Centura 300 EPI

An epitaxial deposition system is semiconductor manufacturing equipment used to grow a controlled crystalline layer on a crystalline wafer surface. Epitaxial reactors are part of the deposition family of tools. Epitaxial growth is used when the deposited silicon layer must preserve crystal alignment with the underlying substrate.

Epitaxial deposition systems process wafers in a chamber where silicon-bearing process gases react at the wafer surface and form a single-crystal film. Epitaxial growth differs from non-epitaxial deposition because the deposited layer follows the crystal structure of the substrate. Epitaxial process control commonly focuses on film thickness, dopant incorporation, defectivity, and interface quality.

Epitaxial silicon deposition is used in front-end wafer processing when a device flow requires a grown silicon layer with controlled structure and composition. Epitaxial steps are typically placed after wafer preparation and surface cleaning because surface condition strongly affects crystal growth. Epitaxial growth is typically followed by additional front-end operations such as thermal processing, implantation, lithography, etch, and dielectric formation.

Epitaxial silicon deposition is used to form engineered silicon layers for device structures that need controlled electrical properties and a defined crystalline relationship to the substrate. Epitaxial layers can serve as device layers, collector or drift regions, buried-layer overgrowth structures, or starting surfaces for later front-end patterning. Epitaxial silicon processes are used in logic, memory, analog, and power related fabrication flows when the device design calls for a grown crystalline silicon film.