Gas outlet ring flow detection device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a gas outlet ring flow detection device. Comprising a device frame, an air supply assembly and a plugging piece. The air supply assembly is arranged on the device frame; the air outlet ring is arranged on the device frame, an air inlet hole and a plurality of air outlet holes communicated with the air inlet hole are formed in the air outlet ring, and the air inlet hole is connected with the air outlet end of the air supply assembly; the plugging member is used for plugging other air outlet holes except the air hole to be measured. According to the utility model, after other air outlet holes except the air hole to be detected are plugged through the plugging piece, the air is filled into the air outlet ring through the air supply assembly, so that the air flows out of the air hole to be detected, and the flow of the air hole to be detected is detected, so that the flow detection of each air outlet hole can be realized; therefore, the processing consistency condition of the air passages in the air outlet rings is fed back, and the consistency of the air outlet capacities of different air outlet rings with the same part number is ensured. Therefore, the problem that the process performance difference of the air outlet rings with the same part number on the same machine table is large is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of flow detection, in particular to an outlet ring flow detection device. Background Art

[0002] In the HDPCVD thin film deposition process, in order to achieve good gap filling capability, deposition and sputtering processes are carried out simultaneously. The uniformity of sputtering rate directly affects the quality and yield of thin film deposition. The important component for achieving sputtering rate uniformity is the outlet ring. Once the outlet ring has inconsistent outlet capacity due to internal airway processing problems, the repeatability of process performance of different machines will be poor, which will seriously affect the production capacity and economic benefits of the wafer factory. Therefore, it is urgent to develop a device that can effectively detect the consistency of internal airway processing of the outlet ring.

[0003] A common problem with the above-mentioned air outlet rings is that the process performance of air outlet rings with the same part number installed on the same machine varies greatly. Some air outlet rings can easily meet the process requirements, while some air outlet rings cannot meet the process requirements by adjusting the RF power, electrostatic chuck temperature and other means, causing the wafer deposition work in this process to stagnate, seriously affecting the production capacity and economic benefits of the wafer factory. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model aims to provide an outlet ring flow detection device, aiming to solve the problem of how to detect the processing consistency of air passages inside different outlet rings in the prior art.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the purpose of the utility model is achieved through the following technical solutions: providing an outlet ring flow detection device, comprising: a device frame, an air supply assembly and a sealing piece; the air supply assembly is arranged on the device frame; the outlet ring is arranged on the device frame, and the outlet ring is provided with an air inlet hole and a plurality of air outlet holes connected to the air inlet hole, and the air inlet hole is connected to the air outlet end of the air supply assembly; the sealing piece is used to seal other air outlet holes except the air outlet hole to be measured.

[0006] Furthermore, the air supply assembly includes: an air source connector, a valve component, a flow meter and an air supply pipe; the air source connector is used to connect to an external air source; one end of the valve component is connected to the air source connector; the flow meter is connected to an end of the valve component away from the air source connector; one end of the air supply pipe is connected to an end of the flow meter away from the valve component, and the other end of the air supply pipe is connected to the air inlet.

[0007] Furthermore, an annular channel is provided in the air outlet ring, the air inlet is connected to the annular channel, and a plurality of air outlet holes are distributed along the inner side of the circumference of the air outlet ring and are all connected to the annular channel.

[0008] Furthermore, the sealing member includes a threaded plug and a sealing ring; the sealing ring is installed in the air outlet, and the threaded plug is threadedly connected to the air outlet and pressed against the sealing ring.

[0009] Furthermore, the material of the screw-on plug is ceramic or plastic.

[0010] Furthermore, the sealing member includes: a sealing ring, a fixing ring, a plurality of adjusting members and a plurality of pressing members; the sealing ring is installed in the air outlet; the fixing ring is arranged on the device frame and is located in the inner ring of the air outlet ring; a plurality of adjusting members are distributed along the circumferential direction of the air outlet ring and correspond one-to-one to the plurality of air outlet holes respectively, and the adjusting members can move in the radial direction relative to the axial direction of the air outlet holes; one end of the plurality of pressing members is connected one-to-one to the plurality of adjusting members, and the other end of the plurality of pressing members is pressed one-to-one to the sealing rings in the plurality of air outlet holes.

[0011] Furthermore, the adjusting member includes a screw, and the screw is threadedly connected to the fixing ring.

