Abstract: Plastic cassettes carrying semiconductor wafers are loaded into and/or unloaded from an extended open drawer. The drawer is retractable to a closed position in a frame where the cassettes may be removed from or returned to the drawer by a programmable elevator. The frame may have several drawers and cassettes may be safely loaded into or unloaded from the open drawer while cassettes are being removed from or returned to a closed drawer.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for the low pressure, cold wall, chemical vapor deposition of refractory metals, such as tungsten on a silicon wafer. The silicon wafer is introduced into a loading lock wherein the pressure is reduced to subatmospheric pressure. The silicon wafer is transferred to a deposition chamber where it is heated to an elevated temperature. A refractory metal carbonyl vapor is introduced into the deposition chamber and dissociates to deposit a refractory metal on the silicon wafer. The wafer is transferred to an unloading lock where it is allowed to cool and is then removed.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for the low pressure, cold wall, chemical vapor deposition of refractory metals, such as tungsten on a silicon wafer. The silicon wafer is introduced into a loading lock wherein the pressure is reduced to subatmospheric pressure. The silicon wafer is transferred to a deposition chamber where it is heated to an elevated temperature. A refractory metal carbonyl vapor is introduced into the deposition chamber and dissociates to deposit a refractory metal on the silicon wafer. The wafer is transferred to an unloading lock where it is allowed to cool and is then removed.

Abstract: Semiconductor wafers in plastic cassettes are loaded into (and later unloaded from) an input/output station serving a CVD furnace and thereafter the cassettes are non-manually transported by a programmable elevator to and from a flat-finder, a wafer transfer machine (where the wafers are transferred to a boat) and in-process storage. The boats are non-manually transported by a second programmable elevator to and from the wafer transfer machine, in-process boat storage and a boat loader (or process chamber directly). The cassettes can be loaded or unloaded while one or both of the elevators are operating. Up to eight human assisted steps are reduced to only two such steps.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for the low pressure, cold wall, chemical vapor deposition of refractory metals, such as tungsten on a silicon wafer. The silicon wafer is introduced into a loading lock wherein the pressure is reduced to subatmospheric pressure. The silicon wafer is transferred to a deposition chamber where it is heated to an elevated temperature. A refractory metal carbonyl vapor is introduced into the deposition chamber and dissociates to deposit a refractory metal on the silicon wafer. The wafer is transferred to an unloading lock where it is allowed to cool and is then removed.

Abstract: A process for chemical vapor deposition of borophosphosilicate glass on a silicon wafer at reduced pressure is disclosed herein. The process includes a step of placing a silicon wafer within a reactor tube. The reactor tube is evacuated to a pressure of less than 500 millitorr and is heated to a temperature of not less than 350.degree. C. and not greater than 500.degree. C. A mixture of silane, phosphine and boron trichloride gases is flowed into the reactor tube so that the mixture contacts the silicon wafer. At the same time, a quantity of oxygen is flowed into the reactor tube so that the oxygen also contacts the silicon wafer and intermixes and reacts with the silane, phosphine and boron trichloride gases to form layers of borophosphosilicate glass on the silicon wafer.

Abstract: At atmosphere X and an atmosphere Y, which may be an oxidizing atmosphere, are used in a process wherein silicon wafers are processed in a processing chamber, which is pressurized sequentially with a purging atmosphere, with the atmosphere X, and with the atmosphere Y displacing the atmosphere X excpet for a residual portion remaining with the atmosphere X and diminishing in concentration with time. As the atmosphere X has a molecular weight approximating the molecular weight of the atmosphere Y, stratification is minimized. If the atmosphere Y is steam, the atmosphere X may be a premixture of helium and oxyen.

Abstract: A gas flow control system in which several constituent gases are mixed and the mixture delivered through controlled injectors to a processing zone. Mass flow controllers control the injector flows with one of the controllers being a master and the other being slaved to provide a selected percentage of the flow through the master controller. The gas mix is regulated by a mass flow controller on one of the constituents and a flow meter on the other, the flow meter producing an error signal which is used to readjust the total flow through the injectors by control of the master injector flow controller.

Abstract: Silicon nitride is pyrolytically deposited by the reaction of a halosilane with ammonia in an evacuated system. The process is particularly useful in providing uniform layers of silicon nitride on silicon wafers to be used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices.