Process chambers and air inlet liner for vapor deposition process chambers

Abstract

An air inlet liner for a vapor deposition process chamber, for docking with an air inlet of an inner liner, the air inlet liner having a plurality of air inlets arranged in a first direction and isolated from each other, the plurality of air inlets having the same through direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the through direction of the air inlets.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of semiconductor process equipment technology, specifically relating to an upper liner ring, a lower liner ring, an inlet liner and an inner liner for a vapor deposition process chamber, and further relating to a vapor deposition process chamber and semiconductor process equipment. Prior Technology

[0002] Vapor deposition (VCD) processes typically occur within the vapor deposition chamber of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. VCD is a process for growing thin films (such as silicon-based films) on wafers. To ensure optimal process performance, it is crucial to maintain a consistent process environment around the wafer or minimize the adverse effects of process gases on components within the vapor deposition chamber.

[0003] However, the vapor deposition process chambers involved in these technologies are difficult to implement. Specifically, the vapor deposition process chambers involved in these technologies suffer from poor process quality, high maintenance costs, and low throughput. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application discloses an upper liner ring, a lower liner ring, an air inlet liner, and an inner liner for a vapor deposition process chamber. It also discloses a vapor deposition process chamber and a semiconductor process equipment to solve at least one of the problems mentioned in the background art, such as poor process quality, high maintenance cost, and low production capacity of vapor deposition process chambers.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application disclose an upper liner ring for a vapor deposition process chamber. The disclosed upper liner ring includes a first ring body, a first flow guide, and a second flow guide, wherein:

[0007] The first guide and the second guide are disposed opposite to each other and protrude from the lower end face of the first ring body. The first end of the first guide and the first end of the second guide are both located on the air intake side of the upper liner ring, and the second end of the first guide and the second end of the second guide are both located on the exhaust side of the upper liner ring. The air intake side and the exhaust side of the upper liner ring are opposite sides of the upper liner ring. In the direction from the air intake side to the exhaust side, the distance between the first guide and the second guide gradually decreases.

[0008] Secondly, embodiments of this application disclose a lower liner ring for a vapor deposition process chamber. The lower liner ring includes a second ring body with a transfer port. The outer peripheral wall of the second ring body has an annular groove located below the transfer port. The area of ​​the circular region enclosed by the circular inner wall of the lower liner ring is a first area, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the annular groove is a second area. The ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600.

[0009] Thirdly, embodiments of this application disclose a liner for a vapor deposition process chamber, the disclosed liner including the upper liner ring and / or the lower liner ring described above.

[0010] Fourthly, embodiments of this application disclose a liner for a vapor deposition process chamber. The liner includes a first guide member and a second guide member disposed opposite to each other between the inlet side and the outlet side of the liner. The first end of both the first and second guide members is located on the inlet side of the liner, and the second end of both the first and second guide members is located on the outlet side of the liner. The inlet side and the outlet side of the liner are opposite sides of the liner. The distance between the first and second guide members gradually decreases from the inlet side to the outlet side, and / or...

[0011] The outer peripheral wall of the liner has an annular groove located below the transfer port of the liner. The area of ​​the circular region enclosed by the circular inner wall of the liner is the first area, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the annular groove is the second area. The ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600.

[0012] Fifthly, embodiments of this application disclose an air inlet liner for a vapor deposition process chamber, which is used to connect with the air inlet of the liner described above. The air inlet liner has multiple air inlets, which are arranged in a first direction and isolated from each other. The multiple air inlets have the same through direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the through direction of the air inlets.

[0013] Sixthly, embodiments of this application disclose a vapor deposition process chamber, the disclosed vapor deposition process chamber including a cavity and an inner liner disposed within the cavity, the inner liner being the inner liner described above.

[0014] Seventhly, embodiments of this application disclose a vapor deposition process chamber. The disclosed vapor deposition process chamber includes a chamber and an inner liner disposed within the chamber. The inner liner has a split structure and includes the upper liner ring and the lower liner ring described above.

[0015] Eighthly, embodiments of this application disclose a semiconductor process apparatus, the disclosed semiconductor process apparatus including a transfer chamber and the vapor deposition process chamber described above, the transfer chamber cooperating with the vapor deposition process chamber.

[0016] The technical solution adopted in this application can achieve the following technical effects:

[0017] The technical solution disclosed in this application discloses a structural design for the liner, comprising a first and a second flow guide, wherein the distance between the first end of the first flow guide and the first end of the second flow guide is greater than the distance between the second ends of the first and second flow guides. This structure allows the first and second flow guides to confine the process gas within a narrower area on the exhaust side of the liner. During this process, as the process gas is consumed and its concentration decreases, the first and second flow guides further confine the lower-concentration process gas within the narrower area, thereby increasing the concentration of the process gas within that narrower area. This approach facilitates an increase in the concentration of process gas in the region adjacent to the exhaust channel within the process space, ensuring the film thickness on the wafer in this region, and ultimately contributing to a more uniform film thickness across all regions of the wafer. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0018] When read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the following detailed description is the best way to understand the nature of this disclosure. It should be noted that, according to standard industry practice, the various components are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various components may be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of explanation. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 is an enlarged schematic diagram of a portion of the structure in Figure 1; Figure 4 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part of the structure in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the upper bushing structure disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along line AA of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the upper liner ring disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first and second guide members disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the lower bushing disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 is a sectional view along line BB of Figure 9; Figure 11 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the lower bushing ring disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the liner disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the inner liner and the air intake liner after assembly according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view from another perspective of the lining and intake liner disclosed in the embodiment of this application after assembly; Figure 15 is an exploded view of the liner disclosed in the embodiment of this application; Figure 16 is an exploded view of the liner and air intake liner disclosed in the embodiments of this application; Figures 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams of the air intake liner with a split structure and an integral structure, respectively; Figure 19A is a schematic diagram of the flow field of the process gas when the distance between the first and second guide elements is equal everywhere; Figure 19B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of Figure 19A; Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the flow field of the process gas as the distance between the first and second guide elements gradually decreases; Figure 21 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of Figure 20; Figures 22 and 23 are schematic diagrams of the flow field of the process gas when the ratio of the first distance to the second distance is 1.2 and 1.4, respectively; Figures 24 and 25 are schematic diagrams of the process gas flow field when the ratio of the inner diameter of the liner to the diameter of the circle containing the arc-shaped guide section is 0.6 and 0.8, respectively. Figure 26 is a schematic diagram of the flow field of the protective gas when the ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600; Figure 27 is a schematic diagram of the flow field of the protective gas when the ratio of the first area to the second area is less than 600; Figure 28 is a schematic diagram of the air intake seat disclosed in an embodiment of this application; Figure 29 is a cross-sectional view along the CC direction of Figure 28; Figure 30 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in the embodiment of this application; In Figures 3, 4, 7, 8, 11 and 30, the arrows indicate the direction of gas (process gas or driving gas) flow. Implementation

[0019] The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or instances of various components for implementing this disclosure. Specific examples of components and configurations are described below to simplify this disclosure. Of course, these are merely examples and not intended to be limiting. For example, in the following description, a first component formed above or on a second component may include embodiments in which the first and second components are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which an additional component may be formed between the first and second components such that the first and second components are not in direct contact. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or letters may be repeated in various instances of this disclosure. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0020] Furthermore, for ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "below," "below," "down," "above," "up," and similar terms may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element or component and another element or component(s), as illustrated in the figures. Spatial relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation other than those depicted in the figures. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or otherwise) and therefore the spatial relative descriptive terms used herein may be interpreted in the same way.

[0021] Although the numerical ranges and parameters stated in this disclosure are approximate, the values ​​stated in specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. However, any numerical value inherently contains some error due to the standard deviations found in the respective test measurements. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "approximately" generally means within 10%, 5%, 1%, or 0.5% of a given value or range. Alternatively, the term "approximately" means within one acceptable standard error of the average when considered by a person skilled in the art. Except in operational / working examples, or unless otherwise expressly specified, all numerical ranges, quantities, values, and percentages such as the quantity of material disclosed herein, duration of time, temperature, operating conditions, ratios of quantities, and the like should be understood to be modified by the term "approximately" in all examples. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters stated in this disclosure and the appended claims are approximate values ​​that may vary as needed. At a minimum, each numerical parameter should be interpreted based on the number of significant digits reported and by applying common rounding techniques. Ranges may be expressed herein as from one endpoint to another or between two endpoints. All ranges disclosed herein include endpoints unless otherwise specified.

[0022] In the process of realizing this invention, the inventors discovered that the vapor deposition process chamber involved in the related technology has many problems, specifically in the following aspects:

[0023] Firstly, after the process gas enters the process space of the vapor deposition process chamber, it flows towards the exhaust channel. As the process proceeds and the process gas is gradually consumed, the concentration of process gas near the exhaust channel is low, which leads to a thinner film deposited on the wafer in the area near the exhaust channel. Ultimately, this results in uneven film thickness on the wafer, which will undoubtedly lead to poor process quality.

[0024] Secondly, during the vapor deposition process, process gases can seep into the assembly gaps of the vapor deposition process chamber, resulting in poor deposition. This makes subsequent cleaning of components with poor deposition more laborious and costly, ultimately leading to higher maintenance costs and lower production capacity for the vapor deposition process chamber.

[0025] To address the aforementioned problems, embodiments of this application disclose an upper liner ring, a lower liner ring, and an inlet liner for a vapor deposition process chamber. Embodiments of this application also disclose an inner liner for a vapor deposition process chamber. Furthermore, embodiments of this application disclose a vapor deposition process chamber comprising at least one of the upper liner ring, lower liner ring, and inlet liner, and further disclose a vapor deposition process chamber including an inner liner and a semiconductor process apparatus including a vapor deposition process chamber. Accordingly, the disclosed vapor deposition process chamber and semiconductor process apparatus can also solve the technical problems existing in the related art.

[0026] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, details the upper liner, lower liner, inner liner, and air inlet liner for a vapor deposition process chamber, as well as the vapor deposition process chamber and semiconductor process equipment disclosed in this application.

[0027] Please refer to Figures 1 to 30. The vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application includes at least a cavity 10, a support 20, and an inner liner 30.

[0028] The vapor deposition process chamber has a process space 01, an inlet channel 02, and an exhaust channel 03. The process space 01 is the space where the vapor deposition process takes place. The inlet channel 02 and the exhaust channel 03 are located on opposite sides of the process space 01 and are connected to the process space 01. The inlet channel 02 is used to input process gas into the process space 01. The waste gas formed after the process gas participates in the vapor deposition process in the process space 01 is discharged outside the process space 01 through the exhaust channel 03. Specifically, the waste gas can be discharged outside the vapor deposition process chamber through the exhaust channel 03 and then treated by a subsequent waste gas treatment process.

[0029] Cavity 10 is the main peripheral component of the vapor deposition process chamber. Cavity 10 can form the process space 01 together with other components of the vapor deposition process chamber (e.g., liner 30). Of course, the process space 01 can also be composed only of other components of the vapor deposition process chamber (e.g., liner 30), and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0030] The support 20 is disposed within the cavity 10. The support 20 is used to support the wafer 60. Specifically, the support 20 has a support surface 21, which directly supports the wafer 60 for vapor deposition. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific shape of the support surface 21, as long as the support surface 21 can stably support the wafer 60 for vapor deposition.

[0031] The liner 30 is disposed within the cavity 10. Specifically, the liner 30 can be fixed within the cavity 10 to ensure stable installation within the cavity 10. The liner 30 at least serves to protect other components of the vapor deposition process chamber (e.g., the cavity 10). For easy disassembly and replacement or subsequent cleaning, the liner 30 can be disposed within the cavity 10 via a detachable connection. In the embodiments of this application, the liner 30 can be an integral structure (i.e., manufactured by a one-piece molding process) or a split structure; the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0032] In some embodiments, the liner 30 may include a first flow guide 311 and a second flow guide 312. Both the first flow guide 311 and the second flow guide 312 function as flow guides. The first flow guide 311 and the second flow guide 312 are arranged opposite to each other, and a flow guide channel is formed between them. The flow guide channel is located within the process space 01. The two ends of the flow guide channel are connected to the intake channel 02 and the exhaust channel 03, respectively. The process gas entering the process space 01 through the intake channel 02 flows towards the exhaust channel 03 during vapor deposition, and the flow guide channel guides the flow of the process gas during this process. For example, the first flow guide 311 and the second flow guide 312 are arranged opposite each other in a horizontal direction, which is perpendicular to the direction from the intake channel 02 to the exhaust channel 03.

