Reaction chamber, atomic layer deposition apparatus and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reaction chamber (10), an apparatus and a method for atomic layer deposition. The reaction chamber (10) comprises a gas inlet (92), a gas outlet (102) spaced apart from the gas inlet (92), and two or more substrate racks (B1, B2). Each substrate rack (b1, B2) is arranged to support two or more individual substrates (2) so that a batch of substrates is formed. The two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged between the gas inlet (92) and the gas outlet (102) in a reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10), and the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in a row between the gas inlet (92) and the gas outlet (102).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present disclosure relates to a reaction chamber, more particularly a reaction chamber for atomic layer deposition according to the preamble of claim 1. The present invention also relates to an atomic layer deposition apparatus, more particularly an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the preamble of claim 13. The present invention further relates to a method for mounting a substrate in a reaction chamber for atomic layer deposition, more particularly a method according to the preamble of claim 18.

[0002] BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION In the prior art, substrates, particularly planar substrates such as semiconductor wafers, are batch processed in an atomic layer deposition reactor. To be processed, the substrates need to be loaded into the reaction chamber. When loading, the vacuum of the atomic layer deposition apparatus needs to be broken. Conventionally, the reaction chamber is provided with a substrate rack for loading each substrate individually in order to load the substrates into the reaction chamber. Furthermore, during unloading, the vacuum is broken again and each substrate is individually removed again from the reaction chamber.

[0003] One problem in the prior art is that loading and unloading a substrate into and out of the reaction chamber, respectively, takes time and interrupts the vacuum for a long period of time. The interruption of the vacuum interrupts the process and reduces the overall efficiency of the apparatus. By increasing the size of the substrate rack and increasing the batch size, the overall efficiency of the apparatus can be slightly improved. However, increasing the size of the reaction chamber and the substrate rack impairs the flow dynamics in the reaction chamber, reducing the quality of the process.

[0004] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an object of the present invention to provide a reaction chamber, an atomic layer deposition apparatus and a method that can overcome or at least mitigate the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0005] The object of the invention is achieved by a reaction chamber having the features set forth in independent claim 1. The object of the invention is likewise achieved by an atomic layer deposition apparatus having the features set forth in independent claim 13. The object of the invention is further achieved by a method for mounting a substrate in a reaction chamber having the features set forth in independent claim 18.

[0006] Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0007] The present invention is based on the idea of ​​providing a reaction chamber for atomic layer deposition, the reaction chamber having a reaction space therein and configured for simultaneously processing a plurality of substrates in a batch process within the reaction space of the reaction chamber.

[0008] According to the invention, the reaction chamber comprises a gas inlet arranged to supply gas to a reaction space of the reaction chamber, a gas outlet arranged to exhaust gas from the reaction space of the reaction chamber, the gas outlet spaced apart from the gas inlet, and two or more substrate racks, each arranged to support two or more individual substrates such that a substrate batch is formed. The two or more substrate racks are arranged between the gas inlet and the gas outlet within the reaction space of the reaction chamber, and the two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row assembly between the gas inlet and the gas outlet.

[0009] By row (in a row assembly) it is meant that two or more substrate racks are arranged in series between a gas inlet and a gas outlet.

[0010] By arranging the substrate racks in a row between the gas inlet and gas outlet, a large number of substrates can be processed without compromising the flow dynamics within the reaction chamber. The cross-sectional area of ​​the reaction chamber between the gas inlet and gas outlet can be kept small, so that the flow dynamics for the large number of substrates being processed are not compromised.

[0011] In some embodiments, the reaction chamber has a reaction chamber direction extending in a direction between a gas inlet and a gas outlet, and two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row in the reaction chamber direction between the gas inlet and the gas outlet.

[0012] Thus, two or more substrate racks are arranged in succession towards the reaction chamber between a gas inlet and a gas outlet.

[0013] Thus, two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row along the direction of the reaction chamber forming a gas flow direction from the gas inlet to the gas outlet, which provides efficient flow dynamics and allows all substrates in consecutive substrate racks to be exposed to the gas.

[0014] In some embodiments, two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row between the gas inlet and the gas outlet in contact with each other, thus forming a compact assembly and making efficient use of the space in the reaction chamber, since two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row facing each other.

[0015] In some embodiments, the substrate rack includes an open front wall, an open back wall opposite the open front wall, a first non-open (not including an opening or closed) side wall, and a second non-open side wall opposite the first non-open side wall. The first and second non-open side walls extend between the open front wall and the open back wall, forming a flow path through the substrate rack between the open front wall and the open back wall. Thus, the open front and back walls and the first and second non-open side walls form a flow path for gas through the substrate rack from a gas inlet to a gas outlet, and the substrates are exposed to the gas.

[0016] In some other embodiments, the substrate rack includes an open front wall, an open back wall opposite the open front wall, a non-open first side wall, a non-open second side wall opposite the non-open first side wall, and a non-open top wall. The non-open first and second side walls and the non-open top wall extend between the open front wall and the open back wall, forming a flow path through the substrate rack between the open front wall and the open back wall. Thus, the open front and back walls, the non-open first and second side walls, and the non-open top wall form a flow path tunnel for gas through the substrate rack from a gas inlet to a gas outlet, and the substrates are exposed to the gas. The substrate rack thereby forms a flow tunnel within the reaction chamber, and two or more substrates are disposed within the flow tunnel.

[0017] In yet another embodiment, the substrate rack comprises an open front wall, an open back wall opposite the open front wall, a non-open first side wall, a non-open second side wall opposite the non-open first side wall, a non-open top wall, and a non-open bottom wall opposite the non-open top wall, the non-open first and second side walls and the non-open top and bottom walls extending between the open front wall and the open back wall, forming a flow path through the substrate rack between the open front wall and the open back wall. Thus, the open front and back walls, the non-open first and second side walls, and the non-open top and bottom walls form a flow path for gas through the substrate rack from a gas inlet to a gas outlet, exposing the substrates to the gas. The substrate rack thereby forms a flow path within the reaction chamber, and two or more substrates are disposed within the flow path.

[0018] In some embodiments, two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row such that the open back wall of a substrate rack faces the open front wall of a successive substrate rack in the row, forming a flow path through the two or more substrate racks, such that gas can flow through successive substrate racks in the reaction chamber and substrates in successive substrate racks are efficiently exposed to the gas.

[0019] In another embodiment, two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row such that the open back wall of a substrate rack abuts the open front wall of a successive substrate rack in the row, forming a continuous flow path through the two or more substrate racks, which provides good flow dynamics and allows efficient exposure of substrates in successive substrate racks to gas.

[0020] In some embodiments, the open front wall of the substrate rack is disposed towards a gas inlet in the reaction space of the reaction chamber, and the open back wall of the substrate rack is disposed towards a gas outlet in the reaction space of the reaction chamber, such that gas is inserted directly into the flow path provided by the substrate rack from the gas inlet, and excess gas is exhausted directly from the flow path provided by the substrate rack to the gas outlet.

[0021] In another embodiment, the open front wall of the substrate rack is disposed towards a gas inlet in the reaction space of the reaction chamber, the open back wall of the substrate rack is disposed towards a gas outlet in the reaction space of the reaction chamber, and the flow path through the substrate rack is disposed within the reaction chamber to extend towards the reaction chamber. Thus, the flow path provided by the substrate rack is disposed to extend in a direction between the gas inlet and the gas outlet for efficient gas flow within the reaction chamber.

