Nitrogen heating system and off-gas treatment system

Abstract

The application provides a nitrogen heating system and a tail gas treatment system, wherein the tail gas pipeline comprises a tail gas inlet for being connected with a tail gas discharge device and a tail gas outlet for being connected with a tail gas treatment device; a part of the wall of the tail gas pipeline between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface is provided with a uniform gas cavity, the outer wall surface is provided with at least two nitrogen inlets which are communicated with the uniform gas cavity, the nitrogen outlets of at least two nitrogen pipelines are one-to-one connected with the at least two nitrogen inlets; a plurality of uniform gas outlets on the inner wall surface are communicated with the uniform gas cavity and the cavity of the tail gas pipeline, the gas outlet direction of the uniform gas outlet is consistent with the tail gas flow direction in the tail gas pipeline; at least two nitrogen heaters are one-to-one arranged on the at least two nitrogen pipelines. The application can effectively avoid the blockage of the tail gas pipeline and ensure the use safety of the tail gas pipeline.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor fabrication processes, and in particular to a nitrogen heating system and an exhaust gas treatment system. Background Technology

[0002] In the manufacturing process of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), vapor deposition equipment is typically used to form patterned structural layers with different shapes in the DRAM device.

[0003] In related technologies, a tail gas treatment system is installed at the back end of the vapor deposition apparatus to treat the waste gas discharged from the apparatus. Since the waste gas contains a large amount of dust particles, the tail gas treatment system needs to promptly remove the dust-particle-containing waste gas from the vapor deposition apparatus. This prevents dust particles from affecting the vapor deposition process, thereby avoiding impacting the yield of the formed patterned structural layer.

[0004] However, in the aforementioned exhaust gas treatment system, dust particles can easily clog the pipes, causing damage to the exhaust gas treatment system and failing to effectively guarantee the normal operation of the vapor deposition device. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a nitrogen heating system and an exhaust gas treatment system, which can effectively prevent blockage of the exhaust gas pipeline and ensure the safety of its use. When this exhaust gas treatment system is applied to a vapor deposition apparatus, it can effectively ensure the normal operation of the vapor deposition apparatus.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a nitrogen heating system, comprising: an exhaust gas pipeline, at least two nitrogen pipelines, and at least two nitrogen heaters.

[0007] The exhaust pipeline includes an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust gas outlet. The exhaust gas inlet is used to connect to the exhaust gas emission device, and the exhaust gas outlet is used to connect to the exhaust gas treatment device.

[0008] A gas equalization chamber is provided in the part of the pipe wall between the inner and outer walls of the exhaust pipe, and at least two nitrogen inlets are provided on the outer wall that communicate with the gas equalization chamber. The nitrogen outlets of at least two nitrogen pipes are connected to at least two nitrogen inlets in a corresponding manner.

[0009] Multiple uniform gas outlets are provided on the inner wall surface. The uniform gas outlets are connected to the cavity of the uniform gas chamber and the exhaust gas pipeline. The gas outlet direction is consistent with the exhaust gas flow direction in the exhaust gas pipeline.

[0010] At least two nitrogen heaters are installed one-to-one on at least two nitrogen pipelines to heat the nitrogen in the nitrogen pipelines.

[0011] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe on the side near the exhaust gas inlet is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe on the side near the exhaust gas outlet.

[0012] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe gradually decreases from the side near the exhaust gas inlet to the side near the exhaust gas outlet.

[0013] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe at the nitrogen inlet is a first value, and the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe at the exhaust outlet is a second value; the first value is twice the second value.

[0014] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, the inner wall surface has a stepped surface facing the exhaust gas outlet, and the gas distribution outlet is located on the stepped surface.

[0015] And / or, the shape of the uniform air outlet includes circular and elliptical.

[0016] In the aforementioned nitrogen heating system, optionally, at least two nitrogen inlets are symmetrically distributed around the centerline of the exhaust gas pipeline; and / or, multiple uniform gas outlets are symmetrically distributed around the centerline of the exhaust gas pipeline. And / or, the number of uniform gas outlets is greater than the number of nitrogen inlets.

[0017] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, at least two nitrogen inlets are located on the same plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the exhaust pipe, and are spaced apart circumferentially along the exhaust pipe.

[0018] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, the gas distribution chamber is located near the exhaust gas inlet, and the nitrogen inlet is located on the outer wall surface on the side near the exhaust gas inlet.

[0019] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, a temperature detection element is installed in the gas distribution chamber near the gas distribution outlet.

