A chamber volume adjustable reaction chamber and plasma processing apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to wafer processing equipment technical field, especially to a kind of reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume and plasma processing equipment, including chamber body, upper support, lower support, drive mechanism and several filling blocks;Upper support is located at the top of the inner cavity of chamber body, and first through hole is provided on it, which is communicated with gas inlet through hole;Lower support is located at the bottom of the inner cavity of chamber body, and second through hole is provided on it, which is communicated with exhaust through hole;Several filling blocks are arranged between upper support and lower support in circumferential direction, and form reaction cavity which is communicated with first through hole and second through hole by enclosing, and the circumferential side wall of adjacent two filling blocks is abutted;Drive mechanism is arranged in chamber body, and has several drive ends which are connected with each filling block one by one;The volume of reaction cavity is continuously adjusted by several filling blocks which slide synchronously in circumferential direction between upper support and lower support, and the volume of reaction cavity is continuously adjusted by enclosing cross section of built-in filling block directly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wafer processing equipment technology, and more particularly to a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume and plasma processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor process equipment, it is often necessary to adjust the internal volume of the cavity to adapt to different process requirements. Existing adjustment solutions all have obvious limitations: the position of fixed filler blocks is not adjustable, and different specifications of filler blocks need to be frequently replaced when the process changes, which is cumbersome and costly; traditional mechanical transmission solutions such as lead screws, gears and racks require the transmission components to penetrate the cavity wall, which will damage the integrity of the cavity seal, and the friction and wear of the transmission components will easily lead to a long-term decrease in operating accuracy and high maintenance frequency; at the same time, the filler blocks are prone to drift after the transmission is powered off, and it is impossible to balance the reliability of the seal and the controllability of the position. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume and a plasma processing device. The purpose is to achieve stepless continuous adjustment of the reaction chamber volume without compromising the integrity of the chamber seal by using a built-in circumferentially arranged sliding filling block and an embedded shutter drive mechanism.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume, comprising: The chamber body has an exhaust port axially extending through its bottom and an air inlet port axially extending through its top. An upper support member is provided at the top of the inner cavity of the chamber body, and a first through hole communicating with the air inlet hole is provided through it axially. The lower support member is located at the bottom of the inner cavity of the chamber body, and a second through hole communicating with the exhaust hole is provided through it axially. Several filler blocks are arranged circumferentially between the upper support and the lower support, and enclose a reaction chamber that connects the first through hole and the second through hole. The circumferential sidewalls of two adjacent filler blocks abut against each other, and the top and bottom of each filler block are respectively in sliding contact with the lower surface of the upper support and the upper surface of the lower support. A drive mechanism is located within the chamber body and has several drive ends that are connected one-to-one with each of the filling blocks to drive the filling blocks to move synchronously in a circumferential direction, thereby increasing or decreasing the volume of the reaction chamber.

[0005] Optionally, the drive mechanism further includes a ring gear, a disc gear, and a circumferential drive component; The ring gear is disposed on the outside of several filling blocks. The disc gear meshes with the ring gear. The circumferential drive is disposed in the cavity body. Its output end is connected to the disc gear. One end of each drive end is connected to the inner side wall of the ring gear, and the other end is connected to each filling block. The circumferential drive drives the disc gear to rotate, thereby driving each filling block to move synchronously in the circumferential direction through each drive end.

[0006] Optionally, each of the drive ends includes a support plate and a limiting post; Each of the filling blocks has a recessed receiving groove on its side wall away from the reaction chamber; The support plate is fixed to the inner wall of the ring gear and extends radially into the receiving groove; the support plate is provided with a radially extending strip-shaped through hole through the axial direction; The limiting post is movably inserted into the strip-shaped through hole, and the limiting post extends axially and is fixed to the top wall of the receiving groove. When the ring gear rotates, the limiting post slides radially relative to each other in the strip-shaped through hole, driving each filling block to move synchronously along the circumference and move closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber, so as to increase or decrease the volume of the reaction chamber.

[0007] Optionally, each of the driving ends further includes a first sliding block; The bottom of the upper support member has a recessed area with several support grooves. The first sliding block is fixed to the top of each of the filling blocks and extends axially into each of the supporting grooves so that when the ring gear rotates, it cooperates with the limiting post to guide each of the filling blocks to slide synchronously in the circumferential direction and move radially closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber.

