MBE high-purity source feeding equipment and feeding method

Abstract

The present invention provides an MBE high-purity source feeding device and feeding method, which include: an MBE growth mechanism, which includes a shell, a beam source furnace and a first vacuum pump, and the interior of the shell is a working chamber; a feeding buffer mechanism, which includes a feeding chamber, a transmission component, a heating component and a second vacuum pump, and the heating component is connected to the feeding chamber; a clamping and transporting mechanism, which includes a flexible adjustment sleeve and a clamping manipulator, the clamping manipulator moves through the flexible adjustment sleeve, and the high-purity source to be added enters the beam source furnace through the clamping manipulator from the transmission component. The present invention avoids the problem that the MBE system needs to open the chamber for feeding, thereby greatly reducing the problem of reduced efficiency of the MBE system due to feeding, and achieving extremely high economic value. In addition, compared with conventional feeding methods, the present application also has the advantages of simple operation, high safety, wide practical range, high feeding cleanliness and reduced operating costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of MBE equipment, and specifically refers to an MBE high-purity source feeding equipment and a feeding method. Background Art

[0002] MBE (Molecular Beam Epitaxy) is an important epitaxial material growth technology. It has become an important method for the development of high-performance materials and devices due to its excellent material growth quality, precise material thickness control ability and extremely high material purity (extremely low impurities) during growth. Its basic working principle is to heat multiple high-purity sources of the required growth materials under ultra-high vacuum conditions to form a beam until the beam is deposited on the target surface and forms a layer of material film. During its processing, the structure and thickness of the material film can be accurately controlled by a high-energy diffractometer, thereby achieving the purpose of high-precision material growth.

[0003] The growth of different materials requires the use of different high-purity materials and complex multi-layer structures. Therefore, during the processing, if you want to achieve high-quality material growth, the purity of the production raw materials must be guaranteed.

[0004] The various types of high-purity raw materials used in MBE are usually added to the crucible of the beam source furnace under normal temperature and atmospheric conditions. After the high-purity source is added, the corresponding beam source furnace is installed in the MBE system, and then the MBE system is subjected to a series of operations such as vacuuming and baking. A general MBE system is equipped with multiple beam source furnaces for growing different materials. The consumption of different materials during the use of multiple beam source furnaces varies. When one or more of the source furnaces runs out of high-purity source materials or has less remaining materials, the MBE system needs to open the chamber to add raw materials. The temperatures of different types of beam source furnaces vary, but the conventional temperatures are around 600-1000°C, and the liquid nitrogen cold trap is filled with liquid nitrogen at the same time. If you want to open the chamber to add high-purity source materials, you need to slowly lower the temperature of all beam source furnaces and liquid nitrogen cold traps to room temperature before you can proceed, and then you need to perform a series of recovery operations on the equipment, which results in the following defects:

[0005] 1. The addition process of high-purity raw materials seriously affects the efficiency of the MBE system:

[0006] The MBE system needs to meet the ultra-high vacuum environment requirements (chamber vacuum degree <1.0E-10Torr) when growing materials. The chamber environment needs to go from atmospheric state to ultra-high vacuum state through a series of complex processes and steps, such as high vacuum pumping, leak detection, baking, vacuum breaking and source furnace loading, vacuum pumping, leak detection, baking, source furnace degassing, vacuum breaking, high-purity source material loading, vacuum pumping, leak detection, baking, peripheral equipment installation, function debugging, high-purity source material degassing, calibration, and material growth. The time span is at least 2 months. If other problems or abnormalities occur during this process, the time span will be extended indefinitely. This is an unavoidable problem for both R&D equipment and mass production systems. Especially for mass production systems, the addition process of high-purity raw materials seriously affects the efficiency of the MBE system.

[0007] 2. The equipment opening process is complicated and there are potential safety hazards:

[0008] When the MBE equipment is operating normally, there are a large number of supporting systems around it, such as cooling water system, power system, liquid nitrogen circulation system, source furnace temperature control system, cleanliness control system, etc. When the equipment switches from normal operation to open chamber maintenance mode, the supporting systems need to respond differently and adjust the state. The whole process involves multiple functional modules, which takes a long time and the operation process needs to be fully controllable. For example: the source furnace of MBE usually operates between 600-1000℃. Before maintenance, it needs to be cooled down. The cooling rate needs to be controlled at 5℃ / min. If the cooling is too fast, the source furnace will be damaged quickly, and if the cooling is too slow, the time cost will increase. The coordination of each action link and the operation sequence need to be strictly controlled. Any negligence or operational error in the process will cause a major accident in the system.

