Vertical ALD equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides vertical ALD (atomic layer deposition) equipment. The vertical ALD equipment comprises an inner cavity, a plurality of loading devices and a plurality of process devices, materials are arranged on the loading devices, the multiple loading devices are arranged in the side wall of the inner cavity at intervals, and the loading devices are used for driving the materials to move in the axial direction. According to the ALD equipment, the plurality of loading devices capable of moving up and down are arranged in the side wall of the inner cavity, the plurality of battery pieces placed on the loading devices are driven to move up and down, the space above is fully utilized, and the transverse occupied area of the ALD equipment is reduced. And a plurality of battery pieces can be placed on the plurality of loading devices which are transversely arranged, and the plurality of process devices are used for blowing the plurality of battery pieces which move up and down in sequence, so that the ALD process operation of the battery pieces in batches is realized, and the capacity of the battery pieces is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing and processing, and particularly relates to a vertical ALD device. Background Art

[0002] ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) is a precise thin film deposition technology that allows users to grow thin films of materials with atomic-level control. This technology has a wide range of applications in semiconductor, photovoltaic, LED (Light Emitting Diode), MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System), and many other fields. The ALD device forms a desired thin film by alternately introducing two different gas-phase precursors into the reaction chamber and performing a chemical reaction on the substrate surface.

[0003] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 which are schematic structural diagrams of two common ALD devices in the prior art. Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a spatial ALD device. Among them, the battery cell 2 to be coated is placed in the carrier tray 1, and the roller 3 drives the carrier tray 1 to perform reciprocating motion inside the inner cavity. There is a TMA (Trimethylaluminum) purge head directly above the inner cavity, and H 2 O (water) reaction source gas purges the entire carrier tray, and N 2 (nitrogen) is used as an isolation gas to prevent direct contact between TMA and H 2 O from occurring CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) reaction. The battery cell is gradually purged with TMA and H 2 O in turn, and an Al 2 O 3 (aluminum oxide) thin film is gradually formed on the surface of the battery cell. Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a time-type ALD device. Among them, the battery cell is directly placed inside the inner cavity, and the battery cell does not perform any movement during the deposition process. TMA, N 2 and H 2 O are sequentially introduced into the inner cavity in turn. Specifically: first, TMA is introduced. After the TMA gas fills the inner cavity, N 2 is introduced to purge the TMA in the inner cavity, and then H 2 O gas is introduced. H 2 O will react with the TMA adsorbed on the surface of the battery cell to form an Al 2 O 3 thin film. Subsequently, N 2 needs to be introduced again to purge the H 2 O gas in the inner cavity. This cycle is repeated until the formed Al 2 O 3 thin film meets the requirements.

[0004] However, the productivity of time-type ALD equipment is low, and the spatial-type ALD equipment cannot precisely control the time of the precursor source. Both of them have a large floor area. If the productivity needs to be increased, it is necessary to increase the floor area of the ALD equipment, resulting in higher equipment production costs and greater space occupation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present utility model is to provide a vertical ALD equipment with a small floor area and high productivity.

[0006] The present utility model provides a vertical ALD equipment, including: an inner cavity, a plurality of loading devices, and a plurality of process devices;

[0007] Materials are respectively arranged on the plurality of loading devices, the plurality of loading devices are arranged at intervals in the side wall of the inner cavity, and the loading devices are used to drive the materials to rotate and move around the horizontal direction;

[0008] The plurality of process devices are arranged at intervals in the side wall of the inner cavity and are used to perform process operations on the materials.

[0009] Furthermore, it further includes: a plurality of connection channels and a plurality of transfer devices;

[0010] The connection channels are arranged between every two inner cavities, and the transfer devices are arranged in the connection channels;

[0011] One end of the loading device can be in contact with one end of the transfer device, and the material is transferred from one inner cavity to another inner cavity through the transfer device.

[0012] Furthermore, it further includes an outer cavity arranged outside the inner cavity; there is a gap between the outer cavity and the inner cavity.

[0013] Furthermore, the pressure in any one of the inner cavities is greater than the pressure in the gap.

[0014] Furthermore, it further includes a gas nozzle, and the gas nozzle is arranged on the inner wall of the outer cavity, located between every two inner cavities; the gas nozzle sprays inert gas into every two inner cavities.

[0015] Furthermore, the transfer device is a transfer track, and the transfer track is arranged in the connection channel.

[0016] Furthermore, it further includes a plurality of trays, and the trays are located on the loading devices and are used to carry the materials.

[0017] Furthermore, the loading device is movably arranged in the side wall of the inner cavity through a hinge.

[0018] Further, the multiple process devices are arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction on the side wall of the inner cavity.

