MEMS Deposition Trap Stacked Microchannels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deposition traps in vacuum process equipment are inefficient in contaminant trapping due to long fluid flow paths, which lead to increased flow resistance and delayed pressure signal response in vacuum pressure transducers, especially in low-pressure ranges.
Innovation Solution
A MEMS deposition trap with a stacked manifold and microchannel layer structure that forces fluid through short, parallel microchannels with multiple direction changes, reducing flow resistance and enhancing contaminant trapping while maintaining fast response times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If long fluid flow paths are used in deposition traps, then contaminant trapping efficiency is improved, but flow resistance increases and pressure signal response time is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a planar, two-dimensional flow path to a three-dimensional stacked microchannel structure. Multiple microchannels are arranged in vertical layers, allowing the fluid to traverse a longer effective path length through vertical stacking rather than horizontal extension. This dimensional transformation enables increased contaminant trapping opportunities without proportionally increasing the horizontal footprint or causing excessive flow resistance that would delay pressure signal response.
Solution Approach 2:
The deposition trap is divided into multiple discrete microchannels arranged in parallel across different layers. Each microchannel provides an independent flow path, and the collective system achieves high contaminant trapping efficiency through the cumulative effect of many parallel paths. This segmentation allows the system to maintain low flow resistance in each individual channel while achieving high overall trapping efficiency through the aggregate of multiple channels.
2Reliability
If extended flow paths are implemented, then contaminant trapping is improved, but flow resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes vertical stacking of microchannel layers to achieve extended flow paths without horizontal expansion. By transitioning to a three-dimensional architecture, the fluid can traverse longer effective distances through multiple vertical levels while maintaining compact horizontal dimensions. This dimensional approach reduces flow resistance compared to traditional extended horizontal paths, as the vertical stacking creates parallel flow routes that distribute pressure drop across multiple channels.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple microchannels are merged into a single integrated deposition trap structure through vertical stacking. The parallel arrangement of microchannels across different layers combines their individual flow paths into a unified system that achieves high contaminant trapping efficiency. This merging of multiple channels provides parallel flow routes that reduce overall flow resistance while maintaining extended effective path length for contaminant removal.
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 MEMS deposition trap effectively removes contaminants with minimal impact on pressure signal response times, ensuring improved process repeatability and stability by reducing pressure loss and increasing contaminant-boundary interactions.
Implementation Method 1
a manifold layer (20) having manifold inlet channels (25) and manifold outlet channels (26), a microchannel layer (30) having microchannels (33), wherein the manifold layer (20) and the microchannel layer (30) are bonded together so as to form a fluid path, wherein a fluid is forced to pass through the microchannels (33) when flowing from the manifold inlet channels (25) to the manifold outlet channels (26)
Implementation Method 2
The stacked layer arrangement of the manifold channels and microchannels introduces multiple direction changes in the flow path. This increases the number of contaminant-boundary interactions and thus greatly improves the contaminant trapping despite of the short fluid path
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a MEMS deposition trap (10) comprising: a manifold layer having manifold inlet channels and manifold outlet channels, a microchannel layer (20) having microchannels (33), wherein the manifold layer and the microchannel layer are bonded together so as to form a fluid path, wherein a fluid is forced to pass through the microchannels (33) when flowing from the manifold inlet channels to the manifold outlet channels. Furthermore, it relates to a vacuum sensor having such a deposition trap as and to a process chamber of a manufacturing equipment, preferably used for thin-film deposition or etching processes, comprising such a vacuum sensor.