Thermal management systems and methods

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide a thermal management system and its components. [Solution] A system is provided, comprising: a main cabinet having a process chamber and a gas box disposed therein; a first scrubber disposed outside the main cabinet and in fluid communication with the gas box; and a conduit disposed inside the main cabinet and configured to provide fluid communication with a fan inside the main cabinet.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to thermal management systems and their components. More specifically, this disclosure relates to systems and methods for effective thermal management of gas-phase reactors and / or their components. [Background technology]

[0002] Gas-phase reactors can be used in a variety of applications, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD), substrate pre-cleaning, and etching. For example, gas-phase reactors can be used to deposit materials on a substrate, etch layers, and / or clean materials to form electronic devices such as semiconductor devices, flat panel display devices, photovoltaic devices, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and similar devices.

[0003] A typical gas-phase reactor system includes one or more reactors, each reactor containing a reaction chamber and one or more gas sources fluidly connected to the reaction chamber. In many applications, such as ALD, PEALD, and other periodic processes, a precursor gas flows through various components and passages. Certain process gases contain materials that should not be released into the ambient atmosphere without undergoing an environmental mitigation process. Furthermore, various components benefit from being air-cooled to maintain a desired temperature, but this cooling air does not necessarily need to undergo an environmental mitigation process before being released into the ambient environment. Conventional systems may be configured to mix gases that would benefit from an environmental mitigation process with gases that do not need to undergo such a process, and then subject both gases to the environmental mitigation process. In this regard, subjecting gases that do not require such treatment to the environmental mitigation process incurs additional time and cost.

[0004] All discussions, including the problems and solutions described in this chapter, are included in this disclosure solely for the purpose of providing background to this disclosure. Such discussions should not be construed as acknowledging that any or all of the information was known at the time the invention was made, or otherwise constitutes prior art. [Overview of the project]

[0005] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system comprising a main cabinet having a process chamber and a gas box disposed therein, a first scrubber disposed outside the main cabinet and in fluid communication with the gas box, and a conduit disposed inside the main cabinet and configured to provide fluid communication with a fan inside the main cabinet.

[0006] In various embodiments, a precursor container is located inside a main cabinet, and a second scrubber is located outside the main cabinet and is in fluid communication with the precursor container.

[0007] In various embodiments, the system further comprises a second conduit that fluidly connects the process chamber to the pump, the second conduit being located outside the main cabinet, and a pressure relief valve that fluidly connects to the second conduit.

[0008] In various embodiments, the pressure relief valve is in fluid communication with the gas box.

[0009] In various embodiments, the fan is configured to communicate fluidly with at least one of the surrounding environment or the interior of a building.

[0010] In various embodiments, the system further comprises a third conduit that fluidly connects the process chamber to the gas box, and a pressure sensor positioned in fluid communication with the third conduit.

[0011] In various embodiments, the third conduit is configured to deliver gas to the process chamber at a pressure of less than 101.3 kPa.

[0012] In various embodiments, the pressure sensor is associated with the temperature sensor.

[0013] In various embodiments, the fan is at least 15m 3 It has a rated capacity of [number] minutes.

[0014] In various embodiments, the system further comprises a gas detector located within the main cabinet and configured to detect the presence of at least one of H2, NF3, SiH4, NH3, or Mo.

[0015] In various embodiments, the system further comprises a heat exchanger that is in fluid communication with the fan.

[0016] Various embodiments include a system comprising a main cabinet having a process chamber and a gas box disposed therein, a conduit disposed at the base of the main cabinet and configured to fluidly communicate the interior of the main cabinet with a fan, a second conduit that fluidly communicates the gas box with the process chamber, and a pressure sensor that fluidly communicates with the gas box and is configured to determine the pressure inside the second conduit.

[0017] In various embodiments, the pressure is configured to be less than 101.3 kPa.

[0018] In various embodiments, the system further comprises a precursor container located within a main cabinet.

[0019] In various embodiments, the system further comprises a second scrubber located outside the main cabinet and in fluid communication with the precursor container.

[0020] In various embodiments, the fan is at least 15m3 has a rated capacity of per minute.

[0021] Various embodiments include a method comprising: disposing a process chamber and a gas box within a main cabinet; disposing a first scrubber outside the main cabinet; placing the first scrubber in fluid communication with the gas box; and placing the main cabinet in fluid communication with a fan via a conduit disposed at a base portion of the main cabinet.

