Air inlet device for vacuum aluminum oxide film coating

Abstract

The invention relates to an air inlet device for vacuum aluminum oxide film coating, which structurally comprises an air inlet device body, the air inlet device body is connected with a TMA supply end and a water vapor supply end, and the air inlet device body is connected with more than one reaction cavity. The special gas control system has the advantages that the structural design is reasonable, one set of special gas control system can uniformly supply gas to a plurality of process cavities, and the equipment capacity and the utilization rate of process gas can be effectively improved; and the blowing port can effectively isolate TMA and water vapor, dust is prevented from being generated at the blowing port, and the maintenance period of equipment can be prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating, belonging to the field of photovoltaic cell production technology. Background Technology

[0002] In photovoltaic cell manufacturing, alumina atomic layer deposition (ALD) plays a crucial role in improving cell efficiency. This process primarily involves alternating the introduction of aluminum-containing precursors (such as TMA) and reducing agents (such as water vapor) to form a monolayer of molecules on the silicon wafer surface. These molecules then undergo a chemical reaction to transform into a uniform and dense alumina film, effectively reducing the surface recombination rate and enhancing passivation. The uniformity of the airflow distribution within the vacuum reaction chamber is critical to the uniformity of the alumina film thickness.

[0003] Existing vacuum alumina thin film coating technology has the following problems: I. In order to ensure the uniformity of airflow distribution in the reaction chamber, the common method in the existing technology is that a set of reaction gas control system (hereinafter referred to as: special gas system) corresponds to only a small reaction chamber, which limits the differential energy of the equipment and results in low efficiency of reaction gas utilization. II. Existing Photovoltaic Technologies: The TOPCON technology widely used in ALD processes typically employs TMA as the aluminum-containing precursor and ultrapure water vapor as the reducing agent. Because water vapor has a strong adsorption capacity, it easily adheres to the surfaces of the gas path and the air inlet. Since the air inlet surface is exposed, the water vapor adsorbed on the surface reacts with TMA and accumulates over a certain period, forming a lot of alumina dust or crusts that clog the air inlet. This results in the equipment requiring frequent cleaning of the air inlet dust, leading to short maintenance cycles. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention proposes an air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating, which aims to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, improve the efficiency of reaction gas utilization, prevent dust generation at the air blowing port, and extend the equipment maintenance cycle.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention: an air intake device for vacuum alumina thin film coating, the structure of which includes an air intake device body, the air intake device body being connected to a TMA supply end and a water vapor supply end, the air intake device body being connected to more than one reaction chamber, the air intake device body including an airflow distribution plate, an airflow distribution pipe, an air blowing port assembly and a flow equalization grid assembly, the airflow distribution plate having a TMA air inlet and a water vapor air inlet on both sides respectively, the TMA air inlet and the water vapor air inlet being connected to the TMA supply end and the water vapor supply end respectively, the airflow distribution pipe being installed on the airflow distribution plate and divided into a TMA distribution pipe and a water vapor distribution pipe being connected to the TMA air inlet and the water vapor air inlet respectively, the airflow distribution plate having windows of the same number as the reaction chambers and connected to the reaction chambers respectively, each window having an air blowing port assembly on its inner side, the TMA distribution pipe and the water vapor distribution pipe of the airflow distribution pipe being connected to the corresponding air blowing port assembly respectively, and a flow equalization grid assembly being provided between the air blowing port assembly and the reaction chamber. During operation, TMA and water vapor enter the TMA distribution pipeline and water vapor distribution pipeline through the TMA inlet and water vapor inlet of the airflow distribution plate. They are then evenly distributed to each window of the airflow distribution plate, with each window corresponding to a reaction chamber. The blowing port assembly separates the TMA and water vapor into upper and lower layers. The TMA and water vapor are blown out through the blowing port assembly, and the flow equalization grid assembly equalizes the gas from the blowing port assembly again. The equalized reaction gas then enters the reaction chamber.

