Valve island and apparatus
By optimizing the relative angle and flow channel design of the inlet channel and cavity in the valve island, the problems of poor gas mixing effect and large dead zone in the valve island in the prior art are solved, and more efficient gas mixing and lower risk of particulate matter contamination are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510127707.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-30
AI Technical Summary
The prior art fails to optimize the relative angle between the flow channel and the chamber in the valve island, resulting in poor gas mixing effect, large dead zones in the valve island, and easy to cause particulate pollution.
By setting the relative angles of the inlet channel and the cavity in the valve island, the gas flow channel design is optimized, including adjusting the angle between the inlet channel and the cavity and the inner diameter of the flow channel to improve the uniformity of gas mixing.
It effectively reduces the unevenness of the mixed gas after it exits the valve terminal, improves the concentration uniformity of gas mixing, reduces the dead zone inside the valve terminal, and reduces the risk of particulate matter generation.
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Figure CN120062394A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the technical field of gas circulation equipment, and particularly relates to a valve island and a device. Background Art
[0002] In semiconductor-related equipment, a valve island is one of the key components of a gas system. As an integrated device of valves, a valve island can pre-distribute, mix, and control the on-off of different types of gases before they enter the reaction chamber. The valve island can be connected to a gas transmission pipeline and a gas feeding device such as a showerhead, etc., providing a flow channel space before the gas enters the chamber, and meeting the requirements of pre-distributing, mixing, and controlling the on-off of different types of gases before they enter the reaction chamber.
[0003] For the flow and distribution of a single gas in the valve island, generally, while providing the gas on-off function, it is necessary to reduce the reaction space with the residual gas in the flow channel and reduce the trapped gas distance after the flow stops; for the flow of two or more gases in the valve island, it is necessary to pay attention to the mixing effect of multiple gases before entering the cavity and ensure the concentration uniformity of the mixed gas in the cavity during the reaction. The prior art has not optimized the angles in the vertical and horizontal directions between the flow channel and the central chamber of the valve island, and has not paid attention to the influence of the outlet orientations of different gases on the trapped gas distance, resulting in poor gas mixing effect, large dead zones in the valve island, and easy generation of particulate pollution problems. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This application provides a valve island and a device, which can improve the uniformity of gas mixing by setting the relative angle between the inlet flow channel and the cavity in the valve island.
[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a valve island, including a valve seat and valves. A cavity and an inlet flow channel are provided in the valve seat. One end of the inlet flow channel is communicated with the cavity, and the other end of the inlet flow channel is communicated with the valves; the cavity is columnar, and one end of the inlet flow channel is connected to the side wall of the cavity; the first surface is a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the cavity at the connection between the inlet flow channel and the side wall; the inlet flow channel is parallel to the first surface or inclined in the outflow direction away from the cavity; and / or the projection of the inlet flow channel on the first surface intersects the side wall vertically or obliquely at the connection. The gas flow channel design of this application can effectively reduce the non-uniformity of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island and improve the concentration uniformity of gas mixing.
[0006] In one possible implementation, the included angle between the central axis of the inlet channel and the first surface is a first included angle, and the first included angle is in the range of 0 to 80 degrees. In one possible implementation, the second direction is the direction of the line that is perpendicular to the connection and intersects the central axis of the cavity. The included angle between the projection of the inlet channel on the first surface and the second direction is a second included angle, and the second included angle is in the range of 0 to 90 degrees. Gas can enter the cavity through the inlet channel. The cavity can be the central gas mixing area of the valve island. One or more gases entering from the inlet channel are mixed in the cavity, and the mixed gas then flows into the device connected to the outlet of the valve island.
[0007] When the first included angle is 0 degree, the inlet channel and the first direction are parallel to each other, and at this time the inlet channel is perpendicular to the central axis of the cavity; when the first included angle is greater than 0 degree and less than or equal to 80 degrees, the inlet channel and the first direction are inclined, and at this time one end of the inlet channel is connected to the cavity, and the other end is inclined in the direction away from the outlet of the cavity. When the second included angle is zero degree, the inlet channel coincides with the second direction, and the inlet direction of the inlet channel is along the radius direction of the cavity; when the second included angle is 90 degrees, the inlet channel is perpendicular to the second direction. In this application, the included angle between the flow channel for gas to enter the central chamber and the vertical direction and the included angle between the flow channel for gas to enter the central chamber and the radius of the interface circle of the central chamber are designed and optimized. The gas flow channel design can effectively reduce the non-uniformity of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island and improve the concentration uniformity of gas mixing.
