Process Gas Sealing Structure for Thermally Deforming Substrate Heads
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate processing apparatuses suffer from gas leakage due to thermal deformation or sagging of the gas injection unit, leading to reduced substrate quality and increased process costs due to wasted gas.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a sealing unit positioned outside the gas inflow and supply connection units to maintain sealing, allowing for relative movement due to deformation, thereby preventing gas leakage and reducing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the gas injection unit is directly contacted with the gas block to seal the injection hole and emission hole, then the sealing structure is simple, but thermal deformation or sagging causes gas leakage and reduces substrate quality
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing structure is divided into multiple independent sealing units, each sealing one hole separately. The first sealing unit seals the injection hole and the second sealing unit seals the emission hole. This segmentation allows each sealing unit to independently accommodate thermal deformation and sagging without affecting the other sealing locations, thereby maintaining sealing reliability while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
Sealing members (sealing rings or sealing lips) are introduced as intermediary elements between the gas injection unit and the gas block. These sealing members deform elastically to maintain contact with the holes, acting as a buffer that absorbs dimensional changes due to thermal expansion or sagging, thus preventing gas leakage while preserving a relatively simple sealing structure.
2Reliability
If the sealing unit is disposed between the gas injection unit and gas block to surround each hole, then gas leakage is prevented, but the structure becomes complex and difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single complex sealing unit that surrounds both holes, separate simple sealing units are used for each hole. Each sealing unit is localized to its specific hole, allowing for simpler individual designs that are easier to manufacture and maintain, while collectively achieving the same sealing reliability as a more complex unified structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing members are designed to be elastic and deformable, allowing them to dynamically adjust to dimensional changes in the gas injection unit caused by thermal expansion or sagging. This dynamic adaptation maintains effective sealing without requiring a complex rigid structure, simplifying the overall design while ensuring reliability.
3Temperature
If thermal deformation occurs in the gas injection unit due to heat during processing, then the upper surface and lower surface move relatively, but this movement causes the sealing unit to fail and gas to leak
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing members are designed with specific material properties (elasticity, thermal expansion coefficient) that allow them to accommodate dimensional changes in the gas injection unit during heating. The sealing units can deform within certain parameter ranges to maintain contact with the holes, ensuring sealing reliability is maintained even when temperature-induced deformation occurs during substrate processing.
4Manufacturing precision
If gas leakage occurs due to sealing failure, then substrate quality is reduced and process cost increases, but the sealing structure becomes overly complex to prevent leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is segmented into multiple independent simple sealing units rather than one complex unified structure. Each sealing unit independently prevents leakage at its location, collectively achieving high sealing reliability that protects substrate quality, while the modular segmented structure remains simpler and more maintainable than a single complex sealing mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
The present inventive concept relates to a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a chamber; a substrate support part for supporting a substrate inside the chamber; a gas injection unit including a plurality of first injection holes for injecting a first process gas toward the substrate and a gas inlet part communicating with the first injection holes and for introducing the first process gas; a gas supply unit including a gas supply connection part connected to the gas inlet part and supplying the first process gas to the gas injection unit; and a sealing part for maintaining airtightness between the gas inlet unit and the gas supply connection unit.