[0008] Optionally, each of the driving ends further includes a second sliding block; The top of the lower support member has a recess with several support grooves. The second sliding block is fixed to the bottom of each of the filling blocks and extends axially into each of the second support grooves so that when the ring gear rotates, it cooperates with the limiting post to guide each of the filling blocks to slide synchronously in the circumferential direction and move radially closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber.

[0009] Optionally, the upper support member includes an upper fixing plate and several fixing rods; The upper fixing plate is fixed to the inner top wall of the chamber body. The first through hole is provided in the upper fixing plate. One end of each of the several fixing rods is fixed to the outer peripheral side wall of the upper fixing plate at circumferential intervals. The other end of each fixing rod extends radially and is fixed to the inner side wall of the chamber body.

[0010] Optionally, the lower support member includes a lower fixing plate and several fixing rods. The lower fixing plate is fixed to the inner bottom wall of the chamber body. The second through hole is provided in the lower fixing plate. One end of each of the two fixing rods is fixed to the outer peripheral side wall of the lower fixing plate at circumferential intervals. The other end of each of the two fixing rods extends radially and is fixed to the inner side wall of the chamber body.

[0011] Optionally, the reaction chamber with adjustable volume may further include several permanent magnets and several electromagnets; Each of the permanent magnets is embedded in the top wall of each of the first supporting slides, and each of the permanent magnets extends along the length of the cavity of each of the first supporting slides. Each of the electromagnets is embedded in the top of each of the first sliding blocks. Several electromagnets are connected to independent power sources. By controlling the on and off of each of the electromagnets, magnetic attraction is generated or eliminated between each of the electromagnets and the permanent magnets, so as to lock or unlock each of the filling blocks.

[0012] Optionally, the circumferential width of each of the support plates is smaller than the circumferential width of the cavity of each of the receiving grooves, so that each of the support plates can rotate around the limiting post within each of the receiving grooves; The diameter of each limiting post is smaller than the length of the cavity of each strip-shaped through hole, so that when the ring gear rotates, the limiting post moves along the length direction of the cavity in the strip-shaped through hole, thereby driving each filling block to move radially closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber.

[0013] Optionally, the reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume further includes several circumferential driving elements, several third sliding blocks, and several sliding grooves; Each of the aforementioned sliding grooves is recessed into the top of each of the first sliding blocks; At least a portion of each of the third sliding blocks is movably disposed within each of the sliding grooves. Each of the circumferential driving members is fixed to the sidewall of each of the sliding grooves. The output end of each of the circumferential driving members extends circumferentially and connects to each of the third sliding blocks. Each of the circumferential driving members drives each of the third sliding blocks to perform circumferential movement within each of the sliding grooves, thereby adjusting the circumferential position where magnetic attraction is generated between the electromagnet and the permanent magnet.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention also provides a plasma processing device, including an air intake system, a suction system, and a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume, wherein the air intake port in the reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume is connected to the air intake system, and the exhaust port in the reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume is connected to the suction system.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention utilizes several filling blocks that slide synchronously along the circumference between the upper and lower supports, allowing for continuous adjustment of the reaction chamber volume directly through the cross-section enclosed by the built-in filling blocks. This eliminates the need to replace the filling blocks, adapting to different processes' requirements for plasma volume and pressure distribution, thus solving the problem of poor process versatility in fixed structures. The drive mechanism is entirely built into the chamber body, eliminating the need to penetrate the chamber wall and avoiding the damage to the chamber's sealing integrity caused by traditional external lead screw and rack transmissions. Simultaneously, the top and bottom of the filling blocks slide in contact with the upper and lower supports, respectively, forming self-sealing surfaces and reducing the risk of dynamic seal leakage. This invention balances continuously adjustable reaction chamber volume, long-term operational stability, and the sealing reliability of the chamber body, significantly reducing maintenance frequency and switching costs between different processes. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume in some embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the filling block and the driving mechanism. Figure 3 for Figure 1 A magnified structural diagram of position A in the diagram; Figure 4 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the upper fixed plate.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Chamber body; 2. Exhaust port; 3. Inlet port; 4. Upper fixing plate; 41. First through hole; 42. Support slide groove one; 5. Fixing rod one; 6. Filling block; 61. Reaction chamber; 62. Receiving groove; 7. Lower fixing plate; 71. Second through hole; 8. Fixing rod two; 9. Support plate; 91. Strip through hole; 10. Limiting post; 11. Ring gear; 12. Disc gear; 13. Circumferential driving component; 14. First sliding block; 15. Permanent magnet; 16. Electromagnet. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this invention. Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein should have the ordinary meaning understood by those skilled in the art. The terms "comprising" and similar expressions used herein mean that the element or object preceding the word covers the element or object listed following the word and its equivalents, but do not exclude other elements or objects.

