A spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum cavity and a cooling system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a spiral vacuum structure for vacuum cavity cooling, including outer shell, the outer shell gap cooperation is sleeved in the outside of vacuum cavity, and the vacuum interlayer that forms independently in vacuum cavity internal space between outer shell and vacuum cavity is arranged with the spiral flow rib of spiral shape in the vacuum interlayer, the spiral flow rib is divided into continuous spiral flow channel with vacuum interlayer, and the cooling medium entrance that communicates spiral flow channel is provided on the outer shell wall at the spiral flow channel entrance, and the cooling medium exit that communicates spiral flow channel is provided on the outer shell wall at the spiral flow channel export. The utility model has can improve heat exchange efficiency, cooling fast and even, and can when cooling not influence vacuum cavity process vacuum degree's advantage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology, and more specifically to a vacuum cooling device for semiconductor processing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] A vacuum chamber is a sealed container used to create and maintain a vacuum environment, and it is an important component of semiconductor processing equipment. In semiconductor manufacturing processes, vacuum chambers provide the necessary vacuum environment for processes such as thin film deposition, etching, and ion implantation.

[0003] Cooling the vacuum chamber is a crucial step in semiconductor manufacturing. The main purpose of cooling the vacuum chamber is: (1) Ensure process stability: Many semiconductor processes (such as etching, thin film deposition, and ion implantation) require operation within specific temperature windows. These processes themselves generate significant heat, and without cooling the vacuum chamber, its temperature will continue to rise, causing process parameters (such as reaction rate, etching rate, deposition rate, thin film stress, thin film composition, and structure) to drift. This makes process results unpredictable and inconsistent, severely impacting chip yield and performance. Therefore, cooling the vacuum chamber is necessary during semiconductor manufacturing to maintain process stability.

[0004] (2) Extend equipment life: Vacuum chambers rely on various sealing rings to maintain a high vacuum. These sealing materials age, harden, deform, and even decompose under sustained high temperatures, leading to vacuum leaks and disrupting the process environment. Therefore, cooling the vacuum chamber is necessary during semiconductor manufacturing to extend the lifespan of the seals.

[0005] (3) Protect the safety of operators and equipment: When semiconductor processing equipment is in operation, the surface temperature of the vacuum chamber can become extremely high (far exceeding the safe touch temperature). Cooling ensures that the temperature of the outer wall of the chamber remains within a safe range, preventing burns to operators; it also prevents damage to the equipment casing or surrounding components due to overheating.

[0006] Traditional vacuum chamber cooling methods mainly include the following two: (1) External water cooling: Water cooling pipes are installed on the outer wall of the vacuum chamber to cool down by circulating cooling water; however, this cooling method has problems such as low heat exchange efficiency, uneven cooling, and easy scaling of pipes.

[0007] (2) Internal gas cooling: Inert cooling gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber, but this cooling method may pollute the process environment and affect the vacuum level.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a cooling scheme that has high heat exchange efficiency, rapid and uniform cooling, and does not affect the process vacuum level of the vacuum chamber during cooling. Utility Model Content

[0009] The first objective of this invention is to provide a spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum chamber that improves heat exchange efficiency, provides rapid and uniform cooling, and does not affect the process vacuum level of the vacuum chamber during cooling.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum cavity, comprising an outer shell, the outer shell being fitted with a clearance fit outside the vacuum cavity, forming a vacuum interlayer independent of the internal space of the vacuum cavity between the outer shell and the vacuum cavity, spiral guide ribs arranged around the vacuum cavity in the vacuum interlayer, the guide ribs dividing the vacuum interlayer into continuous spiral flow channels, a cooling medium inlet communicating with the spiral flow channel is provided on the outer shell wall at the inlet of the spiral flow channel, and a cooling medium outlet communicating with the spiral flow channel is provided on the outer shell wall at the outlet of the spiral flow channel.

[0011] Furthermore, in the aforementioned spiral vacuum structure for cooling the vacuum cavity, an aerogel insulation layer is coated on the outside of the outer shell.

[0012] Furthermore, in the aforementioned spiral vacuum structure for cooling the vacuum cavity, an adsorption component capable of adsorbing residual gas within the vacuum interlayer is installed.

[0013] Furthermore, in the aforementioned spiral vacuum structure for cooling the vacuum chamber, the adsorption component includes a metal woven mesh bag disposed within the vacuum interlayer. The metal woven mesh bag is welded and fixed to the inner wall of the outer shell or the outer wall of the vacuum chamber, and the metal woven mesh bag is filled with a gas adsorbent.

