Spray cooling device, spray structure and process equipment of semiconductor device

Abstract

The invention discloses a spray cooling device, a spray structure and process equipment of a semiconductor device. The spray cooling device is arranged above the sheet heater in the spray structure and comprises a first air inlet pipe located in the second cooling pipe so as to transmit cooling air flow to all areas in the second cooling pipe, and a second air inlet pipe located in the second cooling pipe. The lower surface of the second cooling pipe is a flat cooling surface, an air outlet formed by a plurality of bimetallic strips is formed in the flat cooling surface and used for providing the cooling airflow for the sheet heater, and the size of the air outlet changes along with the change of the temperature so as to adjust the flow of the output cooling airflow. According to the spraying structure, the cooling air flow can be automatically adjusted along with the change of the external temperature, so that the cooling stability is improved, meanwhile, the cooling uniformity of the spraying heater and the surrounding environment can be improved, the risk of local deformation increase caused by too high local temperature of parts in the spraying structure is reduced, the equipment leakage risk is reduced, and the service life of the spraying structure is prolonged. And the equipment stability is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a spray cooling device, a spray structure, and process equipment for semiconductor devices. Background Art

[0002] The spray plate plays a crucial role in semiconductor coating equipment, and temperature control has a crucial impact on film quality. To ensure uniform heating temperature, sheet heaters are currently used. This greatly increases the contact area between the heater and the spray plate, thereby ensuring uniform heating performance.

[0003] However, the current cooler in the spray structure still uses circular tube air jets for cooling. This configuration, while the heater is a sheet, and the cooler is circular, can result in uneven cooling, with areas closer to the cooler experiencing better cooling and areas farther away experiencing poorer cooling. This leads to poor overall thermal stability in the spray structure, ultimately impacting coating quality. Furthermore, if the heater experiences localized high temperatures due to uneven heating, the existing cooler uses fixed-size air outlets, making it impossible to automatically adjust the temperature of the hot areas.

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, this field urgently needs a spray cooling technology that can automatically adjust the cooling air flow rate as the external temperature changes, thereby improving the cooling stability. At the same time, it can also improve the cooling uniformity of the spray heater and its surrounding environment, thereby improving the overall thermal stability of the spray structure, reducing the risk of increased local deformation of components in the spray structure due to local excessive temperature, and then reducing the risk of leakage and improving the stability of the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following is a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceivable aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a spray cooling device, a spray structure, and a process equipment for semiconductor devices, which can automatically adjust the cooling air flow rate as the external temperature changes, thereby improving the cooling stability. At the same time, it can also improve the cooling uniformity of the spray heater and its surrounding environment, thereby improving the overall thermal stability of the spray structure, reducing the risk of increased local deformation of components in the spray structure due to local excessive temperature, and then reducing the risk of leakage and improving the stability of the equipment.

[0007] Specifically, the above-mentioned spray cooling device provided according to the first aspect of the present invention is arranged above the sheet heater in the spray structure, and the spray cooling device includes: a first air inlet pipe, located in the second cooling pipe, to transmit the cooling airflow to various areas in the second cooling pipe; and the second cooling pipe, whose lower surface is a flat cooling surface, and the flat cooling surface is provided with a plurality of air outlets composed of bimetallic strips, which are used to provide the cooling airflow to the sheet heater, wherein the size of the air outlet changes with the change of temperature to adjust the flow rate of the output cooling airflow.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the air outlet includes an opening structure formed by stacked bimetallic sheets, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the inner metal sheet is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the outer metal sheet, so that the air outlet changes from a flat opening to an outward curved arc opening as the temperature rises, thereby increasing the flow rate of the output cooling airflow.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first air intake pipe is a circular ring structure, and the second cooling pipe is a flat ring structure, so that the first air intake pipe is embedded in the center of the second cooling pipe, wherein the along-the-line loss of the first air intake pipe is less than the along-the-line loss of the second cooling pipe.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of openings are distributed in the first air intake pipe, and the apertures of the plurality of openings increase as the distance from the air intake end of the first air intake pipe increases, so that the pressure of the cooling airflow reaching each of the openings is the same.

[0011] Furthermore, some embodiments of the present invention include a high-pressure air source for providing a high-speed cooling airflow to the first air inlet pipe to replenish the air pressure in the second cooling pipe after the temperature is increased to the initial air pressure.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a lower gap exists between the second cooling tube and the sheet heater, so that the output cooling airflow flows through the lower gap.