[0008] In one possible implementation, the inner diameter of the inlet channel is in the range of 4 mm to 9 mm. This application has designed and optimized the inner diameter of the flow channel for gas feeding into the central chamber, the included angle between the flow channel for gas feeding into the central chamber and the vertical direction of the central chamber, and the included angle between the flow channel for gas feeding into the central chamber and the radius of the interface circle of the central chamber. The optimization ranges are respectively in the range of 0 to 50 degrees, in the range of 0 to 90 degrees, and in the range of 4 mm to 9 mm. The simulation results show that the optimized gas flow channel can effectively reduce the concentration uniformity of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island, while reducing the size of the dead zone inside the valve island and reducing the risk of particulate generation.
[0009] In one possible implementation, there are multiple valves and inlet channels, and the valves and the inlet channels are connected one-to-one. One end of each inlet channel is connected to a valve, and each valve can control the on-off of the gas entering the valve island through the inlet channel connected to it. The on-off control of the gas flow channel by the valve in different application scenarios can be realized. Each valve can be controlled to open or close separately to control the on-off of the gas entering the valve island through the inlet channel; or in some possible cases, the valves installed at different positions can be controlled to open or close simultaneously to control the gas passages of multiple inlet channels entering the valve island to be connected or disconnected simultaneously.
[0010] In a possible implementation, the projection of the inlet channel in the cavity along the inlet flow direction is entirely located on the side wall. This staggered design of the flow channel outlet allows the gas in the inlet channel to enter the cavity along the inlet channel without directly entering other inlet channels, avoiding interference between the gases entering different inlet channels.
[0011] In a possible implementation, the cavity has a bottom wall, and a first outlet channel is provided in the valve seat. The first outlet channel communicates with the cavity and is connected to the bottom wall. The first outlet channel provides a passage for the gas to flow out of the valve island from the cavity of the valve island. The gas enters the cavity through the inlet channel connected to the side wall of the valve island, and the gas in the cavity then flows out of the cavity through the first outlet channel connected to the bottom wall.
[0012] In a possible implementation, the valve island further includes a sleeve, and the sleeve has a channel, and one end of the channel communicates with the first outlet channel. The sleeve is a section of gas pipeline connecting the lower part of the valve island to the chamber, and is an extension of the central mixing chamber in the valve seat downstream. The channel of the sleeve can be connected to a gas reaction device as needed to transmit gas to the gas reaction device.
[0013] In a possible implementation, the sleeve further includes a gas mixing module, and the gas mixing module is located in the channel and is used to mix the medium flowing through the sleeve evenly. Media such as gas in the valve island can enter the cavity through the inlet channel connected to the side wall, and then flow out of the cavity through the first outlet channel connected to the planar side wall and enter the channel. The gas passes through the gas mixing module in the channel and is mixed more fully under the action of the gas mixing module. Under the action of the gas mixing module, the gases entering from different inlet channels are fully mixed to ensure the uniformity of the mixed gas.
[0014] In a possible implementation, the gas mixing module includes a spiral mixer. The spiral structure of the spiral mixer can strengthen the spiral effect of the gas flowing along the surface, and at the same time increase the flow length of the mixed gas in a limited length space, enhancing the gas mixing efficiency. The spiral gas mixer can effectively reduce the concentration non-uniformity of the mixed gas after it flows out of the valve island.
[0015] In a possible implementation, a second outlet channel is provided in the valve seat. The second outlet channel communicates with the cavity and is connected to the side wall. The second outlet channel can prevent the gas that entered through the previous inlet channel from causing residual interference. The required gas is input through the inlet channel, and after the gas enters the cavity, it flows out through the second outlet channel, and the residual gas is discharged by the subsequent input gas, avoiding interference caused by the reaction between the subsequent gas and the residual gas and preventing the influence on the use effect of the valve island.
