Sealing valve for corrosive gases and thin film deposition apparatus
By using a labyrinth-type flow-blocking structure, the corrosion problem of the sealing ring caused by corrosive gases under high temperature and high pressure environments is solved, achieving a sealing effect without a sealing ring, reducing particulate contamination, and improving the reliability of process equipment.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- PIOTECH (SHENYANG) SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
Smart Images
Figure CN2024142204_02072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
A sealing valve for corrosive gases and a thin film deposition apparatus Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and more particularly to a sealing valve for corrosive gases and a thin film deposition apparatus. Background Technology
[0002] In existing technologies, perfluororubber sealing rings are commonly used in the isolation valves for corrosive cleaning gases in semiconductor process equipment such as CVD equipment to prevent particulate contamination caused by excessive gaps or friction between the valve plate and valve body. However, these sealing rings typically contain F and O atoms and ion clusters. The highly corrosive cleaning gases, as well as the high-temperature and high-pressure process environments, can corrode the sealing rubber material, resulting in particulate contamination.
[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the existing technology, there is an urgent need in the field for a sealing valve for corrosive gases, which can avoid the use of sealing rings, thereby avoiding the pollution introduced by the corrosion of sealing rings by corrosive gases, and adapting to high temperature and high pressure process scenarios. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of them. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed descriptions that follow.
[0005] To overcome the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a sealing valve for corrosive gases and a thin film deposition apparatus to avoid the use of sealing rings, thereby preventing contamination introduced by corrosion of the sealing rings by corrosive gases, and adapting to high-temperature and high-pressure process scenarios.
[0006] Specifically, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a sealing valve for corrosive gas includes: a valve seat, including a vent pipe through which the corrosive gas flows, wherein the two ends of the vent pipe are respectively provided with an inlet and an outlet, and a sealing portion surrounding the vent pipe is provided in the middle, the sealing portion being provided with at least one ring of a first groove and / or a first flange surrounding the vent pipe; and a valve plate, including a sealing surface facing the sealing portion, the sealing surface being provided with at least one ring of a second flange and / or a second groove surrounding the vent pipe, wherein the second flange extends into the first groove without contact when the valve plate approaches the valve seat, and / or the second groove covers the first flange without contact when the valve plate approaches the valve seat, thereby blocking the flow of the corrosive gas between the inlet and the outlet.
[0007] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the venting pipeline includes at least one right-angle bend structure, the sealing part is located at the inlet or outlet of the right-angle bend structure, the valve plate is located on the opposite side of the inlet or outlet where the sealing part is located, and is close to the sealing part under the action of a driving mechanism to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the air inlet and the air outlet.
[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the venting pipeline includes at least one straight pipe structure, the sealing portion surrounds the periphery of the straight pipe structure, the valve plate is located on the side of the straight pipe structure and extends into the straight pipe structure under the action of a driving mechanism, and then approaches the sealing portion to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the inlet and the outlet.
[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the sealing portion faces the end where the air inlet is located, the sealing surface of the valve plate faces the end where the air outlet is located, and after the valve plate extends into the straight pipe structure, it approaches the sealing portion under the pushing action of the corrosive gas to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the air inlet and the air outlet.
[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the first groove and the second flange, and / or the first flange and the second groove, both extend along the driving direction of the driving mechanism, so that the valve plate extends into the straight tube structure with its second flange enclosed by the first groove, and / or the valve plate extends into the straight tube structure with its second groove enclosing the first flange.
[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a non-collision gap of 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm is maintained between the first groove and the second flange, and / or a non-collision gap of 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm is maintained between the first flange and the second groove.
[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the sealing portion is provided with a first groove, and the sealing surface is correspondingly provided with a second flange, wherein the bottom width of the first groove and the top width of the second flange are both 0.1 mm, and the side depth of both is 0.4 mm; or the sealing portion is provided with a first flange, and the sealing surface is correspondingly provided with a second groove, wherein the top width of the first flange and the bottom width of the second groove are both 0.1 mm, and the side depth of both is 0.4 mm; or the sealing portion is provided with two first grooves, and the sealing surface is correspondingly provided with two second flanges, wherein the bottom width of the first groove and the top width of the second flange are both 0.1 mm, and the side depth of both is between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm; or the sealing portion is provided with a first flange, and the sealing surface is correspondingly provided with a second groove, wherein the top width of the first flange and the bottom width of the second groove are both 0.1 mm, and the side depth of both is between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm.
[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the corrosive gas includes plasma of reactants in the thin film deposition process and plasma of cleaning gases in the process chamber cleaning process.