[0009] 3. Materials are easily contaminated:

[0010] Since the high-purity source is added under normal temperature and atmospheric conditions, the small source furnace has a small capacity, and the time for adding high-purity source to a single small source furnace is generally about 5-10 minutes. The large source furnace has a larger capacity, and the time for adding a single high-purity source is generally between 10-30 minutes. After all high-purity raw materials have been added, the source furnace is installed on the MBE system. The entire action (source material addition + installation) process usually takes 4-6 hours to complete. During the several hours of installation process, the high-purity source is always exposed to the atmospheric environment. At this time, the high-purity source material will react with water vapor and oxygen in the air, and particle contamination problems are prone to occur, thereby causing contamination of the high-purity source.

[0011] 4. The cost of rebuilding the MBE system after environmental damage is high:

[0012] The MBE epitaxial material growth process has very strict requirements on the environment and equipment status, which is also a necessary condition for the growth of high-quality epitaxial materials. It usually takes weeks or even months of running-in to establish a stable and good material growth environment. Once the cavity is opened for system maintenance or the addition of high-purity source materials, the cavity environment will be completely destroyed, and the re-establishment process is complicated and costly. Summary of the invention

[0013] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the problems of low efficiency, difficult operation and high cost in adding high-purity raw materials to the beam source furnace in the prior art, and to provide an MBE high-purity source feeding device and feeding method.

[0014] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an MBE high-purity source feeding device, which includes: an MBE growth mechanism, the MBE growth mechanism includes a shell, a plurality of beam source furnaces and a first vacuum pump, the interior of the shell is a working chamber, the plurality of beam source furnaces are respectively connected to the shell, and the first vacuum pump is connected to the shell; a feeding buffer mechanism, the feeding buffer mechanism is connected to the shell, and includes a feeding chamber, a transmission component, a heating component and a second vacuum pump, the second vacuum pump is connected to the feeding chamber, the high-purity source to be added enters the transmission component through the feeding chamber, and moves between the working chamber and the feeding chamber with the transmission component, and the heating component is connected to the feeding chamber; a clamping and transporting mechanism, the clamping and transporting mechanism includes a flexible adjustment sleeve and a clamping manipulator, the flexible adjustment sleeve is connected to the working chamber, the clamping manipulator is connected to the flexible adjustment sleeve, and moves through the flexible adjustment sleeve, and the high-purity source to be added enters the beam source furnace from the transmission component through the clamping manipulator.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding buffer mechanism further includes a second gate valve and a transmission pipeline, the second gate valve is arranged between the feeding chamber and the shell, the transmission pipeline is connected to the feeding chamber, and the transmission component moves along the transmission pipeline.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the heating assembly includes a first heater and a second heater, the first heater is arranged inside the feeding chamber, and the second heater is arranged around the feeding chamber, the transmission pipeline and the second gate valve.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding chamber comprises a feeding port and a hatch, the feeding port is arranged at one side of the feeding chamber, and the hatch moves relative to the feeding port to adjust the opening and closing of the feeding port.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding chamber is further provided with a vacuum breaking valve and a vacuum gauge; the first vacuum pump is a high vacuum low temperature pump; the second vacuum pump includes a front stage mechanical pump and a molecular pump.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transmission assembly includes a moving rod and a tray, and the tray is arranged on a side of the moving rod facing the working chamber.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transmission component includes an inner magnet, the transmission pipe includes an outer magnet, the inner magnet is connected to the moving rod, the outer magnet is sleeved on the pipe body of the transmission pipe, and the inner magnet drives the moving rod to move synchronously with the outer magnet.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the clamping and transporting mechanism also includes a stop shutter, which is arranged between the flexible adjustment sleeve and the working chamber. When the clamping robot extends into the working chamber, the stop shutter is in an open state; when the clamping robot is located inside the flexible adjustment sleeve, the stop shutter is in a closed state.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the clamping robot includes a sleeve, a telescopic rod, a connecting shaft and at least two clamping claws, the sleeve is connected to the shell, the telescopic rod is slidably arranged inside the sleeve, one end of the telescopic rod is connected to the connecting shaft, and the other end is connected to the flexible adjustment sleeve, the two ends of the connecting shaft respectively rotate relative to each other around the center, and at least two of the clamping claws are respectively at the two ends of the connecting shaft.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the beam source furnace includes a furnace body, a source furnace shutter, and a control component. The source furnace shutter is arranged on the top of the furnace body. The control component is connected to the source furnace shutter to adjust the beam current.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, the MBE growth mechanism also includes a plurality of cameras, a high energy electron diffractometer and a substrate heater, the plurality of cameras are arranged around the working chamber, the high energy electron diffractometer and the substrate heater are respectively connected to the shell, and the substrate heater extends to the middle of the working chamber.