[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a device, which includes the valve island described in any one of the above embodiments, and further includes a first pipeline. The first pipeline, the valve, the inflow channel, and the cavity are connected in sequence. The device provided by the present application can be used as part of a gas supply device in semiconductor-related process equipment. The first pipeline can be connected to the gas supply device. Process gases flow through the first pipeline, the inflow channel, and the cavity in sequence. Different types of gases can be mixed with each other in the cavity to improve the uniformity of the mixed gas. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Figure 1 FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the valve island provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0018] Figure 2 FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. Figure 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0019] Figure 3 FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. Figure 1 provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0020] Figure 4 FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the influence of the first included angle on the flow field provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0021] Figure 5 FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the influence of the second included angle on the flow field provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0022] Figure 6 FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the sleeve provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0023] Figure 7 FIG. 12 is a diagram of the gas mixing module provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0024] Figure 8 FIG. 13 is a simulated sectional view of the concentration field of the gas flowing through the mixing module provided by an embodiment of the present application;
[0025] Figure 9 FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the first pipeline provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0026] The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.
[0027] For ease of understanding, the following first explains and describes the English abbreviations and related technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application.
[0028] It should be clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.
[0029] The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms "a", "the", and "said" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0030] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used herein is merely a description of the same field of related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " herein generally represents an "or" relationship between the related objects before and after.
[0031] It should be understood that the "first", "second", etc. used in the present application are only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance, nor can they be understood as indicating or implying an order.
[0032] In the description of the present application, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.
[0033] For the range used in the present application, unless otherwise specifically stated that the end values are not included, it is default to include the two end values of the range. For example, in the range of 1 to 5, the two values 1 and 5 are included.
[0034] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or a contact connection or an integral connection; for those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.
[0035] In semiconductor-related equipment, a valve island is one of the key components of the gas system. As an integrated device of valves, the valve island can pre-distribute, mix, and control the on-off of different types of gases before they enter the reaction chamber. The valve island can connect the gas transmission pipeline and the gas feeding device such as a shower head, etc., providing a flow channel space for the gas before it enters the chamber, and meeting the requirements of pre-distributing, mixing, and controlling the on-off of different types of gases before they enter the reaction chamber. For the flow and distribution of a single gas in the valve island, generally, while providing the gas on-off function, it is necessary to reduce its reaction space with the residual gas in the flow channel and reduce the trapped gas distance after the flow stops; for the flow of two or more gases in the valve island, it is necessary to pay attention to the mixing effect of multiple gases before entering the chamber and ensure the concentration uniformity of the mixed gas in the reaction in the chamber.
[0036] An embodiment of the present application provides a valve island, which has a central gas mixing chamber. The present application designs and optimizes the inner diameter of the flow channel for the gas to enter the central chamber, the angle between the flow channel for the gas to enter the central chamber and the vertical direction, and the angle between the flow channel for the gas to enter the central chamber and the radius of the interface circle of the central chamber, which can improve the concentration uniformity of gas mixing.
[0037] Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the valve island provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a valve seat 100 and a valve 200. A cavity 110 and an inlet flow channel 120 are provided in the valve seat 100. One end of the inlet flow channel 120 is communicated with the cavity 110, and the other end of the inlet flow channel 120 is communicated with the valve 200. It should be noted that, in order to more clearly show the internal structure of the valve island, Figure 2 the connection of other components to the valve island is omitted in
[0038] In the embodiment of the present application, gas flow channels and inlets and outlets are provided on the valve seat 100, which can provide an inlet and outlet path for one or more gases. Sealing grooves are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the valve seat 100, which can provide sealing between the gas flow channels connected to the upper surface or the lower surface. Valve interfaces for surface mounting can be machined around the valve seat 100 to provide sealing with the valve parts. The inlet flow channel 120 can be connected around the valve seat 100 by means such as welding. The inlet flow channel 120 can provide a path for the gas to enter the central mixing area of the valve island from all around.
[0039] In the embodiment of the present application, the gas can enter the cavity 110 through the inlet flow channel 120, and there can be one or more inlet flow channels 120. The same gas can enter the cavity 110 from multiple inlet flow channels 120, or different types of gases can enter the cavity 110 through the respective inlet flow channels 120 as needed to form a mixed gas. The cavity 110 can be the central gas mixing area of the valve island. One or more gases entering from the inlet flow channel 120 are mixed in the cavity 110, and the mixed gas then flows into the device connected to the outlet of the valve island.