[0020] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, the extension length of the gas distribution chamber along the radial direction of the exhaust gas pipeline is in the range of 2-3 mm.

[0021] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, each nitrogen pipeline is equipped with a control valve, which is used to open or close the corresponding nitrogen pipeline.

[0022] The nitrogen heating system also includes a controller, to which each nitrogen heater and each control valve are electrically connected. The controller is configured to control the operating status of the control valves and nitrogen heaters.

[0023] In the nitrogen heating system described above, optionally, a check valve is installed at the connection between the nitrogen pipeline and the exhaust gas pipeline. The check valve is used to restrict the flow of gas along the exhaust gas pipeline to the nitrogen pipeline.

[0024] Optionally, the nitrogen heating system described above may also include a nitrogen supply device, with at least two nitrogen pipelines connected to the same nitrogen supply device.

[0025] Secondly, this application provides an exhaust gas treatment system, including: an exhaust gas emission device, an exhaust gas treatment device, and the aforementioned nitrogen heating system.

[0026] The exhaust emission device is connected to the exhaust gas inlet of the nitrogen heating system's exhaust gas pipeline via an exhaust pipe, and the exhaust gas treatment device is connected to the exhaust gas outlet of the nitrogen heating system's exhaust gas pipeline via an exhaust pipe.

[0027] In the aforementioned exhaust gas treatment system, optionally, the exhaust pipe includes several bends, and the nitrogen heating system is located near the bends.

[0028] The nitrogen heating system provided in this application includes: an exhaust gas pipeline, at least two nitrogen pipelines, and at least two nitrogen heaters. By providing at least two nitrogen pipelines on the exhaust gas pipeline, each nitrogen pipeline is connected to the exhaust gas pipeline via a nitrogen inlet spaced apart from the pipeline. By setting up a gas equalization chamber, with its gas equalization outlet facing the exhaust gas outlet, the nitrogen entering the exhaust gas pipeline cavity can flow in the same direction as the exhaust gas flow in the pipeline, avoiding any impact on the exhaust gas flow within the pipeline. By setting the inner diameter of the exhaust gas pipeline near the exhaust gas inlet side to be larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust gas pipeline near the exhaust gas outlet side, the exhaust gas flow can be accelerated, preventing the deposition of dust particles in the exhaust gas. Furthermore, by installing nitrogen heaters on the nitrogen pipelines, the nitrogen within the nitrogen pipelines can be effectively heated to form high-temperature nitrogen, preventing the formation of cold spots within the exhaust gas pipeline. This ensures multiple nitrogen streams within the exhaust gas pipeline, creating multiple high-temperature nitrogen flushing paths and enhancing the cleaning effect of nitrogen on dust particles deposited in the pipeline. Furthermore, it improves the operational stability of the exhaust gas treatment system, eliminating the need for downtime to clean clogged exhaust gas pipelines and ensuring the production efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing equipment equipped with this system.

[0029] The structure of this application, as well as its other inventive objectives and beneficial effects, will become more apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the nitrogen heating system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the exhaust gas pipeline of the nitrogen heating system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the stepped surface of the nitrogen heating system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 4 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the exhaust gas pipeline (gas equalization chamber not shown) of the nitrogen heating system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connection of the controller of the nitrogen heating system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0036] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the exhaust gas treatment system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0038] 100. Nitrogen heating system; 101. Exhaust gas pipeline; 101a. Pipeline; 1011. Exhaust gas inlet; 1012. Exhaust gas outlet; 1013. Nitrogen inlet; 1014. Gas equalization chamber; 1015. Gas equalization outlet; 1016. Bend section; 1017. Stepped surface; 102. Nitrogen pipeline; 1021. First nitrogen pipeline; 1022. Second nitrogen pipeline; 103. Nitrogen heater; 1031. 1032. Nitrogen heater; 104. Second nitrogen heater; 105. Temperature detection device; 106. Check valve; 107. First check valve; 108. Second check valve; 109. Control valve; 100. First control valve; 101. Second control valve; 102. Controller; 100. Nitrogen supply device; 201. Exhaust gas emission device; 302. Exhaust gas treatment device; 403. Drive pump; 500. Exhaust pipeline. Detailed Implementation

[0039] DRAM devices include a patterned dielectric layer (e.g., a silicon nitride layer), which can be fabricated using a vapor deposition process. The vapor deposition process is performed using a vapor deposition apparatus. The substrate of the dielectric layer to be fabricated is placed in the furnace tube of the vapor deposition apparatus. The furnace tube is heated, and a gas containing the material to be vaporized is deposited onto the substrate to form the dielectric layer. During this process, waste gas containing dust particles is generated. If this waste gas remains in the furnace tube, it will lead to a decrease in the yield of the dielectric layer; therefore, it is necessary to remove the waste gas from the furnace tube in a timely manner.

