Vertically stacked thin film deposition equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to vertically stacked film deposition equipment, which comprises a support body, an air inlet and outlet assembly and a cooling assembly, a plurality of process cavities are formed in the support body, adjacent process cavities are separated by a heat insulation layer, an up-down opening and closing type cavity door is formed on the outward surface of the support body, an air inlet and an air outlet are formed on the side wall of the support body, and the air inlet and the air outlet are communicated with each other. The air inlet and outlet assembly comprises an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe, the air inlet pipe is located in the air outlet pipe, the air inlet pipe penetrates through the side wall of the air outlet pipe to be communicated with the air inlet hole, the air outlet pipe is communicated with the air outlet hole, and the cooling assembly is used for cooling the process cavities. In order to adapt to the process cavities stacked up and down, the air inlet pipe is arranged in the air outlet pipe, the air inlet pipe penetrates through the side wall of the air outlet pipe to be communicated with the air inlet holes of the process cavities, the air outlet holes are directly communicated with the air outlet pipe, the space utilization rate is increased, and a stable and efficient deposition environment is formed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of thin film deposition technology, and specifically to a vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Existing thin film deposition equipment includes ALD and CVD equipment. Regardless of the type of equipment, during operation, the product is transferred between multiple process chambers by a robotic arm. Most existing process chambers are arranged in a horizontal ring with intervals. The transfer of the product between multiple process chambers is achieved by the forward, backward, pick-up, and turning movements of the robotic arm. This arrangement of process chambers occupies a large area, especially the area where the process chambers are located, which requires a large horizontal area. In view of this, this solution was developed. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vertically stacked thin film deposition device, which reduces the footprint by stacking multiple process chambers vertically and horizontally in a support body.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: a vertically stacked thin film deposition device, including a support body, an inlet / outlet assembly, and a cooling assembly. The support body has multiple process chambers formed inside, and adjacent process chambers are separated by a heat insulation layer. An upper and lower opening and closing chamber door is formed on the outside of the support body. An inlet hole and an outlet hole are formed on the side wall of the support body. The inlet / outlet assembly includes an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. The inlet pipe is located inside the outlet pipe. The inlet pipe passes through the side wall of the outlet pipe and is connected to the inlet hole. The outlet pipe is connected to the outlet hole. The cooling assembly is used to cool the process chambers.

[0005] Furthermore, a heating wire is arranged around the outer wall of the air intake pipe.

[0006] Furthermore, a first adapter pipe is formed on the side wall of the air outlet pipe to connect with the air outlet hole, and a through hole is formed on the side wall of the air outlet pipe for the first adapter pipe to pass through. A sealing extension pipe is fixedly connected in the through hole, and the first adapter pipe passes through the sealing extension pipe and is sealed.

[0007] Furthermore, the inner wall of the support body is provided with a cooling cavity, which surrounds the two sides and the back of the process cavity. The cooling cavity has an inlet and an outlet. The cooling assembly includes an inlet pump and a collection tank. The inlet pump is used to inject coolant into the inlet, and the collection tank is connected to the outlet.

[0008] Furthermore, the insulation layer contains a material with low thermal conductivity.

[0009] Furthermore, the low thermal conductivity material is a honeycomb ceramic or an aerogel.

[0010] Furthermore, valves are provided between the air inlet pipe and the air inlet hole, and between the air outlet pipe and the air outlet.

[0011] Furthermore, the support body has an inlet and outlet, which are connected to the process chamber. The upper and lower opening chamber door includes a flip door and a driving device. Rotary shaft mounting seats are formed on both sides above the inlet and outlet of the support body. Rotary shafts are formed on both sides at the upper end of the flip door. The rotating shafts are hinged to the rotating shaft mounting seats. The flip door has a boss on the side facing the inlet and outlet, which is used to close the inlet and outlet. The driving device is used to drive the flip door to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft.

[0012] Furthermore, an annular sealing groove is formed on the surface of the boss, and a sealing ring is provided in the annular sealing groove.

