Atomic layer deposition with point of use generated reactive gas species

A method of chemically treating a surface of a workpiece, comprising:

• providing the workpiece to a chamber having a gaseous atmosphere containing a transmission gas that is substantially nonattenuating to preselected wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation;
• exposing the surface of the workpiece to a direct flow of a precursor gas to form a surface reactant for atomic layer deposition;
• providing a flow of an input gas over the surface of the workpiece;
• preventing mixture of said precursor gas and said input gas with a purge gas;
• directing a beam of electromagnetic radiation into said gaseous atmosphere, said beam converging in the flow of said input gas in close proximity to the surface of the workpiece, but spaced a finite distance therefrom, to dissociate said input gas into a high flux of generated reactive gas species;
• and
• reacting said generated reactive gas species with said surface reactant.

A method for processing a surface of a workpiece comprising:

• selecting a set of reaction parameters;
• loading said substrate into a reaction chamber;
• pumping on said reaction chamber until a pressure according to said selected reaction parameters is achieved;
• translating said substrate at a constant rate across said chamber according to selected reaction parameters;
• flowing into said chamber a precursor gas, a purge gas, and an input gas according to said selected reaction parameters;
• evacuating said purge gas and any gases/residuals in vicinity of said purge gas to prevent mixing of the precursor and input gases;
• and
• delivering a beam of electromagnetic radiation according to said selected reaction parameters into the flow if said input gas to produce a high flux of point of use generated reactive gas species which reacts with a surface reactant formed from said precursor gas impinging on said surface of workpiece at selected locations.

A system for chemically treating a surface of a workpiece comprising:

• a supply of an input gas;
• a supply of a precursor gas;
• a supply of a purge gas;
• a dispenser unit adapted to expose the surface of the workpiece to a direct flow of said precursor gas for a surface reactant formation, to provide a flow of said input over the workpiece, and to provide said purge gas between said precursor gas and said input gas to prevent mixing of said precursor and input gases, said dispenser unit further having a pair of evacuation ports for evacuating said purge gas;
• and
• a source adapted to converge a beam of electromagnetic radiation in said flow of said input gas in close proximity to the surface of the workpiece, but spaced a finite distance therefrom, to dissociate said input gas into a high flux of generated reactive gas species that reacts with said surface reactant to chemically treat said surface of said workpiece.

A dispenser unit adapted for use in a reaction chamber for atomic layer deposition of a material onto a surface of a workpiece, comprising:

• a first gas port adapted to provide a flow on an input gas over the surface of the workpiece to be dissociated by a radiation beam into a point of use generated reactive species;
• a second gas port adapted to provide a direct flow of a precursor gas onto the surface of the workpiece which by chemisorption forms a first surface reactant;
• a third gas port adapted to flow a purge gas to prevent mixing of said input and precursor gases;
• and,
• a pair of evacuation ports adapted to evacuation at least said purge gas.