[0022] In various embodiments, the method further comprises disposing a pressure sensor on a second conduit, wherein the second conduit is in fluid communication with both the process chamber and the gas box.

[0023] In various embodiments, the method further comprises disposing a pressure relief valve on a third conduit, wherein the third conduit is in fluid communication with both the process chamber and the gas box.

[0024] In various embodiments, the method further comprises placing the fan in fluid communication with at least one of an ambient environment or an interior of a building.

[0025] These and other embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to any particular one or more of the disclosed embodiments. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0026] A more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be obtained by reference to the Detailed Description and the Claims, when considered in connection with the following illustrative drawings.

[0027] [Figure 1] Illustrates a system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Illustrates a system structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3]This disclosure illustrates exemplary reactor systems according to various embodiments.

[0028] Naturally, the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to actual size. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to others to help improve understanding of the illustrated embodiments of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0029] Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it will be understood that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention, as well as obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Therefore, the scope of the disclosed invention is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described below.

[0030] This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for supplying during gas-phase reaction processes, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes or other periodic deposition processes, but in various embodiments, usefulness can be found in many processes, including CVD, plasma enhancement processes, etching processes, cleaning processes, and the like.

[0031] As used in this disclosure, the term "substrate" may refer to any underlying material or material, which may include and / or have material deposited thereon. A substrate may include a bulk material such as silicon (e.g., single-crystal silicon), another Group IV material such as germanium, or a composite semiconductor material such as GaAs, and may also include one or more layers overlapping or beneath the bulk material. For example, a substrate may include a patterning stack of several layers overlapping the bulk material. The patterning stack may vary depending on the application. Furthermore, a substrate may include various gaps formed on the surface of the substrate, such as recesses, vias, spaces between lines, trenches, and the like.

[0032] In this disclosure, the gas may include materials that are gaseous at room temperature and atmospheric pressure (NTP), vaporized solids, and / or vaporized liquids, and may, depending on the situation, consist of a single gas or a mixture of gases. Gases other than the process gas, i.e., gases introduced without passing through a gas distribution assembly, other gas distribution devices, or similar, may be used, for example, to seal the reaction space, and may include sealing gases such as noble gases. In this regard, a chemically inert gas may be passed through the reaction chamber together with the process gas, i.e., the gas containing the precursor. As used herein, “inert gas” may refer to a chemically inert gas such as a noble gas, or a relatively inert gas such as nitrogen gas (N2).

[0033] In this disclosure, any two numbers of the variables can constitute a practicable range of the variable, and any range shown may include or exclude endpoints. In addition, in various embodiments, any value of a shown variable (whether shown as approximately) may refer to an exact value or an approximation, and may include an equality, such as the mean, median, representative value, or mode, or similar. For example, the term approximately may refer to + / - 20, 10, 5, 2, or 1 percent of the value. Furthermore, in this disclosure, the terms “include,” “compose,” “constituted by,” and “have” and their equivalents may, in some embodiments, independently refer to “typically or broadly include,” “essentially consist of,” or “consist of.” According to aspects of this disclosure, any defined meaning of a term does not necessarily exclude the ordinary and customary meanings of that term.

[0034] Now, looking at the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a system 100 according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The main cabinet 101 at least partially encloses the gas box 104, the reaction chamber 102, and the precursor vessel 120. Since the gas box 104, the reaction chamber 102, and the precursor vessel 120 generate heat during use, the main cabinet 101 acts to contain this heat. However, it is harmful for the temperature of the main cabinet 101 to rise above a certain temperature. Therefore, it is beneficial to remove heat from the internal volume of the main cabinet in order to stabilize and otherwise regulate the internal temperature of the main cabinet 101. The main cabinet 101 may be air-cooled by drawing air from the internal volume of the main cabinet 101 out of the main cabinet 101. The precursor gas may contain potentially hazardous and / or toxic materials (such as gaseous metals or other environmentally harmful materials), but when operating according to the various embodiments described herein, the internal volume of the main cabinet 101 does not need to contain potentially hazardous and / or toxic materials. Therefore, according to various embodiments, the air drawn from the main cabinet 101 for cooling purposes does not need to undergo environmental mitigation processes such as being treated through a scrubber. In this way, only the gas from the gas box 104 and the precursor container 120 is in fluid communication with one or more scrubbers. This allows for the implementation of smaller scrubbers (i.e., scrubbers that treat air at lower mass flow rates), reducing costs over time (such as operating costs).

