Atomic layer deposition apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10954597-B2
Application number	US-201514660315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 17, 2015
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

An atomic layer deposition apparatus including a deposition head that is rotatably mounted around a central deposition head axis and including a susceptor having an upper surface for carrying substrates. The lower surface comprises a plurality of process sections. Each process section includes a purge gas injection zone, a first precursor gas injection zone, a gas exhaust zone, a purge gas injection zone, a second precursor gas injection zone and a gas exhaust zone. Each zone radially extends from a radially inward part of the lower surface to a radially outward part of the lower surface of the deposition head. The combination of distance between the lower surface and the upper surface, the rotational speed of the deposition head and the flow rate and the pressure of the purge gas flows are selected such that the first and second precursor gases are substantially prevented from mixing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An atomic layer deposition apparatus, comprising:
a susceptor having an upper surface configured for supporting a plurality of substrates;
a deposition head shaft defining a central deposition head axis extending perpendicular relative to the upper surface and rotatable within a deposition head shaft sleeve, the deposition head shaft sleeve coaxial with the deposition head shaft;
wherein an outer cylindrical surface of the deposition head shaft and an inner cylindrical surface of the deposition head shaft sleeve define an annular slit and wherein between the deposition head shaft and the deposition head shaft sleeve at least two seals are mounted that are configured to seal the annular slit in a gastight manner;
a deposition head mounted to the deposition head shaft, disposed above the susceptor and having a lower surface positioned opposite the upper surface of the susceptor and having substantially the same dimensions as the upper surface, wherein a gap between the upper surface and the lower surface defines an open process space for accommodating substrates to be processed,
wherein the lower surface includes:
a plurality of precursor gas injection openings configured to inject precursor gas into the process space for forming a plurality of precursor gas injection zones in the gap defining the process space;
a plurality of gas exhaust openings configured to exhaust gas from the process space for forming a plurality of gas exhaust zones in the gap defining the process space;
a plurality of purge gas injection openings configured to inject purge gas into the process space for forming a plurality of purge gas injection zones in the gap defining the process space;

wherein the deposition head shaft includes at least two feed-through channels that extend at least partially parallel to the central deposition head axis;
wherein the outer cylindrical surface of the deposition head shaft includes at least two annular gas grooves in which an upper part of an associated one of the at least two feed-through channels terminate, and wherein the annular slit extends between the at least two annular gas grooves;
wherein the inner cylindrical surface of the deposition head shaft sleeve includes at least two precursor gas channels that are positioned at the same horizontal level as and emanate from an associated one of the at least two precursor gas grooves;
wherein the deposition head shaft is configured to mount the deposition head in a bearing and configure to rotate the deposition head around the central deposition head axis;
wherein the precursor gas injection zones, the gas exhaust zones and the purge gas zones extend in the gap defining the process space in a radial direction relative to the central deposition head axis;
wherein the plurality of precursor gas injection openings, the plurality of gas exhaust openings, and the plurality of purge gas injection openings in the lower surface form within the gap at least one process section which each includes, when viewed along a tangential direction relative to the central deposition head axis, a purge gas injection zone, a first precursor gas injection zone, a gas exhaust zone, a purge gas injection zone, a second precursor gas injection zone and a gas exhaust zone; and
wherein in use, during rotation of the deposition head relative to the susceptor and during injection of the first and the second precursor gases and the purge gas, the combination of distance between the lower surface and the upper surface, the rotational speed of the deposition head and the flow rate and the pressure of the purge gas flows are selected such that the first and second precursor gases are substantially prevented from mixing.

2. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the lower surface of the deposition head comprises:
a first annular purge zone that extends around the central axis in an area radially inward from the radially extending precursor gas injection zones, exhaust gas zones and purge gas zones;
a second annular purge zone that extends around the central axis in an area radially outward from the radially extending precursor gas injection zones, exhaust gas zones and purge gas zones.

3. The atomic layer deposition apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
at a given radius, the tangential distance between a precursor gas injection zone and an adjacent gas exhaust zone is larger than the tangential distance between a purge gas injection zone and an adjacent gas exhaust zone at said given radius;
a first purge gas injection zone, the first precursor gas injection zone, a first gas exhaust zone, a second purge gas injection zone, the second precursor gas injection zone and a second gas exhaust zone are successively arranged in each process section without the interposition of any additional gas injection zone and gas exhaust zone;
each of the process sections includes:
an additional first gas exhaust zone that, when viewed along a tangential direction relative to the central deposition head axis, is positioned between the first purge gas zone and the successive first precursor gas zone; and/or
an additional second gas exhaust zone that, when viewed along a tangential direction relative to the central deposition head axis, is positioned between the second purge gas zone and the successive second precursor gas zone;

at a given radius, a tangential distance between the second precursor gas injection zone and an adjacent gas exhaust zone is substantially equal to the tangential distance between a purge gas injection zone and an adjacent gas exhaust zone at said given radius;
additionally comprising separation zones, wherein each separation zone is formed by a part of the lower surface that extends in a radial direction relative to the central deposition head axis, wherein each separation zone is free from gas injection openings and gas exhaust openings, wherein between each neighboring pair of zones selected from the group consisting of the purge gas, the first and the second precursor gas and the exhaust zones, a said separation zone extends;
each separation zone defines a separation zone surface part of the lower surface of the deposition head which is at a lower level than the parts of the lower surface that bound the precursor gas injection zones, the purge gas injection zones and the gas exhaust zones;
the distance between the lower surface and the upper surface is in the range of 0.3-7.0 mm and preferably in the range of 0.4-5.0 mm and more preferably in the range of 0.5-2.0 mm;
the precursor gas injection zones, the purge gas injection zones and/or the gas exhaust zones are substantially wedge shaped, wherein a radially inner side of the wedge shaped zone substantially extends along a segment of a circle having a center point that coincides with the central deposition head axis and having a first radius, wherein a radially outer side of the wedge shaped zone substantially extends along a segment of a circle having a center point that coincides with the central deposition head axis and having a second radius which is larger than the first radius, wherein two other sides of each wedge shaped zone extend substantially in a radial direction relative to the central deposition head axis from the radially inner side to the radially outer side of the wedge shape zone;
the lower surface of the deposition head, when viewed from the central deposition head axis in a radially outward direction, is inclined in an upward direction, such that the gap between the lower surface and the upper surface is larger at a larger diameter than at a smaller diameter;
the inclination includes an angle with an upwardly extending part of the central deposition head axis between 80° and 90°, and preferably between 85° and 90°; and
at least one of the deposition head and the susce

Assignees

• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• De Ridder Chris G M
• Jdira Lucian C
• Jongbloed Bert
• Smeltink Jeroen A

Classifications

• H10P14/6339

  deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD · CPC title

• C23C16/45561

  Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber · CPC title

• C23C16/45574

  Nozzles for more than one gas · CPC title

• C23C16/45563

  Gas nozzles · CPC title

• C30B25/14

  Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the reactive gases · CPC title