Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8372204B2/en
Timestamp: 2018-07-16 01:10:12
Document Index: 523778176

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 2003', 'Application No. 02', 'Application No. 03816420', 'Application No. 02', 'Application No. 2003', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 02776040', 'Application No. 02776040', 'Application No. 091122351', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 2003', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 091122351', 'Application No. 2004']

US8372204B2 - Susceptor for MOCVD reactor - Google Patents
Susceptor for MOCVD reactor Download PDF
US8372204B2
US8372204B2 US11483387 US48338706A US8372204B2 US 8372204 B2 US8372204 B2 US 8372204B2 US 11483387 US11483387 US 11483387 US 48338706 A US48338706 A US 48338706A US 8372204 B2 US8372204 B2 US 8372204B2
US11483387
US20060269390A1 (en )
A susceptor for holding semiconductor wafers in an MOCVD reactor during growth of epitaxial layers on the wafers is disclosed. The susceptor comprises a base structure made of a material having low thermal conductivity at high temperature, and has one or more plate holes to house heat transfer plugs. The plugs are made of a material with high thermal conductivity at high temperatures to transfer heat to the semiconductor wafers. A metalorganic chemical vapor deposition reactor is also disclosed utilizing a susceptor according to the present invention.
This application is a continuation and claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/144,943 to Nakamura et al., filed May 13, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,844
Growth of gallium nitride (GaN) based semiconductor devices in MOCVD reactors is generally described in DenBaars and Keller, Semiconductors and Semimetals, Vol. 50, Academic Press Inc., 1997, p. 11-35. MOCVD is a nonequilibrium growth technique that relies on vapor transport of the precursers and subsequent reactions of group III alkyls and group V hydrides in a heated zone. Growth gasses and dopants are supplied to the reactor and are deposited as epitaxial layers on a substrate or wafer. One or more wafers usually rest on a structure of graphite called a susceptor that can be heated by a radio frequency (RF) coil, resistance heated, or radiantly heated by a strip lamp or coil heater. During the growth process, the heated susceptor heats the wafers.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional susceptor 10 that is used in MOCVD reactors such as those provided by Thomas Swan Scientific Equipment Limited. It has a hollowed cylindrical shape and is mounted over the reactor's heating element at the bottom of the reactor, below the source gas inlet. It has a circular base plate 12 and cylindrical sleeve 13, with the circular plate 12 having a series of disk shaped depressions 14 equally spaced around the susceptor's longitudinal axis. Each of the depressions 14 can hold a semiconductor wafer during growth. When the susceptor 10 is heated by the heating element the semiconductor wafers are also heated. When source gases enter the MOCVD reactor, they combine and then deposit on the heated semiconductor wafers as epitaxial layers. The susceptor 10 can typically spin at speeds in the range of 1,000 to 2,000 rpm, which results in more uniform epitaxial layers on the wafers.
Conventional susceptors 10 are usually formed from a monolithic structure of graphite or coated graphite that absorbs heat from the heater element and conducts it to the wafers in contact with the susceptor 10. The entire susceptor 10 is heated uniformly to achieve consistent growth conditions across the surfaces of the wafers. During fabrication of the epitaxial layers, materials will not only deposit on the heated wafer, but will also deposit on the heated susceptor 10. This can cause deposition of significant amounts of GaN, InGaN, AlInGaN, and similar compounds on the susceptor surfaces. The result is a buildup of reaction deposits on the susceptor that can adversely impact subsequent fabrication steps. For instance, the deposits can act as impurities during subsequent growth of the epitaxial layers and can also result in poor interface transition between different layers. For example, if a layer using an indium source gas was grown, indium can be deposited on the susceptor. Though the next layer to be grown does not include indium, indium from the susceptor surfaces can be included in the transition between layers. These impurities can cause poor device performance and can prevent consistent reproduction of semiconductor devices on the wafer.
