CVD Source Materials

Reaction materials for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) are typically delivered into the chamber in a gaseous form. CVD polycrystalline silicon, for example, is deposited from trichlorosilane (SiHCl3) or silane (SiH4), using the following reactions:

SiH3Cl → Si + H2 + HCl
SiH4 → Si + 2 H2

This reaction is usually performed in LPCVD systems, with either pure silane feedstock, or a solution of silane with 70–80% nitrogen. Polysilicon may be grown directly with doping, if gases such as phosphine, arsine or diborane are added to the CVD chamber.

Silicon dioxide (usually called simply “oxide” in the semiconductor industry) may be deposited by several different processes. Common source gases include silane and oxygen, dichlorosilane (SiCl2H2) and nitrous oxide (N2O), or tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS; Si(OC2H5)4). The reactions are as follows:

SiH4 + O2 → SiO2 + 2 H2
SiCl2H2 + 2 N2O → SiO2 + 2 N2 + 2 HCl
Si(OC2H5)4 → SiO2 + byproducts

CVD source materials are typically gases, such as silane and nitrogen, but can also be liquids: There are now a larger variety of liquid sources used in the semiconductor, FPD and PV manufacturing processes.

CVD Sources

The graph above shows the different possible states of matter. There are two ways to get from a liquid to a gaseous state. The first method involves increasing the temperature while holding the pressure steady, as indicated by the arrow with the broken line. This method is commonly used in everyday settings—to boil water and convert it to steam, for example. Heating a liquid takes time, however, which makes rapid vaporization difficult. On the other hand, one can also heat the liquid in advance and then abruptly reduce the pressure, as illustrated by the arrow with the solid line. The pressure in the vaporization section of the injector can be reduced instantaneously, and this makes it possible to vaporize a liquid source instantaneously.

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