Patent ID: 6475286
Filing Date: 2002-11-05
Classification: C23C,C30B

Abstract:
A chemical vapor deposition chamber for accommodating semiconductor wafers, said chamber comprising a base, a solid wall mounted on said base and a cover forming a first separable element being disposed on the solid wall and extending substantially parallel to the base, a gas-collecting means, which is a conduit for exhausting process gases being located between the base and the cover and forming a second separable element of the chamber, said gas-collecting means sub-dividing the chamber into a first space and a second space disposed adjacent the solid wall, an inlet for introducing a process gas at a first pressure into the first space with a first gas flow, the first and second separable elements provided with closing surfaces coacting to form a pair of closing surfaces, said pair of closing surfaces forming a boundary between the first space and the second space and preventing the first gas flow from flowing through an interface between the pair of closing surfaces, at least one of the closing surfaces being provided with a set of grooves extending across the boundary for interconnecting the first and second space, means for introducing an inert gas into the second space at a second pressure to pass through said grooves into the first space, said grooves having a width and depth and a separation between adjacent grooves which are determined in combination with a height of the interface along with the length of the boundary, with said second pressure of the inert gas for preventing said process gas from exiting through the interface along the grooves and along the length and spacing of the interface between the grooves, so that the grooves have construction parameters so that a small pressure differential between the second space and the first space in combination with a small interface height and the flow of the inert gas will not disturb the deposition process.