[0033] In this embodiment, the inner liner 30 further includes, for example, an annular liner, which is the annular portion of the inner liner 30. The annular liner surrounds the support 20. The process space 01 is formed by at least the support 20 and the annular liner. A first guide member 311 and a second guide member 312 are disposed on the annular liner. The distance between the first end of the first guide member 311 and the first end of the second guide member 312 is a first distance. The distance between the second end of the first guide member 311 and the second end of the second guide member 312 is a second distance. The first distance is greater than the second distance. The first distance and the second distance are, for example, distances in the aforementioned horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction from the intake passage 02 to the exhaust passage 03.

[0034] It should be noted that the first end of the first guide member 311 and the first end of the second guide member 312 are respectively the ends of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 closest to the intake passage 02. The second end of the first guide member 311 and the second end of the second guide member 312 are respectively the other ends of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 closest to the exhaust passage 03. The first end of the first guide member 311 and the second end of the second guide member 312 are the two ends opposite to each other.

[0035] Furthermore, in this paper, the direction from the intake channel 02 to the exhaust channel 03 is the airflow direction. As described above, the process gas, after entering through the intake channel 02, enters the guide channel formed by the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312, and is ultimately discharged through the guide channel to the exhaust channel 03. This means that the liner 30 itself has an intake side and an exhaust side, which are opposite sides of the liner 30. The intake side of the liner 30 is connected to the intake channel 02 of the vapor deposition process chamber, and the exhaust side of the liner 30 is connected to the exhaust channel 03 of the vapor deposition process chamber. The direction from the intake side of the liner 30 to the exhaust side of the liner 30 can also be considered the airflow direction. The first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 are located between the intake side and the exhaust side of the liner 30. The first end of the first guide member 311 and the first end of the second guide member 312 are both located on the air intake side of the liner 30, and the second end of the first guide member 311 and the second end of the second guide member 312 are both located on the exhaust side of the liner 30.

[0036] The technical solution disclosed in this application discloses a structural design for the liner 30, in which the liner 30 includes opposing first guide members 311 and second guide members 312, and the distance between the first end of the first guide member 311 and the first end of the second guide member 312 (i.e., the first distance) is greater than the distance between the second end of the first guide member 311 and the second end of the second guide member 312 (i.e., the second distance). This structure allows the first guide members 311 and the second guide members 312 to confine the process gas in a narrower area on the exhaust side of the liner 30 through the guiding action. During this process, as the process gas is consumed and its concentration decreases, the lower concentration of the process gas is confined to a narrower area due to the action of the first guide members 311 and the second guide members 312, thereby increasing the concentration of the process gas in that narrower area. This method helps to increase the concentration of process gas in the area adjacent to the exhaust channel 03 within the process space 01, thereby ensuring the film thickness on the wafer 60 in this area, and ultimately helping the film thickness deposited in various areas of the wafer 60 to become more uniform.

[0037] It should be noted that the concentration of process gas mentioned in this article refers to the content of process gas per unit space. Because the distance between the second end of the first guide member 311 and the second end of the second guide member 312 is small, the corresponding area has a smaller space, which is beneficial for increasing the content of process gas per unit space.

[0038] As mentioned above, the distance between the first end of the first guide member 311 and the first end of the second guide member 312 is greater than the distance between the second ends of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312. Various structures can achieve this difference in distance. Specifically, in the airflow direction (i.e., from the intake side of the liner 30 to the exhaust side of the liner 30), the distance between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can vary with a large gradient; for example, the opposing inner edges of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 are both stepped edges.

[0039] Of course, in order to better guide the process gas and reduce the probability of disturbance during the flow, in some embodiments, the distance between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can gradually decrease in the direction from the inlet side of the liner 30 to the outlet side of the liner 30. This allows the relative inner edges of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 to change in a smoother manner, so that the process gas is gradually guided to a narrower area after entering the guide channel between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312. This facilitates the laminar flow of the process gas and alleviates turbulence. The laminar flow of the process gas helps ensure the uniformity of the process gas within the process space 01, which helps improve the consistency of the thickness of the thin film deposited on the wafer 60, ultimately achieving the goal of improving the deposition effect.

[0040] Please refer to Figures 19A to 21. Through simulation of the process gas flow field, it is found that Figure 19A is a schematic diagram of the process gas flow field when the distance between the first guide element 311 and the second guide element 312 is equal everywhere. Figure 19B is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of Figure 19A. Through the flow field schematic diagram within the box in Figure 19B, it can be seen that the turbulence phenomenon of the process gas near the exhaust side is more serious. Figures 20 and 21 are schematic diagrams of the flow field when the distance between the first guide element 311 and the second guide element 312 gradually decreases from the intake side to the exhaust side. Through Figures 20 and 21, it can be seen that there is no turbulence when the process gas flows.

[0041] In some embodiments, the ratio of the first distance to the inner diameter of the liner 30 can be greater than 1. The ratio of the second distance to the inner diameter of the liner 30 can be less than 1. In this case, a larger first distance allows the distance between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 to gradually decrease, making it less likely to affect the carrier 20 and the wafer 60 placed on the carrier 20. It should be noted that, in this document, neither the first guide member 311 nor the second guide member 312 is located directly above the wafer 60 to avoid interfering with thin film deposition.

[0042] In other embodiments, the ratio of the difference between the first distance and the second distance to the inner diameter of the liner 30 can be greater than or equal to 1 / 6 and less than or equal to 1 / 3. It should be noted that, in this document, the liner 30 is an annular structure, and the inner diameter of the liner 30 refers to the diameter of its circular inner wall. Of course, the inner diameters of other components (such as the upper liner ring 31 and lower liner ring 32 mentioned later) refer to the diameter of the circular inner wall of the corresponding component. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the liner 30 is equal to the inner diameters of the upper liner ring 31 and lower liner ring 32 mentioned later, and also equal to the inner diameter of the annular liner. It can also be considered that the circular inner wall of the liner 30, the circular inner wall of the upper liner ring 31, the circular inner wall of the lower liner ring 32, and the circular inner wall of the annular liner mentioned later are all circular inner walls of the same diameter, and their projections in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 21 of the bearing seat 20 coincide, all forming the first circular region described later.

[0043] When the ratio of the first distance to the inner diameter of the liner 30 is greater than 1, the ratio of the second distance to the inner diameter of the liner 30 is less than 1, and the ratio of the difference between the first distance and the second distance to the inner diameter of the liner 30 is greater than or equal to 1 / 6 and less than or equal to 1 / 3, the flow field of the process gas is shown in Figures 20 and 21. It can be seen from Figures 20 and 21 that there is no turbulence in the process gas.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ratio of the first distance to the second distance can be 1.2 to 1.4. Experiments have shown that when the ratio of the first distance to the second distance is within this range, the flow of the process gas in the process space is relatively stable, and turbulence can be effectively mitigated. Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the process gas flow field when the ratio of the first distance to the second distance is 1.2, and Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of the process gas flow field when the ratio of the first distance to the second distance is 1.4. Compared to Figures 19A and 19B, the process gas does not exhibit turbulence in the flow fields shown in Figures 22 and 23.

[0045] In this embodiment, the ratio of the distance between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 in the direction perpendicular to the first axis to the inner diameter of the liner 30 is 0.5 to 1.6. Further, in some embodiments, the ratio of the distance between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 in the direction perpendicular to the first axis to the inner diameter of the liner 30 is 0.75 to 1.25, where the first axis is the central axis extending from the air intake side of the liner 30 to the exhaust side of the liner 30.

[0046] As described above, the inner liner 30 can be a split structure. In this case, the first flow guide 311 and the second flow guide 312 can be integrally integrated onto the constituent components of the inner liner 30 (such as the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 described later), i.e., formed through a one-piece molding process. This method can reduce assembly gaps between components and assembly operations. Of course, the first flow guide 311 and the second flow guide 312 can also be a split structure from other parts of the inner liner 30 and installed through assembly. This application embodiment does not impose any limitations.

[0047] In this embodiment, the first flow guide 311 and the second flow guide 312 can be made of quartz, and the liner 30 can also be made of quartz. Of course, this embodiment does not limit the specific materials of the first flow guide 311, the second flow guide 312, and the entire liner 30; any material that meets the requirements of the vapor deposition process chamber is acceptable.

[0048] To ensure a consistent gas field environment within the process space 01, the liner 30 can be a symmetrical structure. Specifically, the liner 30 can be a symmetrical structure with the first axis as its axis of symmetry. Similarly, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can be symmetrically distributed with the first axis as its axis of symmetry. In this case, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can achieve relatively balanced airflow guidance and can also achieve relatively balanced confinement of the process gas in the region adjacent to the exhaust channel 03. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the first axis is the central axis extending from the air inlet side of the liner 30 to the exhaust side of the liner 30.

[0049] In this embodiment, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can be straight structural members parallel to the first axis, or they can be curved structural members that are bent as a whole. Of course, they can also be structural members that are partly straight and partly curved. This embodiment does not impose any limitations. As long as the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 do not occupy the space directly above the support 20 and do not affect the deposition of thin films on the wafer 60 on the support 20, it is acceptable. Based on this, in some embodiments, the opposing inner edges of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can each include an arc-shaped guide section 101 protruding away from each other. The arc-shaped guide section 101 is not located directly above the support 20, thus avoiding the direct top of the support 20 and the wafer 60. The arc-shaped guide section 101 extends relatively smoothly, thereby better guiding the process gas and further facilitating the laminar flow of the process gas. It should be emphasized here that, in this article, laminar flow refers to the flow of process gas in a direction parallel to the bearing surface 21 of the bearing seat 20.

[0050] In some embodiments, the arc-shaped guide section 101 may be circumferentially tangent to the first circular region. It should be noted that the first circular region is the area enclosed by the projection of the circular inner wall of the liner 30 in a direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 21. Essentially, the arc-shaped guide section 101 can be considered circumferentially tangent to the circular inner wall of the liner 30. This structure allows the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 to be as close as possible to the bearing seat 20 and the wafer 60 while ensuring they are not directly above them, thereby better guiding and confining the process gas. In this embodiment, the center of the circle containing the arc-shaped guide section 101 may be located within a circular region with a radius of 40 mm centered at the center of the first circular region. In this embodiment, the circular inner wall of the liner 30 is the circular inner wall of the upper liner ring 31 (which is essentially the circular inner wall of the first ring body 313) described later, and also the circular inner wall of the lower liner ring 32 (which is essentially the circular inner wall of the second ring body 321) described later.

[0051] This application does not limit the size of the arc-shaped guide section 101. In some embodiments, the ratio of the inner diameter of the liner 30 to the diameter of the arc-shaped guide section 101 (i.e., the diameter of the circle containing the arc-shaped guide section 101) can be greater than or equal to 0.6 and less than or equal to 0.8. As shown in Figure 24, when the ratio of the inner diameter of the liner 30 to the diameter of the circle containing the arc-shaped guide section 101 is 0.6, the process gas flow is relatively smooth, and turbulence is greatly alleviated. As shown in Figure 25, when the ratio of the inner diameter of the liner 30 to the diameter of the arc-shaped guide section 101 is 0.8, the process gas flow is relatively smooth, and turbulence is greatly alleviated. It should be noted that Figures 24 and 25 are compared with Figure 19, and the process gas shown in Figures 24 and 25 does not exhibit turbulence.