[0013] Furthermore, a flexible sealing block is detachably connected to the surface of the boss, and the flexible sealing block extends into the inlet and outlet.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] This invention provides a vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus. By setting multiple process chambers within the support body, these chambers can be stacked vertically, resulting in a smaller footprint compared to existing horizontal arrangements. To accommodate the vertically stacked process chambers, this design integrates the inlet pipe within the outlet pipe. The inlet pipe passes through the side wall of the outlet pipe and connects to the inlet port of the process chamber, while the outlet port is directly connected to the outlet pipe. This improves space utilization and creates a stable and efficient deposition environment. To prevent heat interference between the process chambers, a horizontally installed heat insulation layer separates the process chambers. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of a vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus according to the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the sealing extension tube in this utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a side sectional view of the process cavity in this utility model.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the air inlet pipe and air outlet pipe in this utility model.

[0020] The diagram is labeled as follows: 1. Support body; 11. Process chamber; 111. Inlet / outlet; 12. Insulation layer; 13. Wafer carrier; 14. Top and bottom opening chamber door; 141. Flip door; 142. Boss; 143. Flexible sealing block; 15. Rotary shaft mounting base; 2. Air inlet / outlet assembly; 21. Air inlet pipe; 211. First adapter pipe; 212. Heating wire; 22. Air outlet pipe; 221. Second adapter pipe; 222. Sealing extension pipe; 23. Valve. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the above-mentioned features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings for detailed explanation.

[0022] like Figures 1-4 As shown, this embodiment provides a vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus, including a support 1, an inlet / outlet gas assembly 2, a cooling assembly, and a robotic arm.

[0023] The support 1 has three process cavities inside, and a wafer carrier 13 is provided in each process cavity. Adjacent process cavities are separated by a heat insulation layer 12. The heat insulation layer 12 is provided with a low thermal conductivity material. In this embodiment, the low thermal conductivity material is selected as honeycomb ceramic or aerogel.

[0024] The inner wall of the support body 1 has three cooling chambers (not shown in the figure), which surround the two sides and the back of the process chamber. Each cooling chamber has an inlet and an outlet. The cooling assembly includes an inlet pump and a collection tank. The inlet pump injects coolant into the inlet, and the collection tank is connected to the outlet. Specifically, after cooling, the liquid in the collection tank is discharged into a water tank, which is connected to the inlet end of the inlet pump. The cooling chambers are located within the support body 1, providing mechanical support strength while effectively dissipating heat from the process chamber through circulating water, ensuring the long-term stability of the structural components and preventing heat from the process chamber 11 from being conducted to the outside of the machine frame.

[0025] The support body 1 has an inlet / outlet 111, which is connected to the process chamber. A vertically opening and closing cavity door 14 is formed on the outside of the support body 1. Specifically, the vertically opening and closing cavity door 14 includes a flip door 141 and a drive device. Rotary shaft mounting seats 15 are formed on both sides above the inlet / outlet 111 of the support body 1. Rotary shafts are formed on both sides at the upper end of the flip door 141. The rotating shafts are hinged to the rotating shaft mounting seats 15. The side of the flip door 141 facing the inlet / outlet 111 has a boss 142. The boss 142 is used to close the inlet / outlet 111. An annular sealing groove is formed on the surface of the boss 142. A sealing ring is provided in the annular sealing groove. The drive device is used to drive the flip door 141 to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft. Specifically, the drive device is a motor. An extension rod extends from the rotating shaft on either side of the flip door 141. The end of the extension rod has a first transmission wheel. The output end of the motor has a drive wheel. The drive wheel and the first transmission wheel can be driven by gear meshing, belt drive or other transmission methods.

[0026] Preferably, a flexible sealing block 143 is detachably connected to the surface of the boss 142. The flexible sealing block 143 extends into the inlet / outlet 111, and an annular sealing groove and a sealing ring are provided to achieve a first-level seal. The flexible sealing block 143 extending into the inlet / outlet 111 achieves a second-level seal.

