CVD equipment and its heating system

Abstract

A CVD apparatus and its heating system are disclosed. The heating system includes multiple lamp holder mechanisms distributed along the periphery of a quartz furnace tube, multiple heaters mounted on the lamp holder mechanisms and distributed around the quartz furnace tube, and a control device electrically connected to the lamp holder mechanisms. The control device includes multiple temperature sensing modules spaced apart along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube, and allows setting a predetermined temperature for each temperature sensing module. The control device can regulate the electrical energy driving the heaters so that the temperature value measured by each temperature sensing module approaches the set predetermined temperature. Through the above design, the heating temperature of the heaters can be individually controlled, so that the temperature value measured by each temperature sensing module is adjusted to approach the corresponding predetermined temperature, thereby achieving precise control of the temperature of various parts around the periphery of the quartz furnace tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a thin film deposition device, in particular to a CVD device. Prior Art

[0002] Existing CVD (chemical vapor deposition) equipment used to grow transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) requires two distinct temperature zones within the CVD reactor: a high-temperature zone (600-1000°C) for the reaction of transition metal precursors, and a low-temperature zone (150-300°C) for the reaction of chalcogens (e.g., sulfur and selenium). However, tellurium requires temperatures between 600-800°C, making it impossible to precisely control both the low temperature (150-300°C) and high temperature (600-800°C) within the same heating system.

[0003] While some companies are currently attempting to create heating systems for CVD reactions using small furnaces and heating elements such as heating belts, these heating elements struggle to reach the high-temperature range mentioned above. Other heating systems, which primarily rely on heating wires, struggle to precisely control such a wide temperature range (150-800°C). Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a heating system for a CVD apparatus that can improve at least one disadvantage of the prior art.

[0005] The heating system for CVD equipment of the present invention is suitable for heating a quartz furnace tube of the CVD equipment. The heating system comprises two lamp holder mechanisms arranged along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube, a plurality of heaters electrically connected to the lamp holder mechanisms, and a control device electrically connected to the lamp holder mechanisms.

[0006] Each lamp holder mechanism comprises two bases spaced apart along the length of the quartz furnace tube, and a plurality of electrodes mounted on the bases. Each base has a plurality of locking grooves distributed along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube. The electrodes are respectively mounted in the locking grooves of the bases and arranged in pairs along the length of the quartz furnace tube.

[0007] The heaters are electrically connected across the base bodies of the lamp holder mechanisms. Each heater includes two conductive portions, each embedded in one of the locking slots of the base bodies, and a heating portion electrically connected between the conductive portions and capable of generating heat when energized. Each conductive portion is electrically connected to a corresponding electrode.

[0008] The control device includes a plurality of power supply modules electrically connected to the paired electrodes, a plurality of temperature sensing modules spaced apart along the outer periphery of the quartz furnace tube, a temperature setting module capable of setting a predetermined temperature for each temperature sensing module, and a temperature control module. Each temperature sensing module is capable of sensing the temperature of a predetermined region of the quartz furnace tube. The temperature control module regulates the electrical energy supplied by the power supply modules to drive the heaters so that the temperature value measured by each temperature sensing module approaches the predetermined temperature.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a CVD apparatus that can improve at least one disadvantage of the prior art.

[0010] Therefore, the CVD apparatus of the present invention comprises a housing, a quartz furnace tube installed in the housing and used for chemical vapor deposition, and a heating system as described above installed in the housing and capable of heating the quartz furnace tube.

[0011] The present invention has the following advantages: through the design of arranging the heaters and the temperature sensing modules around the quartz furnace tube, and the design of the control device that can set the predetermined temperature for each temperature sensing module and can individually regulate the electric energy applied to the heaters, the heating temperature of the heaters can be individually regulated, so that the temperature value measured by each temperature sensing module is regulated to approach the corresponding predetermined temperature, thereby achieving the purpose of accurately controlling the temperature of each part of the periphery of the quartz furnace tube. Simple diagram description

[0012] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an incomplete perspective schematic diagram schematically illustrating the structure of an embodiment of a CVD apparatus of the present invention; Figure 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the functional architecture of this embodiment; Figure 3 is an incomplete exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of a lamp holder mechanism and a plurality of heaters of this embodiment; Figure 4 is an incomplete sectional view illustrating the structure of the lamp holder mechanism of the embodiment, and illustrates the situation when the plurality of positioning members of the embodiment are located in a limiting position; Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, illustrating the embodiment of the present invention in which two of the positioning members are located in a disengaged position; and FIG6 is an incomplete cross-sectional view illustrating the distribution positions of multiple heaters and multiple temperature sensing modules relative to a quartz furnace tube in this embodiment. Implementation Method

[0013] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, an embodiment of a CVD apparatus 200 according to the present invention comprises a housing 3, a quartz furnace tube 4 mounted within the housing 3, and a heating system 5. During implementation, the CVD apparatus 200 may further include a vacuum pump for evacuating the quartz furnace tube 4, a gas supply device for injecting reactant gas into the quartz furnace tube 4, and a cooling device. However, since the quartz furnace tube 4, the vacuum pump, the gas supply device, and the cooling device are all prior art and not the focus of the present invention, they will not be described in detail.

