US 6,471,782 B1Granted

Precursor deposition using ultrasonic nebulizer

AssigneeTokyo Electronic Limited

InventorsChing-Ping Fang, Joseph T. Hillman

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Abstract

A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus for depositing a low vapor pressure copper precursor onto a silicon wafer. The CVD apparatus includes a CVD reaction chamber with an interior containing a substrate holder adapted to support a substrate, such as a silicon wafer, at a predetermined position within the CVD reaction chamber. An ultrasonic nebulizer is operatively connected to the CVD reaction chamber and is adapted to connect to a source of liquid precursor. The ultrasonic nebulizer has an atomizing discharge end adapted to atomize the liquid precursor and deposit the atomized precursor onto a substrate supported by the substrate holder. A gas distribution ring is disposed within the interior of the CVD reaction chamber for discharging a directionally oriented gas into the atomized precursor to direct the atomized precursor toward the substrate. Additional embodiments and methods for depositing the precursor are described.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An apparatus for depositing a precursor onto a substrate, comprising:

a CVD reaction chamber with an interior containing a substrate holder adapted to support a substrate at a predetermined position within said CVD reaction chamber;
an ultrasonic nebulizer operatively connected to said CVD reaction chamber and adapted to connect to a source of liquid precursor, said ultrasonic nebulizer having an atomizing discharge end with a discharge axis adapted to atomize incoming liquid precursor and deposit the atomized precursor onto a substrate supported by said holder;
and
a gas distribution member disposed within the interior of said CVD reaction chamber and having a discharge ring downstream of said atomizing discharge end concentrically aligned with said discharge axis so that said atomized precursor passes through said discharge ring, said gas distribution member connectable to a source of gas for discharging a stream of sweeping gas that sweeps the atomized precursor in the direction of the substrate and onto the substrate.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.