Patent ID: 6860138

Claim:
A method of self-calibrating and testing the vaporized flow of a liquid precursor in a thin film vaporization system comprising the steps of: providing a thin film vaporization system comprising stored liquid precursors in tanks under pressure connected to a deposition chamber via a manifold which in turn is connected to pipe lines emanating from each tank and coupled to own liquid flow meters (LFMs) and injection valves (IVs); activating a servo mechanism to pump down said deposition chamber to achieve partial vacuum therein; opening a downstream throttle valve (TV) for a carrier gas to flow through said manifold to commence self-calibration wherein said carrier gas is a helium carrier gas; a first timing to monitor a baseline self-calibrated pressure by a pre-determined TV opening which correlates with the specified baseline pressure in said deposition chamber; a second timing to allow for the stabilization of carrier gas after throttling said TV to a predetermined opening; selecting a liquid precursor and its own said respective pipe line with said own LFM and own IV connected to said deposition chamber via said manifold; setting said own IV to a predetermined opening to start said liquid precursor to flow; setting said TV opening to a normal liquid precursor flow rate for film deposition; a third timing to allow for liquid precursor flow to stabilize; a fourth timing to allow vaporization of said liquid precursor in said deposition chamber; measuring final pressure in said deposition chamber; stopping the flow of said precursor fluid; and pumping down said deposition chamber to continue with said film deposition pending the result of said pressure rise.