Apparatus for growing thin films

An apparatus for growing compound thin films onto a substrate by subjecting the substrate to alternately repeated surface reactions of vapor-phase reactants for the purpose of forming a solid-state thin film, said apparatus comprising:

• a reaction chamber pack into which the substrate can be placed;
• a plurality of reactant sources from which the vapor-phase reactants used in a thin-film growth process can be fed in the form of gas-phase pulses into said reaction chamber pack;
• and
• a plurality of reactant inflow channels suited for connecting said reactant sources to said reaction chamber pack, wherein said reaction chamber pack, said reactant sources and said reactant inflow channels are all placed inside a pressure shell, and wherein said reaction chamber pack and said reactant sources are each provided with individual heating means, which are suited for heating said reaction chamber pack and each of said reactant sources in a fashion independently controllable from each other, wherein said heating means has a plurality of heatable components which are isolated from each other using active thermal insulation elements, and wherein said heating means comprises an envelope surrounding said reaction chamber pack, said envelope having a first heat-equalizing envelope placed to a side facing said reaction chamber pack, and a second heat-equalizing envelope placed to a side facing the pressure shell, wherein between the first and second heat-equalizing envelopes is adapted a heater element suited for heating the surfaces of the first and second heat-equalizing envelopes.

An apparatus for growing compound thin films onto a substrate by subjecting the substrate to alternately repeated surface reactions of vapor-phase reactants for the purpose of forming a solid-state thin film, said apparatus comprising:

• a reaction chamber pack into which the substrate can be placed;
• a plurality of reactant sources from which the vapor-phase reactants used in a thin-film growth process can be fed in the form of gas-phase pulses into said reaction chamber pack;
• and
• a plurality of reactant inflow channels suited for connecting said reactant sources to said reaction chamber pack, wherein said reaction chamber pack, said reactant sources and said reactant inflow channels are all placed inside a pressure shell, and wherein said reaction chamber pack and said reactant sources are each provided with individual heating means, which are suited for heating said reaction chamber pack and each of said reactant sources in a fashion independently controllable from each other, and wherein said heating means has a plurality of heatable components which are isolated from each other using active thermal insulation elements, wherein said heating means of said reactant sources are formed by an envelope enclosing each of said reactant sources, said envelope having a first heat-equalizing envelope placed to a side facing said reactant sources, and a second heat-equalizing envelope placed to a side facing the pressure shell, wherein between the first and second heat-equalizing envelopes is a adapted a heater element suited for heating the surfaces of the first and second heat-equalizing envelopes.

An apparatus for growing compound thin films onto a substrate by subjecting the substrate to alternately repeated surface reactions of vapor-phase reactants for the purpose of forming a solid-state thin film, said apparatus comprising:

• a reaction chamber pack into which the substrate can be placed;
• a plurality of reactant sources from which the vapor-phase reactants used in a thin-film growth process can be fed in the form of gas-phase pulses into said reaction chamber pack;
• and
• a plurality of reactant inflow channels suited for connecting said reactant sources to said reaction chamber pack, wherein said reaction chamber pack, said reactant sources and said reactant inflow channels are all placed inside a pressure shell, and wherein said reaction chamber pack and said reactant sources are each provided with individual heating means, which are suited for heating said reaction chamber pack and each of said reactant sources in a fashion independently controllable from each other, and wherein said heating means has a plurality of heatable components which are isolated from each other using active thermal insulation elements, and wherein the pressure shell is equipped with a door having a wall facing the interior of the pressure shell provided with a means for heating said door.

An apparatus for growing compound thin films onto a substrate by subjecting the substrate to alternately repeated surface reactions of vapor-phase reactants for the purpose of forming a solid-state thin film, said apparatus comprising:

• a reaction chamber pack into which the substrate can be placed;
• a plurality of reactant sources from which the vapor-phase reactants used in a thin-film growth process can be fed in the form of gas-phase pulses into said reaction chamber pack;
• and
• a plurality of reactant inflow channels suited for connecting said reactant sources to said reaction chamber pack, wherein said reaction chamber pack, said reactant sources and said reactant inflow channels are all placed inside a pressure shell, and wherein said reaction chamber pack and said reactant sources are each provided with individual heating means, which are suited for heating said reaction chamber pack and each of said reactant sources in a fashion independently controllable from each other, wherein said heating means has a plurality of heatable components which are isolated from each other using active thermal insulation elements, and wherein an exhaust pipe of nonreacted reaction components is connected to said reaction chamber pack, wherein said pipe is disposed in a cool part of the pressure shell so that condensation of the nonreacted reaction components occurs therein.