[0014] The second objective of this invention is to provide a vacuum chamber cooling system that offers high heat exchange efficiency, rapid and uniform cooling, and does not affect the vacuum level of the vacuum chamber process during cooling.

[0015] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a vacuum cavity cooling system, comprising a circulating pump, a heat exchanger, and a spiral vacuum structure for vacuum cavity cooling as described above. The cooling medium outlet of the spiral vacuum structure for vacuum cavity cooling is connected to the inlet of the circulating pump, the outlet of the circulating pump is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the cooling medium inlet of the spiral vacuum structure for vacuum cavity cooling. The circulating pump, the heat exchanger, and the spiral flow channel of the spiral vacuum structure for vacuum cavity cooling together constitute a closed-loop cooling medium circulation loop, in which a cooling medium is provided.

[0016] Furthermore, the aforementioned vacuum chamber cooling system further includes a temperature measuring component and a pressure sensor connected to the PLC control system. The temperature measuring component monitors the vacuum chamber temperature in real time and provides real-time feedback to the PLC control system. The pressure sensor monitors the internal process pressure of the vacuum chamber in real time and provides real-time feedback to the PLC control system. The PLC control system is connected to the circulating pump.

[0017] Furthermore, in the aforementioned vacuum cavity cooling system, an adsorption component capable of adsorbing residual gas within the vacuum interlayer is installed.

[0018] Furthermore, in the aforementioned vacuum chamber cooling system, the adsorption component includes a metal woven mesh bag welded and fixed to the inner wall of the outer shell or the outer wall of the vacuum chamber in the vacuum interlayer, and the metal woven mesh bag is filled with a gas adsorbent.

[0019] Furthermore, in the aforementioned vacuum cavity cooling system, an aerogel insulation layer is coated on the outside of the outer shell.

[0020] Through the implementation of the above technical solutions, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: (1) Using the interlayer space as a cooling medium channel and designing the cooling medium channel as a spiral flow channel enhances the turbulence of the cooling medium fluid, thereby improving the heat conduction efficiency and achieving rapid cooling; (2) Using the interlayer space set outside the vacuum cavity as a cooling medium channel, the heat exchange area between the spiral flow channel and the vacuum cavity is large, the cooling is more uniform, and uniform cooling is achieved; (3) Using the interlayer space set outside the vacuum cavity as a cooling medium channel and setting an aerogel insulation layer outside the cooling medium channel greatly reduces the heat radiation of the vacuum cavity to the surrounding components, and the heat loss of the vacuum cavity is reduced by 90%, thereby reducing the working environment temperature of the surrounding components, making the equipment operation more stable and reducing production energy consumption; (4) Using the interlayer space as a cooling medium channel, the cooling medium channel is independent of the vacuum cavity, so the process vacuum degree of the vacuum cavity will not be affected during the cooling medium flow through the cooling medium channel to cool the vacuum cavity, ensuring process stability. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the spiral vacuum structure for cooling the vacuum cavity described in this utility model.

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a structural schematic of the AA cross section.

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 An enlarged schematic diagram of part B shown in the figure.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the spiral vacuum structure for cooling the vacuum cavity described in this utility model.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the spiral vacuum structure for cooling the vacuum cavity described in this utility model, with the outer shell corresponding to the circumferential direction of the vacuum cavity hidden.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vacuum cavity cooling system according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0028] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the spiral vacuum structure for cooling the vacuum cavity includes an outer shell 1, which is fitted onto the outside of the vacuum cavity 2 with a clearance fit. A vacuum interlayer 3, independent of the internal space of the vacuum cavity, is formed between the outer shell 1 and the vacuum cavity 2. Spiral-shaped flow-guiding ribs 4, arranged around the vacuum cavity 2, are disposed within the vacuum interlayer 3. The flow-guiding ribs 4 are welded and fixed to the outer wall of the vacuum cavity 2, dividing the vacuum interlayer 3 into continuous spiral flow channels 31. A cooling medium inlet 5, communicating with the spiral flow channel 31, is provided on the wall of the outer shell 1 at the inlet of the spiral flow channel 31, and a cooling medium outlet 6, communicating with the spiral flow channel, is provided on the wall of the outer shell 1 at the outlet of the spiral flow channel 31. An aerogel insulation layer 7 is coated on the outside of the outer shell 1, which better isolates the cooling medium inside the vacuum interlayer from the airflow. The heat exchange with the external environment significantly reduces the transmission of high external temperatures into the vacuum chamber, thereby improving the stability of the vacuum chamber in use. A vacuum port 8 is provided on the outer shell 1, which connects to the vacuum interlayer 3. A sealing plug 9 is provided on the vacuum port 8 to open or close the vacuum port 8. During operation, the vacuum port 8 is opened to extract the air from the vacuum interlayer 3, forming a high vacuum process environment. In this embodiment, an adsorption component that can adsorb residual gas in the interlayer is installed in the vacuum interlayer 3. The adsorption component includes a metal woven mesh bag 15 disposed in the vacuum interlayer 3. The metal woven mesh bag 15 is welded and fixed to the inner wall of the outer shell 1, or it can be welded and fixed to the outer wall of the vacuum chamber 2. The metal woven mesh bag 15 is filled with a gas adsorbent, which is a 5A molecular sieve or silver molecular sieve that can be purchased directly from the market.

