Apparatus and method for forming an oxynitride insulating layer on a semiconductor wafer

A method of tuning the magnitude of nitrogen doped profiles for an oxynitride insulator on a substrate, said method comprising:

• providing said substrate at a first temperature within a main chamber;
• pre-heating a nitrogen containing gas outside said chamber;
• transferring said pre-heated nitrogen containing gas to said main chamber;
• exposing said substrate to said nitrogen containing gas at a second temperature which is higher than said first temperature;
• and
• growing said insulator on said substrate in the presence of said gas.

A method of tuning the magnitude of nitrogen doped profiles for an oxynitride insulator on a substrate, said method comprising:

• providing said substrate at a first temperature within a main chamber;
• heating chlorine and steam gas to a combustion temperature and transferring said chlorine and steam gas to a second chamber;
• exposing said substrate to a nitrogen containing gas at a second temperature which is higher than said first temperature, whereby said nitrogen containing gas is heated to said second temperature in said second chamber outside said main chamber and directing said heated nitrogen containing gas to said main chamber;
• and
• growing said insulator on said substrate in the presence of said gas.

A method for distributing a nitrogen containing gas to form an insulation film on a semiconductor, comprising:

• providing said semiconductor within a main process tube;
• pre-heating N2O gas outside said main process tube;
• delivering said N2O gas to a gas manifold;
• splitting said N2O gas flow through said gas manifold to direct said N2O gas to gas injectors attached to said main process tube;
• and,
• distributing said N2O gas through said injectors to said main process tube housing said semiconductor.