Apparatus for fabricating a conformal thin film on a substrate

Abstract

An apparatus for fabricating a conformal thin film on a substrate are disclosed. The apparatus includes a top shield having a top surface and a bottom surface and a bottom shield having an aperture formed therein and a thickness. The bottom shield is coupled to the bottom surface of the top shield such that the top shield covers the aperture. The apparatus further includes a substrate holder that may hold a substrate. The substrate holder is in contact with the bottom shield such that a reaction chamber is formed having a volume defined by the aperture and the thickness of the bottom shield.

1 . An atomic layer deposition (ALD) apparatus for fabricating a conformal thin film on a substrate, comprising: 
 a top shield including a top surface and a bottom surface;    a bottom shield including an aperture formed therein and a thickness, the bottom shield coupled to the bottom surface of the top shield such that the top shield covers the aperture;    a substrate holder operable to hold a substrate, the substrate holder in contact with the bottom shield such that a reaction chamber is formed having a volume defined by the aperture and the thickness of the bottom shield; and    a diffuser plate including a protrusion operable to facilitate an increased flow rate of a gas supplied by at least one inlet to the reaction chamber, the diffuser plate removably coupled to the top surface of the top shield.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the volume of the reaction chamber is slightly greater than a substrate volume.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising the diffuser plate including at least one opening operable to receive the gas from the at least one inlet for introduction into the reaction chamber.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , further comprising the protrusion operable to facilitate uniform gas flow through the at least one opening in the diffuser plate.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a vertical shield removably coupled to a top shield side surface and a bottom shield side surface, the vertical shield including an outlet formed therein operable to be coupled to a pump such that the pump removes the gas introduced into the reaction chamber and provides uniform gas flow over the substrate.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising the top shield removably coupled to the bottom shield.  
   
   
       7 . An atomic layer deposition (ALD) apparatus for fabricating a conformal thin film on a substrate, comprising: 
 a top shield including a top surface and a bottom surface;    a bottom shield including an aperture formed therein and a thickness, the bottom shield removably coupled to the bottom surface of the top shield such that the top shield covers the aperture;    a substrate holder operable to hold a substrate, the substrate holder in contact with the bottom shield such that a reaction chamber is formed having a volume defined by the aperture and the thickness of the bottom shield;    a diffuser plate including a bevel operable to facilitate an increased flow rate of a gas supplied by at least one inlet to the reaction chamber, the diffuser plate removably coupled to the top surface of the top shield; and    a vertical shield including an outlet formed therein operable to be coupled to a pump for removing the gas introduced into the reaction chamber, the vertical shield removably coupled to a top shield side surface and a bottom shield side surface.    
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the volume of the reaction chamber is slightly greater than a substrate volume.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising the diffuser plate including at least one opening operable to receive the gas from the at least one inlet for introduction into the reaction chamber.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising the bevel operable to facilitate uniform gas flow through the at least one opening in the diffuser plate.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the aperture comprises a rectangular shape.  
   
   
       12 . An atomic layer deposition (ALD) apparatus for fabricating a conformal thin film on a substrate, comprising: 
 a top shield including a top surface and a bottom surface;    a bottom shield including an aperture formed therein and a thickness, the bottom shield coupled to the bottom surface of the top shield such that the top shield covers the aperture; and    a substrate holder operable to hold a substrate, the substrate holder in contact with the bottom shield such that a reaction chamber is formed having a volume defined by the aperture and the thickness of the bottom shield.    
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the volume of the reaction chamber is slightly greater than a substrate volume.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising: 
 a diffuser plate including at least one opening operable to receive a gas from at least one inlet for introduction into the reaction chamber, the diffuser plate coupled to the top surface of the top shield; and    a vertical shield including an outlet formed therein operable to be coupled to a pump for removing the gas introduced into the reaction chamber, the vertical shield coupled to a side surface of the top shield and a side surface of the bottom shield.    
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising the diffuser plate removably coupled to the top surface of the top shield such that the diffuser plate may be disposed.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising the diffuser plate including a protrusion located opposite the inlet, the protrusion operable to facilitate an increased gas flow rate to the reaction chamber.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising the protrusion operable to facilitate uniform gas flow through the at least one opening in the diffuser plate.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising the gas selected from the group consisting of a precursor, a reactant gas and an inert gas.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the aperture comprises a rectangular shape.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising the top shield removably coupled to the bottom shield.