[0022] In some embodiments, two or more substrate racks in a row are interconnected, or consecutive substrate racks in a row are directly interconnected by a connecting element. Interconnecting or coupling the substrate racks facilitates simultaneous loading or unloading of the substrate racks into and out of the reaction chamber. Additionally, interconnecting or connecting the substrate racks to each other can provide a continuous flow path through two or more substrate racks.

[0023] Thus, two or more substrate racks are arranged in series between a gas inlet and a gas outlet towards the reaction chamber, and a flow path passing through the two or more substrate racks is provided extending towards the reaction chamber.

[0024] In some embodiments, two or more substrate racks are supported on a common rack support. The racks are arranged to be movable relative to the reaction chamber. Thus, the rack support can move the two or more substrate racks for loading and unloading into and out of the reaction chamber. Furthermore, during the movement, the relative positions of the substrate racks do not change, and the two or more substrate racks do not move relative to each other.

[0025] In another embodiment, two or more substrate racks are supported on a common rack support part. The rack support part is arranged to be movable relative to the reaction chamber. The two or more substrate racks are connected to each other via the common rack support part. Thus, the common substrate rack can interconnect two or more substrate racks such that the two or more substrate racks can be moved together by moving the rack support part.

[0026] In yet another embodiment, two or more substrate racks are supported on a common rack support portion. The rack support portion is arranged to be movable relative to the reaction chamber. The two or more substrate racks are each locked to the common rack support portion by a locking element. Thus, the rack support portion is used to lock and move the two or more substrate racks relative to each other to form a flow path through the two or more substrate racks.

[0027] In some embodiments, the substrate rack includes a substrate support portion arranged to support two or more substrates between first and second non-apertured side walls, such that the substrates can be positioned along the flow path of the substrate rack.

[0028] In some other embodiments, the substrate rack comprises a substrate support portion arranged to support two or more substrates in a stacked arrangement between first and second non-open side walls, thereby forming a substrate stack, and thus in the flow path of the substrate rack, two or more substrates may be carried in a stacked arrangement.

[0029] In yet another embodiment, the substrate rack comprises substrate support portions arranged to support two or more substrates in a stacked arrangement between the first and second non-apertured side walls and between the non-apertured top and bottom walls such that a substrate stack is formed, thereby allowing two or more substrates to be positioned in a stacked arrangement in the flow path of the substrate rack.

[0030] In some embodiments, the reaction chamber includes a support portion arranged to support two or more substrate batches, each substrate batch including a stack of two or more individual substrates, and a cover portion arranged to form a housing surrounding the two or more substrate batches disposed on the support portion, the support portion and the cover portion arranged to form a reaction chamber, the support portion and the cover portion arranged to be mutually movable between a reaction chamber open position and a reaction chamber closed position, in the reaction chamber open position the support portion and the cover portion are spaced apart from each other, and in the reaction chamber closed position the support portion and the cover portion are connected to each other to form a closed reaction space within the reaction chamber.

[0031] Thus, the support portion is arranged to form a bottom wall of the reaction chamber, and the cover portion is arranged to form a top wall and a side / end wall of the reaction chamber.

[0032] By moving the support part and the cover part relative to one another, the reaction chamber can be opened and closed in a single linear movement.

[0033] In some embodiments, the reaction chamber includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a length between the first end and the second end. The reaction chamber further includes a first side wall extending between the first end and the second end, a second side wall opposite the first side wall extending between the first end and the second end, and a width between the first side wall and the second side wall. The reaction chamber has a region of a first increasing width from the first end to the second end, and the reaction chamber has a region of a second increasing width from the second end to the first end. The reaction chamber has a rack support region between the first and second increasing width regions, and two or more substrate racks are disposed within the reaction space of the reaction chamber from between the gas inlet and the gas outlet to the rack support region.

[0034] In another embodiment, the cover portion comprises a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a length between the first end and the second end, the cover portion further comprises a first side wall extending between the first end and the second end, a second side wall opposite the first side wall and extending between the first end and the second end, and a width between the first side wall and the second side wall. The cover portion has a first region of increased width from the first end toward the second end, and the cover portion has a second region of increased width from the second end toward the first end. The cover portion has a rack support region between the first region of increased width and the second region of increased width, and two or more substrate racks are disposed within the reaction space of the reaction chamber from between the gas inlet and the gas outlet to the rack support region.

[0035] The increasing and decreasing width can provide uniform gas flow while ensuring sufficient distance between the first and second ends and the gas inlet at the substrate, so that precursor gas molecules have sufficient time and space to diffuse before contacting the substrate.

[0036] In some embodiments, the reaction chamber comprises a bottom for supporting two or more substrate racks, the bottom being provided with a heating element for heating the reaction space within the reaction chamber.

[0037] In another embodiment, the support portion of the reaction chamber is provided with a heating element for heating the reaction space within the reaction chamber.

[0038] This allows efficient heating of the substrate and reaction chamber, and heat can be supplied to the reaction chamber by conduction through the bottom or support portion.

[0039] The above different embodiments of the reaction chamber may be combined in any feasible way without departing from the invention.

[0040] The present invention is further based on the idea of ​​providing an atomic layer deposition apparatus arranged for simultaneously processing a plurality of substrates in a batch process. The atomic layer deposition apparatus has a reaction chamber arranged in a vacuum chamber. The atomic layer deposition apparatus further comprises a loading chamber connected to the vacuum chamber via a loading connection part, and a loading arrangement arranged for moving two or more substrate racks between the loading chamber and the reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber via the loading connection part. Each of the two or more substrate racks is arranged to support two or more substrates.

[0041] The reaction chamber comprises a support part forming a support for two or more substrate racks and a cover part forming a housing surrounding the two or more substrate racks arranged on the support part. The support part and the cover part together form the reaction chamber, and the cover part is arranged to be movable relative to the support part between a reaction chamber open position and a reaction chamber closed position. In the reaction chamber open position, the support part and the cover part are spaced apart from each other, and in the reaction chamber closed position, the support part and the cover part are connected to each other to form the reaction chamber in a closed state. The loading arrangement part is arranged to move with the two or more substrate racks with a loading movement between the loading chamber and the reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber via the loading connection part in the reaction chamber open position.

[0042] The apparatus of the present invention can load and unload many substrates into and from the reaction chamber in one loading and unloading move. Two or more substrate racks allow for many substrates to be accommodated without increasing the size of the loading junction.

[0043] In some embodiments, two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row, and the loading position portion is arranged to move the two or more substrate racks in the row together by loading movement (operation) between a loading chamber and the reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber via the loading connection portion in the open position of the reaction chamber.

[0044] In some embodiments, two or more substrate racks are arranged in a row in contact or interconnection with each other such that a flow path is formed through the two or more substrate racks, and the loading arrangement is arranged to move the two or more substrate racks in the row together by loading movement between a loading chamber in the vacuum chamber and the reaction chamber via the loading connection in an open position of the reaction chamber.