[0052] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the opposing inner edges of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 may each include a first straight guide segment 102 and a second straight guide segment 103. The first straight guide segment 102 and the second straight guide segment 103 are respectively connected to the two ends of the corresponding arc-shaped guide segment 101 and extend in a direction away from each other. The first straight guide segment 102 and the second straight guide segment 103 are both tangent to the circular inner wall of the liner 30 (i.e., the circular inner wall of the first annular body 313, the circular inner wall of the second annular body 321, and the circular inner wall of the annular liner). In this structure, since the first straight guide section 102 and the second straight guide section 103 are farther away from the circular inner wall of the liner 30 than the arc-shaped guide section 101, it is not necessary to design the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 as arc-shaped structures to avoid the space above the support 20, the wafer 60, and the space directly above them. Moreover, the first straight guide section 102 and the second straight guide section 103 have simple structures and can play a more precise directional guiding role, which is ultimately conducive to improving the guiding effect. Of course, it is also more conducive to designing the size of the first distance and the second distance.

[0053] The liner 30 disclosed in this application embodiment may include only the upper liner ring 31, only the lower liner ring 32, or both the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32. This application embodiment does not impose any limitations. Correspondingly, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 may be included in the upper liner ring 31 as part of the upper liner ring 31, and the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 may also be included in the lower liner ring 32 as part of the lower liner ring 32. This application embodiment does not impose any limitations.

[0054] As described above, in this embodiment of the application, the inner liner 30 may include an annular liner surrounding the support 20. When the inner liner 30 includes an upper liner ring 31 and a lower liner ring 32, the annular liner includes the portion of the upper liner ring 31 surrounding the support 20 (as described later as the first ring body 313) and the portion of the lower liner ring 32 surrounding the support 20 (as described later as the second ring body 321). The upper liner ring 31 is positioned above the lower liner ring 32 and is coaxially arranged with it. At least the support 20, the upper liner ring 31, and the lower liner ring 32 can form a process space 01. An air inlet 021 is formed between the first end of the upper liner ring 31 and the first end of the lower liner ring 32, and the air inlet channel 02 includes the air inlet 021. The second end of the upper liner ring 31 and the second end of the lower liner ring 32 form the exhaust port 0311 of the inner liner 30. That is, the exhaust port 0311 is formed between the ends of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 located on the exhaust side of the inner liner 30, and the exhaust passage 03 includes the exhaust port 0311. Of course, the side where the air inlet 021 of the inner liner 30 is located is the air inlet side of the inner liner 30, which is also the air inlet side of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32. The side where the exhaust port 0311 of the inner liner 30 is located is the exhaust side of the inner liner 30, which is also the exhaust side of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32.

[0055] It should be emphasized again that, in this document, the air intake side of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 are the same as the air intake side of the inner liner 30. At least one of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 has a structure capable of air intake. The exhaust side of the upper liner ring 31 and the exhaust side of the lower liner ring 32 are the same as the exhaust side of the inner liner 30. At least one of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 has a structure capable of exhaust. The direction from the air intake side of the upper liner ring 31 to the exhaust side of the upper liner ring 31, the direction from the air intake side of the lower liner ring 32 to the exhaust side of the lower liner ring 32, and the direction from the air intake side of the inner liner 30 to the exhaust side of the inner liner 30 are consistent and are all the airflow directions described in the embodiments of this application.

[0056] Furthermore, the first axis mentioned above is not only the central axis of the inner liner 30 extending in the airflow direction, but also the central axis of the upper liner ring 31 extending in the airflow direction, and the central axis of the lower liner ring 32 extending in the airflow direction. In other words, when the inner liner 30, the upper liner ring 31, and the lower liner ring 32 are all symmetrical structures, the axis of the inner liner 30 extending in the airflow direction, the axis of the upper liner ring 31 extending in the airflow direction, and the axis of the lower liner ring 32 extending in the airflow direction are all the first axis. The inner liner 30, the upper liner ring 31, and the lower liner ring 32 are all symmetrical structures with the first axis as the axis of symmetry.

[0057] As described above, the distance between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can gradually decrease. In the specific design process, the reduction in distance between the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can be equal or unequal. In some embodiments, the reduction in distance between a section of the first guide member 311 located on the air intake side of the liner 30 and a section of the second guide member 312 located on the air intake side of the liner 30 can be a first reduction in distance, and the reduction in distance between a section of the first guide member 311 located on the exhaust side of the liner 30 and a section of the second guide member 312 located on the exhaust side of the liner 30 can be a second reduction in distance. The first reduction in distance can be less than the second reduction in distance. This design allows the guidance of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 to be more targeted. Since the process gas consumption is less in the area near the inlet side of the liner 30, the concentration of the process gas decreases only slightly. Therefore, reducing the distance between the first guide element 311 and the second guide element 312 in this area, while minimizing it, helps to reduce the impact on the process gas flow. Conversely, the process gas consumption is greater and the concentration decreases more significantly in the area near the exhaust side of the liner 30. In this area, the distance between the first guide element 311 and the second guide element 312 is reduced more significantly, which helps to guide the process gas to converge in a narrower area in a timely and rapid manner, thereby achieving a higher efficiency in increasing the process gas concentration and ensuring the deposition efficiency and effect of the wafer 60 in the area adjacent to the exhaust channel 03.

[0058] In one embodiment described above, the opposing inner edges of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 may further include a first straight guide section 102 and a second straight guide section 103. The first straight guide section 102 is located on the intake side of the liner 30, and the second straight guide section 103 is located on the exhaust side of the liner 30. Based on this embodiment, a more specific structure can be formed based on the design concept of unequal distance reduction, as follows: both the first straight guide section 102 and the second straight guide section 103 are inclined relative to the first axis. The angle between the first straight guide section 102 and the first axis is smaller than the angle between the second straight guide section 103 and the first axis. In this case, the degree of inclination of the first straight guide section 102 relative to the first axis is smaller, thereby making the reduction in distance between the first straight guide section 102 of the first guide member 311 and the first straight guide section 102 of the second guide member 312 smaller. The second straight guide section 103 is inclined at a large degree relative to the first axis, which results in a large reduction in the distance between the second straight guide section 103 of the first guide member 311 and the second straight guide section 103 of the second guide member 312.

[0059] This application does not limit the size of the angle between the first straight guide section 102 and the first axis, nor does it limit the size of the angle between the second straight guide section 103 and the second axis. In some embodiments, the angle between the first straight guide section 102 and the first axis can be 3° to 10°, and the angle between the second straight guide section 103 and the first axis can be 10° to 20°.

[0060] As described above, an air inlet 021 for the inner liner 30 is formed between the first end of the upper liner ring 31 and the first end of the lower liner ring 32. There are various structures for forming the air inlet 021. To facilitate the formation of the air inlet 021, in some embodiments, an air inlet notch 301 can be formed on the air inlet side of the upper liner ring 31. The design of the air inlet notch 301 makes it easier for the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 to align, forming the air inlet 021 on the air inlet side of the inner liner 30. Specifically, in the embodiments of this application, the upper liner ring 31 may include a first ring body 313. The first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 both protrude from the lower end face of the first ring body 313 and form the air inlet notch 301 with the first ring body 313. In this text, the lower end face of the first ring body 313 is the end face of the first ring body 313 facing the lower liner ring 32. After the upper liner ring 31 is installed in the vapor deposition process chamber, the lower end face of the first ring body 313 faces vertically downwards. In this case, the first guide element 311 and the second guide element 312 can not only perform the function of guiding airflow, but also cooperate with the first ring body 313 to form the air intake gap 301, achieving the effect of multiple uses of one item.

[0061] In some embodiments, the dimensions of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 can be 350mm to 400mm in the direction from the air intake side of the upper liner ring 31 to the air exhaust side of the upper liner ring 31.

[0062] In other embodiments, the dimensions of the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 in the direction protruding from the lower end face of the first ring body 313 can be 24mm to 30mm, so that the process gas can be guided in a sufficiently large guide space.

[0063] As described above, an exhaust port 0311 of the inner liner 30 is formed between the second end of the upper liner ring 31 and the second end of the lower liner ring 32, and the exhaust passage 03 includes the exhaust port 0311. Based on this, further, in some embodiments, the upper liner ring 31 may also include a baffle 314 located on the exhaust side of the upper liner ring 31. The baffle 314 may protrude from the lower end face of the first ring body 313 and be located at the outer edge of the first ring body 313. The baffle 314 is used to partially form a portion of the exhaust passage 03 (e.g., the second exhaust section 032 described later) with the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32, i.e., forming at least a section of space of the exhaust passage 03.

[0064] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the inner liner 30 is provided with an annular groove 302, which is located below the transfer port 306 of the inner liner 30. The area of ​​the circular region enclosed by the circular inner wall of the inner liner 30 is a first area, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the annular groove 302 is a second area. The ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600. In some embodiments, the inner liner 30 includes an annular liner, which is a portion of the inner liner 30 that has an annular structure. The annular liner is disposed around the support 20. Further, in some embodiments, the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner may be provided with an annular groove 302, the area of ​​the circular region enclosed by the circular inner wall of the annular liner is the first area, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the annular groove 302 is the second area, wherein the ratio of the first area to the second area may be greater than 600.

[0065] In some embodiments, when the inner diameter of the liner 30 (e.g., annular liner, lower liner ring 32) is in the range of 400mm-600mm, the ratio of the first area to the second area can be less than 2000, that is, the ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600 and less than 2000. In a further technical solution, the ratio of the first area to the second area can be 1050-1350. This solution is more suitable for 12-inch wafers.

[0066] In other embodiments, when the inner diameter of the liner 30 (e.g., annular liner, lower liner ring 32) ranges from 300mm to 500mm, the ratio of the first area to the second area can be less than 1500, that is, the ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600 and less than 1500. In a further technical solution, the ratio of the first area to the second area is 750-900. This solution is more suitable for 8-inch wafers 60.

[0067] As described above, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application embodiment has a process space 01, an air inlet channel 02, and an exhaust channel 03. The air inlet channel 02 and the exhaust channel 03 are located on opposite sides of the process space 01 and are respectively connected to the process space 01. An annular bushing is arranged around the support 20, and the process space can be formed by at least the support 20 and the annular bushing. The inner bushing 30 is disposed within the cavity 10. The air inlet channel 02 and the exhaust channel 03 both penetrate the cavity 10 and are connected to the process space 01. An annular assembly gap can be formed between the lower bushing ring 32 (e.g., an annular bushing) and the inner wall of the cavity 10. The annular groove 302 is connected to the process space 01, the air inlet channel 02, and the exhaust channel 03 through the annular assembly gap. The vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application embodiment also has a protective gas channel. The protective gas channel is used to connect to a protective gas source and is connected to the annular groove 302. The protective gas source can provide protective gases, such as argon, hydrogen, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific types of protective gases.

[0068] A protective gas channel receives protective gas, allowing it to enter the annular assembly gap via the annular groove 302, ultimately forming an annular gas curtain. In this configuration, the protective gas exits from the annular assembly gap, preventing process gases from the inlet channel 02, exhaust channel 03, and process space 01 from entering the annular assembly gap and causing undesirable deposits. Clearly, this method avoids undesirable process gas deposits, thus preventing the need for repeated cleaning of components in the vapor deposition process chamber due to these deposits. It also reduces the difficulty of cleaning, thereby minimizing cleaning costs and lowering maintenance costs for the vapor deposition process chamber. Furthermore, since some components of the vapor deposition process chamber do not require frequent cleaning, the probability of downtime is reduced, which helps improve the production capacity of the vapor deposition process chamber.

[0069] Meanwhile, referring to Figures 26 and 27, the inventors further discovered through simulation experiments that when the ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600, the protective gas can form an annular air curtain, thereby effectively preventing process gas from entering the annular assembly gap. Outside this range, it is difficult for the protective gas to form an annular air curtain. As shown in Figure 27, when the ratio of the first area to the second area is less than 600, the protective gas only forms an air curtain on the inlet side, and this air curtain is not an annular one. It should be noted that Figures 26 and 227 both illustrate airflow, with the blue area to the red area representing the flow velocity of the protective gas.

[0070] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 302 can be rectangular, square, semi-circular, etc., and this embodiment does not limit the specific shape of the annular groove 302. It should be noted that, in this document, the cross-section of the annular groove 302 refers to the section of the annular groove 302 perpendicular to its extension direction. Correspondingly, the cross-sectional area refers to the area of ​​the section of the annular groove 302 perpendicular to its extension direction.