[0040] In the embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 as shown, for a clearer representation, Figure 3 only the components related to the first included angle are shown, and other components are omitted. The first plane 510 is a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the cavity 110 at the connection 121 between the inlet channel 120 and the side wall 111. The inlet channel 120 and the side wall 111 are connected at the connection 121. The first plane 510 is a plane passing through the connection 121 and perpendicular to the central axis of the cavity 110. In Figure 3 , the first plane 510 is a plane perpendicular to the XZ plane, and the first plane 510 is perpendicular to the Z-axis and parallel to the X-axis. The inlet channel 120 is parallel to the first plane 510 or inclined in the outflow direction 113 away from the valve seat 100.
[0041] At the connection 121 between the inlet channel 120 and the side wall 111, the included angle between the center line 122 of the inlet channel 120 and the first plane 510 is the first included angle, where the center line 122 refers to the central axis of the inlet channel 120 extending along the flow direction of the internal medium. Figure 3 In
[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 as shown, the second direction 520 is the direction of the line perpendicular to and intersecting the central axis of the cavity 110 at the connection 121. The included angle between the projection of the inlet channel 120 on the first plane 510 and the second direction 520 is the second included angle. The second included angle is denoted as the β angle, and the second included angle β is in the range of 0 to 90 degrees. When the second included angle β is zero degrees, the inlet channel 120 coincides with the second direction 520, and the inlet direction of the inlet channel 120 is along the radius direction of the cavity 110; when the second included angle β is 90 degrees, the inlet channel 120 is perpendicular to the second direction 520, and the inlet direction of the inlet channel 120 is perpendicular to the radius direction of the cavity 110.
[0043] Referring to Figure 4As shown, the simulation results show that when the first included angle α is in the range of 0 to 50 degrees, the concentration non-uniformity (Mixing Molar Fraction, MMF) of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island is below 35%. It should be noted that the first included angle α can be in the range of 0 to 80 degrees. Figure 4 Only the simulation results when the first included angle α is in the range of 0 to 50 degrees are shown as a preferred embodiment. Refer to Figure 5 As shown, the simulation results show that when the second included angle β is in the range of 0 to 90 degrees, the concentration non-uniformity of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island is below 25%. The optimized gas flow channel in this application can effectively reduce the concentration non-uniformity of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island.
[0044] In the embodiment of this application, the cross-section of the inlet flow channel 120 can be circular, and the diameter of the circular cross-section of the inlet flow channel 120 is in the range of 4 mm to 9 mm. The gas flow channel design in this application can effectively reduce the non-uniformity of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island.
[0045] In the embodiment of this application, the valve 200 can control the on-off of the gas entering and leaving the valve island by opening and closing. The valve 200 can be a diaphragm valve surface-mounted in the form of C-type seal or W-type seal, which can improve the integration degree of the valve island, reduce the pipeline length between valves, and reduce the gas residue in the pipeline. The cavity 110 is columnar, including a side wall 111. The inlet flow channel 120 is connected to the side wall 111, and the gas can enter the cavity 110 through the inlet flow channel 120. The same or different gases entering the cavity 110 from different inlet flow channels 120 can be mixed with each other in the cavity 110.
[0046] In a possible embodiment, refer to Figure 2 As shown, in the embodiment of this application, the number of valves 200 and inlet flow channels 120 is multiple, and the valves 200 and the inlet flow channels 120 are connected one-to-one. Different inlet flow channels 120 can flow the same gas, or according to needs, different inlet flow channels 120 can also enter different types of gases. One end of each inlet flow channel 120 is connected to a valve 200, and each valve 200 can control the on-off of the gas entering the valve island through the connected inlet flow channel 120. Each valve 200 is controlled to open or close separately to control the on-off of the gas entering the valve island through the inlet flow channel 120; or in some possible cases, the valves 200 installed at different positions can be controlled to open or close simultaneously to control the gas passages of multiple inlet flow channels 120 entering the valve island to be connected or disconnected simultaneously.