[0045] By assembling two or more substrate racks in a row, the cross-sectional area of ​​the two or more substrate racks can be minimized during loading and unloading of substrates, and therefore the size of the loading connection can also be minimized. Placing two or more substrate racks in contact with or interconnected with each other results in a compact rack assembly, where the substrate racks are positioned during processing in the reaction chamber.

[0046] In some embodiments, the two or more substrate racks are supported on a row of common rack supports, and the loading arrangement is arranged to move the common rack support with the loading movement between the loading chamber and the reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber through the loading connection in the open position of the reaction chamber. The common rack support provides a simple structure for connecting or interconnecting the two or more substrate racks. Furthermore, the common rack support allows the two or more substrate racks to be loaded and unloaded simultaneously, and allows the two or more substrate racks to be supported in the reaction chamber and the loading chamber. Thus, the two or more substrate racks do not need to be moved relative to each other during loading, unloading, and processing.

[0047] In some embodiments, the cover portion is arranged to move in a first direction and the loading portion is arranged to move two or more substrate racks in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction, such that overall loading and unloading can be performed by two linear movements.

[0048] In some preferred embodiments, the second direction, i.e., the loading direction, is parallel to the reaction chamber direction. In addition, the flow path direction of the substrate rack is also preferably parallel to the second direction and the reaction chamber direction. This improves the flow dynamics in the reaction chamber and provides efficient and simple stacking.

[0049] In some embodiments, the atomic layer deposition apparatus further comprises a lifter connected to the reaction chamber and positioned to move the cover portion between the open and closed positions of the reaction chamber.

[0050] In some embodiments, the lifter is connected to a cover portion of the reaction chamber and is arranged to vertically move the cover portion relative to a support portion of the reaction chamber, the support portion being secured within the vacuum chamber.

[0051] In some embodiments, the lifter is connected to a cover portion of the reaction chamber and is arranged to horizontally move the cover portion relative to a support portion of the reaction chamber, the support portion being secured within the vacuum chamber.

[0052] In some embodiments, the lifter has a lifter motor located outside the vacuum chamber.

[0053] In some embodiments, the atomic layer deposition apparatus further comprises a heat reflector (heat reflector) disposed within the vacuum chamber to surround at least a portion of the cover portion of the reaction chamber and move together with the cover portion.

[0054] In some embodiments, the atomic layer deposition apparatus further comprises a heat reflector movably disposed within the vacuum chamber, wherein when the reaction chamber is in a closed position, the heat reflector is disposed in a space between the loading connection portion and the reaction chamber, and when the reaction chamber is in an open position, the heat reflector is moved away from the loading connection portion to provide an open path between the loading connection portion and the reaction chamber in the open position.

[0055] In some embodiments, the heat reflector is connected to a cover portion of the reaction chamber, and the heat reflector can move with the cover portion.

[0056] In some alternative embodiments, the heat reflector may be connected to a lifter, and the heat reflector may move with the lifter.

[0057] The atomic layer deposition apparatus further includes a vacuum device arranged to provide vacuum conditions to the loading chamber and the vacuum chamber.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, the reaction chamber of the atomic layer deposition apparatus is a reaction chamber as described above.

[0059] The invention is further based on the concept of providing a method for mounting a substrate in a reaction chamber of an atomic layer deposition apparatus for processing the substrate according to the principles of atomic layer deposition.

[0060] The method includes the following steps. - placing two or more substrate racks into the loading chamber, each of the two or more substrate racks containing two or more substrates; - opening the loading connection between the mounting chamber and the vacuum chamber; - moving two or more substrate racks together from a loading chamber to a reaction chamber within the vacuum chamber, the reaction chamber being in an open position with a reaction chamber support portion spaced apart from a reaction chamber cover portion; - moving the cover part relative to the support part to move the reaction chamber from an open position to a closed position, where in the closed position of the reaction chamber the support part and the cover part are connected to form a closed reaction space within the reaction chamber.

[0061] Thus, two or more substrate racks containing two or more substrates are placed in a loading chamber, and then the two or more substrate racks are moved together from the loading chamber to the reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber in a single loading move. Thus, multiple substrates can be loaded into the reaction chamber while minimizing downtime of the apparatus.

[0062] In some embodiments, moving the reaction chamber from the open position to the closed position further comprises vertically moving the cover portion using a lifter connected to the cover portion and connecting the cover portion to the support portion to close the reaction chamber.

[0063] In some embodiments, placing the two or more substrate racks in the loading chamber comprises placing the two or more substrate racks in a row in the loading chamber in contact with or interconnected with one another such that a flow path is formed through the two or more substrate racks, and further moving the two or more substrate racks together from the loading chamber to the reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber comprises moving the two or more substrate racks together in a row from the loading chamber to the reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber.

[0064] By arranging two or more substrate racks in a row, a compact loading connection between the loading chamber and the vacuum chamber can be utilized. Furthermore, the row arranged in the loading chamber may be utilized in the reaction chamber during processing for efficient flow dynamics. Thus, two or more substrate racks do not need to be moved relative to each other during or after loading into the reaction chamber.

[0065] In some other embodiments, placing the two or more substrate racks in the loading chamber includes placing the two or more substrate racks in a row on a common rack support in the loading chamber such that a flow path is formed through the two or more substrate racks. Further, moving the two or more substrate racks together from the loading chamber to a reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber includes moving the common rack support from the loading chamber to a reaction chamber in the vacuum chamber, where the two or more substrate racks are supported on the common rack support in a row.

[0066] The common rack support serves substrates for two or more substrate racks during loading and unloading, and during processing in the reaction chamber, thus making the processing of two or more rack supports simple and efficient.

[0067] In a preferred embodiment, the method is carried out by the atomic layer deposition apparatus disclosed above.

[0068] In another embodiment, the method is carried out by the atomic layer deposition apparatus and reaction chamber disclosed above.

[0069] An advantage of the present invention is that a standardized substrate stack can be utilized. For example, a standardized semiconductor wafer stack consists of 25 wafers. Thus, the present invention allows for the use of two or more substrate racks to process two or more standardized wafer stacks simultaneously. This allows for efficient handling of wafers before and after atomic layer deposition processing. Furthermore, the arrangement of two or more substrate racks in a row allows for efficient loading and unloading via a compact size loading connection forming a row. The two or more substrate racks in a row may further allow for efficient flow dynamics in the reaction chamber since they are arranged in a row in the gas flow direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0070] The present invention will now be described in detail by means of specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic front view of a substrate rack. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the substrate rack of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of two substrate racks in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of two substrate racks in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an atomic layer deposition apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a schematic top view of a reaction chamber in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a schematic side view of the reaction chamber of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reaction chamber of FIG. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing how a substrate rack is mounted in a reaction chamber of an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing how a substrate rack is mounted in a reaction chamber of an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing how a substrate rack is mounted in a reaction chamber of an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing how a substrate rack is mounted in a reaction chamber of an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 illustrates a schematic diagram of another embodiment of an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 illustrates a schematic diagram of another embodiment of an atomic layer deposition apparatus according to the present invention.

[0071] Detailed Description of the Invention 1 shows a front view of a substrate rack B arranged to support two or more substrates 2. The substrates 2 are planar substrates such as semiconductor wafers. FIG 2 shows a side view of the substrate rack B of FIG 1.

