A purge line and purge method and thin film deposition apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a purging structure and a purging method. The purging structure comprises: an air inlet assembly for obtaining purging gas; and a purging ring movably nested in the air inlet assembly, wherein the inside of the purging ring comprises a plurality of air outlet holes penetrating through the inner side and the outer side of the purging ring in the radial direction, and the air outlet holes are inclined at a first angle in the circumferential direction, so as to drive the purging ring to rotate along the circumferential direction by the purging gas while outputting the purging gas. By adopting the purging structure, dynamic pipeline purging can be realized, the purging area is dynamic, the purging area is enlarged, and the purging effect is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and specifically to a purging pipeline, a purging method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor thin film deposition process, after the thin film is formed, it is usually necessary to use an inert gas to purge the obtained structure to remove reactants that have not been deposited on the substrate surface and by-product gases, which helps to further improve the thin film deposition quality.

[0003] In thin film deposition equipment, the purge gas is typically controlled by valves in the evacuation piping. However, existing purge piping is mostly fixed, resulting in a fixed outlet position for the purge gas. This leads to a specific and extremely limited purge surface, resulting in suboptimal purge performance. In thin film deposition equipment, this limited purge surface and consequently poor purge performance can further cause valves connected to the piping to become misaligned, thus reducing their lifespan.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the existing technology, there is an urgent need in the field for an improved purging technology that can realize dynamic pipeline purging, make the purging area dynamic, thereby expanding the purging surface and improving the purging effect. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of them. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that follow.

[0006] To overcome the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a purging structure, a purging method, a thin film deposition apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can realize dynamic pipeline purging, making the purging area dynamic, thereby expanding the purging surface and improving the purging effect.

[0007] Specifically, the purging structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention includes: an air intake assembly for acquiring purging gas; and a purging ring movably nested within the air intake assembly, wherein the interior of the purging ring includes a plurality of air outlets penetrating the inner and outer sides of the purging ring in the radial direction, and the air outlets are inclined at a first angle in the circumferential direction so as to drive the purging ring to rotate circumferentially via the purging gas while outputting the purging gas.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the interior of the purge ring includes a plurality of air outlet holes distributed in an axisymmetric structure.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the number of air outlets is related to the tilted first angle; the smaller the tilted first angle, the more air outlets there are.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the vent is inclined at a second angle in the axial direction, so that while the purging gas is output in the purging direction, the purging ring is subjected to a force in the opposite direction along the purging direction.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the purging direction includes the area below the purging ring, the air intake assembly is disposed below the purging ring to support the purging ring, and the air outlet is inclined downward in the axial direction at the second angle, so that while the purging gas is output downward, the purging gas provides an upward reaction force to the purging ring.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a limiting part is also included, which is disposed in the opposite direction of the blowing direction of the blowing ring to limit the displacement of the blowing ring in the opposite direction of its blowing direction when it rotates along its circumference.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a rolling element is further included, which is disposed between the limiting portion and the purge ring so that the purge ring and the limiting portion are in a rolling connection.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the air intake assembly includes an air guide groove, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the purge ring, and one end of the air guide groove is connected to an air intake pipe for introducing the purge gas.

[0015] Furthermore, the above-described purging method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: introducing purging gas into a purging structure, wherein the purging structure includes a purging ring; and, in response to the purging gas being output from the outlet of the purging ring, rotating the purging ring circumferentially via the purging gas to drive the outlet to rotate and discharge gas, wherein the interior of the purging ring includes a plurality of outlets radially penetrating the inner and outer sides of the purging ring, and the outlets are inclined at a first angle in the circumferential direction.

[0016] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the purging structure further includes an air intake assembly, the air intake assembly including an air guide groove, the air guide groove being sleeved on the outer periphery of the purging ring, one end of the air guide groove being connected to an air intake pipe to allow the purging gas to enter, and the step of introducing the purging gas into the purging structure includes: introducing the purging gas into the air intake pipe to make the purging gas evenly distributed in the air guide groove; and introducing the purging gas into the purging ring through the air guide groove to allow the purging gas to be output from the air outlet on the inner side of the purging ring.

[0017] Furthermore, according to a third aspect of the present invention, a thin film deposition apparatus is also provided, comprising: the purge structure described above in the first aspect of the present invention; a memory; and a processor connected to the memory and configured to implement the purge method described above in the second aspect of the present invention.

