Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition wafer holding fixture

Abstract

A holding fixture for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition processing of semiconductor wafers comprising a frame boat assembly for holding disk-shape semiconductor wafer workpieces to be subjected to a flow of reactant gases serially across the workpieces in a direction perpendicular to the broad faces of the workpieces. The boat holding fixture comprises a pair of upright, spaced-apart insulating frame end members having a first set of spaced-apart parallel, elongated insulating rods secured between the end members for holding the boat in assembled relation. An electrode supporting rack is secured within the boat for holding a plurality of flat, spaced-apart, electrically conductive electrodes in an upright position with the flat surfaces parallel to each other and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boat. A workpiece holding rack comprised by at least two spaced-apart, parallel, insulating, workpiece support, elongated rods is provided with each workpiece support rod being seated in longitudinally aligned apertures formed on lower opposite sides of the periphery of the array of flat, spaced-apart parallel electrically conductive electrodes for holding the workpieces suspended directly from the electrodes flat against the opposite flat surfaces of the respective electrodes. The holding fixture is completed by means for applying an electric potential difference between alternate ones of the array of spaced-apart parallel electrodes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.