[0035] The gas box 104 is configured to hold various gases, such as H2, NF3, SiH4, or NH3. The gas box 104 is fluid-coupled to the reaction chamber 102 to supply the various gases to the reaction chamber 102. The gas box 104 is also fluid-coupled to a scrubber 106 via an exhaust conduit 133. The gas from the gas box 104 may be supplied to the scrubber 106. The scrubber 106 may then perform an environmental mitigation process on the gas it receives. The scrubber 106 may be fluid-driven by a pump 108. A pressure sensor 110 monitors the pressure in the conduit 111 that fluid-couples the gas box 104 to the reaction chamber 102. The pressure sensor 110 may communicate electronically with a controller 128. The gas box 104 includes a gas detector 130. The gas detector 130 includes a sensor configured to detect the presence and / or concentration of one or more materials in the gas phase within the gas box 104. The gas detector 130 can, in particular, detect the presence and / or concentration of H2, NF3, SiH4, NH3, and / or Mo. The gas detector 130 communicates electronically with the controller 128. In this regard, the controller 128 may receive a signal indicating the presence and / or concentration of a predetermined gas in the gas box 104. In response to this signal, the controller 128 may control the fluid control from the gas box 104 to the scrubber 106 by, for example, activating a valve or other device to create fluid communication between the scrubber 106 and the gas box 104.

[0036] The precursor container 120 is configured to be in fluid communication with the reaction chamber 102 and to supply the precursor gas to the reaction chamber 102. The precursor container 120 may contain various precursors in solid and / or liquid forms and may be configured to manipulate the temperature and pressure so that the precursor material becomes a gas phase. In this regard, the solid precursor material may sublimate, and the liquid precursor material may become a gas phase in other ways. A pressure sensor 122 is configured to monitor the pressure inside the precursor container 120. The gas from the precursor container 120 may be supplied to a scrubber 124. The scrubber 124 may then perform an environmental mitigation process on the gas it receives. The scrubber 124 may be fluid-driven by a pump 126. The pressure sensor 122 may communicate electronically with a controller 128. The scrubber 124 may be configured to connect to the bottom of the reaction chamber 102.

[0037] Scrubbers 106 and 124 may include any suitable air scrubber device. For example, scrubbers 106 and 124 may include one or more of the following: wet scrubbers, dry scrubbers, electrostatic precipitator scrubbers, venturi scrubbers, and / or packed bed scrubbers.

[0038] The reaction chamber 102 is in fluid communication with the pump 118. A pressure relief valve 112 is connected to the precursor vessel 120. The pressure relief valve 112 is configured to remain closed until a predetermined threshold pressure is reached. In response to the reaching of the predetermined threshold pressure, the pressure relief valve 112 opens, allowing fluid to flow into the gas box 104. The pressure relief valve 112 may be a mechanical assembly and / or electronically actuated. In embodiments where the pressure relief valve 112 is electronically actuated, the electronic actuator controlling the pressure relief valve 112 communicates electronically with a controller 128. The controller 128 can control the operation of the pressure relief valve 112.

[0039] Conduit 114 is disposed within main cabinet 101 and is in fluid communication with the internal volume of main cabinet 101. Conduit 114 may comprise a pipe, tube, or other structure that enables fluid communication between the internal volume of main cabinet 101 and the exterior of main cabinet 101. Fan 116 is in fluid communication with conduit 114. Fan 116 is configured to remove air from main cabinet 101 via conduit 114 and direct that air to another environment. The other environment may be another part of the building that houses system 100 (i.e., the interior of the building), or may be the external environment. Fan 116 is sized and configured to remove air from main cabinet 101 at a rate sufficient to maintain the interior of main cabinet 101 at a desired temperature or within a predetermined desired temperature range. In various embodiments, main cabinet 101 has a predetermined desired temperature range that enables system 100 to operate effectively. In various embodiments, fan 116 is at least 3 m 3 / min to 30 m 3 / min, 5 m 3 / min to 20 m 3 / min, 10 m 3 / min to 18 m 3 / min, or 15 m 3 / min.

