Fluid handling system for synthesis of zinc oxide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10981801-B2
Application number	US-201615099575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2016
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

Briefly, embodiments of systems and/or methods for synthesis of zinc oxide are described, including a chamber enclosure, a wafer substrate holder, a fluid handling system, and sequences for implementation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a programmable closed loop fluid handling system for an aqueous solution zinc oxide growth system (ZGS), wherein at least two vertically oriented substrates are contained within a liquid tillable and sealable chamber enclosure;
the programmable closed loop fluid handling system comprising: an interconnected network of fluid lines, fluid valves, one or more process parameter sensors, one or more pressure vessels, one or more fluid pumps, one or more fluid sources, one or more fluid drains, and a programmable controller to form the programmable closed loop fluid handling system, the interconnected network connecting to at least one inlet port and connecting from at least one outlet port of the liquid tillable and sealable chamber enclosure for zinc oxide growth, wherein the programmable closed loop fluid handling system programmed to initially pressurize and entirely fill the liquid tillable and sealable chamber enclosure and subsequently stop filling the liquid tillable and sealable chamber enclosure: and wherein the programmable closed loop fluid handling system includes at least one fluid line arranged in a manner so as to permit programmable selection of either gas or an aqueous solution ZGS liquid to flow therethrough; and
wherein the liquid tillable and sealable chamber enclosure comprises a wafer substrate holder that supports the vertically oriented substrates and is rotatable about a horizontal axis after the liquid tillable and sealable chamber has been filled with the aqueous solution ZGS liquid and after the filling has been stopped;
wherein the programmable closed loop fluid handling system permits programmable selection of a rotation speed of the wafer substrate holder; and
wherein the controller is programmed in advance to execute a particular zinc oxide growth process formulation (GPF) in which zinc oxide (ZNO) crystals are grown on a surface of the at least two vertically oriented substrates during the zinc oxide growth process.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more process parameter sensors comprise at least one of the following: a fluid flow sensor, a fluid pressure sensor, a fluid temperature sensor, an optical sensor; a fluid pH sensor; a fluid conductivity sensor; or any combinations thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller at least comprises: a processor and a non-transitory memory mutually connected via a communications bus, the non-transitory memory to store executable instructions to be fetched and executed by the processor.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the controller comprises executable instructions, the instructions to execute the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation (GPF).

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation (GPF) specifies zinc oxide synthesis process parameters to be employed in the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation (GPF) while a growth solution is to be contained within the chamber enclosure for the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation (GPF).

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein a specified zinc oxide synthesis process parameter comprises rate of flow of growth solution through the chamber enclosure.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation (GPF) specifies growth solution fluid flow through an integrated flow controller when a limited flow rate is desired and through a bypass path when a higher flow rate is desired at particular times.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a pressure vessel, wherein the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation (GPF) specifies pressure parameters for a growth solution in the pressure vessel to a higher value than atmospheric pressure and pressure parameters for the chamber enclosure to atmospheric pressure.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the specified fluid flow along a path to include specified fluid flow along a path within the programmable closed loop fluid handling system from the one or more fluid sources and to include specified fluid flow along a path within the programmable closed loop fluid handling system to the one or more fluid drains.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation includes specification of a temperature signature and/or of a pressure signature for the zinc oxide growth solution while the growth solution is to be contained within the chamber enclosure for the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the particular zinc oxide growth process formulation specifies at least relative rotation speed and time period thereof for the zinc oxide growth solution while the zinc oxide growth solution is to be contained within the chamber enclosure.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the programmable closed fluid handling system including features to alert operators during programmable closed loop fluid handling system operation regarding the state of the programmable closed loop fluid handling system, progress of particular process sequences being implement within the programmable closed loop fluid handling system, and/or potential hazards related to ZGS operation.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the water substrate holder is configured to rotate about the horizontal axis to mix aqueous solution ZGS liquid.

Assignees

• Seoul Semiconductor Co Ltd
• Solution Deposition Systems Inc

Inventors

• Richardson Jacob J
• O'Hara Evan C

Classifications

• C30B35/002

  Crucibles or containers · CPC title

• C30B7/10

  by application of pressure, e.g. hydrothermal processes · CPC title

• C30B29/16

  Oxides · CPC title

• C30B7/14

  the crystallising materials being formed by chemical reactions in the solution · CPC title

• C01G9/02 Primary

  Oxides; Hydroxides · CPC title