An automatic water replenishment bubbler

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic water replenishing and bubbling device, including water bath bottle, water bath bottle respectively has nitrogen gas inlet pipeline, deionized water pipeline and water outlet pipeline, be provided with first control valve subassembly on nitrogen gas inlet pipeline, be provided with second control valve subassembly on deionized water pipeline, be provided with third control valve subassembly on water outlet pipeline, and water bath bottle is connected with liquid level limiting component, the utility model discloses the improvement of current water replenishing and bubbling device, can set up the valve and corresponding response fittings of automatic control on nitrogen gas inlet pipeline, deionized water pipeline and water outlet pipeline, and through liquid level limiting component, the water level in water bath bottle is monitored in real time, thereby through automatic feedback to control system, realize the automatic water replenishing in water bath bottle, ensure that nitrogen gas can carry the quantitative water vapor to the oxidation furnace reaction, guarantee the continuity and repeatability of wafer oxidation process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, specifically to an automatic water replenishment and bubbling device. Background Technology

[0002] In the semiconductor manufacturing field, the main purpose of oxidation furnaces is to perform oxidation, diffusion and annealing processes on wafers under high temperature conditions. The oxidation of wafers uses water vapor oxidation, which is a silicon thermal oxidation process in semiconductor manufacturing. Through the chemical reaction between silicon wafers and water vapor at a high temperature of 800-1200°, a silicon dioxide film is generated on the silicon surface. This process is characterized by a fast oxidation rate.

[0003] A water replenishment bubbling device is needed to introduce water vapor into the oxidizer. When the water in the water replenishment bubbling device is continuously consumed after a certain period of time, water needs to be replenished in time to ensure that the device can bubble and generate enough water vapor. However, the existing water replenishment method is manual water replenishment. Manual water replenishment may result in missed replenishment, over-replenishment, or untimely replenishment. It is also impossible to achieve continuous water replenishment, which leads to unequal amounts of water vapor entering the oxidizer each time, affecting the repeatability of the process. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an automatic water replenishment and bubbling device. This application provides the following technical solution: An automatic water replenishment and bubbling device includes a water bath bottle, which is connected to a nitrogen inlet pipe, a deionized water pipe, and a water outlet pipe. A first control valve assembly is installed on the nitrogen inlet pipe, a second control valve assembly is installed on the deionized water pipe, and a third control valve assembly is installed on the water outlet pipe. The water bath bottle is connected to a liquid level limiting assembly. The first control valve assembly, the second control valve assembly, the third control valve assembly, and the liquid level limiting assembly are all connected to the same control system.

[0005] As an alternative or supplement to the aforementioned automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, the first control valve assembly includes a first manual valve, a pressure regulating valve, a first pressure gauge, a mass flow controller, a check valve, a first pneumatic diaphragm valve, and an explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge, which are sequentially arranged on the nitrogen inlet pipeline. The explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge is located close to the water bath bottle. The pressure regulating valve, the first pressure gauge, the mass flow controller, the check valve, the first pneumatic diaphragm valve, and the explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge are all connected to the control system.

[0006] As an alternative or supplement to the aforementioned automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, a first filter and a second filter are sequentially installed on the nitrogen inlet pipeline.

[0007] As an alternative or supplement to the aforementioned automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, the second control valve assembly includes a second manual valve, a precision float flow meter, and a second pneumatic diaphragm valve arranged in sequence, wherein the precision float flow meter and the second pneumatic diaphragm valve are connected to the control system.

[0008] As an alternative or supplement to the aforementioned automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, one end of the water outlet pipe is connected to the water bath bottle, and the other end of the water outlet pipe is integrally connected to a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe. The first branch pipe is connected to the wafer reaction chamber, and the second branch pipe is connected to the waste outlet. The third control valve includes a third pneumatic diaphragm valve disposed on the first branch pipe and a fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve disposed on the second branch pipe. The third pneumatic diaphragm valve and the fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve are connected to the control system.

[0009] As an alternative or supplement to the above-mentioned automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, a communicating vessel is provided on one side of the water bath bottle, the communicating vessel is connected to the water bath bottle, and the liquid level limiting component is provided on the communicating vessel.