[0040] In some embodiments, a tail gas treatment system is installed at the rear end of the furnace tube. This system includes a vacuum pump that drives the exhaust gas from the furnace tube to be discharged. However, dust particles in the exhaust gas can deposit in the exhaust pipe of the tail gas treatment system, causing blockage. This can lead to excessive back pressure in the vacuum pump, causing it to trip. Furthermore, the dust particles in the blocked exhaust pipe can flow back into the furnace tube and adhere to the dielectric layer, resulting in defects and rendering the dielectric layer unusable. Therefore, the exhaust pipe of the tail gas treatment system needs to be cleaned periodically during shutdowns; however, this reduces the production efficiency of the vapor deposition unit.

[0041] In view of this, this application provides a nitrogen heating system, comprising: an exhaust gas pipeline, at least two nitrogen pipelines, and at least two nitrogen heaters. By providing at least two nitrogen pipelines on the exhaust gas pipeline, each nitrogen pipeline is connected to the exhaust gas pipeline via a nitrogen inlet spaced apart from the pipeline. By providing a gas equalization chamber, with its gas equalization outlet facing the exhaust gas outlet, the nitrogen entering the exhaust gas pipeline cavity can flow in the same direction as the exhaust gas flow in the pipeline, avoiding any impact on the exhaust gas flow within the pipeline. By setting the inner diameter of the exhaust gas pipeline near the exhaust gas inlet to be larger than that near the exhaust gas outlet, the exhaust gas flow can be accelerated, preventing the deposition of dust particles in the exhaust gas. Furthermore, by providing nitrogen heaters on the nitrogen pipelines, the nitrogen within the pipelines can be effectively heated to form high-temperature nitrogen, preventing the formation of cold spots within the exhaust gas pipeline. This ensures that there are multiple nitrogen gas paths in the exhaust pipe, thereby creating multiple high-temperature nitrogen flushing paths in the exhaust pipe. This improves the flushing and cleaning effect of nitrogen on dust particles deposited in the exhaust pipe, effectively solving the problem of exhaust pipe blockage.

[0042] Furthermore, the aforementioned nitrogen heating system can improve the operational stability of the exhaust gas treatment system, avoid downtime for cleaning clogged exhaust gas pipelines, and ensure the production efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing equipment equipped with this exhaust gas treatment system.

[0043] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components or components having the same or similar functions throughout. The described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of this application. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown in the figure, this application provides a nitrogen heating system 100, including: an exhaust gas pipeline 101, at least two nitrogen pipelines 102 and at least two nitrogen heaters 103.

[0045] The exhaust gas pipeline 101 includes an exhaust gas inlet 1011 and an exhaust gas outlet 1012. The exhaust gas inlet 1011 is used to connect to the exhaust gas emission device 200, and the exhaust gas outlet 1012 is used to connect to the exhaust gas treatment device 300. At least two nitrogen gas inlets 1013 are spaced apart on the exhaust gas pipeline 101.

[0046] A gas equalization chamber 1014 is provided in the part of the pipe wall between the inner wall and the outer wall of the exhaust pipe 101. At least two nitrogen inlets 1013 communicating with the gas equalization chamber 1014 are provided on the outer wall. The nitrogen outlets of at least two nitrogen pipes 102 are connected to at least two nitrogen inlets 1013 of the exhaust pipe 101 in a corresponding manner.

[0047] Multiple uniform gas outlets 1015 are provided on the inner wall surface. The uniform gas outlets 1015 are connected to the uniform gas chamber 1014 and the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101. The gas outlet direction of the uniform gas outlets 1015 is consistent with the exhaust gas flow direction in the exhaust gas pipeline 101.

[0048] Nitrogen gas in nitrogen pipeline 102 enters gas equalization chamber 1014 through nitrogen inlet 1013 and enters exhaust gas pipeline 101 cavity 101a through gas equalization outlet 1015.

[0049] At least two nitrogen heaters 103 are respectively installed on at least two nitrogen pipelines 102 for heating nitrogen in the nitrogen pipelines 102.

[0050] It should be noted that the exhaust pipe 101 provided in this embodiment can be connected to the exhaust pipe 500 of the exhaust gas treatment system. The exhaust gas inlet 1011 is connected to the exhaust gas emission device 200 through the exhaust pipe 500. The exhaust gas containing dust particles discharged by the exhaust gas emission device 200 enters the exhaust pipe 101.