The present invention also discloses a reactor for growing epitaxial layers on semiconductor wafers, including a reactor chamber housing a heating element and susceptor. The susceptor holds the semiconductor wafers and is arranged over the heater element. The susceptor comprises a base structure having a base plate and a sleeve that are made of a material having low thermal conductivity at high temperature, with the base plate having one or more plate holes and a heat transfer plug held within a respective one of the plate holes. The wafers are arranged on the plugs, and the plugs are made of a material with high thermal conductivity at high temperatures. The plugs transfer heat from the heater element to the semiconductor wafers. A growth gas inlet is also included to provide gasses to grow epitaxial layers on the semiconductor wafers.
Reduced amounts of reactants are deposited on the susceptor embodiments disclosed herein, thereby reducing unwanted impurities during subsequent fabrication steps. The epitaxial layers can also be grown using less energy and consuming less source material because most of the heat from the reactor's heating element passes through the heat transfer plugs instead of heating the entire susceptor. The susceptor can also be manufactured using less complex processes because it does not need to be machined from a solid piece of graphite. Also, the heat transfer plugs can be more easily machined so their surface adjacent to the wafer has a convex or concave shape to compensate for any temperature non-uniformity.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the susceptor in FIG. 2, taken along section lines 3-3;
FIG. 6 a is a sectional view of the plug in FIG. 5, taken along section lines 6 a-6 a;
FIG. 6 b is a sectional magnified view of a plug ridge shown in FIG. 6 a; and
The base structure 22 can be made of many different materials such as boron nitride, fused quartz, aluminum nitride, or a ceramic, with the aluminum nitride and ceramic embodiments being coated with a material to reduce reacting with the source gasses. A preferred base structure 22 is made of boron nitride or fused quartz covered by boron nitride. These materials have high thermal conductivity at low temperature, low thermal conductivity at high temperature, and boron nitride is white, which enhances the structure's reflectivity. The base structure 22 is manufactured using known methods.
The susceptor 20 also includes heat transfer plugs 32, each of which fit within a respective plate hole 28. Semiconductor wafers are placed in contact with the plugs 32 during growth of the epitaxial layers and heat from the heating element should be efficiently conducted through the plugs 32, to the wafers. The plugs 32 are preferably made of a material having high thermal conductivity at high temperature and a dark color, both of which promote heat conduction. The preferred material for the plugs 32 is graphite or silicon carbide coated graphite. Each of the plugs 32 has an axial lip 33 around its outer surface, which rests on one of the axial ledges 34 on the inside surfaces of the through holes 28, such that a respective plug 32 rests within one of the holes 28.
The susceptor 20 works without the faceplate 36, but small amounts of reactants can deposit on the base structure 22 during epitaxial growth. The faceplate 36 provides a surface with a greater resistance to deposition of reaction species, with the surface also being easy to clean. It is preferably infrared transparent so that is does not absorb optical heat. It should also be made of a material that does not react with MOCVD source gasses. It can be made of materials such as quartz, pure silicon carbide, sapphire, silicon, coated graphite, graphite or tungsten, with a preferred material being quartz. Deposits can be cleaned from quartz by etching.
The faceplate 36 should have approximately the same diameter as the base plate 24 and its holes 38 should have the same or slightly smaller diameter as the plate holes 28. The faceplate 36 can have many different thicknesses with a suitable thickness being approximately 0.16 inches.
The susceptor 20 can be used in MOCVD reactors where the susceptor is arranged at the bottom of the reactor with the circular plate facing up. Growth gasses enter the reactor from the top or sides and are deposited on the uncovered wafers that are held over the plugs 32.