[0010] As an alternative or supplement to the aforementioned automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, the liquid level limiting component includes a high liquid level sensor, a medium liquid level sensor, and a low liquid level sensor arranged sequentially, and the high liquid level sensor, the medium liquid level sensor, and the low liquid level sensor are respectively connected to the control system.

[0011] As an alternative or supplement to the above-mentioned automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, the bottom of the water bath bottle is provided with a drain pipe, and a manual diaphragm valve is provided on the drain pipe.

[0012] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: This invention improves upon existing water replenishment and bubbling devices by installing automatically controllable valves and corresponding sensing components on the nitrogen inlet pipeline, deionized water pipeline, and outlet pipeline. A liquid level limiting component monitors the water level in the water bath in real time, automatically feeding back to the control system to open the corresponding control valves and achieve automatic water replenishment in the water bath. This ensures that nitrogen carries a fixed amount of water vapor to the oxidation furnace for reaction, guaranteeing the continuity and repeatability of the wafer oxidation process.

[0013] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the gas path of this utility model.

[0016] Figure reference numerals: 1-Water bath bottle; 2-Nitrogen inlet pipe; 3-Deionized water pipe; 4-Outlet water pipe; 5-First manual valve; 6-Pressure regulating valve; 7-First pressure gauge; 8-Mass flow controller; 9-Check valve; 10-First pneumatic diaphragm valve; 11-Explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge; 12-First filter; 13-Second filter; 14-Second manual valve; 15-Precision float flow meter; 16-Second pneumatic diaphragm valve; 17-Third pneumatic diaphragm valve; 18-Fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve; 19-Communicating vessel; 20-Manual diaphragm valve. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0018] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0019] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0020] Please refer to Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, including a water bath bottle 1. The water bath bottle 1 is connected to a nitrogen inlet pipe 2, a deionized water pipe 3, and a water outlet pipe 4. A first control valve assembly is provided on the nitrogen inlet pipe 2, a second control valve assembly is provided on the deionized water pipe 3, and a third control valve assembly is provided on the water outlet pipe 4. The water bath bottle 1 is connected to a liquid level limiting assembly. The first control valve assembly, the second control valve assembly, the third control valve assembly, and the liquid level limiting assembly are all connected to the same control system. A communicating vessel 19 is provided on one side of the water bath bottle 1, and the communicating vessel 19 is connected to the water bath bottle 1. The liquid level limiting component is provided on the communicating vessel 19. The liquid level limiting component includes a high liquid level sensor, a medium liquid level sensor and a low liquid level sensor arranged in sequence. The high liquid level sensor, the medium liquid level sensor and the low liquid level sensor are respectively connected to the control system. The bottom of the water bath bottle 1 is provided with a drain pipe, and a manual diaphragm valve 20 is provided on the drain pipe.

[0021] In the above embodiments, Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the gas circuit of this utility model shows that the automatic water replenishment and bubbling device includes a water bath bottle 1. The water bath bottle 1 is a prior art device used to heat the water in the bottle to generate water vapor. The bottom of the water bath bottle 1 has a heater and is connected to a drain pipe. The drain pipe has a manual diaphragm valve 20. When inspection or maintenance is required, the manual diaphragm valve 20 can be opened to drain the water in the water bath bottle 1. The top of the water bath bottle 1 has a nitrogen inlet, a water inlet, and a steam outlet. The nitrogen inlet connects to the nitrogen inlet pipe 2, the water inlet connects to the deionized water pipe 3, and the steam outlet connects to the water outlet pipe 4. Each pipe is equipped with an automatically controllable valve assembly, namely a first control valve assembly, a second control valve assembly, and a third control valve assembly. These control valve assemblies enable automatic opening and closing of the pipes. To monitor the water level in the water bath bottle 1 in real time, a communicating vessel 19 is installed on one side of the water bath bottle 1. The communicating vessel 19 is connected to the water bath bottle 1, and a liquid level limiting assembly, consisting of multiple liquid level sensors, is installed on the communicating vessel 19. The system consists of three sensors: a high-level sensor, a medium-level sensor, and a low-level sensor, arranged along the height direction. When the liquid level is at the low-level sensor, a feedback signal is sent to the control system, which opens the valve on the deionized water pipeline 3 to replenish the liquid. When the liquid level is at the medium-level sensor, replenishment stops. A high-level sensor is also added to protect the water level. If the medium-level sensor malfunctions, the liquid level will only be replenished up to the high-level sensor. The high-level sensor will then send a feedback signal to the control system to stop replenishment. Through the above setup, nitrogen gas will be introduced and continuously carry a certain amount of water vapor out of the outlet pipeline 4, either entering the wafer reaction chamber or being discharged.

