Filling tank, control method and thin film deposition equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a filling tank, a control method and thin film deposition equipment. A filling tank comprises: an inner shell comprising a fixed portion and a compression portion, a first end of the fixed portion being fixedly connected with a first end of the compression portion to form an accommodating cavity for accommodating reactants; the first end of the driving air cylinder is connected with the second end of the compression part, and the driving air cylinder drives the compression part of the inner shell to move along with the compression part so as to stabilize the concentration of reactant steam in the containing cavity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular, to a filling tank, a thin film deposition device, a filling tank control method, and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the process of semiconductor thin film deposition, stable supply of reactants is a key link to ensure the quality of thin films. These reactants often exist in the form of liquid sources or solid sources, and need to be stored and transported through special filling tanks as carrier devices. In actual application, the structural design of the filling tank needs to be adapted to the physical properties of the reactants. For reactants with high saturated vapor pressure, the filling tank can only be provided with an outlet, and the transportation can be completed by relying on its own volatilization and diffusion. For liquid sources with low saturated vapor pressure, it is difficult to complete the transportation by its own volatilization due to its weak volatilization ability.

[0003] In the prior art, a carrier gas inlet is usually configured in the filling tank, and the carrier gas is input into the filling tank to carry the volatilized gaseous reactants to the reaction chamber through the carrier gas to meet the demand of the reaction on the reactants. However, the use of carrier gas to carry the reactants makes it difficult to keep the concentration of the reactants stable in the process chamber, thereby affecting the uniformity and consistency of thin film growth.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need in the field for a filling tank technology for avoiding the use of carrier gas to carry the reactants, so as to stabilize the concentration of the reactant vapor in the filling tank, thereby improving the uniformity and consistency of thin film growth. SUMMARY

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate 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 is presented later.

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the present application provides a filling tank, a filling tank control method, a thin film deposition device, and a computer readable storage medium for avoiding the use of carrier gas to carry the reactants, so as to stabilize the concentration of the reactant vapor in the filling tank, thereby improving the uniformity and consistency of thin film growth.

[0007] Specifically, the filling tank according to the first aspect of the present application comprises: an inner shell, comprising a fixed part and a compression part, wherein a first end of the fixed part is fixedly connected with a first end of the compression part to form a receiving cavity for accommodating a reactant; and a driving cylinder, having a first end connected with a second end of the compression part, wherein the driving cylinder drives the compression part of the inner shell to move to stabilize the concentration of reactant vapor in the receiving cavity.

[0008] In some embodiments, the second end of the driving cylinder is provided with a first gas port, and the third end is provided with a second gas port, the driving cylinder is connected with the first gas port, the second gas port, a gas source and a gas pump via a three-position five-way valve, and the driving cylinder is controlled to move in a direction via the three-position five-way valve.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the three-position five-way valve is in a first state, the first gas port is communicated to the gas source, and the second gas port is communicated to the gas pump, so that the driving cylinder drives the compression part to contract, or when the three-position five-way valve is in a second state, the second gas port is communicated to the gas source, and the first gas port is communicated to the gas pump, so that the driving cylinder drives the compression part to expand, or when the three-position five-way valve is in a third state, the second gas port and the first gas port are closed, so that the driving cylinder is kept at a preset position.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second end of the fixed part is provided with a gas outlet, the filling tank further comprises: a buffer tank, arranged between the gas outlet and a process chamber, for buffering the reactant vapor output by the gas outlet to keep the mass flow of the reactant vapor input into the process chamber constant, and / or a mass flow controller, arranged on a gas conveying pipeline between the buffer tank and the gas outlet, for monitoring and adjusting the mass flow of the reactant vapor.

[0011] In some embodiments, the filling tank further comprises: an outer shell, arranged outside the inner shell, wherein a sealed space is formed between the outer shell and the inner shell, and the outer shell is provided with a pressure maintaining gas inlet for stabilizing the air pressure in the sealed space.

[0012] In some embodiments, the filling tank further comprises: a heating jacket, wrapped around the outer surface of the outer shell, the heating jacket heats the gas in the sealed space via the outer shell to uniformly transfer heat to the reactant in the receiving cavity.

