Semiconductor device and valve for semiconductor device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a valve for the same, the valve comprising: a valve body provided with a channel through which a fluid passes; the valve plate is rotationally connected with the valve body and can completely or partially cover the channel during rotation; the sealing ring is arranged on the outer edge of the valve plate and can rotate along with the valve plate to form sealing connection with the channel of the valve body; wherein the sealing ring comprises a fixing part and an elastic part, the fixing part is connected with the elastic part, and the fixing part is arranged on the side close to the valve plate and used for being fixedly connected with the valve plate; the elastic part is arranged on one side of the valve body and provided with a protrusion, and the protrusion extends in the direction of the valve body. The valve can be more wear-resistant, the protrusions are arranged, and the sealing effect can be achieved after friction loss through cooperation with the protrusions of the elastic part; and the valve can control the pressure change more easily.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor equipment, and in particular to a semiconductor equipment and a valve used for the semiconductor equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the semiconductor epitaxial process, process gas is introduced into the reaction chamber as a reaction gas. The reaction chamber needs to be maintained at a specific process pressure in order to carry out the corresponding process, such as deposition process, etching process, etc. Pressure control generally uses a butterfly valve to adjust the pressure in the chamber. The butterfly valve is generally located at the exhaust gas outlet of the chamber, close to the exhaust gas pipeline of the chamber. The butterfly valve needs to respond quickly to the command of the control pressure, and can reach the pressure required by the command in a short time. In the process of control and pressure regulation, try to achieve no overshoot or as small overshoot as possible.

[0003] At present, the mainstream butterfly valves are mostly made of elastomer or corrosion-resistant engineering plastics to seal the valve plate. Due to the properties of the material, a certain amount of gas will flow out from the gap between the sealing ring and the valve body, resulting in the pressure in the cavity not reaching the high pressure range of 600-850Torr, and the pressure control is unstable. At the same time, engineering plastics are not wear-resistant, resulting in a shortened service life and the inability to use specific process pressures. Summary of the invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a valve for a semiconductor device, which can improve the service life and the adjustment accuracy of the valve.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a valve for semiconductor equipment, comprising:

[0006] a valve body having a passage for fluid to pass through;

[0007] A valve plate, which is rotatably connected to the valve body and can fully or partially cover the channel during rotation;

[0008] A sealing ring, arranged at the outer edge of the valve plate, capable of rotating with the valve plate to form a sealed connection with the channel of the valve body;

[0009] Wherein, the sealing ring includes a fixed part and an elastic part, the fixed part is connected to the elastic part, the fixed part is arranged on a side close to the valve plate, and is used to be fixedly connected to the valve plate; the elastic part is arranged on one side of the valve body, the elastic part is provided with a protrusion, and the protrusion extends toward the valve body.

[0010] Preferably, the elastic portion includes a first side surface and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface, the first side surface is a surface facing upstream of the channel; and the protrusion is arranged close to the second side surface in the width direction of the valve plate.

[0011] Preferably, the valve further comprises a rotating shaft, wherein the rotating shaft is connected to the valve plate and is used to drive the valve plate to rotate relative to the valve body.

[0012] Preferably, when the valve plate is located at the sealing position, the end of the protrusion is located at the foot of a perpendicular line from the center of the rotation axis to the surface of the channel.

[0013] Preferably, the protrusions extend along the connecting line, and in the width direction of the valve plate, the protrusions are symmetrical about the connecting line.

[0014] Preferably, the sealing ring further comprises an elastic member, the elastic portion is provided with an accommodating cavity in an annular direction, and the elastic member is arranged in the accommodating cavity.

[0015] Preferably, the accommodating cavity is an annular groove, and the annular groove extends along the width direction of the valve plate, and the opening of the annular groove faces the second side surface.

[0016] Preferably, the first side surface is parallel to the second side surface; the first side surface is parallel to a side surface of the valve plate.

[0017] Preferably, the protrusion includes a first slope surface and a second slope surface opposite to each other, wherein the first slope surface is close to the first side surface, and the second slope surface is close to the second side surface.