[0013] In addition, the above-mentioned spray structure provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a sheet heater for heating the process gas; a spray plate, located below the sheet heater, connected to the sheet heater via an isolation plate, and used for supplying the heated process gas into the reaction chamber; and the above-mentioned spray cooling device provided by the first aspect of the present invention, which is provided above the sheet heater and is used for providing a cooling airflow with a flow rate adjustable with temperature to the sheet heater to uniformly cool the sheet heater.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the isolation plate surrounds the outer side of the sheet heater and the spray disk, and a plurality of air outlets consisting of bimetallic strips are provided in the side cooling surface of the second cooling tube in the spray cooling device to provide the cooling airflow to the isolation plate.

[0015] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, it also includes: an insulation layer located above the sheet heater, and an air outlet composed of multiple bimetallic strips is provided in the upper cooling surface of the second cooling tube in the spray cooling device to provide the cooling airflow to the insulation layer.

[0016] In addition, the process equipment of the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided according to the third aspect of the present invention includes: a reaction chamber, which contains wafers for process treatment; and the above-mentioned spray structure provided by the second aspect of the present invention, which is arranged at the upper end of the reaction chamber and is used to provide process gas with uniform temperature into the reaction chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or characteristics may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0018] Figure 1 An exploded view of a spray structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of a spray structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a spray cooling device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of a spray cooling device is shown;

[0022] Figure 5AA schematic structural diagram of an air outlet in a second cooling pipe at room temperature is shown according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5B A schematic diagram showing the structure of the air outlet in the second cooling pipe after temperature increase according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown; and

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of an opening in a first air intake pipe according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0025] Reference numerals:

[0026] 100 spray structure;

[0027] 110 sheet heater;

[0028] 120 spray tray;

[0029] 130 isolation panels;

[0030] 131 screws;

[0031] 140 fixing ring;

[0032] 150 insulation;

[0033] 160 temperature measuring thermocouple;

[0034] 170 connecting ring;

[0035] 200 spray cooling device;

[0036] 210 intake end;

[0037] 220 second cooling pipe;

[0038] 221 lower surface;

[0039] 230 air outlet;

[0040] 231 inner metal sheet;

[0041] 232 outer metal sheet;

[0042] 240 first intake pipe;

[0043] 241 opening;

[0044] 501 plane openings; and

[0045] 502 curved opening. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following specific embodiments illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiment is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0047] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0048] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in that section and the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are used solely for convenience of description and do not necessarily imply that the devices described herein must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0049] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or portions. Thus, a first component, region, layer, and / or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer, and / or portion without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0050] As mentioned above, the current cooler in the spray structure still uses circular tube air jet cooling. This heater is a sheet-like structure, but the cooler is a circular structure. This can cause uneven cooling, with areas closer to the cooler having better cooling effects and areas farther away having poor cooling effects. This leads to poor overall thermal stability of the spray structure, ultimately affecting the coating quality. Furthermore, if the heater experiences localized high temperatures due to uneven heating, the existing cooler uses fixed-size air outlets, making it impossible to automatically adjust the temperature of the localized high-temperature areas.

[0051] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a spray cooling device, a spray structure, and a process equipment for semiconductor devices, which can automatically adjust the cooling air flow rate as the external temperature changes, thereby improving the cooling stability. At the same time, it can also improve the cooling uniformity of the spray heater and its surrounding environment, thereby improving the overall thermal stability of the spray structure, reducing the risk of increased local deformation of components in the spray structure due to local excessive temperature, and then reducing the risk of leakage and improving the stability of the equipment.

[0052] In some non-limiting embodiments, the above-mentioned spray cooling device provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the above-mentioned spray structure provided by the second aspect of the present invention, and the spray structure can be further configured in the process equipment of the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided by the third aspect of the present invention.

[0053] The following describes the operating principles of the aforementioned spray cooling device in conjunction with embodiments of certain semiconductor device process equipment and the spray structures therein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these embodiments of the spray cooling device are merely non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, intended to clearly illustrate the main concepts of the present invention and provide specific solutions for easy implementation by the public, and are not intended to limit the entire operating mode or functionality of the semiconductor device process equipment and the spray structures therein.

[0054] Specifically, in some non-limiting embodiments, a semiconductor device process apparatus may include a reaction chamber containing wafers for processing, wherein a spray structure may be provided at the upper end of the reaction chamber for providing a process gas with uniform temperature into the reaction chamber.

