Automatic water replenishing device for ALD equipment
By designing an automatic water replenishment device on the ALD equipment, which utilizes siphon pipes and high-pressure nitrogen to achieve automatic water replenishment, the problem of needing to stop the ALD equipment for water replenishment has been solved, improving production efficiency and product quality stability. This has increased production efficiency, reduced manual operation, and ensured product quality.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- XINLEHAN TECHNOLOGY (SUZHOU) CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-08
AI Technical Summary
The ALD equipment needs to be stopped and the process water bottle needs to be manually replenished when it needs to be replenished, resulting in low production efficiency.
Design an automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment, including a PLC controller, a process water bottle and a storage bottle. Automatic water replenishment is achieved by using a siphon pipe and high-pressure nitrogen gas. Continuous water replenishment without manual operation is achieved by using a liquid level monitor and valve control.
Automatic water replenishment of ALD equipment has been achieved, which has improved production efficiency, stabilized product quality, reduced downtime, and made product quality more consistent.
Smart Images
Figure CN224212758U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of ALD process technology, and in particular to an automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment. Background Technology
[0002] ALD (Alternating Layer Deposition) equipment is a specialized device that uses alternating pulses of gaseous precursors to introduce into the reaction chamber, causing a gas-solid phase chemical adsorption reaction on the surface of the deposition substrate to form a thin film. Because this equipment is self-limiting in each deposition cycle, it can not only form uniform deposited films on complex morphologies but also precisely control the thickness, composition, and structure of the film. Therefore, it is widely used in high-precision fields such as semiconductors, optics, and photovoltaic cells. During normal operation, ALD equipment needs to replenish water in the reaction chamber according to the reaction situation. Currently, ALD equipment generally uses a special process water bottle for replenishment. However, due to the limited capacity of the process water bottle, after a period of production, the pure water in the process water bottle is consumed and the machine needs to be stopped and waited for on-site personnel to manually refill the process water bottle with pure water. Utility Model Content
[0003] The main technical problem solved by this utility model is to provide an automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment, which can meet the requirements of automatic water replenishment during the use of ALD equipment and improve production efficiency.
[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides an automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment. This device, installed on the ALD equipment, includes a PLC controller, a process water bottle, and a storage bottle. Both the process water bottle and the storage bottle have preset maximum and minimum liquid level lines. The top of the process water bottle has a central water inlet, a water replenishment port, a first air inlet, and a first monitoring instrument port. The top of the storage bottle has a central water replenishment port, a water inlet, a second air inlet, and a second monitoring instrument port. A first liquid level monitor is sealed into the first monitoring instrument port, and a second liquid level monitor is sealed into the second air inlet. The water replenishment port is sealed and connected to a water replenishment pipe within the reaction chamber of the ALD equipment. A pure water carrier gas valve is installed on the water replenishment pipe. The first air inlet connects to a first... A high-pressure gas pipe is connected to high-pressure nitrogen. A first air inlet valve is installed on the first high-pressure gas pipe. The middle water inlet of the process water bottle and the middle water replenishment port of the storage bottle are connected in a sealed manner through a siphon pipe. One end of the siphon pipe is inserted into the storage bottle, with the pipe opening located below the preset minimum liquid level line of the storage bottle. The other end is inserted into the process water bottle, with the pipe opening located above the preset maximum water level line of the process water bottle. A first water replenishment valve is installed on the siphon pipe. A pure water inlet pipe is installed on the water inlet of the storage bottle. A second water replenishment valve is installed on the water inlet pipe. The second air inlet is connected to high-pressure nitrogen through a second high-pressure gas pipe. A second air inlet valve is installed on the second high-pressure gas pipe. The PLC controller is connected to the first liquid level monitor, the second liquid level monitor, the pure water carrier gas valve, the first water replenishment valve, the second water replenishment valve, the first air inlet valve, and the second air inlet valve, respectively.
[0005] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the water inlet pipe is further provided with a pressure relief branch pipe, which is located between the second water supply valve and the water inlet of the water storage bottle. A pressure relief valve is installed on the pressure relief branch pipe, and the pressure relief valve is signal-connected to the PLC controller. The equipment's water supply pipe, water inlet pipe, siphon pipe, air pipe, and pressure relief pipe are all metal pipes.
[0006] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the first air inlet on the process water bottle and the second air inlet on the water storage bottle are connected to the same high-pressure nitrogen source.
[0007] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the pressure range of the high-pressure nitrogen gas is 0.1~0.2 MPa.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the amount of water below the preset minimum liquid level on the process water bottle can meet the equipment water replenishment requirements at least once.