[0006] Preferably, the airflow distribution plate includes a cover plate, a flow divider plate, and an outlet plate connected in sequence. TMA (Transient Acid) ducts and steam ducts are respectively machined on both sides of the flow divider plate. The TMA duct is located on the side near the cover plate, and the steam duct is located on the side near the outlet plate. One end of the TMA duct is connected to the TMA inlet on the outlet plate, and the other end is connected to the TMA distribution pipeline. One end of the steam duct is connected to the steam inlet on the outlet plate, and the other end is connected to the steam distribution pipeline. The flow equalization grid assembly is fixed to the outlet plate. During operation, steam and TMA enter through the steam inlets and TMA inlets on both sides of the outlet plate, and then enter the steam distribution pipeline and TMA distribution pipeline through the steam duct and TMA duct. The steam distribution pipeline and TMA distribution pipeline then evenly distribute the steam and TMA to each window of the airflow distribution plate. The TMA duct and steam duct are machined on the front and back sides of the flow divider plate respectively, effectively isolating the TMA and steam.

[0007] Preferably, the airflow distribution duct includes two airflow distributors. Each airflow distributor has a fan-shaped space with an air inlet at its apex and several air outlets evenly distributed along the arc of the fan-shaped space. One airflow distributor's air inlet is connected to the TMA air inlet, and its air outlet is connected to the TMA distribution pipeline. The other airflow distributor's air inlet is connected to a water vapor air inlet, and its air outlet is connected to a water vapor distribution pipeline. During operation, airflow enters the airflow distributor through the corresponding air inlet and is then distributed to each pipeline through the identically sized air outlets on the airflow distributor. The fan-shaped space design ensures that the airflow distributed to each air outlet is consistent.

[0008] Preferably, the air inlet assembly includes an upper air inlet plate, a middle air inlet plate, a lower air inlet plate, support blocks, adjusting screws, and wedge blocks. Each pair of the upper, middle, and lower air inlet plates is connected sequentially to form an air inlet plate unit. A single air inlet plate unit forms an air inlet gap between each pair of the upper, middle, and lower air inlet plates. The two air inlet gaps are respectively connected to the TMA distribution pipeline and the water vapor distribution pipeline. The air inlet plate units on both sides are connected to the support blocks, and the support blocks on both sides are connected to the wedge blocks via adjusting screws. During operation, the upper, middle, and lower air inlet plates are overlapped to form two layers of air inlet gaps, blowing water vapor and TMA out from different layers and isolating them. There is one set of air inlet plate units on each side. Tightening the adjusting screws pushes the support blocks on both sides through the wedge blocks, pressing the air inlet plate units on both sides against the airflow distribution plate to ensure a seal at the contact surface and facilitates quick disassembly of the air inlet assembly. After installation, the air blowing port assembly and airflow distribution plate are divided into two air channels, upper and lower, for water vapor and TMA respectively, effectively isolating different air sources in the process and preventing alumina dust from clogging the air blowing port.

[0009] Preferably, the flow equalization grid assembly comprises several thin plates arranged from top to bottom, with adjustable gaps between adjacent plates. Controlling the gaps between the plates allows for adjustment of the airflow rate and the uniformity of airflow across the upper, middle, and lower sections.

[0010] The advantages of this invention are: the structure is reasonably designed, and a special gas control system can uniformly supply gas to multiple process chambers, which can effectively improve equipment capacity and process gas utilization rate; in addition, the air blowing port can effectively isolate TMA and water vapor, prevent dust from being generated at the air blowing port, and extend the equipment maintenance cycle. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the air intake device used in existing technology for vacuum alumina thin film coating.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3yes Figure 2 An exploded structural diagram of one embodiment of the central air intake device.

[0014] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of one embodiment of the central air intake device.

[0015] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 , 4 A schematic diagram of the airflow distribution plate.

[0016] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 , 4 A schematic diagram of the airflow distribution duct.

