Air inlet system for semiconductor reaction cavity and discrete control method of air inlet system

Abstract

The invention provides an air inlet system for a semiconductor reaction cavity and a discrete control method of the air inlet system. The gas inlet system comprises a controller and at least one group of gas inlet pipelines, each group of gas inlet pipelines comprises an upstream pipeline, a mixer and a plurality of downstream pipelines, the upstream pipelines are connected with a gas source, the mixers are arranged between the upstream pipelines and the downstream pipelines, the downstream pipelines are connected to the semiconductor reaction cavity, and the controllers are connected with the gas source. A switching valve is arranged on each downstream pipeline, and the switching valves are used for automatically controlling the on-off of the downstream pipelines; and the controller is used for controlling the on-off state of the switch valve by adopting a binary data column so as to obtain a target film form on the substrate. According to the air inlet system, the corresponding downstream pipelines can be switched on and off by controlling the switch valves so as to adjust the air flow in the group of air inlet pipelines, so that the control on a flow field in the semiconductor reaction cavity is realized, and the shape, thickness, doping uniformity and the like of a film formed by deposition are further controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application mainly relates to the semiconductor field, and in particular to an air intake system for a semiconductor reaction chamber and a discrete control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Epitaxial growth is a common and important chemical technology in semiconductor technology, which is used to produce high-quality thin films with high purity and good performance. The epitaxial growth process is to place the substrate (wafer) in a reaction chamber, heat it and introduce one or more reactants to cause a chemical reaction on the surface of the substrate to produce the film to be deposited. In this process, the gas flow field in the chamber has a direct impact on the final epitaxial film thickness, uniformity of dopants, etc. However, there is currently a lack of effective control over the flow field entering the cavity. Therefore, it is desirable to propose a solution that can effectively control the flow field inside the cavity. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application proposes an air intake system and a discrete control method thereof that can effectively control the flow field inside a cavity.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an air intake system for a semiconductor reaction chamber, comprising a controller and at least one group of air intake pipelines, each group of the air intake pipelines comprising an upstream pipeline, a mixer and several downstream pipelines, wherein the upstream pipeline is connected to a gas source, the mixer is arranged between the upstream pipeline and the downstream pipeline, the downstream pipeline is connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber, and each downstream pipeline is provided with a switch valve, the switch valve is used to automatically control the on and off of the downstream pipeline; the controller is used to use a binary data column to control the switching state of the switch valve to obtain a target film morphology on a substrate.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present application, a regulating valve is also provided on each of the downstream pipelines. The regulating valve is located downstream of the corresponding switch valve. The regulating valve is used to control the opening of the downstream pipeline, thereby setting the flow rate of each downstream pipeline to a specific value.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present application, the downstream pipeline is divided into several downstream pipeline groups, each of the downstream pipeline groups includes at least one downstream pipeline, and the upstream ends of the at least one downstream pipeline in each group are respectively connected to the mixer, or the upstream ends of the at least one downstream pipeline in each group are aggregated and then connected to the mixer.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present application, the downstream ends of the downstream pipelines in each group are respectively connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber, or the downstream ends of the at least one downstream pipeline in each group are connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber after being collected.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present application, the switch valve is a diaphragm valve, and the regulating valve is a needle valve.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present application, a spiral guide plate is provided in the mixer to guide the gas entering the mixer from the upstream pipeline to be fully mixed.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, the mixer is provided with a flow-interfering element.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present application, it also includes an air inlet flange, and the downstream pipeline is connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber through the air inlet flange, and the air inlet flange includes a main body and a substrate transfer port, wherein n air channels and m expansion slots are arranged inside the main body, each expansion slot is connected to at least one air channel, and each expansion slot has a first air inlet end and a first air outlet end, the first air inlet end is connected to the corresponding air channel fluid, and the first air outlet end is provided with a first rectifying structure, and the first rectifying structure includes a plurality of first through holes, wherein m and n are positive integers greater than or equal to 2, and m≤n, and the air channel is used to provide reaction gas; and the substrate transfer port penetrates the main body along the thickness direction of the main body, and the substrate transfer port is isolated from the n air channels and the m expansion slot fluids along the height direction of the main body; the downstream pipeline is connected to the n air channels.

[0012] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application also proposes a discrete control method applied to the above-mentioned intake system, including: dividing the downstream pipeline into a plurality of downstream pipeline groups, each group of the downstream pipeline groups includes at least one downstream pipeline, and each group of the downstream pipeline groups has a set target flow; the controller constructs a target flow data column according to the target flow, and each flow value in the target flow data column corresponds to one of the plurality of downstream pipeline groups; the controller defines a binary data column according to each flow data value in the target flow data column; the controller controls the on and off of the switch valve according to the binary data column, so that the flow of each group of the downstream pipeline groups reaches the corresponding target flow.

