High-Pressure Substrate Chamber Layout for Byproduct Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high-pressure substrate processing, byproducts accumulate and solidify in gas exhaust lines and other equipment, causing clogs and requiring high-pressure design for capture modules.
Innovation Solution
A high-pressure substrate processing apparatus with an inner chamber for substrate processing, an outer chamber with a partition to create high- and low-temperature regions, a gas supply module, a gas exhaust module with a capture module in the low-temperature region to cool and capture byproducts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cold trap is installed directly in front of the scrubber to capture byproducts, then byproduct capture efficiency is improved, but the capture module requires high-pressure design which increases device complexity and manufacturing difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the chamber into high-pressure and atmospheric-pressure zones using a partition wall with a passage. The capture module is located in the atmospheric-pressure zone, separating it from the high-pressure processing environment while maintaining byproduct capture functionality through the passage system.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall with passage acts as an intermediary structure that allows byproducts to be transferred from the high-pressure zone to the atmospheric-pressure zone where the capture module operates. This intermediary structure enables the capture module to function without direct exposure to high pressure.
2Reliability
If the capture module is exposed to high pressure to capture byproducts directly from the processing chamber, then byproduct capture efficiency is improved, but the structural design and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber is segmented into high-pressure and atmospheric-pressure zones. The capture module is manufactured and installed in the atmospheric-pressure zone where standard manufacturing practices apply, eliminating the need for complex high-pressure rated components and simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall with passage serves as an intermediary that transfers byproducts from the high-pressure processing chamber to the atmospheric-pressure capture module, allowing the capture module to be manufactured with standard materials and procedures.
3Device complexity
If byproducts are allowed to accumulate in the exhaust line, then the system structure is simplified, but clogging occurs causing reliability problems
Solution Approach 1:
The capture module performs preliminary capture of byproducts in the exhaust line before they can travel further and cause clogging in downstream components. This preliminary action prevents reliability problems while maintaining a relatively simple system 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
Prevents byproducts from extending beyond the outer chamber, eliminates the need for high-pressure design in the capture module, and enhances byproduct capture efficiency through powerful cooling in the low-temperature region.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling water supply module including a cooling water supply line, wherein the capture module is configured to cool the mixed gas by using cooling water flowing along the cooling water supply line, thus causing the byproducts to become powder
Implementation Method 2
the byproducts may be gaseous in a high-pressure environment, and solidified either during a process of leaving a processing equipment or after leaving the processing equipment
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a high-pressure substrate processing apparatus comprising: an inner chamber for accommodating a substrate to be processed; an outer chamber that includes a hollow housing and a partition plate arranged to partition the housing into a high-temperature region accommodating the inner chamber and a low-temperature region having a lower temperature than the high-temperature region; an air supply module configured to supply a reaction gas for processing the substrate to the inner chamber at a first pressure higher than atmospheric pressure and supply a protective gas to a space between the outer chamber and the inner chamber at a second pressure set in relation to the first pressure; an air discharge module which is provided with an air discharge pipe communicating with the inner chamber and passing through the low-temperature region and which is configured to discharge a mixed gas containing the reaction gas and by-products formed by processing the substrate; and a collection module which is disposed in the low-temperature region while communicating with the air discharge pipe and which is configured to collect the by-products in the mixed gas.