High throughput multiplexing reactor design for rapid screening of atomic/molecular layer deposition processes

An approach is demonstrated for performing multiple, simultaneous depositions in a high-throughput, multiplexing atomic layer deposition/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD)-style reactor. Such a system allows independent processes to run in parallel by connecting more than one reaction chamber to shared resources, such as a pump and reactant manifold. Appropriate control systems for the shared resources maintain independence in deposition parameters and resulting films while allowing for depositions in a vacuum or with a carrier gas. An example system is built and shown to exhibit process uniformity while avoiding cross-contamination, as verified using ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reactor design can screen new ALD/MLD deposition processes more quickly than a typical one-chamber system without the capital cost of an equivalent number of independent systems, accelerating the pace of innovations in nanotechnology.