[0013] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application also proposes a discrete control method applied to the above intake system, comprising: dividing the downstream pipeline into a plurality of downstream pipeline groups, each of the downstream pipeline groups comprising at least one downstream pipeline, and each of the downstream pipelines comprising a switch valve and a regulating valve located downstream of the switch valve; each of the downstream pipeline groups has a set target flow and a target flow interval containing the target flow; according to the target flow and the target flow interval, setting the opening of the regulating valve so that the downstream pipeline group controlled by the switch valve and the regulating valve can reach the target flow , and other flow rates that the downstream pipeline group can achieve are closer to the target flow rate, and / or, more flow values ​​among other flow rates that the downstream pipeline group can achieve are within the target flow rate interval; the controller constructs a target flow rate data column according to the target flow rate, and each flow rate value in the target flow rate data column corresponds to one of the several downstream pipeline groups; the controller defines a binary data column according to each flow rate data value in the target flow rate data column; the controller controls the on-off of the switch valve according to the binary data column, so that the flow rate of each group of the downstream pipeline groups reaches the corresponding target flow rate.

[0014] The air intake system of the present application is provided with an upstream pipeline, a mixer and several downstream pipelines in each group of air intake pipelines, and a switch valve is provided on each downstream pipeline, and the corresponding downstream pipeline is turned on and off by controlling the switch valve to adjust the airflow in the group of air intake pipelines, thereby controlling the flow field in the semiconductor reaction chamber, and then controlling the morphology, thickness, doping uniformity, etc. of the deposited thin film. The air intake system of the present application does not need to use a mass flow controller MFC in the pipeline, so as to avoid the pressure fluctuation in the pipeline from affecting the regulation of the MFC, and provide a uniform and stable airflow for the semiconductor reaction chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application. They are included and constitute a part of the present application. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application and together with the present specification serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the accompanying drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an intake system;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a group of air intake pipes in an air intake system of an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a group of intake pipes in an intake system of another embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 4is a cross-sectional view of an intake flange in an intake system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 5 is an exemplary flow chart of a discrete control method of an intake system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a group of air intake pipes in an air intake system of an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 7 is an exemplary flow chart of a discrete control method of an intake system according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between the switch valve, the regulating valve and the target flow curve in the discrete control method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some examples or embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, the present application can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without creative work. Unless it is obvious from the language environment or otherwise explained, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structure or operation.

[0025] As shown in this application, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the words "a", "an", "a kind" and / or "the" do not refer to the singular, but also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "include" and "comprise" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements that have been clearly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or device may also include other steps or elements.

[0026] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​of the parts and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, method and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, method and equipment should be considered as a part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so that once a certain item is defined in an accompanying drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0027] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present application; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0028] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0029] The gas intake system and discrete control method of the present application are used to control the gas flow rate entering the semiconductor reaction chamber, so as to control the flow field in the chamber, and then control the morphology, thickness, doping uniformity, etc. of the thin film formed by deposition. The present application does not limit the substrate, gas, etc. to be processed. The substrate in the present application is also referred to as a substrate, wafer, substrate, etc. The semiconductor reaction chamber can be an epitaxial reaction chamber, but is not limited thereto.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the intake system. Figure 1 As shown, the air intake system 100 includes two groups of air intake pipelines 110 and 120. The air intake pipeline 110 includes an upstream pipeline 111, a distribution pipe 112 and a plurality of downstream pipelines 113, and the distribution pipe 112 is arranged between the upstream pipeline 111 and the downstream pipeline 113; the air intake pipeline 120 includes an upstream pipeline 121, a distribution pipe 122 and a plurality of downstream pipelines 123, and the distribution pipe 122 is arranged between the upstream pipeline 121 and the downstream pipeline 123. Both downstream pipelines 113 and 123 are connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber. Figure 1The inlet flange 130 is shown in the figure, which is used to be arranged adjacent to the chamber flange of the semiconductor reaction chamber. The downstream pipelines 113 and 123 are directly connected to the inlet flange 130, and the airflow is then transmitted to the semiconductor reaction chamber through the inlet flange 130.

[0031] refer to Figure 1 , MFCs (mass flow controllers) 114 and 124 are respectively provided on the downstream pipelines 113 and 123 to adjust the gas flow in each pipeline. However, since the pressure in the pipeline will change when the MFC is used for flow adjustment, and the MFC itself will be affected by the pressure in the pipeline when it is used for flow control, and further, the multiple air intake pipes with MFCs are not independent, and they are fluidly connected at the upstream distribution pipe. Therefore, when the MFC is used for flow control, the flow control in one pipeline will not only affect the pressure in the pipeline, but also affect other, especially adjacent pipelines. When the MFC in the adjacent pipeline is used for flow adjustment, it will be difficult to reach the target flow because the adjustment is based on the affected pressure, thereby causing the flow in the pipeline to oscillate within the target range.