[0072] Substrate rack B includes substrate support portions 58 arranged to hold substrates 2 within substrate rack B. The substrate support portions 2 are arranged to support the substrates 2 in a stacked manner such that the substrates 2 overlap one another, thereby forming a substrate stack as substrate rack B. The substrate support portions 58 are arranged with gaps 3 between the stacked substrates 2 to allow gas flow between the stacked substrates 2.

[0073] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate rack B and substrate support portion 58 are arranged to support 25 the superimposed substrates 2 .

[0074] The substrate support portion 58 is arranged to support two or more substrates 2 in a stacked relationship between a first non-apertured side wall 55 and a second non-apertured side wall 56, thereby forming a substrate stack.

[0075] 1 and 2, the substrate rack B includes an open front wall 55 and an open rear wall 56 located opposite the open front wall 55. The open front wall 55 and the rear wall 56 are arranged so that gas flows through the open front wall 55 and the rear wall 56. The open front wall 55 and the rear wall 56 are further arranged so that substrates can be inserted and removed through the open front wall 55 and the rear wall 56.

[0076] The substrate rack B further comprises a first non-open side wall 53 and a second non-open side wall 54 opposite the first non-open side wall 53. The first and second non-open side walls 53,54 extend between an open front wall 55 and an open rear wall 56, such that a flow path through the substrate rack B is defined from the open front wall 55 to the open rear wall 56 and between the first and second non-open side walls 53,54.

[0077] Thus, gas flow F1 is configured to enter substrate rack B through the open front wall 55, and gas flow F2 is configured to exit substrate rack B through the open rear wall 56. Thus, gas flows are configured to flow through substrate rack B through the open front wall 55 and the open rear wall 56, and substrates are exposed to the gas flow within substrate rack B.

[0078] The substrate rack B further comprises a non-open top wall 51. The non-open top wall 51 extends between an open front wall 55 and an open rear wall 56, such that a flow path is formed through the substrate rack B from the open front wall 55 to the open rear wall 56, and between the non-open first and second side walls 53, 54 and the non-open top wall 51. As a result, the non-open first side wall 53, the non-open second side wall 54, and the non-open top wall 51 define a flow path through the substrate rack B from the open front wall 55 to the open rear wall 56 as a flow path tunnel.

[0079] In some embodiments, the non-open top wall 51 may be omitted and the top wall may be open. In this case, the top substrate 2 may form the top wall of the substrate rack B.

[0080] The substrate rack B further comprises a non-apertured bottom wall 52. The non-apertured bottom wall 52 extends between an open front wall 55 and an open rear wall 56 such that a flow path is formed through the substrate rack B from the open front wall 55 to the open rear wall 56 and between the first and second non-apertured side walls 53, 54 and the non-apertured bottom wall 52. As a result, the non-apertured first side wall 53, the non-apertured second side wall 54 and the non-apertured bottom wall 52 define a flow path through the substrate rack B from the open front wall 55 to the open rear wall 56 as a flow path tunnel.

[0081] Alternatively, the non-open first side wall 53, the non-open second side wall 54, the non-open top wall 51, and the non-open bottom wall 52 define a flow path through the substrate rack B from the open front wall 55 to the open rear wall 56 as a flow path channel.

[0082] The substrate support portion 58 is arranged to support two or more substrates 2 in a stacked manner between the non-open first and second side walls 55, 56, and between the non-open top wall 51 and the non-open bottom wall 52, so as to form a substrate stack.

[0083] In some embodiments, the solid bottom wall 52 may be omitted and the bottom wall may be open. In this case, the bottommost substrate 2 may form the bottom wall of the substrate rack B.

[0084] 3 and 4 show two substrate racks B1 and B2 that are coupled together according to the present invention. Note that, according to the present invention, two or more substrate racks B1 and B2 are coupled together. For example, three or four substrate racks B1 and B2 may be coupled together.

[0085] 3 shows an embodiment in which the substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in combination. The substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row, and the open rear wall 56 of the first substrate rack B1 faces the open front wall 55 of the second substrate rack B2, which is continuous in the row, to form a flow path through the first and second substrate racks B1, B2. Thus, the gas flow F1 is arranged to enter the first substrate rack B1 through the open front wall 55 of the first substrate rack B1, and the gas flow F2 is arranged to exit the second substrate rack B2 through the open rear wall 56 of the second substrate rack B2. Thus, the gas flow is arranged to flow through the first and second substrate racks B1, B2 through the open front wall 55 of the substrate rack B1 and the open rear wall 56 of the second substrate rack B2, and the substrates in the first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are exposed to the gas flow.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row, and the open rear wall 56 of the first substrate rack B1 faces the open front wall 55 of the second substrate rack B2 which is continuous in the row, forming a continuous flow path passing through the substrate racks B1, B2.

[0087] 3, the first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are supported on a common rack support portion 40. The rack support portion 40 is provided as an independent element movable relative to the reaction chamber and the atomic layer deposition apparatus.

[0088] The rack support portion 40 is provided as a base plate having a top surface 42 and a bottom surface 44 of the support portion. The substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged to be supported on the top surface 42 of the rack support portion 40. The substrate racks B1, B2 can be moved on the rack support portion 40 and can be moved together with the rack support portion 40 into or out of the reaction chamber. This makes handling of multiple substrate racks B1, B2 simple and efficient.

[0089] The substrate racks B1 and B2 are connected to each other via a common rack support portion 40.

[0090] The substrate racks B1, B2 are locked or secured to the common rack support portion 40 by locking elements 45, 57. Thus, the substrate racks B1, B2 are positioned relative to each other and to the rack support portion 40 such that they are maintained in a predetermined position.

[0091] 3, the locking elements 45, 57 include locking holes 45 provided in the rack support portion 40. The locking holes 45 are provided in the top surface 42 of the rack support portion 40. The substrate racks B1, B2 are further provided with locking (fixing) pins 57 extending downwardly from the substrate racks B1, B2.

[0092] In some embodiments, the locking pins 57 are positioned to extend from the bottom walls 52 of the substrate racks B1, B2.

[0093] The substrate racks B1, B2 are positioned on the rack support portion 40 such that the locking pins 57 are positioned within the locking holes 45. The locking holes 45 and the locking pins thus secure the substrate racks B1, B2 to each other and to the rack support portion 40.

[0094] In another embodiment, the lock pin 57 is provided in the rack support portion 40 and is provided on the top surface 42 of the rack support portion 40. To this end, the lock holes 45 are provided in the substrate racks B1 and B2.

[0095] It should be noted that the locking elements 57, 45 may further include other types of locking elements, such as grooves, protrusions, and the like.

[0096] The locking elements 57, 45 allow accurate positioning of the substrate racks B1, B2 on the common rack support portion 40.

[0097] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment in which the first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are directly connected or fixed to each other by a row of connecting elements 59.

[0098] In this embodiment, each substrate rack B1, B2 has connection elements 59 arranged to connect with connection elements of successive substrate racks B1, B2 in the row.

[0099] In the embodiment of Figure 4, the common rack support portion 40 may be omitted. However, in the embodiment of Figure 4, the common rack support portion 40 may also be utilized. However, the locking elements 57, 45 may be omitted.