[0051] The exhaust pipe 101 is provided with at least two nitrogen inlets 1013, which are spaced apart and connected one-to-one to at least two nitrogen pipes 102. This ensures that nitrogen can enter different positions on the exhaust pipe 101, so that the nitrogen can be evenly distributed in different positions on the exhaust pipe 101, thereby ensuring the nitrogen distribution effect in the exhaust pipe 101 and improving the flushing effect of nitrogen on dust particles deposited in the exhaust pipe 101.

[0052] Furthermore, if one of the nitrogen lines 102 is damaged, the remaining nitrogen lines 102 can be used as backups to complete the cleaning process of the exhaust gas line 101. In this way, the maintenance of the nitrogen heating system 100 can be completed without interrupting the operation of the exhaust gas treatment system and the exhaust gas emission device 200, ensuring the working efficiency of the exhaust gas emission device 200.

[0053] Specifically, the nitrogen heating system 100 includes a nitrogen heater 103, which is disposed in a nitrogen pipeline 102. At least one nitrogen heater 103 can be installed on a nitrogen pipeline 102 to heat the nitrogen within the pipeline 102, ensuring that the nitrogen entering the exhaust gas pipeline 101 is high-temperature nitrogen. This application utilizes high-temperature nitrogen to enhance the flushing effect on accumulated dust particles.

[0054] Since the multi-channel nitrogen pipeline 102 can ensure that nitrogen is distributed at different locations in the exhaust pipeline 101, the heated high-temperature nitrogen can ensure that different locations in the exhaust pipeline 101 are in a high-temperature state, avoiding the generation of a large number of cold spots in the exhaust pipeline 101, thereby preventing the accumulation of too many dust particles at the cold spots and causing blockage.

[0055] It should be noted that there can be two, three, or more nitrogen pipelines 102; this embodiment uses two as an example. That is, referring to... Figure 1 As shown, the nitrogen pipeline 102 includes a first nitrogen pipeline 1021 and a first nitrogen pipeline 1022, and the nitrogen inlet 1013 includes a first nitrogen inlet and a second nitrogen inlet. The first nitrogen pipeline 1021 is connected to the exhaust gas pipeline 101 through the first nitrogen inlet, and the first nitrogen pipeline 1022 is connected to the exhaust gas pipeline 101 through the second nitrogen inlet. The first nitrogen inlet and the second nitrogen inlet are respectively located at different positions on the exhaust gas pipeline 101.

[0056] The nitrogen heater 103 includes a first nitrogen heater 1031 and a second nitrogen heater 1032. The first nitrogen heater 1031 is disposed on the first nitrogen pipeline 1021, and the second nitrogen heater 1032 is disposed on the first nitrogen pipeline 1022.

[0057] Specifically, the exhaust outlet 1012 is located at the end of the exhaust pipe 101 and is used to pass nitrogen carrying dust particles through the exhaust pipe 500 into the exhaust treatment device 300, so that the nitrogen and dust particles can be treated by the exhaust treatment device 300.

[0058] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the nitrogen inlet 1013 is located between the exhaust gas inlet 1011 and the exhaust gas outlet 1012 on the exhaust gas pipeline 101, with a certain distance between the nitrogen inlet 1013 and the exhaust gas inlet 1011. Preferably, the nitrogen inlet 1013 is located close to the exhaust gas inlet 1011 to ensure the flushing and cleaning effect on dust particles in the exhaust gas pipeline 101.

[0059] Combination Figures 1 to 3 As shown in this embodiment, a gas equalization chamber 1014 is provided inside the wall of the exhaust gas pipeline. The gas equalization chamber 1014 can be an annular cavity located between the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface. The gas equalization chamber 1014 is connected to the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 through a gas equalization outlet 1015, and the gas equalization chamber 1014 is connected to the nitrogen pipeline 102 through a nitrogen inlet 1013.