[0022] It is worth noting that the control system involved in this application can be a PLC automatic control system, whose structure and principle are mature technologies in the prior art, so it will not be described in detail in this application.

[0023] In an alternative embodiment described above, the first control valve assembly includes a first manual valve 5, a pressure regulating valve 6, a first pressure gauge 7, a mass flow controller 8, a check valve 9, a first pneumatic diaphragm valve 10, and an explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge 11, which are sequentially arranged on the nitrogen inlet pipeline 2. The explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge 11 is located close to the water bath bottle 1. The pressure regulating valve 6, the first pressure gauge 7, the mass flow controller 8, the check valve 9, the first pneumatic diaphragm valve 10, and the explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge 11 are all connected to the control system.

[0024] The second control valve assembly includes a second hand valve 14, a precision float flow meter 15, and a second pneumatic diaphragm valve 16 arranged in sequence, wherein the precision float flow meter 15 and the second pneumatic diaphragm valve 16 are connected to the control system.

[0025] One end of the water outlet pipe 4 is connected to the water bath bottle 1, and the other end of the water outlet pipe 4 is integrally connected to a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe. The first branch pipe is connected to the wafer reaction chamber, and the second branch pipe is connected to the waste outlet. The third control valve includes a third pneumatic diaphragm valve 17 disposed on the first branch pipe and a fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve 18 disposed on the second branch pipe. The third pneumatic diaphragm valve 17 and the fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve are connected to the control system.

[0026] Among the above alternative solutions, a specific implementation of a first control valve assembly, a second control valve assembly, and a third control valve assembly is provided. The first control valve assembly includes a manual valve, a pressure regulating valve 6, a first pressure gauge 7, a mass flow controller 8, a one-way valve 9, a first pneumatic diaphragm valve 10, and an explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge 11, which are sequentially arranged on the nitrogen inlet pipeline 2. The manual valve is the main switch and needs to be manually activated when starting production. Because the water bath bottle 1 is a quartz bottle, it is prone to explosion during heating. Therefore, the gas pressure needs to be accurately detected by the first pressure gauge 7 and the explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge 11. The pressure is regulated by the pressure regulating valve 6. Specifically, the first pressure gauge 7 is used to detect the pressure of the nitrogen gas being introduced, and the explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge 11 is used to detect the pressure of the nitrogen gas being introduced into the water bath bottle 1. When the pressure is too high, the first pneumatic diaphragm valve 10 is closed by the control system to stop the introduction of nitrogen gas, and the pressure is regulated by the pressure regulating valve 6. After regulation, the first pneumatic diaphragm valve 10 is opened again to allow gas to flow. The mass flow controller 8 is used to accurately control the amount of nitrogen gas. At the same time, a one-way valve 9 is installed on the nitrogen gas inlet pipe to prevent water vapor backflow, which could damage the mass flow controller 8 and other components.

[0027] Similarly, a second control valve assembly is installed on the deionized water pipeline 3. The second control valve assembly includes a second manual valve 14, a precision float flow meter 15, and a second pneumatic diaphragm valve 16 arranged in sequence. The second manual valve 14 is also the main switch of the pipeline and needs to be manually started and stopped. The precision float flow meter 15 is a high-precision water level flow meter that can accurately control the amount of deionized water replenished. The second start diaphragm valve is controlled by the control system. When the liquid level in the water bath bottle 1 is detected to be low, the second start diaphragm valve is automatically opened to replenish the liquid.