[0040] As noted above, since the air from main cabinet 101 is not intended to undergo an environmental mitigation process before being discharged to another environment, it is important that the air within the internal volume of main cabinet 101 is free or substantially free of precursor gas and / or gas from gas box 104. In this regard, several techniques may be used to prevent undesirable gases from entering the internal volume of main cabinet 101. For example, in various embodiments, the supply of precursor gas from precursor vessel 120 to reaction chamber 102 is provided at a pressure lower than standard atmospheric pressure. Standard atmospheric pressure is generally considered to be 101.3 kPa.

[0041] Furthermore, the pressure sensor 110 may monitor the pressure in the conduit 111 and transmit a signal indicating that pressure to the controller 128. The controller 128 may be configured to detect a predetermined threshold pressure, and if this threshold pressure is exceeded, it is beneficial to take mitigation procedures. As mentioned above, the pressure in the conduit 111 should be kept below standard atmospheric pressure (101.3 kPa) to prevent leakage into the internal volume of the main cabinet 101. In this regard, if the controller 128 receives information indicating that the pressure in the conduit 111 exceeds 101.3 kPa, the controller 128 may initiate a mitigation process. For example, the controller 128 may command the operation or closure of one or more valves to the gas box 104 to reduce or stop the release of gas into the conduit 111.

[0042] The pressure relief valve 132 is in fluid communication with the reaction chamber 102. In this regard, the pressure relief valve 132 may be configured such that when the pressure in the reaction chamber 102 rises above 101.3 kPa or other predetermined pressure value, the pressure relief valve 132 opens at least partially, allowing fluid communication between the pressure relief valve 132 and the exhaust conduit 133 (which fluidly connects the gas box 104 to the scrubber 106). Since the gas box 104 is fluidly connected to the scrubber 106 via the exhaust conduit 133, gas from the reaction chamber 102 is directed to the scrubber 106 without entering the internal volume of the main cabinet 101. The pressure relief valve 132 may be a mechanical pressure relief valve. In this regard, the pressure relief valve 132 may include a compression spring that holds a poppet or ball bearing against the valve seat. The spring may be configured to overcome after receiving a predetermined pressure. In various embodiments, the pressure relief valve 132 is electromechanically controlled. The pressure sensor monitors the pressure in the reaction chamber 102 and may transmit a signal indicating this pressure to the controller 128. The controller 128 is configured to command the pressure relief valve 132 to open in response to receiving a signal indicating that the pressure in the reaction chamber 102 exceeds a predetermined threshold limit.

[0043] Furthermore, the pressure relief valve 112 is in fluid communication with the precursor vessel 120. In this regard, the pressure relief valve 112 may be configured to open at least partially when the pressure in the precursor vessel 120 rises above 101.3 kPa or other predetermined pressure value, allowing fluid communication between the pressure relief valve 112 and the exhaust conduit 133. Since the gas box 104 is fluidly connected to the scrubber 106, the precursor gas from the precursor vessel 120 is directed to the scrubber 106 without entering the internal volume of the main cabinet 101. The pressure relief valve 112 may be a mechanical pressure relief valve. In this regard, the pressure relief valve 112 may include a compression spring that holds a poppet or ball bearing against the valve seat. The spring may be configured to overcome after receiving a predetermined pressure. In various embodiments, the pressure relief valve 112 is electromechanically controlled. A pressure sensor 122 may monitor the pressure in the precursor vessel 120 and transmit a signal indicating this pressure to the controller 128. The controller 128 is configured to command the opening of the pressure relief valve 112 in response to receiving a signal indicating that the pressure in the precursor container 120 exceeds a predetermined threshold limit.

