Patent ID: 7638002

Claim:
A film precursor evaporation system configured to be coupled to a thin film deposition system comprising: a container comprising an outer wall and a bottom, said container configured to be coupled to a heater and heated to an elevated temperature; a lid configured to be sealably coupled to said container, said lid comprising an outlet configured to be sealably coupled to said thin film deposition system; a tray stack comprising: a base tray configured to rest on said bottom of said container, said base tray having a base outer wall configured to retain said film precursor on said base tray and a base support edge, and one or more upper trays including a first upper tray supported on said base support edge, each of said one or more upper trays having an upper outer wall with an upper support edge for supporting one or more optional additional upper trays configured to be positioned on one of said first upper tray or a preceding additional upper tray and an inner wall shorter than said upper outer wall, wherein said upper outer wall and said inner wall of each of said one or more upper trays are configured to retain said film precursor therebetween, and said inner wall defines a central flow channel in said container; an annular space between said base and upper outer walls of said tray stack and said outer wall of said container, said annular space configured to be coupled to a carrier gas supply system to supply a carrier gas to said annular space; one or more openings positioned in said base outer wall of said tray stack and coupled to said annular space, and configured to flow a first portion of carrier gas through said base tray from said annular space, over said film precursor in said base tray towards said central flow channel, and to exhaust said carrier gas through said outlet in said lid with film precursor vapor; and one or more openings positioned in said upper outer wall of each of said one or more upper trays and coupled to said annular space, wherein said one or more openings in said first upper tray is configured to flow a second portion of carrier gas through said first upper tray from said annular space, over said film precursor in said first upper tray, over said inner wall of said first upper tray towards said central flow channel, and to exhaust said carrier gas through said outlet in said lid with film precursor vapor, and wherein said base tray and said first upper tray are configured such that said first portion of carrier gas does not flow through any of said one or more upper trays and said second portion of carrier gas does not flow through said base tray or another of said one or more upper trays.