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AssigneeAixtron SE
InventorPeter Frijlink
Estimating the term…
The invention relates to seal means (I, TR) for sealing two substantially flat closing surfaces (9a,7a), respectively of two separable elements (9,7), for forming a boundary between a first space (101) and a second space (102), in order to prevent a first gas flow (Φ1) propagating in the first space to exit through an interface (I) between said two closing surfaces disposed one opposite to the other for sealing, comprising the construction of a set of troughs (TR) in at least one of the closing surfaces (9), carried out throughout the length (L) of said boundary in the direction of said first flow, and comprising a counter-flow (Φ2), propagating from the second space (102) through said troughs, which have construction parameters including a width (w), a depth (h) and a separating width (W), determined in combination with the height (H) of the interface (I) and said length (L) of the boundary, for preventing the first flow (Φ1) to exit through the interface (I) along the troughs (TR) and along the length (L) and width (W) of the interface (I) between the troughs (TR). The invention also relates to a chemical vapor deposition chamber for processing semiconductor wafers and to a reactor having such seal means.
A chemical vapor deposition chamber for accommodating semiconductor wafers, said chamber comprising a base, a solid wall mounted on said base and a cover forming a first separable element being disposed on the solid wall and extending substantially parallel to the base, a gas-collecting means, which is a conduit for exhausting process gases being located between the base and the cover and forming a second separable element of the chamber, said gas-collecting means sub-dividing the chamber into a first space and a second space disposed adjacent the solid wall, an inlet for introducing a process gas at a first pressure into the first space with a first gas flow, the first and second separable elements provided with closing surfaces coacting to form a pair of closing surfaces, said pair of closing surfaces forming a boundary between the first space and the second space and preventing the first gas flow from flowing through an interface between the pair of closing surfaces, at least one of the closing surfaces being provided with a set of grooves extending across the boundary for interconnecting the first and second space, means for introducing an inert gas into the second space at a second pressure to pass through said grooves into the first space, said grooves having a width and depth and a separation between adjacent grooves which are determined in combination with a height of the interface along with the length of the boundary, with said second pressure of the inert gas for preventing said process gas from exiting through the interface along the grooves and along the length and spacing of the interface between the grooves, so that the grooves have construction parameters so that a small pressure differential between the second space and the first space in combination with a small interface height and the flow of the inert gas will not disturb the deposition process.
An epitaxy reactor comprising a base plate, a platform disposed on the base plate, a peripheral body surrounding the platform being disposed on the base plate and a flat cover extending parallel to the base plate spaced by the peripheral body therefrom, an inlet disposed in the cover over a point on the platform, so that a first gas at a first pressure flows radially across the platform from the point toward the periphery of the platform, a gas-collecting means surrounding said platform and separating a first space above the platform from a second space adjacent the peripheral body, said gas-collecting means having gas outlets so that gases can be withdrawn from the first space, the gas-collecting means having at least one contact surface forming a contact surface with one of the base plate, cover and platform to form an interface between a pair of closing surfaces forming a boundary between the first space and the second space, at least one of the closing surfaces of said pair having spaced grooves extending across the boundary in a direction of the flow of the first gas, the second space having means for introducing an inert gas to flow along said grooves and interface toward the first space to be removed through the gas outlets of said gas-collecting means, said grooves having a spacing between adjacent grooves, a height and width of the grooves selected relative to a height of the interface of the boundary surfaces so that a small pressure differential between the first flow and the inert gas in combination with a small interface height will not disturb the deposition process in the reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.