[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the valve seat and the valve plate are both made of a corrosion-resistant material of the corrosive gas, and do not contain accessories made of an easily corrosive material of the corrosive gas.
[0015] Furthermore, the thin film deposition apparatus provided according to a second aspect of the present invention includes: at least one process chamber; a remote plasma system for providing remote plasma to the at least one process chamber; and a sealing valve as provided in the first aspect of the present invention. Attached Figure Description
[0016] The above-described features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.
[0017] Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of the closed state of a sealing valve provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] Figure 1B shows a schematic diagram of the opening state of a sealing valve provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a valve plate provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0020] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a valve plate provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0021] Figure 4A shows a schematic diagram of the closed state of a sealing valve provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0022] Figure 4B shows a schematic diagram of the opening state of a sealing valve provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0023] Reference numerals: 10 Valve seat; 11 Vent pipe; 12 Sealing part; 13 First groove; 14 First flange; 20 Valve plate; 21 Second flange; 22 Second groove; 30 Drive mechanism; 31 Actuator; 32 Guide mechanism; 33 Valve stem; 34 Bellows. Detailed Implementation
[0024] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention is presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of the invention are limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of the present invention. To provide a thorough understanding of the invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The invention may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.
[0025] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; 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; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.
[0026] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in the relevant paragraphs and accompanying drawings. These relative terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply that the described apparatus must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention.
[0027] It is understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first components, regions, layers, and / or parts discussed below may be referred to as second components, regions, layers, and / or parts without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.
[0028] As mentioned above, perfluororubber sealing rings are commonly used in the isolation valves for corrosive cleaning gases in semiconductor process equipment such as CVD equipment to prevent particulate contamination caused by excessive gaps or friction between the valve plate and the valve body. However, these sealing rings typically contain F and O atoms and ion clusters. The highly corrosive cleaning gases, as well as the high-temperature and high-pressure process environments, can corrode the sealing rubber material, resulting in particulate contamination.
[0029] To overcome the aforementioned deficiencies in existing technologies, there is an urgent need in the art for a sealing valve for corrosive gases and a thin-film deposition apparatus. This apparatus can achieve sealing of corrosive gases through a labyrinthine flow-blocking structure composed of at least one groove and a flange, thus avoiding the use of a sealing ring and preventing contamination introduced by corrosion of the sealing ring by the corrosive gas. It is also suitable for high-temperature and high-pressure process scenarios. Furthermore, by employing a non-contact flow-blocking structure assembly method, this invention can effectively avoid particulate contamination introduced by collisions between the groove and the flange.
[0030] In some non-limiting embodiments, the sealing valve for corrosive gases provided in the first aspect of the invention can be configured in the thin film deposition apparatus provided in the second aspect of the invention. Specifically, the thin film deposition apparatus includes at least one process chamber, a remote plasma system, and the sealing valve as provided in the first aspect of the invention. Here, the remote plasma system is used to provide remote plasma to the at least one process chamber. Those skilled in the art will understand that the remote plasma includes, but is not limited to, plasma of reactant gases in the process flow and plasma of cleaning gases in the cleaning process.
[0031] Please refer to Figures 1A and 1B for details. Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of the closed state of the sealing valve provided according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1B shows a schematic diagram of the open state of the sealing valve provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0032] As shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the sealing valve for the corrosive gas includes a valve seat 10 and a valve plate 20. Here, the corrosive gas includes, but is not limited to, the plasma of reactants in the thin film deposition process, and the plasma of cleaning gases in the process chamber cleaning process. Furthermore, both the valve seat 10 and the valve plate 20 can be made of corrosion-resistant materials (e.g., aluminum alloy, Hastelloy) and of easily corroded materials (e.g., rubber) that do not contain corrosive gases.
[0033] The valve seat 10 includes a vent pipe 11 for the flow of corrosive gas. The vent pipe 11 has an inlet and an outlet at both ends, and a sealing portion 12 surrounding the vent pipe 11 in its middle. The sealing portion 12 has at least one first groove 15 and / or a first flange 14 surrounding the vent pipe 11.
[0034] The valve plate 20 is driven by a drive mechanism 30 to move toward the sealing surface of the sealing part. Specifically, the drive mechanism 30 includes a driver 31, a guide mechanism 32, a valve stem 33, and a bellows 34. The driver 31 provides linear motion to the valve stem 33 and can be a pneumatic or electric linear motion driver 31. The guide mechanism 32 ensures the accuracy of the linear motion of the valve stem 33. The bellows 34 is welded between the valve seat 10 and the valve stem 33. Here, the area where the valve plate moves is a vacuum, and the bellows 34 seals the vacuum area, preventing particulate contamination generated by friction between the valve stem 33 and the guide mechanism 32 from entering the vacuum environment.