[0019] Further, the multiple transfer devices are arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction on the side wall of the inner cavity.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0021] By arranging multiple loading devices that can move clockwise or counterclockwise (i.e., rotate horizontally) in the axial direction on the side wall of the inner cavity, the present utility model makes full use of the upper space and reduces the lateral floor area of the ALD device. Moreover, multiple battery wafers can be placed on each of the laterally arranged multiple loading devices, and the multiple process devices sequentially purge the multiple battery wafers moving up and down, realizing the ALD process operation for a batch of battery wafers and improving the production capacity of the battery wafers. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a spatial ALD device in the prior art;

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a temporal ALD device in the prior art;

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a vertical ALD device in an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the loading device and the process device in a vertical ALD device in an embodiment of the present utility model. Detailed Embodiment

[0026] The following will describe a vertical ALD device of the present utility model with reference to the schematic diagrams, in which the preferred embodiments of the present utility model are shown. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can modify the present utility model described herein while still achieving the advantageous effects of the present utility model. Therefore, the following description should be understood as a broad guidance for those skilled in the art and not as a limitation to the present utility model.

[0027] In the following paragraphs, the present utility model will be described more specifically by way of example with reference to the drawings. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present utility model will be clearer. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise scales, only for the purpose of facilitating and clearly assisting in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present utility model.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 3 - Figure 4 , this embodiment provides a vertical ALD device, including: at least two inner cavities, multiple loading devices 5, transfer devices 4, and multiple process devices 9.

[0029] Specifically, a material (not shown) is disposed on the loading device 5, and a plurality of the loading devices 5 are disposed in the inner cavity side wall 8. The loading device 5 is used to carry and drive the material to rotate and move around the horizontal direction; a plurality of the process devices 9 are disposed in the inner cavity side wall 8 for performing process operations on the material.

[0030] In this embodiment, the materials all refer to battery wafers. Different materials can be selected for the process according to actual situations.

[0031] The above vertical ALD device drives a plurality of battery wafers placed on the loading device 5 to move by providing a plurality of loading devices 5 in the inner cavity side wall 8 that can move clockwise or counterclockwise along the axial direction (i.e., rotate and move around the horizontal direction), making full use of the upper space and reducing the lateral floor area of the ALD device. Moreover, multiple battery wafers can be placed on each of the laterally arranged loading devices 5, and a plurality of process devices 9 sequentially purge the plurality of battery wafers moving up and down, realizing the ALD process operation for batch battery wafers and improving the production capacity of the battery wafers.

[0032] Furthermore, in order to implement multi-step process operations, the vertical ALD device further includes a plurality of connection channels 7 and a plurality of transfer devices 4.

[0033] Specifically, the connection channels 7 are provided between every two inner cavities. The transfer device 4 is disposed in the connection channel 7. The loading device 5 can be in contact with the connection channel 7. The transfer device 4 transfers the battery wafers from one inner cavity to another inner cavity through the connection channel 7.

[0034] In this embodiment, an outer cavity 1 is further included. The outer cavity 1 surrounds a plurality of the inner cavities and is used to protect the inner cavities from external environmental pollution.

[0035] In a specific embodiment, vacuum pumping is performed between the outer cavity 1 and the inner cavities. The pressure in the inner cavities is greater than the pressure in the gap between the outer cavity 1 and the inner cavities, so that the reaction source gas in the inner cavities will not be polluted by the external environment, thereby improving the quality of the coating and further improving the production capacity of the battery wafers.

[0036] In this embodiment, during the process, the moving directions of the loading devices 5 in the even-numbered inner cavities are the same, and the moving directions of the loading devices 5 in the odd-numbered inner cavities are the same. The moving directions are all clockwise or counterclockwise rotations around the horizontal direction; the battery wafers are transferred from the outside into the loading devices 5.

[0037] Specifically, the loading device 5 that receives the solar cell moves upward in the axial direction. The processing device 9 in the inner cavity sidewall 8 performs processing operations on the solar cell carried by the loading device 5. After the solar cell completes the first-step processing operation, the conveying device 4 transfers the solar cell from the connection channel 7 to the second inner cavity for processing. The empty loading device 5 then moves downward in the axial direction and returns to the initial position to receive the remaining solar cells. After the loading device 5 in the second inner cavity receives the solar cell, it moves downward in the axial direction. After the solar cell completes the second-step processing operation, the conveying device 4 transfers the solar cell from the connection channel 7 to the third inner cavity for subsequent processing operations. The empty loading device 5 then moves upward in the axial direction and returns to the initial position to receive the remaining solar cells. After the loading device 5 in the third inner cavity and the fourth inner cavity receive the solar cells, they move upward and downward in the axial direction respectively, and the empty trays move downward and upward in the axial direction in sequence, and so on. It can be understood that the movement directions of the loading device 5 in the even-numbered inner cavities and the odd-numbered inner cavities are not limited to the above, and those skilled in the art can select according to the actual situation.

