# US 2014/0193579 A1 · Combination CVD/ALD method and source

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- Number: US 2014/0193579 A1
- Document ID: US20140193579A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/014,435
- Filed: 2013-08-30
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2010-12-28
- Assignees: ASM International N.V.
- Inventors: Tom E. Blomberg
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193579A1

## CPC

- C23C 16/44: characterised by the method of coating (C23C16/04 takes precedence)
- C23C 16/45525: {Atomic layer deposition [ALD]}
- C23C 16/45544: {characterized by the apparatus}
- 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

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for the controlled growing of material on substrates. According to embodiments of the present invention, a precursor fed is split in to two paths from a precursor source. One of the paths is restricted in a continuous manner. The other path is restricted in a periodic manner. The output of the two paths converges at a point prior to entry of the reactor. Therefore, a single precursor source is able to fed precursor in to a reactor under two different conditions, one which can be seen as mimicking ALD conditions and one which can be seen as mimicking CVD conditions. This allows for an otherwise single mode reactor to be operated in a plurality of modes including one or more ALD/CVD combination modes.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of operating a system having a reactor configured to deposit thin films, said method comprising the steps of;
dividing a flow of a reactant from a reactant source vessel in to two separate paths, and
combining the first and second paths at a point after restriction and prior to entry of a reaction space.