Atomic Layer Deposition Gas Supply Calculation Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for calculating the gas supply amount during atomic layer deposition (ALD) are inaccurate, particularly in the initial cycles, leading to inefficiencies and wastage of expensive solid raw materials.
Innovation Solution
A method that calculates the flow rate of a first substance gas by subtracting the flow rate of a second substance gas from the flow rate of a mixed gas, integrates this over time after a predetermined number of cycles, and then calculates the average integrated flow rate per cycle to determine the total supply amount, ensuring accurate gas supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If gas supply amount is calculated using conventional methods during ALD, then the calculation process is simple, but the calculation accuracy is low leading to material waste
Solution Approach 1:
The calculation process is segmented into distinct phases: initial cycles (where carrier gas dominates) and remaining cycles (where substance gas dominates). This segmentation allows different calculation approaches for different phases, improving overall accuracy while managing complexity through structured division of the calculation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The method performs preliminary integration of flow rate over the initial predetermined cycles to establish a baseline. This preliminary action accounts for the carrier gas dominance phase separately, enabling more accurate calculation of the substance gas supply in subsequent cycles.
2Loss of substance
If gas supply amount is calculated without considering initial cycles separately, then the calculation is faster, but expensive raw materials are wasted due to inaccurate calculation
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the ALD cycles into initial and remaining cycles, the method accurately accounts for carrier gas consumption in the initial phase separately from substance gas consumption. This prevents overestimation of substance gas supply and eliminates raw material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The method performs partial integration only for the remaining cycles after the initial predetermined cycles, rather than integrating over all cycles. This partial action approach reduces calculation time while maintaining accuracy by excluding the carrier gas-dominated initial phase from substance gas calculations.
3Measurement precision
If flow rate measurement includes carrier gas, then the total flow is easier to measure, but the substance gas flow rate accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The method extracts and separates the carrier gas flow rate component from the total mixed gas flow rate. By measuring total flow and subtracting the known carrier gas flow, the method isolates the substance gas flow rate, achieving precise measurement while maintaining manageable calculation complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The total mixed gas flow rate measurement serves as an intermediary that facilitates the determination of substance gas flow rate. By using the easily measurable total flow as a baseline and subtracting the carrier gas component, the method obtains accurate substance gas flow data without directly measuring it.
Data Source
AI summary
Gas supply amount calculation method includes: calculating flow rate of first substance gas by subtracting flow rate of second substance gas from flow rate of mixed gas of the first and second substance gas flowing through gas supply path connected to processing container configured to perform film formation by atomic layer deposition method; calculating first integrated flow rate of the first substance gas over time in remaining plurality of cycles after elapse of a predetermined number of cycles immediately after start of the film formation over a plurality of cycles; calculating average integrated flow rate per cycle by dividing the first integrated flow rate by the number of the remaining plurality of cycles; and calculating total supply amount of the first substance gas in the plurality of cycles by adding multiplication value obtained by multiplying the average integrated flow rate by the predetermined number and the first integrated flow rate.