[0019] This invention relates to a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume and a plasma processing device. The purpose is to achieve stepless continuous adjustment of the reaction chamber volume without compromising the integrity of the chamber seal by using a built-in circumferentially arranged sliding filling block and an embedded shutter drive mechanism.

[0020] To address the problems existing in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention provide a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the adjustable-volume reaction chamber includes a chamber body 1, an upper support, a lower support, a drive mechanism, and several filling blocks 6; the number of filling blocks 6 can be three, four, five, six, or more, preferably six.

[0021] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the bottom of the chamber body 1 is axially provided with an exhaust port 2, and the top of the chamber body is axially provided with an air inlet port 3.

[0022] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the upper support member is located at the top of the inner cavity of the chamber body 1, and a first through hole 41 communicating with the air inlet hole 3 is provided through it axially.

[0023] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the lower support member is located at the bottom of the inner cavity of the chamber body 1, and a second through hole 71 communicating with the exhaust through hole 2 is axially provided on its upper part. The second through hole 71 and the first through hole 41 have the same diameter, and the first through hole 41 and the second through hole 71 are coaxially arranged.

[0024] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1As shown, several filling blocks 6 are arranged circumferentially between the upper support and the lower support, forming a reaction chamber 61 that connects the first through hole 41 and the second through hole 71. The circumferential sidewalls of two adjacent filling blocks 6 abut against each other. The top and bottom of each filling block 6 are in sliding contact with the lower surface of the upper support and the upper surface of the lower support, respectively, thus forming a dynamic seal between the top and bottom of each filling block 6 and the lower surface of the upper support and the upper surface of the lower support. The reaction chamber 61 can be cylindrical or a regular polygonal columnar structure.

[0025] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the driving mechanism is located inside the chamber body 1 and has several driving ends that are connected one-to-one with each of the filling blocks 6 to drive the several filling blocks 6 to move synchronously in the circumferential direction, thereby increasing or decreasing the volume of the reaction chamber 61.

[0026] In this embodiment, the air inlet 3, the first through hole 41, the second through hole 71, and the exhaust through hole 2 are coaxially connected. Together with the upper and lower support members, they form a stable axial flow path inside the chamber body 1. The reaction chamber 61 is surrounded by several circumferentially arranged filling blocks 6. The airflow flows directly from the top to the bottom, and the flow field is regular. The circumferential sidewalls of adjacent filling blocks 6 abut against each other, and the top and bottom of the filling blocks 6 slide in contact with the upper and lower support members, respectively. During the volume adjustment of the reaction chamber 61, two dynamic sealing surfaces are naturally formed. Without the need for additional complex through-type dynamic sealing structures, the leakage of process gas to areas outside the reaction chamber 61 can be effectively suppressed. This ensures the airtightness of the chamber body 1 and allows the cross section of the reaction chamber 61 to continuously expand and contract with the synchronous circumferential sliding of the filling blocks 6. While achieving stepless volume adjustment, the cylindrical axisymmetric structure of the reaction chamber 61 is maintained, which is beneficial to the uniformity of plasma treatment.

[0027] In some embodiments, the filling block 6 is composed of a triangular prism and a rectangular body, wherein the triangular prism is preferably an equilateral triangular prism. The triangular prism is disposed close to the reaction chamber 61, and the rectangular body is disposed on the side of the triangular prism away from the reaction chamber 61.

[0028] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the drive mechanism further includes a ring gear 11, a disc gear 12, and a circumferential drive component 13. The ring gear 11 has a ring-shaped structure, and the teeth of the ring gear 11 are disposed on the outer wall of the ring-shaped structure. The disc gear 12 has a disc-shaped structure. The circumferential drive component 13 can be a servo motor, a stepper motor, or a torque motor with an encoder.

[0029] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the ring gear 11 is arranged around the outside of several filling blocks 6, the disc gear 12 meshes with the ring gear 11, and the circumferential drive member 13 is disposed inside the chamber body 1. Its output end is connected to the disc gear 12. One end of each drive end is connected to the inner side wall of the ring gear 11, and the other end is connected to each filling block 6. The circumferential drive member 13 drives the disc gear 12 to rotate with the ring gear 11, so as to drive each filling block 6 to move synchronously in the circumferential direction through each drive end.