[0018] Furthermore, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided having computer instructions stored thereon. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the purging method described above, as provided in the second aspect of the present invention, is implemented. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The above-described features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar related characteristics or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0020] Figure 1 An exploded view of a purging structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the purge ring provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the purging torque of a purging ring provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a purging structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the air-guiding groove provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0025] Figure 6 A flowchart of a purging method provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown; and

[0026] Figure 7A structural block diagram of a thin film deposition apparatus provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Figure label:

[0028] 100 purging structure;

[0029] 110 Intake assembly;

[0030] 111 Air guide groove;

[0031] 112 Intake pipe;

[0032] 120 purge ring;

[0033] Vent holes 121, 1211, and 1212;

[0034] 130 Limiting part;

[0035] 140 Rolling element;

[0036] 150 valves;

[0037] α First angle;

[0038] β Second angle;

[0039] Steps S610 to S620;

[0040] 700 Thin Film Deposition Equipment;

[0041] 710 memory; and

[0042] 720 processor. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention is presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of the invention are limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of the present invention. To provide a thorough understanding of the invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The invention may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0044] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0045] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in the relevant paragraphs and accompanying drawings. These relative terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply that the described apparatus must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0046] It is understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first components, regions, layers, and / or parts discussed below may be referred to as second components, regions, layers, and / or parts without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0047] As mentioned above, the purge gas in thin film deposition equipment is typically controlled by valves in the evacuation piping. However, most existing purge piping systems are fixed, resulting in a fixed outlet position for the purge gas. This leads to a specific and extremely limited purge surface, resulting in suboptimal purging performance. In thin film deposition equipment, this limited purge surface and consequently poor purging performance can further cause valves connected to the piping to become misaligned, thus reducing their lifespan.

[0048] To address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, this invention provides a purging structure, a purging method, a thin film deposition apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium, which enable dynamic pipeline purging, thereby making the purging area dynamic, expanding the purging surface, and improving the purging effect.

[0049] In some non-limiting embodiments, the purge structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention can implement the purge method provided by the second aspect of the present invention, and the purge structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the thin film deposition apparatus provided by the third aspect of the present invention.

[0050] First, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1An exploded view of a purging structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the purge structure 100 may include an intake assembly 110 and a purge ring 120. The intake assembly 110 can be used to obtain purge gas. The purge ring 120 can be movably nested within the intake assembly 110.

[0052] Further, please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the purge ring provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the interior of the purge ring 120 may include a plurality of air outlets 121 that penetrate the inner and outer sides of the purge ring 120 in the radial direction, and the air outlets 121 may be inclined at a first angle α in the circumferential direction so that while outputting purge gas, the purge ring 120 is driven to rotate in its circumferential direction by the purge gas.

[0054] Specifically, in some preferred embodiments, the plurality of vent holes 121 inside the purge ring 120 can be distributed in an axisymmetric structure, so that during the output of purge gas, the vent holes 121 in relative positions within the purge ring 120 can simultaneously generate two equal and eccentric forces. Please refer to further details. Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the purging torque of a purging ring provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0055] When the purge ring 120 outputs purge gas through the vent 121, the blown gas exerts a reaction force on the purge ring 120. When the vent 121 has an axisymmetric distribution, such as... Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, a set of vents 1211 and 1212, which are 180 degrees apart, can be selected for analysis. The vertical force components of vents 1211 and 1212 are both upward. Since vents 1211 and 1212 are both inclined at a first angle α, they can simultaneously generate a pair of equally eccentric horizontal force components. This pair of equally eccentric horizontal force components can provide a set of torques to the purge ring 120. When the purge ring 120 outputs purge gas for purge work, the multiple axisymmetrically distributed vents 121 in the purge ring 120 can provide multiple sets of gas torques in the same direction. These multiple sets of gas torques in the same direction can jointly generate a relatively large gas torque to drive the purge ring 120 itself to rotate around its central axis. At this time, the vents 121 in the purge ring 120 also rotate synchronously, thereby realizing dynamic pipeline purging and making the purging area dynamic.

[0056] Optionally, in some embodiments, the number of vents 121 in the purge ring 120 can be related to the first tilt angle α. The smaller the first angle α, the smaller the horizontal eccentricity separation, thus requiring more vents to collectively generate a larger gas torque to drive the purge ring 120 to rotate around its central axis. Conversely, in another embodiment, the larger the first tilt angle α, the fewer vents 121 in the purge ring 120 can be.

[0057] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 The purge gas input through the air intake assembly 110 can flow from the outside to the inside into the middle region of the purge ring 120 through the air outlet 121, and the purge gas is output in the purge direction.

[0058] Furthermore, continue as Figure 2 As shown, in some preferred embodiments, the air outlet 121 in the purge ring 120 can also be inclined at a second angle β in the axial direction, so that while purge gas is output in the purge direction, the purge ring 120 will be subjected to a force in the opposite direction along the purge direction.