[0032] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a group of intake pipes in an intake system according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the group of air intake pipelines includes an upstream pipeline 210, a mixer 220 and a plurality of downstream pipelines 230. The upstream pipeline 210 is connected to a gas source (not shown), the mixer 220 is arranged between the upstream pipeline 210 and the downstream pipeline 230, and the downstream pipeline 230 is connected to a semiconductor reaction chamber (not shown). Figure 2 Also shown is an inlet flange 201 , through which the downstream pipeline 230 can be connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber.

[0033] It should be noted that the present application does not limit the number of upstream pipes 210 in a group of intake pipes. Figure 2 FIG. 1 shows one upstream pipeline 210 , but the figure is not intended to limit the number of upstream pipelines 210 to only one.

[0034] In some embodiments, different groups of air intake lines are used to receive different groups of gases. In some embodiments, the gases introduced into the air intake system may include process gases, carrier gases, and dopant gases. For example, the first group of gases includes process gases, carrier gases, and dopant gases, and the second group of gases includes carrier gases and dopant gases. In some embodiments, the first group of gases is, for example, DCS+H2+B2H6, and the second group of gases is, for example, H2+B2H6. Wherein, DCS represents dichlorosilane.

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, the mixer 220 is a cavity with a relatively large internal capacity. The outer shape of the mixer 220 can be cylindrical, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the cylinder is significantly larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the adjacent upstream pipeline. The length of the cylinder along the first direction X is relatively long, and the internal volume of the cylinder is larger than that of the distribution pipe, providing a larger mixing space for the incoming gas. The gas input from the upstream pipeline 210 can be fully mixed and buffered in the mixer 220, so that the flow rate of the gas entering here is slowed down, and the air flow in each downstream pipeline 230 is more stable, and the pressure difference between each downstream pipeline 230 is reduced.

[0036] It should be noted that some technical solutions are to divert the input gas through a pipe with the same diameter as the upstream pipeline, so that the gas enters multiple downstream pipelines. With this solution, when the gas flow in one of the downstream pipelines changes, the adjacent pipelines will be affected by large fluctuations due to the lack of buffering or small buffering effect, and the crosstalk is serious. The present application sets a mixer 220 in the air intake pipeline to slow down the flow rate of the gas entering here and increase the pressure, so that the gas input from the upstream pipeline 210 can be fully mixed and buffered in the mixer 220, and the air flow in each downstream pipeline 230 is more stable and the pressure difference between each downstream pipeline 230 is reduced.

[0037] refer to Figure 2 As shown, a switch valve 240 is provided in the middle of each downstream pipeline 230 for automatically controlling the on-off of the downstream pipeline.

[0038] In some embodiments, the switch valve 240 is a diaphragm valve.

[0039] The air intake system of the present application also includes a controller (not shown) for controlling the switching state of the switch valve 240 using a binary data column to obtain the target film morphology on the substrate. The controller can be connected to the switch valve 240 in a wired or wireless manner, and controls the switch of the switch valve 240 by sending a digital command signal to the switch valve 240. In some embodiments, the digital command is a 0 / 1 sequence. For example, a digital command of 0 indicates that the switch valve 240 is closed, and a digital command of 1 indicates that the switch valve 240 is open. During the semiconductor process, the switch valve 240 is opened or closed according to process requirements, so the digital command forms a 0 / 1 binary data column. The specific data column is designed according to the target film morphology to be obtained. For example, the target film morphology is that the middle film is thicker and the edge film is thinner. Then the downstream pipeline group corresponding to the middle can be made, for example Figure 2The switch valve of the downstream pipeline group G2 shown in the figure is fully open, while the switch valves of the downstream pipeline groups G1 and G3 located on both sides corresponding to the edge of the wafer are partially open. In this way, more reaction gas (the reaction gas in this patent is the gas required for the reaction, which may include process gas and / or doping gas, carrier gas, etc.) can be provided to the middle part of the wafer, so that the film layer deposited in the middle part of the wafer is thicker.

[0040] The intake system of the present application controls the on-off of the downstream pipeline 230 by setting a switch valve 240, thereby controlling the flow rate of the gas in each downstream pipeline 230, without using an MFC, and can avoid the problem of unstable flow control caused by the pressure fluctuation in the pipeline when using an MFC. A mixer 220 is set in each group of intake pipelines in the intake system of the present application. The mixer 220 has the function of mixing and buffering, and can reduce the pressure difference between each downstream pipeline 230, and weaken or eliminate the crosstalk between adjacent pipelines.