[0055] Specifically, see Figure 1 , Figure 1 An exploded view of a spray structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0056] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the spray structure 100 primarily includes a sheet heater 110, a spray plate 120, and a spray cooling device 200. The sheet heater 110 can be used to heat process gases. Optionally, the sheet heater 110 can utilize a mica heater sheet, leveraging the insulation and high-temperature resistance of mica to provide a stable heat source for processing precision semiconductor devices. A thermal insulation layer 150 can be provided above the sheet heater 110 to maintain heat retention.

[0057] like Figure 1As shown, the spray plate 120 can be located below the sheet heater 110 and connected to the sheet heater 110 via an isolation plate 130 to deliver heated process gas into the reaction chamber. The isolation plate 130 can separate the upper air intake space into two spaces, inside and outside the chamber, thereby facilitating the process gas to cover the corresponding wafer surface below.

[0058] The isolation plate 130 can be screwed around the outer surface of the sheet heater 110. The sheet heater 110 heats the isolation plate 130, which then conducts heat to the spray plate 120 through the isolation plate 130. Furthermore, the isolation plate 130 can be made of a metal material with good thermal conductivity. The isolation plate 130 and the sheet heater 110 should be tightly fitted to increase the contact area, reduce thermal resistance, and improve heat transfer performance.

[0059] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the spray plate 120 and the isolation plate 130 can be detachably mechanically connected via screws 131 made of Hastelloy. Since the screws 131 and the spray plate 120 are in direct contact with the process gas within the chamber, the use of Hastelloy, a highly corrosion-resistant material, to prevent corrosion of the screws 131 by the process gas can extend their service life.

[0060] Combine Figure 2 Common understanding, Figure 2 Schematic cross-sectional view of a spray structure provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the spray structure 100 may further include a fixing ring 140. The fixing ring 140 may be located on the outer layer of the isolation plate 130 and engage with the isolation plate 130 to secure the spray plate 120. In addition, the isolation plate 130 may be fixed to the upper cover plate (not shown) via a connecting ring 170 with screws.

[0061] Continue as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, a spray cooling device 200 may be provided above the sheet heater 110 to provide a cooling air flow with adjustable flow rate and temperature to the sheet heater 110 so as to evenly cool the sheet heater 110. Figure 2 As shown in the locally enlarged area I in the figure, the spray cooling device 200 can maintain a certain gap distance from the sheet heater 110, that is, there is a lower gap between the two, so that the output cooling air flow can circulate quickly in the lower gap, accelerate the carrying and migration of heat per unit time, reduce heat accumulation and reflux, and thus achieve a better cooling effect for cooling the sheet heater 110.

[0062] Furthermore, the sheet heater 110 and the insulation layer 150 can be connected by a threaded sleeve. Through the sleeve connection, the spray cooling device 200 located between the two is tightly pressed. When the spray structure 100 needs to be cooled, the cooling air flow can pass through the spray cooling device 200 to cool the sheet heater 110 and its attached heating components, thereby ensuring that the temperature of the entire spray structure 100 reaches the target temperature. Figure 2 As shown, the spray plate 120 may also be connected to a temperature measuring thermocouple 160 for detecting the temperature of the spray plate 120 in real time.

[0063] Next, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a spray cooling device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 4 for Figure 3 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the spray cooling device shown.

[0064] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the spray cooling device 200 may include a first air inlet pipe 240 and a second cooling pipe 220. The first air inlet pipe 240 may be located within the second cooling pipe 220 to transmit the cooling airflow to various areas within the second cooling pipe 220. The lower surface 221 of the second cooling pipe 220 may be a flat cooling surface, which is used to increase the contact area with the sheet-like heater 110 below the second cooling pipe 220. The "contact area" herein may include an area of ​​direct contact or an area of ​​indirect contact. Indirect contact can be understood as gap contact with a lower gap between the lower surface 221 of the second cooling pipe 220 and the sheet-like heater 110 in the above embodiment.

[0065] Specifically, the flat cooling surface can be provided with a plurality of air outlets 230 composed of bimetallic strips for providing cooling airflow to the sheet heater 110 below, wherein the size of the air outlet 230 can change with changes in temperature to adjust the flow rate of the output cooling airflow. In this embodiment, the flat cooling surface on the lower side of the second cooling tube 220 can correspond to the heating surface on the upper side of the sheet heater 110, that is, the cooling surface and the heating surface correspond to each other, so that the cooling airflow can be evenly delivered to multiple areas of the heating surface through the multiple air outlets 230 in the flat cooling surface, solving the problem of uneven distribution of cooling airflow caused by the cooler being a circular tubular structure and the corresponding heater to be cooled being a flat sheet heater 110 in the prior art, which in turn causes the isolation plate 130 to deform due to local high temperature, resulting in the risk of gas leakage.

