[labnetwork] MOCVD systems

Thu Sep 12 08:23:37 EDT 2013

Julia:

I am by no means an expert in MOCVD technology, but we have one here at UM
and I can share with you our experiences ... maybe they are relevant maybe
not.

In addition to Craig's comments I would add that there are many safety
implication to installing, maintaining, and operating an MOCVD.  In
particular is the precursors you will be using.  They are pyrophoric
liquids and must be treated with extreme care.  They are extremely water
reactive so you must consider the fire suppression system you will be using
and the local type of fire extinguisher you will need.  Since there is
always a possibility for fire, proper PPE such as Nomex clothing must be
considered.

Chamber maintenance is also something that must be considered since the
chamber will, typically, be reactive upon opening to atmosphere (depends on
what the chamber is being used for but the possibility is there).

Also, when the precursors burn they make, mostly, oxides of metals which
can be very toxic to inhalation so very good exhaust is needed in the
blubber area should there be a release of the precursor into the (I assume)
exhausted enclosure.  Also, since the by products of the burn are particles
(mostly) detection should be in the form of IR sensors rather than, say, a
hydrogen detector.

Lastly, many of the dopants (AH3, PH3, SiH4) are extremely dangerous in and
of themselves and require special precautions in addition to the pyrophoric
liquids.

I suggest you also google MOCVD fires ... to see just how devastating an
MOCVD fire can be.  I can't find it in my records but there was one fire
that destroyed an entire building.

Of course all these precautions depend on what material you are depositing,
but what may happen is that what you start out with is not what the tool
transforms into.  That is, the tools are very versatile and so you may
start out with GaN and end up with other films which have very different
properties and safety needs and dopant requirements.

I hope this helps ... and good luck ...

On Wed, Sep 11, 2013 at 10:47 AM, Craig Cheney <ccheney at infinityhps.com>wrote:

