Wafer carrier having thermal cover for chemical vapor deposition systems
AssigneeVeeco Instruments Inc.
InventorsAlexander I. Gurary, Eric Armour
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication technology and, more particularly, to chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processing and associated apparatus for addressing temperature non-uniformities on semiconductor wafer surfaces. Embodiments include a wafer carrier for use in a system for growing epitaxial layers on one or more wafers by CVD, the wafer carrier comprising a top plate and base plate which function coordinately to reduce temperature variability caused during CVD processing.
Claims14
A wafer carrier for use in a system for growing epitaxial layers on one or more wafers by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the wafer carrier comprising:
- a top plate made of a plurality of pieces, wherein:
- a plurality of shapes each corresponding to an exposed area of the wafer carrier that is not below the top plate are defined by two or more of the plurality of pieces,
- each one of the plurality of pieces is not in direct contact with any other of the plurality of pieces, and
- the plurality of pieces are arranged to reduce temperature non-uniformities during epitaxial growth;
- and
- a base plate, wherein the base plate includes surface portions arranged to support each of a plurality of wafers adjacent the exposed areas defined by the top plate, and wherein the plurality of pieces that make up the top plate are removably secured to cover areas of the base plate not covered by the plurality of wafers, such that a relative arrangement of the base plate, top plate, and the plurality of wafers produces a more uniform thermal insulating characteristic over the surface of each one of the plurality of wafers during CVD processing compared to an arrangement lacking the top plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.