[0066] Alternatively, as Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the first air intake pipe 240 can be a circular ring structure, and the second cooling pipe 220 can be a flat ring structure, so that the first air intake pipe 240 is embedded in the center of the second cooling pipe 220, so that the first air intake pipe 240 increases the self-strength of the flat second cooling pipe 220, which is conducive to the flow of large flow and high pressure airflow.

[0067] like Figure 4 As shown in the locally enlarged area II in the figure, a plurality of openings 241 can be distributed in a circle in the first air intake pipe 240. For example, three rows of annular openings 241 can be evenly distributed on the first air intake pipe 240. Each row of openings 241 can flow out cooling airflow, thereby ensuring that the cooling airflow can be evenly diffused to various areas of the second cooling pipe 220 without gathering at the air intake end 210.

[0068] In addition, back to Figure 3 As shown, since the second cooling tube 220 is a flat annular structure, and the cooling airflow flows in the flat tube, its loss along the way is relatively large. This will result in the cooling airflow being closer to the air inlet end 210, and the smaller the loss along the way in the second cooling tube 220, and the corresponding output airflow pressure being greater. The outlet pressure of the air outlet 230 away from the air inlet end 210 (i.e., the pressure in the second cooling tube 220) will be reduced accordingly due to the loss along the way. When the pressure in the flat second cooling tube 220 changes while the external pressure remains unchanged, the cooling uniformity of the spray cooling device 200 will be affected. To address this, in this embodiment, a circular first air inlet tube 240 with relatively small loss along the way is used to provide cooling airflow to multiple areas within the second cooling tube 220, thereby preliminarily ensuring that the airflow pressure delivered to each area of ​​the second cooling tube 220 through each opening 241 of the first air inlet tube 240 is substantially the same.

[0069] Further, combined with Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the apertures of the multiple openings 241 can increase as the distance from the air inlet end 210 of the first air inlet pipe 240 increases, thereby ensuring that the air flow pressure at the openings 241 at a position far away from the air inlet end 210 will not be significantly reduced due to the loss along the first air inlet pipe 240, so that the pressure of the cooling air flow entering each area in the second cooling pipe 220 remains uniform, and then reaches each air outlet 230 in the second cooling pipe 220 with the same air outlet pressure, thereby achieving the purpose of providing the same cooling effect to each air outlet 230 of the second cooling pipe 220, reducing the defect of uneven cooling brought by the spray structure 100 itself.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-mentioned solution of embedding the first air inlet pipe 240 in the second cooling pipe 220 is only a non-limiting embodiment provided by the present invention, which is intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide a specific solution that is convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Optionally, in other embodiments, those skilled in the art may also adopt other equivalent methods based on the concept of the present invention to introduce a cooling airflow with substantially the same pressure into each area within the second cooling pipe 220 to ensure the consistency of the final output air pressure. For example, optionally, multiple air inlets may be provided at multiple positions in the second cooling pipe 220 to connect multiple air inlet pipelines and ensure that the air inlet pressure of each air inlet pipeline is the same, thereby achieving the same technical effect as described above. However, the structural design of this method is relatively complex and has certain space requirements.

[0071] Next, please combine Figure 5A and Figure 5B Common understanding, Figure 5A Schematic diagram of the structure of the air outlet of the second cooling pipe at room temperature provided by some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 5B A schematic structural diagram of the air outlet in the second cooling pipe after temperature increase is shown according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0072] Combine Figure 4 and Figure 5A As shown, in some optional embodiments, the air outlet 230 in the second cooling tube 220 may include an opening structure formed by stacked bimetallic sheets, and the head and tail ends may be connected by connection methods including but not limited to welding, mechanical riveting, etc. The thermal expansion coefficient of the inner metal sheet 231 is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the outer metal sheet 232. At normal temperature, the opening structure formed by the bimetallic sheet can be a planar opening 501. However, as the temperature rises, the inner metal sheet 231 and the outer metal sheet 232 deform and expand, and the expansion amount of the inner metal sheet 231 is greater, and the two ends of the bimetallic sheet are connected together, so, as shown in FIG. Figure 5B As shown, the bimetallic strip bends and warps outward, transforming from a flat opening 501 into an outwardly curved curved opening 502, thereby increasing the output cooling airflow. When the temperature drops, the bimetallic strip bends and retracts, causing the air outlet 230 to bend inward, thereby reducing the size of the air outlet 230 and enabling the cooling airflow to automatically adjust with temperature. By placing an outer metal sheet 232 with a smaller thermal expansion coefficient outside the inner metal sheet 231, which has a larger thermal expansion coefficient, the expansion and bending deformation of the inner metal sheet 231 can be limited.

