| abstract |
An apparatus and method for forming thin film aerogels on semiconductor substrates is disclosed. It has been found that in order to produce defect DIFFERENCE free nanoporous dielectrics with a controllable high porosity, it is preferable to substantially limit evaporation and condensation of pore fluid in the wet gel thin film, e.g. during gelation, during aging, and at other points prior to obtaining a dried gel. The present invention simplifies the atmospheric control needed to prevent evaporation and condensation by restricting the atmosphere in contact with the wet gel thin film to an extremely small volume. In one embodiment, a substrate 26 is held between a substrate holder 36 and a parallel plate 22, such that a substantially sealed chamber 32 exists between substrate surface 28 and chamber surface 30. Preferably, the average clearance between surfaces 28 and 30 is less than 5 mm, or more preferably, less than 1 mm. Temperature control means 34 may optionally be used to control the temperature in chamber 32. In operation, the atmosphere in chamber 32 becomes saturated by an extremely small amount of pore fluid evaporated from a wet gel thin film on surface 28, thus preventing further evaporation or condensation. This invention is ideally suited for rapid aging of thin film wet gels. |