FIGS. 5, 6 a and 6 b show one embodiment of a heat transfer plug 50, according to the present invention. Each plug 50 is substantially puck shaped and is designed to transfer heat from the reactor's heating element to a semiconductor wafer 52 (shown in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b) held in contact with the plug 50. The plug 50 can have a circular ridge 54 on its surface adjacent to the wafer 52, with only the ridge 54 contacting the wafer. This provides a small space between the wafer 52 and the plug 50 to promote even convective heating of the wafer. To further promote even heating of the wafer 52, the surface of the plug 50 adjacent to the wafer 52 can also have a convex, concave, or other shaped surface. The plug 50 should have a diameter that allows it to fit within one of the base plate through holes 28 and should have a size which allows for thermal expansion of the plug or base plate, with a suitable diameter being approximately 2.1 inches. Each plug 50 has a lip 56 (shown as reference number 33 in FIGS. 3 and 4) around its edge so the plug's top section has a slightly larger diameter than its lower section. As described above, each plug's lip 56 rests on a respective hole ledge 34.
A carrier gas 76 is supplied to a gas line 78, the carrier gas being an inert gas such as hydrogen or nitrogen. The carrier gas 76 is also supplied through mass flow controllers 80 a, 80 b, 80 c to respective bubblers 82 a, 82 b, 82 c. Bubbler 82 a can have a growth compound, such as an alkylated compound having a methyl group, e.g. trimethyl gallium (TMG), trimethyl aluminum (TMA) or trimethyl indium (TMI). Bubblers 82 b and 82 c may also contain a similar methyl group compound to be able to grow an alloy of a Group III compound. The bubblers 82 a, 82 b, 82 c are typically maintained at a predetermined temperature by constant temperature baths 84 a, 84 b, 84 c to ensure a constant vapor pressure of the metal organic compound before it is carried to the reaction chamber 72 by the carrier gas 76.
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred configurations thereof, other versions are possible. The susceptors according to the present invention would work without a faceplate 36. As described above, susceptors according to the present invention can be used in many different reactors beyond MOCVD reactors and can be used in many different types of MOCVD reactors. The susceptors can be made of many different materials with many different dimensions. They can also be arranged differently with one different arrangement having the plugs 32 housed within the faceplate holes 38. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the preferred versions in the specification.
1. A susceptor for holding a plurality of semiconductor wafers in a reactor for growing epitaxial layers, comprising:
a faceplate mounted on said susceptor, said faceplate having a plurality of faceplate holes and a surface substantially resistant to the deposition of reaction species, said faceplate covering said susceptor such that said semiconductor wafers are exposed through said faceplate holes to the deposition of reaction species and the remainder of said susceptor is substantially covered to reduce the deposition of reaction species on said susceptor;
a thermally conductive material at epitaxial growth temperatures in contact with said wafers to transfer heat to the semiconductor wafers such that said heat is conducted through said thermally conductive material primarily only to said wafers, said thermally conductive material comprising a circular ridge wherein only said ridge contacts said wafers to define a space between said thermally conductive material and said wafers to promote even heat transfer to said wafers, said thermally conductive material comprising a top section that is adjacent to one of said wafers, wherein said circular ridge is on said top section and is in contact with one of said wafers; and
a low thermal conductivity material at epitaxial growth temperatures in areas not in direct contact with said wafers, said low thermal conductivity material including a raised section in contact with said faceplate, so that a space is included between said faceplate and said low thermal conductivity material, said low thermal conductivity material reducing the amount of heat transmitted from said reactor, said thermally conductive material placed on the low thermal conductivity material.
2. The susceptor of claim 1, wherein each of said faceplate holes is aligned with said thermally conductive material at epitaxial growth temperatures.
3. The susceptor of claim 1, wherein said faceplate is made of a material that is infrared transparent and cleanable by etching.
4. The susceptor of claim 1, wherein said faceplate is made of a material from the group consisting of quartz, silicon carbide, sapphire, silicon, coated graphite, graphite, and tungsten.
5. The susceptor of claim 1, wherein said thermally conductive material at epitaxial growth temperatures is made of graphite or silicon carbide coated graphite.
