Gas heating device, transmission system and method and processing equipment of semiconductor device

Abstract

The invention provides a gas heating device, a gas transmission system and method, and processing equipment of a semiconductor device. The gas heating device comprises an outer pipe used for providing a closed transmission channel for gas to be heated; the inner pipe is arranged on the inner side of the outer pipe, and at least one opening which extends in the gas flowing direction and is adjustable in size is formed in the inner pipe; the inner pipe is provided with an opening, the heating structure is arranged on the inner side of the inner pipe, a ventilation gap is kept between the heating structure and the inner wall of the inner pipe, and the inner pipe adjusts the sectional area of the ventilation gap by adjusting the size of the opening, so that the pressure of an air inlet and / or the temperature of an air outlet of the gas heating device are / is changed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a gas heating device, a gas transmission system, a gas transmission method, and a processing equipment for semiconductor devices. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing process, heating pipeline gas is crucial in semiconductor manufacturing. It not only ensures the purity and fluidity of the gas, but also ensures the stability of the manufacturing process and the final quality of the product.

[0003] In the prior art, the gas temperature is usually controlled by heating the gas transmission pipeline with a heating belt, but this method not only heats the gas slowly but also causes the heating temperature to be inaccurate.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, there is an urgent need in the art for a gas heating technology to adapt to different process requirements, thereby improving the efficiency of gas temperature regulation. Summary of the invention

[0005] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a gas heating device, a gas transmission system, a gas transmission method, and a semiconductor device processing equipment, which are used to adapt to different process requirements, thereby improving the efficiency of gas temperature regulation.

[0007] Specifically, the gas heating device provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: an outer tube, used to provide a closed transmission channel for the gas to be heated; an inner tube, arranged on the inner side of the outer tube, and provided with at least one opening extending along the gas flow direction and adjustable in size; and a heating structure, arranged on the inner side of the inner tube and maintaining a ventilation gap with the inner wall of the inner tube, wherein the inner tube adjusts the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap by adjusting the size of the opening, thereby changing the air inlet pressure and / or air outlet temperature of the gas heating device.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the heating device also includes: a knob, a first end of which is connected to the outer tube, and a second end of which is threadedly connected to the inner tube, wherein the inner tube narrows the opening as the knob rotates along a preset first direction to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap, or the inner tube expands the opening as the knob rotates along a preset second direction to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the inner tube is composed of a plurality of components spliced ​​together, wherein the openings are respectively provided between the components, and at least one of the components is threadedly connected to a knob.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the heating structure is made of a heat-conducting material and is provided with at least one mounting groove for inserting a heating rod.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the heating device also includes: a temperature sensor for collecting the outlet temperature of the heating device, wherein the inner tube expands the opening when the outlet temperature is higher than the target temperature to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap, or shrinks the opening when the outlet temperature is lower than the target temperature to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the heating device also includes: a pressure sensor for collecting the air inlet pressure of the heating device, wherein the inner tube expands the opening when the air inlet pressure is greater than the target pressure to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap, or shrinks the opening when the air inlet pressure is less than the target pressure to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the heating device further comprises: an over-temperature alarm, connected to the temperature sensor, and configured to generate an over-temperature alarm when the temperature of the air outlet is higher than a preset temperature threshold.

[0014] In addition, the gas transmission system provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a heating device as described in any one of the first aspect of the present invention; an outer shell for fixing the heating device, wherein the first end of the knob of the heating device is connected to the outer tube of the heating device via the outer shell; an input pipeline, a first end of which is connected to the gas box of the semiconductor device processing equipment, and a second end of which is connected to the air inlet of the heating device; and an output pipeline, a first end of which is connected to the air outlet of the heating device, and a second end of which is connected to the process chamber of the semiconductor device processing equipment.

