SiGe epitaxy on a 300 mm batch furnace

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Semiconductor Manufacturing

Background:

• High-volume manufacturing (HVM) of silicon and silicon germanium (SiGe) requires cost-effective epitaxy processes.
• Existing methods may face limitations in scalability and cost-efficiency for 300 mm wafer production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the feasibility of Si and SiGe epitaxy using a specific batch furnace reactor.
• To demonstrate a scalable and cost-effective approach for 300 mm HVM.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an ASM A412(TMa) LPCVD hot wall vertical batch furnace reactor.
• Employed wet chemical cleaning and in-situ hydrogen anneal for substrate preparation.
• Grew epitaxial layers using silane and germane.

Main Results:

• Achieved feasibility for Si and SiGe epitaxy with 100 wafer loads, adaptable for 25 and 200 wafer loads.
• Confirmed excellent crystalline quality, layer thickness, and SiGe stoichiometry uniformity via ToFSIMS, XRD, Raman, AFM, and TEM.
• Significant cost reduction potential for 300 mm HVM.

Conclusions:

• The demonstrated epitaxy process is feasible and adaptable for various wafer load sizes.
• This approach offers a significant cost reduction for 300 mm epitaxy in HVM.
• Enables new applications through cost-effective, high-quality Si and SiGe layer deposition.