Mist Filter Groove Design for Vaporization Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for forming films on wafers using a liquid source often result in incomplete vaporization, leading to particle generation and re-liquefaction issues due to high flow rates, which contaminates the wafer with droplets that are not effectively filtered by traditional gas filters.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing apparatus incorporating a mist filter with alternating first and second plates featuring grooves and holes, which increases the surface area for vaporization and reduces flow velocity by creating a vortex, ensuring complete vaporization of droplets before they reach the process chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the flow rate of the liquid source is increased to improve productivity, then the film formation speed increases, but incomplete vaporization occurs leading to particle generation and droplet contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The vaporizer is divided into multiple heating zones with independent temperature control, allowing each zone to optimize vaporization at different stages. This segmentation enables complete vaporization even at high flow rates by providing progressive heating throughout the vaporizer length.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts heating temperature and flow rate parameters to maintain optimal vaporization conditions. By changing these parameters in response to detected droplet levels, the system ensures complete vaporization while maintaining high productivity.
2Device complexity
If a traditional gas filter is used to remove droplets, then the system structure remains simple, but the filter becomes clogged and requires frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The vaporizer is designed to perform preliminary vaporization action before the gas reaches the filter. By ensuring complete vaporization in the heating zone, droplets are eliminated upstream, preventing filter clogging and reducing maintenance needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of high flow rates (incomplete vaporization) into a benefit by using the high velocity to enhance heat transfer and vaporization efficiency in the optimized heating zones, actually improving vaporization completeness at higher flows.
3Reliability
If the vaporizer length is increased to improve vaporization completeness, then particle generation is reduced, but the device complexity and space requirement increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the vaporizer are assigned different heating characteristics and temperatures. The heating zones are optimized locally to provide progressive vaporization, achieving complete vaporization in a compact structure rather than requiring uniform long heating paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The vaporizer design transitions from a simple linear heating path to a multi-dimensional heating structure with multiple zones and pathways. This allows the vapor to undergo progressive heating in different spatial dimensions, achieving complete vaporization in a more compact overall structure.
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 apparatus significantly improves vaporization efficiency, effectively eliminating large droplets and reducing particle contamination, thereby ensuring a high-quality film-forming process and extending the life of downstream gas filters by preventing clogging.
Implementation Method 1
a vaporizer and a mist filter provided at a downstream side of the vaporizer
Implementation Method 2
reduces flow velocity by creating a vortex
Implementation Method 3
increases the surface area for vaporization
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate; a gas supply system; and an exhaust system. The supply system includes a vaporizer and a mist filter, the mist filter including a plurality of first plates and a plurality of second plates. Each of the first plates includes a first plate portion having a plurality of first grooves on a surface thereof and a first flow path. Each of the second plates includes a second plate portion having a plurality of second grooves on a surface thereof and a second flow path. When the plurality of first and second plates are arranged alternatively, the plurality of first grooves are configured to face the second flow path and the plurality of second grooves are configured to face the first flow path, such that the first flow path and the second flow path are not in-line.