[0012] Furthermore, the pressing member includes a push rod, one end of which is connected to the corresponding adjusting member, and the other end of which is pressed against a sealing ring in the corresponding air outlet.

[0013] Furthermore, the abutting member and the adjusting member are abutted against each other by arc-shaped end surfaces.

[0014] Furthermore, the material of the screw is metal.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the embodiment of the utility model are as follows: after the other outlet holes except the outlet hole to be tested are blocked by the blocking piece, the gas is filled into the outlet ring through the gas supply component, so that the gas flows out from the outlet hole to be tested and the flow rate of the outlet hole to be tested is detected. In this way, the flow rate detection of each outlet hole can be realized, so as to feedback the consistency of the airway processing in the outlet ring, and ensure the consistency of the outlet capacity of different outlet rings with the same part number. In addition, the problem of large differences in the process performance of outlet rings with the same part number on the same machine is solved to ensure the stable operation of the process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the utility model, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an outlet air flow detection device provided in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic top view of the structure of an outlet air ring flow detection device provided in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0019] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the sealing structure principle of the first sealing member provided in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0020] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the sealing structure principle of the second sealing member provided in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0021] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of the process of the outlet air flow detection method provided in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0022] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of process 2 of the outlet air flow detection method provided in an embodiment of the utility model.

[0023] Description of the symbols in the figure:

[0024] 1. Device frame; 2. Air source connector; 3. Switch valve; 4. Pressure regulating valve; 5. Flow meter; 6. Sealing piece; 61. Connecting plug; 62. Sealing ring; 63. Fixing ring; 64. Adjusting piece; 65. Tightening piece; 7. Air outlet ring; 71. Annular channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0026] It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "include" and "comprises" indicate the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] It should also be understood that the terms used in this utility model specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the utility model. As used in this utility model specification and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms.

[0028] It should be further understood that the term “and / or” used in the present specification and the appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0029] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the outlet ring flow detection device. Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the top view of the structure of the outlet ring flow detection device.

[0030] An embodiment of the utility model provides an outlet ring flow detection device, comprising: a device frame 1, an air supply assembly and a sealing member 6; the air supply assembly is arranged on the device frame 1; an outlet ring 7 is arranged on the device frame 1, and the outlet ring 7 is provided with an air inlet hole and a plurality of air outlet holes connected to the air inlet hole, and the air inlet hole is connected to the air outlet end of the air supply assembly; the sealing member 6 is used to block other air outlet holes except the air outlet hole to be tested.

[0031] In this embodiment, after the other outlet holes except the outlet hole to be tested are blocked by the blocking member 6, the gas is filled into the outlet ring 7 through the gas supply assembly, so that the gas flows out from the outlet hole to be tested and the flow rate of the outlet hole to be tested is detected. In this way, the flow rate detection of each outlet hole can be realized, so as to feedback the consistency of the processing of the airway in the outlet ring 7, and ensure the consistency of the outlet capacity of different outlet rings 7 with the same part number. In addition, the problem of large differences in the process performance of the outlet ring 7 with the same part number on the same machine is solved to ensure the stable operation of the process.

[0032] In one embodiment, the device frame 1 is a carrier of an integral structure. The device frame 1 can be a cabinet-type structure composed of a support rod, a support plate and a support platform. Rollers can be installed at the bottom of the device frame 1 to achieve convenient movement. The air supply assembly can be arranged inside the device frame 1. The air outlet ring 7 can be placed on the support platform at the top of the device frame 1. A limiting structure can be arranged on the support platform to limit the air outlet ring 7 to ensure stability during the detection process.

[0033] In one embodiment, the air outlet ring 7 is annular in structure as a whole, and the air inlet hole can be set at the bottom or outside of the air outlet ring 7. An annular channel 71 is provided in the air outlet ring 7, and the air inlet hole is connected to the annular channel 71. Multiple air outlet holes are distributed along the inner side of the circumference of the air outlet ring 7 and are all connected to the annular channel 71.

