Substrate Processing Gas Flow Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional substrate processing apparatuses suffer from inefficiency due to process gas not effectively reaching the substrate's upper surface, leading to waste and reduced processing efficiency, as gas moves along the circumference and is absorbed into the exhaust line rather than participating in the processing.
Innovation Solution
The substrate processing apparatus incorporates a flowage adjustment portion with spray openings along the tube's circumference between the gas supply and exhaust portions, allowing an adjusting gas to redirect process gas towards the substrate's central portion, ensuring more gas participates in the processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If process gas is supplied to substrates in a batch type substrate processing apparatus, then mass production capability is improved, but process gas is wasted and processing efficiency is reduced due to gas moving along the circumference of substrates and being absorbed into the exhaust line
Solution Approach 1:
The exhaust portion is divided into multiple exhaust openings positioned at different locations. By segmenting the exhaust function into multiple distributed openings rather than a single centralized exhaust, the patent creates multiple pathways for gas flow that guide process gas across the substrate surfaces and into the exhaust openings, preventing circumferential flow and improving gas utilization efficiency while maintaining batch processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an adjusting gas as an intermediary substance that modifies the flow characteristics of the process gas. The adjusting gas interacts with the process gas to redirect its flow path from the circumferential route toward the substrate upper surface, ensuring more effective participation in the processing reaction and reducing waste
2Device complexity
If process gas moves along the circumference of the substrate, then gas flow path is simplified, but processing efficiency is reduced as gas does not reach the upper surface of the substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the spatial dimension of gas flow by introducing vertical flow components through multiple exhaust openings positioned at different heights and locations. This transforms the gas flow from a two-dimensional circumferential path along the substrate edge to a three-dimensional flow pattern that crosses the substrate upper surface vertically, ensuring adequate gas supply to the reaction zone without significantly increasing system complexity
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 adjustment significantly reduces gas wastage and enhances processing efficiency by ensuring a greater amount of process gas interacts with the substrate's upper surface, improving the overall processing outcome.
Implementation Method 1
a flowage adjustment portion having spray openings formed along a circumference of the tube between the gas supply portion and the exhaust portion to spray an adjusting gas
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention may include: a tube providing an interior space in which substrates are processed; a substrate support portion stacking a plurality of substrates in the interior space of the tube in multi-level; a gas supply portion supplying a process gas to the plurality of substrates; an exhaust portion disposed to face the gas supply portion to absorb the process gas; and a flowage adjustment portion having spray openings formed along a circumference of the tube between the gas supply portion and the exhaust portion to spray an adjusting gas, and may be capable of controlling the amount of process gas supplied to an upper surface of the substrate by adjusting the flowage of process gas.