[0013] In addition, the thin film deposition apparatus according to the second aspect of the present application comprises: a process chamber for performing a thin film deposition process; and the filling tank according to any one of the first aspect of the present application.

[0014] Further, the control method of the fill tank according to the third aspect of the present application comprises the following steps: in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being lower than the preset concentration, driving the compression portion of the fill tank according to any one of the first aspect of the present application to contract via the driving cylinder; and in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being higher than the preset concentration, driving the compression portion to expand via the driving cylinder.

[0015] In some embodiments, the step of driving the compression portion to contract via the driving cylinder in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being lower than the preset concentration comprises: in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being lower than the preset concentration, adjusting the three-position five-way valve to the first state to control the driving cylinder to drive the compression portion of the inner shell to contract; in response to the reactant vapor reaching the preset first air pressure, outputting the reactant vapor via the gas outlet; and in response to the mass flow of the reactant vapor reaching the preset threshold, introducing the reactant vapor at the stable concentration into the process chamber.

[0016] In some embodiments, the third end of the fixed portion of the fill tank is provided with a reactant input port, and after the step of driving the compression portion to expand via the driving cylinder in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being higher than the preset concentration, the control method further comprises the following step: introducing a purge gas into the accommodation cavity via the reactant input port, the purge gas carrying the residual reactant out of the accommodation cavity via the gas outlet.

[0017] In some embodiments, before the step of driving the compression portion to contract via the driving cylinder in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being lower than the preset concentration, the control method further comprises the following step: inflating the sealed space between the inner shell and the outer shell via the pressure-maintaining air inlet to make the sealed space reach the first air pressure.

[0018] Further, the computer readable storage medium according to the fourth aspect of the present application has computer instructions stored thereon. When the computer instructions are executed by a controller, the control method of the fill tank according to any one of the third aspect of the present application is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The above features and advantages of the present application can be better understood by reading the detailed description of embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: in the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar or related properties or features can have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0020] Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of a fill tank according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a filling tank is shown, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0022] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of a three-position five-way valve in a first state is shown, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0023] Figure 3B A schematic diagram of a three-position five-way valve in a second state is shown, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0024] Figure 3C A schematic diagram of a three-position five-way valve in a third state is shown, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a heating jacket heating is shown, according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0026] Reference Signs

[0027] 11 fixed part

[0028] 111 gas outlet

[0029] 112 reactant input port

[0030] 12 compression part

[0031] 20 drive cylinder

[0032] 21 first gas port

[0033] 22 second gas port

[0034] 30 three-position five-way valve

[0035] 40 buffer tank

[0036] 41 mass flow controller

[0037] 50 housing

[0038] 51 pressure-maintaining air inlet

[0039] 60 heating jacket DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The advantages and features of the present application will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although the description of the present application will be in the context of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that the application can be carried out in other constructions and arrangements without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. In order to provide for a complete understanding of the application, numerous specific details are described in the following description. Specific details not necessary to an understanding of the application are not included for the sake of readability and legibility. But it will be appreciated that the application can be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the application. It will be appreciated that the scope of the application is not limited to the specific embodiments described in this detailed description.

[0041] In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terminology used is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that numerous changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present application. It is to be understood that the following description is by way of example only and is not intended to limit the present application in any way. Indeed, various modifications of the embodiments, in addition to those described, will be apparent to the skilled reader from the description contained herein.

[0042] In addition, the use of "upper," "lower," "right," "left," "front," "rear," "horizontal," "vertical," and the like herein is solely for the purpose of ease of description to aid in the comprehension of one or more aspects of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. The terms "about" and "substantially" used herein with reference to a given value or range of values, refer to a value or range of values that is within 20%, within 10%, within 5%, or within 1% of the given value or range of values.

[0043] It is to be understood that the terms "first," "second," "third," and so on, as used herein, can be used to describe various components, regions, layers and / or sections but are not intended to be limited to these components, regions, layers and / or sections. Thus, a first component, region, layer and / or section discussed below could be termed a second component, region, layer and / or section without departing from the scope of some embodiments of the present application.

[0044] As described above, in the prior art, a carrier gas inlet is usually configured in the fill tank to meet the demand of the reaction for the reactants by inputting the carrier gas into the fill tank and carrying the volatilized gaseous reactants to the reaction chamber via the carrier gas. However, the carrying of the reactants via the carrier gas makes it difficult to maintain the concentration of the reactants in the reaction chamber stable, thereby affecting the uniformity and consistency of the thin film growth.

