System and method for top-down material deposition

1. A material deposition system comprising:

a first source of a vapor feed stream;

a single vapor supply orifice directed toward a substrate position; and

a redirector configured to transfer a mass of the vapor feed stream toward the vapor supply orifice and on to all or any portion of a substrate.

2. The material deposition system of claim 1 , further comprising a lower redirector positioned to isolate the vapor feed stream from the substrate position.

3. The material deposition system of claim 1 , further comprising a chamber wall containing the source and the redirector.

4. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the source is a vapor boat.

5. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the source is rectangular.

6. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the source is cylindrical.

7. The material deposition system of claim 1 , further comprising a second source of a vapor feed stream.

8. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the source is configured to contain a vaporizable material.

9. The material deposition system of claim 8 , wherein the vaporizable material includes a liquid.

10. The material deposition system of claim 8 , wherein the vaporizable material includes a solid.

11. The material deposition system of claim 8 , further comprising an electron-beam source configured to evaporate the vaporizable material to form the vapor feed stream.

12. The material deposition system of claim 8 , further comprising a heater capable of thermal evaporating the vaporizable material to form the vapor feed stream.

13. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the source is connected to a continuous material feed source.

14. The material deposition system of claim 10 , wherein the continuous material feed source is a feed wire.

15. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector is curved.

16. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector comprises a plurality of planar sections.

17. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector shapes the vapor feed stream into a vapor plume having a central angle, the vapor plume expanding in the direction of the substrate position.

18. The material deposition system of claim 17 , wherein the central angle is approximately perpendicular to the substrate position.

19. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector is configured to direct the vapor feed stream into a plurality of vapor plumes directed toward a respective plurality of positions on the substrate position.

20. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector is heated.

21. The material deposition system of claim 20 , wherein the redirector is heated directly.

22. The material deposition system of claim 20 , wherein the redirector is heated indirectly.

23. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector comprises metal.

24. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector comprises ceramic.

25. The material deposition system of claim 24 , wherein the ceramic is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, pyrolytic boron nitride, graphite, and pyrolytic boron nitride-coated graphite.

26. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector is segmented across its width.

27. The material deposition system of claim 26 , further comprising ribs segmenting the redirector across its width.

28. The material deposition system of claim 1 , wherein the redirector comprises an asymmetrical cross-section, such that the vapor feed stream is directed away from the source.

29. The material deposition system of claim 28 , further comprising an electrical connection proximate to the source, such that the vapor feed stream is directed away from the electrical connection.

30. The material deposition system of claim 1 , further comprising an observation aperture formed in the redirector for use in observing the system.

31. The material deposition system of claim 30 , wherein the observation aperture is used for low-rate flux measurement.

32. The material deposition system of claim 30 , further comprising electronic instrumentation for use in observing the system.

33. The material deposition system of claim 32 , wherein the electronic instrumentation comprises electron impact emission spectroscopy instrumentation.

34. The material deposition system of claim 33 , wherein the electronic instrumentation comprises quartz crystal microbalance instrumentation.

35. The material deposition system of claim 7 , wherein the source and the second source are independently controllable.

36. The material deposition system of claim 7 , wherein the second source is a distance from the vapor supply orifice unequal to the distance between the source and the vapor supply orifice.

37. The material deposition system of claim 2 , further comprising a second source of vapor feed stream.

38. The material deposition system of claim 37 , wherein the second source of vapor feed stream is disposed at a distance from the vapor supply orifice which is different from the distance between the first source of vapor feed stream and the vapor supply orifice.

39. The material deposition system of claim 7 , wherein the second source of vapor feed stream is positioned below the source of vapor feed stream, such that the system can deposit multiple films on a substrate.

40. A system for depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:

a material deposition system comprising a first vapor feed stream source positioned above a substrate position, wherein the vapor feed stream source is configured to direct at least one mass of a vapor feed stream in a direction away from the substrate position, the direction being non-parallel to at least one surface of a substrate occupying the substrate position;

a redirector configured to change the direction of the at least one mass of the vapor feed stream, from a direction away from the substrate position to a direction toward the substrate position, and on to all or any portion of the substrate; and

a conveyor for transporting the substrate into the substrate position.

