Patent ID: 8685500

Claim:
A method for depositing a thin layer on a surface ( 7 â€²) of a substrate ( 7 ), the substrate ( 7 ) supported on a supporting surface ( 4 â€²) of a susceptor ( 4 ), the substrate further contained within a deposition chamber ( 8 ), the deposition chamber ( 8 ) having a gas inlet element ( 3 ), the method comprising: at a time before process gas enters the deposition chamber ( 8 ), setting the deposition chamber ( 8 ) at a first pressure (P1); while the deposition chamber is set at the first pressure (P1), adjusting a temperature (TD) of the substrate ( 7 ) by flowing heat from the substrate ( 7 ) to the susceptor ( 4 ), the substrate temperature (TD), when stabilized, being only slightly higher than a temperature (TS) of the supporting surface ( 4 â€²), but considerably lower than a temperature (TG) of the gas inlet element ( 3 ); after the substrate temperature (TD) has stabilized, reducing the pressure in the deposition chamber ( 8 ) from the first pressure (P1) to a process pressure (P2); after the pressure in the deposition chamber ( 8 ) has reached the process pressure (P2), flowing the process gas, together with a carrier gas, into the deposition chamber ( 8 ) by means of the gas inlet element ( 3 ), in order to deposit the thin layer on the surface ( 7 â€²) of the substrate ( 7 ); and while the process gas is flowing into the deposition chamber ( 8 ), (i) delivering heat from the gas inlet element ( 3 ) to the substrate ( 7 ) and (ii) removing heat from the substrate ( 7 ) by flowing heat from the substrate ( 7 ) to the susceptor ( 4 ), the heat delivered to the substrate ( 7 ) being greater that the heat removed from the substrate ( 7 ) thereby continuously increasing the substrate temperature (TD).