[0025] The present invention also provides a method for feeding a high-purity source of an MBE device, which feeds the material through the above-mentioned MBE high-purity source feeding device, and specifically comprises the following steps: S1, after adding a high-purity source into a transmission component through a feeding cavity of a feeding buffer mechanism, the internal environment of the feeding buffer mechanism reaches a first vacuum degree;

[0026] S2. Heat the feeding buffer mechanism to exhaust and remove impurities at a first vacuum degree; S3. After cooling, make the internal environment of the feeding buffer mechanism reach a second vacuum degree, and then connect the feeding buffer mechanism with the working chamber of the MBE growth mechanism; S4. Transport the high-purity source to the working chamber through a transmission component; S5. Transport the high-purity source to the corresponding beam source furnace through a clamping and transporting mechanism; S6. Each mechanism returns to its initial position until the feeding is completed, and then adjusts the working chamber to reach a working state.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, in step S1, the feeding buffer mechanism and the MBE growth mechanism are isolated from each other, and the first vacuum degree is less than 5.0E-8Torr; in step S2, the heating rate during the heating process is 20°C / hour, and the heating temperature does not exceed 200°C; in step S3, the second vacuum degree is ≤1.0E-9Torr; in step S6, the vacuum degree in the working state is <1.0E-10Torr.

[0028] In one embodiment of the present invention, step S3 specifically includes: opening a second gate valve provided between the feeding buffer mechanism and the MBE growth mechanism to connect the feeding buffer mechanism with the working chamber of the MBE growth mechanism; step S4 specifically includes: driving a moving rod provided with an internal magnet toward the MBE growth mechanism by an external magnet to move the tray carrying the high-purity source in the transmission component into the working chamber; step S5 specifically includes: opening a stop shutter in the clamping and transporting mechanism, and moving the clamping manipulator to 45 to 55 mm above the tray, causing it to descend and clamp the high-purity source, and then driving the high-purity source to move to 45 to 55 mm above the corresponding beam source furnace feed port, at which time the source furnace shutter is opened, and the clamping manipulator puts the high-purity source into the beam source furnace; in step S6, each mechanism returns to its initial position, including: the transmission component moves to the inside of the feeding buffer mechanism, the second gate valve is closed, the clamping and transporting mechanism moves to the inside of the flexible adjustment sleeve, and the stop shutter is closed.

[0029] The above technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0030] The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment and feeding method of the present invention feeds the MBE growth mechanism with a feeding buffer mechanism without damaging the internal environment of the MBE growth mechanism, and then places the high-purity source in the corresponding beam source furnace through a clamping and transporting mechanism, thereby avoiding the problem of the MBE system needing to open a cavity for feeding, thereby greatly reducing the problem of reduced efficiency of the MBE system due to feeding, and achieving extremely high economic value. In addition, compared with conventional feeding methods, the present application also has the advantages of simple operation, high safety, wide practical range, high feeding cleanliness, and reduced operating costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to make the contents of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below based on specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the MBE high-purity source feeding equipment in the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The top view of the MBE high purity source feeding equipment is shown;

[0034] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The cross-sectional structure schematic diagram of the AA position of the flexible adjustment sleeve in the MBE high-purity source feeding equipment is shown in a compressed state;

[0035] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the transmission component in the MBE high-purity source feeding equipment is shown;

[0036] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the transmission component shown in another perspective;

[0037] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the clamping robot in the MBE high-purity source feeding equipment.

[0038] Description of the accompanying drawings in the specification: 100, MBE growth mechanism; 110, housing; 111, liquid nitrogen inlet; 112, liquid nitrogen outlet; 120, beam source furnace; 121, source furnace shutter; 122, control component; 123, furnace body; 130, camera; 140, first vacuum pump; 141, first gate valve; 150, high energy electron diffractometer; 160, substrate heater; 200, feeding buffer mechanism; 210, feeding chamber; 211, hatch; 212, vacuum gauge; 213, vacuum breaking valve; 220, transmission component; 221, moving rod; 222, tray; 230, transmission pipeline; 231, tube body; 232, external magnet; 240, second vacuum pump; 250, second plug valve; 300, clamping and transporting mechanism; 310, flexible adjustment sleeve; 320, clamping manipulator; 321, sleeve; 322, telescopic rod; 323, connecting shaft; 324, clamping claw; 330, stop shutter; 331, door panel; 332, door panel control component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and implement it, but the embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0040] Embodiment 1