[0045] To overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present application provides a fill tank, a fill tank control method, a thin film deposition device, and a computer readable storage medium for avoiding the use of carrier gas to carry reactants, so as to stabilize the concentration of reactant vapor in the fill tank, thereby improving the uniformity and consistency of thin film growth.

[0046] In some non-limiting embodiments, the fill tank provided by the first aspect of the present application can be configured in the thin film deposition device provided by the second aspect of the present application. Specifically, the thin film deposition device includes a process chamber and the fill tank described in the first aspect of the present application. The process chamber is used to perform a thin film deposition process.

[0047] The fill tank control method provided by the third aspect of the present application can be implemented based on the fill tank provided by the first aspect of the present application. Specifically, the fill tank is configured with a memory and a controller. The memory includes but is not limited to the above-mentioned computer readable storage medium provided by the fourth aspect of the present application, and the computer instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium. The controller is connected to the memory and is configured to execute the computer instructions on the memory to implement the above-mentioned fill tank control method provided by the third aspect of the present application.

[0048] Specifically, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A structural schematic diagram of a fill tank according to some embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0049] As Figure 1 shown, the fill tank includes an inner shell and a drive cylinder 20. The inner shell includes a fixed part 11 and a compression part 12. Here, the fixed end can adopt 361L, and the compression end can adopt Hastelloy or 316L. The first end of the fixed part 11 is fixedly connected (for example, welded) to the first end of the compression part 12 to form a receiving cavity for accommodating reactants. The first end of the drive cylinder 20 is connected to the second end of the compression part 12. Here, the drive cylinder 20 drives the compression part 12 of the inner shell to act, so as to stabilize the concentration of reactant vapor in the receiving cavity.

[0050] Therefore, the fill tank realizes the adjustment of the volume of the receiving cavity by the structure of the inner shell including the fixed part 11 and the compression part 12, so as to adapt to the requirements of different processes for the concentration and stability of reactant vapor, effectively solving the problem that it is difficult to maintain the stability of the concentration of reactants caused by the carrier gas carrying the reactants. At the same time, the fill tank which avoids the use of carrier gas can simplify the device structure, thereby saving the manufacturing cost.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figures 3A-3C , Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of a fill tank according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 3AA schematic diagram of a three-position five-way valve in its first state, according to some embodiments of the present invention, is shown. Figure 3B A schematic diagram of a three-position five-way valve in a second state, according to some embodiments of the present invention, is shown. Figure 3C A schematic diagram of a three-position five-way valve in its third state, according to some embodiments of the present invention, is shown.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, the second end of the drive cylinder 20 has a first air port 21, and its third end has a second air port 22. The drive cylinder 20 is connected to the first air port 21, the second air port 22, the air source, and the air pump via a three-position five-way valve 30, and the direction of movement of the drive cylinder 20 is controlled by the three-position five-way valve 30. Here, the three-position five-way valve 30 is preferably a center-sealed valve, that is, when the valve core is in the middle position, all air ports are closed, so that the drive cylinder 20 is kept in a fixed volume position.

[0053] like Figure 3A As shown, when the left coil is energized, the three-position five-way valve 30 is in the first state, connecting the first air port 21 to the air source and the second air port 22 to the air pump, so that the drive cylinder 20 drives the compression section 12 to contract. Figure 3B As shown, when the right coil is energized, the three-position five-way valve 30, in its second state, connects the second air port 22 to the air source and the first air port 21 to the air pump, so that the drive cylinder 20 drives the compression section 12 to extend. Figure 3C As shown, when neither the left nor the right coil is energized, the three-position five-way valve 30 is in the third state, closing the second air port 22 and the first air port 21, so that the drive cylinder 20 is kept in the preset position.

