Patent ID: 6015590
Filing Date: 2000-01-18
Classification: C23C,C30B

Abstract:
A method for growing a thin film onto a substrate, in which a substrate is placed in a reaction space and said substrate is subjected to alternately repeated surface reactions of a plurality of vapor phase reactants to form a thin film, said method comprising the steps of:feeding said vapor phase reactants into said reaction space in the form of vapor phase pulses repeatedly and alternately, each reactant separately from its own source;causing said vapor phase reactants to react with the surface of the substrate to form a thin film compound on said substrate;evacuating said reaction space between two successive vapor phase pulses by connecting the reaction space to a pump so that substantially all of said reactants remaining in said reaction space and adsorbed on inner walls of said reaction space are removed to a level of less than 1% prior to the inflow of a second pulse of said two successive vapor phase pulses; andfeeding an inactive gas into said reaction space simultaneously with said evacuating step.