[0041] See also Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides an MBE high-purity source feeding device, which includes: an MBE growth mechanism 100, the MBE growth mechanism 100 includes a shell 110, a plurality of beam source furnaces 120 and a first vacuum pump 140, the shell 110 has a working chamber inside, the plurality of beam source furnaces 120 are respectively connected to the shell 110, and the first vacuum pump 140 is connected to the shell 110; a feeding buffer mechanism 200, the feeding buffer mechanism 200 is connected to the shell 110, and includes a feeding chamber 210, a transmission component 220, a heating component and a second vacuum pump 240, and the second vacuum pump 240 is connected to the feeding chamber 210. The high-purity source to be added enters the transmission component 220 through the feeding chamber 210, and moves with the transmission component 220 between the working chamber and the feeding chamber 210, and the heating component is connected to the feeding chamber 210; the clamping and transporting mechanism 300, the clamping and transporting mechanism 300 includes a flexible adjustment sleeve 310 and a clamping manipulator 320, the flexible adjustment sleeve 310 is connected to the working chamber, the clamping manipulator 320 is connected to the flexible adjustment sleeve 310, and moves through the flexible adjustment sleeve 310, the high-purity source to be added enters the beam source furnace 120 from the transmission component 220 through the clamping manipulator 320.

[0042] The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment of the present invention feeds the MBE growth mechanism 100 with the feeding buffer mechanism 200 without damaging the internal environment of the MBE growth mechanism 100, and then places the high-purity source in the corresponding beam source furnace 120 through the clamping and transporting mechanism 300, thereby avoiding the problem of the MBE system needing to open a cavity for feeding, thereby greatly reducing the problem of the MBE system's reduced efficiency due to feeding, and achieving extremely high economic value. In addition, compared with conventional feeding methods, the present application also has the advantages of simple operation, high safety, wide practical range, high feeding cleanliness, and reduced operating costs.

[0043] See also Figures 1 to 3As shown, the MBE growth mechanism 100 in this embodiment is used for molecular beam epitaxy material growth process, the first vacuum pump 140 is also provided with a first gate valve 141 between the working chambers to control the on and off of the two, the vacuum degree inside the MBE growth mechanism 100 is usually at 1.0E-10Torr, and the MBE growth mechanism 100 is provided with a plurality of beam source furnaces 120, which are respectively used to contain one of the high-purity sources including In, Ga, Al, Si, Be, etc. Further, the beam source furnace 120 in this embodiment includes a furnace body 123, a source furnace shutter 121, and a control component 122, the source furnace shutter 121 is arranged on the top of the furnace body 123, and the control component 122 is connected to the source furnace shutter 121 to regulate the beam current. When there is no need to add material to the furnace body 123, the source furnace shutter 121 is in a closed state. When adding material is required, the source furnace shutter 121 corresponding to the beam source furnace 120 can be opened under the driving action of the control component 122, thereby preventing impurities from entering the furnace body 123 when the source furnace shutter 121 is in a closed state.

[0044] Furthermore, the MBE growth mechanism 100 in this embodiment also includes a plurality of cameras 130, a high energy electron diffractometer 150 and a substrate heater 160, wherein the plurality of cameras 130 are arranged around the working chamber, the high energy electron diffractometer 150 and the substrate heater 160 are respectively connected to the shell 110, and the substrate heater 160 extends to the middle of the working chamber. Specifically, the MBE growth mechanism 100 in this application includes a plurality of cameras 130, and the cameras 130 are used to provide real-time feedback on the internal conditions of the working chamber, thereby ensuring that the transmission process of the high purity source and the coordination process of each mechanism are stable and orderly. The high energy electron diffractometer 150 is used to monitor the material growth process to control the speed and thickness of the material growth. Furthermore, a liquid nitrogen inlet 111 and a liquid nitrogen outlet 112 connected to the inside of the working chamber are also provided on the top cover of the shell.