> In a hurry, I just realized I miss spelled the name of the H2 generator,
> it's Hogen and is made by
> http://www.protononsite.com/.
>
> Thanks
>
> Craig
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Sep 11, 2013, at 9:37 AM, Craig Cheney <ccheney at infinityhps.com> wrote:
>
> Julia,
>
> Another option that I neglected to mention for your H2 source is an H2
> generator.  Hogan has different models that would work great for you.  You
> would need a reliable DI water source for this, but there are many
> advantages with a system like this.  Let me know if you have any other
> questions.
>
> Craig
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Sep 11, 2013, at 9:26 AM, "Aebersold,Julia W." <
> julia.aebersold at louisville.edu> wrote:
>
> **var WAX = function () { var _arrInputs;
> window.addEventListener('waxSetArr', function(evt)
> {_arrInputs=evt.detail;}); return { getElement: function (i) { return
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> Mnay thanx Craig for the in depth information and will add this to our
> considerations.  The intent of this tool is for GaN growth.
>
>  Cheers!
>
>  Julia Aebersold, Ph.D.
>
> MNTC Cleanroom Manager
>
> University of Louisville
>
> 2210 South Brook Street
>
> Shumaker Research Building, Room 233
>
> Louisville, KY  40292
>
>
>
> (502) 852-1572
>
> http://louisville.edu/micronano/
>   ------------------------------
> *From:* Craig Cheney [ccheney at infinityhps.com]
> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 10, 2013 5:03 PM
> *To:* Aebersold,Julia W.; labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
> *Cc:* ccheney at infinityhps.com; bfisher at infinityhps.com
> *Subject:* RE: [labnetwork] MOCVD systems
>
>   Julia,
>
>
>
>    We have installed quite a few MOCVD reactors at different Universities
> and production facilities in different settings.  There are many nuances to
> installing and operating a MOCVD reactor.  With so many different details
> to discuss I will list the major ones in order of importance.  Without
> knowing what type of material you will be growing I will list  the options
> that would apply to all and note possible options for you.
>
>
>
> *Facilities:*
>
>
>
> *Location*, we have installed MOCVD reactors in non-clean room areas
> where the reactors had a load lock.  If the system you are looking at has a
> load lock you might want to consider saving your expensive cleanroom square
> footage for a tool that requires it.  One note here, most reactors that
> utilize a load lock (whether in  a clean room or not) require 5% (H2)
> forming gas to condition the load lock.  Another key consideration is
> structure, these units take up a lot of floor space and are heavy, make
> sure your structure is rated to handle the weight, and plan ahead on how
> you are going to get it from your loading dock to its final destination.
>
> *Exhaust*,  the reactor will require some significant exhaust, make sure
> your clean room (or other if not in a cleanroom) make-up air handler is
> ready to make up the air that will be exhausted.  Another major concern for
> exhaust is, the type rating on the exhaust.  Not knowing the requirements
> from your EH&S department, it would be a good idea to review with them the
> gases you will be using on the tool as well as well as the contents of the
> process pump effluent, and whether or not you will be scrubbing your
> process exhaust.
>
> *H2 Supply*, you will need a large source of Hydrogen to operate this
> tool, and the higher the quality the better.  If your campus has house
> Hydrogen or a bulk source for it, your one step in the right direction.  We
> had one customer (University) who tried running their reactor on a switch
> over panel with a four cylinder manifold on each side of the switch over,
> this type of setup caused them more problems and equipment repairs than if
> they had just invested in a bulk source of Hydrogen.
>
> *Power*, most reactors such as this will require quite a bit of power,
> typically 250 to 400 amps of 208V 3 phase power.  One major consideration,
> if your reactor is purifying the Hydrogen with an older style Palladium
> cell, you also might want to consider a UPS system for running the heaters
> for the Palladium cell, on the older style ones, if they cool off too fast
> they can crack the Palladium inside them and render them completely useless
> (and they aren’t cheap to replace ~ 50k).  The newer Palladium cells are a
> little more robust and can withstand more abuse.  One other note, typically
> the process pumps on these type of reactors run 24X7 due to the fact that
> they quickly seize up when shut down and allowed to cool, so be prepared
> for that also (process pumps for reactors are not cheap either).
>
> *Process Cooling water*, MOCVD reactors require quite a bit of process
> cooling water, if your facility has a good house PCW system then you are
> probably ok, typical flow-rates are around 60 to 100 LPM at  17-25 degrees
> C depending on manufacturer and reactor size.
>
> *Process Gas Delivery*, without knowing what type of material you will be
> growing (III-V, II-VI, IV, IV-V-VI, semiconductors) I can’t say what type
> of gas you will be using, but regardless of the type of semiconductor, you
> will be installing some toxic gas systems to support them.  These gases
> will be required to be in gas cabinets with high quality purge panels,  the
> gas cabinets will require building exhaust also, the gas delivery lines
> will have to be high quality electro-polished stainless steel, some gas
> types will also be required to be coaxial style gas lines, the assembly
> method for gas lines are required to be welded throughout.  Again, I would
> review all required gases with your EH&S department to ensure you have the
> proper equipment to support them.
>
> *Life Safety*, you will be required to incorporate life safety systems to
> monitor all spaces (gas cabinets, reactor, and people space) for the
> presence of flammable gas, toxic gas (dependent on material type) and
> Oxygen deficient atm.
>
> *Process Exhaust*, if you are going to be using scrubbers (typically
> activated charcoal bed type), you will need a good maintenance program to
> stay on top of the scrubber maintenance, these units require regeneration
> and periodic charcoal changes.  If you will not be using process exhaust
> scrubbers, then you need to make sure your process exhaust effluent is
> compatible with the building exhaust system you will be connecting it to.
> Also, depending the material type grown your process exhaust lines may be
> required to be heated to prevent buildup of process byproducts.
>
>
>
> *Operation:*
>
>
>
> *Maintenance*, as far as operation goes with these systems they do
> require periodic maintenance which correlates to run time as with most
> semiconductor processing equipment.  Without a good understanding of the
> material type you will be growing it would be futile to mention different
> maintenance routines and what is required.  I will say this much, if the
> required maintenance is not performed when it is supposed to be done, it
> can cause process deviations, equipment failures, and possible life safety
> issues.  Some reactor processes require acid based cleaning of components
> on the reactor chamber, you may need a wet bench to support this or a bench
> available for cleaning.
>
> *Analytical tools*, depending on the film type grown, you will need to
> the proper analytical tools to measure the specific characteristics of the
> film type that you are quantifying.
>
> *Waste Stream*, again, depending on the type of material grown you will
> develop a waste stream that will need to be managed.
>
>
>
> Those are the major thoughts when considering a MOCVD reactor, we have
> helped many different customers achieve a cost effective solution with
> regards to installation and startup of these systems, so don’t let all the
> details scare you.  We would be happy discuss any questions or concerns
> that you might have.  Please feel free to contact us with any other
> questions or concerns.
>
>
>
> Thank you,
>
>
>
> *Craig Cheney*
>
> <image001.jpg>
>
>
>
>
>
> *Desk:  (608)834-4200*
>
> *Fax:     (608)834-4299*
>
> *Cell:    (608)438-8714*
>
> * *
>
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> *From:* labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [
> mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu>] *On
> Behalf Of *Aebersold,Julia W.
> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 10, 2013 9:45 AM
> *To:* <labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu>
> *Subject:* [labnetwork] MOCVD systems
>
>
>
> var WAX = function () { var _arrInputs;
> window.addEventListener('waxSetArr', function(evt)
> {_arrInputs=evt.detail;}); return { getElement: function (i) { return
> _arrInputs[i]; } } }(); function waxGetElement(i) { return
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>
> Hi there!  We are considering the installation of a Veeco E300 MOCVD
> system into our cleanroom.  We have not had experience with this type of
> tool and would like to ask the community if they have a system of this type
> in their cleanroom or in another room due to its size.  Also, if you have
> any other concerns about operations, nuances, difficulty of operation,
> maintenance headaches, etc. I would be greatly appreciative.
>
>
>
> See everyone at UGIM 2014!
>
>
>
> Cheers!
>
>
>
> Julia Aebersold, Ph.D.
>
> MNTC Cleanroom Manager
>
> University of Louisville
>
> 2210 South Brook Street
>
> Shumaker Research Building, Room 233
>
> Louisville, KY  40292
>
>
>
> (502) 852-1572
>
> http://louisville.edu/micronano/
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> labnetwork mailing list
> labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
> https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork
>
>

-- 
Dennis S Grimard, Ph.D
Managing Director, Lurie Nanofabrication Facility

University of Michigan
1246D EECS Building
1301 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122
(734) 368-7172 (Cell)
(734) 647-1781 (Fax)
http://www.lnf.umich.edu
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