US2019362963A1PendingUtilityA1

Self-Centering Wafer Carrier System for Chemical Vapor Deposition

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Assignee: VEECO INSTR INCPriority: Jun 22, 2015Filed: Jul 17, 2019Published: Nov 28, 2019
Est. expiryJun 22, 2035(~8.9 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Sandeep KrishnanAlexander I. GuraryChenghung Paul ChangEarl Marcelo
H10P 14/6334H10P 14/43H10P 72/7626H10P 72/7624H10P 72/7616H10P 72/7611H10P 72/0434H10P 72/0432H10P 72/0431H10P 14/24H10P 72/50H10P 72/7604H10P 72/76H10P 72/70C23C 16/4585C23C 16/4584C23C 16/46C23C 16/4583C23C 16/458C23C 16/455H01L 21/68792H01L 21/67103H01L 21/68785H01L 21/0262H01L 21/67098H01L 21/68735H01L 21/68757H01L 21/67109H10P 72/57H10P 72/7618H10P 72/3218
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Claims

Abstract

A self-centering wafer carrier system for a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor includes a wafer carrier comprising an edge. The wafer carrier at least partially supports a wafer for CVD processing. A rotating tube comprises an edge that supports the wafer carrier during processing. An edge geometry of the wafer carrier and an edge geometry of the rotating tube being chosen to provide a coincident alignment of a central axis of the wafer carrier and a rotation axis of the rotating tube during process at a desired process temperature.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 - 41 . (canceled) 
     
     
         42 . A single wafer chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor comprising:
 a) a self-centering wafer carrier system comprising:
 i) a wafer carrier comprising an edge and a pocket adapted to hold a wafer, the wafer carrier at least partially supporting a wafer for CVD processing; and 
 ii) a rotating tube comprising an edge, an edge geometry of the wafer carrier and an edge geometry of the rotating tube being chosen to provide a coincident alignment of a central axis of the wafer carrier and a rotation axis of the rotating tube during process at a desired process temperature; and 
   b) a multi-zone heater assembly positioned under the wafer carrier inside the rotating tube.   
     
     
         43 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the wafer carrier supports an entire bottom surface of the wafer. 
     
     
         44 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the wafer carrier supports the wafer at a perimeter of the wafer, leaving a portion of both a top and a bottom surface of the wafer exposed. 
     
     
         45 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 44  further comprising a separator plate that provides radiant heating to the wafer. 
     
     
         46 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 45  wherein the separator plate comprises a geometry chosen to provide centering of the separator plate with respect to the center of the rotating tube. 
     
     
         47 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 45  wherein the separator plate comprises a geometry chosen to cause the separator plate to remain static with respect to the rotating tube during rotation. 
     
     
         48 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 45  wherein the separator plate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide and quartz. 
     
     
         49 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 45  further comprising a tube that supplies positive pressure purge gas to a cavity above the separator plate. 
     
     
         50 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the wafer carrier is configured so that a rotation eccentricity of the wafer is substantially zero at the desired process temperature. 
     
     
         51 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the wafer carrier edge and the rotating tube edge are dimensioned to define a gap. 
     
     
         52 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 51  wherein at least one of the wafer carrier and the rotating tube are configured so that a width of the gap approaches zero at the desired process temperature. 
     
     
         53 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 51  wherein at least one of the wafer carrier and the rotating tube are configured so that a width of the gap changes during heating due to a difference between a coefficient of thermal expansion of the material forming the wafer carrier and a coefficient of thermal expansion of the material forming the rotating tube. 
     
     
         54 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 51  wherein at least one of the wafer carrier and the rotating tube are configured so that a width of the gap at room temperature is chosen so that there is space for expansion of the wafer carrier relative to the rotating tube at processing temperatures. 
     
     
         55 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the coincident alignment of the central axis of the wafer carrier and the rotation axis of the rotating tube during processing at the desired process temperature establishes an axial-symmetrical temperature profile across the wafer. 
     
     
         56 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein a material forming at least one of the wafer carrier and the rotating tube is chosen to have a coefficient of thermal expansion that maintains space for thermal expansion of the wafer carrier relative to the rotating tube at processing temperatures. 
     
     
         57 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the edge geometry of the wafer carrier and the edge geometry of the rotating tube both defined matching bevel surfaces. 
     
     
         58 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 57  wherein the matching bevel surfaces are parallel. 
     
     
         59 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 57  wherein the matching bevel surfaces are at an angle α such that tan(α)>f, where f is a coefficient of friction between the wafer carrier and rotation tube. 
     
     
         60 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the edge geometry of the wafer carrier is beveled on an inner surface and the edge geometry of the rotating tube is beveled on an outer surface. 
     
     
         61 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the rotating tube comprises a flat rim. 
     
     
         62 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the edge geometry of the wafer carrier is beveled on an outer surface and the edge geometry of the rotating tube is beveled on an inner surface. 
     
     
         63 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the wafer carrier further comprises a pocket adapted to hold a wafer. 
     
     
         64 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 63  further comprising one or more bumpers which are symmetrically placed within the pocket. 
     
     
         65 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the wafer carrier comprises a pocketless wafer carrier having two or more posts which are symmetrically placed on the upper surface of the wafer carrier. 
     
     
         66 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the multi-zone heater assembly generates a spatially dependent temperature profile. 
     
     
         67 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 42  wherein the wafer carrier is formed from a ceramic material chosen from the group consisting of silicon carbide (SiC), boron nitride (BN), boron carbide (BC), aluminum nitride (AlN), alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), sapphire, silicon, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, quartz, graphite, graphite coated with silicon carbide (SiC), and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         68 . A single wafer chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor comprising:
 a) a wafer carrier configured to receive a wafer, the wafer carrier having an edge geometry for positioning on top of a rotating tube and being configured to receive the wafer by using a pocket adapted to hold the wafer, the rotating tube also having an edge geometry,
 wherein the edge geometries of the single wafer substrate carrier and of the rotating tube being chosen to provide a coincident alignment of a central axis of the wafer carrier and a rotation axis of the rotating tube during process at a desired process temperature; and 
   b) a multi-zone heater assembly positioned under the wafer carrier inside the rotating tube.   
     
     
         69 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 68  wherein the wafer carrier further comprises one or more bumpers symmetrically placed within the pocket. 
     
     
         70 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 68  wherein the multi-zone heater assembly generates a spatially dependent temperature profile. 
     
     
         71 . The single wafer CVD reactor of  claim 68  wherein the wafer carrier is formed from a ceramic material chosen from the group consisting of silicon carbide (SiC), boron nitride (BN), boron carbide (BC), aluminum nitride (AlN), alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), sapphire, silicon, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, quartz, graphite, graphite coated with silicon carbide (SiC), and combinations thereof.

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