Flow regulation pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition

Abstract

The flow regulation pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition comprises a parent body, a body and an air cylinder body, a valve seat is installed in the parent body, a membrane is installed on the valve seat, and the membrane is used for opening and closing an air path circulation channel; the body is connected with the parent body, a slider seat is mounted at the bottom of the body, a slider is mounted in the middle of the slider seat, and the slider seat is used for pressing a diaphragm; the air cylinder body is connected with the body and provided with a driving assembly, and a piston assembly is installed outside the driving assembly and used for being matched with the driving assembly to adjust the compression gap of the diaphragm. The height position of the air cylinder body relative to the connecting piece can be dynamically adjusted through the threads according to the process requirements, then the gas flow is adjusted, the wide flow coefficient range is achieved, the differential requirements of different processes for the deposition rate, the film thickness and the component gradient can be flexibly met, and the application range is wide. The utilization rate of the front driving body is obviously improved; the production cost is effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a flow regulating pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition. Background Art

[0002] Atomic layer deposition (ALD) forms a film by alternately introducing pulses of gaseous precursors into a reactor, where they chemically adsorb and react on a substrate. It is widely used in a variety of applications, including semiconductor manufacturing, optoelectronics, and nanotechnology. ALD diaphragm valves are specialized valves designed specifically for ALD systems. They accurately control the flow of gases or precursors to ensure consistent deposition of each layer during the ALD process.

[0003] Existing ALD diaphragm valves generally use a diaphragm structure with a fixed aperture and a traditional drive component. The geometric dimensions of the valve cavity flow channel and the diaphragm stroke are solidified during manufacturing, resulting in a fixed gas flow rate. When it is necessary to process a low vapor pressure precursor or a different deposition flow rate is required, the gas flow rate cannot be dynamically adjusted according to the process requirements, resulting in low utilization of the precursor, and further problems such as uneven film deposition thickness and component deviation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings of the prior art and to propose a flow regulating pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a flow regulating pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition, comprising:

[0006] A mother body, wherein a valve seat is installed inside the mother body, and a diaphragm is installed on the valve seat, and the diaphragm is used to open and close the air flow channel;

[0007] The main body is connected to the mother body, a slider seat is installed at the bottom of the main body, a sliding block is installed in the middle of the slider seat, and the slider seat is used to press the diaphragm;

[0008] A cylinder body is connected to the main body, a driving assembly is installed on the cylinder body, a piston assembly is installed outside the driving assembly, and the piston assembly is used to cooperate with the driving assembly to adjust the compression gap of the diaphragm.

[0009] In some embodiments, an air inlet channel is opened inside the mother body, and an air outlet channel is opened on one side of the air inlet channel. The compression gap of the diaphragm is adjusted by the piston assembly in cooperation with the drive assembly to adjust the flow rate of the air inlet channel.

[0010] In some embodiments, the bottom of the body is inserted into the top of the mother body, a connecting piece is pressed on the top of the body, a locking block is installed on the outside of the body, the cylinder body is fixed to the body through the locking block, and the mother body, the body and the connecting piece together form a first driving chamber.

[0011] In some embodiments, the main body is connected to the mother body through threads, the connecting piece is connected to the cylinder body through threads, and the locking block is connected to the main body through threads.

[0012] In some embodiments, an adjusting nut is installed at the bottom of the cylinder body, and the adjusting nut is connected to the cylinder body through a thread. The cylinder head is provided with an air inlet hole, and the air inlet hole is connected to an external air source through a pipeline.

[0013] In some embodiments, the diaphragm is arc-shaped, pressed onto the valve seat, the middle of the diaphragm abuts against the bottom of the slider and the inner wall of the mother body, and the ends of the diaphragm abut against the bottom of the slider seat and the inner wall of the mother body mounting cavity.

[0014] In some embodiments, a cylinder body is installed outside the cylinder block, a cylinder cover is installed on the top of the cylinder body, and the cylinder block, the cylinder body and the cylinder cover together form a second driving chamber.