[0059] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, a valve 150 may be provided below the purge ring 120. The purge ring 120 dynamically purges the valve 150 to prevent the valve 150 in the thin film deposition equipment from growing a film and to extend the service life of the valve 150.

[0060] Optionally, the purging direction may include below the purge ring 120. The intake assembly 110 may be disposed below the purge ring 120 to support it. The outlet port 121 may be axially inclined downwards at a second angle β, allowing the purging gas to be blown obliquely downwards from the outside of the purge ring 120. While outputting the purging gas obliquely downwards, the purging gas can provide an upward reaction force to the purge ring 120. This upward reaction force can reduce the friction between the purge ring 120 and the intake assembly 110, and cause the purge ring 120 to continuously rotate, extending the rotation time of the purge ring 120.

[0061] Alternatively, please see Figure 4 , Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a purging structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0062] like Figure 4As shown in the figure, the dashed arrows indicate the flow direction of the purge gas. The purge direction of the purge structure 100 is not limited to the area below the purge ring 120; the purge direction can also be left-right or even any direction. However, regardless of the purge direction, since the outlet 121 is inclined at least at a first angle α, as long as the purge ring 120 outputs purge gas in the purge direction, the purge ring 120 will be subjected to a force in the opposite direction of the purge direction, thereby causing it to rotate around its central axis.

[0063] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 4 In some preferred embodiments, the purging structure 100 may further include a limiting portion 130. The limiting portion 130 may be disposed in the opposite direction of the purging direction of the purging ring 120 to limit the displacement of the purging ring 120 in the opposite direction of its purging direction when it rotates circumferentially.

[0064] Furthermore, combined Figure 1 and Figure 4 The purging structure 100 also includes a rolling element 140. The rolling element 140 can be disposed between the limiting portion 130 and the purging ring 120, allowing the purging ring 120 and the limiting portion 130 to roll together, thereby reducing the friction between the purging ring 120 and the limiting portion 130. This facilitates continuous self-rotation of the purging ring 120 and prolongs its rotation time. Since the force in the opposite direction (e.g., upward) to the purging direction (e.g., downward) is a byproduct of purging, the gas as a whole is purged in the purging direction (e.g., downward), but there is always a reaction force in the opposite direction (e.g., upward). The rolling element 140 and the limiting portion 130 allow the purging ring 120 to continue operating normally under the influence of the reaction force.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the air guide groove provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0066] Combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 The air intake assembly 110 in the purging structure 100 may further include an air guide groove 111. The air guide groove 111 may be fitted around the outer periphery of the purging ring 120. One end of the air guide groove 111 may be connected to an air intake pipe 112 to introduce purging gas from the outside into the internal air guide groove 111. The purging gas may flow obliquely downward from the outside to the inside through the air guide groove 111, purging the valve 150. At the same time, the air guide groove 111 may also fix the purged valve 150 and limit the radial movement range of the purging ring 120.

[0067] To better illustrate the purging structure 100 provided in the first aspect of this invention, the working principle of the purging structure 100 will be further described below in conjunction with embodiments of some purging methods. Please refer to... Figure 6 , Figure 6 A flowchart of a purging method provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0068] like Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments, the purging method may include the following step S610: introducing purging gas into the purging structure.

[0069] Specifically, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, the air intake assembly 110 in the purge structure 100 may include an air guide groove 111. The air guide groove 111 may be fitted around the outer periphery of the purge ring 120. One end of the air guide groove 111 may be connected to an air intake pipe 112. Purge gas is introduced into the air intake pipe 112 to introduce purge gas from the outside and distribute it evenly within the air guide groove 111. Purge gas is introduced into the purge ring 120 through the air guide groove 111 so that the purge gas is output obliquely downward from the outside to the inside through the air outlet 121 on the inner side of the purge ring 120.

[0070] Continue as Figure 6 As shown, the above-mentioned purging method provided by the present invention may further include step S620: in response to the purging gas being output from the outlet of the purging ring, the purging ring driven by the purging gas rotates circumferentially to drive the outlet to rotate and output gas.

[0071] Specifically, in some preferred embodiments, the multiple air outlets 121 inside the purge ring 120 can be distributed in an axisymmetric structure, so that during the output of purge gas, the air outlets 121 in the purge ring 120 that are in relative positions can simultaneously generate two equal and eccentric forces.