[0073] In this embodiment, compared with the cooling device with fixed air outlet size in the prior art, the air outlet 230 with an opening structure composed of bimetallic strips can perform targeted adjustment of the local opening size according to the local temperature of its respective position, thereby being able to perform targeted automatic cooling adjustment on the local high-temperature area, avoiding the problem of uneven cooling caused by uniformly adjusting the cooling air flow of each fixed-size air outlet.

[0074] For example, if Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown, the inner metal sheet 231 can be made of aluminum alloy and the outer metal sheet 232 can be made of titanium alloy, as long as the thermal expansion coefficients of the two are significantly different and both have high strength. The thermal expansion coefficient α1 of titanium alloy is 7.1x10 -6 m / ℃, while the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum alloy is α2 13.7x10 -6 m / ℃. The two metal sheets can be connected at both ends by welding, mechanical riveting or other unrestricted connection methods. Assume that the initial side length L of the inner metal sheet 231 and the outer metal sheet 232 is 1 mm, the initial thickness T of the two metal sheets is 0.1 mm, the initial width h is 0.5 mm, and the initial circular diameter of the plane opening 501 is 0.11 mm. After the temperature rises by 20℃, the expansion deformation of the outer metal sheet 232 is L1=α1×L×ΔT=7.1×10 -6 ×1×20=0.00142mm. The expansion deformation of the inner metal sheet 231 is L2=α2×L×ΔT=13.7x10 -6 ×1×20=0.00274mm. After thermal expansion, the inner metal sheet 231 expands 0.00132mm more than the outer metal sheet 232. Because the temperature increases uniformly, the bimetallic strip bends upward toward the outer metal sheet 232, forming a curved opening 502, or a curved circle. The radius R of the curved opening 502 is T / L1=0.1 / 0.00142=70.42mm, and its central angle is θ=360L / (2πR)=360×1 / (2×3.14×70.42)=0.81. The newly added gap width of the single-sided arc opening 502 is ΔL = L - Rsin (θ) = 1 - 70.42 × sin (0.81) = 0.0045 mm. Based on this, the newly added area ΔS of the air outlet can be obtained based on the newly added width of the arc opening 502 on both sides. ΔS = 2hΔL = 2 × 0.5 × 0.0045 = 0.0045 mm 2 , and the area S of the original plane opening 501 is circular, that is, S=πR 2 =3.14×0.11×0.11=0.038mm 2, so the percentage of increase in the size of the gas outlet 230 is ΔS / S=0.0045 / 0.038=0.1184=11.84%

[0075] Further, in some optional embodiments, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of an opening in a first air intake pipe according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0076] like Figure 6 As shown, optionally, the opening 241 in the first air intake pipe 240 can also be an opening structure formed by stacked bimetallic sheets, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the inner metal sheet 242 is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the outer metal sheet 243, so that the opening 242 can change from a flat opening to an outward curved arc opening as the temperature rises, thereby increasing the flow rate of the cooling airflow output to the second cooling pipe 220.

[0077] Those skilled in the art will understand that the shape of the opening structure formed by the bimetallic strip is not limited to the two schemes of the air outlet 230 and the opening 241. They are just two non-restrictive implementation methods provided by the present invention, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide a specific solution that is convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Optionally, in other embodiments, those skilled in the art may also adopt other opening structures based on the concept of the present invention to achieve the same technical effect. Figure 5A and Figure 5B The open structure with overlapping metal sheets at both ends is simpler to manufacture.

[0078] Continue as Figure 3 or Figure 4 As shown, the spray cooling device 200 may further include a high-pressure gas source (not shown in the drawings) for applying a certain pressure to the incoming cooling airflow at the air inlet end 210 to form a high-speed cooling airflow. Since the opening size of the opening 241 of the first air inlet pipe 240 and / or the air outlet 230 of the second cooling pipe 220 will automatically expand with the increase in temperature, the loss of cooling gas in the first air inlet pipe 240 and / or the second cooling pipe 220 will increase accordingly, resulting in unstable air pressure inside the pipe, which is prone to decrease rapidly, especially at high temperatures. Therefore, high pressure can be applied to the air inlet end 210 to replenish the air pressure in the pipe to the initial air pressure, thereby ensuring the stability of the spray cooling device 200. Optionally, nitrogen can be used as the cooling airflow.

