Pressure Stabilization Chambers for Fast, Clean Epitaxial Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current epitaxial growth processes are limited by low growth rates, which can result in increased contaminants and performance issues on semiconductor substrates due to efforts to enhance growth rates.
Innovation Solution
A cluster tool system with pressure stabilization chambers that conducts cleaning operations at a reduced pressure and epitaxial deposition at atmospheric pressure, allowing for efficient transfer and processing of substrates between chambers without exposing them to ambient environments, thereby maintaining low pressure or vacuum conditions throughout the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If epitaxial growth rate is increased, then productivity is improved, but substrate contaminants and defects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter from conventional vacuum conditions to atmospheric pressure (700-800 Torr) for epitaxial deposition, enabling faster growth rates while maintaining substrate quality through optimized atmospheric pressure conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements different pressure conditions in different chambers: cleaning chambers operate at reduced pressure while epitaxial deposition chambers operate at atmospheric pressure, allowing each process to optimize for its specific requirements
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple processing chambers operate at different pressures, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the processing system into separate chambers (cleaning chambers and epitaxial deposition chambers) that can operate at different pressures independently, with pressure stabilization chambers managing the transitions between pressure zones
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces pressure stabilization chambers as intermediary zones between vacuum and atmospheric pressure chambers, equipped with door mechanisms that control pressure transitions and substrate transfer between different pressure environments
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 enables increased epitaxial growth rates while reducing substrate contaminants and defects, minimizing processing delays, costs, and process drift compared to conventional methods, by maintaining controlled environments and optimizing pressure conditions for both cleaning and deposition operations.
Implementation Method 1
a first pressure differential between the cleaning chamber and the epitaxial deposition chamber
Implementation Method 2
an epitaxial deposition operation is conducted at an atmospheric pressure and a temperature in an epitaxial deposition chamber
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a process operation is conducted at a first pressure in a process chamber, and an epitaxial deposition operation is conducted at an atmospheric pressure in an epitaxial deposition chamber. The atmospheric pressure is greater than the first pressure. The process chamber is mounted to a first mainframe that operates at the first pressure (a reduced pressure), and the epitaxial deposition chamber is mounted to a second mainframe that operates at the atmospheric chamber. In one aspect, the process chamber is a cleaning chamber (such as a pre-clean chamber) and the process operation is a cleaning operation. In one aspect, the process chamber is an atmospheric pressure epitaxial deposition chamber and the process operation is an atmospheric pressure epitaxial deposition operation.