[0018] Preferably, the elastic portion is provided with a deformation zone, and the deformation zone is provided between the first side surface and the protrusion, the deformation zone forms a first angle with the first side surface, the first slope surface forms a second angle with the first side surface, the first angle is greater than the second angle, and the first angle is an acute angle.

[0019] Preferably, the second slope surface forms a third angle with the first side surface, and the third angle is greater than the second angle.

[0020] Preferably, a radially inwardly recessed engaging portion is circumferentially disposed on the outer edge of the valve plate, and the sealing ring is embedded in the engaging portion.

[0021] Preferably, the valve further comprises a pressure plate connected to a side of the valve plate where the fitting portion is provided, and used for pressing the fixing portion of the sealing ring located in the fitting portion.

[0022] Preferably, the fixing portion is a protruding annular surface, and the protruding annular surface is embedded between the valve plate and the pressure plate and fixed by the pressure plate.

[0023] Preferably, the embedding portion includes a first embedding portion and a second embedding portion, the second embedding portion is located outside the first embedding portion and has a larger width, and the protruding annular surface is embedded in the first embedding portion.

[0024] Preferably, the sealing ring is made of PTFE or modified PTFE.

[0025] Preferably, the elastic member is metallic.

[0026] Preferably, near the sealing position of the valve plate, the diameter of the channel increases from small to large in the direction from upstream to downstream.

[0027] In addition, the present invention also provides a semiconductor device, comprising:

[0028] A cavity, wherein a side wall of the cavity is provided with an exhaust gas outlet;

[0029] A pump, wherein the pump is connected to the tail gas outlet via a pipeline;

[0030] The valve is arranged on the pipeline.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0032] The sealing ring of the valve of the present invention is provided with a protrusion, and a force can be applied outwards through an elastic member to seal the protrusion and the valve body. The protrusion can achieve the stability of pressure control and can be worn out by friction.

[0033] Moreover, the protrusion is located at the vertical foot, which can achieve sensitive pressure control and the pressure changes in the cavity are easier to control.

[0034] In addition, a deformation zone is provided on the sealing ring, which allows the protrusion to protrude toward the valve body more easily. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor device provided by the present invention;

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the valve provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of the middle A;

[0038] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the valve in a sealed position;

[0039] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a sealing ring is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following is a further detailed description of a semiconductor device and a valve for a semiconductor device proposed by the present invention in combination with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present invention will be clearer. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, which are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. In order to make the purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, please refer to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the structure, proportion, size, etc. illustrated in the drawings of this specification are only used to match the contents disclosed in the specification for people familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the limiting conditions for the implementation of the present invention, so they have no technical substantive significance. Any modification of the structure, change in the proportional relationship or adjustment of the size, without affecting the effects that the present invention can produce and the purposes that can be achieved, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed by the present invention.

[0041] The present invention provides a valve for a semiconductor device, where the semiconductor device may be, for example, an epitaxial device, a CVD device, or an etching device.

[0042] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor device, such as Figure 1 As shown, the semiconductor device includes a cavity 101, a pump 106 and a valve. An air inlet 102, a base 104 and an exhaust gas outlet 105 are provided in the cavity 101. The base 104 is used to carry a wafer 103, and the air inlet 102 is used to transport process gas into the cavity. The exhaust gas outlet 105 is used to discharge the gas after the process. The exhaust gas outlet 105 is connected to the pump 106 through a pipeline. The valve 200 provided by the present invention is arranged on the pipeline, located between the exhaust gas outlet 105 and the pump 106, and the valve 200 is used to control the pressure in the cavity 101. The valve 200 can affect the gas flow and flow rate through the pipeline by controlling its opening. During the process, in order to achieve fine adjustment of the air pressure, higher requirements are placed on the adjustment accuracy of the valve 200.