[0045] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the feeding buffer mechanism 200 in this embodiment is connected to the side wall of the shell 110, wherein the feeding chamber 210 is preferably a six-sided chamber made of stainless steel, so that it can be used to dock various installation surfaces or connecting surfaces. Further, the feeding chamber 210 includes a feeding port and a hatch 211, wherein the feeding port is arranged on one side of the feeding chamber 210, and the hatch 211 moves relative to the feeding port to adjust the opening and closing of the feeding port. In this embodiment, one side of the hatch 211 is connected to the feeding port of the cavity, and can be flipped relative to the feeding port to realize its opening and closing. When feeding is required, the hatch 211 is opened, and the operator can add a high-purity source to the transmission component 220 through the feeding port. When the feeding is completed, the hatch 211 is closed, and the inside of the feeding chamber 210 is a highly closed environment. Specifically, in order to improve the sealing degree of the feeding chamber 210, a sealing ring is also arranged between the hatch 211 and the cavity in this embodiment.

[0046] The feeding buffer mechanism 200 in this embodiment also includes a second gate valve 250 and a transmission pipeline 230, wherein the second gate valve 250 is arranged between the feeding chamber 210 and the housing 110, the transmission pipeline 230 is connected to the feeding chamber 210, and the transmission component 220 moves along the transmission pipeline. Among them, the second gate valve 250 is used to realize the on-off between the feeding chamber 210 and the working chamber. In order to avoid excessive impact on the internal environment of the working chamber during the feeding process, it is necessary to adjust the temperature and vacuum degree of the feeding chamber 210 under the condition that the feeding chamber 210 and the working chamber are isolated from each other, thereby, the second gate valve 250 in this embodiment is used to realize the on-off between the feeding chamber 210 and the working chamber. The transmission pipeline 230 and the second gate valve 250 are respectively arranged on the opposite sides of the feeding chamber 210, which provide space for the movement of the transmission component 220 to realize the movement process of the transmission component 220 between the feeding chamber 210 and the working chamber.

[0047] Furthermore, in order to achieve independent adjustment of the vacuum environment in the feeding chamber 210 and the working chamber, the feeding chamber 210 in this embodiment is also provided with a vacuum breaking valve 213 and a vacuum gauge 212. Furthermore, the first vacuum pump 140 is preferably a high vacuum cryogenic pump; the second vacuum pump 240 includes a front stage mechanical pump and a molecular pump, wherein the front stage mechanical pump can achieve preliminary adjustment of the vacuum degree of the feeding chamber 210, and the molecular pump can perform a high vacuum operation on the feeding chamber 210, wherein the molecular pump has the advantages of small size and high precision.

[0048] In this embodiment, in order to ensure the purity of the high-purity source during the transportation process, it is necessary to heat, exhaust and remove impurities. Therefore, the heating component in this embodiment includes a first heater and a second heater (not shown in the figure), the first heater is arranged inside the feeding chamber 210, and the second heater is arranged around the feeding chamber 210, the transmission pipeline 230 and the second gate valve 250. Among them, the first heater is arranged at the bottom of the feeding chamber 210, which is preferably an annular heating wire for heating the inside of the feeding chamber 210; the second heater is wound around the outer surface of the feeding buffer mechanism 200, which is used to heat the entire feeding buffer mechanism 200 from the outside, thereby achieving an efficient and uniform heating treatment effect.

[0049] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the transmission component 220 in this embodiment includes a moving rod 221 and a tray 222. The tray 222 is arranged on the side of the moving rod 221 facing the working chamber. When feeding is required, the tray 222 can be moved to the bottom of the feeding port accordingly. The high-purity source is contained in the tray 222 and moved by the moving rod 221. The present invention does not limit the specific capacity and shape of the tray 222.

[0050] Further, the transmission component 220 includes an inner magnet, the transmission pipe 230 includes an outer magnet 232, the inner magnet is connected to the moving rod 221, the outer magnet 232 is sleeved on the pipe body 231 of the transmission pipe 230, and the inner magnet drives the moving rod 221 to move synchronously with the outer magnet 232. In this embodiment, the operator can drive the transmission component 220 by moving the external magnet 232. Specifically, a limiting mechanism (not shown in the figure) is also provided on the moving rod 221 to ensure that the transmission component 220 can move stably along the transmission pipeline.

[0051] See also Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the flexible adjustment sleeve 310 in this embodiment is preferably a multi-layer flexible bellows, which can be flexibly adjusted at multiple angles through deformation such as expansion and contraction and bending. Figure 6As shown, the clamping robot 320 in this embodiment includes a sleeve 321, a telescopic rod 322, a connecting shaft 323 and at least two clamping claws 324, the sleeve 321 is connected to the shell 110, the telescopic rod 322 is slidably arranged inside the sleeve 321, one end of the telescopic rod 322 is connected to the connecting shaft 323, and the other end is connected to the flexible adjustment sleeve 310, the two ends of the connecting shaft 323 respectively rotate relative to each other around the center, and at least two of the clamping claws 324 are respectively at the two ends of the connecting shaft 323. The telescopic rod 322 in this embodiment realizes the position adjustment of the clamping robot 320 inside the working body and the opening and closing of the clamping jaw 324 through the movement of the flexible bellows. Specifically, the flexible bellows can drive the clamping robot 320 to move through its rotation and bending, and can link the telescopic rod 322 through its extension and retraction, thereby realizing indirect control of the opening and closing of the clamping jaw 324. In other embodiments, the clamping robot 320 can also be adjusted through other transmission mechanisms or control methods, and the present invention does not make specific restrictions on this.