[0054] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 2 The second end of the fixing part 11 is provided with an outlet 111, and the third end of the fixing part 11 of the filling tank is also provided with an outlet 111. The filling tank also includes a buffer tank 40 and / or a mass flow controller 41. The buffer tank 40 is disposed between the outlet 111 and the process chamber to buffer the reactant vapor output from the outlet 111, so as to maintain a constant mass flow rate of the reactant vapor entering the process chamber. The mass flow controller 41 is disposed on the gas supply pipeline between the buffer tank 40 and the outlet 111, and is used to monitor and adjust the mass flow rate of the reactant vapor. Thus, by setting up the buffer tank 40, the concentration of reactant vapor in the filling tank can be further controlled, thereby further stabilizing the concentration of reactant vapor entering the process chamber.

[0055] In some embodiments, the filling container further includes a housing 50. The housing 50 is disposed outside the inner housing. A sealed space is formed between the housing 50 and the inner housing, and the housing 50 is provided with a pressure-holding air inlet 51 for stabilizing the air pressure in the sealed space.

[0056] In addition, the uniformity of the heating temperature of the filling tank directly affects the vapor pressure and concentration of the reactant. If the uniformity of the heating temperature of the filling tank is low, the fluctuation of the vapor concentration of the reactant will be increased.

[0057] Reference is made to Figure 2 and Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic diagram of heating by a heating jacket is shown according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0058] As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the filling tank further comprises a heating jacket 60. The heating jacket 60 wraps the outer surface of the shell 50, and the heating jacket 60 heats the gas in the sealed space via the shell 50 to uniformly transfer heat to the reactant in the accommodation cavity. Thus, the structure of the combination of the shell 50 and the heating jacket 60 can heat the shell 50 first, and then uniformly transfer the heat of the shell 50 to the reactant in the accommodation cavity through the heat conduction of the internal gas, so that the reactant inside the accommodation cavity is heated more uniformly. Here, the heating jacket 60 can be a heating belt or a heating wire.

[0059] The working principle of the above filling tank will be described below in combination with some embodiments of the filling tank control method. Those skilled in the art can understand that these embodiments of the filling tank control method are only a non-limiting implementation provided by the present application, which aims to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present application and provide some specific schemes for facilitating the public to implement, rather than to limit the overall function or working mode of the filling tank. Similarly, the structure of the filling tank is also only some non-limiting implementations provided by the present application, which does not limit the execution subject or execution order of each step in the filling tank control method.

[0060] In some embodiments, the controller of the filling tank can perform the following steps: in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being lower than the preset concentration, driving the compression part 12 of the filling tank to shrink via the driving cylinder 20.

[0061] Specifically, in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodation cavity being lower than the preset concentration, adjusting the three-position five-way valve 30 to the first state to control the driving cylinder 20 to drive the compression part 12 of the inner shell to shrink.

[0062] Then, in response to the reactant vapor reaching the preset first gas pressure P1, outputting the reactant vapor via the gas outlet 111.

[0063] Finally, in response to the mass flow rate of the reactant vapor reaching the preset threshold, passing the reactant vapor with the stable concentration into the process chamber.

[0064] In some embodiments, in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being higher than the preset concentration, before the compression portion 12 is extended by the driving cylinder 20, the controller can perform the following steps: introducing a purge gas into the accommodating cavity through the gas outlet 111, and the purge gas carries the residual reactant out of the accommodating cavity through the gas outlet 111.

[0065] Here, the purge gas can preferably be inert gas N2, and the purge gas can also perform the purging action through a dedicated purge gas inlet. Further, after different reactants enter the cavity and perform the deposition process, the purging process is performed to prepare for the next step, thereby forming a cycle of thin film deposition.

[0066] In some embodiments, in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being lower than the preset concentration, before the compression portion 12 is retracted by the driving cylinder 20, the controller can perform the following steps: inflating the sealed space between the inner shell and the outer shell 50 through the pressure maintaining gas inlet 51, so that the sealed space reaches the first gas pressure P1. In this way, the pressure difference between the inner shell and the outer shell in the filling tank can be eliminated to avoid deformation of the inner shell due to the pressure difference.

[0067] Correspondingly, the controller of the filling tank can also extend the compression portion 12 by the driving cylinder 20 in response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being higher than the preset concentration. Specifically, the three-position five-way valve 30 is moved to the second position, and the driving cylinder 20 is controlled to extend the compression portion 12 of the inner shell to restore the accommodating cavity to the initial state before retraction.