[0029] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, this utility model also protects a vacuum chamber cooling system, which can rapidly cool a vacuum chamber 1 and control the process temperature of the vacuum chamber. The cooling system includes a PLC control system 10, a temperature measuring component, a circulating pump 12, a heat exchanger 13, and an outer shell 1. The outer shell 1 is fitted onto the outside of the vacuum chamber 2 with a clearance fit, forming a vacuum interlayer 3 independent of the internal space of the vacuum chamber 2. Spiral guide ribs 4 are arranged around the vacuum chamber 2 within the vacuum interlayer 3. The guide ribs 4 are welded and fixed to the outer wall of the vacuum chamber 2, dividing the vacuum interlayer 3 into continuous spiral flow channels 31. A cooling medium inlet 5 communicating with the spiral flow channel 31 is provided on the wall of the outer shell 1 at the inlet of the spiral flow channel 31, and a cooling medium outlet 6 communicating with the spiral flow channel 31 is provided on the wall of the outer shell 1 at the outlet of the spiral flow channel 31. The spiral flow channel 31 is connected to the inlet of the circulating pump 12, the outlet of the circulating pump 12 is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger 13, and the outlet of the heat exchanger 13 is connected to the cooling medium inlet 5. The spiral flow channel 31, the circulating pump 12, and the heat exchanger 13 together form a closed-loop cooling medium circulation loop. A cooling medium is provided in the cooling medium circulation loop, which can be deionized water, liquid metal, or supercritical carbon dioxide, etc. The temperature measuring component, the circulating pump 12, and the heat exchanger 13 are all connected to the PLC control system 10. The temperature measuring component includes a temperature sensor 11, which monitors the temperature of the vacuum chamber 2 in real time and feeds it back to the PLC control system 10 in real time. In practical applications, the PLC control system can adjust the speed of the circulating pump 12 to change the flow rate of the cooling medium in the spiral flow channel 31 based on the temperature data fed back by the temperature measuring component, thereby accelerating the heat transfer between the cooling medium and the vacuum chamber and achieving rapid cooling of the vacuum chamber.

[0030] In this embodiment, an adsorption assembly capable of adsorbing residual gas within the vacuum interlayer 3 is installed inside the vacuum interlayer 3. The adsorption assembly includes a metal woven mesh bag 14 disposed within the vacuum interlayer 3. The metal woven mesh bag 14 is welded and fixed to the inner wall of the outer shell 1, or it can be welded and fixed to the outer wall of the vacuum cavity 2. The metal woven mesh bag 14 is filled with a gas adsorbent, which can be a commercially available 5A molecular sieve or silver molecular sieve. In this embodiment, an aerogel insulation layer 7 is coated on the outside of the outer shell 1. The aerogel insulation layer 7 can better block the heat exchange between the cooling medium inside the vacuum interlayer and the external environment, significantly reducing the transmission of external high temperature into the vacuum cavity, thereby improving the operational stability of the vacuum cavity.

[0031] In this embodiment, a pressure sensor 14 connected to the PLC control system 10 is also included. The pressure sensor 14 monitors the process pressure inside the vacuum chamber in real time and feeds it back to the PLC control system 10 in real time. The PLC control system 10 receives the process pressure inside the vacuum chamber fed back by the pressure sensor 14 in real time and compares and analyzes the real-time pressure with the preset safety pressure. When the real-time pressure inside the vacuum chamber is greater than the preset safety pressure, the PLC control system 10 will issue an alarm to remind the staff so that the staff can detect the abnormality and repair it in time.