[0052] In this embodiment, in order to effectively prevent the material from being deposited on the clamping manipulator 320 during the MBE growth process, thereby causing the clamping manipulator 320 to be contaminated, a stop shutter 330 is further provided in this embodiment. The stop shutter 330 is provided between the flexible adjustment sleeve 310 and the working chamber. When the clamping manipulator 320 extends into the working chamber, the stop shutter 330 is in an open state; when the clamping manipulator 320 is located inside the flexible adjustment sleeve 310, the stop shutter 330 is in a closed state. In this way, the clamping manipulator 320 can be isolated from the working chamber during the MBE growth process. Specifically, the stop shutter 330 in this embodiment includes a door panel 331 and a door panel control member 332. The door panel 331 is rotatably provided at the opening 120 corresponding to the beam source furnace, and the door panel control member 332 is connected to the door panel 331 to control the opening and closing of the door panel 331.

[0053] Embodiment 2

[0054] This embodiment provides a method for feeding a high-purity source to an MBE device, which feeds a high-purity indium material through the MBE high-purity source feeding device described in Embodiment 1, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0055] S1. After adding a high-purity source to the transmission component 220 through the feeding chamber 210 of the feeding buffer mechanism 200, the internal environment of the feeding buffer mechanism 200 reaches the first vacuum degree; specifically, when performing this operation, it is necessary to close the second plug valve 250 to isolate the working chamber from the feeding chamber 210, and then close the molecular pump on the feeding buffer mechanism 200. After the molecular pump stops for 15 minutes, open the vacuum breaking valve 213 to break the vacuum of the feeding chamber 210 until the vacuum degree of the feeding buffer chamber reaches 760Torr, so that the feeding chamber 210 is opened and re-closed after the feeding. It is worth noting that the process of reducing the molecular pump from a high speed to the vacuum breaking valve 213 that can be opened generally takes 15 minutes. Then, open the hatch 211, use clean tweezers to quickly pick up an appropriate amount of high-purity indium material and place it in the tray 222 of the transmission component 220, then quickly close the hatch 211, and start the front-stage mechanical pump to perform the first vacuum on the feeding chamber 210. When the vacuum degree reaches 5.0E-2Torr, start the molecular pump to pump high vacuum into the feeding buffer chamber until the internal environment of the feeding buffer mechanism 200 reaches the first vacuum degree. Furthermore, the first vacuum degree is less than 5.0E-8Torr.

[0056] S2. Heat the feeding buffer mechanism 200 at the first vacuum degree to exhaust and remove impurities; high-purity sources can be exhausted and removed by high-temperature heating, thereby improving the purity of the raw materials. Specifically, the heating rate during the heating process is 20°C / hour, and the heating temperature is lower than 200°C. In other embodiments, the heating temperature can be set to 200°C or lower according to actual material processing requirements. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first heater and the second heater can evenly heat the inside and outside of the feeding buffer mechanism 200 simultaneously, thereby ensuring the heating effect.

[0057] S3, after cooling down, the internal environment of the feeding buffer mechanism 200 reaches the second vacuum degree, and at this time, the feeding buffer mechanism 200 is connected with the working chamber of the MBE growth mechanism 100; it is worth noting that in actual use, the connection between the feeding chamber 210 and the working chamber can only be achieved under the premise that the internal environments between the feeding chamber 210 and the working chamber match, and in this process, in order to exhaust and remove impurities from the feeding chamber 210 to ensure the purity of the chamber, the feeding chamber 210 needs to be heated, but for the working chamber, temperature control is crucial. On the one hand, the vacuum degree inside the working chamber is affected by temperature, and temperature changes will cause fluctuations in the vacuum degree, which directly affects the growth quality. On the other hand, temperature changes will also cause the transfer of impurities after the feeding chamber 210 is connected with the working chamber, so it is necessary to cool down the feeding chamber 210 before the feeding chamber 210 is connected with the working chamber. Further, the cooling rate in this embodiment is the same as the heating rate. In this embodiment, step S3 specifically includes: opening the second gate valve 250 disposed between the feeding buffer mechanism 200 and the MBE growth mechanism 100 to connect the feeding buffer mechanism 200 and the working chamber of the MBE growth mechanism 100, wherein the second vacuum degree is ≤1.0E-9Torr.