[0030] The ring gear 11 is driven by an externally meshing disc gear 12, which converts the output torque of the circumferential drive component 13 into a full rotation of the ring gear 11 around the central axis of the chamber body 1. The ring gear 11 serves as a common drive source, and outputs displacement to all filling blocks 6 simultaneously through the drive ends on the inner sidewall. This naturally ensures that the force and displacement of each filling block 6 are synchronized, avoiding synchronization errors caused by multiple independent actuators. The ring gear 11 is arranged around the outer side of several filling blocks 6, and the radial distance from the inner sidewall of the ring gear 11 to each filling block 6 is consistent, so that the driving force is always uniformly applied to several filling blocks 6 in the circumferential direction. This converts a single rotational input into the coordinated circumferential sliding of multiple filling blocks 6 around the same central axis. The mechanism forces the maintenance of the relative symmetry of the filling blocks 6, thereby ensuring that the reaction chamber 61 always maintains rotational symmetry during the enlargement or shrinkage process. This simplifies the drive control and eliminates the risk of eccentricity or local jamming of the reaction chamber 61 from a kinematic perspective.

[0031] In some embodiments, an elastic sealing gasket is provided on the sidewall between two adjacent filler blocks 6. The elastic sealing gasket is used to seal the gap between two adjacent filler blocks 6. The material of the elastic sealing gasket is preferably fluororubber or perfluoroether rubber that is resistant to high temperature and plasma corrosion. Alternatively, a metal-based elastic element with a surface coated with polytetrafluoroethylene can be used. This allows the gasket to adapt to compression deformation as the filler block 6 slides circumferentially, filling the gap between adjacent filler blocks 6. It can also withstand reactive gases, plasma bombardment, and temperature fluctuations in semiconductor processes, preventing process gas leakage or particulate contamination caused by aging of the sealing element.

[0032] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, each of the driving ends includes a support plate 9 and a limiting post 10; the support plate 9 can be a strip plate; the limiting post 10 is cylindrical in shape.

[0033] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, each of the filling blocks 6 has a recessed receiving groove 62 on its side wall away from the reaction chamber 61; the groove of the receiving groove 62 is preferably a rectangular structure.

[0034] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the support plate 9 is fixed to the inner wall of the ring gear 11 and extends radially into the receiving groove 62; a radially extending strip-shaped through hole 91 is axially provided on the support plate 9. The upper and lower end faces of the support plate 9 are respectively in sliding contact with the top and bottom walls of the receiving groove 62 to restrict the axial movement of the support plate 9 while achieving a dynamic seal. The top and bottom walls of the receiving groove 62 can be understood as the upper and lower inner walls of the receiving groove 62 in the axial direction.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the limiting post 10 is movably inserted into the strip-shaped through hole 91, and the limiting post 10 extends axially and is fixed to the top wall of the receiving groove 62. It can be understood that the upper end and the lower end of the limiting post 10 are respectively fixed to the top wall and the bottom wall of the receiving groove 62. When the ring gear 11 rotates, the limiting post 10 slides radially relative to each other in the strip-shaped through hole 91, driving each of the filling blocks 6 to move synchronously along the circumference and move closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber 61, so as to increase or decrease the volume of the reaction chamber 61.

[0036] The support plate 9 extends radially from the inner wall of the ring gear 11 into the receiving groove 62. A cylindrical limiting post 10, axially fixed to the top and bottom walls of the receiving groove 62, is movably inserted into the radially extending strip-shaped through hole 91 of the support plate 9, forming a sliding pair of "groove, plate, and post". When the ring gear 11 rotates, the limiting post 10 slides radially relative to the ring gear 11 within the strip-shaped through hole 91, without circumferential constraint. This precisely converts the pure rotation of the ring gear 11 into the "circumferential synchronous translation and radial expansion and contraction" of the filling block 6. The shutter-type compound motion; the receiving groove 62 leaves circumferential swing margin for the support plate 9 to avoid jamming, the strip-shaped through hole 91 provides radial displacement stroke, and the cylindrical limiting column 10 takes into account both rotational freedom and axial positioning. The matching shape of the three makes the transmission without extra degrees of freedom, and the wear surface is concentrated and controllable. While realizing stepless adjustment of the volume of the reaction chamber 61, it forces the multiple filling blocks 6 to maintain symmetrical linkage around the central axis. Moreover, all components are built into the chamber body 1, without through seals. The structure is compact, has good self-positioning, and is not easy to drift during long-term operation.

[0037] In some embodiments, the circumferential sidewall of the limiting post 10 is slidably contacted with the wall of the strip-shaped through hole 91, so that the limiting post 10 moves only in the length direction of the strip-shaped through hole 91.