[0047] In a possible implementation, the projection of the inlet channel 120 in the cavity 110 along the inlet flow direction is entirely located on the side wall 111. That is to say, the projection of the inlet channel 120 in the cavity 110 along the inlet flow direction will not be located at the gas outlet of other inlet channels 120, avoiding the gas directly impacting other inlet channels 120 after entering from one inlet channel 120, and the trapped gas distance of the gas can be reduced to less than or equal to 2 inches. This staggered design of the flow channel outlets enables the gas in the inlet channel 120 to enter the cavity 110 along the inlet channel 120, rather than directly entering other inlet channels 120, thus avoiding interference between the gases entering different inlet channels 120.
[0048] In a possible implementation, reference can be made to Figure 3 As shown, the cavity 110 in the implementation of the present application has a bottom wall 112. A first outlet channel 130 is provided in the valve seat 100. The first outlet channel 130 is connected to the bottom wall 112 and is in communication with the cavity 110. The side wall 111 and the bottom wall 112 jointly enclose the cavity 110. The inlet channel 120 is connected to the side wall 111, and the first outlet channel 130 is connected to the bottom wall 112; the first outlet channel 130 provides a passage for the gas to flow out of the valve island from the cavity 110 of the valve island. The gas enters the cavity 110 through the inlet channel 120 connected to the side wall 111 of the valve island, and the gas in the cavity 110 then flows out of the cavity 110 through the first outlet channel 130 connected to the bottom wall 112. It should be noted that Figure 3 shows the connection situation between the cavity 110 and the inlet channel 120, and some other components are omitted.
[0049] In a possible implementation, reference can be made to Figure 6 As shown, the valve island in the implementation of the present application further includes a sleeve 300. The sleeve 300 has a channel 310. One end of the channel 310 is in communication with the first outlet channel 130. The sleeve 300 can be a ceramic tube. The sleeve 300 is a section of gas pipeline connecting the lower part of the valve island to the chamber, and can be regarded as an extension of the central mixing chamber in the valve seat 100 downstream. The gas enters the cavity 110 through the inlet channel 120 connected to the side wall 111 of the valve island, and the gas in the cavity 110 then flows out through the first outlet channel 130 connected to the bottom wall 112 and enters the channel 310. The overall path of the gas flow in the valve island is from the inlet channel 120 to the cavity 110 to the first outlet channel 130 to the channel 310. The channel 310 can be connected to a gas reaction device as needed to transmit gas to the gas reaction device.
[0050] In a possible implementation, reference can be made to Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown in the figure, the sleeve 300 in the embodiment of the present application further includes a gas mixing module 320. The gas mixing module 320 is located in the channel 310 and is used to mix the medium flowing through the sleeve 300 evenly. Specifically, there is a gas mixing module 320 in the channel 310 of the sleeve 300. Media such as gas can enter the cavity 110 through the inlet channel 120 connected to the side wall 111, and flow out of the cavity 110 through the first outlet channel 130 connected to the bottom wall 112 and enter the channel 310. The gas passes through the gas mixing module 320 in the channel 310 and is mixed more fully under the action of the gas mixing module 320. Under the action of the gas mixing module 320, the gases entering from different inlet channels 120 are fully mixed to ensure the uniformity of the mixed gas. In a possible implementation manner, refer to Figure 7 As shown in the figure, the gas mixing module 320 in the embodiment of the present application includes a spiral mixer. The spiral mixer includes a plurality of spiral-shaped blades 321. The spiral structure can strengthen the spiral effect of the gas flowing along the surface, and at the same time increase the flow length of the mixed gas in a limited length space, enhancing the gas mixing efficiency. Refer to Figure 8 As shown in the figure, Figure 8 is a simulated concentration field slice diagram of the gas flowing through the mixing module provided by the embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 Different layer slices are shown in the figure. The more obvious the black and white contrast, the higher the concentration non-uniformity. Figure 8 The black and white contrast in the middle and lower parts decreases, indicating that the concentration non-uniformity decreases. The simulation results show that the spiral structure of the spiral mixer can strengthen the spiral effect of the gas flowing along the surface. Selecting a spiral gas mixer can effectively reduce the concentration non-uniformity of the mixed gas after leaving the valve island. The concentration non-uniformity (Mixing Molar Fraction, MMF) is reduced from 12% to 3%.