[0060] It should be noted that, referring to Figure 1 As shown, the gas equalization chamber 1014 can be located in the exhaust gas pipeline 101 near the nitrogen inlet 1013, and the nitrogen inlet 1013 is located on the outer wall surface of the side near the exhaust gas inlet 1011. The gas equalization chamber 1014 can be provided or not provided in other positions of the exhaust gas pipeline 101, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0061] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown in the diagram, the solid arrows indicate the flow path of nitrogen gas, while the dashed arrows indicate the flow path of exhaust gas in the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101. The exhaust gas in the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 flows from the exhaust gas inlet 1011 towards the exhaust gas outlet 1012. The gas in the nitrogen pipeline 102 enters the gas equalization chamber 1014 via the nitrogen inlet 1013 and then enters the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 via the gas equalization outlet 1015. Furthermore, since the gas equalization outlet 1015 faces the exhaust gas outlet 1012, the nitrogen gas entering the cavity 101a flows towards the exhaust gas outlet 1012, in the same direction as the exhaust gas flow. In this way, on the one hand, nitrogen can be used to increase the flow rate of the exhaust gas, so as to avoid the deposition of dust particles due to the low flow rate of the exhaust gas; on the other hand, some nitrogen can also flow along the inner wall of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 to flush away the dust particles that have been deposited on the inner wall, thereby improving the flushing effect.

[0062] Furthermore, based on this application, the nitrogen pipeline 102 includes at least two. The nitrogen gas in the different nitrogen pipelines 102 is first evenly distributed and mixed in the gas equalization chamber 1014 before entering the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101. Moreover, if one nitrogen pipeline 102 is damaged, the gas from the remaining nitrogen pipelines 102 can also be mixed in the gas equalization chamber 1014 before entering the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101. This avoids the nitrogen gas entering the cavity 101a from being concentrated in a localized area around the cavity 101a, preventing problems caused by uneven nitrogen distribution affecting the flushing effect.

[0063] Among them, reference Figure 2 As shown, the inner wall surface has a stepped surface 1017 facing the exhaust gas outlet 1012, and the gas equalization outlet 1015 is located on the stepped surface 1017. The stepped surface 1017 can be a plane, and its extending direction can be perpendicular to the extending direction of the cavity 101a. This ensures that the nitrogen gas discharged into the cavity 101a from the gas equalization outlet 1015 faces the exhaust gas outlet 1012 and flows in the same direction as the exhaust gas flow within the cavity 101a.

[0064] Reference Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the shape of the uniform gas outlet 1015 includes circular and elliptical shapes. A circular uniform gas outlet 1015 can reduce the flow resistance of nitrogen, while an elliptical uniform gas outlet 1015 can increase the flow area of ​​nitrogen.

[0065] The radial extension length of the gas distribution chamber 1014 along the exhaust pipe 101 ranges from 2 to 3 mm. This extension length can be... Figure 2As shown in section c, if the radial extension length of the uniform gas chamber 1014 along the exhaust gas pipe 101 is too large, the entire exhaust gas pipe 101 will have a large volume; conversely, if the radial extension length of the uniform gas chamber 1014 along the exhaust gas pipe 101 is too small, the effect of uniform nitrogen mixing cannot be effectively achieved. This extension length can be 2.2 mm, 2.5 mm, or 2.8 mm, and this embodiment does not limit the specific value.

[0066] The wall thickness of the exhaust gas pipe 101 located on the outer periphery of the gas equalization chamber 1014 can be 1.5-2mm, which can ensure the structural stability of the exhaust gas pipe 101 at the gas equalization chamber 1014. The wall thickness can be 1.6mm or 1.8mm.

[0067] In some embodiments, at least two nitrogen inlets 1013 are symmetrically distributed around the centerline of the exhaust pipe 101. The extension direction of the nitrogen inlets 1013 can be radial to the exhaust pipe 101. In this embodiment, the angle between the centerline of the first nitrogen inlet and the centerline of the second nitrogen inlet can be 180°. The symmetrically distributed nitrogen inlets 1013 ensure that the nitrogen entering the gas equalization chamber 1014 is evenly distributed within the gas equalization chamber 1014, which is more conducive to the uniform mixing of nitrogen.

[0068] In some embodiments, multiple uniform gas outlets 1015 are symmetrically distributed around the centerline of the exhaust gas pipeline 101. This ensures that the nitrogen entering the cavity 101a of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 is evenly distributed at different positions around the cavity 101a, guaranteeing a flushing and cleaning effect on different positions of the cavity 101a.

[0069] In some embodiments, the number of uniform gas outlets 1015 is greater than the number of nitrogen inlets 1013. This ensures uniform scouring of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 while avoiding the need for additional nitrogen pipelines 102, thus reducing the cost of the nitrogen heating system 100. In this embodiment, there are two nitrogen inlets 1013 and six uniform gas outlets 1015. In other embodiments, the number of nitrogen inlets 1013 and uniform gas outlets 1015 can be adjusted appropriately; this application does not limit the specific values.