[0034] In the present embodiment, when gas is filled into the air inlet through the air supply assembly, the gas enters the annular channel 71 and can flow out from each air outlet; therefore, after the air outlets other than the air outlet to be tested are blocked by the blocking member 6, the gas is only filled and flows out from the air outlet to be tested. After the actual flow value of the air outlet to be tested is detected, the actual flow value is compared with the corresponding standard flow range to evaluate whether the air outlet capacity of the air outlet to be tested meets the requirements. Similarly, after the flow rate of all air outlets is detected, the air outlet ring 7 that meets the requirements can be screened out, thereby avoiding the consequence of machine downtime due to quality problems after the air outlet ring 7 with unqualified air outlet capacity is used on the machine.

[0035] Please continue reading Figure 1 Air supply assembly shown in .

[0036] In one embodiment, the gas supply assembly includes: an air source connector 2, a valve component, a flow meter 5 and an air supply pipe; the air source connector 2 is used to connect to an external air source; one end of the valve component is connected to the air source connector 2; the flow meter 5 is connected to an end of the valve component away from the air source connector 2; one end of the air supply pipe is connected to an end of the flow meter 5 away from the valve component, and the other end of the air supply pipe is connected to the air inlet.

[0037] In this embodiment, the valve component may include a switch valve 3 and a pressure regulating valve 4; the gas source connector 2, the switch valve 3, the pressure regulating valve 4 and the flow meter 5 are connected in series in sequence, the gas source connector 2 is used to connect to the external gas source, the gas entry of the external gas source is controlled by the switch valve 3, the gas pressure of the gas entry is controlled by the pressure regulating valve 4, the gas flow is detected and displayed by the flow meter 5, and the gas is transmitted to the gas outlet ring 7 through the gas supply pipe. The gas outlet capacity of the gas outlet ring 7 can be measured by using the gas supply component to fill the gas from the external gas source into the gas outlet ring 7 and perform gas outlet detection.

[0038] In this embodiment, the air supply pipe can also be branched, and a valve can be set at the branch to control the disconnection of the pipeline. A plurality of air inlet holes corresponding to the number of branches of the air supply pipe can be set on the air outlet ring 7; however, it should be noted that during the process detection of the air outlet ring 7, only one of the branches of the air supply pipe is controlled to be opened.

[0039] When testing the flow value of a certain outlet hole to be tested of the outlet ring 7, the utility model needs to block the outlet holes other than the outlet hole to be tested. The blocking member 6 used can be the following two types:

[0040] See also Figure 3 A first type of blocking member 6 is shown.

[0041] In one embodiment, the plugging member 6 includes a threaded plug 61 and a sealing ring 62 ; the sealing ring 62 is installed in the air outlet, and the threaded plug 61 is threadedly connected to the air outlet and pressed against the sealing ring 62 .

[0042] The inner wall of the air outlet of this embodiment needs to be provided with an internal thread (the internal thread here already exists, and the air outlet ring 7 will be equipped with a nozzle in the air outlet when actually used). The sealing ring 62 (such as a rubber ring) can be placed in the air outlet first, and then the threaded end of the threaded plug 61 can be threaded into the air outlet, and the threaded end of the threaded plug 61 can be squeezed into the sealing ring 62 to achieve sealing; the sealing member 6 is simple and convenient to operate, and the sealing operation can be performed quickly.

[0043] Specifically, the material of the screw plug 61 can be ceramic or plastic. Using ceramic or plastic materials can improve processing accuracy and reduce structural weight.

[0044] See also Figure 4 A second type of blocking member 6 is shown.

[0045] In one embodiment, the sealing member 6 includes: a sealing ring 62, a fixing ring 63, a plurality of adjusting members 64 and a plurality of pressing members 65; the sealing ring 62 is installed in the air outlet; the fixing ring 63 is arranged on the device frame 1 and is located in the inner ring of the air outlet ring 7; the plurality of adjusting members 64 are distributed along the circumferential direction of the air outlet ring 7 and correspond one-to-one to the plurality of air outlets respectively, and the adjusting members 64 can move in the radial direction relative to the axial direction of the air outlet; one end of the plurality of pressing members 65 is connected to the plurality of adjusting members 64 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end of the plurality of pressing members 65 is pressed one-to-one against the sealing rings 62 in the plurality of air outlets.