[0043] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a valve 200 for semiconductor equipment provided by the present invention. Figure 3 for Figure 2 A local enlarged view of the A. Figure 2-3 As shown, the valve 200 includes: a valve body 201, a valve plate 202 and a sealing ring 203. The valve body 201 is provided with a channel for fluid to pass through; the valve plate 202 is rotatably connected to the valve body 201 and can fully or partially cover the channel during rotation to adjust the gas flow through the channel. Figure 3 2 shows the positional relationship between the valve body 201, the valve plate 202 and the sealing ring 203. Figure 3As shown, the sealing ring 203 is arranged at the outer edge of the valve plate 202, and can rotate with the valve plate 202 to form a sealed connection with the channel of the valve body 201. In the process of rotating the valve plate 202, the valve opening changes accordingly, and the sealing ring 203 is provided with a structure for sealing the channel. The sealing ring 203 has a certain elasticity and is installed on the valve plate 202 in a nested manner. Optionally, the valve plate 202 is a circular plate, and the sealing ring is annular.

[0044] Please continue reading Figure 3 , wherein the sealing ring 203 includes a fixed portion 211 and an elastic portion 212, the fixed portion 211 is connected to the elastic portion 212, the fixed portion 211 is arranged on a side close to the valve plate 202, and is used to be fixedly connected to the valve plate 202; the elastic portion 212 is arranged on a side close to the valve body 201, and the elastic portion 212 is provided with a protrusion 213, the protrusion 213 is arranged along the outer circumference of the elastic portion 212, and the protrusion 213 extends toward the valve body 201. Optionally, the cross-section of the protrusion 213 is in the shape of a triangle, and the vertex of the triangle faces the valve body 201. The elastic portion 212 has elastic deformation ability, and can be squeezed by the valve body 201 to produce a slight deformation, and in the sealing position ( Figure 4 After the elastic part 212 is squeezed and deformed (in the middle valve plate position), the end of the protrusion 213 (i.e., the apex of the triangle) forms a close contact with the valve body 201 to form a tight seal. After the protrusion 213 is worn out by friction, the elastic part 212 can still maintain the sealing effect of the protrusion 213 through the elastic deformation function. In addition, since the triangular protrusion is basically in line contact with the valve body 201 in the sealing position, the valve plate only needs to rotate a small angle to change the pressure, and the pressure can be accurately controlled.

[0045] Specifically, the apex angle of the triangle of the protrusion 213 is an acute angle, and a smaller sealing surface is formed when sealingly contacting the valve body 201, so the sealing surface can be opened or closed by fine-tuning the rotation angle of the valve plate 202, and high-precision flow regulation can be achieved during the fine-tuning process. Optionally, the sealing ring 203 is made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or modified PTFE, which has wear-resistant properties and can extend the service life.

[0046] For further information, please refer to Figure 2The valve 200 provided by the present invention further includes a rotating shaft 204 and a driving mechanism 205, wherein the rotating shaft 204 is connected to the valve plate 202 and is used to drive the valve plate 202 to rotate relative to the valve body 201. The rotating shaft 204 is connected to the servo driving mechanism 205 and is driven to rotate. Optionally, the valve plate 202 can be connected to the rotating shaft 204 by fasteners such as screws 214.

[0047] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the valve 200 at the sealing position is shown. In this example, the direction F of the fluid coming from the two sides of the valve 200 is defined as the upstream, and the other side is defined as the downstream. It is predictable that the flow rate of the fluid can be more easily controlled at a low flow rate, while it is more difficult to control the flow rate of the fluid at a high flow rate. Therefore, the valve 200 provided by the present invention can reduce the flow rate of the fluid. Specifically, near the sealing position of the valve plate 202, the channel in the valve body for the fluid to pass through is roughly cylindrical, and the diameter of the channel changes from small to large from upstream to downstream. This arrangement can have the effect of slowing down the flow rate of the fluid. When the valve is opened, the flow rate of the fluid will naturally slow down after passing through the channel of the valve, making it easier to control the rotation of the valve plate 202 to control the flow rate.

[0048] Figure 5 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the sealing ring 203. Figure 5 As shown, the elastic portion 212 includes a first side surface 221 and a second side surface 222 opposite to the first side surface 221, wherein the first side surface 221 is a surface facing the upstream of the channel; the protrusion 213 is arranged in the width direction D of the valve plate 202, close to the second side surface 222. The valve plate 202 divides the fluid flow direction into upstream and downstream, and the sealing ring 203 is arranged on the upstream side of the valve plate 202.

