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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical vapor deposition | 1/4 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_vapor_deposition | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T10:46:39.791808+00:00 | kb-cron |
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a thin film deposition method used to produce high-quality, and high-performance, solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce electrically conductive layers in the range of a few 100 nm up to a few μm. In typical CVD, the wafer (substrate) is exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and/or decompose on the substrate surface, in order to produce the desired deposit. Frequently, volatile by-products are also produced, which are removed by gas flow through the reaction chamber. Microfabrication processes widely use CVD to deposit materials in various forms, including: monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous, and epitaxial. These materials include: silicon (dioxide, carbide, nitride, oxynitride), carbon (fiber, nanofibers, nanotubes, diamond and graphene), fluorocarbons, filaments, tungsten, titanium nitride and various high-κ dielectrics. The term chemical vapour deposition was coined in 1960 by John M. Blocher, Jr. who intended to differentiate chemical from physical vapour deposition (PVD).
== Types ==
CVD is practiced in a variety of formats. These processes generally differ in the means by which chemical reactions are initiated.
Classified by operating conditions: Atmospheric pressure CVD (APCVD) – CVD at atmospheric pressure. Low-pressure CVD (LPCVD) – CVD at sub-atmospheric pressures. Many journal articles and commercial tools use the term reduced pressure CVD (RPCVD) especially for single wafer tools in place of LPCVD which dominates for multi-wafer furnace tube tools. Reduced pressures tend to reduce unwanted gas-phase reactions and improve film uniformity across the wafer. Ultrahigh vacuum CVD (UHVCVD) – CVD at very low pressure, typically below 10−6 Pa (≈ 10−8 torr). Note that in other fields, a lower division between high and ultra-high vacuum is common, often 10−7 Pa. Sub-atmospheric CVD (SACVD) – CVD at sub-atmospheric pressures. Uses tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and ozone to fill high aspect ratio Si structures with silicon dioxide (SiO2). Most modern CVD is either LPCVD or UHVCVD.
Classified by physical characteristics of vapor: Aerosol assisted CVD (AACVD) – CVD in which the precursors are transported to the substrate by means of a liquid/gas aerosol, which can be generated ultrasonically. This technique is suitable for use with non-volatile precursors. Direct liquid injection CVD (DLICVD) – CVD in which the precursors are in liquid form (liquid or solid dissolved in a convenient solvent). Liquid solutions are injected in a vaporization chamber towards injectors (typically car injectors). The precursor vapors are then transported to the substrate as in classical CVD. This technique is suitable for use on liquid or solid precursors. High growth rates can be reached using this technique. Classified by type of substrate heating: Hot wall CVD – CVD in which the chamber is heated by an external power source and the substrate is heated by radiation from the heated chamber walls. Cold wall CVD – CVD in which only the substrate is directly heated either by induction or by passing current through the substrate itself or a heater in contact with the substrate. The chamber walls are at room temperature. Plasma methods (see also Plasma processing): Microwave plasma-assisted CVD (MPCVD) Plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) – CVD that utilizes plasma to enhance chemical reaction rates of the precursors. PECVD processing allows deposition at lower temperatures, which is often critical in the manufacture of semiconductors. The lower temperatures also allow for the deposition of organic coatings, such as plasma polymers, that have been used for nanoparticle surface functionalization. Remote plasma-enhanced CVD (RPECVD) – Similar to PECVD except that the wafer substrate is not directly in the plasma discharge region. Removing the wafer from the plasma region allows processing temperatures down to room temperature. Low-energy plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (LEPECVD) - CVD employing a high density, low energy plasma to obtain epitaxial deposition of semiconductor materials at high rates and low temperatures. Atomic-layer CVD (ALCVD) – Deposits successive layers of different substances to produce layered, crystalline films. See Atomic layer epitaxy. Combustion chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) – Combustion Chemical Vapor Deposition or flame pyrolysis is an open-atmosphere, flame-based technique for depositing high-quality thin films and nanomaterials. Hot filament CVD (HFCVD) – also known as catalytic CVD (Cat-CVD) or more commonly, initiated CVD, this process uses a hot filament to chemically decompose the source gases. The filament temperature and substrate temperature thus are independently controlled, allowing colder temperatures for better absorption rates at the substrate and higher temperatures necessary for decomposition of precursors to free radicals at the filament. Hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) – This process involves both chemical decomposition of precursor gas and vaporization of a solid source. Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) – This CVD process is based on metalorganic precursors. Rapid thermal CVD (RTCVD) – This CVD process uses heating lamps or other methods to rapidly heat the wafer substrate. Heating only the substrate rather than the gas or chamber walls helps reduce unwanted gas-phase reactions that can lead to particle formation. Vapor-phase epitaxy (VPE) Photo-initiated CVD (PICVD) – This process uses UV light to stimulate chemical reactions. It is similar to plasma processing, given that plasmas are strong emitters of UV radiation. Under certain conditions, PICVD can be operated at or near atmospheric pressure. Laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) - This CVD process uses lasers to heat spots or lines on a substrate in semiconductor applications. In MEMS and in fiber production the lasers are used rapidly to break down the precursor gas—process temperature can exceed 2000 °C—to build up a solid structure in much the same way as laser sintering based 3-D printers build up solids from powders.