Source Material Container Radial Flow Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing source material containers exhibit uneven consumption of source material across trays, leading to decreased source material vapor concentration and reduced substrate processing efficiency, such as film forming speed.
Innovation Solution
A source material container design featuring a housing with a tray assembly and cylindrical members, where the cylindrical members provide a radial arrangement and slits to create uniform flow paths, reducing the difference in carrier gas and source material consumption across trays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple trays are stacked in the source material container, then the capacity for source material storage is increased, but the uniformity of source material consumption across trays deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path is segmented into multiple branches using cylindrical members with slits. The single flow path from the introduction port is divided into multiple sub-flow paths that distribute carrier gas uniformly to different trays. This segmentation ensures that each tray receives appropriate carrier gas flow regardless of its position in the stack, thereby uniformizing source material consumption across all trays while maintaining high storage capacity.
2Productivity
If carrier gas flow rate is increased to maintain source material vapor concentration, then the substrate processing speed is improved, but the source material consumption in some trays increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical members create locally optimized flow conditions for different trays. Each slit in the cylindrical members is positioned to deliver carrier gas to specific trays at appropriate flow rates. This local quality adjustment ensures that trays with lower source material consumption receive more carrier gas to maintain vapor concentration, while trays with higher consumption receive less, thereby preventing excessive source material loss while maintaining overall processing productivity.
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 design ensures uniform carrier gas distribution and reduced source material consumption variation, enhancing the concentration of source material vapor and improving substrate processing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The outermost cylindrical member provides a slit communicating with the first gap. The other cylindrical members than the outermost cylindrical member provide a plurality of slits extending in the circumferential direction at different locations in a height direction to provide a plurality of flow paths branched in a stepwise mariner from the slit of the outermost cylindrical member to communicate with the second gap.
Data Source
AI summary
A source material container includes a housing, a tray assembly and a plurality of cylindrical members. The housing provides a carrier gas introduction port and an opening through which a gas containing source material vapor is outputted. The tray assembly trays stacked in the housing. The cylindrical members are arranged in a radial direction between the tray assembly and the housing. The outermost cylindrical member provides a slit and each of the other cylindrical members than the outermost cylindrical member provides a plurality of slits. From the introduction port to the gap between the tray assembly and the innermost cylindrical member, the flow path of the carrier gas is branched in a stepwise manner in the height direction.