[0071] As described above, the inner liner 30 includes an upper liner ring 31 and a lower liner ring 32, both annular structures, which surround the support seat 20. Specifically, the annular liner of the inner liner 30 includes the portion of the upper liner ring 31 surrounding the support seat 20 (i.e., the first ring body 313) and the portion of the lower liner ring 32 surrounding the support seat 20 (i.e., the second ring body 321). The upper liner ring 31 is located above the lower liner ring 32 and is coaxially arranged with the lower liner ring 32. Specifically, the first ring body 313 is located above the second ring body 321 and is coaxially arranged with and connected to the second ring body 321. The annular groove 302 can be provided on the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32. Of course, the annular groove 302 can also be provided on the outer peripheral wall of the upper liner ring 31, or both the outer peripheral walls of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 can be provided with annular grooves 302. This application embodiment does not impose any limitations.

[0072] Of course, when the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32 has an annular groove 302, the area of ​​the circular region enclosed by the circular inner wall of the lower liner ring 32 is the first area. When the outer peripheral wall of the upper liner ring 31 has an annular groove 302, the area of ​​the circular region enclosed by the circular inner wall of the upper liner ring 31 is the first area. In addition, when both the outer peripheral walls of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 have annular grooves 302, the areas of the circular regions enclosed by the circular inner walls of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 are both the first area. That is to say, the circular region enclosed by the circular inner walls of the upper liner ring 31, the lower liner ring 32, and the inner liner 30 is the same region, and the area of ​​this region is the first area.

[0073] As described above, the upper liner ring 31 may include a first ring body 313. Therefore, if the outer peripheral wall of the upper liner ring 31 has an annular groove 302, it essentially means that the annular groove 302 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the first ring body 313. In this embodiment, the lower liner ring 32 may include a second ring body 321. In this case, if the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32 has an annular groove 302, it means that the annular groove 302 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the second ring body 321. It should be noted that the first ring body 313 is the part of the upper liner ring 31 surrounding the support seat 20, and the second ring body 321 is the part of the lower liner ring 32 surrounding the support seat 20.

[0074] In a further technical solution, the lower liner ring 32 may also include an annular flange 322 located at the top of the second ring body 321 and extending inward toward the inner side of the second ring body 321. The annular flange 322 is used to support the preheating ring 70 surrounding the support seat 20. In this case, in addition to its protective function and the function of introducing protective gas, the lower liner ring 32 can also support the preheating ring 70, achieving a multi-functional effect.

[0075] To improve the support stability of the bearing seat 20, an annular positioning groove 305 may be provided on the inner edge of the annular flange 322. The annular positioning groove 305 is used to position and engage with the edge of the preheating ring 70. Specifically, the annular positioning groove 305 is adapted to the shape of the preheating ring 70, so that when the preheating ring 70 is placed within the annular positioning groove 305, the preheating ring 70 will not move in the plane parallel to its bearing surface 21, thereby improving the stability of the support for the preheating ring 70.

[0076] In this embodiment, the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32 (e.g., the second ring body 321) near its exhaust side may be provided with a recess 303, which forms at least a portion of the exhaust channel 03 between the lower liner ring 32 and the upper liner ring 31. This creates additional space by partially recessing the lower liner ring 32 (e.g., the second ring body 321) to form the recess 303, thereby forming a portion of the exhaust channel 03 between the recess 303 and the corresponding position of the upper liner ring 31, further enhancing the utilization of the annular liner and achieving a multi-purpose effect.

[0077] In a further technical solution, a gas delivery hole 304 may be provided on one side of the lower liner ring 32 (e.g., the second ring body 321). The gas delivery hole 304 is used to deliver driving gas, which may be nitrogen, argon, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific type of driving gas. The side of the lower liner ring 32 with the gas delivery hole 304 is the exhaust side of the lower liner ring 32. Specifically, the lower liner ring 32 has a gas delivery hole 304 near its exhaust side. The gas delivery hole 304 extends from the inner peripheral wall (i.e., the circular inner wall of the lower liner ring 32) through the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32 (e.g., the second ring body 321) and is located above the recess 303, and is used to communicate with the exhaust channel 03. In a specific process, the waste gas entering the exhaust channel 03 may accumulate. In this case, the driving gas output from the gas delivery hole 304 can enter the exhaust channel 03, thereby promoting the waste gas to be discharged as soon as possible. In the specific working process, a driving gas with higher pressure or a higher flow rate can be used to drive the exhaust gas; this application does not impose any limitations. Of course, those skilled in the art should reasonably design the pressure or flow rate of the driving gas so that, while fulfilling its function of driving exhaust gas discharge, it does not affect the normal operation of the vapor deposition process or that the impact on the vapor deposition process is within an acceptable range.

[0078] The exhaust channel 03 extends to a certain extent in the circumferential direction surrounding the support 20, meaning the exhaust channel 03 can be considered an arc-shaped structure. Based on this, the recess 303 can be an arc-shaped structure extending circumferentially from the lower liner ring 32 (e.g., the second ring body 321). There can be multiple gas delivery holes 304, which are spaced apart along the circumferential direction. Furthermore, the multiple gas delivery holes 304 can be evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. In this case, the multiple gas delivery holes 304 simultaneously deliver driving gas to the exhaust channel 03 at different positions, which undoubtedly achieves a more balanced and stronger driving effect.

[0079] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the flow area of ​​the gas delivery hole 304 decreases in the direction approaching the recess 303. This increases the pressure and velocity of the driving gas flowing out of the gas delivery hole 304, thereby promoting the rapid discharge of waste gas. In this case, the driving gas is accelerated as it flows through the gas delivery hole 304 due to the decreasing flow area, resulting in a better driving effect. This structure utilizes the Venturi effect; the driving gas is accelerated as it flows through the gas delivery hole 304 with its decreasing flow area. The accelerated driving gas can flow out at a greater velocity, thus better driving the process gas to be discharged.

[0080] To facilitate the entry and exit of the wafer 60 into the process space 01, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application has a wafer transfer port 306 provided in the annular liner. The wafer transfer port 306 can be located on either the upper liner ring 31 or the lower liner ring 32; this application embodiment does not impose any limitation. In some embodiments, where the lower liner ring 32 has both an annular groove 302 and a wafer transfer port 306, the annular groove 302 can be located below the wafer transfer port 306. In this case, the protective gas, during its exit from the annular assembly gap, passes through the wafer transfer port 306, thereby purging and cleaning the wafer transfer port 306. The wafer transfer port 306 is used for the wafer 60 to pass through, enabling the wafer 60 to enter and exit the process space 01.

[0081] In some embodiments, the annular groove 302 may be located below the air intake passage 02, the exhaust passage 03, and the process space 01.

[0082] As mentioned above, the annular groove 302 can be formed on the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner. Alternatively, the annular groove 302 can be formed on the inner peripheral wall of the cavity 10. Specifically, the annular groove 302 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner and / or the inner peripheral wall of the cavity 10; that is, at least one of the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner and the inner peripheral wall of the cavity 10 has an annular groove 302. In this case, the annular groove 302 can have multiple locations, undoubtedly improving the flexibility of the structural design. Of course, when both the inner peripheral wall of the cavity 10 and the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner have an annular groove 302, it is easier to form a larger structure for the flow of protective gas to meet higher requirements.

[0083] Considering that the cavity 10 serves as the main peripheral structure of the entire vapor deposition process chamber and plays multiple functions, in order to reduce the adverse effect of opening the annular groove 302 on its strength, in some embodiments, the annular groove 302 is only opened on the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner.

[0084] In this embodiment, the cavity 10 can have various structures and multiple components. In some embodiments, the cavity 10 includes a base ring 13 surrounding the annular liner, an air intake channel 02 passing through the annular liner and the base ring 13, and an annular groove 302 formed on the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner and / or the inner peripheral wall of the base ring 13. That is, at least one of the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner and the inner peripheral wall of the base ring 13 has an annular groove 302. An annular assembly gap can be formed between the annular liner and the base ring 13.

[0085] As described above, the inner liner 30 may include an upper liner ring 31 and a lower liner ring 32. The lower liner ring 32 is located below the upper liner ring 31 and is coaxially arranged with the upper liner ring 31. In some embodiments, the upper liner ring 31 includes a first ring body 313 surrounding the support seat 20, and the lower liner ring 32 includes a second ring body 321 surrounding the support seat 20. The first ring body 313 and the second ring body 321 located below the first ring body 313 constitute an annular liner. The first ring body 313 and the second ring body 321 are coaxially arranged and both surround the support seat 20. An air inlet 021 is formed between the ends of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 near the air inlet side of the inner liner 30. The air inlet channel 02 includes the air inlet 021. An annular groove 302 is formed on the outer peripheral wall of at least one of the first ring body 313 and the second ring body 321. An annular assembly gap is formed between at least one of the first ring body 313 and the second ring body 321 and the cavity 10. In this case, the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 form annular assembly gaps with the cavity 10, which makes it easier to form a connection with the annular groove 302 to create more air curtains, ultimately achieving a better protection effect.

[0086] In this paper, the annular assembly gap formed between the inner liner 30 and the cavity 10 is the annular assembly gap formed between the annular liner and the cavity 10, or it can be considered as the annular assembly gap formed between at least one of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 and the cavity 10.

[0087] In a further technical solution, the length of the upper liner ring 31 in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 21 of the bearing seat 20 can be less than the length of the lower liner ring 32 in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 21, thereby facilitating the formation of an exhaust structure in the exhaust channel 03 that is lower than the bearing surface 21. Specifically, the length of the first ring body 313 in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 21 is less than the length of the second ring body 321 in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 21.

[0088] Furthermore, the annular groove 302 can be formed on the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32 and located below the exhaust channel 03, thereby preventing exhaust gas in the exhaust channel 03 from flowing downwards.

[0089] As described above, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application embodiment is provided with an air inlet channel 02 and an exhaust channel 03. Both the air inlet channel 02 and the exhaust channel 03 penetrate the cavity 10 and the liner 30 and are connected to the process space 01. In this case, the annular groove 302 is located below the exhaust channel 03. In some embodiments, the first part of the exhaust channel 03 may include a first exhaust section 031 and a second exhaust section 032. The intake channel 02 has an intake port 021 communicating with the process space 01. The first exhaust section 031 has an exhaust port 0311 communicating with the process space 01. The second exhaust section 032 communicates with the process space 01 through the first exhaust section 031, and the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 intersect. The intake port 021 and the exhaust port 0311 are located on opposite sides of the support 20. The axis of the intake port 021 and the axis of the exhaust port 0311 are parallel to the bearing surface 21 of the support 20. The second exhaust section 032 communicates with the second part of the exhaust channel 03, and the second part of the exhaust channel 03 is parallel to the first exhaust section 031. The first exhaust section 031 can be located above the second exhaust section 032, and the annular groove 302 can be located below the junction of the first and second parts of the exhaust channel 03. Specifically, the annular groove 302 can be located below the junction of the second exhaust section 032 and the second part of the exhaust channel 03. In this structure, the annular groove 302 is located at a lower position than the exhaust channel 03, which can prevent exhaust gas from entering deeper parts of the process chamber at the junction of the first and second parts, achieving a better protective effect.

[0090] As described later, the second part can be the third exhaust section 033. In this case, the annular groove 302 can be located below the junction of the second exhaust section 032 and the third exhaust section 033. Further details regarding the structure here can be found in the descriptions of the corresponding sections below, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0091] As described above, the inner liner 30 may include an annular liner, and the inner liner 30 may also include a first guide member 311 and a second guide member 312. Specifically, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 are not the part of the inner liner 30 surrounding the support seat 20, while the annular liner is the part of the inner liner 30 surrounding the support seat 20. In this case, the inner liner 30 includes an annular liner and a first guide member 311 and a second guide member 312 disposed on the annular liner and protruding axially from the inner liner 30. A first ring body 313 and a second ring body 321 constitute the annular liner, and the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 may be disposed on the end face of one of the first ring body 313 and the second ring body 321 facing the other. It should be noted that the axial direction of the inner liner 30, the axial direction of the first ring body 313, the axial direction of the second ring body 321, and the axial direction of the annular liner are all consistent, all being the direction of the central axis extending along the through direction of the inner liner 30.