[0049] Alternatively, if Figure 3 As shown, when the valve plate 202 is in the sealing position, the end of the protrusion 213 (i.e., the vertex of the triangle) is located at the foot of the perpendicular line S from the center of the rotating shaft 204 to the surface of the channel. The center of the rotating shaft 204 is the point on the rotating axis of the rotating shaft 204 corresponding to the center of the valve plate. That is, the line S between the end of the protrusion 213 and the center of the rotating shaft 204 is perpendicular to the surface of the channel of the valve body 201. At the sealing position, a circle drawn with the center of the rotating shaft 204 as the center and the line S as the radius is tangent to the surface of the channel of the valve body 201. When the valve plate 202 rotates to other positions, the end of the protrusion 213 is separated from the surface of the channel. After separation, the sealing surface between the protrusion 213 and the channel is opened and enters the open state. Since the protrusion 213 is located at the foot of the perpendicular, sensitive pressure control can be achieved, and pressure changes are easy to control.

[0050] Optionally, the protrusion 213 extends along the connecting line S, and in the width direction D of the valve plate 202, the protrusion 213 is symmetrical about the connecting line S. That is, the vertex angle of the triangular protrusion is bisected by the connecting line S.

[0051] Please continue reading Figure 5 The protrusion 213 further includes a first slope surface 224 and a second slope surface 225 opposite to each other, wherein the first slope surface 224 is close to the first side surface 221 , and the second slope surface 225 is close to the second side surface 222 .

[0052] Further, the elastic part 212 is provided with a deformation zone 223, and the deformation zone 223 is provided between the first side surface 221 and the protrusion 213, and the deformation zone 223 and the first side surface 221 form a first angle β1, and the first slope surface 224 and the first side surface 221 form a second angle β2, and the first angle β1 is greater than the second angle β2, and the first angle β1 is an acute angle. So that the first slope surface 224 and the deformation zone 223 form a relatively gentle transition, so that the deformation zone 223 meets the elastic deformation requirements, and the protrusion 213 can be more easily protruded toward the valve body 201. And the second slope surface 225 and the first side surface 221 form a third angle β3, and the third angle β3 is greater than the second angle β2. And the third angle β3 is smaller than the first angle β1.

[0053] The first side surface 221 is parallel to the second side surface 222; the first side surface 221 is parallel to the side surface of the valve plate 202, and after the sealing ring 203 is installed on the valve plate 202, the first side surface 221 is flush with the side surface of the valve plate 202. Preferably, the valve 200 provided by the present invention further includes a pressing plate 206, which is connected to the side of the valve plate 202 where the sealing ring 203 is provided, and is used to press the sealing ring 203. Most of the center area of ​​the pressing plate 206 is fixedly connected to the valve plate 202, and a small part of the remaining edge area is connected to the fixing portion 211 of the sealing ring 203.

[0054] Optionally, the sealing ring 203 further includes an elastic member 231, and the elastic portion 212 is provided with an accommodating cavity 226 in the annular direction. Figure 3 As shown, the elastic member 231 is disposed in the accommodating cavity 226. Optionally, the elastic member 231 is made of metal. The elastic member is used to provide the protrusion with a force pointing toward the valve body, thereby achieving good sealing and not affecting the sealing effect when the protrusion is worn.

[0055] Optionally, the accommodating cavity 226 is an annular groove, and the annular groove extends along the width direction D of the valve plate 202 , and the opening of the annular groove faces the second side surface 222 .

[0056] Optionally, a radially concave fitting portion 215 is circumferentially provided on the outer edge of the valve plate 202, and the sealing ring 203 is embedded in the fitting portion 215. The pressing plate 206 is connected to the side of the valve plate 202 provided with the fitting portion 215, and is used to press the fixing portion 211 of the sealing ring 203 located in the fitting portion 215. The fixing portion 211 is a protruding annular surface, which is embedded between the valve plate 202 and the pressing plate 206 and fixed by the pressing plate 206.