[0070] In some embodiments, at least two nitrogen inlets 1013 are located on the same plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the exhaust pipe 101, and are spaced apart circumferentially along the exhaust pipe 101. It is understood that, taking the first and second nitrogen inlets of this application as examples, the distance between the first nitrogen inlet and the exhaust inlet 1011 can be equal to the distance between the second nitrogen inlet and the exhaust inlet 1011. Both are distributed circumferentially along the exhaust pipe 101.

[0071] Reference Figure 4As shown, the first nitrogen inlet and the second nitrogen inlet are located on the same plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the exhaust pipe 101, ensuring that both can effectively communicate with the gas equalization chamber 1014, reducing the extension length of the gas equalization chamber 1014 along the extension direction of the exhaust pipe 101, and reducing the processing difficulty of the exhaust pipe 101. Gases entering the cavity 101a of the exhaust pipe 101 through the first and second nitrogen inlets can directly impact each other within the cavity 101a. Since the inner radial direction of the exhaust pipe 101 gradually decreases towards the exhaust outlet 1012, the two nitrogen streams can continuously accelerate to form intersecting and independent spiral scouring paths. Figure 4 The two spiral solid arrows in the middle indicate the flow path, which has a good flushing effect on the dust particles deposited on the inner wall of the exhaust pipe 101, carrying away the deposited dust particles and avoiding blockage.

[0072] In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 on the side near the exhaust gas inlet 1011 is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 on the side near the exhaust gas outlet 1012.

[0073] It should be noted that the size of the exhaust gas inlet 1011 is adapted to the size of the exhaust pipe of the exhaust gas emission device 200 to ensure the connection effect between the exhaust gas pipe 101 and the exhaust gas emission device 200. The size of the exhaust gas outlet 1012 is adapted to the size of the exhaust pipe of the exhaust gas treatment device 300 to ensure the connection effect between the exhaust gas pipe 101 and the exhaust gas treatment device 300.

[0074] With a constant nitrogen flow rate in the exhaust pipe 101, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 on the side closer to the exhaust inlet 1011 is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 on the side closer to the exhaust outlet 1012. This increases the nitrogen flow rate in the direction closer to the exhaust outlet 1012, thereby improving the nitrogen's flushing effect on dust particles, effectively removing accumulated dust particles, and solving the blockage problem.

[0075] What can be achieved is, by reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 gradually decreases from the side near the exhaust inlet 1011 to the side near the exhaust outlet 1012. This ensures the smoothness of the inner wall surface of the exhaust pipe 101, avoids structural corners on the inner wall surface of the exhaust pipe 101, prevents dust particles from accumulating at these structural corners, and thus avoids affecting the cleaning effect of the exhaust pipe 101.

[0076] As one feasible implementation, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 with nitrogen inlet 1013 is a first value, and the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 with exhaust outlet 1012 is a second value; the first value is twice the second value.

[0077] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 with nitrogen inlet 1013 is 'a', and the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe 101 with exhaust outlet 1012 is 'b'. Here, 'a' is twice 'b'. When the ratio of 'a' to 'b' is too large, the volume of the exhaust pipe 101 becomes too large, or the inner diameter of the exhaust outlet 1012 of the exhaust pipe 101 becomes too small, which is not conducive to the installation of the nitrogen heating system 100. Conversely, when the ratio of 'a' to 'b' is too small, the flow rate of nitrogen in the exhaust pipe 101 cannot be effectively increased, resulting in poor cleaning effect of dust particles.

[0078] Reference Figure 2 As shown, a temperature sensor 104 is installed in the gas distribution chamber 1014 near the gas distribution outlet 1015. This temperature sensor 104 can be used to detect the temperature of the nitrogen flowing through the gas distribution outlet 1015. When the nitrogen temperature is too low, the flushing effect on the accumulated dust cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, the temperature sensor 104 can be used to monitor the nitrogen temperature and appropriately adjust the operating state of the nitrogen heater 103. This temperature sensor 104 can be a thermocouple.

[0079] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, each nitrogen pipeline 102 is equipped with a control valve 106, which is used to open or close the corresponding nitrogen pipeline 102. Thus, when a nitrogen pipeline 102 is damaged, the corresponding control valve 106 can be controlled to close that nitrogen pipeline 102, allowing for maintenance of the nitrogen heating system 100 without interrupting its operation, thereby ensuring the efficiency of the exhaust gas treatment system. The control valve 106 may include a first control valve 106 controlling the opening and closing of the first nitrogen pipeline 1021, and a second control valve 106 controlling the opening and closing of the first nitrogen pipeline 1022.

