Patents Assigned to AIXTRON
  • Publication number: 20140030434
    Abstract: A device for depositing at least one especially thin layer onto at least one substrate includes a process chamber housed in a reactor housing and includes a movable susceptor which carries the at least one substrate. A plurality of gas feed lines run into said process chamber and feed different process gases which comprise layer-forming components. Said process gases can be fed to the process chamber in subsequent process steps, thereby depositing the layer-forming components onto the substrate. In order to increase throughput, the process chamber is provided with a plurality of separate deposition chambers into which different gas feed lines run, thereby feeding individual gas compositions. The substrate can be fed to said chambers one after the other by moving the susceptor and depositing different layers or layer components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: AIXTRON INC.
    Inventors: Piotr Strzyzewski, Peter Baumann, Marcus Schumacher, Johannes Lindner, Antonio Mesquida Küsters
  • Publication number: 20130040054
    Abstract: A device for treating a substrate (12) includes a conveying device (13) for loading and unloading substrates or masks (10, 10?, 10?, 10??) into and from a process chamber (1) through loading openings (6, 7). A shielding plate (11), used to shield the substrate (12) or the mask (10) from the influence of heat is moved between a shielding position and a storage position during the substrate treatment and, after the substrate (12) is treated, from the storage position back into the shielding position. In the storage position, the shielding plate (11) is situated inside a storage chamber (2, 3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: AIXTRON SE
    Inventors: Gerhard Karl Strauch, Walter Franken, Marcel Kollberg, Florenz Kittel, Markus Gersdorff, Johannes Käppeler
  • Patent number: 8349081
    Abstract: A gas distributor for a CVD or OVPD reactor comprises two or more gas volumes (1, 2) into each of which opens a feed pipe (3, 4) for a process gas, each gas volume (1, 2) being connected to a plurality of corresponding process gas outlets (6, 7) which open into the bottom (5) of the gas distributor. In order to increase the homogeneity of the gas composition, the two gas volumes (1, 2) comprise pre-chambers (10, 10?, 11) located in a first common plane (8) and a plurality of gas distribution chambers (12, 13) each associated with a gas volume are provided in a second plane (9?) adjacent to the bottom of the gas distributor. The pre-chambers (10, 10?, 11) and gas distribution chambers (12, 13) associated with each gas volume (1, 2) are connected with connection channels (14, 15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Aixtron SE
    Inventors: Markus Reinhold, Peter Baumann, Gerhard Karl Strauch
  • Patent number: 8308867
    Abstract: The invention relates to a CVD reactor having a plurality of rotary tables (2) supported on a rotationally driven susceptor (1) on dynamic gas cushions (3), wherein each gas cushion (3) is formed by an individually controlled gas flow and each gas flow, dependant on a surface temperature measured by a temperature measuring device (4), can be varied by an individual actuator (5). The invention further comprises a carrier (6), carrying the susceptor (1) and rotating with the susceptor (1). A common gas supply line (7) ending in the carrier (6) is key to the invention and provides the actuators (5) arranged on the carrier (6) with the gas that forms the gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron Inc.
    Inventors: Walter Franken, Johannes Käppeler
  • Patent number: 8308969
    Abstract: A plasma system for substrate processing comprising, a conducting electrode (b, bb) on which one or more substrates (d) can be held; a second conducting electrode (a) placed adjacent but separated from the substrate holding electrode on the side away from the side where the substrates are held; and a gas mixture distribution shower head (e) placed away from the conducting electrode on the side where the substrates are held for supplying the gas mixture (f) needed for processing the substrates in a uniform manner; such that a plasma configuration initiated and established, between the conducting electrode holding the substrates and the second conducting electrode envelops the electrode holding the substrate, is kept away from the shower head activating and distributing the gas mixture through orifices (ee) in the shower head, thereby providing the advantages of improved uniformity, yield and reliability of the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron, SE
    Inventors: Kenneth B. K. Teo, Nalin L. Rupesinghe
  • Patent number: 8304013
    Abstract: In a method for producing especially doped layers for electronic, luminescent or photovoltaic components, especially OLEDs, one or more liquid or solid starting materials are evaporated in a source (11, 12, 13, 14) or are admixed as aerosol to a carrier gas and transported in this form to a deposition chamber (1) where they condense on a substrate (5), especially as a result of a temperature gradient, forming a doped matrix. In order to improve the doping of electronic, luminescent or photovoltaic layers, it is proposed that the doping occurs by modification of a starting material during its transport.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron Inc.
    Inventor: Holger Kalisch
  • Patent number: 8298337
    Abstract: The invention relates to a gas inlet element (2) for a CVD reactor with a chamber (4), which has a multitude of bottom-side outlet openings (23), via which a process gas introduced into the chamber (4) via edge-side access openings (10) exits into a process chamber (21) of the CVD reactor (1). In order to homogenize the gas composition, the invention provides that at least one mixing chamber arrangement (11, 12, 13) is situated upstream from the access openings (10), and at least two process gases are mixed with one another inside this mixing chamber arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron, Inc.