[0041] refer to Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, a regulating valve 250 is also provided on each downstream pipeline 230. The regulating valve 250 is located downstream of the corresponding switching valve 240. The regulating valve 250 is used to control the opening of the downstream pipeline 230. The switching valve 240 and the regulating valve 250 together can set the flow of each downstream pipeline 230 to a specific value.

[0042] In some embodiments, the regulating valve 250 is a needle valve. The opening of the needle valve can be set as needed to make the flow rate of each downstream pipeline 230 reach a specific value. The opening of the needle valve can be set manually. In other embodiments, the needle valve can also be automatic.

[0043] In some embodiments, the controller in the intake system of the present application is further configured to set the opening of each regulating valve 250 using a digital command.

[0044] In some embodiments, the controller may be a PLC controller. Based on the flow control concept of the present application, the controller of the present application may also be a control computer, including related hardware and software such as a graphical user interface, etc., for realizing automatic control of the switch valve 240. The controller uses digital commands to control the flow of each downstream pipeline 230 through simple and rapid on-off control, thereby accurately controlling the flow of each group of intake pipelines.

[0045] refer to Figure 2As shown, the downstream pipeline 230 in this embodiment is divided into three downstream pipeline groups G1, G2, and G3, and each downstream pipeline group has three downstream pipelines 230. The three downstream pipelines in each downstream pipeline group are close to each other, and the distances between each downstream pipeline group are relatively far. In other embodiments of this patent, the spacing between all downstream pipelines 230 can be consistent. In addition, it should be noted that Figure 2 The figure shows a group of intake pipes. In a preferred embodiment, the intake system includes at least two groups of intake pipes, for example, 2 groups, 3 groups, 4 groups of intake pipes, etc.

[0046] Each group of intake pipes includes multiple groups of downstream pipe groups, and each downstream pipe group includes one or more downstream pipes. Therefore, the number of downstream pipes 230 in the intake system of the present application is large, which can achieve more precise control of the flow rate of the gas flowing through the downstream pipe group.

[0047] In more detail, when there are more downstream pipeline groups in each group of air inlet pipelines, it means that for the gas in the same group of air inlet pipelines, it can be controlled by more downstream pipeline groups along the direction perpendicular to the gas flow, and the target flow value to be achieved by each downstream pipeline group is closer to the actual required flow value, which is more conducive to obtaining the target film morphology on the wafer.

[0048] When each downstream pipeline group includes more downstream pipelines, the target flow of the downstream pipeline group can be more discrete, and the target flow value that each downstream pipeline group can achieve is closer to the actual required flow value. When the flow passing through the downstream pipeline group needs to be adjusted, it can also be adjusted more finely.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, a plurality of expansion slots 202 are provided in the air inlet flange 201, and each expansion slot 202 corresponds to a downstream pipeline 230 of a downstream pipeline group. The function of the expansion slot 202 is to allow the gas to be fully mixed and buffered again at this location to make the air flow stable. The air inlet flange 201 will be described in detail later in conjunction with Figure 4 describe.

[0050] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the upstream end of each downstream pipe 230 is directly connected to the mixer 220 , and the downstream end of each downstream pipe 230 is directly connected to the air inlet flange 201 .

[0051] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a group of air intake pipes in an air intake system according to another embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment is Figure 2The differences between the illustrated embodiments include: within each downstream pipeline group, the upstream ends of the three downstream pipelines 230 are first combined into one pipeline and then connected to the mixer 220; at the same time, the downstream ends of the three downstream pipelines 230 are first combined into one pipeline and then connected to the expansion tank 202 of the air intake flange 201.

[0052] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in other embodiments, the upstream ends of the three downstream pipelines 230 in each downstream pipeline group may be connected to the mixer 220 after being aggregated, and the downstream ends may be directly connected to the air inlet flange 201 respectively.

[0053] In another embodiment, the upstream ends of the three downstream pipelines 230 in each downstream pipeline group are respectively connected to the mixer 220 , and the downstream ends are connected to the air inlet flange 201 after being aggregated.

[0054] In order to optimize the flow field in the cavity, the air intake system of the present application also proposes improvements to the air intake flange 201. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of an intake flange in an intake system according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, the air inlet flange 201 includes a body 410 and a substrate transfer port 420, wherein n air channels 430 and m expansion slots 440 are arranged inside the body 410, each expansion slot 440 is connected to at least one air channel 430, each expansion slot 440 has a first air inlet end 441 and a first air outlet end 442, the first air inlet end 441 is connected to the corresponding air channel 430 fluid, the first air outlet end 442 is provided with a first rectifying structure 443, the first rectifying structure 443 includes a plurality of first through holes 444, wherein m and n are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2, and m≤n. The air channel 430 is used to provide a reaction gas. It should be noted that the reaction gas here is a gas used for depositing a thin film. The substrate transfer port 420 penetrates the body 410 along the thickness direction Y of the body 410, and the substrate transfer port 420 is isolated from the n air channels 430 and the m expansion slots 440 along the height direction Z of the body 410. The downstream pipeline 230 is connected to n gas passages 430 .