[0044] Referring here to Figure 3, the gas flow system disclosed herein may be used in connection with various reactor systems, for example, an exemplary reactor system 300. The reactor system 300 includes a reaction chamber 304, a susceptor 306 for holding a substrate 330 during processing, a gas distribution system 308 (e.g., a showerhead) for distributing one or more precursors and / or reactants to the surface of the substrate 330, one or more precursor sources or reactant sources 310, 312, and / or 313, and / or a carrier gas source and / or purge gas source 314, which are fluidly connected to the reaction chamber 304 via lines 316, 318, 319, and 320, and their respective valves or controllers 322, 323, 325, and 327. The substrate 330 may include substrates as described herein. The purge / carrier gas 324 from the gas source 314 flows into and through the reaction chamber 304, acting as a carrier gas and / or purging or removing any excess precursor, reactant or other undesirable material from the reaction chamber 304. The supply sources 310, 312, and 313 may include a container and the precursor or reactant described herein. For example, supply source 310 may include a container and reactant 315, supply source 312 may include a container and precursor 317, and supply source 313 may include a container and another reactant 321. The reactor system 300 may include additional supply sources. The system 300 may also include a vacuum source 328 fluid-coupled to the reaction chamber 304. The vacuum source 328 may be configured to discharge blockage molecules, precursors, reactants, purge gas, by-products, or other material from the reaction chamber 304.

[0045] The reactor system 300 also includes a controller 352. The controller 352 may be configured to perform various functions and / or processes as described herein. The controller 352 may include one or more microprocessors, memory elements, and / or switching elements to perform various functions. Although the controller 352 is shown as a single unit, it may alternatively include multiple devices. The controller 352 may be used to perform various processes by controlling the gas flow (e.g., by monitoring the flow rate and controlling valves 322, 323, 325, and / or 327), motors, heaters, coolers, and / or vacuum sources 328. Furthermore, if the system includes two or more reaction chambers, the two or more reaction chambers may be coupled to the same / shared controller. The reactor system 300 can be utilized in various configurations as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0046] As stated above, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure do not limit the scope of the invention, as these embodiments are merely examples of embodiments of the invention. In fact, various modifications of this disclosure, in addition to those illustrated and described herein, such as alternative useful combinations of the elements described, may be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 100 Systems 101 Main Cabinet 114 Conduit 116 Fans 120 Precursor container

Claims

1. A main cabinet having a process chamber and a gas box arranged therein, A first scrubber is located outside the main cabinet and is in fluid communication with the gas box, A conduit is placed inside the main cabinet and configured to provide fluid communication between the fan and the inside of the main cabinet, A system equipped with these features.

2. A precursor container placed inside the main cabinet, A second scrubber is located outside the main cabinet and is in fluid communication with the precursor container, The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. A second conduit that provides fluid communication between the process chamber and the pump, wherein the pump is located outside the main cabinet, A pressure relief valve that is in fluid communication with the second conduit, The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the pressure relief valve is in fluid communication with the gas box.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the fan is configured to be in fluid communication with at least one of the surrounding environment or the interior of a building.

6. A third conduit that fluidly connects the process chamber to the gas box, A pressure sensor is arranged in fluid communication with the third conduit, The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the third conduit is configured to deliver gas to the process chamber at a pressure of less than 101.3 kPa.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the pressure sensor is associated with a temperature sensor.

9. The aforementioned fan is at least 15m ３ The system according to claim 8, having a rated capacity of per minute.

10. It is located inside the main cabinet and H ２ NF ３ SiH ４ NH ３ The system according to claim 9, further comprising a gas detector configured to detect the presence of at least one of the following: , or Mo.

11. The system according to claim 9, further comprising a heat exchanger that is in fluid communication with the fan.

12. A main cabinet having a process chamber and a gas box arranged therein, A conduit is positioned at the base of the main cabinet and configured to provide fluid communication between the fan and the inside of the main cabinet, The gas box is connected to the process chamber by a second conduit, A pressure sensor is configured to communicate with the gas box and determine the pressure inside the second conduit, A system equipped with these features.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the pressure is configured to be less than 101.3 kPa.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a precursor container located within the main cabinet.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising a second scrubber positioned outside the main cabinet and in fluid communication with the precursor container.

16. The aforementioned fan is at least 15m ３ The system according to claim 15, having a rated capacity of per minute.

17. The process chamber and gas box are placed inside the main cabinet, The first scrubber is placed outside the main cabinet, The first scrubber is connected to the gas box via fluid communication, The main cabinet is connected to the fan via a conduit located at the base of the main cabinet, A method that includes [a certain feature].

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising placing a pressure sensor on a second conduit, wherein the second conduit is in fluid communication with both the process chamber and the gas box.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising positioning a pressure relief valve on a third conduit, wherein the third conduit is in fluid communication with both the process chamber and the gas box.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising fluidizing the fan to at least one of the surrounding environment or the interior of a building.

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