[0017] Figure 7 yes Figure 3 , 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the air blowing port assembly.

[0018] Figure 8 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the connection between the air inlet assembly and the airflow distribution plate.

[0019] Figure 9 yes Figure 3 , 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the uniform flow grid assembly.

[0020] In the diagram, 1 is the TMA supply end, 2 is the steam supply end, 3 is the air intake device body, 4 is the reaction chamber, 5 is the airflow distribution plate, 51 is the TMA air inlet, 52 is the steam air inlet, 53 is the window, 54 is the cover plate, 55 is the flow divider plate, 551 is the TMA air passage, 552 is the steam air passage, 56 is the air outlet plate, 6 is the airflow distribution pipe, 61 is the TMA distribution pipe, 62 is the steam distribution pipe, 63 is the airflow distributor, 631 is the air inlet, 632 is the air outlet, 7 is the blowing port assembly, 71 is the upper blowing plate, 72 is the middle blowing plate, 73 is the lower blowing plate, 74 is the support block, 75 is the adjusting screw, 76 is the wedge block, 8 is the flow equalization grid assembly, 81 is the thin plate, 82 is the gap, 9 is TMA, 10 is steam, and 11 is the slit. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to embodiments and specific implementation methods.

[0022] like Figure 2 As shown, an air intake device for vacuum alumina thin film coating includes an air intake device body 3, which is connected to a TMA supply end 1 and a water vapor supply end 2, and is connected to more than one reaction chamber 4.

[0023] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the air intake device body 3 includes an airflow distribution plate 5, an airflow distribution pipe 6, an air blowing port assembly 7, and a flow equalization grid assembly 8. The airflow distribution plate 5 has a TMA air inlet 51 and a water vapor air inlet 52 on both sides, respectively. The TMA air inlet 51 and the water vapor air inlet 52 are connected to the TMA supply end 1 and the water vapor supply end 2, respectively. The airflow distribution pipe 6 is installed on the airflow distribution plate 5 and is divided into a TMA distribution pipe and a water vapor distribution pipe, respectively connected to the TMA air inlet 51 and the water vapor air inlet 52. The airflow distribution plate 5 has windows 53, which are the same number as the reaction chamber 4 and are connected to the reaction chamber 4. Each window 53 has an air blowing port assembly 7 inside. The TMA distribution pipe and the water vapor distribution pipe of the airflow distribution pipe 6 are respectively connected to the corresponding air blowing port assembly 7. The flow equalization grid assembly 8 is provided between the air blowing port assembly 7 and the reaction chamber 4.

[0024] During operation, TMA and water vapor enter the TMA distribution pipeline and water vapor distribution pipeline through the TMA inlet 51 and water vapor inlet 52 of the airflow distribution plate. They are then evenly distributed to each window 53 of the airflow distribution plate 5, with each window 53 corresponding to a reaction chamber 4. The blowing port assembly 7 separates the TMA and water vapor into upper and lower layers, allowing them to be blown out. The flow equalization grid assembly 8 consists of several thin plates arranged from top to bottom. The airflow flows out through the gaps between the plates, further equalizing the gas from the blowing port assembly 7. The equalized reaction gas then enters the reaction chamber 4.

[0025] like Figure 5 As shown, the airflow distribution plate 5 includes a cover plate 54, a flow divider plate 55, and an air outlet plate 56 connected in sequence. TMA air passages 551 and water vapor air passages 552 are respectively machined on both sides of the flow divider plate 55. The TMA air passage 551 is located on the side near the cover plate 54, and the water vapor air passage 552 is located on the side near the air outlet plate 56. One end of the TMA air passage 551 is connected to the TMA air inlet 51 on the air outlet plate 56, and the other end is connected to the TMA distribution pipe 61. One end of the water vapor air passage 552 is connected to the water vapor air inlet 52 on the air outlet plate 56, and the other end is connected to the water vapor distribution pipe 62. The flow equalization grid assembly 8 is fixed on the air outlet plate 56.