[0100] 5 shows an atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 having a reaction chamber 10 arranged in a vacuum chamber 20. The reaction chamber 10 is configured to process substrates according to the principles of atomic layer deposition in a batch process, and substrate racks B1 and B2 are provided in the reaction chamber 10, and substrates 2 connected to and arranged on the substrate racks B1 and B2 are simultaneously processed. The reaction chamber 10 provides a reaction space 8 therein.

[0101] The atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 comprises a reaction chamber 10 having a support portion 11 forming a support for a batch of substrates, and substrate racks B1, B2 provided in the reaction chamber 10. The reaction chamber 10 also comprises a cover portion 12 forming a housing surrounding the substrate racks B1, B2 mounted on the support portion 11.

[0102] 5, the support part 11 is positioned to form the bottom of the reaction chamber 10, and the cover part 12 forms the side walls of the reactor and the roof or top wall of the reactor. The cover part 12 is positioned so that it can move relative to the bottom 11, and the support part 11 and the cover part 12 form the reaction chamber 10.

[0103] The atomic layer deposition apparatus further comprises a gas supply pipe 91 connected to the support part 11 of the reaction chamber 10, where gas is supplied from a gas source 90 through the support part 11 to the reaction chamber 10 via a gas inlet 92. An exhaust conduit 101 is further connected to the support part 11 of the reaction chamber 10 via a gas outlet 102, where gas is exhausted from the reaction chamber 10 through the support part 11 to an exhaust device 100 via the exhaust conduit 101.

[0104] The atomic layer deposition apparatus has a lifter 60 connected to the cover portion 12. The lifter includes a lifter motor 61 disposed outside the vacuum chamber 20. The lifter 60 is positioned to move the cover portion 12 relative to the support portion 11 within the vacuum chamber 20 to open and close the reaction chamber 10.

[0105] In another embodiment, the lifter 60 is connected to the support portion 11 and arranged to move the support portion 11 relative to the cover portion 12 to open and close the reaction chamber 10 .

[0106] The support part 11 and the cover part 12 are arranged so as to be mutually movable between an open position of the reaction chamber 10 and a closed position of the reaction chamber 10 by a lifter 60. In the open position of the reaction chamber 10, the support part 11 and the cover part 12 are spaced apart from each other. In the closed position of the reaction chamber 10, the support part 11 and the cover part 12 are connected to each other so as to form a closed reaction space 8 within the reaction chamber 10, as shown in FIG.

[0107] The support part 11 is provided with a heating element 14 for heating the reaction space 8 within the reaction chamber 10 .

[0108] Heating element 14 is an electric heating element connected to a power source 15 via power line 13. Power source 15 is located outside of vacuum chamber 20. Power source 15 can be, for example, any type of electrical connection.

[0109] 5, the heating elements 14 are positioned to heat the support portions 11 that are in contact with the common rack support portion 40 or that are in direct contact with the substrate racks B1 and B2, thereby efficiently heating the substrates 2 in the substrate racks B1 and B2.

[0110] The substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row in the reaction chamber 10. The arrangement of the substrate racks B1, B2 in the reaction chamber is shown in detail in FIGS.

[0111] FIG. 6 shows a schematic top view of a reaction chamber 10 having substrate racks B1, B2 supported on a support portion 11.

[0112] The reaction chamber 10 has a first end 16, a second end 17 opposite the first end 16, and a length between the first end 16 and the second end 17. The reaction chamber 10 further has a first side wall 26 extending between the first end 16 and the second end 17, a second side wall 27 opposite the first side wall 26 extending between the first end 16 and the second end 17, and a width between the first side wall 26 and the second side wall 27.

[0113] In the embodiment of FIGS. 6-8, the end walls 16,17 and the side walls 26,27 are provided on the cover part 12. As shown in FIG.

[0114] The reaction chamber 10 or cover part 12 has a first region of increasing width G from the first end 16 towards the second end 17. In the first region of increasing width G, the distance between the first and second side walls 26, 27 increases towards the second end 17. A gas inlet 92 is provided in the first region of increasing width G.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 7, a gas inlet 92 is provided in the support portion 11, and a gas supply pipe 91 extends through the support portion 11 from the lower surface 19 to the top surface 18 of the support portion 11.

[0116] The reaction chamber 10 or the cover part 12 further comprises a second region of increasing width H from the second end 17 towards the first end 16. In the second region of increasing width H, the distance between the first and second side walls 26, 27 increases towards the first end 16. The gas outlet 102 is provided in the second region of increasing width H.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 7, the gas outlet 102 is provided in the support portion 11 and the exhaust conduit 101 extends through the support portion 11 from the lower surface 19 to the top surface 18 of the support portion 11 .

[0118] The reaction chamber 10 or cover portion 12 further comprises a rack support region J between the first and second increased width regions G and H.

[0119] In some embodiments, the width along the rack support region J is substantially constant.

[0120] In other embodiments, the width along the rack support region J varies.

[0121] The substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row I within the reaction space 8 of the reaction chamber 10 between the gas inlet 92 and the gas outlet 102.

[0122] Furthermore, the substrate racks B1 and B2 are disposed in a rack support area J.

[0123] 6, the reaction chamber 10 has a reaction chamber direction X extending in a direction between the gas inlet 92 and the gas outlet 102. Two or more substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row along the reaction chamber direction X between the gas inlet 92 and the gas outlet 102. Thus, the row direction of the substrate racks B1, B2 extends in the reaction chamber direction X.

[0124] 7, the open front wall 55 of the substrate racks B1, B2 is disposed in the direction of the gas inlet 92 of the reaction space 8 of the reaction chamber 10. Thus, the open front wall 55 faces in the direction of the first end 16.

[0125] Similarly, the open rear wall 56 of the substrate racks B1, B2 is arranged towards the gas outlet 102 of the reaction space 8 of the reaction chamber 10. The open rear wall 55 therefore faces the second end 17.

[0126] The first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row and in contact with each other, such that a continuous flow path is formed through the first and second substrate racks B1, B2 and is arranged to extend in the reaction chamber direction X of the reaction chamber 10.

[0127] The first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row, as disclosed in connection with FIGS.

[0128] 7, the first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged in a row such that the open rear wall 56 of the first substrate rack B1 abuts the open front wall 55 of the second substrate rack B2 adjacent to the row, so as to form a continuous flow path through the substrate racks B1, B2. The open front wall 55 of the first substrate rack B1 opens towards the gas inlet 92. The open rear wall 56 of the second substrate rack B2 opens towards the gas outlet 102.

[0129] Thus, gas flow F1 provided through gas inlet 92 is fed into the continuous flow path through the open front wall 92 of the first substrate rack B1 or the first portion of the row and flows through the first and second substrate racks B1, B2. Gas flow F2 exits the continuous flow path through the open back wall of the second substrate rack B2 or the last portion of the row and is exhausted from the reaction chamber 10 through gas outlet 102.

[0130] The first and second substrate racks B1, B2 are supported on a rack support portion 40 that is movable relative to the reaction chamber 10. The rack support portion 40 is disposed on the support portion 11 and on the top surface of the support portion 11.