[0038] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 3and Figure 4 As shown, each of the driving ends further includes a first sliding block 14. The first sliding block 14 is preferably cylindrical in shape.

[0039] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the bottom of the upper support member has a plurality of support grooves 42 recessed therein; the number of support grooves 42 is consistent with the number of limiting posts 10. The grooves of the plurality of support grooves 42 are connected end to end to form a regular polygon structure. Specifically, when the number of limiting posts 10 is four, the regular polygon structure is a regular quadrilateral structure.

[0040] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the first sliding block 14 is fixed to the top of each of the filling blocks 6 and extends axially into each of the supporting grooves 42, so that when the ring gear 11 rotates, it cooperates with the limiting post 10 to guide each of the filling blocks 6 to slide synchronously in the circumferential direction and move radially towards or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber 61. The circumferential sidewall of the first sliding block 14 is in sliding contact with the inner sidewall of the supporting groove 42.

[0041] In this embodiment, the first sliding block 14 serves as the axial extension of the top of the filling block 6. It is embedded in the corresponding number of support grooves 42 at the bottom of the upper support member. Together with the limiting post 10 and the strip-shaped through hole 91, it forms a guiding constraint, so that when the filling block 6 is driven by the ring gear 11, the upper end is limited by the circumferential trajectory and radial displacement by the support grooves 42, and the whole remains in a vertical posture without tilting or warping. The number of support grooves 42 corresponds one-to-one with the driving end, ensuring that the force and displacement of each filling block 6 are decoupled evenly and avoiding local jamming.

[0042] In this structure, the cavities of several supporting grooves 42 are connected end to end to form a regular polygon structure (such as a regular N-gon, where N equals the number of filling blocks 6). This makes the sliding trajectory of the first sliding block 14 at the bottom of the upper support coincide with the regular polygon macroscopically. When each filling block 6 is closed to its limit position, the top first sliding block 14 is exactly located at the midpoint of each side of the regular polygon, thus forming a reaction cavity 61 with the same shape as the regular polygon. When opened, each sliding block slides synchronously along each side of the regular polygon, and the cross-section of the reaction cavity 61 continues to expand while maintaining rotational symmetry. In terms of processing, the regular polygon structure only requires circumferential equidistant milling of each straight edge, which makes it easier to ensure that the length and angle of each groove are consistent than a full-circumferential arc groove. This forces the circumferential displacement of each filling block 6 to be completely equal, thus geometrically eliminating the risk of asynchronous filling blocks 6 and eccentric reaction cavity 61 caused by groove curvature error.

[0043] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, each of the driving ends further includes a second sliding block. The number of the second sliding blocks is consistent with the number of the driving ends.

[0044] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the top of the lower support member has a plurality of support grooves 2; the grooves of the plurality of support grooves 2 form a regular polygon structure that is the same as the plurality of support grooves 1 42, and the two regular polygons are on the same vertical line.

[0045] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the second sliding block is fixed to the bottom of each of the filling blocks 6 and extends axially into each of the second support grooves. When the ring gear 11 rotates, it cooperates with the limiting post 10 to guide each of the filling blocks 6 to slide synchronously in the circumferential direction and move radially towards or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber 61. The function and shape of the second sliding block are consistent with those of the first sliding block 14, and will not be described again here.

[0046] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the upper support includes an upper fixing plate 4 and several fixing rods 5; the upper fixing plate 4 can be disc-shaped. The fixing rods 5 can be cylindrical. The number of fixing rods 5 can be three, four, or more.

[0047] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the upper fixing plate 4 is fixed to the inner top wall of the chamber body 1, the first through hole 41 is provided in the upper fixing plate 4, one end of a plurality of fixing rods 5 is fixed to the outer peripheral side wall of the upper fixing plate 4 at circumferential intervals, preferably at equal intervals; the other end of each fixing rod 5 extends radially and is fixed to the inner side wall of the chamber body 1.

[0048] In this embodiment, the upper fixing plate 4 is radially supported to the inner wall of the chamber body 1 by circumferentially spaced fixing rods 5, forming a suspended support structure of "central disc and radial spokes". While axially fixing the upper fixing plate 4 to the inner top wall of the chamber body 1, ensuring that the first through hole 41 and the air inlet through hole 3 are strictly coaxial, the fixing rods 5, as slender radial connectors, have a cross-sectional area much smaller than the entire annular partition, which greatly reduces the thermal contact area between the fixing rods 5 and the high-temperature chamber body 1. This is equivalent to setting a "radial heat insulation bracket" with low thermal bridge between the upper fixing plate 4 and the chamber body 1. This not only prevents the high-temperature process heat in the chamber body 1 from being conducted to the outer shell of the chamber body 1 through the fixing rods 5 over a large area, causing heat loss, but also avoids the support structure from squeezing the receiving groove 62 of the filling block 6 due to overall thermal expansion, which would affect the shutter adjustment accuracy.

