Gas Injector Assembly for Precursor Preheating and Uniform Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas injectors in semiconductor processing are unable to fully activate precursors, which can lead to suboptimal process performance due to variations in precursor activation times and the need for thermal budget management during mixing and exposure to substrates.
Innovation Solution
A gas injector assembly with a design that includes a larger precursor gas supply conduit for one precursor and a smaller conduit for another, allowing for extended exposure and preheating of precursors before mixing and exposure to the substrate, ensuring full activation and uniform mixing before forming the process gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If precursors are provided through conventional gas injectors, then the process gas can be delivered to the process chamber, but the precursors cannot be fully activated due to insufficient exposure time and thermal budget
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing different path lengths for different precursors before they reach the mixing region. The first precursor travels through a longer path (first supply conduit) while the second precursor travels through a shorter path (second supply conduit), allowing the first precursor to be pre-heated and activated earlier in the process, ensuring complete activation before substrate exposure.
2Manufacturing precision
If precursors are mixed immediately upon entry, then the process gas can be formed quickly, but the precursors cannot achieve uniform mixing and complete activation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the gas supply system into separate supply conduits for different precursors. Each precursor has its own dedicated conduit with optimized path length, allowing independent control and activation of each precursor before they converge and mix in the process chamber, ensuring uniform film deposition.
3Reliability
If all precursors use the same supply conduit size, then the system is simple to manufacture, but precursors requiring longer activation time cannot be fully activated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the supply conduits non-uniform - specifically, the first precursor gas supply conduit has a larger size than the second precursor gas supply conduit. This local variation in conduit dimensions allows optimization of thermal exposure and activation time for each specific precursor based on its individual activation requirements.
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
This design enhances precursor activation, improves process performance by ensuring precursors are fully activated before exposure, leading to higher quality and uniformity of film deposition on substrates, and increases throughput by allowing for simultaneous processing of multiple substrates.
Implementation Method 1
A size of the first precursor gas supply conduit extending from the first precursor gas entry to the first precursor gas inlet may be larger than the size of the second precursor gas supply conduit extending from the second precursor gas entry to the second precursor gas inlet
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~2(b)
Figure 3(a)~4(c)
Figure 5(a)~6
AI summary
A gas injector assembly and a substrate processing apparatus comprising the gas injector assembly is disclosed. Embodiments of the presently described gas injector assembly comprise a gas injector, a first precursor gas supply conduit and a second precursor gas supply conduit. A size of the first precursor gas supply conduit is larger than the size of the second precursor gas supply conduit.