[0057] Furthermore, the embedding portion 215 includes a first embedding portion and a second embedding portion, the second embedding portion is located outside the first embedding portion (ie, the outer edge) and has a larger width, and the protruding annular surface is embedded in the first embedding portion.

[0058] Although the content of the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the above description should not be considered as a limitation of the present invention. After reading the above content, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and substitutions of the present invention will occur. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A valve for semiconductor equipment, characterized in that: include: a valve body having a passage for fluid to pass through; A valve plate, which is rotatably connected to the valve body and can fully or partially cover the channel during rotation; A sealing ring, arranged at the outer edge of the valve plate, capable of rotating with the valve plate to form a sealed connection with the channel of the valve body; Wherein, the sealing ring includes a fixed part and an elastic part, the fixed part is connected to the elastic part, the fixed part is arranged on a side close to the valve plate, and is used to be fixedly connected to the valve plate; the elastic part is arranged on one side of the valve body, the elastic part is provided with a protrusion, and the protrusion extends toward the valve body.

2. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that The elastic portion includes a first side surface and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface, wherein the first side surface is a surface facing the upstream of the channel; and the protrusion is arranged close to the second side surface in the width direction of the valve plate.

3. The valve according to claim 2, characterized in that It also includes a rotating shaft, which is connected to the valve plate and is used to drive the valve plate to rotate relative to the valve body.

4. The valve according to claim 3, characterized in that When the valve plate is in the sealing position, the tip of the protrusion is located at the foot of the perpendicular line from the center of the rotation axis to the surface of the channel.

5. The valve according to claim 4, characterized in that The protrusions extend along the connecting line, and in the width direction of the valve plate, the protrusions are symmetrical about the connecting line.

6. The valve according to claim 2, characterized in that The sealing ring further comprises an elastic member, the elastic portion is provided with an accommodating cavity in an annular direction, and the elastic member is arranged in the accommodating cavity.

7. The valve according to claim 6, characterized in that The accommodating cavity is an annular groove, and the annular groove extends along the width direction of the valve plate, and the opening of the annular groove faces the second side surface.

8. The valve according to claim 2, characterized in that The first side surface is parallel to the second side surface; the first side surface is parallel to a side surface of the valve plate.

9. The valve according to claim 8, characterized in that The protrusion includes a first slope surface and a second slope surface opposite to each other, wherein the first slope surface is close to the first side surface, and the second slope surface is close to the second side surface.

10. The valve according to claim 9, characterized in that The elastic portion is provided with a deformation zone, and the deformation zone is provided between the first side surface and the protrusion. The deformation zone forms a first angle with the first side surface, and the first slope surface forms a second angle with the first side surface. The first angle is greater than the second angle, and the first angle is an acute angle.

11. The valve according to claim 12, characterized in that The second slope surface forms a third angle with the first side surface, and the third angle is greater than the second angle.

12. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that The outer edge of the valve plate is circumferentially provided with a radially inwardly concave fitting portion, and the sealing ring is embedded in the fitting portion.

13. The valve according to claim 12, characterized in that It also includes a pressure plate connected to one side of the valve plate where the embedding portion is provided, and is used to compress the fixing portion of the sealing ring located in the embedding portion.

14. The valve according to claim 13, characterized in that The fixing portion is a protruding annular surface, and the protruding annular surface is embedded between the valve plate and the pressure plate and fixed by the pressure plate.

15. The valve according to claim 14, characterized in that The embedding portion includes a first embedding portion and a second embedding portion, wherein the second embedding portion is located outside the first embedding portion and has a larger width, and the protruding annular surface is embedded in the first embedding portion.

16. The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that: The sealing ring is made of PTFE or modified PTFE.

17. A valve according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The elastic member is made of metal.

18. The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: Near the sealing position of the valve plate, the diameter of the channel increases from small to large in the direction from upstream to downstream.

19. A semiconductor device, characterized in that: include: A cavity, wherein a side wall of the cavity is provided with an exhaust gas outlet; A pump, wherein the pump is connected to the tail gas outlet via a pipeline; The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the valve is arranged on the pipeline.

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