[0015] In addition, the gas transmission method provided according to the third aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: obtaining the target temperature of the gas outlet of the heating device as described in any one of the first aspect of the present invention, and detecting the actual temperature of the gas outlet; in response to the actual temperature being higher than the target temperature, expanding the opening of the inner tube of the heating device to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap between the inner tube and the heating structure of the heating device; and in response to the actual temperature being lower than the target temperature, narrowing the opening to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

[0016] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the heating method also includes the following steps: obtaining a target pressure of the air inlet of the heating device, and detecting an actual pressure of the air inlet; in response to the actual pressure being greater than the target pressure, expanding the opening to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap; and in response to the actual pressure being less than the target pressure, shrinking the opening to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

[0017] In addition, the processing equipment of the semiconductor device provided according to the fourth aspect of the present invention includes: a gas box, at least for providing a process gas to be heated; a gas transmission system as described in the second aspect of the present invention, for heating the process gas and transmitting it to a back-end process chamber; and the process chamber, for accommodating a wafer and performing a thin film deposition process on it. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a gas transmission system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a gas heating device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a gas flow path of a gas heating device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the principle of a gas heating device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Reference numerals:

[0024] 10 Heating device

[0025] 11 External tube

[0026] 12 Inner tube

[0027] 13 Heating structure

[0028] 131 Mounting slot

[0029] 14 Ventilation gap

[0030] 15 Air Inlet

[0031] 16 Air outlet

[0032] 17 Knob

[0033] 20 Outer shell

[0034] 30 Input pipeline

[0035] 40 Output pipeline DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the implementation is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0037] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0038] In addition, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal" and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the directions shown in the paragraph and the related drawings. Such relative terms are only used for the convenience of description and do not mean that the device described therein must be manufactured or operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0039] It is understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers and / or parts, these components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer and / or part discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] As mentioned above, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, heating pipeline gas is crucial in semiconductor manufacturing. It not only ensures the purity and fluidity of the gas, but also ensures the stability of the manufacturing process and the final quality of the product.

[0041] In the prior art, the gas temperature is usually controlled by heating with a heating belt, but this method not only heats the gas slowly but also causes the heating temperature to be inaccurate.

[0042] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a gas heating device, a gas transmission system, a gas transmission method, and a semiconductor device processing equipment, which are used to adapt to different process requirements, thereby improving the efficiency of gas temperature regulation.

[0043] In some non-limiting embodiments, the heating device provided in the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the gas transmission system provided in the second aspect of the present invention. The gas transmission method provided in the third aspect of the present invention can be implemented based on the gas transmission system provided in the second aspect of the present invention. The gas transmission system provided in the second aspect of the present invention can be configured in the processing equipment of the semiconductor device provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention. Specifically, the processing equipment of the semiconductor device provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention includes: a gas box, at least for providing a process gas to be heated; a gas transmission system for heating the process gas and transmitting it to a back-end process chamber; a process chamber for accommodating a wafer and performing a thin film deposition process on it.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a gas transmission system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, the gas transmission system includes a heating device 10 , an outer shell 20 , an input pipeline 30 and an output pipeline 40 .

[0046] Specifically, the outer shell 20 is used to fix the heating device 10, wherein the first end of the knob 17 of the heating device 10 is connected to the outer tube 11 of the heating device 10 via the outer shell 20. An input pipeline 30, whose first end is connected to the gas box of the semiconductor device processing equipment and whose second end is connected to the air inlet 15 of the heating device 10; and an output pipeline 40, whose first end is connected to the air outlet 16 of the heating device 10 and whose second end is connected to the process chamber of the semiconductor device processing equipment.

[0047] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a gas heating device 10 provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0048] like Figure 2 As shown, the gas heating device 10 includes an outer tube 11, an inner tube 12 and a heating structure 13. Specifically, the outer tube 11 is used to provide a closed transmission channel for the gas to be heated. The inner tube 12 is arranged on the inner side of the outer tube 11, and is provided with at least one opening extending along the gas flow direction and having an adjustable size.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a gas flow path of a gas heating device 10 provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0050] like Figure 3 As shown, the heating structure 13 is arranged on the inner side of the inner tube 12 and maintains a ventilation gap 14 with the inner wall of the inner tube 12. After the gas to be heated is input into the heating device 10 through the input pipeline 30, the gas to be heated is heated through the gap. The inner tube 12 adjusts the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14 by adjusting the size of the opening, thereby changing the pressure of the air inlet 15 and / or the temperature of the air outlet 16 of the gas heating device 10.