41. The system of claim 40 , further comprising a lower redirector positioned to isolate the vapor feed stream from the substrate position and toward the redirector.

42. The system of claim 40 , further comprising a chamber wall containing the source and the redirector.

43. The system of claim 40 , wherein the source is a vapor boat.

44. The system of claim 40 , wherein the source is rectangular.

45. The system of claim 40 , wherein the source is cylindrical.

46. The system of claim 40 , further comprising a second source of a vapor feed stream.

47. The system of claim 40 , wherein the source is configured to contain a vaporizable material.

48. The system of claim 47 , wherein the vaporizable material includes a liquid.

49. The system of claim 47 , wherein the vaporizable material includes a solid.

50. The system of claim 47 , further comprising an electron-beam source configured to evaporate the vaporizable material to form the vapor feed stream.

51. The system of claim 47 , further comprising a heater capable of thermal evaporating the vaporizable material to form the vapor feed stream.

52. The system of claim 40 , wherein the source is connected to a continuous material feed source.

53. The system of claim 52 , wherein the continuous material feed source is a feed wire.

54. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector is curved.

55. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector comprises a plurality of planar sections.

56. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector shapes the vapor feed stream into a vapor plume having a central angle, the vapor plume expanding in the direction of the substrate position.

57. The system of claim 56 , wherein the central angle is approximately perpendicular to the substrate position.

58. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector is configured to direct the vapor feed stream into a plurality of vapor plumes directed toward a respective plurality of positions on the substrate position.

59. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector is heated.

60. The system of claim 59 , wherein the redirector is heated directly.

61. The system of claim 59 , wherein the redirector is heated indirectly.

62. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector comprises metal.

63. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector comprises ceramic.

64. The system of claim 63 , wherein the ceramic is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, pyrolytic boron nitride, graphite, and pyrolytic boron nitride-coated graphite.

65. The system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector is segmented across its width.

66. The system of claim 65 , further comprising ribs segmenting the redirector across its width.

67. The material deposition system of claim 40 , wherein the redirector comprises an asymmetrical cross-section, such that the vapor feed stream is directed away from the source.

68. The material deposition system of claim 67 , further comprising an electrical connection proximate to the source, such that the vapor feed stream is directed away from the electrical connection.

69. The material deposition system of claim 40 , further comprising an observation aperture formed in the redirector for use in observing the system.

70. The material deposition system of claim 69 , wherein the observation aperture is used for low-rate flux measurement.

71. The material deposition system of claim 69 , further comprising electronic instrumentation for use in observing the system.

72. The material deposition system of claim 71 , wherein the electronic instrumentation comprises electron impact emission spectroscopy instrumentation.

73. The material deposition system of claim 72 , wherein the electronic instrumentation comprises quartz crystal microbalance instrumentation.

74. The material deposition system of claim 46 , wherein the first source and the second source are independently controllable.

75. The material deposition system of claim 46 , wherein the second source is a distance from the vapor supply orifice unequal to the distance between the first source and the vapor supply orifice.

76. The material deposition system of claim 41 , further comprising a second source of vapor feed stream.

77. The material deposition system of claim 76 , wherein the second source of vapor feed stream is disposed at a distance from the vapor supply orifice which is different from the distance between the first source of vapor feed stream and the vapor supply orifice.

78. The material deposition system of claim 46 , wherein the second source of vapor feed stream is positioned below the first source of vapor feed stream, such that the system can deposit multiple films on a substrate.

79. A material deposition system comprising:

a source of a vapor feed stream;

a vapor supply orifice directed toward a substrate position; and

a redirector configured to direct the vapor feed stream toward the vapor supply orifice and deposit the vapor feed stream at a plurality of different angles, simultaneously, on to all or any portion of a substrate occupying the substrate position, wherein the redirector comprises an asymmetrical cross-section such that the vapor feed stream is directed away from the source.