[0051] In a possible implementation manner, it can be referred to Figure 6 As shown in the figure, a second outlet channel 140 is provided in the valve seat 100 in the embodiment of the present application. The second outlet channel 140 is communicated with the cavity 110 and is connected to the side wall 111. The second outlet channel 140 is connected to the side wall 111, and the gas in the cavity 110 can be discharged through the second outlet channel 140. During actual use, in some cases, in order to avoid the residual interference of the gas entering from the previous inlet channel 120, the required gas can be input through the inlet channel 120. After the gas enters the cavity 110, it flows out through the second outlet channel 140, and the residual gas is discharged by the subsequently input gas, avoiding the reaction between the subsequent gas and the residual gas to generate interference and affecting the use effect of the valve island.
[0052] In a possible implementation manner, refer to Figure 9As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present application provides a device. The device provided by the embodiment of the present application includes the valve island in any of the above embodiments, and further includes a first pipeline 400. The first pipeline 400, the valve 200, the inflow channel 120, and the cavity 110 are connected in sequence. The first pipeline 400 can be connected to a gas supply pipeline, and the gas outlet of the cavity 110 is connected to a gas feeding device. When the valve 200 is opened, the gas in the gas supply pipeline can enter the first pipeline 400, then flow into the inflow channel 120. The inflow channel 120 is connected to the cavity 110 through the side wall 111, and the gas can enter the cavity 110 through the inflow channel 120. The outlet of the cavity 110 can be connected to a gas feeding device such as a shower head to achieve the circulation and uniform supply of gas.
[0053] The device provided by the embodiment of the present application can be used as a part of the gas supply system in semiconductor-related process equipment. For example, the thin film deposition process is one of the important processes in the semiconductor-related field. In the thin film deposition process, such as in chemical vapor deposition and atomic layer deposition processes, the gas flows through pipelines and enters the chamber through a gas homogenizing device such as a shower head, and a thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate. During the thin film deposition process, the valve island is one of the key components of the gas system. The device provided by the embodiment of the present application can be used as an integrated device of valves, connecting the gas transmission pipeline and the gas feeding device such as a shower head, so as to achieve the pre-distribution, mixing, and on-off control of different types of gases before entering the reaction chamber. It provides a flow channel space before the gas enters the chamber, and realizes the requirements of pre-distributing, mixing, and on-off controlling different types of gases before entering the reaction chamber. During the thin film deposition process, in order to ensure the uniformity of the thin film deposition, for the flow and distribution of a single gas in the valve island, generally, while providing the gas on-off function, it is necessary to reduce the reaction space with the residual gas in the flow channel and reduce the trapped gas distance after the flow stops; for the flow of two or more gases in the valve island, it is necessary to pay attention to the mixing effect of multiple gases before entering the chamber and ensure the concentration uniformity of the mixed gas in the chamber during the reaction.
[0054] In a possible implementation, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application can be part of the gas supply system in a chemical vapor deposition device. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is a process in which gaseous or vaporous substances react on a gas phase or gas-solid interface to form solid deposits. In semiconductor-related processes, thermal energy, glow discharge plasma, laser irradiation, or other forms of energy can be comprehensively utilized to cause gaseous substances to undergo chemical reactions on the hot surface of a solid, forming stable solid substances and depositing them on the surface of a wafer as a thin film preparation technology. It generally includes main steps such as gas transmission to the deposition area, formation of film precursors, attachment of film precursors to the silicon wafer surface, adhesion of film precursors, diffusion of film precursors, surface reaction, removal of by-products from the surface, and removal of by-products from the reaction chamber. In a vacuum or inert atmosphere, different electronic gases are used in different deposition film processes.