[0038] In a specific embodiment, a plurality of the processing devices 9 and a plurality of the loading devices 5 are equidistantly arranged in the inner cavity sidewall 8 in the axial direction. The purpose of the equal-distance arrangement between the processing device 9 and the loading device 5 is as follows: it is beneficial for each solar cell to be evenly purged during the movement process, so that each solar cell can uniformly receive the purging of the gas, improving the uniformity of film formation and further improving the quality of coating.

[0039] In a specific embodiment, the loading device 5 is movably arranged in the inner cavity sidewall 8 through a hinge 10. Referring again to Figure 4 , which is a possible connection method between the hinge 10 and the loading device 5. Those skilled in the art can select the installation method of the hinge according to the actual situation, so that the loading device 5 drives the solar cell to rotate and move around the horizontal direction.

[0040] In another specific embodiment, to drive the up and down movement of the loading device 5, a motor can be set. When the motor rotates, it can drive the transmission shaft of the tray to rotate through a gear or a pulley, so as to realize the up and down linear movement of the tray. During the processing process, it can be controlled that the loading device 5 stops moving when it is at a certain distance below the processing device 9, so that the processing device 9 performs processing operations on the solar cell on the loading device 5. After the processing operation is completed, the loading device 5 is then controlled to continue moving. In addition, the moving speed of the loading device 5 can also be adjusted according to the actual situation to meet different processing requirements.

[0041] In another specific embodiment, the process device 9 is a gas nozzle. The gas nozzle can be fixed to the inner cavity sidewall 8 by means such as welding and threaded connection. The gas nozzle can be connected to a gas supply system, which provides a source of various process gases (such as trimethylaluminum, silane, nitrogen, etc.). These process gases are transported through pipelines to the gas nozzle, and the gas nozzle purges the solar cell. Further, a valve can be provided on the gas pipeline. By controlling the opening degree of the valve on the gas pipeline entering the purging head, the flow rate of the process gas can be adjusted, and a computer control system is used for precise control to achieve precise adjustment of the flow rate.

[0042] In this embodiment, the gas nozzles provided on different inner cavity sidewalls 8 respectively transport the same or different process gases to the designated areas on the surface of the solar cell. For example: the gas nozzle of the first inner cavity transports TMA (trimethylaluminum) gas to the surface of the solar cell, and the gas nozzle of the second inner cavity transports 2 H 2 O gas to the surface of the solar cell. Through the ALD process, TMA and H 2 O are alternately deposited on the surface of the solar cell to form a high-purity Al 3 O

[0043] In this embodiment, an inert gas, such as nitrogen, needs to be introduced between the two inner cavities to isolate different process gases and prevent mixing reactions between different process gases.

[0044] In a specific embodiment, at the outer wall of the outer cavity, a nitrogen pipeline is provided between the two inner cavities. A plurality of nitrogen nozzles are provided on the pipeline, and the nozzles face the direction of the connection channel 7. The nitrogen pipeline can be fixed to the inner wall of the outer cavity 1 by means such as welding and threaded connection, and the nitrogen nozzles can also be fixed to the nitrogen pipeline by means such as welding and threaded connection. During the specific process, when the carrier plate is transferred from one inner cavity to another inner cavity, the nitrogen in the nitrogen pipeline is started, and the nitrogen is sprayed into the connection channel 7 through the nozzles. After the carrier plate completely enters the second inner cavity, the nitrogen purging is stopped and the nitrogen pipeline is closed.

[0045] Preferably, the loading device 5 is a pallet, and the shape, size, and number of the pallet are not specifically limited herein and are determined according to specific process requirements.

[0046] Preferably, in this embodiment, the solar cells are always placed in the carrier plate 6 before, after, and during the process, and a plurality of solar cells are evenly distributed in a plurality of carrier plates 6. The shape, size, and number of the carrier plates 6 are not specifically limited herein and are determined according to specific process requirements.

[0047] Preferably, the conveying device 4 is a telescopic crawler, which is arranged in the connecting channel 7. The solar cell that has completed one-step process is input from the loading device 5 onto the telescopic crawler, and the telescopic crawler conveys the carrier tray 6 loaded with the solar cell to the loading device 5 in another inner cavity for the next-step process. Among them, the telescopic crawler in the connecting channel 7 can be driven by a motor.

