Tutorial on Fundamentals of Chemical Vapor Deposition

This tutorial seeks to provide an introduction to the underlying principles of chemical vapor deposition of films, with examples of films, reactors, and applications. The emphasis is on microelectronic applications of these techniques, but the fundamentals of transport, chemistry, and plasma generation are of course applicable in many circumstances.

The tutorial assumes a general background roughly equivalent to a BS degree in the physical sciences. The aspects of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, chemistry, and electromagnetism needed for understanding CVD processes are reviewed here, but only in sufficient depth to remind the reader of a past acquaintance with the topics, as in e.g. a college-level course. Some knowledge of the basics of semiconductor manufacturing is also helpful in following the discussion of films and applications.