Film Deposition Apparatus Side Wall Nozzle Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing film deposition apparatuses face challenges in easy maintenance due to the need to disconnect reactant gas pipes from the top panel, leading to potential particle contamination and requiring a bulky preparatory treatment unit that necessitates a high-power elevation mechanism, limiting installation locations.
Innovation Solution
A film deposition apparatus design featuring reactant gas nozzles attached to the outer wall of the vacuum container, allowing for easy maintenance without disconnecting the nozzles from the top panel, and an adjustable inclination mechanism for the nozzles to ensure uniform gas distribution across the wafer surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If reactant gas pipes are connected to the top panel for gas supply, then gas supply function is achieved, but maintenance work becomes complicated and particle generation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reactant gas nozzles are extracted from the top panel structure and repositioned to be attached directly to the side wall of the vacuum container. This extraction eliminates the need to disconnect pipes from the top panel during maintenance, allowing the top panel to be removed independently for easy access to the reaction chamber while the nozzles remain in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas supply structure transitions from a vertical arrangement (top panel) to a lateral arrangement (side wall). By moving the nozzles to the side wall, the system changes the spatial dimension of gas delivery, enabling the top panel to be separated for maintenance without affecting the gas supply system.
2Ease of manufacture
If a preparatory treatment unit is placed on the top surface of the top panel, then preparatory treatment function is achieved, but the lifting mechanism requires large power and installation space is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The preparatory treatment unit is extracted from the top panel assembly and repositioned to be located beside the vacuum container. This separation allows the top panel to be lightweight and easily removable, eliminating the need for high-power lifting mechanisms while still providing the necessary preparatory treatment functionality through the side-mounted nozzles.
3Manufacturing precision
If reactant gas nozzles are fixed to supply gas uniformly, then film deposition quality is improved, but maintenance access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzles are extracted from the top panel and repositioned to the side wall, creating a maintenance-friendly configuration where the top panel can be independently removed for easy access to the reaction chamber, while the nozzles remain fixed in their optimal positions for uniform gas distribution.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easier maintenance by reducing particle contamination and eliminates the need for a high-power elevation mechanism, while ensuring consistent film deposition quality through adjustable nozzle positioning.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of reactant gas nozzles 31, 32 disposed through and supported by an outer wall of the container of the vacuum container to be situated at different angular positions with respect to a rotation center of the rotary table to face areas in which the substrate placement area passes
Implementation Method 2
a discharge gas supply unit situated at an angular position between the process areas to supply purge gas to form an isolation area that isolates atmospheres of the process areas from each other
Implementation Method 3
a vacuum container including a container configured to accommodate the rotary table
Implementation Method 4
an exhaustion unit configured to exhaust atmosphere inside the vacuum container
Data Source
AI summary
A film deposition apparatus includes a rotary table having a substrate placement area to support a substrate, a vacuum container including a container and a top panel, an open-and-close mechanism configured to open and close the top panel, reactant gas nozzles disposed through and supported by an outer wall of the container to be situated at different angular positions with respect to a rotation center of the rotary table to face areas in which the substrate placement area passes, the reactant gas nozzles having gas discharge ports arranged in radial directions to supply respective reactant gases to the wafer thereby to form respective process areas, a discharge gas supply unit situated at an angular position between the process areas to supply purge gas to form an isolation area that isolates atmospheres of the process areas from each other, and an exhaustion unit configured to exhaust atmosphere inside the vacuum container.