[0035] Furthermore, when the sealing valve is closed, the actuator 31 drives the valve stem 33 to move downward along the guide mechanism 32, causing the valve plate to contact the sealing surface of the sealing part. Correspondingly, when the sealing valve is opened, the actuator 31 drives the valve stem 33 to move upward along the guide mechanism 32, causing the valve plate to separate from the sealing surface of the sealing part.
[0036] Please refer to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a valve plate provided according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a valve plate provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0037] As shown in Figure 2, the valve plate 20 includes a sealing surface facing the sealing part 12, and the sealing surface is provided with at least one second flange 21 and / or second groove 22 surrounding the vent pipe 11.
[0038] As shown in Figure 3, the second flange 21 extends into the first groove 15 without contact when the valve plate 20 is close to the valve seat 10, and / or the second groove 22 covers the first flange 14 without contact when the valve plate 20 is close to the valve seat 10, so as to block the flow of corrosive gas between the inlet and the outlet.
[0039] Furthermore, the ventilation pipe 11 includes at least one right-angle bend structure, the sealing part 12 is located at the inlet or outlet of the right-angle bend structure, the valve plate 20 is located on the opposite side of the inlet or outlet where the sealing part 12 is located, and is close to the sealing part 12 under the action of a drive mechanism 30, so as to block the flow of corrosive gas between the inlet and outlet.
[0040] In some embodiments, a 0.05mm to 0.3mm anti-touch gap is maintained between the first groove 15 and the second flange 21. A 0.05mm to 0.3mm anti-touch gap is maintained between the first flange 14 and the second groove 22.
[0041] In some embodiments, the sealing part 12 is provided with a first groove 15, and the sealing surface is provided with a second flange 21. The bottom width of the first groove 15 and the top width of the second flange 21 are both 0.1 mm, and the side height of both are 0.4 mm.
[0042] In some embodiments, the sealing part 12 is provided with a first flange 14, and the sealing surface is provided with a second groove 22. The top surface width of the first flange 14 and the bottom surface width of the second groove 22 are both 0.1 mm, and the side surface depth of both is 0.4 mm.
[0043] In some embodiments, the sealing part 12 is provided with two first grooves 15, and the sealing surface is provided with two second flanges 21. The bottom width of the first groove 15 and the top width of the second flange 21 are both 0.1 mm, and the side heights of both are between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm.
[0044] In some embodiments, the sealing part 12 is provided with a first flange 14, and the sealing surface is provided with a second groove 22. The top surface width of the first flange 14 and the bottom surface width of the second groove 22 are both 0.1 mm, and the side surface depth of both is 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.
[0045] Thus, by setting at least one flange and groove to form a labyrinthine airflow path, increasing the flow resistance to gas leakage, this invention can achieve sealing of corrosive gases without using rubber sealing rings and without the valve seat and valve plate contacting each other. This avoids contamination introduced by the corrosion of the sealing ring by corrosive gases and is suitable for high-temperature and high-pressure process scenarios. Simultaneously, through this non-contact flow-blocking structure assembly method, this invention can also effectively avoid particulate contamination introduced by the collision between the groove and the flange.
[0046] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described embodiments of the bent pipe structure are merely some non-limiting implementations provided by the present invention, intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the invention and provide some specific solutions that are easy for the public to implement, rather than being used to limit the entire structure of the pipe.
[0047] Alternatively, in other embodiments, the present invention can employ other piping structures to achieve the installation and application of the labyrinth-type sealing valve described above. Please refer specifically to Figures 4A and 4B. Figure 4A shows a schematic diagram of the sealing valve in its closed state according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4B shows a schematic diagram of the sealing valve in its open state according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0048] In the embodiments shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the ventilation pipe 11 includes at least one straight pipe structure, the sealing part 12 surrounds the outer periphery of the straight pipe structure, the valve plate 20 is located on the side of the straight pipe structure and extends into the straight pipe structure under the action of a driving mechanism 30, and then approaches the sealing part 12 to block the flow of corrosive gas between the inlet and outlet.
[0049] In some embodiments, the sealing part 12 faces the end where the air inlet is located, and the sealing surface of the valve plate 20 faces the end where the air outlet is located. After the valve plate 20 extends into the straight pipe structure, it approaches the sealing part 12 under the pushing action of the corrosive gas to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the air inlet and the air outlet.
[0050] Optionally, the drive mechanism 30 may be provided with a rebound mechanism to drive the sealing surface away from the sealing part 12 when the inlet pressure decreases or the outlet pressure increases, so as to restore the flow of corrosive gas between the inlet and outlet.
