Jet Inlet Design for Chemical Precursor Delivery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for delivering liquid chemical precursors in semiconductor manufacturing face issues with plugging, flow restrictions, and aerosol formation due to solid particulates, which are unsuitable for materials that contain or form solids over time.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a jet inlet design to inject carrier gas into the vapor space above the liquid chemical precursor, avoiding the formation of aerosols and mists by ensuring the carrier gas impinges directly on the liquid surface, thereby maintaining high saturation levels and preventing solid particulates from being transported to the outlet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a bubbler design is used to deliver liquid precursors with low vapor pressure, then carrier gas saturation is improved, but aerosol formation and solid particulate transport occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful function of bubble bursting from the system by removing the inlet pipe from the liquid phase and placing it in the vapor space. This eliminates aerosol formation while maintaining precursor delivery through vapor-phase mass transfer, separating the gas injection function from the liquid contact function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces the liquid precursor's vapor phase as an intermediary medium between the carrier gas and the liquid bulk. The carrier gas saturates with precursor vapor in the headspace rather than bubbling through liquid, using the vapor phase as a buffer that prevents direct gas-liquid-aerosol interaction.
2Duration of action of moving object
If bubbles burst at the liquid surface in a bubbler container, then gas-liquid contact time is increased, but solid particulates become entrained in the carrier gas flow
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the solid particulate problem from the system by eliminating the bubble bursting mechanism entirely. The inlet pipe is repositioned in the vapor space above the liquid, preventing any gas-liquid-aerosol-solids interaction pathway while maintaining sufficient contact time through vapor-phase equilibrium.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a functional copy of the gas-liquid contact process by using vapor-phase saturation instead of liquid-phase bubbling. The carrier gas achieves precursor saturation through exposure to the vapor space, replicating the mass transfer function without the harmful aerosol generation mechanism.
3Productivity
If a bubbler design is used to achieve saturated carrier gas, then delivery rate is maximized, but plugging and flow restrictions occur downstream
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the plugging problem from the system by removing the source of solid particulate entrainment (bubble bursting). By positioning the inlet in the vapor space, solids remain in the liquid phase and cannot be transported downstream, eliminating plugging while maintaining delivery rate through vapor-phase mass transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harm of solid particulates into a benefit by allowing solids to settle in the liquid while the vapor phase carries only gaseous precursor. The liquid-solids mixture remains in the container while the clean vapor-gas mixture flows downstream, turning a contamination problem into a separation advantage.
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 jet inlet design effectively achieves carrier gas saturation without forming aerosols or mists, preventing solid particulates from accumulating and causing plugging or flow restrictions, thus ensuring stable and efficient delivery of chemical precursors.
Implementation Method 1
The chemical precursor within the container has a low vapor pressure less than about 50 Torr-absolute (6.7 kPa) and a melting point above or below the container temperature set for storage system and below container temperature set for delivery system. a carrier gas is introduced into the container to provide a precursor-laden fluid stream
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
Described herein are systems and methods using same for the storage and delivery of chemical precursors that are used in the manufacture of a semiconductor device. In one aspect, the storage system comprises the chemical precursors and a container and the systems have an inlet jet design. The chemical precursor has a low vapor pressure less than about 50 Torr-absolute (6.7 kPa) at container temperature set for delivery. The delivery system further contains a carrier gas. The inlet jet design can deliver the carrier gas at a certain pressure and a certain low rate to impinge upon the surface of the chemical precursors to produce a vapor or droplets of the chemical precursor. The vapor or droplets of the chemical precursor then combine with the carrier gas to provide a precursor-laden fluid stream which will be passed to and used in the processing tool.