    Inventors: Markus Reinhold, Peter Baumann, Gerhard Karl Strauch
  • Publication number: 20120094474
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for equipping a process chamber in an apparatus for depositing at least one layer on a substrate held by a susceptor in the process chamber, process gases being introduced into the process chamber through a gas inlet element, in particular by means of a carrier gas, the process gases decomposing into decomposition products in the chamber, in particular on hot surfaces, the decomposition products comprising the components that form the layer. In order to improve the apparatus so that thick multi-layer structures can be deposited reproducibly in process steps that follow one another directly, it is proposed that a material is selected for the surface facing the process chamber at least of the wall of the process chamber that is opposite the susceptor, the optical reflectivity, optical absorptivity and optical transmissivity of which respectively correspond to those of the layer to be deposited during the layer growth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: AIXTRON SE
    Inventor: Gerhard Karl Strauch
  • Patent number: 8157915
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for the deposition of one or more layers on a substrate (4), which comprises a process chamber (2) which is arranged in a reactor housing (1) and has a heatable bottom (3) on which the substrate rests and a lid (5) extending parallel to the bottom (3) and also a gas inlet facility (6) for introduction of process gases. The distance (H) between the process chamber lid (5) and the process chamber bottom (3) can be reduced to virtually zero. A cooling apparatus (7) by means of which the process chamber lid (5) is cooled in the process position during deposition of the layers is provided above the process chamber lid (5), with the distance between the cooling apparatus (7) and the process chamber lid (5) increasing as the distance (H) between the process chamber lid (5) and the process chamber bottom (3) is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Dauelsberg, Johannes Käppeler, Bernd Schulte
  • Patent number: 8152927
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for depositing especially crystalline layers on one or more, especially crystalline substrates in a process chamber by means of reaction gases that are introduced into the process chamber and that undergo especially pyrolitic reactions. The device comprises a support plate, heated from one side, on which at least one compensation plate rests while forming a horizontal gap. In order to be better able to influence the surface temperature, the gap height of the horizontal gap can be varied or is locally variable in order to influence the local surface temperature of the compensation plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron AG
    Inventor: Johannes Kaeppeler
  • Patent number: 8152924
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for depositing at least one layer on a substrate by means of a process gas which is introduced through a flow channel (4), extending in a vertical direction, of a gas inlet member (3), fixed in place with respect to a reactor housing, into a process chamber (1), extending in a horizontal direction, wherein the process gas leaves a gas outlet opening of a portion of the gas inlet member (3), protruding into the center of the rotationally symmetrical process chamber (1), and flows in a radially outward direction via a base (8?) of the process chamber (1), extending in a horizontal direction and rotating about the center, on which base the substrate lies. In order to improve the gas flow directly above the base of the process chamber, it is proposed that the front (3?) of the gas inlet member (3) protrudes into a pot-like recess (23) and an end portion (6?) of a gas deflecting face (6) is flush with the base (8?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Dauelsberg, Johannes Käppeler, Conor Martin
  • Patent number: 8114480
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for deposition of at least one layer containing at least one first component on at least one substrate in a process chamber, wherein first and second starting materials are introduced in gaseous form into the process chamber in alternation cyclically, at least the first starting material of which contains the first component, to deposit essentially only one layer of the first component in each cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Aixtron Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Baumann, Johannes Lindner
  • Publication number: 20110293832
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for depositing one or more thin layers of polymeric para-xylylene. Said apparatus comprises a heated evaporator (1) used for evaporating a solid or liquid starting material. A supply pipe (11) for a carrier gas extends into said evaporator (1). The carrier gas conducts the evaporated starting material, in particular the evaporated polymer, into a pyrolysis chamber (2) which is located downstream of the evaporator (1) and in which the starting material is decomposed. The apparatus further comprises a deposition chamber (8) which is located downstream of the decomposition chamber (2) and encompasses a gas inlet (3) through which the decomposed product conducted by the carrier gas is admitted, a susceptor (4) which has a supporting surface (4?) opposite the gas inlet (3) in order to support a substrate (7) that is to be coated with the polymerized decomposed product, and a gas outlet (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: AIXTRON AG
    Inventors: Markus Gersdorff, Pagadala Gopi Baskar, Nico Meyer
  • Patent number: 8062426
    Abstract: The invention concerns a deposition device in particular of crystalline coatings on at least one substrate in particular crystalline. Said device comprises a treatment chamber (5) consisting of a number of wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4), said wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4) being electroconductive and placed end-to-end, thus forming contacts (2?, 2?, 3?, 3?); a reactor housing (6) enclosing the wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber and made of a non-electroconductive material and a RF-heated coil surrounding the wall elements (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber. The invention is characterized in that a massive single-piece shield heating pipe (8) is implanted between the reactor housing (6) and the walls (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber. The material of said pipe is electroconductive so that it is heated by the eddy currents induced therein by the RF field generated by the RF coil and so that it absorbs considerably the RF field and heats the walls (1, 2, 3, 4) of the treatment chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Aixtron Inc.
