# US 12,006,570 B2 · Atomic layer deposition for continuous, high-speed thin films

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- Number: US 12,006,570 B2
- Document ID: US12006570B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/105,432
- Filed: 2018-08-20
- Published: 2019-02-28
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-31
- Assignees: Uchicago Argonne, LLC
- Applicants: Uchicago Argonne, LLC
- Inventors: Jeffrey W. Elam; Joseph A. Libera; Angel Yanguas-Gil
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006570B2

## CPC

- C23C 16/45527: {characterized by the ALD cycle, e.g. different flows or temperatures during half-reactions, unusual pulsing sequence, use of precursor mixtures or auxiliary reactants or activations}
- C23C 16/40: Oxides
- C23C 16/45551: {for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments}
- C23C 16/45553: {characterized by the use of precursors specially adapted for ALD}
- C23C 16/45555: {applied in non-semiconductor technology}
- C23C 16/45574: {Nozzles for more than one gas}
- C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)}
- C23C 16/54: Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
- C23C 16/545: {for coating elongated substrates}
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)

## Abstract

A temporal Atomic Layer Deposition system and method utilizing precursor pulses applied to a moving substrate. The precursor pulses are self-exhausting.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for continuous thin film processing by atomic layer deposition, comprising the steps of:
moving a substrate along a substrate travel path from a feed roll to a take-up roll;
flowing a carrier gas over the substrate; and
performing a first atomic layer deposition cycle by:
dispensing a first pulse of precursor A to a plurality of precursor A injectors;
dispensing the first pulse of the precursor A from the plurality of precursor A injectors into a laminar flow of carrier gas on the substrate;
adsorbing the first pulse of precursor A with the substrate to exhaustion to form a plurality of reactive sites;
dispensing a first pulse of precursor B to a plurality of precursor B injectors, the plurality of precursor B injectors arranged in an alternating arrangement transverse the substrate travel path with the plurality of precursor A injectors with one more precursor B injector than precursor A injector;
dispensing the first pulse of the precursor B from the precursor B injector into a laminar flow of carrier gas on the substrate; and
reacting the first pulse of precursor B with the plurality of reactive sites to exhaustion to form a deposited thin film layer;
wherein the first pulse and the second pulse are alternately dispensed at a frequency of at least 5 Hz and further wherein the first pulse is self-extinguishing and the second pulse is self-extinguishing.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the thin film layer by atomic layer deposition at a rate of at least 20 Hz.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a second additional atomic layer deposition cycle after completion of the first cycle by:
dispensing a second pulse of precursor A to an injector;
dispensing the second pulse of the precursor A from the injector into a laminar flow of carrier gas on the substrate;
adsorbing the second pulse of precursor A with the substrate to exhaustion to form a plurality of reactive sites;
dispensing a second pulse of precursor B to an injector;
dispensing the second pulse of the precursor B from the injector into a laminar flow of carrier gas on the substrate; and
reacting the second pulse of precursor B with the plurality of reactive sites to exhaustion to form a deposited thin film layer.

### Claim 4

A method for continuous thin film processing by atomic layer deposition, comprising the steps of:
moving a substrate along a substrate travel path from a feed roll to a take-up roll;
flowing a carrier gas over the substrate; and
performing a first atomic layer deposition cycle by:
dispensing a first pulse of precursor A to an injector;
dispensing the first pulse of the precursor A from the injector into a laminar flow of carrier gas on the substrate;
adsorbing the first pulse of precursor A with the substrate to exhaustion to form a plurality of reactive sites;
dispensing a first pulse of precursor B to the injector;
dispensing the first pulse of the precursor B from the injector into a laminar flow of carrier gas on the substrate; and
reacting the first pulse of precursor B with the plurality of reactive sites to exhaustion to form a deposited thin film layer;
wherein dispensing the first pulse of precursor A and dispensing the first pulse of precursor B are temporally separated.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein dispensing the first pulse of precursor A to the injector comprises dispensing the first pulse of precursor A to a first pathway in the injector;
wherein dispensing the first pulse of precursor B to the injector comprises dispensing the first pulse of precursor B to a second pathway in the injector; and
wherein the first pathway is separate from the second pathway.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each precursor A injector of the plurality of precursor A injectors has a distance from each precursor B injector of the plurality of precursor B injectors of about 0 inches to 4 inches.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein flowing the carrier gas over the substrate comprises dispensing the carrier gas on the substrate along the substrate travel path before the plurality of precursor A injectors and the plurality of precursor B injectors.