Patent ID: 8937000
Filing Date: 2015-01-20
Classification: C23C,H01L

Abstract:
1. A chemical vapor deposition reactor comprising: (a) a chamber having one or more walls; (b) a wafer carrier disposed within the chamber and arranged to hold one or more substrates so that surfaces of the substrates face upwardly within the chamber; (c) a wafer carrier drive mechanism adapted to rotate the wafer carrier about a substantially vertical axis; (d) a heater adapted to maintain the substrates at a substrate temperature of 400° C. or higher; (e) one or more gas sources arranged to supply gases including reactive gases; (f) a flow inlet element communicating with the chamber above the carrier level, the flow inlet element being arranged to direct the gases downwardly toward the substrates; and (g) a flow inlet temperature control mechanism arranged to maintain the flow inlet at an inlet temperature of above about 75° C. but less than the substrate temperature, so that there is a temperature difference of at least about 200° C. between the inlet temperature and the substrate temperature, wherein the reactor is arranged such that for a given first pressure within the chamber, first flow rate of the gases, and first rotation rate of the carrier, the gases are configured to yield non-recirculating operation at a first gas inlet temperature above about 75° C., and the gases are configured to yield recirculating operation at a second gas inlet temperature below about 60° C.