[0080] The nitrogen heating system 100 also includes a controller 107. Each nitrogen heater 103 and each control valve 106 is electrically connected to the controller 107. The controller 107 is configured to control the operating states of the control valves 106 and the nitrogen heaters 103. That is, the controller 107 is electrically connected to the first control valve 106 and the second control valve 106, and also electrically connected to the first nitrogen heater 1031 and the second nitrogen heater 1032. It should be noted that the controller 107 can control the operating states of the first control valve 106 and the second control valve 106, as well as the operating states of the first nitrogen heater 1031 and the second nitrogen heater 1032, according to a preset program.

[0081] In some embodiments, the controller 107 may also be electrically connected to the temperature sensor 104 to receive the detected temperature from the temperature sensor 104, and adjust the operating states of the first control valve 106 and the second control valve 106, or adjust the operating states of the first nitrogen heater 1031 and the second nitrogen heater 1032 based on the detected temperature. This application does not limit the specific adjustment process.

[0082] Reference Figure 1 As shown, a check valve 105 is installed at the connection between the nitrogen pipeline 102 and the exhaust gas pipeline 101. The check valve 105 is used to restrict the flow of gas along the exhaust gas pipeline 101 to the nitrogen pipeline 102. In this way, nitrogen in the exhaust gas pipeline 101 can be prevented from flowing back into the nitrogen pipeline 102, and dust particles can be prevented from affecting the nitrogen pipeline 102, thus ensuring the operational stability of the nitrogen heating system 100.

[0083] In this application, the check valve 105 may include a first check valve 105 for controlling the first nitrogen pipeline 1021 and a second check valve 105 for controlling the first nitrogen pipeline 1022. The first check valve 105 and the second check valve 105 may respectively control the nitrogen flow state of the first nitrogen pipeline 1021 and the first nitrogen pipeline 1022.

[0084] In some embodiments, the nitrogen heating system 100 of this application further includes a nitrogen supply device 108, with at least two nitrogen pipelines 102 connected to the same nitrogen supply device 108. This ensures a relatively uniform nitrogen flow rate across the multiple nitrogen pipelines 102, and that if one nitrogen pipeline 102 is damaged, the amount of nitrogen entering the exhaust gas pipeline 101 is not affected, thus ensuring the flushing and cleaning effect within the exhaust gas pipeline 101.

[0085] Secondly, referring to Figure 6 As shown, this application provides an exhaust gas treatment system, including: an exhaust gas emission device 200, an exhaust gas treatment device 300, and the aforementioned nitrogen heating system 100.

[0086] The exhaust emission device 200 is connected to the exhaust gas inlet 1011 of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 of the nitrogen heating system 100 via an exhaust pipe, and the exhaust gas treatment device 300 is connected to the exhaust gas outlet 1012 of the exhaust gas pipeline 101 of the nitrogen heating system 100 via an exhaust pipe.

[0087] It should be noted that the exhaust emission device 200 may include, but is not limited to, an evaporation device and a vapor deposition device. The vapor deposition device may be a device used for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes.

[0088] The exhaust gas treatment device 300 can be a filtration device used to filter nitrogen containing dust particles, collect the dust particles, and treat the exhaust gas accordingly to meet the exhaust gas emission standards.

[0089] In this exhaust gas treatment system, multiple nitrogen heating systems 100 can be provided. Multiple nitrogen heating systems 100 can be provided at intervals along the extension direction of nitrogen pipeline 102, or they can be provided in key locations where nitrogen pipeline 102 is prone to blockage, such as the bend section 1016 of nitrogen pipeline 102 in the above embodiment.

[0090] Reference Figure 6 As shown, the exhaust pipe includes several bends 1016, with the nitrogen heating system positioned close to these bends. Due to the limited placement of the exhaust emission device 200 and the exhaust treatment device 300, the exhaust pipe cannot be designed as a completely straight pipe structure. When bends 1016 exist in the exhaust pipe, the exhaust gas velocity decreases at the bends, making this location more prone to dust particle deposition and blockage. Therefore, in this embodiment, the nitrogen heating system 100 can be positioned close to the bends 1016 to specifically address the blockage problem in the exhaust pipe 101.

[0091] As one possible implementation, the nitrogen heating system 100 can be located on the upstream side of the corresponding bend section 1016 near the exhaust pipe 500, that is, the nitrogen heating system 100 is located on the side of the corresponding bend section 1016 near the exhaust emission device 200.

[0092] In some embodiments, the exhaust gas treatment system may further include a drive pump 400, which may be disposed on the exhaust pipe 500 between the exhaust gas emission device 200 and the exhaust gas treatment device 300, for driving the flow of exhaust gas in the exhaust pipe 500. When the exhaust pipe 500 becomes blocked, the drive pump 400 is easily damaged. Therefore, the nitrogen heating system 100 described above can also prevent damage to the drive pump 400 and ensure the operational stability of the exhaust gas treatment system.

