Patent ID: 7566477

Claim:
A method of depositing a thin film on a substrate comprising: disposing said substrate on a substrate holder in a process chamber of a deposition system; introducing a film precursor to a precursor tray positioned in a film precursor vaporization system, wherein said film precursor vaporization system is positioned above and coupled to said process chamber with an opening in a bottom of said film precursor vaporization system being in general alignment with an opening in a top of said process chamber, and wherein said film precursor vaporization system includes an annular space between said precursor tray and a sidewall of said film precursor vaporization system and a flow channel for a film precursor vapor from said precursor tray through said annular space to said opening in said bottom; closing a precursor valve system coupled to said film precursor vaporization system and positioned in said flow channel to prevent the flow of said film precursor vapor to said process chamber from said film precursor vaporization system; while said precursor valve system is closed, flowing a carrier gas through or over said film precursor in said film precursor vaporization system; heating said film precursor to form said film precursor vapor in said carrier gas; terminating said flow of said carrier gas; and opening said precursor valve system to permit the flow of said film precursor vapor to said process chamber from said film precursor vaporization system in order to expose said substrate to said film precursor vapor.