Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)is a chemical process used to produce high-purity, high-performance solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. In a typical CVD process, the wafer (substrate) is exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and/or decompose on the substrate surface 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, carbon fiber, carbon nanofibers, filaments, carbon nanotubes, SiO2, silicon-germanium, tungsten, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, titanium nitride, and various high-k dielectrics. The CVD process is also used to produce synthetic diamonds.
Recent US Patents
12/19/2010
7,806,981
Method for the treatment of a web-type material in a plasma-assisted process
Fayet and Jaccoud of Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance of Switizerland treated a web surface in a plasma enhanced process and coated one surface with silicon oxide to improve its barrier properties. (RDC 12/19/2010)