[0092] As described above, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 protrude from the lower end face of the first ring body 313. Of course, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 protrude from the upper end face of the second ring body 321.

[0093] It should be noted that the upper end face of the second ring body 321 refers to the vertically upward end face of the second ring body 321 when the lower liner ring 32 is installed inside the cavity 10 of the vapor deposition process chamber.

[0094] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312 may be disposed near the top of the liner 30, and the annular groove 302 is located below the first guide member 311 and the second guide member 312.

[0095] As described above, the vapor deposition process chamber involved in this application embodiment has an air inlet channel 02. Since the reactive gas has a high concentration before entering the process space 01, if the air inlet channel 02 is directly opened on the cavity 10, it will have adverse effects on the cavity 10 over time (such as severe corrosion, severe erosion, etc.). Based on this, this application embodiment discloses an air inlet liner 33 for a vapor deposition process chamber. The air inlet liner 33 can be installed in the mounting hole of the cavity 10, and the air inlet liner 33 is used to dock with the air inlet 021 of the inner liner 30 described above.

[0096] Specifically, the air intake liner 33 may have multiple air intake holes 307, which are arranged in a first direction and isolated from each other. The multiple air intake holes 307 have the same through direction; it should be noted that, in this document, the first direction is perpendicular to the through direction of the air intake holes 307. At least a portion of the multiple air intake holes 307 is used to input process gas. The multiple air intake holes 307 are respectively opposite to corresponding areas within the process space 01. By controlling the gas delivery parameters of the multiple air intake holes 307, differentiated control of different areas within the process space 01 can be achieved, thereby realizing zoned control of the process space 01.

[0097] Of course, the air intake liner 33 may also be provided with an air intake port 307. In this case, the process gas can be transported into the process space 01 through this air intake port 307. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of air intake ports 307 provided in the air intake liner 33.

[0098] Adding an inlet liner 33 minimizes direct contact between the process gas and the cavity 10 during input, thus protecting the cavity 10 and preventing rapid corrosion. To facilitate replacement in case of severe damage, in some embodiments, the inlet liner 33 is detachably installed within the cavity 10. Of course, the corrosion resistance of the inlet liner 33 can be higher than that of the cavity 10. Specifically, the material of the inlet liner 33 can be quartz; however, this application does not limit the material of the inlet liner 33.

[0099] In the embodiments of this application, the air intake liner 33 can be an integral structure or a split structure, and the embodiments of this application do not impose any restrictions.

[0100] In some embodiments, the intake liner 33 is an integral structure. It should be noted that an integral structure refers to a structure manufactured using a one-piece molding process. The one-piece molding process can be a cutting process, a casting process, an injection molding process, etc. The intake liner is an integral structure, forming a single structural component, which undoubtedly reduces the amount of material to be assembled on the cavity 10, and also reduces assembly errors. Specifically, when the intake liner 33 is an integral structure, the intake liner 33 includes a first assembly 331 and a plurality of first spacers 332 located within the first assembly 331. That is, the first spacers 332 and the first assembly 331 are an integral structure, and the plurality of first spacers 332 divide the space within the first assembly 331 to form a plurality of air intake holes 307.

[0101] Specifically, the first kit 331 can be a first flat kit, which has a flat structure, which is beneficial for forming a flat air inlet 307. Of course, the embodiments of this application do not limit the shape of the first kit 331 or the shape of the air inlet 307, as long as it can be connected with the air inlet 021.

[0102] In other embodiments, the intake liner 33 has a split structure. The intake liner 33 may include a plurality of second components 333, which are arranged sequentially in a first direction, with adjacent second components 333 in contact. Each of the multiple second components 333 forms one air intake port 307; or, each second component 333 has at least one second spacer 334, so that the second component 333 forms at least two air intake ports 307; or, some second components 333 each form one air intake port 307, while other second components 333 each have at least one second spacer 334, so that the corresponding second component 333 forms at least two air intake ports 307. This split-structure intake liner 33 has advantages such as simple structure and flexible design. Furthermore, in the event of partial damage to the intake liner 33, only the affected portion of the intake liner 33 needs to be replaced, without replacing the entire intake liner 33.

[0103] Similarly, the second kit 333 can be a second flat kit. The second flat kit adopts a flat structure, which is beneficial for forming a flat air inlet 307. Of course, the embodiments of this application do not limit the shape of the second kit 333, nor do they limit the shape of the air inlet 307, as long as it can be connected with the air inlet 021.

[0104] Furthermore, in some embodiments, a second spacer 334 may be provided within each of the two second components 333 located on opposite side edges of the inlet liner 33, forming two inlet holes 307 respectively serving as an auxiliary gas hole and a process gas hole. The process gas hole is located inside the auxiliary gas hole, and the auxiliary gas hole introduces auxiliary gas into the process space 01, while the process gas hole introduces process gas into the process space 01. The auxiliary gas plays an auxiliary role, and the size of the auxiliary gas hole in the first direction can be smaller than the size of the process gas hole in the first direction, thereby making the area within the process space 01 corresponding to the auxiliary gas hole narrower and the area within the process space 01 corresponding to the process gas hole wider, thus enabling the wider area within the process space 01 to undergo the vapor deposition process.

[0105] In this embodiment, the size of the first isolation member 332 or the second isolation member 334 in the first direction can be less than 4 mm, thereby making the distance between two adjacent air inlets 307 closer, so as not to affect the mixing effect of the process gas after it is output from the air inlet 307, and at the same time, to prevent the concentration of process gas in the area corresponding to the first isolation member 332 or the second isolation member 334 and the wafer 60 from decreasing, which would lead to uneven deposition.

[0106] In this embodiment, the intake liner 33 can be a flat structure, and it can have a top flat wall 308 and a bottom flat wall 309. Both the top flat wall 308 and the bottom flat wall 309 can be parallel to the through direction and the first direction, respectively. The intake liner 33 can have two arc-shaped sidewalls 310, which can respectively form opposite side edges of the intake liner 33. The two arc-shaped sidewalls 310 are arranged opposite each other and protrude in a direction away from each other. Both arc-shaped sidewalls 310 are connected between the top flat wall 308 and the bottom flat wall 309. In this structure, the intake liner 33 is a flat structure, which allows for relatively stable installation via the top flat wall 308 and the bottom flat wall 309. Simultaneously, the two arc-shaped sidewalls 310, being arc-shaped, are less prone to stress concentration during or after manufacturing, thus making the structure of the intake liner 33 more stable.

[0107] In this embodiment, the air inlet 307 can be a circular hole or a flat hole, such as a rectangular hole or an oblong hole. Considering that laminar gas flow makes it easier to achieve a more uniform process effect, in some embodiments, multiple air inlets 307 can all be flat holes. The dimension of the air inlet 307 in the first direction can be larger than the dimension in the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to both the through direction and the first direction.

[0108] As described above, the plurality of air inlets 307 may include auxiliary gas inlets and process gas inlets. In some embodiments, among the plurality of air inlets 307, two air inlets 307 adjacent to two opposite side edges of the air inlet liner 33 are both auxiliary gas inlets. The other air inlets 307 located between the two auxiliary gas inlets are process gas inlets. In this case, the auxiliary air inlets located at the two side edges are responsible for introducing auxiliary gas, thereby enabling the same process objective to be achieved on both sides of the process space 01.

[0109] Since the auxiliary gas introduced through the auxiliary gas port performs an auxiliary function, its impact on the vapor deposition process is minimized while fulfilling this function. For example, the auxiliary gas can be hydrogen or hydrogen chloride gas. The auxiliary gas can improve the concentration of process gases in the gas flow field at the edge of wafer 60. The auxiliary gas can also be other types of gases that can improve the concentration of process gases in the gas flow field at the edge of wafer 60; the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific type of auxiliary gas.

[0110] In a further technical solution, the size of the process gas orifice in the first direction can be larger than the size of the auxiliary gas orifice in the first direction. In some embodiments, the intake width formed by the plurality of intake orifices 307 in the first direction is a first intake width, and the intake width formed by the two auxiliary gas orifices in the first direction is a second intake width. The ratio of the second intake width to the first intake width can be 1:25 to 1:10. Within this ratio range, the width of the auxiliary gas flow formed after the auxiliary gas is output will not occupy a large width, thus improving the concentration of process gas in the gas flow field at the edge of the wafer 60 without affecting the concentration of process gas in the gas flow field in other areas of the wafer 60.

[0111] The gas inlet liner 33 disclosed in this application embodiment is used in a vapor deposition process chamber. The auxiliary gas orifice can be opposite to the inner side of the edge of the support 20, thereby indirectly opposite to the inner side of the edge of the wafer 60 placed on the support 20. In this case, the auxiliary gas can be a gas capable of participating in a certain reaction while also partially suppressing vapor deposition, such as hydrogen chloride. The auxiliary gas can suppress chemical reactions at the edge of the wafer 60, thereby resulting in a smaller deposition thickness at the edge of the wafer 60 to meet certain preset requirements.

[0112] In other embodiments, the auxiliary gas orifice can be opposite to the outer edge of the support 20, thereby indirectly opposite to the outer edge of the wafer 60 placed on the support 20. In this case, the area corresponding to the auxiliary gas is offset from the wafer 60 and does not participate in the vapor deposition reaction, while also playing a certain isolation role, thereby avoiding the formation of undesirable deposition of process gas on the outer edge of the wafer 60, which helps to reduce deposition by-products at the edge of the wafer 60.

[0113] As described above, the inner liner 30 may include an annular liner, which has an air inlet 021 facing the air inlet liner 33 and an exhaust outlet 0311 facing away from the air inlet liner 33. The air inlet liner 33 has an air inlet 307 connected to the process space 01 through the air inlet 021 and the exhaust outlet 0311 connected to the process space 01. That is, the exhaust outlet 0311 of the exhaust channel 03 is connected to the process space 01.

[0114] When the annular liner has a split structure, it includes an upper liner ring 31, which is also annular, and a lower liner ring 32 located below the upper liner ring 31. The upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 are coaxially arranged and both surround the support seat 20. An air inlet 021 is formed between the ends of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 near the air inlet liner 33. In other words, an air inlet 021 is formed between the ends of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 near the air inlet side of the inner liner 30. An exhaust port 0311 is formed between the ends of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 near the exhaust side of the inner liner 30.

[0115] The vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application is a device for performing vapor deposition processes and determines the quality of the vapor deposition process. The inventors of this application discovered that ensuring the uniformity of the process gas within the vapor deposition process chamber is a crucial factor in determining the quality of the vapor deposition process. The inventors further discovered that during the vapor deposition process, the process gas tends to converge towards the exhaust channel 03 as it flows towards the area near the exhaust channel 03, and then exits too quickly through the exhaust channel 03. This convergence of process gas within the process space 01 and its rapid exit from the vapor deposition process chamber can easily lead to uneven distribution of the process gas in the area near the exhaust channel 03 within the vapor deposition process chamber.

[0116] To improve the uniformity of process gas in the area near the exhaust channel 03 within the process space 01, the inventors installed a flow equalizer at the exhaust channel 03. The flow equalizer has multiple flow equalization holes arranged in an array. The flow equalizer allows process gas from multiple locations to flow into the corresponding flow equalization holes and then into the exhaust channel 03. This can alleviate the accumulation of process gas to some extent. At the same time, the flow equalizer also acts as a barrier, thus preventing the process gas from being discharged too quickly.

[0117] However, the inventors further discovered that this structure still has drawbacks. The flow equalizer significantly obstructs the process gas, resulting in a slow exhaust velocity. This makes it easier for more process gas to deposit on the inner wall or components near the exhaust channel 03 within the vapor deposition process chamber, an undesirable outcome for process engineers. Simultaneously, the small aperture of the flow equalizer's orifices abruptly reduces the flow area of ​​the process gas, making it more prone to turbulent airflow in the region near the exhaust channel 03 within the vapor deposition process chamber. Ultimately, this results in low uniformity of the process gas in this region (i.e., the area near the exhaust channel 03 within the vapor deposition process chamber). In other words, the poor uniformity of the process gas in this region may still affect the thickness uniformity of the vapor-deposited film, ultimately leading to poor process quality.

