VERTICALLY-STACKED PROCESS REACTOR AND CLUSTER TOOL SYSTEM FOR ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION

摘要

A low profile, compact atomic layer deposition reactor (LP-CAR) (33) has a low-profile body with a substrate processing region adapted to serve a single substrate (45) or a planar array of substrates (72), and a valved load and unload port (53) for substrate loading and unloading to and from the LP-CAR. The body has an inlet (55) adapted for injecting a gas or vapor at the first end, and an exhaust exit adapted for evacuating gas and vapor at the second end. The LP-CAR has an external height (h) no greater than any horizontal dimension (L, W), and more preferably no more than two-thirds any horizontal dimension, facilitating a unique system architecture. An internal processing region is distinguished by having a vertical extent no greater than one fourth the horizontal extent, facilitating fast gas switching. Multiple such compact reactors can be stacked vertically.