AVS 50th International Symposium
    Vacuum Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session VT+MS-ThM

Invited Paper VT+MS-ThM1
Component Requirements for ALD Technology

Thursday, November 6, 2003, 8:20 am, Room 323

Session: Reproducibility, Precision, and Accuracy of Vacuum and Process Measurements
Presenter: T.E. Seidel, Genus, Inc
Authors: T.E. Seidel, Genus, Inc
J. Mason, Genus, Inc.
A. Londergan, Genus, Inc.
S. Ramanathan, Genus, Inc.
Correspondent: Click to Email
In the last several years Atomic Layer deposition (ALD) has emerged as a commercial technology. This technology is a variant of CVD, and therefore requires reactor and reactor related components for operation under well-controlled vacuum conditions. The requirements include fast gas switching, precisely controlled gas delivery systems with high performance Mass Flow Controller and / or Pressure Controllers, precise control of gas delivery line temperatures, heated walls and substrate susceptors, and quality down stream pumps to provide suitable flow and pressure capacity. Precursor usage and costs must be managed as well. Ancillary requirements include sensitive RGA's and fast response baratrons. There are gaps in he performance of components and the users requirements. As and example, today's fast gas switching valves have a lifetimes of the order of one to a few million cycles, but lifetimes of the order of 10 million cycle are needed. Substrate and gas line temperature control is critical. Additionally, because the precursors used in this technology are particularly reactive, the downstream pump components must be robust. This review provides a generic status and progress of the ALD field followed by generic requirements and requirement gaps for components used in ALD.