[0131] 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional end view of the reaction chamber 10 and the substrate racks B1, B2 between the first and second ends 16, 17. There are small gaps 7 between the non-aperture walls 51, 53, 54 of the substrate racks B1, B2 and the walls 29, 26, 27 of the reaction chamber 10 or the cover part 12.

[0132] Preferably, the gap 7 is equally spaced between the top wall 51 of the substrate racks B1, B2 and the top wall 29 of the reaction chamber 10, and between the first and second non-open side walls 16, 17 of the substrate racks B1, B2 and the first and second side walls 26, 27 of the reaction chamber 10. Thus, a uniformly distributed gas flow can be achieved between the gas inlet 92 and the gas outlet 102 in the reaction chamber 10.

[0133] FIG. 9 shows an atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 having a reaction chamber 10 disposed within a vacuum chamber 20. The reaction chamber 10 is disposed for processing substrates in a batch process according to the principles of atomic layer deposition, and substrate racks B1 and B2 are disposed within the reaction chamber 10, and substrates disposed in connection with the substrate racks B1 and B2 are processed simultaneously. The atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 further includes a loading chamber 30 connected to the vacuum chamber 20 via a loading connection portion 32. The loading connection portion 32 is disposed to provide a loading path for moving the substrate racks B1 and B2 disposed in the loading chamber 30 from the loading chamber 30 to the reaction chamber 10 in the vacuum chamber 20 and from the reaction chamber 10 back to the loading chamber 30.

[0134] The loading connection 32 may be configured with a gate valve or may be a gate valve itself. In some embodiments, the gate valve is a pendulum gate valve, but may be any other suitable gate valve.

[0135] The loading arrangement 35 is arranged to move the substrate racks B1, B2 between the loading chamber 30 in the vacuum chamber 20 and the reaction chamber 10 along the loading path via the loading connection 32. The substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged on a row of rack support parts 40. The rack support parts 40 are arranged to move together with the loading arrangement 35 for loading and unloading. Thus, the substrate racks B1, B2 do not need to move separately but are moved together with the rack support parts 40.

[0136] The atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 comprises a reaction chamber 10 including a support part 11 forming a support for the rack support part 40 and the substrate racks B1, B2, and a cover part 12 forming a housing surrounding the substrate batches provided on the support part. The support part 11 in this embodiment of the invention also forms the bottom of the reaction chamber 10, while the cover part 12 forms the side walls and the top of the reactor.

[0137] The support part 11 and the cover part 12 together form a reaction chamber 10, with the cover part 12 arranged to be movable relative to the base 11 between a reaction chamber 10 open position and a reaction chamber 10 closed position.

[0138] 9 shows the reaction chamber 10 in a closed position where the cover part 12 and the support part 11 are connected to form a closed reaction space 8 within the reaction chamber 10. The loading connection part 32 arranged to connect the vacuum chamber 20 having the reaction chamber 10 therein and the loading chamber 30 is in a closed position and separates the loading chamber 30 from the vacuum chamber 20. The substrate racks B1, B2 are loaded in a row on the rack support part 40 from the loading arrangement part 35 within the loading chamber 30.

[0139] The apparatus 1 further comprises a vacuum device 80 connected to the loading chamber 30 via a first vacuum connection 81 and to the vacuum chamber 20 via a second vacuum connection 82. The vacuum device 80 comprises a vacuum pump.

[0140] Alternatively, the vacuum device 80 may include a first vacuum pump connected to the loading chamber 30 and a second vacuum pump connected to the vacuum chamber 20 .

[0141] A vacuum device 80 is positioned to provide vacuum conditions to the loading chamber 30 .

[0142] A vacuum device 80 is also positioned to provide vacuum conditions to the vacuum chamber 20 .

[0143] 9 further shows additional heat reflectors 71 provided on the inner surface of the vacuum chamber 20. However, these additional heat reflectors 71 are not required and may be arranged, for example, to protect the area around the loading connection portion 32 or the area around the lifter 60.

[0144] The support portion 11, as referred to throughout this specification, is the portion on which the substrate racks B1, B2 are positioned for processing substrates in the reaction chamber 10, and is the portion that is stationary within the vacuum chamber 20. Arrows C and D indicate the directions of movement of the cover portion 12 and the loading position portion 35, with arrow C indicating reciprocating movement in a first direction and arrow D indicating reciprocating movement in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0145] 10 shows that the loading connection part 32 connecting the loading chamber 30 and the vacuum chamber 20 is in an open state, which means that the vacuum device provides a vacuum state to the loading chamber 30 and the vacuum chamber 20, and the substrate racks B1, B2 can be moved from the loading chamber 30 to the reaction chamber 10 in the vacuum chamber 20 without interrupting the vacuum state. The cover part 12 of the reaction chamber 10 is moved by a lifter 60 having a lifter motor 61 outside the vacuum chamber 20, and the lifter 60 extends from the outside of the vacuum chamber to the inside of the vacuum chamber 20 and connects to the cover part 12 of the reaction chamber 10. In the open position of the reaction chamber 10, the cover part 12 is moved to the upper side of the vacuum chamber 20 by the lifter 60, and the cover part 12 is separated from the support part 11 which remains in that position. The support part 11 is disposed at the same height as the loading device 35 so that the loading path between the mounting chamber 30 and the reaction chamber 10 is horizontal. The atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 further comprises a heat reflector (heat reflector) 70 arranged to prevent heat generated from the reaction chamber 10 from being reflected to the loading connection part 32. In this embodiment of the present invention, the heat reflector 70 is arranged in connection with the cover part 12 of the reaction chamber 10 and moves away from the space between the reaction chamber 10 and the loading connection part 32 when the cover part 12 moves to the upper side of the vacuum chamber 20, thereby providing an open loading path for the substrate racks B1, B2. Figure 13 shows another embodiment related to the heat reflector.

[0146] 11 shows the atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 in a state where the substrate racks B1, B2 have been moved in the second direction D from the loading chamber 30 to the reaction chamber 10 in the vacuum chamber 20. The reaction chamber 10 is still in an open state, and the loading arrangement 35 extends from the loading chamber 30 to the reaction chamber 10. A vacuum condition is provided to both the loading chamber 30 and the reaction chamber 10, which are in an open state relative to the vacuum chamber 20.

[0147] The second direction D means the loading direction and is parallel to the reaction chamber direction X. Furthermore, the flow path direction of the substrate racks B1, B2 is preferably also parallel to the second direction D during loading by the loading arrangement 35 and in the reaction chamber. Therefore, the flow path direction of the substrate racks B1, B2 is also parallel to the second direction D.

[0148] 12 shows the state of the atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 in an operation mode in which the cover part 12 is moved by the lifter 60 so that the cover part 12 engages with the support part 11, and the lifter motor 61 is operated to move and position the cover part 12 of the reaction chamber 10 so that it contacts the support part 11 of the reaction chamber 10. The cover part 12 moves in a first direction C. The heat reflector 70 is similarly disposed in the space between the reaction chamber 10 and the loading connection part 32, and the heat reflector 70 prevents heat from the reaction chamber 10 from being transferred to the loading connection part 32. The loading connection part 32 is in a closed state, and the mounting chamber 30 is in a state of being separated from the vacuum chamber 20 via the loading connection part 32 in the closed state. The substrates accommodated in the substrate racks B1 and B2 are processed in the reaction chamber 10 based on the principle of the atomic layer deposition method.

