An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

A high pressure, high throughput, single wafer, semiconductor processing reactor is disclosed which is capable of thermal CVD, plasma-enhanced CVD, plasma-assisted etchback, plasma self-cleaning, and deposition topography modification by sputtering, either separately or as part of in-situ multiple step processing. The reactor includes cooperating arrays of interdigitated susceptor and wafer support fingers which collectively remove the wafer from a robot transfer blade and position the wafer with variable, controlled, close parallel spacing between the wafer and the chamber gas inlet manifold, then return the wafer to the blade. A combined RF/gas feed-through device protects against process gas leaks and applies RF energy to the gas inlet manifold without internal breakdown or deposition of the gas. The gas inlet manifold is adapted for providing uniform gas flow over the wafer. Temperature-controlled internal and external manifold surfaces suppress condensation, premature reactions and decomposition and deposition on the external surfaces. The reactor also incorporates a uniform radial pumping gas system which enables uniform reactant gas flow across the wafer and directs purge gas flow downwardly and upwardly toward the periphery of the wafer for sweeping exhaust gases radially away from the wafer to prevent deposition outside the wafer and keep the chamber clean. The reactor provides uniform processing over a wide range of pressures including very high pressures.

Thermal CVD/PECVD reactor and use for thermal chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide and in-situ multi-step planarized process

Process gas discharged from a bypass pipe to a gas exhaust system can be prevented from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber without having to install a dedicated vacuum pump at the downstream side of the bypass pipe. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate, a gas supply system supplying process gas from a process gas source to the process chamber for processing the substrate, a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust the process chamber, two or more vacuum pumps installed in series at the gas exhaust system, and a bypass pipe connected between the gas supply system and the gas exhaust system. The most upstream one of the vacuum pumps is a mechanical booster pump, and the bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the mechanical booster pump.

Substrate Processing Apparatus

An improved apparatus and method for substrate layer deposition in which substrate layers are grown by carrier gas delivery of sequential pulses of reactants to the substrate surface. At least one of the reactants comprises excited species, e.g., radicals. In a specific embodiment, the apparatus of this invention provides sequential repeated pulses of reactants in a flow of carrier gas for reaction at a substrate surface. The reactant pulses are delivered with sufficient intervening delay times to minimize undesirable reaction between reactants in adjacent pulses in the gas phase or undesired uncontrolled reactions on the substrate surface.

Apparatus and method for growth of a thin film

A low profile, compact atomic layer deposition reactor (LP-CAR) (33) has a low-profile body with a substrate processing region adapted to serve a single substrate (45) or a planar array of substrates (72), and a valved load and unload port (53) for substrate loading and unloading to and from the LP-CAR. The body has an inlet (55) adapted for injecting a gas or vapor at the first end, and an exhaust exit adapted for evacuating gas and vapor at the second end. The LP-CAR has an external height (h) no greater than any horizontal dimension (L, W), and more preferably no more than two-thirds any horizontal dimension, facilitating a unique system architecture. An internal processing region is distinguished by having a vertical extent no greater than one fourth the horizontal extent, facilitating fast gas switching. Multiple such compact reactors can be stacked vertically.

Vertically-stacked process reactor and cluster tool system for atomic layer deposition

The present invention relates to improved injectors for use in CVD reactor systems, and more specifically for use in epitaxial deposition systems for processing a single wafer-at-a-time. The improved injectors of the present invention are used to provide a predetermined desired shaped velocity profile for the injected reactant gases for insuring a more uniform deposition on a single wafer to be processed within the reactor system. In the first embodiment, the reactant gas is fed into a horizontal gas distribution manifold cavity and distributed horizontally in both directions. The gas then passes through a manifold wall having a pattern of predetermined sized and spaced apertures therein. The size of the apertures and the distribution of these sizes, shapes the resultant velocity profile to a desired pattern. Since the volume flow rate through each aperture of the manifold member increases as the diameter of the aperture increases, the resultant velocity profile produced will have its maximum at the center where the largest apertures exist and its minimum at the sides where the smallest apertures exist and the velocity profile will have a desired predetermined shape as it exits the gas delivery chamber and is turned 90° for injection into the input of the reaction chamber. In an alternate embodiment, a plurality of linearly dimensioned slots are provided between spacer legs for producing the predetermined desired shaped velocity profile.