[0027] The support body 1 has an air inlet and an air outlet formed on its side wall. The air inlet / outlet assembly 2 includes an air inlet pipe 21 and an air outlet pipe 22. The top of the air inlet pipe 21 is provided with a precursor gas source interface, and the bottom of the air outlet pipe 22 is connected to a vacuum pump. The air inlet pipe 21 is located inside the air outlet pipe 22, and a heating wire 212 is arranged around the outer wall of the air inlet pipe 21 to preheat the gas and prevent the precursor from condensing. The intake pipe 21 passes through the side wall of the exhaust pipe 22 and is connected to the intake port. Specifically, the side wall of the exhaust pipe 22 has a first adapter pipe 211 that connects to the exhaust port. The side wall of the exhaust pipe 22 has a through hole through which the first adapter pipe 211 passes. A sealing extension pipe 222 is fixedly connected in the through hole. The first adapter pipe 211 passes through the sealing extension pipe 222 and is sealed. Specifically, an annular groove is opened on the circumference of the sealing extension pipe 222, and a sealing ring is provided in the annular groove. The exhaust pipe 22 is connected to the exhaust port. The exhaust pipe 22 and the exhaust port are connected through a second adapter pipe 221. A valve 23 is provided on the first adapter pipe 211 and the second adapter pipe 221. The valve 23 is used to control the intake flow rate or the exhaust flow rate.

[0028] After the precursor is injected into the process chamber through the inlet pipe 21 and the first transfer pipe 211, it works together with the carrier gas on the wafer carrier disk 13 in the center of the process chamber to carry out the thin film deposition reaction. The waste gas after the reaction flows downward through the exhaust pipe and is discharged from the bottom of the equipment. Finally, it is extracted from the equipment by the connected vacuum pump, forming a stable and efficient deposition environment.

[0029] The robotic arm is an existing robotic arm with up-and-down movement function. The robotic arm is used to transfer products between different process chambers 11, which will not be described in detail here.

[0030] All sealing rings in this solution are FFKM or PFA coated sealing rings, used to resist plasma etching gases.

[0031] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles and main features of this invention, as well as its advantages. Those skilled in the art should understand that this invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. All such changes and modifications fall within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus, characterized by: The device includes a support body, an air inlet / outlet assembly, and a cooling assembly. The support body has multiple process chambers inside, which are separated by a heat insulation layer. The support body has an upper and lower opening door on its outer side. The support body has an air inlet and an air outlet on its side wall. The air inlet / outlet assembly includes an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe. The air inlet pipe is located inside the air outlet pipe and passes through the side wall of the air outlet pipe, connecting to the air inlet. The air outlet pipe is connected to the air outlet. The cooling assembly is used to cool the process chambers.

2. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: A heating wire is arranged around the outer wall of the air intake pipe.

3. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: The side wall of the vent pipe has a first adapter pipe that connects to the vent hole. The side wall of the vent pipe has a through hole through which the first adapter pipe passes. A sealing extension pipe is fixedly connected in the through hole. The first adapter pipe passes through the sealing extension pipe and is sealed.

4. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: The inner wall of the support body is provided with a cooling cavity, which surrounds the two sides and the back of the process cavity. The cooling cavity has an inlet and an outlet. The cooling assembly includes an inlet pump and a collection tank. The inlet pump is used to inject coolant into the inlet, and the collection tank is connected to the outlet.

5. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: The insulation layer contains a material with low thermal conductivity.

6. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that: The low thermal conductivity material is a honeycomb ceramic or aerogel.

7. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: Valves are provided between the air inlet pipe and the air inlet hole, and between the air outlet pipe and the air outlet.

8. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: The support body has an inlet and outlet, which are connected to the process chamber. The upper and lower opening chamber door includes a flip door and a driving device. Rotary shaft mounting seats are formed on both sides above the inlet and outlet of the support body. Rotary shafts are formed on both sides at the upper end of the flip door. The rotating shafts are hinged to the rotating shaft mounting seats. The flip door has a boss on the side facing the inlet and outlet, which is used to close the inlet and outlet. The driving device is used to drive the flip door to rotate around the axis of the rotating shaft.

9. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The surface of the boss forms an annular sealing groove, and a sealing ring is provided inside the annular sealing groove.

10. A vertically stacked thin film deposition apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: A flexible sealing block is detachably connected to the surface of the boss, and the flexible sealing block extends into the inlet and outlet.

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