Reaction Chamber Inner Barrel for Vacuum Substrate Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chemical vapor deposition apparatuses face productivity issues due to process gas deposition on the inner surfaces of the reaction chamber, leading to contamination and reduced yield, as maintaining a vacuum is challenging during substrate or susceptor replacement.
Innovation Solution
A reaction chamber design featuring a hollow inner barrel with an open upper and lower portion, connected to a driving part for lifting and lowering, allowing for substrate or susceptor replacement while maintaining vacuum conditions, using a gate valve for loading/unloading, and through holes for purge gas flow to prevent gas contact with inner surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If an internal chamber is provided in the reaction chamber to prevent process gas contact with inner surfaces, then deposition on inner surfaces is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional components and fixed mounting requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful function of the inner chamber walls (causing deposition) is eliminated by extracting the chamber walls from the reaction path. The showerhead is designed with a structure where the reaction chamber walls are excluded from the area where process gas flows and reacts, so that deposition no longer occurs on the inner surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The showerhead is designed with movable components that can change position dynamically. The lower end of the showerhead can be moved to different positions, allowing the reaction chamber configuration to be adjusted. This dynamic capability enables the system to maintain optimal performance while reducing fixed structural complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the upper plate is raised and moved together with an inner barrel to replace substrate or susceptor, then replacement is enabled, but vacuum in the reaction chamber cannot be maintained and productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The showerhead is divided into multiple independent sections: an upper fixed portion and a lower movable portion. The lower portion can be independently moved to facilitate substrate or susceptor replacement, while the upper portion remains fixed to maintain the vacuum seal. This segmentation allows replacement operations without compromising vacuum integrity, thereby maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
A vacuum seal mechanism acts as an intermediary between the movable lower showerhead portion and the fixed upper portion. This seal ensures that when the lower portion moves to enable substrate replacement, the vacuum environment is preserved throughout the reaction chamber, preventing loss of vacuum and maintaining continuous operation capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If process gas is supplied into the reaction chamber for chemical vapor deposition, then film deposition occurs on substrate, but process gas is also deposited on inner surfaces of reaction chamber and showerhead causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The showerhead design creates different functional zones with different properties. The region where process gas flows and reacts is localized to specific areas above the substrate, while the inner chamber walls are excluded from this reactive zone. This local differentiation ensures that film deposition occurs precisely where needed on the substrate without contamination on the chamber inner surfaces.
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
Enables convenient and efficient replacement of substrates or susceptors within a maintained vacuum, preventing contamination and enhancing productivity by ensuring continuous vacuum conditions during the process.
Implementation Method 1
Chemical vapor deposition is a process in which a raw material supplied into a reaction chamber in a vacuum state is decomposed using heat or plasma and is then chemically reacted to deposit a film on a substrate.
Implementation Method 2
a raw material supplied into a reaction chamber in a vacuum state is decomposed using heat or plasma
Implementation Method 3
The inner barrel may include a plurality of through holes formed therein so that a purge gas flows into the inner barrel from the outside.
Data Source
AI summary
A reaction chamber for a chemical vapor apparatus is disclosed. The reaction chamber for the chemical vapor apparatus comprises a housing including an internal space and a susceptor disposed in the internal space so that a substrate is loaded on an upper surface of the susceptor. A shower head is disposed above the susceptor in the internal space of the housing to spray process gas towards the substrate side. An inner barrel with open top and bottom is placed inside the internal space of the reaction chamber so that an upper edge of the barrel is positioned near the showerhead to enclose the substrate and the susceptor. A driving part is connected to the inner barrel. When it is needed to replace the susceptor and the substrate, the inner barrel is changed into an open state in which the substrate and the susceptor disposed in the inner barrel are exposed to the outside of the inner barrel by an operation of the driving part. The inside of the reaction chamber for the chemical vapor apparatus is always closed and thus the reaction chamber is capable of easily replacing a substrate or a susceptor while the vacuum in the reaction chamber is still maintained.