Dual-Chamber Gas Delivery for High-Pressure Annealing Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing annealing chambers face challenges in achieving precise and repeatable temperature profiles and minimizing defects during micro-electronic circuit fabrication, particularly due to contamination and oxidation issues at high temperatures, and the risk of containment breaches at high pressures.
Innovation Solution
A high-pressure processing system with a first chamber capable of pressures above 10 atmospheres and a second chamber at near-vacuum pressure, featuring a gas delivery system, vacuum processing, and isolation valves to control pressure and prevent oxidation, along with enhanced safety features to manage high pressures safely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single chamber is used for annealing processing, then the device structure is simple, but it is difficult to achieve both high pressure processing and vacuum transfer, leading to contamination and oxidation issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate chambers: a first chamber for vacuum substrate transfer and a second chamber for high-pressure annealing processing. This segmentation allows each chamber to be optimized for its specific function, enabling the system to achieve both vacuum and high-pressure capabilities without requiring a complex single-chamber design that would need to accommodate both functions simultaneously.
2Manufacturing precision
If high pressure is applied during annealing, then chemical reactions are enhanced and processing uniformity is improved, but the risk of containment breach and safety issues increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates multiple safety mechanisms including pressure relief valves, burst discs, and interlocked safety systems that activate before dangerous pressure levels can cause containment breaches. These preemptive safety features allow the system to operate at high pressures to achieve uniform processing while maintaining reliability by preventing catastrophic failures through advance protective measures.
3Ease of operation
If substrate is exposed to atmosphere during transfer, then the process is simpler, but oxidation and contamination of the substrate occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The first chamber is maintained under vacuum or inert atmosphere conditions during substrate transfer operations. This creates a protected environment that prevents oxidation and contamination of the substrate while it is being transferred from the load lock to the annealing chamber, eliminating the need for complex atmospheric control during transfer operations.
4Productivity
If rapid heating and cooling is applied for annealing, then processing time is reduced, but temperature profile control precision becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs multiple temperature sensors positioned throughout the annealing chamber that provide real-time feedback to a control system. This feedback mechanism allows the controller to dynamically adjust heating and cooling rates to maintain the desired temperature profile even during rapid processing cycles, achieving both high productivity and precise temperature control by continuously monitoring and correcting temperature deviations.
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
The system enables uniform processing of substrates, reduces defects, and provides access to chemical reactions not available at lower pressures, while ensuring safe operation by preventing oxidation and containing high pressures effectively.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum processing system configured to lower a pressure within the second chamber to near vacuum
Implementation Method 2
a gas delivery system configured to introduce one or more gases into the first chamber and to increase the pressure within the first chamber to at least 10 atmospheres
Implementation Method 3
a valve assembly between the first chamber and the second chamber to isolate the pressure within the first chamber from the pressure within the second chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A high-pressure processing system for processing a layer on a substrate includes a first chamber, a support to hold the substrate in the first chamber, a second chamber adjacent the first chamber, a foreline to remove gas from the second chamber, a vacuum processing system configured to lower a pressure within the second chamber to near vacuum, a valve assembly between the first chamber and the second chamber to isolate the pressure within the first chamber from the pressure within the second chamber, a gas delivery system configured to increase the pressure within the first chamber to at least 10 atmospheres while the first chamber is isolated from the second chamber, an exhaust system comprising an exhaust line to remove gas from the first chamber, and a common housing surrounding both the first gas delivery module and the second gas delivery module.