Load-Lock Top-Lid Gas Piping for Faster Vacuum Breaking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing vacuum load-lock vapor sputtering system faces issues with long transfer times between chambers and deposited particles affecting wafer quality due to inefficient vacuum breaking and vacuumizing processes in the load-lock chamber.
Innovation Solution
The connection structure of the load-lock chamber and gas pipeline is improved by connecting the pipeline to the top lid of the load-lock chamber, incorporating filters and pressure regulating valves, and unifying gasket sizes to enhance efficiency and reduce errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the gas pipeline is connected to the load-lock chamber body, then the structure is simple, but the vacuum breaking time is long (50 seconds)
Solution Approach 1:
The connection structure is segmented by separating the gas pipeline connection from the load-lock chamber body and relocating it to the top lid. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component, enabling faster vacuum breaking through improved gas flow pathways while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection point is moved from a vertical connection to the chamber body to a horizontal connection on the top lid, utilizing a different spatial dimension. This dimensional change optimizes the gas flow path geometry, reducing flow resistance and accelerating vacuum breaking without significantly increasing structural complexity.
2Reliability
If filters and pressure regulating valves are added to the gas pipeline, then gas flow is stabilized and wafer quality improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Filters are installed in the gas pipeline to remove particles before gas enters the load-lock chamber, and pressure regulating valves are added to pre-control gas pressure. These preliminary actions prevent contamination and stabilize conditions before wafer processing, ensuring high wafer quality while the added components are justified by the critical nature of semiconductor manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter acts as an intermediary between the gas source and the load-lock chamber, removing harmful particles before gas contacts the wafer. The pressure regulating valve serves as an intermediary to mediate and stabilize gas pressure, preventing fluctuations that could affect wafer quality. These intermediary components protect the critical processing environment.
3Speed
If the pipeline joint is moved from the load-lock chamber body to the top lid, then vacuum breaking speed increases, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The top lid is given a specialized local quality by incorporating the gas pipeline connection joint, distinguishing it from the chamber body. This localized modification optimizes gas flow entry points and pathways specifically for rapid vacuum breaking, while the rest of the chamber structure remains unchanged, minimizing overall complexity increase.
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 improvement reduces the vacuum breaking time from 50 seconds to 22 seconds, increasing wafer production efficiency by 166% and minimizing wafer quality issues by stabilizing gas flow and reducing assembly errors.
Implementation Method 1
a gas pipeline (23) is connected with the top lid (22) of the load-lock chamber (20)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a semiconductor processing machine, which comprises a plurality of chambers, at least one of the chamber is a load-lock chamber, and the load-lock chamber comprises a bottom surface and a top lid opposite to the bottom surface; and a gas pipeline is connected with the top lid of the load-lock chamber.