Research Equipment
Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition Device (Cat-CVD)
The following is an overview of the Cat-CVD device housed in our Clean Room.
What is the Cat-CVD method?
Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition (Cat-CVD), which is an original technique developed at JAIST, is a method of forming thin films through
catalytic cracking reactions.
The catalyzing wire (usually tungsten) causes a chemical reaction to decompose source gases (usually silane, ammonia, hydrogen, etc.), ultimately
depositing thin films, hence the device name.
This Cat-CVD apparatus, which was developed through a cooperative research between JAIST and Anelva Corporation, is currently housed in
the Clean Room of the Center for Nano Materials and Technology.
What exactly can one do with the Cat-CVD apparatus?
This apparatus makes it possible to prepare high-quality thin films for electronic materials such as thin-film transistors (TFTs) and solar cells, at a temperature 300 to 400 degrees lower than conventional thermal CVD, allowing for cost-effective production.
What are the features of this apparatus?
This apparatus is equipped with turbo-molecular pumps, which provide a high vacuum of 10−8 Torr through an evacuated tube, and which prevent contamination of substrates and deposited films. Three connected deposition chambers are used for consistent vacuum process to prepare multilayer structures without removing substrates from the vacuum chamber.
What has been accomplished in particular with this apparatus?
So far, this device has allowed us to successfully produce polycrystalline silicon thin films for thin film transistors and solar cells,
using silane and hydrogen as source gases. Also, by using silane and ammonia as source gases, we have successfully produced useful silicon nitride
films, which are used as insulating films for electronic devices, protective films, etc.
Silicon nitride films prepared by this method have been acknowledged to be useful as protective films for gallium arsenide semiconductor devices,
which have started to be used in mobile telecommunications and satellite broadcasting. This sort of practical research is therefore now being used
by certain semiconductor manufacturers.
I can see this Cat-CVD device is being used for cutting-edge research.
Tell us about Clean Room specifications at JAIST.
The Clean Room at JAIST is equipped with sensors, an automatic cutoff function, and an emergency alarm system to ensure a safe environment for experiments of this sort. In addition, safety lectures and training sessions are held regularly, while permission for entry into the Clean Room is limited to those who pass an examination after taking a training course, and to guidance faculty. Safety is given a great deal of consideration throughout the Clean Room.
Thank you very much for your explanation.