[0051] Please continue to refer to Figure 2 In some non-limiting embodiments, the heating device 10 further includes a knob 17. The first end of the knob 17 is connected to the outer tube 11, and the second end of the knob 17 is threadedly connected to the inner tube 12. The knob 17 is provided with an adjustment scale, which can be adjusted according to the required temperature and flow resistance. Specifically, the formula for controlling the flow resistance can be expressed as:

[0052]

[0053] Among them, Q is the gas flow rate, M is the gas mass, V is the gas volume, ΔT is the change in gas temperature, P is the gas pressure, and A is the gas flow cross-sectional area.

[0054] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the inner tube 12 narrows its opening as the knob 17 rotates along a preset first direction to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14, or the inner tube 12 widens its opening as the knob 17 rotates along a preset second direction to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14.

[0055] Further, in some non-limiting embodiments, the inner tube 12 is composed of a plurality of parts, each of which is provided with an opening, and at least one part is threadedly connected to a knob 17. Specifically, the inner tube can be two half tubes of symmetrical structure, so as to symmetrically adjust the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14, so as to make the gas heating more uniform and improve the quality of the subsequent process.

[0056] Optionally, the inner tube 12 may be an integral structure with a single opening on one side, or may be composed of three or more components spliced ​​into an inner tube with openings provided between each pair of components, so as to adapt to different process requirements and improve the efficiency of gas temperature regulation.

[0057] Furthermore, in some non-limiting embodiments, the heating structure 13 is made of a heat-conducting material and is provided with at least one mounting slot 131 for inserting a heating rod.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the principle of a gas heating device 10 provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0059] like Figure 4 As shown, in some non-limiting embodiments, the heating device 10 further includes a temperature sensor for collecting the temperature of the air outlet 16 of the heating device 10. When the temperature of the air outlet 16 is higher than the target temperature, the inner tube 12 expands the opening to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14, or when the temperature of the air outlet 16 is lower than the target temperature, the inner tube 12 narrows the opening to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14. Here, the target temperature can be a fixed value (for example, 200°C) or a certain range (for example, 100°C to 200°C).

[0060] Further, in some non-limiting embodiments, the heating device 10 further includes a pressure sensor for collecting the pressure of the air inlet 15 of the heating device 10. When the pressure of the air inlet 15 is greater than the target pressure, the inner tube 12 expands the opening to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14, or when the pressure of the air inlet 15 is less than the target pressure, the inner tube 12 narrows the opening to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14, wherein the target pressure may be a fixed value or a certain range.

[0061] Furthermore, in some non-limiting embodiments, the heating device 10 further includes an over-temperature alarm. The over-temperature alarm is connected to a temperature sensor and is used to generate an over-temperature alarm when the temperature of the air outlet 16 is higher than a preset temperature threshold. For example, if the temperature is set at 200°C and heated to 230°C, the over-temperature alarm will feedback an alarm signal.

[0062] The working principle of the above-mentioned gas transmission system will be described below in conjunction with some embodiments of the gas transmission method. Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments of these gas transmission methods are only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the present invention, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit all functions or all working modes of the gas transmission system. Similarly, the gas transmission system is also only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the present invention, and does not constitute a limitation on the execution subject or execution order of each step in these gas transmission methods.

[0063] In some non-limiting embodiments, the gas transmission method includes the following steps: obtaining a target temperature of the gas outlet 16 of the heating device 10, and detecting the actual temperature of the gas outlet 16. In response to the actual temperature being higher than the target temperature, the opening of the inner tube 12 of the heating device 10 is enlarged to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14 between the inner tube 12 and the heating structure 13 of the heating device 10. In response to the actual temperature being lower than the target temperature, the opening is narrowed to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14.

