Patent ID: 7279421

Claim:
A method of depositing a metal layer on a substrate, the method comprising: providing a substrate in a process chamber of a deposition system, wherein the process chamber comprises a vapor distribution system positioned adjacent an inlet of the process chamber and a processing zone between the vapor distribution system and the substrate, the vapor distribution system comprising a vapor distribution plate adjacent the processing zone and a vapor distribution plenum between the inlet and the vapor distribution plate; forming a process gas containing a metal-carbonyl precursor vapor and a carbon monoxide CO gas by: heating a solid metal-carbonyl precursor in a precursor vaporization system to form the metal-carbonyl precursor vapor, and flowing the CO gas in contact with the solid metal-carbonyl precursor in the precursor vaporization system during the heating to capture the metal-carbonyl precursor vapor in the CO gas as the vapor is being formed; transporting the process gas from the precursor vaporization system to the inlet of the process chamber and introducing the process gas through the vapor distribution system and into the processing zone of the process chamber; adding a dilution gas to the process gas in the process chamber to form a diluted process gas; and exposing the substrate to the diluted process gas to deposit a metal layer on the substrate by a thermal chemical vapor deposition process.