[0026] During operation, water vapor and TMA enter through the water vapor inlet 52 and TMA inlet 51 on both sides of the outlet plate 56, and then enter the water vapor distribution pipe 62 and TMA distribution pipe 61 through the water vapor duct 552 and TMA duct 551. The water vapor and TMA are then evenly distributed to the windows 53 of the airflow distribution plate 5. The TMA duct 551 and water vapor duct 552 are machined on both sides of the flow divider plate 55, effectively isolating TMA and water vapor. The cover plate 54 covers the TMA duct 551 on one side of the flow divider plate 55 and is connected to the TMA distribution pipe. The outlet plate covers the water vapor duct 552 on the other side of the flow divider plate 55 and is used to install the flow equalization grid assembly 8.

[0027] like Figure 6 As shown, the airflow distribution pipe 6 includes two airflow distributors 63. Each airflow distributor 63 has a fan-shaped space. The tip of the fan-shaped space has an air inlet 631. Several air outlets 632 are evenly distributed at the arc position of the fan-shaped space. The air inlet 631 of one airflow distributor 63 is connected to the TMA air inlet 51, and the air outlet 632 is connected to the TMA distribution pipe 61. The air inlet 631 of the other airflow distributor 63 is connected to the water vapor air inlet 52, and the air outlet 632 is connected to the water vapor distribution pipe 62.

[0028] During operation, airflow enters the airflow distributor 63 through the corresponding air inlet 631, and is then distributed to each pipeline from the air outlets 632 of the same size on the airflow distributor 63. To ensure that the airflow distributed to each air outlet 632 is consistent, a fan-shaped space is designed on the airflow distributor 63, with the air inlet 631 at the tip of the fan and each air outlet 632 at the arc of the fan. The distance from each air outlet 632 to the air inlet 631 is kept consistent, and the area of ​​the air inlet 631 is ensured to be much larger than the sum of the areas of all four air outlets 632.

[0029] like Figure 7 As shown, the air blowing port assembly 7 includes an upper air blowing plate 71, a middle air blowing plate 72, a lower air blowing plate 73, a support block 74, an adjusting screw 75, and a wedge block 76. There are pairs of upper air blowing plates 71, middle air blowing plates 72, and lower air blowing plates 73 connected in sequence to form an air blowing plate unit. An air blowing gap is formed between each pair of upper air blowing plates 71, middle air blowing plates 72, and lower air blowing plates 73 in a single air blowing plate unit. The two air blowing gaps are respectively connected to the TMA distribution pipe 61 and the water vapor distribution pipe 62. The air blowing plate units on both sides are respectively connected to the support block 74. The support blocks 74 on both sides are connected to the wedge block 6 through the adjusting screw 5.

[0030] During operation, the upper air-blowing plate 71, the middle air-blowing plate 72, and the lower air-blowing plate 73 are overlapped to form two layers of air-blowing gaps, which blow out and isolate water vapor and TMA from different layers of gaps. There is one set of air-blowing plate units on each side. Tightening the adjusting screw 5 pushes the support blocks on both sides through the wedge block 6, which can press the air-blowing plate units on both sides with the airflow distribution plate 5 to ensure the sealing of the contact surface, and also facilitates the quick disassembly of the air-blowing port assembly 7.

[0031] like Figure 8 As shown, after installation, the air outlet assembly 7 and the airflow distribution plate 5 are divided into two air channels, upper and lower, for water vapor 10 and TMA 11 respectively, effectively isolating different air sources in the process and preventing alumina dust from clogging the air outlet. A certain gap 11 is left between the air outlet assembly 7 and the airflow distribution plate 5. By controlling the size of the gap 11 at different positions (upper, middle, and lower), the airflow at different positions can be adjusted.