[0046] In this embodiment, the shape of the fixing ring 63 is annular, and the fixing ring 63 is arranged on the support platform at the top of the device frame 1. A limiting structure can be arranged on the support platform to limit the fixing ring 63 to ensure stability during the detection process, or the fixing ring 63 can be fixed on the support platform by screws, and the outer diameter of the fixing ring 63 is smaller than the inner diameter of the air outlet ring 7 and the fixing ring 63 is located on the radial inner side of the air outlet ring 7. When blocking, the sealing ring 62 can be first placed in the air outlet hole, and the adjusting member 64 can be moved close to the air outlet hole along the axial direction of the corresponding air outlet hole by adjusting the moving position of the adjusting member 64 in the radial direction, so that the corresponding abutting member 65 is linked to squeeze the sealing ring 62 toward the corresponding air outlet hole to achieve blocking of the air outlet hole. Conversely, when the adjusting member 64 is moved away from the air outlet hole along the axial direction of the corresponding air outlet hole, the corresponding abutting member 65 can be detached from the corresponding air outlet hole.

[0047] Compared with the first sealing member 6 mentioned above, the second sealing member 6 of this embodiment does not use a screw connection to seal the air outlet, but uses an extrusion sealing method. The fastening member 65 is not threadedly matched with the air outlet, and will not damage the internal thread of the air outlet. It can be reused relatively more times.

[0048] In one embodiment, the adjusting member 64 includes a screw which is threadedly connected to the fixing ring 63 .

[0049] In this embodiment, a plurality of threaded holes are provided in the annular direction on the fixing ring 63, which correspond to the plurality of air outlets one by one. In an ideal state, the threaded holes overlap the air outlets in the axial direction. The adjusting member 64 can be a screw structure, and the material of the screw can be a metal material. After the screw is threadedly connected to the threaded hole, the adjusting member 64 can be rotated to link the fastening member 65 to squeeze and seal the air outlet. A nut can also be provided on the screw to fix it, so as to ensure the stability of squeezing and sealing the air outlet.

[0050] In one embodiment, the abutting member 65 includes a push rod, one end of which is connected to the corresponding adjusting member 64 , and the other end of which is abutted against the sealing ring 62 in the corresponding air outlet hole.

[0051] In this embodiment, the push rod is placed as an intermediate structure between the adjusting member 64 and the air outlet, and the push rod is driven by the adjusting member 64 to squeeze and seal the air outlet; the material of the push rod can be plastic, and during the process of squeezing the air outlet, even if the push rod interferes with the internal thread of the air outlet, the internal thread of the air outlet will not be damaged.

[0052] In one embodiment, the abutting member 65 and the adjusting member 64 are abutted by arc-shaped end faces. For example, spherical surface contact can be adopted. Specifically, a hemispherical groove can be provided at one end of the push rod, and one end of the screw rod can be provided with a hemispherical shape adapted to the hemispherical groove. Based on this, even if there is a small deviation in the installation accuracy of the fixing ring 63, the push rod can still be driven to move along the axis of the air outlet within a certain angle, ensuring that the push rod can still stably squeeze and seal the air outlet.

[0053] See also Figure 5 The embodiment of the utility model further provides a method for detecting an outlet air flow rate, which is applied to the above outlet air flow rate detection device, comprising:

[0054] S501, blocking the other air outlets except the air outlet to be tested by using the blocking member 6;

[0055] S502, controlling the gas supply assembly to pass gas of a preset pressure into the gas outlet ring 7;

[0056] S503, allowing the gas to be discharged from the gas outlet to be tested, and detecting the actual flow value of the gas outlet to be tested;

[0057] S504: When the actual flow values ​​of all the air outlets are within the preset standard flow range, it is determined that the air outlet ring 7 tested this time meets the requirements.

[0058] In this embodiment, one sealing member 6 blocks one air outlet correspondingly. After the other air outlets except the air outlet to be tested are blocked, the switch valve 3 in the air supply assembly is controlled to open to allow gas to enter the air supply assembly, and the gas pressure required for detection is adjusted by the pressure regulating valve 4 in the air supply assembly. Then, the gas flows through the flow meter 5 and the air supply pipe in the air supply assembly into the air outlet ring 7, and is discharged from the current air outlet to be tested of the air outlet ring 7. At this time, the flow detected by the flow meter 5 is recorded and used as the actual flow value of the current air outlet to be tested, and the actual flow value is compared with the standard flow range. If the actual flow value is within the standard flow range, it is determined that the internal airway processing of the current air outlet to be tested meets the requirements; similarly, the actual flow values ​​of all air outlets can be detected. If the actual flow values ​​of all air outlets are within the standard flow range, it is determined that the air outlet capacity of each air outlet of the air outlet ring 7 tested this time is consistent and meets the process requirements.

