Massachusetts Patent of the Month – December 2021
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a vacuum deposition method used to produce high quality, and high-performance, solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. CVD processes are dependent on the controlled evaporation of a liquid or a solid precursor. Suitable precursors have high vapor pressures, allowing the vapor to be transported in a carrier gas to the process chamber for reaction. This reaction forms a material film – which is why it’s so good for use in the semiconductor industry. The key to these processes is the control of evaporation since evaporation determines delivery rate.
CeeVeeTech, LLC has developed a method to control this precursor vapor and evaporation. Their method provides precise concentrations through the use of sublimation. Sublimation is the transfer of a solid material directly into gas, skipping over the liquid phase.
Their method uses a bed of precursor material (whichever is suitable for the application at hand) and a sublimation vessel. The vessel is thermally insulated and allows a flow of carrier gas. The internal temperature is precisely controlled to encourage sublimation of the precursor material, with a temperature differential created between two sides of the material. The specific temperatures used depend on the precursor material of interest. As the process works and the material moves into a gas phase, the vapor is moved out into the process chamber for use in CVD.
CeeVeeTech are experts in CVD and Atomic Layer Deposition and have developed a variety of technologies to improve the process. Their work contributes to higher yield and higher quality deposited product, through more precise precursor temperature measurements.
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