Gas injectors for reaction chambers in CVD systems

This invention discloses a system (10) for chemically depositing various materials carried by a reactant gas onto substrates (28) for manufacturing semiconductor devices. The system (10) includes special loading and unloading subsystems (12, 14) for placement of substrates (28) to be processed into the system (10) and subsequent extraction without contamination of the system. A special substrate handling subsystem (16) is provided for moving the substrates (28) to and from at least one processing subsystem (15) without physically contacting the planar surfaces of the substrates (28). The processing subsystem (18) includes a horizontal gas flow reaction chamber (240) having a rotatable susceptor (248) therein for rotating the single substrate (28) supportable thereon about an axis that is normal to the center of the substrate for averaging of the temperature and reactant gas concentration variables. The processing subsystem (18) is separated from the handling subsystem (16) by a special isolation valve (176) and a gas injection device (178) is used to inject the gas into the reaction chamber (240) with a predetermined velocity profile. A special temperature sensing arrangement (260) is provided in the processing subsystem (18) for controlling a radiant heating subsystem (272) which is provided above and below the reaction chamber (240).

Chemical vapor deposition system.

An apparatus and method for heating a substrate and associated rotatable susceptor in an epitaxial deposition reactor with an axially symmetric gas flow carrying deposition material include at least one chamber having a plurality of heat lamps. The chamber is generally symmetric with respect to an axis of the substrate. The chamber walls are coated to reflect light from the heat lamps. The outermost heat lamps can be energized to produce a higher temperature than the centrally located lamps to compensate for regions of the reactor which provide access to the substrate and, therefore, promote thermal losses. The spacing of the heat lamps may be varied to compensate for thermal non-uniformity of the heating cavity. The substrate may be rotated, on the rotatable susceptor, to average the thermal environment to which the substrate is exposed.

Method and apparatus for substrate heating in an axially symmetric epitaxial deposition apparatus

In a chemical vapor deposition chamber, an improved technique for providing deposition materials to the growth surface is described. The gas carrying deposition materials is constrained to have axial symmetry thereby providing a uniform deposition of materials on the substrate. The gas can be initially directed toward the substrate with a generally uniform perpendicular velocity. The gas can be introduced into the deposition chamber through a multiplicity of apertures and is extracted from the vicinity of the substrate in a manner to preserve the axial symmetry. The apparatus permits convenient control of the deposition process by varying the distance between apparatus introducing the gas carrying the deposition materials and the substrate. The flow of gas minimizes the problems arising from autodoping of the growth layer of material. The flow of gas and generally small size of the deposition chamber minimize particulate contamination of the growing film.

Apparatus for chemical vapor deposition using an axially symmetric gas flow

A heating system for use in chemical vapor deposition equipment of the type wherein a reactant gas is directed in horizontal flow for depositing materials on a substrate which is supported in a reaction chamber on a susceptor which is rotatably driven for rotating the substrate about an axis which extends normally from its center. The heating system works in conjunction with a special heat sensing arrangement and includes an upper heating element assembly, a lower heating element assembly and a heat concentrator mechanism whic interact to provide rapid temperature build-up at the beginning of a processing cycle, rapid temperature attenuation at the end of a processing cycle and a controlled flat temperature profile during the processing cycle.

Mcdonald Robinson

Papers

Gas injectors for reaction chambers in CVD systems

Chemical vapor deposition system.

Method and apparatus for substrate heating in an axially symmetric epitaxial deposition apparatus

Apparatus for chemical vapor deposition using an axially symmetric gas flow

Heating system for substrates