[0059] See also Figure 6 The method for detecting the outlet air flow rate of the embodiment of the utility model further includes:

[0060] S601, installing nozzles of the same specifications on all the outlet holes of the outlet ring 7 that meet the requirements;

[0061] S602, testing the gas flow rate values ​​of all nozzles, and drawing a flow rate-nozzle position curve;

[0062] S603, according to the curve graph, reduce the nozzle specifications of the high outlet flow value, and increase the nozzle specifications of the low outlet flow value, until the curve graph tends to be flat, and record the nozzle specifications on each outlet hole;

[0063] S604, applying the information of the adjusted nozzle specifications on each air outlet to the machine.

[0064] The air outlet ring 7 of the utility model is applied to the thin film deposition equipment. When the thin film deposition equipment performs the thin film deposition process, the uniformity of wafer thin film deposition is mainly achieved by adjusting different nozzle specifications. It is necessary to go through the steps of multiple cavity opening → adjusting nozzle specifications → cavity closing to determine a reasonable nozzle distribution, which not only increases the process development cycle, but also has an adverse effect on particle performance due to multiple frequent cavity openings. Through the air outlet ring flow detection device of the utility model, the nozzle specifications of each air outlet position of the air outlet ring 7 can be determined offline on the premise of ensuring the consistency of the flow of each air outlet, and then the nozzles of various specifications can be installed on the machine according to the offline test results, which can greatly reduce the number of cavity opening and nozzle adjustment, shorten the process development cycle, and maintain good particle performance.

[0065] Therefore, the method of steps S601 to S604 is designed in this embodiment. After the outlet ring 7 that meets the requirements is screened out by the outlet ring flow detection device of the utility model, the outlet ring 7 can directly apply the nozzle specifications of each outlet hole position confirmed in steps S601 to S604.

[0066] The above is only a specific implementation of the utility model, but the protection scope of the utility model is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the utility model, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the protection scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An outlet air flow detection device, characterized in that: include: Device rack; An air supply component, wherein the air supply component is arranged on the device frame; The air outlet ring is arranged on the device frame, and is provided with an air inlet hole and a plurality of air outlet holes connected with the air inlet hole, and the air inlet hole is connected to the air outlet end of the air supply component; The blocking piece is used to block other air outlets except the air outlet to be tested.

2. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas supply assembly comprises: An air source connector, which is used to connect to an external air source; A valve component, one end of which is connected to the gas source connector; A flow meter connected to an end of the valve member away from the gas source connector; An air supply pipe, one end of which is connected to an end of the flow meter away from the valve member, and the other end of which is connected to the air inlet.

3. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An annular channel is arranged in the air outlet ring, the air inlet is communicated with the annular channel, and a plurality of air outlets are distributed along the inner side of the circumference of the air outlet ring and are all communicated with the annular channel.

4. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing member comprises a threaded plug and a sealing ring; the sealing ring is installed in the air outlet, and the threaded plug is threadedly connected to the air outlet and pressed against the sealing ring.

5. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The material of the screw plug can be ceramic or plastic.

6. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blocking member comprises: A sealing ring installed in the air outlet; A fixing ring, which is arranged on the device frame and located in the inner ring of the air outlet ring; A plurality of adjusting members, the plurality of adjusting members are distributed along the circumferential direction of the outlet ring and correspond to the plurality of outlet holes one by one, respectively, and the adjusting members can move in the radial direction relative to the axial direction of the outlet holes; A plurality of tightening members, one end of the plurality of tightening members is connected to the plurality of adjusting members in a one-to-one correspondence, and the other end of the plurality of tightening members is tightened to the sealing rings in the plurality of air outlet holes in a one-to-one correspondence.

7. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The adjusting member comprises a screw rod, and the screw rod is threadedly connected to the fixing ring.

8. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pressing member comprises a push rod, one end of which is connected to the corresponding adjusting member, and the other end of which is pressed against a sealing ring in the corresponding air outlet hole.

9. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The abutting member and the adjusting member are abutted against each other by arc-shaped end surfaces.

10. The outlet air flow detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The material of the screw is metal.

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