[0048] In a specific embodiment, a telescopic crawler can also be placed in the loading device 5. When one end of the loading device 5 is in contact with one end of the telescopic crawler in the connecting channel 7, the carrier tray is controlled to move into the telescopic crawler in the connecting channel 7. When the telescopic crawler conveys the carrier tray 6 to the loading device 5, the conveying crawler positions multiple carrier trays 6 at different positions on the surface of the loading device 5 respectively. Among them, the telescopic crawler on the loading device 5 can also be driven by a motor.

[0049] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 , and below, taking the number of inner cavities as 2 and the reaction gases introduced as TMA and H 2 O as an example, the specific working process of the device will be introduced:

[0050] The solar cell is placed in the carrier tray 6, and the carrier tray 6 is transported into the first inner cavity 2 from the outside. The pallet drives all the carrier trays 6 loaded with the solar cells to rotate and move simultaneously in the horizontal direction, and the carrier trays 6 receiving the solar cells all move upward in the axial direction. During the movement, several TMA nozzles on the side wall 8 of the first inner cavity 2 will purge the solar cell, and the flow rate of TMA can be adjusted according to requirements, or some TMA nozzles can be selected to be opened or closed to meet the process requirements.

[0051] After the carrier tray 6 is purged by the TMA gas in the inner cavity, it moves to the telescopic crawler. The carrier tray 6 moves to the telescopic crawler through the pallet. At this time, N 2 is used for continuous purging between the first inner cavity 2 and the second inner cavity 3, and the purpose is to isolate TMA and H 2 O. Then, the carrier tray 6 is transported into the pallet at the top of the second inner cavity 3 through the telescopic crawler.

[0052] When the carrier tray 6 reaches the pallet in the second inner cavity 3, the pallet will drive the carrier tray 6 to move downward in the axial direction. During the movement, several H 2 O nozzles on the side wall 8 of the second inner cavity 3 will purge the solar cell, and the flow rate of H 2 O can also be adjusted according to requirements, or some H 2 O nozzles can be selected to be opened or closed to meet the process requirements.

[0053] In summary, by arranging a plurality of vertically movable loading devices 5 on the inner cavity side wall 8, the plurality of battery wafers placed on the loading devices 5 are driven to move up and down, making full use of the upper space and reducing the lateral floor area of the ALD device. Moreover, a plurality of battery wafers can be placed on each of the laterally arranged plurality of equidistant pallets, and the plurality of process devices 9 sequentially purge the plurality of battery wafers moving up and down, realizing the ALD process operation of batch battery wafers and improving the production capacity of the battery wafers. Further, the jet flow rate of the gas nozzle and the speed of the up and down movement of the pallet provided in this embodiment can both be controlled, and the plurality of process devices 9 and the plurality of loading devices 5 are arranged equidistantly in the axial direction on the inner cavity side wall 8, which is beneficial to each battery wafer being evenly purged during the movement process, enabling each battery wafer to uniformly receive the purging of the gas, improving the uniformity of film formation, and further improving the quality of the coating film.

[0054] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalent technologies, the present invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A vertical ALD device, characterized in that: include: internal chambers, multiple loading units, and multiple process units; The materials are respectively arranged on the plurality of loading devices, the plurality of loading devices are arranged at intervals in the side wall of the inner cavity, and the loading devices are used to drive the materials to rotate and move around the horizontal direction; The plurality of process devices are arranged at intervals in the side wall of the inner cavity, and are used to perform process operations on the material; Also included: a plurality of connecting channels and a plurality of conveying devices; The connecting passage is provided between the two inner cavities, and the conveying device is arranged in the connecting passage; One end of the loading device can contact one end of the conveying device, and the material is transferred from one of the inner cavities to another inner cavity through the conveying device.

2. The vertical ALD device according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes an outer cavity arranged outside the inner cavity; a gap is provided between the outer cavity and the inner cavity.

3. The vertical ALD device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The pressure of any of the inner cavities is greater than the pressure of the gap.

4. The vertical ALD device according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a gas nozzle, which is arranged on the inner wall of the outer cavity and located between the inner cavities. The gas nozzle sprays inert gas into the inner cavities.

5. The vertical ALD device according to claim 1, wherein: The conveying device is a conveying crawler, and the conveying crawler is arranged in the connecting channel.

6. The vertical ALD device according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a plurality of carrier plates, which are located on the loading device and are used to carry the materials.

7. The vertical ALD device according to claim 1, wherein: The loading device is movably arranged in the side wall of the inner cavity through a hinge.

8. The vertical ALD device according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of the process devices are arranged equidistantly in the side wall of the inner cavity along the axial direction.

9. The vertical ALD device according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of loading devices are arranged equidistantly in the side wall of the inner cavity along the axial direction.

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