[0072] like Figure 3As shown, in one embodiment, a set of vents 1211 and 1212, which are 180 degrees apart, can be selected for analysis. The vertical force components of vents 1211 and 1212 are both upward. Since vents 1211 and 1212 are both inclined at a first angle α, they can simultaneously generate a pair of equally eccentric horizontal force components. This pair of equally eccentric horizontal force components can provide a set of torques to the purge ring 120. When the purge ring 120 outputs purge gas for purge work, the multiple axisymmetrically distributed vents 121 in the purge ring 120 can provide multiple sets of gas torques in the same direction. These multiple sets of gas torques in the same direction can jointly generate a relatively large gas torque to drive the purge ring 120 itself to rotate around its central axis. At this time, the vents 121 in the purge ring 120 also rotate synchronously, thereby realizing dynamic pipeline purging and making the purging area dynamic.

[0073] Although the methods described above are illustrated and depicted as a series of actions for the sake of simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, as some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from the illustrations and descriptions herein or not illustrated and described herein but which may be understood by those skilled in the art, according to one or more embodiments.

[0074] Next, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 A structural block diagram of a thin film deposition apparatus provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0075] like Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the thin film deposition apparatus 700 may include a purge structure 100, a memory 710, and a processor 720. Since the purge structure 100 has already been described above, it will not be repeated here. The memory 710 includes, but is not limited to, the computer-readable storage medium described above in the fourth aspect of the present invention, on which computer instructions are stored. The processor 720 may be connected to the memory 710 and configured to execute the computer instructions stored in the memory 710 to implement the purge method described above in the second aspect of the present invention.

[0076] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described embodiments of the purging methods are merely non-limiting implementations of the present invention, intended to clearly demonstrate the main concepts of the invention and provide specific solutions convenient for public implementation, rather than limiting all operating modes or functions of the purging structure 100 and the thin film deposition apparatus 700. Similarly, the purging structure 100 and the thin film deposition apparatus 700 are also merely non-limiting implementations of the present invention and do not limit the entities implementing the steps of these purging methods.

[0077] In summary, the present invention provides a purging structure, a purging method, a thin film deposition apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can realize dynamic pipeline purging, making the purging area dynamic, thereby expanding the purging surface and improving the purging effect.

[0078] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A purge structure, configured in a thin film deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: An intake assembly for receiving purge gas, wherein the intake assembly is disposed below the purge ring to support the purge ring; and A purge ring is movably nested within the intake assembly, and a valve is located below the purge ring; The purge ring includes multiple air outlets that radially penetrate its inner and outer sides. These outlets are inclined at a first angle in the circumferential direction. This allows the purge gas to be output from the outside to the valve through the outlets, while simultaneously driving the purge ring to rotate circumferentially via the purge gas. The purge direction includes the area below the purge ring. The vent is inclined downward at a second angle in the axial direction, so that while the purging gas is output in the downward purging direction, the purging ring is subjected to an upward reaction force in the opposite direction of the purging direction.

2. The purge structure of claim 1, wherein The purge ring includes multiple air outlets with an axisymmetric structure.

3. The purging structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of air vents is related to the first tilt angle; the smaller the first angle, the more air vents there are.

4. The purging structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a limiting part, which is disposed in the opposite direction of the blowing direction of the blowing ring, so as to limit the displacement of the blowing ring in the opposite direction of its blowing direction when it rotates along its circumference.

5. The purging structure as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a rolling element disposed between the limiting part and the purge ring, so that the purge ring and the limiting part are in a rolling connection.

6. The purging structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The air intake assembly includes an air guide groove, which is sleeved on the outer periphery of the purge ring. One end of the air guide groove is connected to an air intake pipe for introducing the purge gas.

7. A purging method, characterized in that, The purging method, implemented via the purging structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, includes the following steps: A purging gas is introduced into a purging structure, wherein the purging structure includes a purging ring; and In response to the purge gas being output from the outlet of the purge ring, the purge ring, driven by the purge gas, rotates circumferentially to drive the outlet to rotate and discharge gas. The interior of the purge ring includes a plurality of outlets that penetrate the inner and outer sides of the purge ring radially, and the outlets are inclined at a first angle in the circumferential direction.

8. The purging method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The purging structure further includes an air intake assembly, which includes an air guide groove. The air guide groove is sleeved on the outer periphery of the purging ring, and one end of the air guide groove is connected to an air intake pipe to introduce the purging gas. The step of introducing the purging gas into the purging structure includes: The purging gas is introduced into the intake pipe to ensure that the purging gas is evenly distributed within the air guide groove; and The purging gas is introduced into the purging ring through the air guide groove so that the purging gas is output from the air outlet on the inner side of the purging ring.

9. A thin film deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: The purging structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; Memory; as well as A processor, connected to the memory, and configured to implement the purging method as described in any one of claims 7 to 8.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions thereon, characterized in that, When the computer instructions are executed by the processor, the purging method as described in any one of claims 7 to 8 is implemented.

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