[0032] like Figure 9 As shown, the uniform flow grid assembly 8 consists of several thin plates 81 arranged from top to bottom. The gap 82 between adjacent thin plates 81 is adjustable. By controlling the gap 82 between the thin plates 81, the air flow rate and the uniformity of airflow in the upper, middle and lower parts can be adjusted.

[0033] All of the components described above are existing technologies, and those skilled in the art can use any model and existing design that can achieve their corresponding functions.

[0034] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several modifications and improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating, characterized in that, The device includes an air intake body (3), which is connected to the TMA supply end (1) and the steam supply end (2). The air intake body (3) is connected to more than one reaction chamber (4). The air intake body (3) includes an airflow distribution plate (5), an airflow distribution pipe (6), an air blowing port assembly (7), and a flow equalization grid assembly (8). The airflow distribution plate (5) has a TMA air inlet (51) and a steam air inlet (52) on both sides. The TMA air inlet (51) and the steam air inlet (52) are connected to the TMA supply end (1) and the steam supply end (2), respectively. The distribution pipe (6) is installed on the airflow distribution plate (5) and is divided into a TMA distribution pipe and a steam distribution pipe, which are respectively connected to the TMA inlet (51) and the steam inlet (52). The airflow distribution plate (5) has windows (53) that are the same number as the reaction chamber (4) and are connected to the reaction chamber (4). Each window (53) has an air blowing port assembly (7) inside. The TMA distribution pipe and the steam distribution pipe of the airflow distribution pipe (6) are respectively connected to the corresponding air blowing port assembly (7). A flow equalization grid assembly (8) is provided between the air blowing port assembly (7) and the reaction chamber (4).

2. The air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The airflow distribution plate (5) includes a cover plate (54), a flow divider plate (55) and an air outlet plate (56) connected in sequence. The flow divider plate (55) has a TMA air passage (551) and a water vapor air passage (552) respectively processed on both sides. The TMA air passage (551) is located on the side close to the cover plate (54), and the water vapor air passage (552) is located on the side close to the air outlet plate (56). One end of the TMA air passage (551) is connected to the TMA air inlet (51) on the air outlet plate (56), and the other end is connected to the TMA distribution pipeline (61). One end of the water vapor air passage (552) is connected to the water vapor air inlet (52) on the air outlet plate (56), and the other end is connected to the water vapor distribution pipeline (62). The flow equalization grid assembly (8) is fixed on the air outlet plate (56).

3. The air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The airflow distribution pipe (6) includes two airflow distributors (63). Each airflow distributor (63) has a fan-shaped space. The tip of the fan-shaped space has an air inlet (631). The arc of the fan-shaped space has a number of air outlets (632) evenly distributed. The air inlet (631) of one airflow distributor (63) is connected to the TMA air inlet (51), and the air outlet (632) is connected to the TMA distribution pipe (61). The air inlet (631) of the other airflow distributor (63) is connected to the water vapor air inlet (52), and the air outlet (632) is connected to the water vapor distribution pipe (62).

4. The air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The air blowing port assembly (7) includes an upper air blowing plate (71), a middle air blowing plate (72), a lower air blowing plate (73), a support block (74), an adjusting screw (75), and a wedge block (76). There are a pair of upper air blowing plates (71), middle air blowing plates (72), and lower air blowing plates (73) connected in sequence to form an air blowing plate unit. An air blowing gap is formed between each pair of upper air blowing plates (71), middle air blowing plates (72), and lower air blowing plates (73) in a single air blowing plate unit. The two air blowing gaps are respectively connected to the TMA distribution pipeline (61) and the water vapor distribution pipeline (62). The air blowing plate units on both sides are respectively connected to the support block (74). The support blocks (74) on both sides are connected to the wedge block (6) through the adjusting screw (5).

5. The air inlet device for vacuum alumina thin film coating as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The uniform flow grid assembly (8) consists of several thin plates (81) arranged from top to bottom, and the gap (82) between adjacent thin plates (81) is adjustable.

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