[0032] During operation, the circulation pump 12 is started, which causes the cooling medium to circulate in the cooling medium circulation loop. As the cooling medium enters from the cooling medium inlet 5 and flows through the spiral flow channel 31, it achieves rapid cooling of the vacuum chamber 2 through heat transfer with the vacuum chamber. After exchanging heat with the vacuum chamber 2, the temperature of the cooling medium rises and it is output from the cooling medium outlet 6. After being cooled by the heat exchanger 13, it re-enters the spiral flow channel 31. The spiral flow channel design, which is arranged outside the vacuum chamber, greatly enhances fluid turbulence and improves heat transfer efficiency, achieving rapid cooling. On the other hand, the large heat exchange area between the spiral flow channel and the vacuum chamber results in more uniform cooling. Furthermore, since the spiral flow channel and the vacuum chamber are independent of each other, the process vacuum level of the vacuum chamber will not be affected during the cooling process of the vacuum chamber by the cooling medium flowing through the spiral flow channel.

[0033] The advantages of this utility model are: (1) The interlayer space is used as a cooling medium channel and the cooling medium channel is designed as a spiral flow channel, which enhances the turbulence of the cooling medium fluid, thereby improving the heat conduction efficiency and achieving rapid cooling; (2) The interlayer space set outside the vacuum cavity is used as a cooling medium channel. The heat exchange area between the spiral flow channel and the vacuum cavity is large, the cooling is more uniform, and uniform cooling is achieved; (3) The interlayer space set outside the vacuum cavity is used as a cooling medium channel and an aerogel insulation layer is set outside the cooling medium channel, which greatly reduces the heat radiation of the vacuum cavity to the surrounding components. The heat loss of the vacuum cavity is reduced by 90%, thereby reducing the working environment temperature of the surrounding components, making the equipment operation more stable and reducing production energy consumption; (4) The interlayer space is used as a cooling medium channel. The cooling medium channel is independent of the vacuum cavity. Therefore, the process vacuum degree of the vacuum cavity will not be affected when the cooling medium flows through the cooling medium channel to cool the vacuum cavity, ensuring process stability.

[0034] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model in any other way. Any modifications or equivalent changes made based on the technical essence of the present utility model shall still fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present utility model.

Claims

1. A spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum cavity, characterized in that: The device includes an outer shell that is fitted around the outside of a vacuum cavity with a clearance fit. A vacuum interlayer, independent of the internal space of the vacuum cavity, is formed between the outer shell and the vacuum cavity. Spiral guide ribs arranged around the vacuum cavity are provided in the vacuum interlayer, dividing the vacuum interlayer into continuous spiral flow channels. A cooling medium inlet, which connects to the spiral flow channels, is provided on the outer shell wall at the inlet of the spiral flow channels, and a cooling medium outlet, which connects to the spiral flow channels, is provided on the outer shell wall at the outlet of the spiral flow channels.

2. The spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum cavity according to claim 1, characterized in that: An aerogel insulation layer is coated on the outside of the outer shell.

3. The spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum cavity according to claim 1, characterized in that: An adsorption component is installed inside the vacuum jacket to adsorb residual gas inside the jacket.

4. The spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum cavity according to claim 3, characterized in that: The adsorption assembly includes: a metal woven mesh bag disposed in a vacuum interlayer, wherein the metal woven mesh bag is welded and fixed to the inner wall of the outer shell or the outer wall of the vacuum chamber, and the metal woven mesh bag is filled with a gas adsorbent.

5. A vacuum cavity cooling system, characterized in that: The device includes a circulating pump, a heat exchanger, and a spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum chamber as described in claim 1. The cooling medium outlet of the spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum chamber is connected to the inlet of the circulating pump, the outlet of the circulating pump is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the cooling medium inlet of the spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum chamber. The circulating pump, the heat exchanger, and the spiral flow channel of the spiral vacuum structure for cooling a vacuum chamber together constitute a closed-loop cooling medium circulation loop, in which a cooling medium is provided.

6. A vacuum cavity cooling system according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a temperature measuring component and a pressure sensor that are connected to the PLC control system. The temperature measuring component monitors the temperature of the vacuum chamber in real time and feeds it back to the PLC control system in real time. The pressure sensor monitors the process pressure inside the vacuum chamber in real time and feeds it back to the PLC control system in real time. The PLC control system is connected to the circulating pump.

7. A vacuum cavity cooling system according to claim 5, characterized in that: An adsorption component is installed inside the vacuum jacket to adsorb residual gas inside the jacket.

8. A vacuum cavity cooling system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The adsorption assembly includes: a metal woven mesh bag welded and fixed to the inner wall of the outer shell or the outer wall of the vacuum chamber in the vacuum jacket, and the metal woven mesh bag is filled with gas adsorbent.

9. A vacuum cavity cooling system according to claim 5, characterized in that: An aerogel insulation layer is coated on the outside of the outer shell.

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