Apparatus and method for improved delivery of vaporized reactant gases to a reaction chamber

摘要

Gas delivery apparatuses and methods utilize a housing containing three thermal zones through which a gas travels from a source to a reaction chamber. Reactant gases vaporized within the first thermal zone travel in a line through the succeeding thermal zones. In each successive thermal zone, the gas is heated at a higher temperature to prevent condensation within the line. The gas line is heated in the thermal zones by mounting in-line components to heater plates which are controlled to heat the in-line components at the temperatures associated with the thermal zone. The third thermal zone is heated at a substantially higher temperature than the first and second thermal zones in order to prevent formation of an adduct within the gas line. In one embodiment, the gas line extends into the reaction chamber through a heater block which uniformly heats the gas line at a temperature higher than temperatures of the thermal zones to further prevent condensation and prevent the formation of an adduct. In an alternative embodiment, a gas passage is integrally formed within the sidewall and cover of the reaction chamber.