[0055] Figure 4 The expansion slot 440 and Figure 2 and Figure 3 The functions of the expansion tank 202 shown in the figure are the same, which is to provide a buffer and sufficient mixing space for the gas.

[0056] according to Figure 4 The gas inlet flange 201 shown, after being mixed and buffered by the expansion groove 202 (or 440), is rectified by the first rectifying structure 443, so that the gas is evenly mixed and the flow field distribution is improved according to the target deposition morphology of the thin film, and enters the semiconductor reaction chamber 401 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

[0057] In order to optimize the flow field in the cavity, the air intake system of the present application also makes some improvements to the mixer 220. In some embodiments, a temperature-controllable heating element is provided on the mixer 220 to preheat the mixer 220 before inputting the gas to ensure that the gas does not condense in the mixer 220.

[0058] In some embodiments, a concentration meter is provided on the mixer 220 for measuring the gas concentration inside the mixer 220 , thereby achieving precise control of the gas concentration.

[0059] In some embodiments, a spiral guide plate is provided in the mixer 220 to guide the airflow entering the mixer 220 from the upstream pipeline 210 to be fully mixed. The spiral guide plate can extend along the X direction as a whole and have a spiral structure. The spiral structure extends the length of the guide plate and interferes with the flow direction of the fluid, so that the gas can be fully mixed during the flow process.

[0060] In some embodiments, several flow-interfering members are provided in the mixer 220. For example, the flow-interfering members are plate-like members or tubular members extending in the X direction. In some embodiments, the cross-section formed by the combination of several tubular members or plate-like members in the mixer 220 presents a structure that is opposite to the virtual and real structure of the honeycomb structure. By providing several flow-guiding members, the flow direction of the originally downward-flowing airflow is hindered, so that the direction of the airflow after disturbance is more diverse, so that the gas is fully mixed in the mixer 220.

[0061] In some embodiments, if the cross section of the interference flow tube in the mixer 220 along the X direction presents a characteristic of a small cross section in the middle and a large cross section at both ends. Figure 2 As shown, the gas enters the two ends of the mixer 220 through the upstream pipeline 210. Since the cross-sections at both ends are large, that is, the flow space provided to the airflow is small, the airflow will be prompted to flow to the middle. The middle cross-section is small, that is, the flow space provided to the airflow is large, so more airflow leads to the downstream pipeline 230 at the middle position of the mixer 220. In the case where the spoiler is not set, since the gas reaches the two ends of the mixer 220, the flow path is short, the air pressure here will be raised first, and then it will be shown that the pressure at both ends of the mixer 220 is higher than the middle pressure. At this time, by setting the cross-section of the spoiler tube at both ends to be large, less gas is prompted to gather here or flow to the downstream pipeline 230 through here, so that more gas flows to the middle of the mixer 220. In this way, the air pressure of the gas in the mixer 220 is more balanced along the X direction as a whole.

[0062] Figure 5is an exemplary flow chart of a discrete control method of an intake system according to an embodiment of the present application. The discrete control method can be executed by the intake system described above, and the discrete control method will be described below in conjunction with the intake system, but is not limited thereto. Figure 5 As shown, the discrete control method of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0063] Step S510: Divide the downstream pipeline 230 into a plurality of downstream pipeline groups, each downstream pipeline group includes at least one (in one embodiment, each downstream pipeline group includes at least two downstream pipelines 230, in which case flow regulation within the downstream pipeline group is easier to implement) downstream pipeline 230, and each downstream pipeline group has a set target flow;

[0064] Step S520: the controller constructs a target flow data column according to the target flow, and each flow value in the target flow data column corresponds to one of the plurality of downstream pipeline groups;

[0065] Step S530: the controller defines a binary data column according to each flow data value in the target flow data column;

[0066] Step S540: the controller controls the on-off of the switch valve 240 according to the binary data sequence, so that the flow rate of each downstream pipeline group reaches the corresponding target flow rate.

[0067] Figure 6 Shown with Figure 2 Similarly, the following combination Figure 6 The discrete control method described in the above steps S510 to S540 will be described.

[0068] In step S510, the downstream pipelines 230 are grouped and a target flow rate is set for each downstream pipeline group. For example, the set of target flows is: {F1, ..., FN}, where F represents the target flow rate, N represents the number of downstream pipeline groups, and N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. Figure 6 In the embodiment shown, N = 3. For example, F1, F2, and F3 correspond to the downstream pipeline groups G1, G2, and G3, respectively.

