Single Wafer Atomic Layer Deposition Reactor Design

Abstract

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a very attractive ultra-thin film deposition technique. With the feature size of IC industry continues going down, ALD has received more and more attentions for its accurate sub-nanometer thickness control as well as superior uniformity and conformality. The further development of ALD technology emphasizes on both process and equipment innovations. A single-wafer bottom-heated reactor is constructed successfully, and the Al2O3 is deposited with ~2% uniformity across a 4-inch wafer. Furthermore, the gas delivery system and heating devices are studied by the combination of ANSYS simulation and experiments. These parameters that influence the uniformity and conformality of deposited films have been further optimized to obtain better performance. As a result, a new reactor with showerhead gas delivery and radiation heating system is designed.