[0028] Similarly, a third control valve assembly is installed on the water outlet pipe 4. The third control valve assembly includes a third pneumatic diaphragm valve 17 and a fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve 18. One end of the water outlet pipe 4 is connected to the water vapor outlet of the water bath bottle 1, and the other end has two branch pipes, namely the first branch pipe and the second branch pipe. The first branch pipe leads into the wafer reaction chamber, and the second branch pipe leads into the waste outlet. The third pneumatic diaphragm valve 17 is installed on the first branch pipe. It is a normally closed valve and will automatically open when the process requires water vapor. The fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve 18 is installed on the second branch pipe. It is a normally open valve. When the oxidation reaction is carried out, the fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve 18 needs to be closed and the third pneumatic diaphragm valve 17 needs to be opened. Because nitrogen has a low temperature, when nitrogen is first introduced into water bath 1, the temperature inside water bath 1 will drop. The heater will continue to heat the water, and the temperature will rise. During this process, the temperature inside water bath 1 fluctuates. In order to avoid the adverse effects of this temperature fluctuation on the process, nitrogen will continue to be introduced even when the oxidation reaction has not taken place. The third pneumatic diaphragm valve 17 will be closed and the fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve 18 will be opened. Nitrogen will continue to be introduced, carrying water vapor, and will be discharged from the second branch pipe.

[0029] In an alternative embodiment described above, a first filter 12 and a second filter 13 are sequentially installed on the nitrogen inlet pipe 2. In this alternative embodiment, impurity particles carried in the gas can be filtered out by the first filter 12 and the second filter 13.

[0030] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. An automatic water replenishment and bubbling device, characterized in that: The device includes a water bath bottle, which is connected to a nitrogen inlet pipe, a deionized water pipe, and a water outlet pipe. A first control valve assembly is installed on the nitrogen inlet pipe, a second control valve assembly is installed on the deionized water pipe, and a third control valve assembly is installed on the water outlet pipe. The water bath bottle is connected to a liquid level limiting assembly. The first control valve assembly, the second control valve assembly, the third control valve assembly, and the liquid level limiting assembly are all connected to the same control system.

2. The automatic water replenishment and bubbling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first control valve assembly includes a first manual valve, a pressure regulating valve, a first pressure gauge, a mass flow controller, a check valve, a first pneumatic diaphragm valve, and an explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge, which are sequentially arranged on the nitrogen inlet pipeline. The explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge is located close to the water bath bottle. The pressure regulating valve, the first pressure gauge, the mass flow controller, the check valve, the first pneumatic diaphragm valve, and the explosion-proof bottle pressure gauge are all connected to the control system.

3. The automatic water replenishment and bubbling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nitrogen inlet pipeline is equipped with a first filter and a second filter in sequence.

4. The automatic water replenishment and bubbling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second control valve assembly includes a second manual valve, a precision float flow meter, and a second pneumatic diaphragm valve arranged in sequence, wherein the precision float flow meter and the second pneumatic diaphragm valve are connected to the control system.

5. The automatic water replenishment and bubbling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the water outlet pipe is connected to the water bath bottle, and the other end of the water outlet pipe is integrally connected to a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe. The first branch pipe is connected to the wafer reaction chamber, and the second branch pipe is connected to the waste outlet. The third control valve includes a third pneumatic diaphragm valve disposed on the first branch pipe and a fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve disposed on the second branch pipe. The third pneumatic diaphragm valve and the fourth pneumatic diaphragm valve are connected to the control system.

6. The automatic water replenishment and bubbling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A communicating vessel is provided on one side of the water bath bottle, the communicating vessel is connected to the water bath bottle, and the liquid level limiting component is provided on the communicating vessel.

7. The automatic water replenishment and bubbling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid level limiting component includes a high liquid level sensor, a medium liquid level sensor, and a low liquid level sensor arranged in sequence, and the high liquid level sensor, the medium liquid level sensor, and the low liquid level sensor are respectively connected to the control system.

8. The automatic water replenishment and bubbling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the water bath bottle is equipped with a drain pipe, and a manual diaphragm valve is installed on the drain pipe.

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