[0058] S4, transporting the high-purity source to the working chamber through the transmission component 220; in this embodiment, step S4 is specifically: driving the moving rod 221 provided with an internal magnet toward the MBE growth mechanism 100 through the external magnet 232 to move the tray 222 carrying the high-purity source in the transmission component 220 to the working chamber.

[0059] S5. The high-purity source is transported to the corresponding beam source furnace 120 through the clamping and transporting mechanism 300. In this embodiment, step S5 is specifically as follows: open the stop shutter 330 in the clamping and transporting mechanism 300, and move the clamping manipulator 320 to 50 mm above the tray 222, then lower it and clamp the high-purity source, and then drive the high-purity source to move to 50 mm above the feed port of the corresponding beam source furnace 120. At this time, the source furnace shutter 121 is opened, and the clamping manipulator 320 puts the high-purity source into the beam source furnace 120. During this process, the operator can observe the position of the clamping manipulator 320 through the camera 130 and adjust it in real time. When the high-purity source moves to 50 mm above the feed port of the corresponding beam source furnace 120, the high-purity source is put into the furnace body 123 to ensure that the raw material enters the furnace body 123 along the inner wall of the beam source furnace 120. In other embodiments, the clamping robot 320 can also be moved to 45 to 55 mm above the tray 222, and the high-purity source can also be moved to 45 to 55 mm above the feed port of the corresponding beam source furnace 120 for delivery. The present invention does not impose any specific limitation on this.

[0060] S6, each mechanism returns to its initial position until the feeding is completed, and the working chamber is adjusted to reach a working state. In step S6 of this embodiment, each mechanism returns to its initial position, including: the transmission component 220 moves to the inside of the feeding buffer mechanism 200, the second gate valve 250 is closed, the clamping and transporting mechanism 300 moves to the inside of the flexible adjustment sleeve 310, and the stop shutter 330 is closed. Furthermore, in step S6, the vacuum degree in the working state is <1.0E-10Torr. Based on the above processing process, the feeding process of the present application can be controlled in about 24 hours. Compared with the conventional feeding process that can only be completed once every 1 to 2 months, the seasoning processing efficiency of the present application is significantly improved.

[0061] In summary, the MBE high-purity source feeding equipment and feeding method described in the present invention feeds the MBE growth mechanism 100 with the feeding buffer mechanism 200 without destroying the internal environment of the MBE growth mechanism 100, and then places the high-purity source in the corresponding beam source furnace 120 through the clamping and transporting mechanism 300, thereby avoiding the problem of the MBE system needing to open a cavity for feeding, and thus greatly reducing the problem of the MBE system's reduced efficiency due to feeding, thereby achieving extremely high economic value. In addition, compared with conventional feeding methods, the present application also has the advantages of simple operation, high safety, wide practical range, high feeding cleanliness, and reduced operating costs.

[0062] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived from these are still within the protection scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An MBE high-purity source feeding device, characterized in that: include: An MBE growth mechanism, wherein the MBE growth mechanism comprises a shell, a plurality of beam source furnaces and a first vacuum pump, wherein the interior of the shell is a working chamber, the plurality of beam source furnaces are respectively connected to the shell, and the first vacuum pump is connected to the shell; A feeding buffer mechanism, the feeding buffer mechanism is connected to the shell, and includes a feeding chamber, a transmission component, a heating component and a second vacuum pump, the second vacuum pump is connected to the feeding chamber, the high-purity source to be added enters the transmission component through the feeding chamber, and moves between the working chamber and the feeding chamber with the transmission component, and the heating component is connected to the feeding chamber; the feeding buffer mechanism also includes a second gate valve and a transmission pipeline, the second gate valve is arranged between the feeding chamber and the shell, the transmission pipeline is connected to the feeding chamber, and the transmission component moves along the transmission pipeline; the transmission component includes a moving rod and a tray, the tray is arranged on the side of the moving rod facing the working chamber; the transmission component includes an inner magnet, the transmission pipeline includes an outer magnet, the inner magnet is connected to the moving rod, the outer magnet is sleeved on the pipe body of the transmission pipeline, and the inner magnet drives the moving rod to move synchronously with the outer magnet; A clamping and transporting mechanism, the clamping and transporting mechanism includes a flexible adjustment sleeve and a clamping manipulator, the flexible adjustment sleeve is communicated with the working chamber, the clamping manipulator is connected to the flexible adjustment sleeve and moves through the flexible adjustment sleeve, and the high-purity source to be added enters the beam source furnace through the transmission component through the clamping manipulator; the clamping and transporting mechanism also includes a stop shutter, the stop shutter is arranged between the flexible adjustment sleeve and the working chamber, when the clamping manipulator extends into the working chamber, the stop shutter is in an open state; when the clamping manipulator is located inside the flexible adjustment sleeve, the stop shutter is in a closed state.