[0055] In a possible implementation, the device provided by the embodiments of the present application can provide flow channels for multiple gases before they enter the reaction chamber. Special gases commonly used in chemical vapor deposition include silane, dichlorosilane, trichlorosilane, silicon chloride, tetraethoxysilane, ammonia, nitrous oxide, tungsten hexafluoride, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. To deposit a polysilicon (Si) thin film, silane (SiH 4 ) is usually required for high-temperature reaction; for depositing a silicon nitride thin film, silicon chloride (SiCl 4 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) are used, etc.; for depositing a silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) thin film, alkoxysilane or silane decomposition method can be adopted; tungsten hexafluoride and silane can be used in tungsten deposition, while titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4) and ammonia gas, etc. In this embodiment, there can be multiple first pipelines 400. Different first pipelines 400 are connected to the gas supply pipelines of different types of gases. The gases in the supply pipelines can enter the first pipelines 400. The first pipelines 400 are connected to the corresponding inflow channels 120 in a one-to-one manner, so that the gases can then flow into the inflow channels 120. One end of the inflow channel 120 is connected with a valve 200 that can control the on-off of the gas entering the reaction chamber. The inflow channel 120 is connected to the cavity 110 through the side wall 111. When the valve 200 is in the open state, multiple gases can enter the cavity 110 through the inflow channels 120 respectively. The gases entering from different inflow channels 120 can be mixed with each other in the cavity 110. The outlet of the cavity 110 is connected to the first outflow channel 130. The first outflow channel 130 can be connected to a sleeve 300. The sleeve 300 has a channel 310. The gas mixing module 320 is located in the channel 310 and is used to mix the gases flowing through the sleeve 300. The gas mixing module 320 includes a spiral mixer. The spiral structure of the spiral mixer can strengthen the spiral effect of the gas flowing along the surface. At the same time, it also increases the flow length of the mixed gas in a limited length space and enhances the gas mixing efficiency.
[0056] In the embodiment of the present application, the gas medium can enter the cavity 110 through the inflow channel 120 connected to the side wall 111, and flow out of the cavity 110 through the first outflow channel 130 connected to the bottom wall 112 and enter the channel 310. The gas passes through the gas mixing module 320 in the channel 310. Under the action of the gas mixing module 320, the gases entering from different inflow channels 120 are fully mixed to ensure the uniformity of the mixed gas. The mixed gas enters the gas reaction chamber through a gas feeding device such as a shower head. The gaseous substances undergo a chemical reaction on the surface of a solid such as a wafer, forming a stable solid substance and depositing a thin film on the surface of the wafer.
[0057] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A valve island, characterized in that: It comprises a valve seat and a valve, wherein a cavity and an inlet channel are arranged in the valve seat, one end of the inlet channel is connected to the cavity, and the other end of the inlet channel is connected to the valve, the cavity is columnar, and one end of the inlet channel is connected to the side wall of the cavity; The first surface is a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the cavity at the connection between the inlet channel and the side wall; The inlet channel is parallel to the first surface or inclined toward the outflow direction away from the cavity; and / or the projection of the inlet channel on the first surface intersects the side wall vertically or obliquely at the connection point.
2. The valve island according to claim 1, characterized in that: An angle between the central axis of the inlet channel and the first surface is a first angle, and the first angle is in the range of 0 to 80 degrees.
3. The valve island according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The second direction is the direction of a line perpendicular to the connection and intersecting the central axis of the cavity. The angle between the projection of the inlet channel on the first surface and the second direction is a second angle β, and the second angle β is in the range of 0 to 90 degrees.
4. The valve island according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The cross section of the inlet channel is circular, and the inner diameter of the circular cross section is in the range of 4 mm to 9 mm.
5. The valve island according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: There are multiple valves and multiple flow inlets, and the valves and the flow inlets are connected one-to-one.
6. The valve island according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The projections of the inlet channel on the inner wall of the cavity along the inlet direction are all located on the side wall.
7. The valve island according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The cavity comprises a bottom wall, and a first outlet channel is arranged in the valve seat. The first outlet channel is communicated with the cavity and connected with the bottom wall.
8. The valve island according to claim 7, characterized in that The valve island further includes a sleeve having a channel, one end of the channel being in communication with the first outlet channel.
9. The valve island according to claim 8, characterized in that The valve island further comprises a gas mixing module, wherein the gas mixing module is located in the channel of the sleeve and is used for mixing the medium flowing through the sleeve.
10. The valve island according to claim 9, characterized in that The gas mixing module includes a spiral mixer.
11. The valve island according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: A second outlet channel is provided in the valve seat, and the second outlet channel is communicated with the cavity and connected with the side wall.
12. A device, characterized in that: The valve island comprises the valve island as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, and further comprises a first pipeline, wherein the first pipeline, the valve of the valve island, the flow inlet of the valve island and the cavity of the valve island are connected in sequence.