[0051] In some embodiments, the first groove 15 and the second flange 21, and / or the first flange 14 and the second groove 22, both extend along the driving direction of the driving mechanism 30, so that the valve plate 20 extends into the straight tube structure within the enclosure of the first groove 15 by its second flange 21, and / or extends into the straight tube structure with the valve plate 20 enclosing the first flange 14 by its second groove 22.
[0052] In summary, the corrosive gas sealing valve and thin film deposition equipment provided in this field can achieve the sealing of corrosive gases through a labyrinthine flow-blocking structure composed of at least one groove and a flange, thereby avoiding the use of a sealing ring and preventing contamination introduced by corrosion of the sealing ring by the corrosive gas, and adapting to high-temperature and high-pressure process scenarios. Simultaneously, this non-contact flow-blocking structure assembly method avoids particulate contamination introduced by collisions between the groove and the flange.
[0053] Although the methods described above are illustrated and depicted as a series of actions for the sake of simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, as some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from the illustrations and descriptions herein or not illustrated and described herein but which may be understood by those skilled in the art, according to one or more embodiments.
[0054] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A sealing valve for corrosive gases, characterized in that, include: A valve seat includes a vent pipe for the flow of the corrosive gas, wherein the two ends of the vent pipe are respectively provided with an inlet and an outlet, and the middle part is provided with a sealing portion surrounding the vent pipe, the sealing portion having at least one ring of a first groove and / or a first flange surrounding the vent pipe; and The valve plate includes a sealing surface facing the sealing portion. The sealing surface is provided with at least one second flange and / or a second groove surrounding the vent pipe. The second flange extends into the first groove without contact when the valve plate is close to the valve seat, and / or the second groove covers the first flange without contact when the valve plate is close to the valve seat, so as to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the air inlet and the air outlet.
2. The sealing valve as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ventilation pipeline includes at least one right-angle bend structure. The sealing part is located at the inlet or outlet of the right-angle bend structure. The valve plate is located on the opposite side of the inlet or outlet where the sealing part is located, and is close to the sealing part under the action of a driving mechanism to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the air inlet and the air outlet.
3. The sealing valve as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ventilation pipeline includes at least one straight pipe structure. The sealing part surrounds the periphery of the straight pipe structure. The valve plate is located on the side of the straight pipe structure and extends into the straight pipe structure under the action of a driving mechanism, and then approaches the sealing part to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the inlet and the outlet.
4. The sealing valve as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The sealing part faces the end where the air inlet is located, and the sealing surface of the valve plate faces the end where the air outlet is located. After the valve plate extends into the straight pipe structure, it approaches the sealing part under the pushing action of the corrosive gas to block the flow of the corrosive gas between the air inlet and the air outlet.
5. The sealing valve as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first groove and the second flange, and / or the first flange and the second groove, both extend along the driving direction of the driving mechanism, so that the valve plate extends into the straight pipe structure with its second flange enclosed by the first groove, and / or the valve plate extends into the straight pipe structure with its second groove enclosing the first flange.
6. The sealing valve as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A non-contact gap of 0.05mm to 0.3mm is maintained between the first groove and the second flange, and / or a non-contact gap of 0.05mm to 0.3mm is maintained between the first flange and the second groove.
7. The sealing valve as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The sealing part is provided with a first groove, and the sealing surface is correspondingly provided with a second flange. The bottom width of the first groove and the top width of the second flange are both 0.1 mm, and their side heights are both 0.4 mm. The sealing part is provided with a first flange, and the sealing surface is correspondingly provided with a second groove. The top surface width of the first flange and the bottom surface width of the second groove are both 0.1 mm, and the side depth of both is 0.4 mm. The sealing part is provided with two rings of the first groove, and the sealing surface is correspondingly provided with two rings of the second flange. The bottom width of the first groove and the top width of the second flange are both 0.1 mm, and the side heights of both are between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm. The sealing part is provided with a first flange, and the sealing surface is provided with a second groove. The top surface width of the first flange and the bottom surface width of the second groove are both 0.1 mm, and the side depth of both is 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm.
8. The sealing valve as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The corrosive gases include plasmas of reactants in the thin film deposition process and plasmas of cleaning gases in the process chamber cleaning process.
9. The sealing valve as described in claim 8, characterized in that, Both the valve seat and the valve plate are made of corrosion-resistant materials that are resistant to the corrosive gas, and the fittings do not contain materials that are easily corroded by the corrosive gas.
10. A thin film deposition apparatus, characterized in that, include: At least one process chamber; A remote plasma system for supplying remote plasma to the at least one process chamber; as well as The sealing valve as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.