2. The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating component includes a first heater and a second heater, wherein the first heater is arranged inside the feeding chamber, and the second heater is arranged around the feeding chamber, the transmission pipeline and the second gate valve.

3. The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding chamber comprises a feeding port and a hatch, wherein the feeding port is arranged at one side of the feeding chamber, and the hatch moves relative to the feeding port to adjust the opening and closing of the feeding port.

4. The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding chamber is also provided with a vacuum breaking valve and a vacuum gauge; the first vacuum pump is a high vacuum low temperature pump; the second vacuum pump includes a front stage mechanical pump and a molecular pump.

5. The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping robot includes a sleeve, a telescopic rod, a linkage shaft and at least two clamping claws. The sleeve is connected to the shell, the telescopic rod is slidably arranged inside the sleeve, one end of the telescopic rod is connected to the linkage shaft, and the other end is connected to the flexible adjustment sleeve. The two ends of the linkage shaft rotate relatively around the center respectively, and at least two clamping claws are respectively at the two ends of the linkage shaft.

6. The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The beam source furnace comprises a furnace body, a source furnace shutter, and a control component. The source furnace shutter is arranged on the top of the furnace body. The control component is connected to the source furnace shutter to adjust the beam current.

7. The MBE high-purity source feeding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MBE growth mechanism also includes a plurality of cameras, a high energy electron diffractometer and a substrate heater. The plurality of cameras are arranged around the working chamber. The high energy electron diffractometer and the substrate heater are respectively connected to the shell, and the substrate heater extends to the middle of the working chamber.

8. A method for adding high-purity source to MBE equipment, characterized in that: The feeding is performed by the MBE high-purity source feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, specifically comprising the following steps: S1. After adding a high-purity source into the transmission component through the feeding chamber of the feeding buffer mechanism, the internal environment of the feeding buffer mechanism reaches a first vacuum degree; S2, heating and exhausting the feeding buffer mechanism to remove impurities at the first vacuum degree; S3, after cooling, the internal environment of the feeding buffer mechanism reaches a second vacuum degree, and at this time, the feeding buffer mechanism is connected to the working chamber of the MBE growth mechanism; S4, delivering the high-purity source to the working chamber through the transmission component; S5, transporting the high-purity source to the corresponding beam source furnace through a clamping and transporting mechanism; S6. Each mechanism returns to its initial position until the feeding is completed, and the working chamber is adjusted to reach a working state.

9. The method for adding high-purity source to MBE equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step S1, the feeding buffer mechanism is isolated from the MBE growth mechanism, and the first vacuum degree is less than 5.0E-8Torr; in step S2, the heating rate during the heating process is 20°C / hour, and the heating temperature does not exceed 200°C; in step S3, the second vacuum degree is ≤1.0E-9Torr; in step S6, the vacuum degree in the working state is <1.0E-10Torr.

10. The method for adding high-purity source to MBE equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: Step S3 specifically includes: opening a second gate valve disposed between the feeding buffer mechanism and the MBE growth mechanism to connect the feeding buffer mechanism with the working chamber of the MBE growth mechanism; Step S4 specifically includes: driving a moving rod provided with an internal magnet to move toward the MBE growth mechanism through an external magnet to move the tray carrying the high-purity source in the transmission assembly into the working chamber; Step S5 specifically includes: opening a stop shutter in the clamping and transporting mechanism, and moving the clamping manipulator to 45 to 55 mm above the tray, and then lowering it to clamp the high-purity source, and then driving the high-purity source to move to 45 to 55 mm above the corresponding beam source furnace feed port, at which time the source furnace shutter is opened, and the clamping manipulator puts the high-purity source into the beam source furnace; In step S6, each mechanism returns to the initial position, including: the transmission component moves to the inside of the feeding buffer mechanism, the second gate valve is closed, the clamping and transporting mechanism moves to the inside of the flexible adjustment sleeve, and the stop shutter is closed.

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