The invention relates to methods for the chemical application of coatings by the decay of gaseous compounds, in particular to methods for injecting gases into a reaction chamber. The invention also relates to means for feeding gases into a reaction chamber, said means providing for the regulation of streams of reactive gases, and ensures the possibility of obtaining multi-layer epitaxial structures having set parameters and based on nitrides of group III metals while simultaneously increasing the productivity and cost-effectiveness of the process of the epitaxial growth thereof. Before being fed into a reactor, all of the gas streams are sent to a mixing chamber connected to the reactor, and are then fed into the reactor via a flux former under laminar flow conditions. The mixing chamber and the flux former are equipped with means for maintaining a set temperature. As a result of these solutions, a gaseous mixture with set parameters is fed into the reactor, and the formation of vortices is simultaneously prevented. The maximum allowable volume of the mixing chamber is chosen to take into account the process parameters and the required rarity of heterojunctions.

Gas distribution assemblies are described including an annular body, an upper plate, and a lower plate. The upper plate may define a first plurality of apertures, and the lower plate may define a second and third plurality of apertures. The upper and lower plates may be coupled with one another and the annular body such that the first and second apertures produce channels through the gas distribution assemblies, and a volume is defined between the upper and lower plates.

An atomic layer deposition apparatus having a reaction chamber arranged inside a vacuum chamber and a fixed gas manifold assembly fixedly provided to the atomic layer deposition apparatus and arranged to supply gases from outside the vacuum chamber to the reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is a movable reaction chamber which is arranged movable relative to the vacuum chamber and relative to the fixed gas manifold assembly. The atomic layer deposition apparatus further includes a connection arrangement coupling the movable reaction chamber to the fixed gas manifold assembly. The connection arrangement includes a flexible outer flange assembly surrounding the fixed gas manifold assembly, and a first connection surface connecting to a second connection surface of the reaction chamber.

A gas distribution system is disclosed in order to obtain better film uniformity on a wafer. The better film uniformity may be achieved by utilizing an expansion plenum and a plurality of, for example, proportioning valves to ensure an equalized pressure or flow along each gas line disposed above the wafer.

A deposition reactor includes an in-feed part that defines an expansion space which leads reactants as a top to bottom flow from a plasma source towards a reaction chamber, the expansion space widening towards the reaction chamber, and a lifting mechanism for loading at least one substrate to the reaction chamber from the top side of the reaction chamber. The deposition reactor deposits material on the at least one substrate in the reaction chamber by sequential self-saturating surface reactions.

A chamber lid assembly includes: a central channel having an upper portion and a lower portion and extending along a central axis; a housing at least partially defining a first and a second annular channel, each fluidly coupled to the central channel; a first plurality of apertures disposed along a horizontal plane through the housing to provide a multi-aperture inlet between the first annular channel and the central channel; a second plurality of apertures disposed along a horizontal plane through the housing to provide a multi-aperture inlet between the second annular channel and the central channel, wherein the first and the second plurality of apertures are angled differently with respect to the central axis so as to induce opposing rotational flow of gases about the central axis; and a tapered bottom surface extending from the lower portion of the central channel to a peripheral portion of the chamber lid assembly.

A gas injector for processing a substrate includes a body having an inlet connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in a first direction into the inlet when processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, and an a gas injection channel formed in the body. The gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the inlet and configured to deliver the gas flow to an inlet of the processing chamber. The gas injection channel has a first interior surface and a second interior surface that are parallel to a second direction and a third direction. The second and third directions are misaligned with a center of the substrate, and are at an angle to the first direction towards a first edge of the substrate support.

An atomic deposition (ALD) thin film deposition apparatus includes a deposition chamber configured to deposit a thin film on a wafer mounted within a space defined therein. The deposition chamber comprises a gas inlet that is in communication with the space. A gas system is configured to deliver gas to the gas inlet of the deposition chamber. At least a portion of the gas system is positioned above the deposition chamber. The gas system includes a mixer configured to mix a plurality of gas streams. A transfer member is in fluid communication with the mixer and the gas inlet. The transfer member comprising a pair of horizontally divergent walls configured to spread the gas in a horizontal direction before entering the gas inlet.

Embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods for processing a substrate. In one embodiment, a cluster tool apparatus is provided having a transfer chamber and a pre-clean chamber, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) deposition chamber, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber, and a post-processing chamber disposed about the transfer chamber. A substrate may be processed by the cluster tool and transferred between the pre-clean chamber, the SAM deposition chamber, the ALD chamber, and the post-processing chamber. Transfer of the substrate between each of the chambers may be facilitated by the transfer chamber which houses a transfer robot.

Disclosed are methods of depositing films of material on semiconductor substrates employing the use of a secondary purge. The methods may include flowing a film precursor into a processing chamber and adsorbing the film precursor onto a substrate in the processing chamber such that the precursor forms an adsorption-limited layer on the substrate. The methods may further include removing at least some unadsorbed film precursor from the volume surrounding the adsorbed precursor by purging the processing chamber with a primary purge gas, and thereafter reacting adsorbed film precursor while a secondary purge gas is flowed into the processing chamber, resulting in the formation of a film layer on the substrate. The secondary purge gas may include a chemical species having an ionization energy and/or a disassociation energy equal to or greater than that of O.sub.2. Also disclosed are apparatuses which implement the foregoing processes.