all of the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) and an entirety of the gas discharge surface of the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ), and
wherein, while the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is located in the storage space ( 17 ), the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) are coated.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) are individually temperature-controlled and individually displaced.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) comprises a heating element ( 12 ) and the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) comprise a cooling element ( 13 , 13 ′).

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) includes multiple gas inlet elements ( 3 , 3 ′) arranged adjacent to one another.

5. A device for depositing a layer onto one or more substrates ( 10 ), the device comprising:
a process chamber ( 2 ) arranged in a reactor housing ( 1 );
at least one temperature-controlled gas inlet element ( 3 ) for introducing a process gas into the process chamber ( 2 ) in a flow direction (S) toward the one or more substrates ( 10 );
at least one shielding element ( 6 ) that, when located in a shielding position, is arranged directly downstream of the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) with reference to the flow direction (S) and thermally insulates the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) and the one or more substrates ( 10 ) from one another;
mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) arranged downstream of the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) with respect to the flow direction (S) and respectively are configured to hold a mask ( 8 , 8 ′);
substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) that respectively correspond to one or more of the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) and are arranged downstream of the masks ( 8 , 8 ′) with respect to the flow direction (S), wherein said substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) are physically separated from one another and are configured to hold at least one of the one or more substrates ( 10 );
displacement elements ( 11 , 11 ′) assigned to each of the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) and configured to displace the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) from a first position distant from the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′), in which the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) are loaded on and unloaded from the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′), to a second position adjoining the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′), in which at least one of the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) arranged on the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) is coated while in contact with one or more of the masks ( 8 , 8 ′); and
adjusting devices ( 14 , 14 ′) for individually adjusting a position of each of the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) relative to the substrate holder ( 9 , 9 ′) assigned thereto,
wherein the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is a unitary shielding element or multiple shielding elements and is displaceable between the shielding position and a storage space ( 17 ),
wherein, while the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is located in the shielding position, the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is arranged between all of the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) and all gas discharge surfaces of the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ), and
wherein, while the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is located in the storage space ( 17 ), the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) are coated.

6. A method for operating a device comprising a process chamber ( 2 ) arranged in a reactor housing ( 1 ); at least one temperature-controlled gas inlet element ( 3 ) for introducing a process gas into the process chamber ( 2 ) in a flow direction (S) toward the one or more substrates ( 10 ); at least one shielding element ( 6 ) that, when located in a shielding position, is arranged directly downstream of the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) with reference to the flow direction (S) and thermally insulates the at least one gas inlet element ( 3 ) and the one or more substrates ( 10 ) from one another; mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) arranged downstream of the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) with respect to the flow direction (S) and respectively are configured to hold a mask ( 8 , 8 ′); substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) that respectively correspond to one or more of the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′) and are arranged downstream of the masks ( 8 , 8 ′) with respect to the flow direction (S), wherein said substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) are physically separated from one another and are configured to hold at least one of the one or more substrates ( 10 ); and displacement elements ( 11 , 11 ′) assigned to each of the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) and configured to displace the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) from a first position distant from the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′), in which the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) are loaded on and unloaded from the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′), to a second position adjoining the mask holders ( 7 , 7 ′), in which at least one of the one or more substrates ( 10 , 10 ′) arranged on the substrate holders ( 9 , 9 ′) is coated while in contact with one or more of the masks ( 8 , 8 ′), wherein the at least one shielding element ( 6 ) is a unitary shielding element or multiple shielding elements and is displaceable between the shielding position and a storage space ( 17 ), the method comprising:
loading the

Assignees

• Aixtron Se

Inventors

• Gersdorff Markus
• Jakob Markus
• Schwambera Markus

Classifications

• C23C14/042 Primary

  using masks · CPC title

• H10K71/40

  Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour · CPC title

• H10K71/166

  using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask · CPC title

• C23C16/45572

  Cooled nozzles · CPC title

• C23C16/4557 Primary

  Heated nozzles · CPC title