[0014] 1 , 3 , and 4 , the heating system 5 includes two lamp holder mechanisms 6 spaced apart along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4 , a plurality of heaters 7 mounted on the lamp holder mechanisms 6 and distributed along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4 , and a control device 8 electrically connected to the lamp holder mechanisms 6 .

[0015] In this embodiment, the lamp holder mechanisms 6 are spaced apart vertically on the upper and lower sides of the quartz furnace tube 4, and are arranged so as to fit snugly around the outside of the quartz furnace tube 4. Because the lamp holder mechanisms 6 are vertically symmetrical, for ease of explanation, the following structural description will only use the lamp holder mechanism 6 located above the quartz furnace tube 4 as an example.

[0016] The lamp holder mechanism 6 includes two holders 61 spaced apart from each other along the length of the quartz furnace tube 4 , and a plurality of electrodes 62 and a plurality of position limiting modules 63 disposed on the holders 61 .

[0017] Each base 61 has a facing surface 611 facing the other base 61, and an inner circumferential surface 612 extending in an arc-shaped manner along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4. Each base 61 also has a plurality of engaging grooves 613 recessed into the facing surface 611 and arranged along the extension direction of the inner circumferential surface 612. Each engaging groove 613 extends vertically and has an engaging opening 614 exposed downwardly from the inner circumferential surface 612. The electrodes 62 are respectively disposed at the inner concave bottom edges of the engaging grooves 613 of the bases 61, and are arranged in pairs along the length of the quartz furnace tube 4.

[0018] The limiting modules 63 are arranged in pairs in the front and back intervals in the locking grooves 613 of the seat body 61. In other words, two limiting modules 63 are arranged in each locking groove 613.

[0019] Since the seats 61 are bilaterally symmetrical, and the electrodes 62 and the limiting modules 63 disposed on the seats 61 are also bilaterally symmetrical, the figure only uses the electrodes 62 and the limiting modules 63 disposed on one of the seats 61 as an example for description.

[0020] Each of the limiting modules 63 includes a slot structure 631 disposed on the base body 61 and defining a mounting slot 630 extending forward and backward to communicate with the corresponding locking slot 613 , and a positioning member 634 and an elastic member 635 disposed in the mounting slot 630 .

[0021] The groove structure 631 has a tube wall 632 extending with equal diameters in front and back, and a narrowing ring wall 633 extending from one end of the tube wall 632 toward the corresponding locking groove 613 and gradually shrinking in diameter. The tube wall 632 and the narrowing ring wall 633 cooperate to define the installation groove 630.

[0022] Referring to Figures 3, 4, and 5, each positioning member 634 can be displaced forward and backward within the corresponding mounting slot 630, varying between a restricted position and a disengaged position. When in the restricted position, the positioning member 634 partially protrudes outward from the narrowing ring wall 633, while partially exposed and retained within the engaging slot 613, as shown in Figure 4. When in the disengaged position, the positioning member 634 retracts into the mounting slot 630, as shown in the left half of Figure 5. The elastic member 635 elastically supports the positioning member 634 and the base 61 in a forward and backward manner, maintaining a constant elastic force to urge the positioning member 634 toward the restricted position.

[0023] In this embodiment, the positioning member 634 is spherical, with a diameter larger than the minimum diameter of the narrowing ring wall 633. The positioning member 634 partially protrudes into the locking groove 613, thereby blocking the space between the inner concave bottom edge of the locking groove 613 and the insertion opening 614. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, the positioning member 634 is not limited to this shape, as long as it can be pushed by the elastic member 635 to partially protrude into the locking groove 613 and then be pushed back into the installation groove 630. The elastic member 635 is a spring, but in practice, the elastic member 635 is not limited to a spring, as long as it has the elastic force to elastically push the positioning member 634 toward the locking groove 613.

[0024] Referring to Figures 1, 3, and 6, the heaters 7 extend left and right across the spaced-apart retaining slots 613 of the base 61 and are spaced apart along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4. Each heater 7 comprises two rod-shaped conductive portions 71 and a heating portion 72 electrically connected between the conductive portions 71 and capable of generating heat when energized. In this embodiment, the heaters 7 are quartz heating tubes, but this is not the only embodiment.