    Inventors: Johannes Käppeler, Frank Wischmeyer
  • Patent number: 8052796
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for depositing especially crystalline layers on especially crystalline substrates, said device comprising a process chamber which is arranged in a reactor housing and comprises a substrate holder for receiving at least one substrate. A gas-admittance body is arranged opposite the substrate holder, said body comprising a gas-leak surface facing the substrate holder and provided with a plurality of essentially evenly distributed outlets for process gases to be introduced into the process chamber. In order to improve the observation of the surface temperature, the inventive device is provided with a plurality of sensors arranged to the rear of the outlets and respectively aligned with an associated outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Aixtron AG
    Inventors: John Tomlinson Mullins, Johannes Kaeppeler, Victor Saywell
  • Patent number: 7981473
    Abstract: A process in which a wafer is exposed to a first chemically reactive precursor dose insufficient to result in a maximum saturated ALD deposition rate on the wafer, and then to a second chemically reactive precursor dose, the precursors being distributed in a manner so as to provide substantially uniform film deposition. The second chemically reactive precursor dose may likewise be insufficient to result in a maximum saturated ALD deposition rate on the wafer or, alternatively, sufficient to result in a starved saturating deposition on the wafer. The process may or may not include purges between the precursor exposures, or between one set of exposures and not another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Aixtron, Inc.
    Inventors: Gi Youl Kim, Anuranjan Srivastava, Thomas E. Seidel, Ana R. Londergan, Sasangan Ramanathan
  • Patent number: 7981472
    Abstract: A method of introducing gasses through a gas distribution system into a reactor involves flowing the gasses through at least two distinct gas source orifice arrays displaced from one another along an axis defined by a gas flow direction from the gas source orifice arrays towards a work-piece. During different time intervals, a purge gas and different reactive precursors are flowed into the reactor from different ones of the gas source orifice arrays. One of the precursors may be associated with a soft saturating atomic layer deposition half reaction and another of the precursors associated with a strongly saturating atomic layer deposition half reaction. An upper one of the gas source orifice arrays may be a relatively planar gas orifice array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Aixtron, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremie J. Dalton, M. Ziaul Karim, Ana R. Londergan
  • Publication number: 20110081504
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for depositing one or more thin layers. In said method, a process gas forming a polymer streams into a deposition chamber (8) along with a carrier gas by means of a gas inlet element (3) in order to deposit a thin layer, in particular in the form of a polymer, on the surface (7?) of a substrate (7) which lies on a supporting surface (4?) of a susceptor, said supporting surface (4?) lying opposite the gas inlet element (3), at a distance therefrom. In order to allow the coating process to be carried out at substrate temperatures that only slightly exceed the temperature of the supporting surface of the susceptor, the gas inlet element (3) and/or the supporting surface (4?) are/is temperature-controlled in such a way that the temperature (TS) of the supporting surface (4?) is lower than the temperature (TG) of the gas inlet element (3).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2009
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: AIXTRON AG
    Inventor: Markus Gersdorff
  • Publication number: 20110070370
    Abstract: A chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus is configured for thermal gradient enhanced CVD operation by the inclusion of multiple heaters, positioned so as to provide a desired thermal gradient profile across a vertical dimension of a substrate or other work piece within the chamber. So configured, the chamber may also be used for controlled growth of thin films via diffusion through intermediate films, either top down or bottom parallel to the direction of the thermal gradient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Applicant: AIXTRON AG
    Inventors: Kenneth B. K. Teo, Nalin L. Rupesinghe
  • Patent number: 7842135
    Abstract: Nano-technology is an emerging and intensely competitive field. There are a number of companies that work mainly in the development of various Nano-technology areas. One area that has not received too much emphasis is that of specialized equipment for Nano-technology. Nanoinstruments is a company working to rectify this deficiency in the field of nano-material deposition, especially in Carbon Nanotube and Nanowire growth. A number of innovations disclosed include the use of a low thermal mass heating unit that allows fast changes in temperature of the growth sample while providing sufficient thermal stability, uniformity and electrical isolation, a novel shower head design for providing uniform gas flow while eliminating thermal and plasma decomposition of feed stock at the nozzle, a pulsed voltage waveform that eliminates charging of substrate on which the growth has to take place, and the use of a conductive grid over insulating substrates to achieve uniform plasma over the growth surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Aixtron AG
    Inventors: Kenneth Boh Khin Teo, Nalin Lalith Rupesinghe