[0079] Please combine Figure 2 and Figure 4It is commonly understood that in some optional embodiments, the outer cooling surface of the second cooling pipe 220 may be provided with a plurality of air outlets 230 consisting of bimetallic strips to provide cooling airflow to the isolation plate 130 (eg Figure 4 ), thereby reducing the risk of localized deformation of the stainless steel isolation plate 130 due to localized overheating, thereby reducing the risk of gas leakage and improving equipment stability. Furthermore, the inner cooling surface of the second cooling tube 220 can be equipped with multiple bimetallic gas outlets 230 to collectively cool the parts heated by the sheet heater 110, thereby ensuring uniform heating of the parts.

[0080] Further, if Figure 4 As shown, a plurality of air outlets 230 composed of bimetallic sheets can also be distributed on the upper cooling surface of the second cooling pipe 220 to provide cooling airflow to the insulation layer 150 located above the second cooling pipe 220 (such as Figure 4 As shown by the upper arrow in the figure), the local high temperature caused by heat conduction from other directions outside the spray plate 120 is prevented from having uneven heating effect, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the temperature introduced from the outside.

[0081] In summary, the present invention provides a spray cooling device, a spray structure, and a process equipment for semiconductor devices, which can automatically adjust the cooling air flow rate as the external temperature changes, thereby improving the cooling stability. At the same time, it can also improve the cooling uniformity of the spray heater and its surrounding environment, thereby improving the overall thermal stability of the spray structure, reducing the risk of increased local deformation of components in the spray structure due to local excessive temperature, and then reducing the risk of leakage and improving the stability of the equipment.

[0082] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A spray cooling device, arranged above a sheet heater in a spray structure, wherein the spray cooling device is characterized in that: include: a first air inlet pipe located within the second cooling pipe to transmit cooling airflow to various areas within the second cooling pipe; as well as The lower surface of the second cooling tube is a flat cooling surface, and a plurality of air outlets composed of bimetallic strips are provided in the flat cooling surface for providing the cooling airflow to the sheet heater, wherein the size of the air outlet changes with the temperature to adjust the flow of the output cooling airflow.

2. The spray cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air outlet includes an opening structure formed by stacked bimetallic sheets, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the inner metal sheet is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient of the outer metal sheet, so that the air outlet changes from a flat opening to an outwardly curved arc opening as the temperature rises, thereby increasing the flow rate of the output cooling airflow.

3. The spray cooling device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first air intake pipe is a circular ring structure, and the second cooling pipe is a flat ring structure, so that the first air intake pipe is embedded in the center of the second cooling pipe, wherein the along-the-line loss of the first air intake pipe is smaller than the along-the-line loss of the second cooling pipe.

4. The spray cooling device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first air intake pipe is provided with a plurality of openings, and the apertures of the plurality of openings increase with increasing distance from the air intake end of the first air intake pipe, so that the pressure of the cooling airflow reaching each opening is the same.

5. The spray cooling device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A high-pressure air source is included for providing a high-speed cooling air flow to the first air inlet pipeline to replenish the air pressure in the second cooling pipe after the temperature is increased to the initial air pressure.

6. The spray cooling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A lower gap is provided between the second cooling tube and the sheet heater, so that the output cooling airflow can flow through the lower gap.

7. A spray structure, characterized in that: include: Sheet heaters for heating process gases; a spray plate, located below the sheet heater and connected to the sheet heater via an isolation plate, for supplying the heated process gas into the reaction chamber; and The spray cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is arranged above the sheet heater and is used to provide a cooling airflow with a flow rate adjustable with temperature to the sheet heater to uniformly cool the sheet heater.

8. The spray structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: The isolation plate surrounds the outer side of the sheet heater, and the outer cooling surface of the second cooling tube in the spray cooling device is provided with a plurality of air outlets consisting of bimetallic strips to provide the cooling airflow to the isolation plate.

9. The spray structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: Also includes: The heat insulation layer is located above the sheet heater, and the upper cooling surface of the second cooling tube in the spray cooling device is provided with a plurality of air outlets consisting of bimetallic strips to provide the cooling airflow to the heat insulation layer.

10. A process equipment for a semiconductor device, characterized in that: include: A reaction chamber, which holds wafers for processing; as well as The spray structure according to any one of claims 7 to 9 is provided at the upper end of the reaction chamber and is used to provide process gas with uniform temperature into the reaction chamber.

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