# US 5,702,532 A · MOCVD reactor system for indium antimonide epitaxial material

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- Number: US 5,702,532 A
- Document ID: US5702532A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/606,660
- Filed: 1996-02-26
- Granted: 1997-12-30
- Earliest claimed: 1995-05-31
- Assignees: Hughes Aircraft Company
- Inventors: Cheng P. Wen; Randy K. Rolph; Timothy T. Zielinski
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5702532A

## CPC

- C30B 25/02: Epitaxial-layer growth
- C23C 16/301: {AIII BV compounds, where A is Al, Ga, In or Tl and B is N, P, As, Sb or Bi}
- C30B 25/14: Feed and outlet means for the gases; Modifying the flow of the reactive gases
- C30B 29/40: AIIIBV compounds {wherein A is B, Al, Ga, In or Tl and B is N, P, As, Sb or Bi}
- C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR
- 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

Multiple solid precursor bubblers are used to alleviate channeling effects caused by high carrying gas flow rates to provide for deposition of indium-based epitaxial materials in high-capacity MOCVD reactor systems. Precracking of precursor materials that exhibit higher dissociation temperatures using heated manifolds or heated susceptor, and rotation of individual wafers in a multi-wafer reactor chamber enhance thickness uniformity, surface morphology and electronic properties of deposited epitaxial layers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A metal organic chemical vapor deposition reactor system for depositing epitaxial material layers on a plurality of wafers, said system consisting of:
(a) a carrying gas source for providing carrying gas;
(b) a plurality of mass flow controllers coupled to the carrying gas source;
(c) a first bubbler for a first solid precursor, coupled to a first of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the first solid precursor provides a first reactant;
(d) a second bubbler for a second solid precursor, coupled to a second of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the second solid precursor provides a second reactant;
(e) a third bubbler for a third solid precursor, coupled to a third of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the third solid precursor provides a third reactant;
(f) a first manifold having a first input coupled to the carrying gas source and second and third inputs coupled to outputs of the first and second bubblers respectively;
(g) a second manifold having a first input coupled to the carrying gas source and a second input coupled to an output of the third bubbler;
(h) a reactor chamber having a first input coupled to an output of the first manifold and a second input coupled to an output of the second manifold wherein a mixture of the first and second reactants enters the reactor chamber through the first input thereof and the third reactant enters the reactor chamber through the second input thereof;
(i) a rotatable susceptor disposed within the reactor chamber for supporting said wafers and rotating said wafers about the axis of said susceptor; and
(j) means for rotating each wafer of said plurality of wafers about the center of each said wafer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the carrying gas comprises hydrogen.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the bubblers contains trimethyl indium.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second solid precursors consist of the same material.

### Claim 5

A metal organic chemical vapor deposition reactor system for depositing epitaxial material layers on a plurality of wafers, said system consisting of:
(a) a carrying gas source for providing carrying gas;
(b) a plurality of mass flow controllers coupled to the carrying gas source;
(c) a first bubbler for a first solid precursor, coupled to a first of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the first solid precursor provides a first reactant;
(d) a second bubbler for a second solid precursor, coupled to a second of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the second solid precursor provides a second reactant;
(e) a third bubbler for a third solid precursor, coupled to a third of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the third solid precursor provides a third reactant;
(f) a first manifold having a first input coupled to the carrying gas source and second and third inputs coupled to outputs of the first and second bubblers respectively;
(g) a second manifold having a first input coupled to the carrying gas source and a second input coupled to an output of the third bubbler;
(h) a reactor chamber having a first input coupled to an output of the first manifold and a second input coupled to an output of the second manifold wherein a mixture of the first and second reactants enters the reactor chamber through the first input thereof and the third reactant enters the reactor chamber through the second input thereof;
(i) a rotatable susceptor disposed within the reactor chamber for supporting said wafers and rotating said wafers about the axis of said susceptor;
(j) means for rotating each wafer of said plurality of wafers about the center of each said wafer; and
(k) a heat source coupled to the rotatable susceptor for creating a precracking zone on the susceptor to precrack one or more of the precursors which have entered the reactor chamber.

### Claim 6

A metal organic chemical vapor deposition reactor system for depositing epitaxial material layers on a plurality of wafers, said system consisting of:
(a) a carrying gas source for providing carrying gas;
(b) a plurality of mass flow controllers coupled to the carrying gas source;
(c) a first bubbler for a first solid precursor, coupled to a first of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the first solid precursor provides a first reactant;
(d) a second bubbler for a second solid precursor, coupled to a second of the plurality of mass flow controllers wherein the second solid precursor provides a second reactant;
(e) a third bubbler for a third solid precursor, coupled to the second bubbler wherein the third solid precursor provides a third reactant;
(f) a manifold having a first input coupled to the carrying gas source and second and third inputs coupled to outputs of the first and third bubblers respectively;
(g) a reactor chamber having an input coupled to an output of the manifold wherein a mixture of the first, second, and third reactants enters the reactor chamber through the input of the reactor chamber;
(h) a rotatable susceptor disposed within the reactor chamber for supporting said plurality of wafers and rotating said wafers about the axis of said susceptor; and
(j) means for rotating each wafer of said plurality of wafers about the center of each said wafer.