[0069] In step S520, the controller constructs a target flow data column according to the target flow. The set of target flow data columns is: {f1,…,fN}. For example, f1 corresponds to F1, and fN corresponds to FN. In step S520, the target flow data column can be constructed in a matrix manner. The size of the matrix is ​​related to the number of downstream pipelines 230 in the downstream pipeline group. For example, if there are M downstream pipelines in the downstream pipeline group G1, then f1 is a 1*M or M*1 matrix. Figure 6In the embodiment shown, M = 3. Therefore, f1 is a 1*3 or 3*1 matrix. In the target flow data column, f1 represents a flow data value.

[0070] In step S530, the controller defines a binary data column according to each flow data value. Taking f1 as an example, assuming f1 is a 1*3 matrix, a three-bit binary data column is assigned to f1 in this step.

[0071] In some embodiments, the controller first obtains or sets the opening of the regulating valve 250 , and then assigns a binary data column corresponding to each flow data value in the target flow data column according to the opening of the regulating valve 250 .

[0072] refer to Figure 6 First, the opening degree of each regulating valve 250 is preset to 1 / 2, that is, half-open state. Figure 6 In the figure, the 1 / 2 indicated in the regulating valves 251, 252, and 253 represents the respective openings. Assume that the flow rate of the downstream pipeline 230 when it is fully open is Fmax. According to the setting of the regulating valve 250, when the switch valve 240 of a downstream pipeline 230 is turned on, the gas flow rate flowing into the intake flange 201 is 1 / 2*Fmax. Secondly, in step S530, assuming that F1=1*Fmax of the downstream pipeline group G1, the binary data sequence assigned to f1 by the controller can be (0,1,1), (1,1,0), (1,0,1). That is, if any two downstream pipelines 230 in the downstream pipeline group G1 are turned on and the other downstream pipeline 230 is turned off, the F1=1*Fmax of the first downstream pipeline group can be obtained. For another example, assuming F1=3 / 2*Fmax, the binary data sequence assigned by the controller to f1 may be (1,1,1), which means that all three downstream pipelines in the downstream pipeline group G1 need to be turned on so that the flow rate of the downstream pipeline group G1 reaches 3 / 2*Fmax.

[0073] exist Figure 6 , the binary data column corresponding to G1 is (1,1,0), that is, its target flow rate F1 = 1*Fmax; the binary data column corresponding to G2 is (0,1,0), that is, its target flow rate F2 = 1 / 2*Fmax; the binary data column corresponding to G3 is (0,1,1), that is, its target flow rate F3 = 1*Fmax.

[0074] After obtaining the digitized binary data sequence, the controller can control the on / off of the switch valve 240 according to the binary data sequence in step S540, where 0 represents off and 1 represents on, so that the flow of each downstream pipeline group reaches the corresponding target flow.

[0075] The above-mentioned opening of the regulating valve 250 is only an example. In other embodiments, the opening of the regulating valve 250 can be preset, for example, it can be 1 / 3, 1 / 4, etc. The flow control accuracy of the controller on the downstream pipeline group is related to the number of downstream pipelines in the downstream pipeline group and the downstream pipelines in the downstream pipeline group. The more downstream pipelines in a downstream pipeline group, the finer the flow area corresponding to the downstream pipeline group can be discretized, and the higher the control and regulation accuracy of the controller on the flow of the downstream pipeline group.

[0076] Figure 7 is an exemplary flow chart of a discrete control method of an intake system according to another embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the discrete control method 700 of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0077] Step S710: Divide the downstream pipeline into a plurality of downstream pipeline groups, each downstream pipeline group includes at least one downstream pipeline, each downstream pipeline includes a switch valve and a regulating valve located downstream of the switch valve; each downstream pipeline group has a set target flow rate and a target flow rate interval including the target flow rate;

[0078] Step S720: according to the target flow rate and the target flow rate interval, the opening of the regulating valve is set so that the downstream pipeline group controlled by the switch valve and the regulating valve can reach the target flow rate, and other flow rates that can be reached by the downstream pipeline group are closer to the target flow rate, and / or more flow values ​​of other flow rates that can be reached by the downstream pipeline group are within the target flow rate interval;

[0079] Step S730: the controller constructs a target flow data column according to the target flow, and each flow value in the target flow data column corresponds to one of the plurality of downstream pipeline groups;

[0080] Step S740: the controller defines a binary data column according to each flow data value in the target flow data column;

[0081] Step S750: the controller controls the on-off of the switch valve according to the binary data sequence, so that the flow rate of each downstream pipeline group reaches the corresponding target flow rate.

[0082] Figure 7 The embodiment shown and Figure 5 The difference between the illustrated embodiments mainly lies in step S710, which clarifies that each downstream pipeline includes a switch valve and a regulating valve located downstream of the switch valve; each downstream pipeline group has a set target flow rate and a target flow rate interval including the target flow rate, and step S720. The target flow rate interval is an interval including the target flow rate of the current downstream pipeline group and the target flow rate of the adjacent downstream pipeline group, with the maximum target flow rate and the minimum target flow rate as the boundary values ​​of the target flow rate interval.