[0049] Of course, in other embodiments, a gap can also be provided between the upper fixing plate 4 and the inner top wall of the chamber body 1, which can better reduce heat loss. When a gap is provided, the air inlet hole 3 can be replaced by an air inlet pipe, which is fixedly inserted into the top plate of the chamber body 1, and the lower end of the air inlet pipe is fixed to the upper surface of the upper fixing plate 4.

[0050] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the lower support includes a lower fixing plate 7 and several fixing rods 8; the number of fixing rods 8 can be three, four or more.

[0051] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 As shown, the lower fixing plate 7 is fixed to the inner bottom wall of the chamber body 1. The second through hole 71 is provided in the lower fixing plate 7. One end of each of the several fixing rods 8 is fixed to the outer peripheral side wall of the lower fixing plate 7 at circumferential intervals, and the other end of each fixing rod 8 extends radially and is fixed to the inner side wall of the chamber body 1. The shape and function of the lower fixing plate 7 are the same as those of the upper fixing plate 4, and will not be described again here.

[0052] Of course, in other embodiments, a gap can also be provided between the lower fixing plate 7 and the inner bottom wall of the chamber body 1. Specifically, the function of this setting is the same as that between the upper fixing plate 4 and the inner top wall of the chamber body 1, which will not be described in detail here.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the adjustable-volume reaction chamber further includes several permanent magnets 15 and several electromagnets 16; the number of permanent magnets 15 and electromagnets 16 is consistent with the number of filling blocks 6. The permanent magnets 15 can be elongated strips. The electromagnets 16 can be block-shaped.

[0054] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, each of the permanent magnets 15 is embedded in the top wall of each of the support slide grooves 42, and each of the permanent magnets 15 extends along the length of the cavity of each of the support slide grooves 42. Each of the electromagnets 16 is embedded in the top of each of the first sliding blocks 14. Several of the electromagnets 16 are connected to independent power sources. By controlling the on and off of each of the electromagnets 16, magnetic attraction is generated or eliminated between each of the electromagnets 16 and the permanent magnets 15, so as to lock or unlock each of the filling blocks 6.

[0055] In this embodiment, the permanent magnet 15 is embedded in the top wall of the support groove 42 along its length, and the electromagnet 16 is embedded in the top of the first sliding block 14. The two are always aligned and overlapped at any circumferential sliding position of the filling block 6. When energized, the electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 15 generate a continuous and controllable magnetic attraction force, which "locks" the first sliding block 14 in any position of the support groove 42, thereby achieving passive locking of each filling block 6 at any volume position within the adjustment stroke. Specifically, when energized, the electromagnetic attraction force is superimposed to strengthen the locking, and when de-energized, the sliding and drift are directly demagnetized, which avoids the need for a through-cavity wall screw or spring pin required by traditional mechanical locking. At the same time, the magnetic attraction interface is located inside the upper support member, which does not damage the sealed environment of the cavity body 1. The independent power supply controls each electromagnet 16, which can also realize single-block fine adjustment or group locking, maintaining zero drift of the cross-sectional size of the reaction cavity 61 in the plasma steady-state process, and unlocking with one key when adjustment is required.

[0056] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the circumferential width of each of the support plates 9 is smaller than the circumferential width of the cavity of each of the receiving grooves 62, so that each of the support plates 9 can rotate around the limiting post 10 within each of the receiving grooves 62.

[0057] The circumferential width of the support plate 9 is smaller than the circumferential width of the cavity of the receiving groove 62, so that the support plate 9 can swing around the limiting post 10 in the receiving groove 62 with an angular margin, so that when the ring gear 11 rotates, the limiting post 10 smoothly generates radial force in the strip through hole 91. The support plate 9 automatically adjusts the swing angle with the circumferential displacement of the filling block 6 to avoid rigid interference and jamming.

[0058] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the diameter of each limiting post 10 is smaller than the length of the cavity of each strip-shaped through hole 91, so that when the ring gear 11 rotates, the limiting post 10 moves along the length direction of the cavity in the strip-shaped through hole 91, thereby driving each filling block 6 to move radially closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber 61.