[0015] In some embodiments, the drive assembly includes a valve stem, the top of the valve stem is inserted into the cylinder body, the middle of the valve stem passes through the body, and the bottom of the valve stem is inserted into the mother body.

[0016] In some embodiments, a piston assembly is provided on the outer side of the top of the valve stem through a sealing ring, a sliding ring is provided on the middle part of the valve stem, a tensioning block is installed on the bottom of the valve stem, the tensioning block is connected to the valve stem through a thread, the cylinder body is in contact with the sliding block through the tensioning block, the middle part of the sliding block is crimped with the diaphragm, and a spring is provided on the outer side of the bottom of the valve stem, and the spring is in contact with the connecting piece and the slider seat.

[0017] In some embodiments, the piston assembly includes a first piston, a second piston and a third piston that are stacked and sleeved, the first piston is arranged on the outside of the top of the valve stem through a first O-ring, the second piston is arranged below the first piston through a second O-ring, and the third piston is arranged below the second piston through a third O-ring.

[0018] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. In the present invention, in the initial state, the spring compression drives the tensioning block to press the sliding block and the diaphragm, so that the center of the diaphragm is concave downward and abuts against the valve seat in a flat shape, so that the air inlet flow channel is closed; after the gas is introduced into the top of the cylinder body, the piston assembly can drive the driving assembly to move upward to the top limit position, and simultaneously release the sliding block and the diaphragm, so that the diaphragm rebounds to open the air flow channel; when the aperture of the air flow channel is fixed and other pressure conditions are fixed, the height position of the cylinder body relative to the connecting part can be dynamically adjusted according to the process requirements, thereby adjusting the size of the gas flow rate, and having a wide flow coefficient range, it can flexibly adapt to the differentiated requirements of different processes for deposition rate, film thickness and composition gradient, significantly improve the utilization rate of the front driving body and effectively reduce production costs.

[0020] 2. In the present invention, the flow rate is controlled by the gap between the diaphragm and the valve seat, the maximum height of the diaphragm after rebounding is controlled by the maximum height of the valve stem rising, and the maximum height of the valve stem rising is controlled by the limit height of the piston assembly. The cylinder body and the connecting piece are connected, and the height of the connecting piece is fixed by the locking block. The height position of the cylinder body relative to the connecting piece can be dynamically adjusted through the thread, thereby adjusting the size of the gas flow; after fixing the cylinder body to the connecting piece by adjusting the nut, the cylinder body can be effectively fixed at the adjusted current height position to prevent the cylinder body from loosening. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the flow regulating pneumatic valve proposed by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a front view of the flow regulating pneumatic valve proposed by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 Cross-sectional view of the closed flow regulating pneumatic valve proposed by the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified schematic diagram of the AA position in the middle;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the flow regulating pneumatic valve proposed by the present invention when it is open. Figure 2 ;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Enlarged schematic diagram of the middle BB.

[0027] Legend:

[0028] 1. Mother body; 2. Valve seat; 3. Diaphragm; 4. Air flow channel; 41. Air inlet channel; 42. Air outlet channel; 5. Main body; 6. Slider seat; 7. Sliding block; 8. Drive assembly; 81. Valve stem; 82. Tensioning block; 83. Sliding ring; 84. Spring; 9. Piston assembly; 91. First piston; 92. Second piston; 93. Third piston; 10. Connecting piece; 11. Locking block; 12. Cylinder block; 13. Cylinder body; 14. Cylinder head; 15. Adjusting nut; 16. Sealing ring; 161. First O-ring; 162. Second O-ring; 163. Third O-ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] The embodiment of the present application provides a flow regulating pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition, which solves the problem that the diaphragm valve in the prior art cannot dynamically adjust the gas flow according to process requirements when it needs to process a low vapor pressure precursor or requires a different deposition flow rate, resulting in low precursor utilization, and then problems such as uneven film deposition thickness and component deviation. The present application can dynamically adjust the height position of the cylinder body relative to the connecting part according to process requirements, thereby adjusting the size of the gas flow, and has a wide flow coefficient range, which can flexibly adapt to the differentiated requirements of different processes for deposition rate, film thickness and composition gradient, significantly improving the utilization of the precursor and effectively reducing production costs.