6. The susceptor of claim 1, wherein said low thermal conductivity material at epitaxial growth temperatures is made of a material from the group consisting of boron nitride, fused quartz, aluminum nitride and ceramic.
7. The susceptor of claim 1, wherein said low thermal conductivity material at epitaxial growth temperatures comprises a base structure, having a base plate and a cylindrical sleeve, said base plate having one or more plate holes.
8. The susceptor of claim 1, wherein said thermally conductive material at epitaxial growth temperatures comprises one or more heat transfer plugs, each of said one or more plugs housed within a respective hole of a base structure.
9. The susceptor of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive material comprises the top section and a lower section, wherein the top section comprises a diameter larger than a diameter of the lower section.
10. The susceptor of claim 1 wherein the thermally conductive material comprises an axial lip and wherein the axial lip is placed on an axial ledge of the low thermal conductivity material.
11. The susceptor of claim 10, wherein the low thermal conductivity material comprises a through hole and the axial ledge is in an inside surface of the through hole.
12. A susceptor for holding a plurality of semiconductor wafers in a reactor for growing epitaxial layers, comprising:
a base structure having a plurality of holes;
a faceplate on said base structure, said faceplate comprising one or more holes that align with said base structure holes, said faceplate further providing a surface substantially resistant to the deposition of reaction species;
one or more heat transfer plugs housed in said base structure holes, said plugs comprising a thermally conductive material at epitaxial growth temperatures, said plugs further comprising a circular ridge wherein only said ridge is in contact with said wafers to define a space between said plugs and said wafers to promote even heat transfer to said wafers, wherein each heat transfer plug comprises a top section that is adjacent to one of said wafers, wherein said circular ridge is on said top section and is in contact with one of said wafers;
a low thermal conductivity material at epitaxial growth temperatures, said low thermal conductivity material including a raised section in contact with said faceplate, so that a space is included between said faceplate and said low thermal conductivity material, reducing the amount of heat transmitted from said reactor, wherein said base structure comprises said low thermal conductivity material, said one or more heat transfer plugs placed on the low thermal conductivity material; and
wherein said susceptor is adapted to rotate about a longitudinal axis as reaction species are deposited.
13. The susceptor of claim 12, wherein said faceplate is made of a material that is infrared transparent and cleanable by etching.
14. The susceptor of claim 12 wherein each plug comprises the top section and a lower section, wherein the top section comprises a diameter larger than a diameter of the lower section.
15. The susceptor of claim 12 wherein each plug comprises an axial lip and wherein the axial lip is placed on an axial ledge of the low thermal conductivity material.
16. The susceptor of claim 15, wherein the low thermal conductivity material comprises a through hole and the axial ledge is in an inside surface of the through hole.
US11483387 2002-05-13 2006-07-06 Susceptor for MOCVD reactor Active US8372204B2 (en)
US10144943 US7122844B2 (en) 2002-05-13 2002-05-13 Susceptor for MOCVD reactor
US11483387 US8372204B2 (en) 2002-05-13 2006-07-06 Susceptor for MOCVD reactor
US20060269390A1 true US20060269390A1 (en) 2006-11-30
US8372204B2 true US8372204B2 (en) 2013-02-12
ID=29400410
US10144943 Active 2022-12-02 US7122844B2 (en) 2002-05-13 2002-05-13 Susceptor for MOCVD reactor
US11483387 Active US8372204B2 (en) 2002-05-13 2006-07-06 Susceptor for MOCVD reactor
US (2) US7122844B2 (en)
EP (1) EP1504463A1 (en)
JP (1) JP5001516B2 (en)
KR (1) KR20040108785A (en)
CN (1) CN1669117A (en)
CA (1) CA2484700A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2003098667A1 (en)
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US20060269390A1 (en) 2006-11-30 application
CA2484700A1 (en) 2003-11-27 application
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US7122844B2 (en) 2006-10-17 grant
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