Semiconductor manufacture reactor

Abstract

A semiconductor fabrication reactor (12) comprises a rotatable susceptor (14) mounted to the top of a reactor chamber. One or more wafers (16) are mounted to a surface of the susceptor and the rotation of the susceptor causes the wafers to rotate within the chamber. A heater (18) heats the susceptor and a chamber gas inlet allows semiconductor growth gases into the reactor chamber to deposit semiconductor material on said wafers. A chamber gas outlet (40) is included to allow growth gases to exit the chamber. The inlet is at or below the level of said wafers and the outlet is at or above the level of the wafers.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, more specifically, to a device for manufacturing semiconductor devices by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Background technique [0002] Many semiconductor devices can be fabricated in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) systems using different material systems, and MOCVD systems are currently used to fabricate Group III nitride-based devices. Growth of semiconductor devices based on group III nitrides in MOCVD systems, "Semiconductors and Semimetals" (semiconductors and semimetals) published by Academic Press Inc., 1997, Volume 50, pages 11-35, DenBaars and Described in an article by Keller. Very important in fabricating Ill-nitride devices is the ability to form a homogeneous species with minimal impurities in the device layers while at the same time having distinct interfaces between the layers. Impurities and poor-quality interfaces between layer...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0004] A disadvantage of these conventional MOCVD reactors is the formation of a large and unevenly thick boundary layer of hot air above the chip and susceptor due to heating of the susceptor

[0005] A large boundary layer above the pedestal may also limit the rotational speed of the pedestal

As the heated susceptor rotates faster, turbulence in the boundary layer increases the turbulence created by the convective forces of the cooler growth gas, making the device layer more inhomogeneous

[0006] Another disadvantage of conventional MOCVD reactors is that growth gas not deposited on the chip (or susceptor) may deposit on the side walls or upper surface of the reaction chamber above the susceptor

[0008] A disadvantage of this system is that since the flow channel inlet is located on one side wall of the chamber and the outlet is located on the opposite side wall at approximately the same height, the air flow passes between the inlet and the outlet.

[0010] One disadvantage of this design is that the asymmetric flow conditions cause the primary gas flow to be near one side of the reactor and the reverse flow to be near the other side

However, the reactor is a stagnant flow, which reduces the uniformity of the device layer since the susceptor does not rotate

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