[0031] Please refer to the following examples for details:

[0032] Reference Figures 1-6 The present invention provides an embodiment of a flow regulating pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition, the specific structure of which includes: a mother body 1, a main body 5 and a cylinder body 12.

[0033] Among them, a valve seat 2 is installed inside the mother body 1, and a diaphragm 3 is installed on the valve seat 2. The diaphragm 3 is used to open and close the air flow channel 4; the main body 5 is connected to the mother body 1, and a slider seat 6 is installed at the bottom of the main body 5, and a sliding block 7 is installed in the middle of the slider seat 6. The slider seat 6 is used to cooperate with the sliding block 7 to press the diaphragm 3, and by uniformly applying pressure, the diaphragm 3 is tightly fitted to the mother body 1 and the valve seat 2; in addition, the cylinder body 12 is connected to the main body 5, and a drive assembly 8 is installed on the cylinder body 12. A piston assembly 9 is installed on the outside of the drive assembly 8. The piston assembly 9 is used to cooperate with the drive assembly 8 to adjust the compression gap of the diaphragm 3, thereby adjusting the specific flow rate.

[0034] Furthermore, an air inlet channel 41 is defined within the valve body 1, with an air outlet channel 42 defined on one side. Accordingly, a highly elastic and chemically resistant diaphragm 3 is press-fitted onto the valve seat 2, with the center of the diaphragm 3 abutting the bottom of the slider and the inner wall of the valve body 1, while the ends of the diaphragm 3 abut the bottom of the slider seat 6 and the inner wall of the mounting cavity of the valve body 1. Specifically, the diaphragm 3 is initially arc-shaped, but after pressing, its center is concave downward, forming a flat sealing surface that tightly contacts the bottom of the slider and the inner wall of the valve body 1, opening and closing the air flow channel 4 through deformation.

[0035] Please continue reading Figures 1-6 In this embodiment, the bottom of the body 5 is inserted into the top of the mother body 1, and the body 5 is connected to the mother body 1 by a threaded connection to ensure that it remains firmly connected and does not loosen when subjected to high-pressure gas; correspondingly, a connecting piece 10 is pressed on the top of the body 5, and the connecting piece 10 is connected to the cylinder body 12 by a threaded connection, which is convenient for later disassembly, maintenance and component replacement; a locking block 11 is installed on the outside of the body 5, and the cylinder body 12 can be fixed to the body 5 by the locking block 11, and the locking block 11 is connected to the body 5 by a threaded connection to prevent loosening during high-frequency vibration or long-term use, so that the mother body 1, the body 5 and the connecting piece 10 can be combined to form a first driving cavity, ensuring the stability and reliability of the driving process.

[0036] Furthermore, a cylinder body 13 is installed on the outside of the cylinder body 12, and a cylinder head 14 is installed on the top of the cylinder body 13, so that the cylinder body 12, the cylinder body 13 and the cylinder head 14 together form a second driving chamber; it should be explained in detail that an adjusting nut 15 is installed at the bottom of the cylinder body 12, and the adjusting nut 15 is connected to the cylinder body 12 by a thread, so as to fix the cylinder body 12 at the current height position after adjustment; and the cylinder head 14 is provided with an air inlet hole, which is connected to the external air source through a pipeline, and then the piston assembly 9 is driven by compressed air to drive the driving assembly 8 to rise and fall.