[0025] Referring to Figures 3, 4, and 5, when each heater 7 is installed in its corresponding housing 61, the conductive portions 71 of the heater 7 are aligned upward with the insertion openings 614 of one of the locking slots 613 of the housing 61, and the conductive portions 71 are moved from the insertion openings 614 into the locking slots 613. The heater 7 is then driven to push upward with the conductive portions 71 against the positioning members 634 of the retaining modules 63, forcing the positioning members 634 to retract into the mounting slots 630 and move to the unengaged position. At this point, the conductive portions 71 move upward past the positioning members 634 and electrically connect to the corresponding electrodes 62. At this point, the elastic members 635 of the limiting modules 63 elastically push the positioning members 634 back to the limiting position, that is, protruding into the locking grooves 613 and resting against the bottom of the conductive parts 71, limiting the conductive parts 71 in a state of electrical connection with the electrodes 62. The heater 7 is now installed.

[0026] 2 and 6 , the control device 8 includes a plurality of power supply port modules 81 electrically connected to the paired electrodes 62, a plurality of temperature sensing modules 82 distributed along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4 and disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the quartz furnace tube 4, a temperature setting module 83, and a temperature control module 84 signal-connected to the power supply port modules 81, the temperature sensing modules 82, and the temperature setting module 83.

[0027] During operation, the control device 8 is connected to a power source (not shown), such as, but not limited to, mains electricity. Furthermore, the control device 8 is a circuit device with a microprocessor, or an electronic device with a CPU, such as, but not limited to, a computer, a mobile phone, or a tablet computer. The control device 8 can be independent of the housing 3 or integrated into the housing 3.

[0028] Each power supply module 81 can be used to supply power to the corresponding electrodes 62 to drive the corresponding heater 7 to generate heat. Each temperature sensing module 82 can be used to sense the temperature of the quartz furnace tube 4 where it is located.

[0029] The temperature setting module 83 can be used to set a predetermined temperature for each of the temperature sensing modules 82. In practice, the temperature setting module 83 can be used to set the predetermined temperatures through touch operation or by receiving control signals through signal line transmission technology or wireless communication technology.

[0030] Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 6, the CVD apparatus 200 of the present invention, when used to grow a thin film material, can control the temperature of different regions above and below the quartz furnace tube 4 through the heating system 5. Based on the temperature requirements of various reactants, the temperature setting module 83 can set a predetermined temperature for each of the temperature sensing modules 82 distributed around the quartz furnace tube 4. During the thin film material growth process, the temperature control module 84 regulates the electrical energy supplied to the heaters 7 via the power supply modules 81, ensuring that the temperature measured by each temperature sensing module 82 approaches the set predetermined temperature. This allows for precise temperature control of various locations around the quartz furnace tube 4.

[0031] 4 and 5 , when the damaged heater 7 needs to be replaced, it is only necessary to drive the heater 7 relative to the corresponding seats 61 to move toward the corresponding insertion openings 614 and force the corresponding positioning members 634 to change to the disengaging position, so that the heater 7 can be detached from the seats 61, which is quite convenient.

[0032] In this embodiment, two limiting modules 63 are provided in each engaging slot 613, and the positioning members 634 of these limiting modules 63 cooperate to position the corresponding conductive portion 71 within the engaging slot 613. However, in other embodiments of the present invention, only one limiting module 63 may be provided in each engaging slot 613, while still achieving the purpose of positioning the conductive portion 71. Furthermore, since a limiting module can be provided within a slot and driven to move between a locked position and a disengaged position, various types of limiting modules can be used to releasably retain an object within the slot, such as, but not limited to, a spring element provided within the engaging slot 613 that can be driven to elastically deflect radially outward. Therefore, in practice, the limiting modules 63 are not limited to the aforementioned embodiments. Furthermore, during implementation, the limiting modules 63 may not be provided. Instead, a local retracted structure may be provided on the inner surface of each of the locking slots 613 so that the corresponding conductive portion 71 can be forced through and embedded in the locking slot 613.

[0033] In addition, in this embodiment, the lamp holder mechanisms 6 are arranged vertically on the upper and lower sides of the quartz furnace tube 4. However, in practice, the lamp holder mechanisms 6 can be arranged in any other manner. They can be arranged along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4, and the heaters 7 can be arranged and distributed along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4.

[0034] In summary, by arranging heaters 7 around the quartz furnace tube 4 and disposing multiple temperature sensing modules 82 along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4, and by enabling the control device 8 to set a predetermined temperature for each temperature sensing module 82, that is, to set a predetermined temperature for each portion of the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4, the control device 8 can individually control the electrical energy applied to the heaters 7 during the chemical vapor deposition process in the quartz furnace tube 4, thereby individually controlling the heating temperature of each heater 7. This allows the temperature value measured by each temperature sensing module 82 to approach the corresponding predetermined temperature, thereby achieving the goal of precisely controlling the temperature of each portion of the periphery of the quartz furnace tube 4. Therefore, the CVD apparatus 200 and the heating system 5 of the present invention are truly innovative, convenient, and practical creations, and they truly achieve the objectives of the present invention.

