Chemical Vapour Deposition

Thin Film Deposition Issues

• Composition
• Contamination Levels
• Defect Density
• Mechanical Properties
• Electrical Properties
Uniform Thickness
 CVD
• CVD involves the reaction or thermal
decomposition of gas phase species at
elevated temperatures (typically 500 –1000°C)
and subsequent deposition onto a substrate.
• Several CVD processes employ catalysts to
enhance the rates of certain chemical
reactions.
 CVD Process flow
1. Transport of reactants by forced convention to the deposition region
2. Transport of reactants by diffusion from main gas stream to through the
boundary layer to the water surface
3. Adsorption of reactants on the wafer surface
4. Surface processes (chemical decomposition and reaction), surface
migration to attachment sites (atomic level edges or kinks), site
incorporation and other surface reactions
5. Desorption of by-products from the surface
6. Transport of by-products from the boundary layer to the gas main stream
7. Transport of by-products by forced convention away from the deposition
region
 Process flow
• Gas enters chamber at room
temperature (cooler than the
reaction temperature).
• Gas is heated as it approaches
the substrate.
• Gases then react with the
substrate or undergo chemical
reaction in the “Reaction Zone”
before reacting with the substrate
forming the deposited material.
• Gaseous products are then
removed from the reaction
chamber
 Example: Si film deposition

1,2

6,7

3 5
4

https://isr.umd.edu/Courses/ENMA659S/doe/rtcvd.htm
 Types of CVD processes
CVD covers processes such as:
• Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition (APCVD)
• Low Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition (LPCVD)
• Metal-Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition (MOCVD)
• Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition (PACVD) or
Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD)
• Laser Chemical Vapour Deposition (LCVD)
• Photochemical Vapour Deposition (PCVD)
• Chemical Vapour Infiltration (CVI)
• Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE)
 CVD apparatus
A CVD apparatus will consist of several basic
components:
• Gas delivery system – For the supply of precursors
to the reactor chamber
• Reactor chamber – Chamber within which
deposition takes place
• Substrate loading mechanism – A system for
introducing and removing substrates, mandrels etc
• Energy source – Provide the energy/heat that is
required to get the precursors to
react/decompose.
• Vacuum system – A system for removal of all other
gaseous species other than those required for the
reaction/deposition.
• Exhaust system – System for removal of volatile
by-products from the reaction chamber.
• Exhaust treatment systems – In some instances,
exhaust gases may not be suitable for release into
the atmosphere and may require treatment or
conversion to safe/harmless compounds.
• Process control equipment – Gauges, controls etc
to monitor process parameters such as pressure,
temperature and time. Alarms and safety devices
would also be included in this category.
 CVD Reactions
• Pyrolysis (Thermal Decomposition): AB(g)  A(s) + B(g)
– Eg: Si deposition from SiH4 at 650°C
• Reduction (Often using H2): AX(g) + H2(g) A(s) + HX(g)
– Eg: W deposition at 300°C:
• Oxidation (Often using O2): AX(g) + O2(g)  AO(s) + [O]X(g)
– SiO2 deposition from silane and oxygen at 450°C:
• Compound Formation (Often using Ammonia or Water Vapour)
– AX(g) + NH3(g)  AN(s) + HX(g)
– AX(g) + H2O(g)  AO(s) + HX(g)
– Eg: Deposition of Boron Nitrate at 1100°C:
 Applications
CVD has applications across a wide range of industries such as:
• Coatings – Coatings for a variety of applications such as wear resistance,
corrosion resistance, high temperature protection, erosion protection and
combinations thereof.
• Semiconductors and related devices – Integrated circuits, sensors and
optoelectronic devices
• Dense structural parts – CVD can be used to produce components that are
difficult or uneconomical to produce using conventional fabrication
techniques.
• Optical Fibers – For telecommunications.
• Composites – Pre-forms can be infiltrated using CVD techniques to
produce ceramic matrix composites such as carbon-carbon, carbon-silicon
carbide and silicon carbide-silicon carbide composites. This process is
sometimes called chemical vapor infiltration or CVI.
• Powder production – Production of novel powders and fibers
Doping and Autodoping in Deposited
Films