CVD Gas Inlet Element Asymmetric Cell Pattern
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Solution Overview
Problem
CVD reactors experience insufficient gas supply in the central region of the process chamber due to gaps created when the center of rotation coincides with a central gas outlet opening, leading to incomplete coverage by rotating gas outlet openings.
Innovation Solution
The central gas outlet opening is positioned offset from the corner points and central point of cells, ensuring that any circular arc line around the center intersects with at least one gas outlet opening, eliminating gaps and improving gas distribution by arranging gas outlet openings in a pattern that forms regular polygons with linear and parallel reference lines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the center of rotation coincides with a central gas outlet opening, then the gas outlet openings can be arranged in a regular pattern, but gaps are created in the central region leading to insufficient gas supply
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by deliberately offsetting the center of rotation from the central gas outlet opening. This asymmetric arrangement ensures that during rotation, the gas outlet openings continuously cover the central region without creating gaps, thereby maintaining adequate gas supply while sacrificing the perfect regular pattern that would result from symmetric alignment.
2Device complexity
If gas outlet openings are arranged with centers on corner points of polygonal cells, then the structure is simplified and manufacturable, but circular arc lines around the center do not extend through all openings creating coverage gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent offsets the center of rotation from the geometric center of the polygonal cell arrangement. This asymmetric positioning ensures that circular arc lines drawn around the center of rotation intersect with at least one gas outlet opening, eliminating coverage gaps while maintaining the simplified polygonal cell structure for manufacturing.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the center lies in the central point of a central gas outlet opening or cell, then rotational symmetry is achieved, but an annular area remains around the circular region where no gas outlet opening moves during rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent deliberately breaks rotational symmetry by offsetting the center of rotation from the central point of the cell or gas outlet opening. This asymmetric arrangement ensures that during rotation, the gas outlet openings sweep across the entire central region including the area that would otherwise remain uncovered, thereby maintaining continuous gas supply coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas outlet surface of a gas inlet element for a CVD reactor or a gas outlet surface of a shielding plate for a gas inlet element has a multiplicity of gas outlet openings arranged around a center of the gas outlet surface. The central points of the gas outlet openings lie at the corner points of polygonal, identically formed cells, each having a geometrical central point. The position and the length of the edges of the cells are defined by intersecting reference lines, the reference lines being assigned to at least two families of lines, and the reference lines of a respective family extending linearly and parallel to one another over an entirety of the gas outlet surface. The center of the gas outlet surface is separated from one of the corner points by one-third±10 percent of the length of one of the edges.