Uniform deposition
A reaction chamber of a substrate processing apparatus contains a reaction space. At least three lateral chemical inlets point towards a centre area of the reaction space each from different directions, each of the at least three lateral chemical inlets providing an individually closable route for a first precursor chemical to the reaction space.
1 . A method, comprising:
providing a reaction chamber with a reaction space in a substrate processing apparatus;
providing a non-rotatable substrate holder configured to carry a substrate;
providing at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets pointing towards a centre area of the reaction space each from different directions, each of the at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets providing an individually closable route for a first precursor chemical to the reaction space; and
providing respective in-feed tubes extending to respective ones of the precursor chemical inlets, which are individually closable, said individually closable precursor chemical inlets being configured to discharge the first precursor chemical into the reaction space from sides of the reaction chamber.
2 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
providing a substrate in the reaction space with sequential self-saturating surface reactions.
3 . The method of claim 1 , where three of the pointing directions of the at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets are mutually partly opposite.
4 . The method of claim 1 , where the number of lateral precursor chemical inlets providing an individually closable route for a first precursor chemical to the reaction space is four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine inlets.
5 . The method of claim 1 , where at least three of the lateral precursor chemical inlets are evenly distributed on a circumference symmetrically surrounding the centre area.
6 . The method of claim 1 , where the first precursor chemical is pulsed into the reaction space from one direction at a time.
7 . The method of claim 6 , where the pulsing direction is changed during a pulse period or between consecutive pulse periods of the same precursor chemical.
8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
carrying a substrate by the non-rotatable substrate holder; and
providing the substrate with an effect comparable to rotating the substrate by opening and closing the at least three individual lateral precursor chemical inlets in a predetermined manner.
9 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
providing an incoming flow of the first precursor chemical onto a substrate surface from sides of the reaction chamber, and an outgoing flow downwards to exhaust after passing an edge of the substrate.
10 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
heating at least one chemical that flows into the reaction space.
11 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
providing an outer chamber surrounding the reaction chamber thereby closing an intermediate space in between the reaction chamber and the outer chamber; and
directing the in-feed tubes via the intermediate space towards the reaction chamber.
12 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
providing the reaction space with symmetrical gas flow distribution.
13 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
maintaining fluid dynamics in the reaction chamber unchanged when proceeding from one step to another step in a deposition cycle.
14 . An apparatus, comprising:
a reaction chamber with a reaction space;
a non-rotatable substrate holder configured to carry a substrate; and
at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets pointing towards a centre area of the reaction space each from different directions, each of the at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets providing an individually closable route for a first precursor chemical to the reaction space,
the apparatus comprising respective in-feed tubes extending to respective ones of the precursor chemical inlets, which are individually closable, said individually closable precursor chemical inlets being configured to discharge the first precursor chemical into the reaction space from sides of the reaction chamber.
15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , where three of the pointing directions of the at least three lateral precursor inlets are mutually partly opposite.
16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , where the number of lateral precursor inlets providing a closable route for the first precursor chemical to the reaction space is four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine inlets.
17 . The apparatus of claim 14 , where at least three of the lateral precursor inlets are evenly distributed on a circumference symmetrically surrounding the centre area.
18 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the non-rotatable substrate holder is stationary, the apparatus comprising:
a control system configured to open and close the at least three individual lateral precursor inlets in a predetermined manner to provide the substrate with an effect comparable to rotating the substrate.
19 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a chemical in-feed line of the first precursor chemical branches into a first, second and third in-feed tube of the respective in-feed tubes extending to respective first, second and third lateral precursor chemical inlets of the at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets that point towards the reaction space from said different directions.
20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , comprising an individually controlled pulsing valve in each of the first, second, and third in-feed tube of the respective in-feed tubes.
21 . The apparatus of claim 14 , comprising:
a heater configured to heat at least one chemical that flows into the reaction space.
22 . The apparatus of claim 14 , comprising:
an outer chamber surrounding the reaction chamber thereby closing an intermediate space in between the reaction chamber and the outer chamber; and
first, second, and third chemical in-feed tube of the respective in-feed tubes directed via the intermediate space towards the reaction chamber.
23 . The apparatus of claim 14 , comprising:
a control system configured to maintain fluid dynamics in the reaction chamber unchanged when proceeding from one step to another step in a deposition cycle.
24 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets point towards a vertical centreline of the reaction space each from different directions.
25 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the reaction space is of the general form of a cylinder.
26 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said at least three lateral precursor chemical inlets each have a pointing direction with a lateral component pointing towards the centre area of the reaction space.
27 . The apparatus of claim 14 , configured to provide an effect comparable to virtually rotating the substrate.