[0068] In summary, the filling tank, the filling tank control method, the thin film deposition device, and the computer readable storage medium provided by the present application can be used to avoid using carrier gas to carry reactants, to stabilize the concentration of reactant vapor in the filling tank, and to improve the uniformity and consistency of thin film growth.

[0069] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of acts for simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that the methods are not limited by the order of acts, as some acts can occur in different orders and / or concurrently with other acts according to one or more embodiments. Not all steps are necessarily present in every implementation, and involvement of a specific sequence of steps or an order of steps can depend on implementation.

[0070] 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 readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can 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 described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A filled can characterized in that, include: The inner shell includes a fixing part and a compression part, wherein a first end of the fixing part is fixedly connected to a first end of the compression part to form a accommodating cavity for receiving reactants; and A drive cylinder is provided, the first end of which is connected to the second end of the compression section. The drive cylinder drives the compression section of the inner shell to move accordingly, so as to stabilize the concentration of reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity.

2. The filled can of claim 1, wherein The second end of the drive cylinder is provided with a first air port, and the third end is provided with a second air port. The drive cylinder is connected to the first air port, the second air port, the air source and the air pump via a three-position five-way valve, and the direction of movement of the drive cylinder is controlled by the three-position five-way valve.

3. The filled can of claim 2, wherein When the three-position five-way valve is in the first state, the first air port is connected to the air source, and the second air port is connected to the air pump, so that the drive cylinder drives the compression section to contract, or When the three-position five-way valve is in the second state, the second air port is connected to the air source, and the first air port is connected to the air pump, so that the drive cylinder drives the compression section to extend, or When the three-position five-way valve is in the third state, the second air port and the first air port are closed so that the drive cylinder is held in a preset position.

4. The filled can of claim 1, wherein The second end of the fixing part is provided with an air outlet, and the filling tank further includes: A buffer tank, located between the gas outlet and the process chamber, is used to buffer the reactant vapor output from the gas outlet to maintain a constant mass flow rate of the reactant vapor entering the process chamber, and / or A mass flow controller is installed on the gas delivery pipeline between the buffer tank and the gas outlet, and is used to monitor and adjust the mass flow rate of the reactant vapor.

5. The filling tank as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: An outer shell is provided outside the inner shell, wherein a sealed space is formed between the outer shell and the inner shell, and a pressure-holding air inlet is provided on the outer shell to stabilize the air pressure in the sealed space.

6. The filling tank as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Also includes: A heating jacket, which covers the outer surface of the outer shell, heats the gas in the sealed space through the outer shell to uniformly transfer heat to the reactants in the accommodating cavity.

7. A thin film deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: Process chamber, used for thin film deposition processes; as well as The filling tank as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A method for controlling the filling of a tank, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: In response to the actual concentration of reactant vapor in the containment chamber being lower than a preset concentration, the compression section of the filling tank as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 is contracted via a drive cylinder; and In response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being higher than a preset concentration, the compression section is extended via a drive cylinder.

9. The control method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The step of contracting the compression section via a drive cylinder in response to the actual concentration of reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being lower than a preset concentration includes: In response to the actual concentration of reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being lower than the preset concentration, the three-position five-way valve is adjusted to the first state to control the drive cylinder to drive the compression section of the inner shell to contract. In response to the reactant vapor reaching a preset first pressure, the reactant vapor is output through the outlet; and In response to the mass flow rate of the reactant vapor reaching a preset threshold, a stable concentration of the reactant vapor is introduced into the process chamber.

10. The control method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The third end of the fixed part of the filling tank is provided with a reactant inlet. In response to the actual concentration of the reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being higher than a preset concentration, after the compression part is extended via a drive cylinder, the control method further includes the following steps: The purge gas is introduced into the receiving cavity through the reactant inlet, and the purge gas carrying the residual reactants is discharged from the receiving cavity through the outlet.

11. The control method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, In response to the actual concentration of reactant vapor in the accommodating cavity being lower than a preset concentration, before the compression section is contracted via the drive cylinder, the control method further includes the following steps: Air is introduced into the sealed space between the inner shell and the outer shell through the pressure-holding air inlet so that the sealed space reaches the first air pressure.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions thereon, characterized in that, When the computer instructions are executed by the controller, the control method for the filling tank as described in any one of claims 8 to 11 is implemented.

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