[0009] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: This utility model adds an intermediate water storage bottle to the existing single-bottle water replenishment structure of ALD equipment. Using the water storage bottle as an intermediary, the air inlet valve is automatically opened when the water level in the process water bottle reaches the set minimum liquid level. High-pressure nitrogen is used to press pure water from the water storage bottle into the process water bottle during the interval of the process cycle. In this way, on the one hand, the water replenishment action does not require manual operation, reducing labor hours; on the other hand, the entire water replenishment action is carried out automatically without the need for intermediate shutdown, which not only improves production efficiency, but also makes production more continuous and the product quality more stable. Attached Figure Description
[0010] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the process water bottle in the illustrated embodiment;
[0012] The components in the attached diagram are labeled as follows:
[0013] 1. Process water bottle; 2. Water storage bottle; 3. First liquid level monitor; 4. Second liquid level monitor; 5. Siphon pipe; 6. Equipment water supply pipe; 7. First high-pressure gas pipe; 8. Second high-pressure gas pipe; 9. Water inlet pipe; 10. Pressure relief branch pipe; 11. First air inlet valve; 12. Pure water carrier gas valve; 13. First water supply valve; 14. Second air inlet valve; 15. Second water supply valve; 16. Pressure relief valve;
[0014] 101. Intermediate water inlet, 102. Equipment water replenishment inlet, 103. First air inlet, 104. First monitoring instrument port, 201. Water inlet, 202. Second air inlet, 203. Intermediate water replenishment inlet, 204. Second monitoring instrument port. Detailed Implementation
[0015] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the advantages and features of the present invention can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby making a clearer and more definite definition of the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0016] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 The embodiments of this utility model include:
[0017] An automatic water replenishment device for an ALD (Automatic Water Discharge) device is installed on the ALD device and includes: a PLC controller, a process water bottle 1, and a storage bottle 2. Both the process water bottle 1 and the storage bottle 2 are pre-set with a maximum and a minimum liquid level line. The top of the process water bottle 1 is provided with an intermediate water inlet 101, a device water replenishment interface 102, a first air inlet 103, and a first monitoring instrument port 104. The top of the storage bottle 2 is provided with an intermediate water replenishment interface 203, a water inlet 201, a second air inlet 202, and a second monitoring instrument port 104. The instrument port 204 is used for measuring instruments. A first liquid level monitor 3 is sealed and inserted into the first instrument port 104, and a second liquid level monitor 4 is sealed and inserted into the second air inlet port 202. The equipment water supply port 102 is fitted with a sealed equipment water supply pipe 6 that connects to the reaction chamber of the ALD equipment. The equipment water supply pipe 6 is made of stainless steel and is equipped with a pure water carrier gas valve 12. The first air inlet port 103 is connected to high-pressure nitrogen gas through a first high-pressure gas pipe 7, which is also made of stainless steel. A first air inlet valve 11 is installed on the 7. The intermediate water inlet 101 of the process water bottle 1 and the intermediate water replenishment interface 203 of the storage bottle 2 are connected in a sealed manner by a siphon pipe 5. The siphon pipe 5 is made of stainless steel. One end of the siphon pipe 5 is inserted into the storage bottle 2, with the pipe opening located below the preset minimum liquid level line of the storage bottle 2. The other end is inserted into the process water bottle 1, with the pipe opening located above the preset maximum water level line of the process water bottle 1. A first water replenishment valve 13 is installed on the siphon pipe 5. The water inlet 201 of the storage bottle 2... An external pure water inlet pipe 9 is installed, which is made of stainless steel. A second water supply valve 15 is installed on the inlet pipe 9. A second air inlet 202 is connected to high-pressure nitrogen through a second high-pressure air pipe 8, which is also made of stainless steel. A second air inlet valve 14 is installed on the second high-pressure air pipe 8. The PLC controller is connected to the first liquid level monitor 3, the second liquid level monitor 4, the pure water carrier gas valve 12, the first water supply valve 13, the second water supply valve 14, the first air inlet valve 11, and the second air inlet valve 14, respectively.
[0018] The inlet pipe 9 is also equipped with a pressure relief branch pipe 10, which is made of stainless steel. The pressure relief branch pipe 10 is located between the second water supply valve 15 and the water inlet interface 201 of the water storage bottle 2. A pressure relief valve 16 is installed on the pressure relief branch pipe 10, and the pressure relief valve 16 is connected to the PLC controller. In this way, after water is supplied, the PLC controller can control the pressure relief valve 16 to open automatically, remove the pressure in the system, and prevent the pressure in the water storage bottle 2 from being too high, which would cause the pure water in the bottle to continue to be forced into the process water bottle 1, exceeding the capacity of the process water bottle 1 and causing equipment failure.
[0019] The first high-pressure gas pipe 7 and the second high-pressure gas pipe 8 are connected to the same high-pressure nitrogen gas source. Connecting to a high-pressure nitrogen gas source can reduce the overall footprint of the equipment and reduce space waste. However, the pressure range of the high-pressure nitrogen is between 0.1 and 0.2 MPa. If the pressure is too low, the water replenishment action cannot be completed normally. If the pressure is too high, the water flow rate is too fast during water replenishment, which affects the stability of the reaction in the reaction chamber.