[0093] Thirdly, this application provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, including the aforementioned exhaust gas treatment system. This semiconductor manufacturing apparatus can be used to fabricate semiconductor structures, including but not limited to memory devices and non-memory devices. The memory devices may include, for example, Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), flash memory, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Phase Change Random Access Memory (PRAM), or Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM). The non-memory devices may be logic devices (e.g., microprocessors, digital signal processors, or microcontrollers) or similar devices.

[0094] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be understood that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances. The terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise precisely specified.

[0095] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0096] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A nitrogen heating system, characterized in that, include: Exhaust gas line, at least two nitrogen lines and at least two nitrogen heaters; The exhaust gas pipeline includes an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust gas outlet. The exhaust gas inlet is used to connect to the exhaust gas emission device, and the exhaust gas outlet is used to connect to the exhaust gas treatment device. A gas equalization chamber is provided in a portion of the pipe wall between the inner and outer walls of the exhaust pipe. The gas equalization chamber is an annular cavity. At least two nitrogen inlets are provided on the outer wall and communicate with the gas equalization chamber. The nitrogen outlets of the at least two nitrogen pipes are connected to the at least two nitrogen inlets in a one-to-one correspondence. The inner wall surface is provided with a plurality of uniform gas outlets, the inner wall surface has a stepped surface facing the exhaust gas outlet, the uniform gas outlet is located on the stepped surface, the uniform gas outlet connects the uniform gas chamber and the exhaust gas pipeline, and the gas outlet direction of the uniform gas outlet is consistent with the exhaust gas flow direction in the exhaust gas pipeline. At least two nitrogen heaters are respectively installed on at least two nitrogen pipelines for heating nitrogen in the nitrogen pipelines.

2. The nitrogen heating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the exhaust pipe on the side closer to the exhaust gas inlet is larger than the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe on the side closer to the exhaust gas outlet.

3. The nitrogen heating system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the exhaust pipe gradually decreases from the side closest to the exhaust gas inlet to the side closest to the exhaust gas outlet.

4. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The inner diameter of the exhaust pipe at the nitrogen inlet is a first value, and the inner diameter of the exhaust pipe at the exhaust outlet is a second value. The first value is twice the second value.

5. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The shape of the uniform air outlet includes circular and elliptical.

6. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, At least two of the nitrogen inlets are symmetrically distributed around the centerline of the exhaust gas pipeline; and / or, a plurality of the uniform gas outlets are symmetrically distributed around the centerline of the exhaust gas pipeline; And / or, the number of gas outlets is greater than the number of nitrogen inlets.

7. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, At least two of the nitrogen inlets are located on the same plane perpendicular to the extension direction of the exhaust pipe and are spaced apart circumferentially along the exhaust pipe.

8. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The gas equalization chamber is located near the exhaust gas inlet, and the nitrogen inlet is located on the outer wall surface near the exhaust gas inlet.

9. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, A temperature detection element is installed in the gas distribution chamber near the gas distribution outlet.

10. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Along the radial direction of the exhaust pipe, the extension length of the gas equalization chamber ranges from 2 to 3 mm.

11. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Each of the nitrogen pipelines is equipped with a control valve, which is used to open or close the corresponding nitrogen pipeline. The nitrogen heating system also includes a controller, and each of the nitrogen heaters and each of the control valves is electrically connected to the controller. The controller is configured to control the operating state of the control valves and the nitrogen heaters.

12. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, A check valve is provided at the connection between the nitrogen pipeline and the exhaust gas pipeline. The check valve is used to restrict the flow of gas along the direction from the exhaust gas pipeline to the nitrogen pipeline.

13. The nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, It also includes a nitrogen supply device, wherein at least two of the nitrogen pipelines are connected to the same nitrogen supply device.

14. An exhaust gas treatment system, characterized in that, include: Exhaust gas emission device, exhaust gas treatment device, and nitrogen heating system according to any one of claims 1-13; The exhaust gas emission device is connected to the exhaust gas inlet of the nitrogen heating system's exhaust gas pipeline via an exhaust pipe, and the exhaust gas treatment device is connected to the exhaust gas outlet of the nitrogen heating system's exhaust gas pipeline via an exhaust pipe.

15. The exhaust gas treatment system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The exhaust pipe includes several bends, and the nitrogen heating system is located near the bends.

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