[0037] Please continue reading Figures 1-6In this embodiment, the driving assembly 8 includes a valve stem 81, the top of the valve stem 81 is inserted into the cylinder body 12, the middle of the valve stem 81 passes through the body 5, and the bottom of the valve stem 81 is inserted into the mother body 1. Specifically, a piston assembly 9 is sleeved on the outer side of the top of the valve stem 81 through a sealing ring 16. The sealing ring 16 is made of special rubber material, has good corrosion resistance and elasticity, and can maintain sealing performance under different temperature and pressure environments; a sliding ring 83 is sleeved on the middle part of the valve stem 81, so that the valve stem 81 will not directly contact the cylinder body 12; a tensioning block 82 is installed at the bottom of the valve stem 81, and the cylinder body 12 is abutted against the sliding block 7 through the tensioning block 82, and the tensioning block 82 is connected to the valve stem 81 by a thread, and the bottom of the tensioning block 82 abuts against the sliding block 7 to ensure that the contact pressure between the tensioning block 82 and the sliding block 7 is evenly distributed; in addition, the middle part of the sliding block 7 is pressed against the diaphragm 3, so that the cylinder body 12 can drive the sliding block 7 to squeeze the diaphragm 3 through the center position; a spring 84 is sleeved on the outer side of the bottom of the valve stem 81, and the spring 84 abuts against the connecting piece 10 and the slider seat 6, providing a stable elastic force for the reset of the diaphragm 3, ensuring that the air path can quickly return to its initial state after closing.

[0038] Furthermore, the piston assembly 9 includes a first piston 91, a second piston 92 and a third piston 93 that are overlapped and sleeved. The first piston 91 is sleeved on the outside of the top of the valve stem 81 through a first O-ring 161, the second piston 92 is sleeved under the first piston 91 through a second O-ring 162, and the third piston 93 is sleeved under the second piston 92 through a third O-ring 163.

[0039] Assembly process: The mother body 1 includes an air inlet channel 41 on the left and an air outlet channel 42 on the right. Then, the valve seat 2 is installed above the air inlet channel 41 of the mother body 1, and the diaphragm 3 is placed above the valve seat 2. Then, the outer edge of the diaphragm 3 is pressed onto the mother body 1 through the slider seat 6 to isolate the air inlet channel 41, the air outlet channel 42 of the mother body 1 and the cavity above; then, the sliding block 7 is installed above the center of the diaphragm 3, and the tensioning block 82 is installed above the center of the sliding block 7. Then, the connecting piece 10 is pressed onto the mother body 1 through the locking block 11, and the cylinder body 12 equipped with the drive assembly 8 and the sliding assembly is inserted into the main body 5, and the adjusting nut is installed on the outside of the cylinder body 12 to fix the position of the cylinder body 12 and the connecting piece 10 in the axial direction.

[0040] Working principle: In the initial state, the spring 84 is in a compressed state. Under the elastic force of the spring 84, the tension block 82 presses the slider downward, and the slider presses the diaphragm 3 downward, so that the center of the diaphragm 3 is concave downward and becomes flat. The diaphragm 3 abuts against the valve seat 2, so that the air inlet flow channel 4 is closed. At this time, the valve is in a closed state. When the air inlet channel 41 of the mother body 1 is ventilated, the gas cannot enter the cavity through the gap, and the air outlet channel 42 is not ventilated (see Figure 3-Figure 4); Correspondingly, when the gas is introduced into the pneumatic actuator above, the piston assembly 9 can drive the valve stem 81 of the driving assembly 8 to move upward to the top limit, drive the tension block 82 upward and simultaneously release the sliding block 7, no longer pressing the diaphragm 3, thereby causing the diaphragm 3 to naturally rebound and separate from the valve seat 2 to open the gas flow channel 4. At this time, the valve is in the open state. When the air inlet channel 41 of the mother body 1 is ventilated, the gas can enter the cavity through the gap, and the air outlet channel 42 can be ventilated (see Figure 5-Figure 6 ).

[0041] It should be explained in detail that when the aperture of the gas flow channel 4 is fixed and other pressure conditions are fixed, the height position of the cylinder body 12 relative to the connector 10 can be dynamically adjusted according to process requirements, thereby adjusting the size of the gas flow (for example, the switching frequency reaches 10 Hz, and the maximum cycle life reaches 100 million times), and has a wide flow coefficient range (for example, the flow coefficient range is 0.1-1.7, far exceeding traditional valves), which can flexibly adapt to the differentiated requirements of different processes for deposition rate, film thickness and composition gradient, significantly improve the utilization rate of the precursor and effectively reduce production costs.

