PECVD Tubular Chamber Angular Heating Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chemical vapour deposition apparatuses face challenges in achieving uniform heating of substrates, particularly in plasma-enhanced CVD processes, where substrates are arranged with conductive plates, leading to non-uniform layer thicknesses due to varying heat absorption by plates and rapid temperature ramp-up procedures.
Innovation Solution
A tubular chamber with an angularly varying heating profile using meandering heating wires, where the first angular zone has a higher heat flux than the second, with the first zone including areas from the top and/or bottom sides, and supplementary heating wires for uniform temperature distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If uniform heating is applied to all substrates, then deposition uniformity is improved, but heating time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing an angularly varying heating profile where different angular zones receive different heat fluxes. The first angular zone (including top and bottom sides) receives higher heat flux while the second angular zone receives lower heat flux, allowing localized heating optimization that reduces overall heating time while maintaining deposition uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the heating parameter distribution by implementing an angularly varying heating profile with different heat flux levels in different angular zones. This parameter variation allows the system to achieve uniform substrate heating faster by concentrating heat where needed most (top and bottom surfaces) while reducing heat in other areas.
2Productivity
If rapid temperature ramp-up is used to reduce deposition time, then productivity is improved, but temperature uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing an angularly varying heating profile where different angular zones receive different heat fluxes. The first angular zone (including top and bottom sides) receives higher heat flux while the second angular zone receives lower heat flux, allowing localized heating optimization that reduces overall heating time while maintaining deposition uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the heating parameter distribution by implementing an angularly varying heating profile with different heat flux levels in different angular zones. This parameter variation allows the system to achieve uniform substrate heating faster by concentrating heat where needed most (top and bottom surfaces) while reducing heat in other areas.
3Speed
If high heat flux is applied to heat substrates quickly, then heating speed is improved, but temperature uniformity across substrates deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing an angularly varying heating profile where different angular zones receive different heat fluxes. The first angular zone (including top and bottom sides) receives higher heat flux while the second angular zone receives lower heat flux, allowing localized heating optimization that reduces overall heating time while maintaining deposition uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the heating parameter distribution by implementing an angularly varying heating profile with different heat flux levels in different angular zones. This parameter variation allows the system to achieve uniform substrate heating faster by concentrating heat where needed most (top and bottom surfaces) while reducing heat in other areas.
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
This approach ensures uniform heating and reduces temperature-related stress, extending the lifetime of the wafer boat and achieving uniform layer thicknesses, even with rapid temperature ramp-up, maintaining deposition quality and reducing total deposition time by 80%.
Implementation Method 1
heating means arranged at an outside of the chamber and configured for emitting heat by means of radiation
Implementation Method 2
the susceptor - also known as a wafer boat - first becomes warm and it, in turn, heats the substrate by a combination of conduction, radiation and convention heat transfer
Implementation Method 3
the susceptor - also known as a wafer boat - first becomes warm and it, in turn, heats the substrate by a combination of conduction, radiation and convention heat transfer
Implementation Method 4
the plasma is generated around the substrate by means of electrodes embodied as electrically conductive plates. These plates are part of the susceptor, and the substrate is present between a first and a second plate functioning as electrodes with opposed polarity. Due to the application of a voltage on the electrodes, the vapour compound is ionized around the substrate
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) apparatus comprises a tubular chamber (100) configured for a wafer boat (10) with substrates. The PECVD apparatus further comprises heating means (110) arranged at an outside of the chamber and configured for emitting heat by means of radiation, and a controller for controlling a state inside the chamber (100), including temperature and composition. Herein, the heating means (110) are configured for the provision of radiation according to a radially varying profile within the chamber, which radial heating profile comprises a first radial zone (I) and a second radial zone (II), and wherein a heat flux (FI) in the first radial zone (I) is higher than the heat flux (FII) in the second radial zone.