[0020] The water level below the preset minimum liquid level on the process water bottle 1 is sufficient to meet the equipment's water replenishment requirements at least once. Thus, during automatic water replenishment, if the water level approaches the critical state of the minimum liquid level, the PLC controller can still control the process water bottle 1 to replenish the ALD equipment normally. Water will be added to the process water bottle 1 only after the equipment's water replenishment is complete, preventing any interruption.
[0021] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows:
[0022] Both the process water bottle 1 and the storage bottle 2 are pre-set with maximum and minimum water level lines. All valves remain normally closed. During the interval between the two processes of the ALD equipment, if water replenishment is detected in the reaction chamber, the PLC controller controls the pure water carrier gas valve 12 and the first air inlet valve 11 to open, injecting pure water from the process water bottle 1 into the reaction chamber through the equipment's water replenishment pipe 6. After replenishment, the first air inlet valve 44 and the pure water carrier gas valve 12 are automatically closed. After replenishment, the first liquid level monitor 3 determines the water level in the process water bottle. If the water level is below the preset minimum liquid level line, the PLC controller controls the first water replenishment valve 13 and the second air inlet valve 14 to open simultaneously, using high-pressure nitrogen to force pure water from the storage bottle 2 into the process water bottle 1. When the water level reaches the preset maximum water level line, the first liquid level monitor 3 sends a signal to the PLC controller. The PLC controller first closes the second air inlet valve 14 and then opens the pressure relief valve 16 to release the pure water from the storage bottle 2. After the pressure is released, the first water supply valve 13 and the pressure relief valve 16 are closed simultaneously. The entire process can be carried out synchronously with the ALD equipment without affecting the overall production. The second liquid level monitor 4 monitors the liquid level in the water storage bottle 3 in real time. When the liquid level reaches the preset minimum liquid level line due to water supply, the PLC controller controls the second water supply valve 15 to open, and the water pump delivers water to the water storage bottle 2. When the preset maximum liquid level line in the water storage bottle 2 is reached, the PLC controller closes the second water supply valve 15 to stop the water delivery.
[0023] The above description is merely an embodiment of this utility model and does not limit the patent scope of this utility model. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the description and drawings of this utility model, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. An automatic water replenishment device for an ALD (Automatic Water Discharge) device, characterized in that, The automatic water replenishment device for the ALD equipment is installed on the ALD equipment and includes: a PLC controller, a process water bottle and a water storage bottle. The process water bottle and the water storage bottle are preset with a maximum liquid level line and a minimum liquid level line. The top of the process water bottle is provided with an intermediate water inlet, an equipment water replenishment interface, a first air inlet and a first monitoring instrument socket. The top of the water storage bottle is provided with an intermediate water replenishment interface, a water inlet, a second air inlet and a second monitoring instrument socket. A first liquid level monitor is sealed and inserted into the first monitoring port, and a second liquid level monitor is sealed and inserted into the second air inlet port. The equipment water supply port is sealed and connected to the equipment water supply pipe inside the reaction chamber of the ALD equipment. A pure water carrier gas valve is installed on the equipment water supply pipe. The first air inlet port is connected to high-pressure nitrogen through a first high-pressure gas pipe. A first air inlet valve is installed on the first high-pressure gas pipe. The middle water inlet port of the process water bottle and the middle water supply port of the storage bottle are sealed and connected through a siphon pipe. One end of the siphon pipe is inserted into the storage bottle, with the pipe opening located below the preset minimum liquid level line of the storage bottle. The other end is inserted into the process water bottle, with the pipe opening located above the preset maximum water level line of the process water bottle. A first water supply valve is installed on the siphon pipe. The water inlet port of the storage bottle is connected to a pure water inlet pipe. A second water supply valve is installed on the inlet pipe. The second air inlet port is connected to high-pressure nitrogen through a second high-pressure gas pipe. A second air supply valve is installed on the gas pipe. The PLC controller is connected to the first liquid level monitor, the second liquid level monitor, the pure water carrier gas valve, the first water supply valve, the second water supply valve, the first air inlet valve, and the second air inlet valve, respectively.
2. The automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water inlet pipe is also equipped with a pressure relief branch pipe, which is located between the second water supply valve and the water inlet of the water storage bottle. A pressure relief valve is installed on the pressure relief branch pipe, and the pressure relief valve is connected to the PLC controller.
3. The automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The equipment's water supply pipe, water inlet pipe, siphon pipe, air pipe, and pressure relief pipe are all metal pipes.
4. The automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first air inlet on the process water bottle and the second air inlet on the storage bottle are connected to the same high-pressure nitrogen source.
5. The automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressure range of the high-pressure nitrogen gas is 0.1~0.2 MPa.
6. The automatic water replenishment device for ALD equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water level below the preset minimum liquid level on the process water bottle is sufficient to meet the equipment's water replenishment requirements at least once.