[0083] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the corresponding relationship between the switch valve, the regulating valve and the target flow curve in the discrete control method according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 The target flow rate curve is drawn as an example, wherein the horizontal axis is the X direction mentioned above and the vertical axis is the flow rate. Figure 8 Let me give you an example.

[0084] See also Figure 8 , assuming that the target flow of the downstream pipeline group G2 is 2, and the target flow interval corresponding to the downstream pipeline group G2 is defined as: including the target flow 2 of the current downstream pipeline group and the target flow of the adjacent downstream pipeline group (assuming that the target flow of G1 is 3 / 2 and the target flow of G3 is 5 / 2), with the minimum flow 3 / 2 and the maximum flow 5 / 2 as the boundary values ​​of the target flow interval, for example: 3 / 2~5 / 2. The flow distribution is continuous. When the flow needs to be adjusted, the direction of the flow adjustment is basically close to the target flow of the adjacent downstream pipeline group. Therefore, it is reasonable to take into account the target flow of the adjacent downstream pipeline group, jointly form a target flow interval, and consider the opening of the control valve based on this. In order to achieve the target flow 2, there are many ways to set the opening of the control valve. For example, the first type: the opening of the control valve is 1 / 2, 1, and 1 / 2, respectively. Figure 8 As shown, in this case, the three downstream pipelines are fully opened (i.e., the binary data column of the downstream pipeline group is 111), and the target flow rate can be obtained. Under this opening setting of the regulating valve, the flow rates that can be obtained are: 0 (i.e., corresponding to the binary data column 000), 1 / 2 (i.e., corresponding to the binary data column 100 or 001), 1 (i.e., corresponding to the binary data column 101 or 010), and 3 / 2 (i.e., corresponding to the binary data column 110 or 011).

[0085] The second type: the openings of the regulating valve are 1, 1, and 1 / 2. In this case, in addition to the target flow rate 2 (corresponding to the binary data column 110), the flow rates that can be given are: 0 (corresponding to the binary data column 000), 1 / 2 (001), 1 (100 or 010), 3 / 2 (101 or 011), and 5 / 2 (111).

[0086] From the above, we can know that: in addition to the target flow value, the first downstream pipeline group can also provide flow rates of: 0, 1 / 2 (2), 1 (2) and 3 / 2 (2); the second downstream pipeline group can also provide flow rates of: 0, 1 / 2, 1 (2), 3 / 2 (2) and 5 / 2.

[0087] Considering from the first dimension, that is, in step S720, making the other flow rates that the downstream pipeline group can reach closer to the target flow rate: the discrete degree S1 of the flow rate that the first downstream pipeline group can still provide from the target flow rate 2 can be calculated by the following formula:

[0088] S1=(0-2) 2 +((1 / 2-2) 2 )*2 (Because there are two cases corresponding to the flow, it needs to be considered when calculating the discrete degree) + ((1-2) 2 )*2+((3 / 2-2) 2 )*2=11=22 / 2.

[0089] The discrete degree S2 of the flow rate from the target flow rate 2 that can be provided by the second downstream pipeline can be calculated using the following formula:

[0090] S2=(0-2) 2 +(1 / 2-2) 2 +((1-2) 2 )*2+((3 / 2-2) 2 )*2+(5 / 2-2)

[0091] 2 =17 / 2.

[0092] According to the first dimension, the second control valve opening setting is more optimal. In this setting, the other flow rates given by the downstream pipeline group are closer to the target flow rate. When we need to adjust the flow rate, this control valve opening setting can provide better adjustment.

[0093] It should be noted that the above formula for calculating the degree of discreteness is only an example. Based on the idea of ​​this embodiment, those skilled in the art may use other methods to calculate the degree of discreteness, which are all within the scope of protection of this application.

[0094] Considering from the second dimension, that is, in step S720, more flow values ​​of other flow rates that can be achieved by the downstream pipeline group are within the target flow range: the first downstream pipeline can only provide 3 / 2 flow, which is within the target flow range of 3 / 2 to 5 / 2, while the second downstream pipeline can also provide 3 / 2 and 5 / 2 flow, both of which are within the target flow range of 3 / 2 to 5 / 2. According to the consideration of the second dimension, the second control valve opening setting is also more optimal.

[0095] according to Figure 7 and Figure 8In the embodiment shown, by setting the opening of the regulating valve according to the target flow rate and the target flow rate range, it is beneficial to make the flow rate curve of the gas transmitted through the downstream pipeline group fit the target flow rate curve as much as possible, which can further improve the film formation accuracy.

[0096] The present application uses specific words to describe the embodiments of the present application. For example, "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or multiple times in different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, some features, structures or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be appropriately combined.

