Vaporizer Flow Passage Cleaning via Intermittent Solvent Purging
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in semiconductor manufacturing is the difficulty in removing organic metal liquid sources with low vapor pressure and high viscosity from vaporizer flow passages, leading to blockages due to their high viscosity and the preferential vaporization of solvents, which hinders efficient processing.
Innovation Solution
A method involving intermittent vaporizing operations of the liquid source and using solvents at varying flow rates to facilitate the removal of organic metal liquid sources from the vaporizer flow passages, ensuring effective cleaning and preventing blockages by maintaining a solvent flow during non-vaporizing cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If inert gas is supplied into the liquid source flow passage to purge the inside of the flow passage, then the solvent is vaporized and removed, but the organic metal liquid source remains in the flow passage due to its high viscosity and blocks the flow passage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a purging liquid as an intermediary substance to facilitate the removal of organic metal liquid source. The purging liquid flows through the liquid source flow passage and carries out the viscous organic metal liquid source, solving the problem that inert gas alone cannot effectively remove the high-viscosity liquid source.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and flow characteristics by introducing liquid purging medium instead of using only gaseous inert gas. This parameter change from gas to liquid phase enables effective removal of high-viscosity organic metal liquid source through liquid-liquid interaction and flow dynamics.
2Ease of operation
If the liquid source is diluted by solvent to reduce viscosity, then the liquid source can be supplied more easily, but the solvent has higher vapor pressure and vaporizes preferentially, leaving the organic metal liquid source behind to block the flow passage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary purging action by supplying purging liquid into the liquid source flow passage before the organic metal liquid source can accumulate and block the passage. This preventive measure removes the liquid source residue after each vaporization cycle, preventing future blockages.
Solution Approach 2:
The purging liquid acts as an intermediary that selectively interacts with and removes the organic metal liquid source from the flow passage walls, enabling complete clearance of the passage without affecting the vaporization process of the diluted liquid source.
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 approach accelerates the removal of organic metal liquid sources and prevents blockages within the vaporizer flow passages, ensuring continuous and efficient semiconductor device manufacturing processes.
Implementation Method 1
a vaporizer, being an apparatus for vaporizing the liquid source and generating gas
Implementation Method 2
the aforementioned organic metal liquid source is diluted by, a solvent, for example, such as ECH (ethylcyclohexane) and THF (tetrahydrofuran)
Implementation Method 3
the inert gas is supplied into the flow passage of the liquid source and the inside of the flow passage is purged
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of loading a substrate into a processing chamber; processing the substrate by supplying plural kinds of reaction substances into the processing chamber multiple number of times; and unloading the processed substrate from the processing chamber, wherein at least one of the plural kinds of reaction substances contains a source gas obtained by vaporizing a liquid source by a vaporizing part; in the step of processing the substrate, vaporizing operation of supplying the liquid source to the vaporizing part and vaporizing the liquid source is intermittently performed, and at least at a time other than performing the vaporizing operation of the liquid source, a solvent capable of dissolving the liquid source is flowed to the vaporizing part at a first flow rate; and at a time other than performing the vaporizing operation of the liquid source and every time performing the vaporizing operation of the liquid source prescribed number of times, the solvent is flowed to the vaporizing part at a second flow rate larger than the first flow rate.