# US 2026/0085409 A1 · Vertical furnace and a method for operating the same

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- Number: US 2026/0085409 A1
- Document ID: US20260085409A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/340,740
- Filed: 2025-09-25
- Published: 2026-03-26
- Earliest claimed: 2024-09-26
- Assignees: ASM IP Holding B.V.
- Applicants: ASM IP Holding B.V.
- Inventors: Fatma Trabelsi; Panagiota Arnou; Werner Knaepen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260085409A1

## CPC

- C23C 16/4404: {Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof}
- C23C 16/4405: {Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases}
- C23C 16/06: characterised by the deposition of metallic material
- C23C 16/34: Nitrides {(C23C16/303 takes precedence)}
- C23C 16/45525: {Atomic layer deposition [ALD]}
- C23C 16/45546: {specially adapted for a substrate stack in the ALD reactor}
- C23C 16/45553: {characterized by the use of precursors specially adapted for ALD}
- C23C 16/45557: {Pulsed pressure or control pressure}
- C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)}
- 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 method for operating a vertical furnace having a reaction chamber for depositing a molybdenum nitride layer on a plurality of wafers is disclosed. The method includes a molybdenum nitride (MoN) depositing run for depositing the MoN layer; and a cleaning run for cleaning the reaction chamber. The MoN deposition run comprises providing a plurality of wafers in a wafer boat and loading the wafer boat in a substantial vertical direction into the reaction chamber; heating the wall of the reaction chamber; flowing a molybdenum precursor into the reaction chamber; flowing a nitrogen precursor into the reaction chamber to deposit MoN on the wafers in the wafer boat; and removing the plurality of wafers in the wafer boat from the reaction chamber. The cleaning run comprises flowing a cleaning to remove deposited layers in the reaction chamber and the cleaning run is ran every 1 to 10 deposition runs.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for operating a vertical furnace constructed and arranged with a reaction chamber for depositing a molybdenum nitride layer on a plurality of wafers in the reaction chamber, the method comprising a molybdenum nitride depositing run for depositing the molybdenum nitride layer; and a cleaning run for cleaning the reaction chamber, the molybdenum nitride deposition run comprising:
providing a plurality of wafers in a wafer boat with a wafer handler and loading the wafer boat with a boat loader in a substantial vertical direction into the reaction chamber;
heating a wall of the reaction chamber;
flowing a molybdenum precursor into the reaction chamber;
flowing a nitrogen precursor into the reaction chamber to deposit molybdenum nitride on the wafers in the wafer boat; and,
removing the plurality of wafers in the wafer boat from the reaction chamber;
wherein the cleaning run comprises flowing a cleaning gas to the reaction chamber to remove deposited layers in the reaction chamber and the cleaning run is ran every 1 to 10 molybdenum nitride deposition runs.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber of the vertical furnace is integral to at least one of: an atomic layer deposition (ALD) reaction system; a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction system; a cross-flow deposition system; a minibatch deposition system; or a spatial ALD deposition system.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber is purged by flowing a purge gas to remove the precursors, the cleaning gas or a by-product from the reaction chamber after flowing the molybdenum precursor, the nitrogen precursor or the cleaning gas into the reaction chamber.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas comprises at least one of: nitrogen trifluoride (NF3); sulfur hexafluoride (SF6); carbon tetrafluoride (CF4); fluoroform (CHF3); octafluorocyclobutane (C4F8); chlorine trifluoride (ClF3); fluorine (F2); or a mixture of the above.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising a molybdenum deposition run after the molybdenum nitride deposition run, the molybdenum deposition run comprising:
flowing a molybdenum precursor into the reaction chamber; and,
flowing a hydrogen precursor into the reaction chamber to deposit molybdenum on the molybdenum nitride.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the molybdenum precursor comprises at least one of: a molybdenum halide precursor; a molybdenum chloride precursor; a molybdenum iodide precursor; a molybdenum bromide precursor; a molybdenum chalcogenide; a molybdenum oxychloride; a molybdenum oxyiodide; a molybdenum (IV) dichloride dioxide (MoO2Cl2) precursor; or a molybdenum oxybromide.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the nitrogen precursor comprises ammonia (NH3) or hydrazine (N2H4).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a temperature of the reaction chamber is between 300° C. and 500° C., preferably between 350° C. and 450° C., and a pressure in the reaction chamber is between 100 and 2000 millitorr, preferably between 200-1500 millitorr during the cleaning run.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a pressure of the reaction chamber is between 1 and 200 Torr, preferably between 5 to 100 Torr and a temperature of the reaction chamber is between 450° C. and 650° C., preferably between 500° C. and 600° C. during the molybdenum nitride deposition run.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising a molybdenum conditioning run after the cleaning run, the molybdenum conditioning run comprising:
flowing a molybdenum precursor into the reaction chamber; and,
flowing a hydrogen precursor or a nitride precursor into the reaction chamber to deposit molybdenum or molybdenum nitride in the reaction chamber.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein removing the plurality of wafers in the wafer boat from the reaction chamber comprises:
removing the boat with wafers in a substantial vertical direction from the reaction chamber of the vertical furnace;
removing the wafers from the boat; and,
loading the boat in a substantial vertical direction into the reaction chamber of the vertical furnace.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cleaning run is repeated after every deposition run.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the vertical furnace is only depositing molybdenum nitride on the wafers and the cleaning run is repeated after every deposition run.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the vertical furnace is depositing a combination of molybdenum nitride and molybdenum layers on the wafers and the cleaning run is repeated after 2 to 10 deposition runs or 3 to 6 deposition runs.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the deposition run comprises flowing the molybdenum precursor through a first injector into the reaction chamber and flowing the nitrogen precursor through a second injector into the reaction chamber; and the cleaning run comprises flowing the cleaning gas through a third injector into the reaction chamber.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the deposition run comprises:
flowing the molybdenum precursor through a first injector into the reaction chamber; and,
flowing the nitrogen precursor through the same first injector into the reaction chamber, and the cleaning run comprises flowing the cleaning gas through the same first injector into the reaction chamber.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises:
measuring a thickness of the layer deposited in the reaction chamber during the cleaning run; and,
stopping the cleaning run by stopping the flow of the cleaning gas when the measured thickness of the layer deposited in the reaction chamber is substantially zero.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein flowing the molybdenum precursor into the reaction chamber is done simultaneously with flowing the nitrogen precursor into the reaction chamber to deposit molybdenum nitride on the wafers in the wafer boat.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the molybdenum nitride deposition run comprises flowing hydrogen into the reaction chamber.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

A vertical furnace for depositing a molybdenum or molybdenum nitride layer, the vertical furnace comprising:
a reaction chamber configured to hold a plurality of substrates and provided with a heater to process the wafers in the wafer boat;
a first precursor source configured to provide a molybdenum precursor to the reaction chamber via a first valve;
a second precursor source configured to provide a nitrogen precursor to the reaction chamber via a second valve;
a cleaning gas source configured to provide a cleaning gas to the reaction chamber via a third valve;
a wafer handler to transfer wafers to and from the wafer boat;
a boat loader to load and unload the wafer boat in a substantial vertical direction into or out of the reaction chamber of the vertical furnace; and,
a controller provided with a memory and constructed and arranged to control the first, second and third valve, the heater, the wafer handler and the boat loader, wherein the memory is programmed with a program when run on the controller to execute a method according to claim 1.