Abstract

Gas-phase chemical reactor optimization and scaleup principles are being used to quantify the factors that most affect film deposition extent and uniformity in an HFCVD configuration. This information is being applied to the design and construction of a low-cost reactor to coat two to three inch planar substrates and, later, 3-D tool inserts with better than 10% uniformity. Finite element modeling is being used to evaluate the flow profiles, reactant distribution, and thermal environment for input to the reactor design process. Novel design factors include the use of a recycle stream to increase reactant utilization and effective flowrate, a wide-area filament array for gas dissociation, a substrate-down configuration to avoid convection cells, and a customized gas flow profile to enhance film uniformity.