[0059] In this embodiment, the diameter of the limiting post 10 is smaller than the length of the strip-shaped through hole 91. When the ring gear 11 rotates, the limiting post 10 can slide freely in the radial direction within the strip-shaped through hole 91 without getting stuck. This efficiently converts the pure rotation of the ring gear 11 into the radial expansion and contraction displacement of each filling block 6. The length of the strip-shaped through hole 91 directly limits the radial adjustment stroke. The structure is simple and there are no additional guide parts, ensuring the continuity and freedom of movement of the shutter-type volume adjustment.

[0060] In some embodiments, the adjustable-volume reaction chamber further includes a plurality of circumferential drive members 13, a plurality of third sliding blocks, and a plurality of sliding grooves. The number of the circumferential drive members 13, the third sliding blocks, and the sliding grooves is consistent with the number of the filling blocks 6.

[0061] In some embodiments, each of the sliding grooves is recessed into the top of each of the first sliding blocks 14. The length direction of the sliding groove is consistent with the length direction of the support groove 42.

[0062] In some embodiments, at least a portion of each of the third sliding blocks is movably disposed within each of the sliding grooves, each of the circumferential driving members 13 is fixed to the sidewall of each of the sliding grooves, the output end of each of the circumferential driving members 13 extends circumferentially and connects to each of the third sliding blocks, and each of the circumferential driving members 13 drives each of the third sliding blocks to perform circumferential movement within each of the sliding grooves, so as to adjust the circumferential position of the magnetic attraction force generated between the electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 15.

[0063] The third sliding block and the circumferential drive component 13 are integrated into the sliding groove at the top of the first sliding block 14, allowing the electromagnet 16 to move slightly relative to the permanent magnet 15 along the length of the support groove 42 (i.e., the circumferential sliding direction of the filling block 6). This allows for individual adjustment of the circumferential position of the overlapping area between the electromagnet 16 and the permanent magnet 15 without changing the position of the main body of the filling block 6, thus changing the point of application of the magnetic attraction force and the resultant torque as needed. For example, the magnetic attraction center can be shifted from the geometric center of the first sliding block 14 to the force-bearing side to counteract the thrust of the process airflow or the off-center load of thermal expansion, avoiding local wedging or unlocking delay caused by single-point magnetic attraction. At the same time, the circumferential fine adjustment is decoupled from the large-stroke radial expansion and contraction of the filling block 6, and the magnetic circuit alignment error can still be compensated online in the locked state. This retains the advantages of "power-off permanent magnet anti-drift and power-on electromagnetic strong locking" while eliminating the lateral overturning risk caused by the fixed point of application of the magnetic attraction force.

[0064] To address the problems existing in the prior art, embodiments of the present invention also provide a plasma processing device, the plasma processing device including an air intake system, a suction system (e.g., a vacuum pump) and a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume, wherein the air intake port 3 in the reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume is connected to the air intake system, and the exhaust port 2 in the reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume is connected to the suction system.

[0065] In some embodiments, the plasma processing equipment can be any one of etching equipment, resist stripping equipment, or deposition equipment. The volume of its reaction chamber 61 can be the aforementioned chamber volume adjustable reaction chamber. By continuously adjusting the amount of packing block 6 taken in and out, the effective plasma volume and gas pressure distribution can be changed to adapt to the requirements of different processes such as etching uniformity control, resist stripping rate adjustment, or deposition film thickness consistency on the chamber volume and flow field symmetry.

[0066] While embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to these embodiments. However, it should be understood that such modifications and variations fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention described herein may have other embodiments and can be implemented or carried out in various ways.

Claims

1. A reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume, characterized in that, include: The chamber body has an exhaust port axially extending through its bottom and an air inlet port axially extending through its top. An upper support member is provided at the top of the inner cavity of the chamber body, and a first through hole communicating with the air inlet hole is provided through it axially. The lower support member is located at the bottom of the inner cavity of the chamber body, and a second through hole communicating with the exhaust hole is provided through it axially. Several filler blocks are arranged circumferentially between the upper support and the lower support, and enclose a reaction chamber that connects the first through hole and the second through hole. The circumferential sidewalls of two adjacent filler blocks abut against each other, and the top and bottom of each filler block are respectively in sliding contact with the lower surface of the upper support and the upper surface of the lower support. A drive mechanism is located within the chamber body and has several drive ends that are connected one-to-one with each of the filling blocks to drive the filling blocks to move synchronously in a circumferential direction, thereby increasing or decreasing the volume of the reaction chamber.

2. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism also includes a ring gear, a disc gear, and a circumferential drive component; The ring gear is disposed on the outside of several filling blocks. The disc gear meshes with the ring gear. The circumferential drive is disposed in the cavity body. Its output end is connected to the disc gear. One end of each drive end is connected to the inner side wall of the ring gear, and the other end is connected to each filling block. The circumferential drive drives the disc gear to rotate, thereby driving each filling block to move synchronously in the circumferential direction through each drive end.

3. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned drive ends includes a support plate and a limiting post; Each of the filling blocks has a recessed receiving groove on its side wall away from the reaction chamber; The support plate is fixed to the inner wall of the ring gear and extends radially into the receiving groove; the support plate is provided with a radially extending strip-shaped through hole through the axial direction; The limiting post is movably inserted into the strip-shaped through hole, and the limiting post extends axially and is fixed to the top wall of the receiving groove. When the ring gear rotates, the limiting post slides radially relative to each other in the strip-shaped through hole, driving each filling block to move synchronously along the circumference and move closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber, so as to increase or decrease the volume of the reaction chamber.

4. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned driving ends further includes a first sliding block; The bottom of the upper support member has a recessed area with several support grooves. The first sliding block is fixed to the top of each of the filling blocks and extends axially into each of the supporting grooves so that when the ring gear rotates, it cooperates with the limiting post to guide each of the filling blocks to slide synchronously in the circumferential direction and move radially closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber.

5. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned driving ends further includes a second sliding block; The top of the lower support member has a recess with several support grooves. The second sliding block is fixed to the bottom of each of the filling blocks and extends axially into each of the second support grooves so that when the ring gear rotates, it cooperates with the limiting post to guide each of the filling blocks to slide synchronously in the circumferential direction and move radially closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber.

6. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper support member includes an upper fixing plate and several fixing rods; The upper fixing plate is fixed to the inner top wall of the chamber body. The first through hole is provided in the upper fixing plate. One end of each of the several fixing rods is fixed to the outer peripheral side wall of the upper fixing plate at circumferential intervals. The other end of each fixing rod extends radially and is fixed to the inner side wall of the chamber body.

7. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower support includes a lower fixing plate and several fixing rods. The lower fixing plate is fixed to the inner bottom wall of the chamber body. The second through hole is provided in the lower fixing plate. One end of each of the two fixing rods is fixed to the outer peripheral side wall of the lower fixing plate at circumferential intervals. The other end of each of the two fixing rods extends radially and is fixed to the inner side wall of the chamber body.

8. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes several permanent magnets and several electromagnets; Each of the permanent magnets is embedded in the top wall of each of the first supporting slides, and each of the permanent magnets extends along the length of the cavity of each of the first supporting slides. Each of the electromagnets is embedded in the top of each of the first sliding blocks. Several electromagnets are connected to independent power sources. By controlling the on and off of each of the electromagnets, magnetic attraction is generated or eliminated between each of the electromagnets and the permanent magnets, so as to lock or unlock each of the filling blocks.

9. The adjustable-volume reaction chamber according to claim 3, characterized in that, The circumferential width of each of the support plates is smaller than the circumferential width of the cavity of each of the receiving grooves, so that each of the support plates can rotate around the limiting post within each of the receiving grooves; The diameter of each limiting post is smaller than the length of the cavity of each strip-shaped through hole, so that when the ring gear rotates, the limiting post moves along the length direction of the cavity in the strip-shaped through hole, thereby driving each filling block to move radially closer to or away from the central axis of the reaction chamber.

10. The reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes several circumferential driving components, several third sliding blocks, and several sliding grooves; Each of the sliding grooves is recessed into the top of each of the first sliding blocks; At least a portion of each of the third sliding blocks is movably disposed within each of the sliding grooves. Each of the circumferential driving members is fixed to the sidewall of each of the sliding grooves. The output end of each of the circumferential driving members extends circumferentially and connects to each of the third sliding blocks. Each of the circumferential driving members drives each of the third sliding blocks to perform circumferential movement within each of the sliding grooves, thereby adjusting the circumferential position where magnetic attraction is generated between the electromagnet and the permanent magnet.

11. A plasma processing device, characterized in that, It includes an air intake system, a suction system, and a reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the air intake port in the reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume is connected to the air intake system, and the exhaust port in the reaction chamber with adjustable chamber volume is connected to the suction system.

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