Patent ID: 6806144
Filing Date: 2004-10-19
Classification: C23C,C30B,H01L

Abstract:
A method for improving a uniformity of a thermally grown silicon dioxide layer comprising the steps of:providing a furnace system for growing oxide layers comprising gas reactant feed lines further comprising gas flow pathways for providing gas reactants to a reactor chamber said reactor chamber equipped for heating semiconductor wafers to thermally grow a silicon dioxide layer; providing at least one silicon semiconductor wafer comprising exposed portions of silicon within the reactor chamber; thermally growing a layer over the exposed silicon portions comprising silicon dioxide according to a thermal oxide growing process; exposing the gas reactant feed lines to reactant gases during at least one of the step of thermally growing a layer and a cleaning process following the step of thermally growing a layer; and, purging the gas flow pathways to bypass the reactor chamber with at least one purge gas source comprising an inert gas to remove residual reactant gas contaminants to improve a subsequently thermally grown silicon dioxide layer.