Patent ID: 7858522

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; forming a process gas containing a metal-carbonyl precursor vapor and a CO delivery gas by heating a metal carbonyl precursor in a vaporization system to vaporize said precursor and mixing said CO delivery gas with said metal carbonyl precursor vapor either in said vaporization system during said heating or downstream of said vaporization system; transporting said process gas having a first CO concentration to said process chamber; adding a CO saturation gas to said process gas in said process chamber to form an altered process gas having an increased CO concentration relative to said first CO concentration, wherein said adding comprises: flowing said process gas through a plurality of first openings in a first vapor distribution plate in a vapor distribution system positioned at an inlet of said process chamber above said substrate from a first vapor distribution plenum to a second vapor distribution plenum within said vapor distribution system; and adding said CO saturation gas to said process gas in said second vapor distribution plenum to form said altered process gas; and exposing said substrate to said altered process gas to deposit a metal layer on said substrate by a vapor deposition process, wherein said exposing comprises: flowing said altered process gas from said second vapor distribution plenum through a plurality of second openings in a second vapor distribution plate of said vapor distribution system to a processing zone between said vapor distribution system and said substrate.