[0042] Flow regulation principle: the flow rate is controlled by the gap between the diaphragm 3 and the valve seat 2, and the maximum height of the diaphragm 3 after rebound is controlled by the maximum height of the valve stem 81 rising, and the maximum height of the valve stem 81 rising is controlled by the limit height of the piston assembly 9, and the cylinder body 12 and the connecting piece 10 are connected, and the height of the connecting piece 10 is fixed by the locking block 11, so the height position of the cylinder body 12 relative to the connecting piece 10 can be dynamically adjusted through the thread, thereby adjusting the size of the gas flow; in addition, after fixing the cylinder body 12 to the connecting piece 10 by adjusting the nut, the cylinder body 12 can be effectively fixed at the adjusted current height position to prevent the cylinder body 12 from loosening.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flow regulating pneumatic valve for atomic layer deposition, characterized in that: include: A mother body, wherein a valve seat is installed inside the mother body, and a diaphragm is installed on the valve seat, and the diaphragm is used to open and close the air flow channel; The main body is connected to the mother body, a slider seat is installed at the bottom of the main body, a sliding block is installed in the middle of the slider seat, and the slider seat is used to press the diaphragm; A cylinder body is connected to the main body, a driving assembly is installed on the cylinder body, a piston assembly is installed outside the driving assembly, and the piston assembly is used to cooperate with the driving assembly to adjust the compression gap of the diaphragm.

2. The pneumatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air inlet channel is provided inside the mother body, and an air outlet channel is provided on one side of the air inlet channel. The compression gap of the diaphragm is adjusted by the piston assembly in cooperation with the drive assembly, thereby adjusting the flow rate of the air inlet channel.

3. The pneumatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the body is inserted into the top of the mother body, a connecting piece is pressed on the top of the body, a locking block is installed on the outside of the body, the cylinder body is fixed to the body through the locking block, and the mother body, the body and the connecting piece together form a first driving chamber.

4. The pneumatic valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: The main body is connected to the mother body through threads, the connecting piece is connected to the cylinder body through threads, and the locking block is connected to the main body through threads.

5. The pneumatic valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: An adjusting nut is installed at the bottom of the cylinder body, and the adjusting nut is connected to the cylinder body through a thread. An air inlet hole is opened on the cylinder head, and the air inlet hole is connected to an external air source through a pipeline.

6. The pneumatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diaphragm is arc-shaped and is pressed onto the valve seat. The middle of the diaphragm abuts against the bottom of the slider and the inner wall of the mother body, and the ends of the diaphragm abut against the bottom of the slider seat and the inner wall of the mother body installation cavity.

7. The pneumatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: A cylinder body is installed outside the cylinder block, a cylinder cover is installed on the top of the cylinder body, and the cylinder block, the cylinder body and the cylinder cover together form a second driving chamber.

8. The pneumatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes a valve stem, the top of the valve stem is inserted into the cylinder body, the middle of the valve stem passes through the body, and the bottom of the valve stem is inserted into the mother body.

9. The pneumatic valve according to claim 8, characterized in that: The outer side of the top of the valve stem is provided with a piston assembly through a sealing ring, the middle part of the valve stem is provided with a sliding ring, the bottom of the valve stem is installed with a tensioning block, the tensioning block is connected to the valve stem through a thread, the cylinder body is in contact with the sliding block through the tensioning block, the middle part of the sliding block is press-fitted with the diaphragm, and the outer side of the bottom of the valve stem is provided with a spring, which is in contact with the connecting piece and the slider seat.

10. The pneumatic valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The piston assembly includes a first piston, a second piston and a third piston which are overlapped and sleeved. The first piston is arranged on the outside of the top of the valve stem through a first O-ring, the second piston is arranged below the first piston through a second O-ring, and the third piston is arranged below the second piston through a third O-ring.

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