[0118] Based on this, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application is also designed with an exhaust channel 03, wherein the exhaust channel 03 includes a first exhaust section 031 and a second exhaust section 032 that are interconnected.

[0119] The air intake channel 02 has an air inlet 021, which is connected to the process space 01. The air intake channel 02 is used to supply the process gas required for the vapor deposition process into the process space 01 through the air inlet 021. The first exhaust section 031 has an exhaust port 0311, which is connected to the process space 01. During the vapor deposition process, the process gas (i.e., waste gas) that has completed the vapor deposition process can first enter the first exhaust section 031 from the process space 01 through the exhaust port 0311, and then flow from the first exhaust section 031 into the second exhaust section 032, thereby achieving the purpose of being discharged through the exhaust channel 03.

[0120] In this embodiment, the air inlet 021 and the exhaust outlet 0311 are located on opposite sides of the support 20, and the axes of both the air inlet 021 and the exhaust outlet 0311 can be parallel to the support surface 21 of the support 20. This allows the process gas entering the process space 01 through the air inlet 021 to flow over the support 20 in a direction parallel to the support surface 21, and then enter the exhaust outlet 0311 in the same direction. In other words, the process gas flows through the support surface 21 in a laminar flow manner in a direction parallel to the support surface 21 as it flows out of the air inlet 021 and into the exhaust outlet 0311.

[0121] To achieve flow in a direction parallel to the support surface 21, in some embodiments, the air inlet 021, the exhaust outlet 0311, and the support surface 21 can be located at the same height within the process space 01; that is, the lower edge of the air inlet 021, the lower edge of the exhaust outlet 0311, and the support surface 21 are all located at the same height within the process space 01; or, the axis of the air inlet 021, the axis of the exhaust outlet 0311, and the support surface 21 are all located at the same height within the process space 01. In other embodiments, the height of the support surface 21 can be slightly smaller than the height of the air inlet 021 and the exhaust outlet 0311, so that after the wafer 60 is placed on the support surface 21, the surface of the wafer 60 facing away from the support surface 21 (i.e., the base surface of the deposited thin film) is exactly at the same height within the process space 01 as the air inlet 021 and the exhaust outlet 0311. In this case, the difference between the height of the bearing surface 21 and the height of the air inlet 021 is within a preset difference value, or the difference between the height of the bearing surface 21 and the height of the exhaust port 0311 is within a preset difference value. This application embodiment does not limit the size of the preset difference value; those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the size of the preset difference value based on the thickness of different types and models of wafers 60.

[0122] Of course, regardless of the structure, during the vapor deposition process, the process gas must be able to pass over the base surface of the wafer 60 in a direction parallel to the support surface 21 to achieve laminar flow of the process gas as much as possible, thereby minimizing airflow turbulence. It should be noted that in this paper, the process gas flow is laminar across the support surface 21, which can be considered as the flow direction of the process gas being parallel to the support surface 21. The process gas will not be disturbed in a direction that is not parallel to the support surface 21 (i.e., the turbulence mentioned above).

[0123] As described above, the exhaust passage 03 includes a first exhaust section 031 and a second exhaust section 032 that are interconnected. Specifically, the second exhaust section 032 is connected to the process space 01 through the first exhaust section 031, and the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 intersect. In other words, the extension direction of the first exhaust section 031 is not the same as the extension direction of the second exhaust section 032. The intersecting first exhaust section 031 and second exhaust section 032 allow the process gas to enter the first exhaust section 031 through the exhaust port 0311, and then be redirected to enter the second exhaust section 032, ultimately achieving emission. During this process, the process gas needs to be redirected as it flows towards the second exhaust section 032, thereby being blocked to a certain extent and thus slowed down. In some embodiments, the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 can be perpendicular, that is, the angle between the extension direction of the first exhaust section 031 and the extension direction of the second exhaust section 032 is 90°. Of course, the angle between the extension direction of the first exhaust section 031 and the extension direction of the second exhaust section 032 can be other angles, such as 30°, 45°, 60°, 80°, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the angle between the extension direction of the first exhaust section 031 and the extension direction of the second exhaust section 032.

[0124] During the vapor deposition process, the process gas enters the process space 01 through the inlet 021 and passes through the wafer 60 supported by the carrier 20 to achieve deposition on the wafer 60. After passing through the wafer 60, the process gas finally enters the first exhaust section 031 through the exhaust port 0311. Since the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 intersect, the process gas will be reversed and enter the second exhaust section 032, and finally discharged.

[0125] The vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application designes the exhaust channel 03 into a structure including a first exhaust section 031 and a second exhaust section 032, with the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 intersecting. This allows the process gas to be decelerated due to reversal during the exhaust process after participating in the vapor deposition process. Consequently, the flow velocity of the process gas in the area near the exhaust channel 03 within the process space 01 can be reduced, thus avoiding airflow turbulence caused by excessively rapid exhaust of the process gas. This improves the uniformity of the process gas and ultimately enhances the thickness uniformity of the film formed by the vapor deposition process.

[0126] Meanwhile, this structure avoids the need to install flow equalizers near the exhaust channel 03 within the process space 01, thus preventing excessive obstruction of the process gas. Furthermore, during exhaust, the process gas can directly enter the exhaust channel 03 from the process space 01 through the exhaust port 0311, mitigating airflow turbulence caused by a sudden decrease in flow area. This further improves the uniformity of the process gas in the area near the exhaust channel 03 within the process space 01.

[0127] Furthermore, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application does not require additional flow equalization components on the exhaust path, thus saving the additional manufacturing costs incurred due to the addition of flow equalization components.

[0128] In the process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application, the structure of the cavity 10 can be varied, and correspondingly, the structure forming the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 can also be varied. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific structure of the cavity 10, and correspondingly, the embodiments of this application do not limit the structure forming the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032.

[0129] As described above, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application includes a cavity 10 and a support 20 and a liner 30 disposed within the cavity 10. The liner 30 can be the liner described in the above embodiments, and the liner 30 can be a split structure. At least the annular liner and the support 20 enclose a process space 01. The liner 30 has an air inlet 021 facing the air inlet liner 33 and an exhaust outlet 0311 facing away from the air inlet liner 33.

[0130] The inner liner 30 may include an upper liner ring 31, both of which are annular, and a lower liner ring 32 located below the upper liner ring 31. The upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 are coaxially arranged and both surround the support seat 20. An air inlet 021 is formed between the ends of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 near the air inlet side of the inner liner 30. Specifically, a first exhaust section 031 and a second exhaust section 032 are formed between the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 may constitute the entire exhaust channel 03, or they may only constitute a part of the exhaust channel 03. For example, the exhaust channel 03 may include a first part, which includes the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032.

[0131] In this case, the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 can also form the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032, thereby enabling the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 to have other functions on the basis of performing protective functions, achieving the effect of one item serving two purposes.

[0132] In the case where the inner liner 30 includes an upper liner ring 31 and a lower liner ring 32, the upper liner ring 31 is located above the lower liner ring 32. In a further technical solution, a protrusion 315 may be provided in the first exhaust section 031 near the exhaust port 0311. The upper liner ring 31 is used to form the top wall of the first exhaust section 031, and the lower liner ring 32 is used to form the bottom wall of the first exhaust section 031. The protrusion 315 is provided on the part of the upper liner ring 31 that forms the top wall of the first exhaust section 031. The protrusion 315 is located on the top wall of the first exhaust section 031. This structural design allows for a smaller flow area of ​​the exhaust port 0311, making it easier for the flow area of ​​the exhaust port 0311 to be smaller than the flow area of ​​other parts of the exhaust channel 03. This allows the exhaust channel 03 to easily form an exhaust structure with a small inlet and a large outlet. The smaller inlet of the exhaust channel 03 can also alleviate the phenomenon of excessively rapid discharge of process gas to some extent. The larger outlet of the exhaust channel 03 ensures that once the process gas enters the exhaust channel 03, it will not be discharged too slowly, leading to gas accumulation. Since the front side of the exhaust channel 03 has a small inlet and is close to the process space 01, it is in a high-temperature environment. Byproducts (coating) generated during the process adhere to the front side. By subsequently introducing etching gas into the process space 01, the coating can be etched away and discharged more quickly from the rear side, which can significantly reduce the coating and avoid the problem of coating being generated on the rear side and difficult to etch away.

[0133] Furthermore, the protrusion 315 effectively adds an extra area at the exhaust port 0311, and since the exhaust port 0311 is closer to the higher-temperature process space 01, the process gas can be deposited as much as possible on the surface of the protrusion 315 facing the process space 01 during the exhaust process. The surface of the protrusion 315 facing the process space 01 is also part of the inner wall of the vapor deposition process chamber, making it easier to remove the byproducts deposited on the protrusion 315 during subsequent cleaning and etching processes. This prevents the process gas from depositing excessively in deeper parts of the exhaust channel, where it would be difficult to clean and etch away.

[0134] It should be noted that, as mentioned in this article, the upper liner 31 being located above the lower liner 32 means that, in the vertical direction, the portion of the upper liner 31 that is opposite to the lower liner 32 is higher than the corresponding portion of the lower liner 32. Alternatively, all portions of the upper liner 31 could be higher than the entire lower liner 32.

[0135] As described above, the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 can form a first exhaust section 031 and a second exhaust section 032. Specifically, different parts of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 can be spaced apart to form the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 respectively. Based on this, in some embodiments, a baffle 314 can be provided on the outer edge of the upper liner ring 31 facing away from the support seat 20. The baffle 314 is located on the outer side of the lower liner ring 32 facing away from the support seat 20 (i.e., the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32). The second exhaust section 032 is formed between the baffle 314 and the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32 facing away from the support seat 20 (essentially a part of the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32). An exhaust port 0311 is formed between the inner edge of the upper liner ring 31 facing the support seat 20 and the inner edge of the lower liner ring 32 facing the support seat 20.

[0136] The upper liner ring 31 may have a lower end face (i.e., the lower end face of the first ring body 313) located between the exhaust port 0311 and the second exhaust section 032 and facing vertically downwards. The lower liner ring 32 may have an upper end face (i.e., the upper end face of the second ring body 321) located between the exhaust port 0311 and the second exhaust section 032 and facing vertically upwards. The first exhaust section 031 may be formed between the lower end face and the upper end face.

[0137] This method, which uses different parts of the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 to form the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 respectively, has the advantage of simple structure.

[0138] Specifically, the upper liner ring 31 may include a first ring body 313 and a baffle 314 located on the exhaust side of the inner liner 30 and protruding from the lower end face of the first ring body 313. The baffle 314 is located on the outer edge of the first ring body 313.

[0139] To facilitate the formation of the second exhaust section 032 or to create a second exhaust section 032 with a larger flow area, in some embodiments, a recess 303 may be provided on the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32 near its exhaust side. The recess 303 is opposite to the baffle 314 and is spaced apart to form the second exhaust section 032. Specifically, the lower liner ring 32 includes a second ring body 321, and the recess 303 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the second ring body 321 near the exhaust side.

[0140] As mentioned above, the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 intersect, requiring a reversal of the process gas as it enters the second exhaust section 032 from the first exhaust section 031. During this reversal, the process gas is prone to turbulence, especially at the junction of the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032, where blockage is more likely to occur. In this situation, the process gas is more likely to deposit inside the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032. Based on this, in a further technical solution, the liner 30 can be provided with a gas delivery hole 304. The gas delivery hole 304 can extend from the circular inner wall of the liner 30 to the outer peripheral wall of the liner 30 and is used to communicate with the exhaust channel 03. Specifically, the driving gas delivery hole 304 can be provided in the lower liner ring 32 and extends from the circular inner wall of the lower liner ring 32 to the outer peripheral wall of the lower liner ring 32. The gas delivery port 304 is connected to the second exhaust section 032. The gas delivery port 304 can be used to deliver driving gas to the end of the second exhaust section 032 that is away from the first exhaust section 031, so that the driving gas can drive the process gas in the second exhaust section 032 to be discharged more quickly. This structure can prevent the process gas that has entered the exhaust channel from becoming blocked, and thus can be discharged more smoothly.

