Film Deposition Apparatus with Segmented Process Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current film deposition techniques face challenges in achieving high throughput and maintaining uniform gas flow within a vacuum chamber, leading to inefficiencies and potential particle formation due to turbulence and gas mixing, which affects film quality and thickness.
Innovation Solution
A film deposition apparatus with a rotation table and separate process areas for each reaction gas, utilizing separation gas to prevent mixing, and adjustable valves to control pressure and flow ratios in evacuation channels, ensuring stable gas flow and uniform film deposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If reaction gases are supplied alternately in a single-wafer deposition apparatus, then film thickness control accuracy is improved, but process time becomes extremely long due to repeated gas replacement cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum chamber is divided into multiple independent process areas (first process area and second process area), each capable of receiving different reaction gases simultaneously. This segmentation allows parallel processing where multiple wafers can undergo different stages of deposition at the same time, eliminating the sequential gas replacement cycles while maintaining precise film thickness control through alternating gas supply to different areas.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple reaction gases are mixed inside the vacuum chamber, then deposition process is simplified, but reaction products form particles that degrade film quality
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum chamber is segmented into separate process areas with physical or virtual partitions that prevent mixing of reaction gases. Each process area maintains independent gas composition, allowing simple deposition processes in each zone while preventing particle formation from unwanted reactions between different reaction gases.
Solution Approach 2:
Different process areas have different gas compositions optimized for specific deposition requirements. The first process area receives first reaction gas with specific properties, while the second process area receives second reaction gas with different properties, allowing each area to maintain optimal conditions for its intended function without interference from other gases.
3Manufacturing precision
If separation gas flow rate is increased to prevent gas mixing, then gas separation is improved, but turbulence increases causing particle formation
Solution Approach 1:
Physical partitions or virtual boundaries divide the vacuum chamber into separate process areas, eliminating the need for high-velocity separation gas flows. The segmentation provides inherent gas separation through spatial isolation, allowing laminar flow conditions in each area and preventing turbulence-induced particle formation while maintaining effective gas separation.
4Stability of the object's composition
If evacuation channels are added to control gas flow in each process area, then gas flow stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The evacuation system is designed with multi-functional components that serve both evacuation and flow control purposes. Valves and pumps are configured to perform multiple functions including gas evacuation, flow rate control, and pressure regulation across different process areas, reducing the need for separate dedicated components for each function and thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus enables efficient, high-throughput film deposition with uniform film thickness and quality by preventing gas mixing and particle formation, maintaining stable gas flow and pressure control.
Implementation Method 1
separation gas to prevent mixing
Implementation Method 2
adjustable valves to control pressure and flow ratios
Implementation Method 3
control pressure and flow ratios in evacuation channels
Implementation Method 4
depositing a film on a substrate by carrying out cycles of supplying in turn at least two source gases to the substrate in order to form a layer of a reaction product
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed a film deposition apparatus and a film deposition method for depositing a film on a substrate by carrying out cycles of supplying in turn at least two source gases to the substrate in order to form a layer of a reaction product, and a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing the film deposition apparatus to carry out the film deposition method.