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US 5,178,534 AGranted
Controlled diffusion environment capsule and system
OwnerChristopher J. Bayne, Harold C. Guiverinventors
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OwnerChristopher J. Bayne, Harold C. Guiverinventors
Estimating the term…
A controlled diffusion environment capsule system (10) is used with a conventional tubular high temperature furnace (12) as employed in semiconductor manufacturing. The system (10) includes a cantilever boat loading apparatus (14) and a quartz diffusion capsule (16). Wafer carriers (20) support semiconductor wafers (22) concentrically with capsule (16) in closely spaced relationship for processing in the furnace (12). The diffusion capsule (16) is supported on a pair of quartz rods (24). A quartz injector tube (28) extends the length of the diffusion capsule (16). The injector tube (28) has three rows of high aspect-ratio apertures (30) extending along its length to disperse nitrogen or other inert gas uniformly across the sufaces (32) of the wafers (22). A quartz extender (34) is connected to the distal end of the diffusion capsule (16), through which reactant gases are supplied to the capsule (16) for diffusion and/or oxidation, from an inlet source (35) of the reactant gases on the furnace tube near the extender (34). The extender (34) has two apertured baffle plates (36) and (38) which have holes (40) and (42) in patterns that are offset relative to one another. A third plate (44) has a larger hole (46) at its center. The hole (46) focuses reactant gases into the capsule and the holes (40) and (42) provide turbulence to the reactant gas stream prior to its entry into the capsule (16) to assure uniform mixing.
A controlled diffusion environment capsule system which comprises a furnace tube with a first end and a second end, a process capsule having a first end and a distal end and extending from the first end of said furnace tube into and being concentrically or eccentrically enclosed by said furnace tube, a gas injector tube having a given tube wall thickness and a plurality of axially extending high aspect ratio orifices having a ratio of the given tube wall thickness to orifice opening size of at least about 4, said gas injector tube extending interiorly along said process capsule, the distal end of said process capsule being sealed, and means for concentrically supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers in said process capsule, said furnace tube comprising a vacuum chamber, said process capsule having a plurality of openings connecting said process capsule to said vacuum chamber, said system including a vacuum pump connected to said vacuum chamber, said process capsule having at least one openable cover for insertion and removal of the semiconductor wafers and the plurality of openings through said at least one openable cover are slots perpendicular to a length of said process capsule.
A controlled diffusion environment capsule system which comprises a furnace tube with a first end and a second end, a process capsule having a first end and a distal end and extending from the first end of said furnace tube into and being concentrically or eccentrically enclosed by said furnace tube, a gas injector tube having a given tube wall thickness and a plurality of axially extending high aspect ratio orifices, said gas injector tube extending interiorly along said process capsule, the distal end of said process capsule being sealed, and means for concentrically supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers in said process capsule, said orifices having a ratio of the given wall thickness to orifice opening size of from about 4 to about 10 to 1 and a virtually frictionless orifice wall, so that said orifices will flow a same amount of a gas at a given pressure, said process capsule being dimensioned to provide a gas conductive annulus around edges of the semiconductor wafers of from about 5 to about 18 millimeters, and said process capsule having an exhaust vent dimensioned to cooperate with said orifices and said gas conductive annulus to provide uniform gas flow and prevent introduction of contaminating gases in said process capsule.
A controlled diffusion environment process capsule having a first end and a distal end, a gas injector tube having a given tube wall thickness and a plurality of axially extending high aspect ratio orifices having a ratio of the given tube wall thickness to orifice opening size of at least about 4, said gas injector tube extending interiorly along said process capsule, the distal end of said process capsule being sealed, means for concentrically supporting a plurality of semiconductor wafers in said process capsule, and means connected to said process capsule for moving said process capsule concentrically or eccentrically into and out of a furnace tube comprising a vacuum chamber, said process capsule having a plurality of openings connecting said process capsule to said vacuum chamber, said system including a vacuum pump connected to said vacuum chamber, said process capsule having at least one openable cover for insertion and removal of the semiconductor wafers and the plurality of openings through said at least one openable cover are slots perpendicular to a length of said process capsule.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.