[0064] In addition, in some non-limiting embodiments, the transmission method further comprises the following steps: obtaining a target pressure of the air inlet 15 of the heating device 10, and detecting the actual pressure of the air inlet 15. In response to the actual pressure being greater than the target pressure, the opening is enlarged to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14. In response to the actual pressure being less than the target pressure, the opening is narrowed to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap 14.

[0065] In summary, the gas heating device, gas transmission system, method, and semiconductor device processing equipment provided by the present invention can be used to adapt to different process requirements, thereby improving the efficiency of gas temperature regulation.

[0066] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of actions for simplicity of explanation, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, because according to one or more embodiments, some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art.

[0067] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A gas heating device, characterized in that: include: An outer tube, used to provide a closed transmission channel for the gas to be heated; an inner tube, arranged on the inner side of the outer tube, and provided with at least one opening extending along the gas flow direction and having an adjustable size; and The heating structure is arranged on the inner side of the inner tube and maintains a ventilation gap with the inner wall of the inner tube, wherein the inner tube adjusts the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap by adjusting the size of the opening, thereby changing the air inlet pressure and / or air outlet temperature of the gas heating device.

2. The heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: A knob, a first end of which is connected to the outer tube, and a second end of which is threadedly connected to the inner tube, wherein the inner tube narrows the opening as the knob rotates in a preset first direction to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap, or The inner tube expands the opening as the knob rotates along a preset second direction, so as to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

3. The heating device according to claim 2, characterized in that The inner tube is composed of a plurality of parts, wherein the openings are respectively arranged between the parts, and at least one of the parts is threadedly connected to a knob.

4. The heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating structure is made of heat-conducting material and is provided with at least one mounting groove for inserting a heating rod.

5. The heating device according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: A temperature sensor is used to collect the outlet temperature of the heating device, wherein the inner tube expands the opening when the outlet temperature is higher than the target temperature to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap, or shrinks the opening when the outlet temperature is lower than the target temperature to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

6. The heating device according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: Also includes: A pressure sensor is used to collect the air inlet pressure of the heating device, wherein the inner tube expands the opening when the air inlet pressure is greater than the target pressure to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap, or shrinks the opening when the air inlet pressure is less than the target pressure to reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

7. The heating device according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: An over-temperature alarm is connected to the temperature sensor and is used to issue an over-temperature alarm when the temperature of the air outlet is higher than a preset temperature threshold.

8. A gas transmission system, characterized in that: include: The heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; An outer shell, used to fix the heating device, wherein a first end of the knob of the heating device is connected to an outer tube of the heating device via the outer shell; an input pipeline, a first end of which is connected to the gas box of the semiconductor device processing equipment, and a second end of which is connected to the air inlet of the heating device; and An output pipeline has a first end connected to the gas outlet of the heating device and a second end connected to the process chamber of the semiconductor device processing equipment.

9. A gas transmission method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Obtaining a target temperature of an air outlet of the heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and detecting an actual temperature of the air outlet; In response to the actual temperature being higher than the target temperature, expanding the opening of the inner tube of the heating device to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap between the inner tube and the heating structure of the heating device; as well as In response to the actual temperature being lower than the target temperature, the opening is narrowed to reduce a cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

10. The transmission method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: Obtaining a target pressure of an air inlet of the heating device, and detecting an actual pressure of the air inlet; In response to the actual pressure being greater than the target pressure, expanding the opening to increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap; as well as In response to the actual pressure being less than the target pressure, the opening is narrowed to reduce a cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation gap.

11. A semiconductor device processing equipment, characterized in that: include: a gas box, for providing at least a process gas to be heated; The gas delivery system of claim 8, for heating the process gas and delivering it to a back-end process chamber; and The process chamber is used to accommodate wafers and perform a thin film deposition process on them.

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