[0141] In some embodiments, the gas delivery hole 304 may be perpendicular to the second exhaust section 032. Of course, the embodiments of this application do not limit the angle between the flow direction of the driving gas and the flow direction of the process gas delivered by the second exhaust section 032, as long as the driving gas delivered by the gas delivery hole 304 can be delivered to the end of the second exhaust section 032 away from the first exhaust section 031, so as to help the process gas to be discharged from the second exhaust section 032 more quickly.

[0142] In this embodiment, the structure of the gas delivery hole 304 can be varied. For example, the gas delivery hole 304 can be an equal-diameter hole or a non-equal-diameter hole. This embodiment does not limit the specific shape of the gas delivery hole 304, as long as it can deliver the driving gas to the second exhaust section 032 and accelerate the flow of the process gas in the second exhaust section 032. In a further technical solution, the flow area of ​​the gas delivery hole 304 can decrease in the direction near the second exhaust section 032 (i.e., near the exhaust side). In other words, the flow area of ​​the gas delivery hole 304 decreases in the direction of driving gas delivery. In this case, the driving gas is accelerated when flowing through the gas delivery hole 304 due to the decreasing flow area, thus achieving a better driving effect. This structure utilizes the Venturi effect; the driving gas is accelerated as it flows through the gas delivery hole 304 with its decreasing flow area due to the smaller flow area. The accelerated driving gas can flow out at a greater speed, thus better driving the process gas in the second exhaust section 032 to be discharged.

[0143] The gas delivery hole 304 can be one or more. In this embodiment, both the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032 are arc-shaped structures extending along the circumferential direction of the inner liner 30. In some embodiments, there are multiple gas delivery holes 304, which are spaced apart in the region corresponding to the arc-shaped structure along the extension direction of the arc-shaped structure. In this case, the multiple gas delivery holes 304 can deliver gas to the end of the second exhaust section 032 opposite to the first exhaust section 031 from a wider dimension, thereby achieving a better driving effect.

[0144] In this embodiment, the process gas can be directly discharged from the second exhaust section 032 to the outside of the process chamber, or indirectly discharged to the outside of the process chamber through additional structures. In a specific embodiment, the vapor deposition process chamber may be provided with a third exhaust section 033. The first exhaust section 031 and the third exhaust section 033 may be connected to both ends of the second exhaust section 032, and extend in opposite directions. The first exhaust section 031 extends towards the process space 01 relative to the second exhaust section 032, while the third exhaust section 033 extends in the opposite direction, thereby facilitating the extraction and discharge of the process gas away from the process space 01. In some embodiments, the third exhaust section 033 may be perpendicular to the second exhaust section 032. Of course, this embodiment does not limit the specific angle between the third exhaust section 033 and the second exhaust section 032. The third exhaust section 033 is also part of the exhaust channel 03 in this document; specifically, the third exhaust section 033 can be considered as the second part of the exhaust channel 03.

[0145] This application does not limit the specific component on which the third exhaust section 033 is located in the vapor deposition process chamber. In some embodiments, the chamber 10 may include a base ring 13, which may surround the support 20. The third exhaust section 033 may be formed on the base ring 13 and extend radially along the base ring 13.

[0146] More specifically, the bearing surface 21 can be parallel to the horizontal plane, the first exhaust section 031 can be a horizontal exhaust section parallel to the bearing surface 21, and the second exhaust section 032 can be perpendicular to the first exhaust section 031, that is, the second exhaust section 032 can be a vertical exhaust section perpendicular to the bearing surface 21. The third exhaust section 033 can be parallel to the first exhaust section 031. When the first exhaust section 031 is parallel to the horizontal plane, the third exhaust section 033 can extend horizontally to the outer wall of the cavity 10 in a direction away from the process space 01. The outer wall of the cavity 10 can be a side wall of the cavity 10 extending in a vertical direction, which facilitates connection with subsequent exhaust pipes.

[0147] To facilitate the discharge of process gas, in a further technical solution, the gas delivery port 304 can be located at the junction of the third exhaust section 033 and the second exhaust section 032. This arrangement is more conducive to the driving gas output from the gas delivery port 304 driving the process gas from the second exhaust section 032 to the third exhaust section 033, thereby better preventing the process gas from being retained in the second exhaust section 032.

[0148] In a further technical solution, the third exhaust section 033 can be parallel to the first exhaust section 031. The third exhaust section 033 has a first orifice wall away from the first exhaust section 031 and a second orifice wall close to the first exhaust section 031. The distance between the gas delivery orifice 304 and the first orifice wall can be a third distance, and the distance between the gas delivery orifice 304 and the second orifice wall can be a fourth distance. The third distance can be greater than the fourth distance. In this case, the gas delivery orifice 304 is relatively far from the outlet of the second exhaust section 032, which is more conducive to the accelerated discharge of process gas in the second exhaust section 032.

[0149] As described above, the gas delivery port 304 is used to deliver the driving gas. Specifically, the gas delivery port 304 can be directly connected to the driving gas source. Of course, the gas delivery port 304 can also be indirectly connected to the driving gas source. Based on this, in some embodiments, the cavity 10 can be provided with a driving gas cavity 04, and the gas delivery port 304 can connect the driving gas cavity 04 and the second exhaust section 032. The driving gas cavity 04 is connected to the driving gas source. In this case, the gas delivery port 304 can be set to a small aperture, while the driving gas cavity 04 can be set to a large volume. When the driving gas enters the gas delivery port 304 from the driving gas cavity 04, it is essentially moving from a larger volume space to a smaller volume space. During this process, the driving gas is accelerated in the first stage due to the reduction in the flow area. When the flow area of ​​the gas delivery port 304 decreases in the direction close to the second exhaust section 032, the driving gas can be accelerated in the second stage after entering the gas delivery port 304, ultimately enabling the driving gas to flow out at a higher flow rate, thus achieving a better driving effect for the process gas.

[0150] As described above, the cavity 10 can have various structures. In some embodiments, the cavity 10 may include an air inlet seat 14 and a base ring 13, with the base ring 13 surrounding the support seat 20 and the inner liner 30. The air inlet seat 14 is provided with multiple gas input channels 141, which are spaced apart, and the width of the gas input channels 141 increases in the air intake direction.

[0151] It should be noted that the width of the gas input channel 141 is perpendicular to the air intake direction and parallel to the bearing surface 21 of the bearing seat 20. This structure allows the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas input channel 141 to decrease in the air intake direction. It should also be noted that the cross-section of the gas input channel 141 is the cross-section perpendicular to the air intake direction (which can be considered the through direction of the air inlet 307). The increasing cross-sectional area of ​​the gas input channel 141 in the air intake direction allows it to form a funnel-like structure. This structure allows for a smaller distance between the outlet ports of two adjacent gas input channels 141, enabling the process gases output through multiple gas input channels 141 to mix in advance. This extends the pre-mixing time, making it easier to achieve more uniform mixing within the process space 01, which undoubtedly improves the quality of vapor deposition. It should be noted that when the vapor deposition process chamber includes a gas input channel 141, the air inlet channel 02 may include a gas input channel 141, an air inlet 307, and an air inlet 021.

[0152] In a more specific structure, the cavity 10 may further include a top cover 11 and a bottom cover 12. The top cover 11 and the bottom cover 12 are respectively connected to the two ports of the base ring 13, thus forming most of the peripheral structure of the cavity 10 together with the base ring 13. The top cover 11, the bottom cover 12, and the base ring 13 enclose the cavity space 05 of the cavity 10, and the process space 01 is at least a part of the cavity space 05. The cavity space 05 may also include the driving gas cavity 04 described above. The support seat 20 is disposed within the cavity space 05. The upper liner ring 31 is detachably disposed on the inner wall of the top cover 11 and part of the inner wall of the base ring 13. The upper liner ring 31 is used to protect the top cover 11 and the base ring 13. The lower liner ring 32 is detachably disposed on part of the inner wall of the base ring 13, and the process space 01 is formed by at least the upper liner ring 31, the lower liner ring 32, and the support seat 20. The lower liner ring 32 is used to cooperate with other components to form the process space 01, and also to protect the base ring 13.

[0153] The upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 not only form the first exhaust section 031 and the second exhaust section 032, but also receive the thin film generated by the deposition of process gases during the vapor deposition process, preventing these process gases from depositing directly on the top cover 11, the bottom cover 12, and the base ring 13. When cleaning is required, the operator only needs to remove the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 for cleaning, without needing to clean the relatively bulky top cover 11, the bottom cover 12, and the base ring 13. Furthermore, the upper liner ring 31 and the lower liner ring 32 also protect the top cover 11, the bottom cover 12, and the base ring 13.

[0154] Of course, when the cavity 10 includes a top cover 11, a bottom cover 12, and a base ring 13, and the cavity 10 is provided with a driving gas cavity 04, the bottom cover 12, the support seat 20, and the lower liner ring 32 can form the driving gas cavity 04, and the driving gas cavity 04 can be located below the support seat 20.

[0155] In some embodiments, the top cover 11 may at least constitute the cavity top wall 111 of the cavity 10 located above the inner liner 30, the cavity top wall 111 being above the support 20 and protruding towards the support 20. This design allows the cavity top wall 111 to protrude towards the support 20 as the process gas is consumed and its concentration decreases, thereby reducing the distance between it and the support 20, and thus reducing the size of the space occupied by the process gas, ultimately assisting in increasing the concentration of the process gas as it flows towards the exhaust side. Specifically, the cavity top wall 111 may be a spherical top wall protruding towards the support 20.

[0156] In a further technical solution, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application embodiment may further include multiple air inlet pipes 15 connected to an air inlet seat 14 and respectively connected to a corresponding gas input channel 141. Each of the multiple air inlet pipes 15 may be equipped with a flow control valve, which controls the air intake of the corresponding air inlet pipe 15. This allows the multiple gas input channels 141 connected to the multiple air inlet pipes 15 to cooperate with each other, and the airflow entering the process space 01 is made as uniform as possible through the coordination of air intake volume. At the same time, the flow control valve makes it easier to control the flow rate.

[0157] In some embodiments, the third exhaust section 033 described above may be formed on the base ring 13. In a further technical solution, in the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application, the chamber 10 may further include an exhaust seat 16, which is disposed on the outer side wall of the base ring 13 and communicates with the third exhaust section 033.

[0158] In the vapor deposition process, the temperature within the process space 01 needs to meet preset requirements. Therefore, the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in this application embodiment may further include an upper heating module 40, which is disposed on the cavity 10 and located above the support 20. The upper heating module 40 is used to heat the support 20 from above, thereby achieving heating of the wafer 60 supported on the support 20 during the vapor deposition process.

[0159] In this application embodiment, the structure and type of the upper heating module 40 can be various, and this application embodiment does not limit the specific structure and type of the upper heating module 40. For example, the upper heating module 40 may include multiple light-emitting heating elements arranged in a circle and distributed above the support 20, emitting light from above the support 20 toward the wafer 60 on the support 20 to achieve heating. Of course, this distribution method can only make the temperature of a certain area on the wafer 60 of the support 20 higher, while the temperature of other areas may be lower. Overall, this structure of the upper heating module 40 will still lead to uneven temperature within the process space 01.

[0160] Based on this, in other embodiments, this application discloses a more specific upper heating module 40. The disclosed upper heating module 40 may include multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41, multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42, a first reflector 43, and a second reflector 44. The support base 20 includes a central region and an annular region surrounding the central region. The multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41 and the multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42 are all distributed along the circumference of the annular region, and the multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41 are located outside the multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42. The first reflector 43 is used to reflect the light projected by the multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41 to the annular region, and the second reflector 44 is used to reflect the light projected by the multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42 to the central region. This solution enables the upper heating module 40 to perform zoned heating of the support base 20, thereby better balancing the temperature regulation of different areas of the support base 20.

[0161] Meanwhile, during the specific heating process, multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41 can be controlled individually, as can multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42, thereby achieving more flexible temperature control and improving the uniformity of the temperature field within the process space 01.