[0035] However, the above is merely an embodiment of the present invention and should not be used to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. All simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application and the content of the patent specification of the present invention are still within the scope of the patent of the present invention.

[0036] 200:CVD equipment 3: Shell 4: Quartz furnace tube 5: Heating system 6: Lamp holder mechanism 61: base body 611: Facing faces 612: Inner circumference 613:Card slot 614: Embedded port 62: Electrode 63: Limit module 630: Installation slot 631: slot structure 632: pipe wall 633: Narrow ring wall 634: Positioning piece 635: Elastic part 7: Heater 71: conductive part 72: Heating unit 8: Control device 81: Power port module 82: Temperature sensing module 83: Temperature setting module 84: Temperature control module

Claims

1. A heating system for a CVD apparatus, adapted to heat a quartz furnace tube in the CVD apparatus, the heating system comprising: two lamp holder mechanisms arranged along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube, each lamp holder mechanism comprising two bases spaced apart along the length of the quartz furnace tube, and a plurality of electrodes mounted on the bases; each base having a plurality of engaging grooves distributed along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube, the electrodes being mounted in the engaging grooves and arranged in pairs along the length of the quartz furnace tube; A plurality of heaters are electrically connected and arranged across the socket bodies of the lamp socket mechanisms, each of the heaters includes two conductive parts respectively embedded in one of the embedding grooves of the socket bodies, and a heating part electrically connected between the conductive parts and capable of being energized to generate heat, each of the conductive parts being electrically connected to the corresponding electrode; and a control device including a plurality of power supply port modules respectively electrically connected to the pairs of electrodes, a plurality of temperature sensing modules spaced along the outer periphery of the quartz furnace tube, a temperature setting module for setting a predetermined temperature for each temperature sensing module, and a temperature control module, each of the temperature sensing modules can be used to sense the temperature of a predetermined area of ​​the quartz furnace tube, and the temperature control module can regulate the electric energy supplied by the power supply port modules to drive the heaters so that the temperature value measured by each temperature sensing module approaches the set predetermined temperature.

2. The heating system for a CVD device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the base bodies has a facing surface facing the corresponding other base body, and an inner peripheral surface extending along the periphery of the quartz furnace tube. The embedding grooves are recessed in the facing surface and each has an embedding opening exposed on the inner peripheral surface. Each of the embedding grooves can allow one of the conductive parts of the corresponding heater to be embedded in or detached from the embedding opening. Each of the lamp holder mechanisms also includes a plurality of limiting modules respectively arranged in the embedding grooves, which can detachably limit the conductive parts in the embedding grooves.

3. The heating system for a CVD device according to claim 2, wherein: Each of the embedding slots is provided with at least one limiting module, and each of the limiting modules has a slot structure provided on the corresponding base body and connected to the corresponding embedding slot, and a positioning member and an elastic member provided in the slot structure. The positioning member can be driven by the corresponding conductive part to change from a limiting position protruding into the embedding slot to a disengaging position in which the elastic member is retracted relative to the slot structure and elastic deformation is driven. When the positioning member is located at the limiting position, the corresponding conductive part can be limited in the corresponding embedding slot and forced to be limited against the corresponding electrode. When the positioning member is located at the disengaging position, the conductive part can be relatively displaced.

4. The heating system for a CVD device according to claim 3, wherein: Each of the groove structures has a tube wall extending with equal diameter, and a narrowing ring wall extending from one end of the tube wall toward the corresponding embedded groove and gradually narrowing. The tube wall and the narrowing ring wall cooperate to form a mounting groove for the corresponding positioning member and the elastic member to be set, and connected to the corresponding embedded groove. Each of the positioning members is spherical, and the diameter of the positioning member is larger than the minimum diameter of the corresponding narrowing ring wall.

5. The heating system for a CVD device according to claim 3, wherein: Two limiting modules are arranged in each of the card embedding slots, and the positioning pieces of the limiting modules protrude toward each other at intervals and are exposed in the corresponding card embedding slots.

6. The heating system for a CVD device according to claim 4, wherein: Two limiting modules are arranged in each of the card embedding slots, and the positioning pieces of the limiting modules protrude toward each other at intervals and are exposed in the corresponding card embedding slots.

7. A CVD apparatus comprising: a housing; a quartz furnace tube for performing chemical vapor deposition, installed in the housing; and a heating system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, installed in the housing and capable of heating the quartz furnace tube.

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