[0097] Similarly, it should be noted that in order to simplify the description of the disclosure of this application and thus help understand one or more embodiments of the invention, in the above description of the embodiments of this application, multiple features are sometimes combined into one embodiment, figure or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the object of this application are more than the features mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiments are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0098] In some embodiments, numbers describing the number of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of the embodiments are modified by the modifiers "about", "approximately" or "substantially" in some examples. Unless otherwise specified, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in this application are approximate values, which may change according to the required characteristics of individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account the specified significant digits and adopt the general method of retaining the digits. Although the numerical domains and parameters used to confirm the breadth of the range in some embodiments of the present application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, the setting of such numerical values ​​is as accurate as possible within the feasible range.

Claims

1. A gas intake system for a semiconductor reaction chamber, characterized in that: It comprises a controller and at least one group of air intake pipelines, each group of the air intake pipelines comprises an upstream pipeline, a mixer and a plurality of downstream pipelines, wherein the upstream pipeline is connected to a gas source, the mixer is arranged between the upstream pipeline and the downstream pipeline, the downstream pipeline is connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber, and each of the downstream pipelines is provided with a switch valve, and the switch valve is used to automatically control the on-off of the downstream pipeline; The controller is used to control the on / off state of the on / off valve using a binary data sequence to obtain a target film morphology on the substrate.

2. The air intake system according to claim 1, characterized in that Each downstream pipeline is also provided with a regulating valve, which is located downstream of the corresponding switch valve. The regulating valve is used to control the opening of the downstream pipeline, so as to set the flow rate flowing through each downstream pipeline to a specific value.

3. The air intake system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The downstream pipeline is divided into several downstream pipeline groups, each of which includes at least one downstream pipeline, and the upstream ends of the at least one downstream pipeline in each group are respectively connected to the mixer, or the upstream ends of the at least one downstream pipeline in each group are collected and then connected to the mixer.

4. The air intake system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The downstream ends of the downstream pipelines in each group are respectively connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber, or the downstream ends of at least one downstream pipeline in each group are connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber after being collected.

5. The air intake system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The switch valve is a diaphragm valve, and the regulating valve is a needle valve.

6. The air intake system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mixer is provided with a spiral guide plate for guiding the gas entering the mixer from the upstream pipeline to be fully mixed.

7. The air intake system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Several flow-interfering elements are arranged in the mixer.

8. The air intake system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an air inlet flange, through which the downstream pipeline is connected to the semiconductor reaction chamber, the air inlet flange includes a main body and a substrate transfer port, wherein the interior of the main body is provided with n air channels and m expansion slots, each expansion slot is connected with at least one air channel, each expansion slot has a first air inlet end and a first air outlet end, the first air inlet end is connected with the corresponding air channel fluid, the first air outlet end is provided with a first rectifying structure, the first rectifying structure includes a plurality of first through holes, wherein m and n are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2, and m≤n, the air channel is used to provide reaction gas; and the substrate transfer port penetrates the main body along the thickness direction of the main body, and the substrate transfer port is isolated from the n air channels and the m expansion slot fluids along the height direction of the main body; the downstream pipeline is connected to the n air channels.

9. A discrete control method for an intake system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: Dividing the downstream pipeline into a plurality of downstream pipeline groups, each of the downstream pipeline groups includes at least one downstream pipeline, and each of the downstream pipeline groups has a set target flow rate; The controller constructs a target flow data column according to the target flow, each flow value in the target flow data column corresponds to one of the plurality of downstream pipeline groups; The controller defines a binary data column according to each flow data value in the target flow data column; The controller controls the on-off of the switch valve according to the binary data sequence, so that the flow rate of each group of the downstream pipeline groups reaches the corresponding target flow rate.

10. A discrete control method for an intake system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: Divide the downstream pipeline into a plurality of downstream pipeline groups, each of the downstream pipeline groups includes at least one downstream pipeline, and each of the downstream pipelines includes a switch valve and a regulating valve located downstream of the switch valve; each of the downstream pipeline groups has a set target flow rate and a target flow rate interval including the target flow rate; According to the target flow rate and the target flow rate interval, the opening of the regulating valve is set so that the downstream pipeline group controlled by the switch valve and the regulating valve can reach the target flow rate, and other flow rates that can be reached by the downstream pipeline group are closer to the target flow rate, and / or more flow values ​​of other flow rates that can be reached by the downstream pipeline group are within the target flow rate interval; The controller constructs a target flow data column according to the target flow, each flow value in the target flow data column corresponds to one of the plurality of downstream pipeline groups; The controller defines a binary data column according to each flow data value in the target flow data column; The controller controls the on-off of the switch valve according to the binary data sequence, so that the flow rate of each group of the downstream pipeline groups reaches the corresponding target flow rate.

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