[0162] Since multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41 and multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42 can project onto the support 20, and considering that the annular region is close to the edge of the support 20 while the central region is located at the center of the support 20, heat is more likely to accumulate there, causing its temperature to be higher than that of the annular region. Therefore, in a further technical solution, the height of the multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41 is less than the height of the multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42. In other words, the distance between the multiple first outer zone heating lamps 41 and the support 20 is less than the distance between the multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42 and the support 20. In this case, because the distance between the multiple first inner zone heating lamps 42 is greater, they will not deliver much heat to the central region, thus making it easier for the temperature of the central region to be consistent with that of the outer annular region.

[0163] Similarly, in order to better ensure the process temperature, the process chamber disclosed in this application embodiment may also include a lower heating module 50. The lower heating module 50 is disposed on the cavity 10 and located below the support seat 20. The lower heating module 50 is used to heat the support seat 20 from below.

[0164] In this application embodiment, the structure and type of the lower heating module 50 can be various, and this application embodiment does not limit the specific structure and type of the lower heating module 50. For example, the lower heating module 50 may also include multiple light-emitting heating elements arranged in a circle and distributed below the support 20, emitting light from below the support 20 to achieve heating. Of course, this distribution method can only make the temperature of a certain area on the wafer 60 of the support 20 higher, while the temperature of other areas may be lower, which will lead to uneven temperature within the process space 01.

[0165] Similarly, this application discloses a specific structure for a lower heating module 50, which may include multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51, multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52, a third reflector 53, and a fourth reflector 54. Likewise, when the support 20 includes a central region and an annular region surrounding the central region, the multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51 and the multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52 are distributed along the circumference of the annular region, with the multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51 located outside the multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52. The third reflector 53 reflects the light projected by the multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51 to the annular region, and the fourth reflector 54 reflects the light projected by the multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52 to the central region. This solution enables the lower heating module 50 to perform zoned heating of the support 20, thereby better balancing the temperature regulation of different areas of the support 20.

[0166] Meanwhile, during the specific heating process, multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51 can be controlled individually, as can multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52, thereby achieving more flexible temperature control and improving the uniformity of the temperature field within the process space 01.

[0167] Similarly, since both the multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51 and the multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52 can project onto the support 20, considering that the annular area is close to the edge of the support 20 while the central area is located at the center of the support 20, heat is more likely to accumulate there, causing its temperature to be higher than that of the annular area. Therefore, in a further technical solution, the height of the multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52 is less than the height of the multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51. In other words, the distance between the multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52 and the support 20 is greater than the distance between the multiple second outer zone heating lamps 51 and the support 20. In this case, because the distance between the multiple second inner zone heating lamps 52 is greater, they will not deliver too much heat to the central area, thus ensuring that the temperature of the central area is consistent with that of the outer annular area.

[0168] To further optimize the adjustment effect, in a further technical solution, the reflection angle of at least one of the first reflector 43, the second reflector 44, the third reflector 53, and the fourth reflector 54 is adjustable. Specifically, at least one of the first reflector 43, the second reflector 44, the third reflector 53, and the fourth reflector 54 can be individually equipped with a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism drives the first reflector 43, the second reflector 44, the third reflector 53, and the fourth reflector 54 to rotate, thereby adjusting the tilt angle of the reflecting surface, thus achieving the purpose of adjustable reflection angle. The type of drive mechanism can be varied, such as a linkage drive mechanism or a motor drive mechanism; the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific type of drive mechanism.

[0169] Based on the vapor deposition process chamber disclosed in the embodiments of this application, this application discloses a semiconductor process equipment. The disclosed semiconductor process equipment includes a transfer cavity and the vapor deposition process chamber described in the above embodiments. The transfer cavity cooperates with the vapor deposition process chamber to realize the entry and exit of the wafer 60 into the vapor deposition process chamber.

[0170] The semiconductor process equipment disclosed in this application can be an epitaxial growth process equipment, or other process equipment that uses vapor deposition process to deposit thin films on wafer 60. This application does not limit the specific type of semiconductor process equipment.

[0171] The foregoing summarizes the features of several embodiments, enabling those skilled in the art to better understand the nature of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that they can readily use this disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for implementing the embodiments described herein and / or achieving the same benefits. Those skilled in the art should also understand that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

[0172] 10: Cavity 11: Top Cover 12: Bottom Cover 13: Base Ring 14: Air intake seat 15: Intake Pipeline 16: Exhaust mount 20: Support seat 21: Bearing surface 30: Lining 31: Upper Liner Ring 32: Lower Liner Ring 33: Intake Liner 40: Top heating module 41: First outer zone heating lamp 42: First inner zone heating lamp 43: First reflector 44: Second reflector 50: Lower heating module 51: Second outer zone heating lamp 52: Second inner zone heating lamp 53: Third reflector 54: Fourth reflector 60: Wafer 70: Preheating ring 01: Process Space 02: Air Intake Channel 03: Exhaust passage 04: Driving Gas Chamber 05: Cavity Space 021: Air Intake 031: First exhaust section 032: Second exhaust section 033: Third exhaust section 0311: Exhaust port 101: Arc-shaped guide section 102: First straight guide section 103: Second straight guide section 111: Cavity top wall 141: Gas input channel 301: Intake notch 302: Annular groove 303: Recessed Platform 304: Gas delivery port 305: Annular positioning groove 306: Video feed 307: Air intake 308: Flat top wall 309: Flat bottom wall 310: Arc-shaped sidewall 311: First flow guide 312: Second flow guide 313: First Ring Body 314: Baffle 315: Protrusion 321: Second Ring Body 322: Annular flange 331: First Kit 332: First Isolator 333: Second Kit 334: Second Isolator

Claims

1. An air inlet liner for a vapor deposition process chamber, for docking with an air inlet of an inner liner, the air inlet liner having a plurality of air inlets arranged in a first direction and isolated from each other, the plurality of air inlets having the same through direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the through direction of the air inlets; wherein the air inlet liner has a flat structure, and wherein the plurality of air inlets are all flat holes, the size of the air inlet in the first direction being larger than the size in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to both the through direction and the first direction.

2. The intake liner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intake liner is an integral structure and includes a first assembly and a plurality of first spacers located within the first assembly, the plurality of first spacers dividing the space within the first assembly to form the plurality of air intakes.

3. The intake liner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intake liner is a split structure and includes a plurality of second components arranged sequentially in the first direction, with adjacent second components in contact; wherein in the plurality of second components: each second component is used to form one intake port; or, each second component has at least one second spacer so that the second component forms at least two intake ports; or, a portion of the second components each form one intake port, and another portion of the second components each has at least one second spacer so that the corresponding second component forms at least two intake ports.

4. The intake liner as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the two second kits located at opposite side edges of the intake liner is provided with a second spacer to form two intake holes, which are respectively an auxiliary gas hole and a process gas hole, the process gas hole being located inside the auxiliary gas hole, and the size of the auxiliary gas hole in the first direction being smaller than the size of the process gas hole in the first direction.

5. The intake liner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intake liner has a top flat wall and a bottom flat wall, the top flat wall and the bottom flat wall being parallel to the through direction and the first direction, respectively, the intake liner having two arc-shaped side walls, the two arc-shaped side walls forming two opposing side edges of the intake liner, the two arc-shaped side walls being arranged opposite each other and protruding in a direction away from each other, and the two arc-shaped side walls being connected between the top flat wall and the bottom flat wall.

6. The intake liner as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material of the intake liner is quartz.

7. The air intake liner as claimed in claim 1, wherein among the plurality of air intake holes, two of the air intake holes adjacent to two opposite side edges of the air intake liner are auxiliary gas holes, and the other air intake holes located between the two auxiliary gas holes are process gas holes.

8. The intake liner as claimed in claim 7, wherein the size of the process gas orifice in the first direction is larger than the size of the auxiliary gas orifice in the first direction.

9. The air intake liner as claimed in claim 7, wherein the air intake width formed by the plurality of air intake holes in the first direction is a first air intake width, the air intake width formed by the two auxiliary gas holes in the first direction is a second air intake width, and the ratio of the second air intake width to the first air intake width is 1:25 to 1:

10.

10. The air intake liner as claimed in claim 7, wherein the air intake liner is applied in a vapor deposition process chamber, the vapor deposition process chamber including a cavity and a support disposed within the cavity, the auxiliary gas orifice being opposite to the inner side of the edge of the support, or the auxiliary gas orifice being opposite to the outer side of the edge of the support.

11. A process chamber comprising a cavity and an air inlet liner as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, the process chamber having a process space, the air inlet liner being disposed in a side wall of the cavity, and the plurality of air inlets communicating with the process space.

12. The process chamber as claimed in claim 11, wherein the process chamber further includes a support seat disposed within the chamber, the auxiliary gas port being opposite to the inner side of the edge of the support seat, or the auxiliary gas port being opposite to the outer side of the edge of the support seat.

13. The process chamber as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the air intake liner is detachably mounted to the chamber; or, the air intake liner has a higher corrosion resistance than the chamber.

14. A process chamber, comprising a cavity, a support seat, and an inner liner disposed within the cavity, the cavity including a mounting hole for accommodating an air intake liner having a flat structure and multiple flat air intake holes, the inner liner including an annular liner surrounding the support seat, at least the support seat and the annular liner forming a process space, the process chamber having an air intake channel, an exhaust channel, and a protective gas channel, the air intake channel and the exhaust channel both penetrating the cavity and the inner liner and communicating with the process space, the air intake channel being used to dock with the air intake liner; an annular groove is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner and / or the inner peripheral wall of the cavity, an annular assembly gap is provided between the annular liner and the cavity, the annular groove communicating with the process space, the air intake channel, and the exhaust channel through the annular assembly gap; the protective gas channel communicating with the annular groove, the protective gas channel being used to receive protective gas, so that the protective gas enters the annular assembly gap through the annular groove.

15. The process chamber as claimed in claim 14, wherein the area of ​​the circular region enclosed by the inner diameter of the annular liner is a first area, the cross-sectional area of ​​the annular groove is a second area, and the ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than 600.

16. The process chamber as claimed in claim 14, wherein the chamber includes a base ring disposed around the annular liner, the air intake passage extends through the annular liner and the base ring, the annular groove is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner and / or the inner peripheral wall of the base ring, and the annular assembly gap is provided between the annular liner and the base ring.

17. The process chamber as claimed in claim 16, wherein the annular groove is formed only on the outer peripheral wall of the annular liner.

18. The process chamber as claimed in claim 14, wherein the liner includes an upper liner ring and a lower liner ring located below and mating with the upper liner ring, the upper liner ring including a first ring body surrounding the carrier; the lower liner ring including a second ring body surrounding the carrier, the first ring body and the second ring body being coaxially disposed; the outer peripheral wall of at least one of the first ring body and the second ring body having the annular groove, and both the first ring body and the second ring body having the annular assembly gap with the chamber.

19. The process chamber as claimed in claim 18, wherein the length of the upper bushing in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface of the bearing seat is less than the length of the lower bushing in the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface, and the annular groove is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the lower bushing and is located below the exhaust passage.

20. The process chamber as claimed in claim 19, wherein the exhaust passage includes a first exhaust section, a second exhaust section and a third exhaust section, the intake passage has an intake port communicating with the process space, the first exhaust section has an exhaust port communicating with the process space, the second exhaust section communicates with the process space through the first exhaust section and the first exhaust section intersects with the second exhaust section, the intake port and the exhaust port are respectively located on opposite sides of the support, the axis of the intake port and the axis of the exhaust port are both parallel to the bearing surface of the support, the second exhaust section communicates with the third exhaust section, and the third exhaust section is parallel to the first exhaust section.

21. The process chamber as claimed in claim 20, wherein the first exhaust section is located above the second exhaust section, and the annular groove is located below the junction of the second exhaust section and the third exhaust section.

22. The process chamber as claimed in claim 20, wherein a protrusion is provided in the first exhaust section near the exhaust port, the upper bushing is used to form the top wall of the first exhaust section, the lower bushing is used to form the bottom wall of the first exhaust section, and the protrusion is provided on the portion of the upper bushing used to form the top wall of the first exhaust section.

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