Methods and apparatus for stabilizing vanadium compounds

Abstract

Methods of stabilizing a vanadium compound in a solution, compositions including a vanadium compound and a stabilizing agent, apparatus including the composition, systems that use the composition, and methods of using the compositions, apparatus, and systems are disclosed. Use of the stabilizing agent allows for use of desired precursors, while mitigating unwanted decomposition of the precursors.

Description

technical field [0001] The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatus suitable for gas phase reactor systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to methods, compounds and devices that can be used to stabilize precursors in gas phase reactor systems. Background technique [0002] A precursor is a chemical compound that can be used to form another material. For example, precursors may be used in gas phase reactions to form thin films or layers of materials. Unfortunately, some precursors that may have desirable properties (such as a desired vapor pressure at atmospheric pressure and temperature, and / or a desired reactivity (e.g., with a surface or another compound)) may Thermally decomposed into other compounds. In particular, some precursors may decompose to produce corrosive gases that may corrode parts of the reactor system and / or cause undesired etching during processing. Decomposition may shorten the shelf life of the precursor, compl...

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Problems solved by technology

In particular, some precursors may decompose to produce corrosive gases that may corrode parts of the reactor system and / or cause undesired etching during processing

Decomposition can shorten the shelf life of the precursor, complicate manufacturing, require additional purification steps, cause storage and / or shipping problems, and can limit the amount of desired material within the source container that is available for reaction within the reactor system

Additionally, corrosion of reactor system parts may shorten the life of the reactor system and / or its parts, and thus increase the cost of operating such equipment

Additionally, corrosion may lead to incorporation of reactor system etch products into the deposited film and / or cause etching of the film on the substrate, which in turn may lead to degradation and / or non-uniformity of such film quality

In addition, because the rate of precursor decomposition generally increases with temperature, the ability to increase the flux of precursor to the reaction chamber by heating the precursor is hampered

[0003] Efforts to reduce the decomposition of precursors have resulted in the production of film precursors with undesirably high carbon contents, which may require undesirably high temperatures to obtain desired flux rates, which may result in materials that when atomic layer deposition (ALD) are desired chemical vapor deposition (CVD), may lack desired control of growth rate, and / or may exhibit relatively poor step coverage

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