[0149] FIG. 13 shows an atomic layer deposition apparatus 1 of the present invention, in which the loading chamber 30 is disposed above the vacuum chamber 20 so that the loading movement of the substrate racks B1, B2 is vertical. That is, in this embodiment, the second direction D is vertical. In FIG. 13, the mounting chamber 30 is shown to be above the vacuum chamber 20, but the mounting chamber 30 may be below the vacuum chamber 20. The movement direction of the cover part 12, i.e., the first direction C, is horizontal in this embodiment. The support part 11 has a connection configuration having a rack support part 40 for connecting to the substrate racks B1, B2 or a support part 11 for connecting to a support part 11 provided in a vertical direction.

[0150] 13 illustrates yet another method of providing a heat reflector 70 for the reaction chamber 10 to prevent heat from entering the loading chamber 30. The heat reflector 70 is positioned to cover at least a portion of the reaction chamber 10, and in this embodiment illustrated in FIG.

[0151] FIG. 14 shows another method of disposing the reaction chamber 20 in the vacuum chamber 20. The loading chamber 30 is disposed at a position opposite to the vacuum chamber 20 compared to that shown in FIG. 9, but this embodiment is not limited to this method. The support part 11 is fixedly disposed in the vacuum chamber 20, the cover part 12 moves from the lower side toward the support part 11, and the substrate batch is suspended therein. However, the first direction C and the second direction D are the same as those in FIG. 9. As in all other embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 to 13, gas is supplied to and exhausted from the reaction chamber 10 via the support part 11.

[0152] In the present invention, two, three, four or more substrate racks B, B1, B2 may be simultaneously loaded from the loading chamber 30 to the reaction chamber 10, and unloaded from the reaction chamber to the loading chamber 30.

[0153] Furthermore, in the present invention, the substrate racks B, B1, and B2 are arranged in a row within the loading chamber.

[0154] The term "row-like" preferably includes a row direction, and the rows are formed in a row direction parallel to the second direction D. Thus, loading and unloading of the substrate racks B1, B2 is performed in the row direction by the loading arrangement 35. Thus, the size of the load connection part or its load opening can be kept small.

[0155] 9-14, the substrate racks B1, B2 are arranged as a row assembly in the loading chamber 30 and are arranged on the rack support portion 40. The loading arrangement portion 35 is arranged to connect to the rack support portion 40 and move in the second direction D. Therefore, there is no need to separate and move the substrate racks B1, B2 during loading and unloading and during processing. Therefore, the substrate racks B1, B2 are in a solid state relative to each other, allowing accurate mutual positioning of the substrate racks B1, B2.

[0156] The invention has been described above with reference to the illustrated examples. However, the invention is not limited to the above examples but can vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A reaction chamber (10) for atomic layer deposition, the reaction chamber (10) having a reaction space (8) therein, the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10) being configured to simultaneously process a plurality of substrates (2) in a batch process, the reaction chamber (10) comprising: a gas inlet (92) arranged to feed a gas into the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10); a gas outlet (102) arranged to exhaust gas from the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10), the gas outlet (102) being arranged at a distance from the gas inlet (92); and - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2), each of which is arranged to support two or more separated substrates (2) to form substrate batches; The present invention is characterized in that Two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are disposed between a gas inlet (92) and a gas outlet (102) in the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10); and Two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in a row between a gas inlet (92) and a gas outlet (102). A reaction chamber (10) for atomic layer deposition.

2. 2. The reaction chamber (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reaction chamber (10) has a reaction chamber direction (X) extending between a gas inlet (92) and a gas outlet (102), and the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in a row in the reaction chamber direction (X) between the gas inlet (92) and the gas outlet (102).

3. 3. The reaction chamber (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in contact with each other and arranged in a row between a gas inlet (92) and a gas outlet (102).

4. The reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the substrate racks (B1, B2) comprise: - comprising an open front wall (55), an open rear wall (56) opposite the open front wall (55), a non-open first side wall (53), and a non-open second side wall (54) opposite the non-open first side wall (53), the non-open first side wall (53) and the non-open second side wall (54) extending between the open front wall (55) and the open rear wall (56), such that a flow path through the substrate racks (B1, B2) is formed between the open front wall (55) and the open rear wall (56); or - comprising an open front wall (55), an open rear wall (56) opposite the open front wall (55), a non-open first side wall (53), a non-open second side wall (54) opposite the non-open first side wall (53), and a non-open top wall (51), the non-open first and second side walls (53, 54) and the non-open top wall (51) extending between the open front wall (55) and the open rear wall (56), forming a flow path through the substrate racks (B1, B2) between the open front wall (55) and the open rear wall (56); or - comprising an open front wall (55), an open rear wall (56) located opposite the open front wall (55), a non-open first side wall (53), a non-open second side wall (54) located opposite the non-open first side wall (53), a non-open top wall (51), and a non-open bottom wall (52) located opposite the non-open top wall (51), wherein the non-open first and second side walls (53, 54) and the non-open top and bottom walls (51) extend between the open front wall (55) and the open rear wall (56), and a flow path passing through the substrate racks (B1, B2) is formed between the open front wall (55) and the open rear wall (56).

5. - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in a row such that the open rear wall (56) of a substrate rack (B1) faces the open front wall (55) of the substrate rack (B2) that follows in the row, forming a flow path through the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2); or - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in a row such that the open rear wall (56) of a substrate rack (B1) abuts the open front wall (55) of the substrate rack (B2) adjacent in the row, forming a continuous flow path through the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2); The reaction chamber (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that

6. the open front wall (55) of the substrate rack (B1, B2) is arranged towards the gas inlet (92) in the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10) and the open rear wall (56) of the substrate rack (B1, B2) is arranged towards the gas outlet (102) in the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10); or the open front wall (55) of the substrate rack (B1, B2) is arranged towards the gas inlet (92) in the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10), the open rear wall (56) of the substrate rack (B1, B2) is arranged towards the gas outlet (102) in the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10), and the flow path through the substrate rack (B1, B2) is arranged to extend in the reaction chamber direction (X) of the reaction chamber (10); A reaction chamber (10) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that

7. - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) in a row are interconnected; or - consecutive substrate racks (B1, B2) in a row are directly connected to each other by connecting elements (59); A reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that

8. - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are supported on a common rack support part (4), the rack support part (35) being arranged so as to be movable relative to the reaction chamber (10); or - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are supported on a common rack support part (40), the rack support part (35) being arranged so as to be movable relative to the reaction chamber (10), and the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are interconnected with each other via the common rack support part (40); or - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are supported on a common rack support part (40), the rack support part (35) being arranged so as to be movable relative to the reaction chamber (10), and each of the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) is fixed to the common rack support part (40) by a locking element (45, 57). A reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that

9. the substrate rack (B1, B2) comprises a substrate support portion (58) arranged between the non-open first and second side walls (55, 56) for supporting two or more substrates (2); or the substrate rack (B1, B2) comprises a substrate support portion (58) arranged between the non-open first and second side walls (55, 56) for supporting two or more substrates (2) in a superposed state, thereby forming a substrate stack; or the substrate rack (B1, B2) comprises substrate support portions (58) arranged between the non-open first and second side walls (55, 56) and between the non-open top wall (51) and the non-open bottom wall (52) for supporting two or more substrates (2) in a superimposed state, thereby forming a substrate stack; A reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that

10. The reaction chamber (10) comprises: a support part (11) arranged to support two or more batches of substrates, each batch of substrates comprising a stack of two or more individual substrates (2); and a cover part (12) arranged to form a housing surrounding two or more batches of substrates carried on the support part (11); Including, The support part (11) and the cover part (12) are arranged to form a reaction chamber (10), and the support part (11) and the cover part (12) are arranged to be movable relative to each other between an open position of the reaction chamber (10) and a closed position of the reaction chamber (10), and in the open position of the reaction chamber (10), the support part (11) and the cover part (12) are spaced apart from each other, and in the closed position of the reaction chamber (10), the support part (11) and the cover part (12) are connected to each other to form a closed reaction space (8) within the reaction chamber (10). A reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that

11. the reaction chamber (10) has a first end (16), a second end (17) opposite the first end (16), and a length between the first end (16) and the second end (17), the reaction chamber (10) further having a first side wall (26) extending between the first end (16) and the second end (17), a second side wall (27) opposite the first side wall (26) and extending between the first end (16) and the second end (17), and a width between the first side wall (26) and the second side wall (27); the reaction chamber (10) has a first region of increasing width (G) in the direction from the first end (16) to the second end (17); the reaction chamber (10) has a second region of increasing width (H) in the direction from the second end (17) to the first end (16); the reaction chamber (10) has a rack support area (J) between a first area of ​​increased width (G) and a second area of ​​increased width (H); - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10) between the gas inlet (92) and gas outlet (102) and the rack support area (J); or the cover portion (12) has a first end (16), a second end (17) opposite the first end (16), and a length between the first end (16) and the second end (17), the cover portion (12) further has a first side wall (26) extending between the first end (16) and the second end (17), a second side wall (27) opposite the first side wall (26) and extending between the first end (16) and the second end (17), and a width between the first side wall (26) and the second side wall (27); the cover portion (12) has a first region of increasing width (G) in the direction from the first end (16) to the second end (17); the cover portion (12) has a second region of increasing width (H) in the direction from the second end (17) to the first end (16), the cover part (12) has a rack support area (J) between a first area of ​​increased width (G) and a second area of ​​increased width (H); Two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in the reaction space (8) of the reaction chamber (10) between the gas inlet (92) and gas outlet (102) and the rack support area (J). A reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that

12. the reaction chamber (10) comprises a bottom (11) for supporting two or more substrate racks (B1, B2), the bottom (11) being provided with heating elements (14) for heating the reaction space (8) within the reaction chamber (10), or the support part (11) of the reaction chamber (10) is provided with a heating element (14) for heating the reaction space (8) within the reaction chamber (10); A reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that

13. An atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) arranged to simultaneously process a plurality of substrates in a batch process, the atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) having a reaction chamber (10) arranged within a vacuum chamber (20), the atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) comprising: - a loading chamber (30) connected to the vacuum chamber (20) via a loading connection (32); a loading arrangement (35) arranged to transfer two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) between the loading chamber (30) and a reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20) via a loading connection (32), the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) arranged to support two or more substrates (2) each; [wherein the reaction chamber (10) is a support part (11) forming the support for two or more substrate racks (B1, B2); and a cover part (12) forming a housing surrounding two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) arranged on a support part (11); Including, the support portion (11) and the cover portion (12) together form a reaction chamber (10), the cover portion (12) being arranged to be movable relative to the support portion (11) between an open position of the reaction chamber (10) and a closed position of the reaction chamber (10); Here, in the open position of the reaction chamber (10), the support part (11) and the cover part (12) are spaced apart from each other, and in the closed position of the reaction chamber (10), the support part (11) and the cover part (12) are connected to each other to form a closed reaction chamber. a loading arrangement (35) arranged to transfer, in an open position of the reaction chamber (10), two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) with a loading movement between the loading chamber (30) and the reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20) via the loading connection part (32); The atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) further comprises:

14. the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in a row and are arranged such that, in the open position of the reaction chamber (10), a loading movement between the loading chamber (30) and the reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20) via the loading connection part (32) moves the loading arrangement part (35) together with the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) in the row, or the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are arranged in a row in contact with or interconnected with one another such that a flow path is formed through the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2), and the loading arrangement part (35) is arranged to move together with the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) in the row in a loading movement between the loading chamber (30) and the reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20) via the loading connection part (32) in the open position of the reaction chamber (10); Atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that

15. - two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are supported on a common rack support portion (40) in a row; and the loading arrangement (35) is arranged to move the common rack support part (40) by a loading movement between the loading chamber (30) and the reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20) via the loading connection part (32) in the open position of the reaction chamber (10); Atomic layer deposition device (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 14, characterized in that it

16. 16. An atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the cover part (12) is arranged to be movable in a first direction (C) and the loading arrangement part (35) is arranged to move two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) in a second direction (D), the second direction (D) being perpendicular to the first direction (C).

17. Atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that the reaction chamber (10) is a reaction chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

18. A method for mounting a substrate (2) in a reaction chamber (10) of an atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) for processing said substrate (2) according to the principles of atomic layer deposition, said method comprising the following steps: - placing two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) in a loading chamber (30), each of the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) containing two or more substrates (2); - opening the loading connection (32) between the loading chamber (30) and the vacuum chamber (20); - moving two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) together from the loading chamber (30) to a reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20), the reaction chamber (10) being in an open position with the support portion (11) of the reaction chamber (10) spaced apart from the cover portion (12) of the reaction chamber (10); and - moving the reaction chamber (10) from an open position to a closed position by moving the cover part (12) relative to the support part (11), whereby in the closed position of the reaction chamber (10), the support part (11) and the cover part (12) are connected to form a closed reaction space (8) in the reaction chamber (10); A method comprising:

19. The step of moving the reaction chamber (10) from the open position to the closed position further comprises the steps of: - moving the cover part (12) vertically by means of a lifter (60) connected to the cover part (12); and - contacting the cover part (12) with the support part (11) to close the reaction chamber (10); 20. A method for loading a substrate batch into a reaction chamber (10) according to claim 18, comprising:

20. - placing two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) in a loading chamber (30), - arranging two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) in a row in contact with or connected to each other in the loading chamber (30) so that a flow path is formed through the two or more substrate racks, or - arranging two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) on a common rack support portion (40) in a row within the loading chamber (30) such that a flow path is formed through the two or more substrate racks (B1, B2); and - moving two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) together from a loading chamber (30) to a reaction chamber (10) in a vacuum chamber (20), - moving two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) together in a row from the loading chamber (30) to the reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20), or - moving a common rack support part (40) from the loading chamber (30) to the reaction chamber (10) in the vacuum chamber (20), where two or more substrate racks (B1, B2) are supported on the common rack support part (40) in a row; A method for loading a substrate batch into a reaction chamber (10) according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that it comprises:

21. - the method is carried out by an atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 17, or The method is carried out by means of an atomic layer deposition apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 13 to 17 and a reaction chamber (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A method for loading a substrate batch into a reaction chamber (10) according to any of claims 18 to 20.

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