CN113166936A

CN113166936A - Ampoule splash mitigation

Info

Publication number: CN113166936A
Application number: CN201880100005.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 梅兰·贝哈特; 高建德; 赵来; 芮祥新; 周建华
Original assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Current assignee: Applied Materials Inc
Priority date: 2018-12-11
Filing date: 2018-12-11
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Also published as: WO2020122884A1; KR20210091334A; JP7284265B2; JP2022511113A

Abstract

An ampoule has a container, an inlet port, an outlet port, a splash guard, and a diffuser. The diffuser is disposed within the cavity of the container and includes a feed tube and a sparger. The feed tube is coupled to the inlet port, and the eductor is coupled to the feed tube. The injector has a closed-loop shape and includes a plurality of orifices. The centerline of each of the plurality of holes is oriented at or below the horizontal of the sprayer to direct fluid away from the lid of the vessel. The splash guard is coupled to an output port of the ampoule.

Description

Ampoule splash mitigation

Background

Technical Field

Various embodiments described herein relate generally to reducing splatter (splash) within an ampoule.

Background

In many cases, the ampoule provides the vaporized precursor material to a processing system for processing of the substrate. For example, as the ampoule is heated, a carrier gas may be flowed into the ampoule to agitate the precursor and cause the vaporized precursor to flow through the output end of the ampoule. In addition, to achieve higher output rates, the rate at which carrier gas is supplied to the ampoule is increased. However, increasing the rate at which the carrier gas is provided to the ampoule may excessively agitate the precursor material, resulting in splashing. If the splatter reaches the output port of the ampoule, the splatter may prevent, or at least limit, the flow of vaporized precursor out of the ampoule and may adversely affect the processing of the corresponding substrate.

Accordingly, what is needed is an improved ampoule that reduces spatter within the ampoule.

Disclosure of Invention

In one embodiment, an ampoule includes a container, an inlet port, an output port, a diffuser, and a splash guard. The container includes a bottom enclosing a cavity, a sidewall, and a lid. The diffuser is coupled to the inlet port and disposed within the cavity, and includes a feed tube and a sparger. The feed tube is coupled to the inlet port, and the eductor is coupled to the feed tube. The injector has a closed-loop shape and includes a plurality of orifices. A centerline of each of the plurality of holes is oriented at or below a horizontal line of the injector. The splash guard is coupled to the output port.

In one embodiment, an ampoule includes a container, an inlet port, an output port, and a diffuser. The container includes a bottom enclosing a cavity, a sidewall, and a lid. The diffuser is coupled to the inlet port and disposed within the cavity, and includes a feed tube and a sparger. The feed tube is coupled to the inlet port, and the eductor is coupled to the feed tube. The injector has a closed-loop shape and includes a plurality of orifices. The inner diameter of the injector is larger than the inner diameter of the feed pipe. The splash guard is coupled to the output port.

In one embodiment, an ampoule includes a container, an inlet port, an output port, a diffuser, and a splash guard. The container includes a bottom enclosing a cavity, a sidewall, and a lid. The diffuser is coupled to the inlet port and disposed within the cavity, and includes a feed tube and a sparger. The feed tube is coupled to the inlet port, and the eductor is coupled to the feed tube. The eductor includes a plurality of orifices, and the plurality of orifices have a cross-sectional area greater than the inner diameter of the feed tube. The splash guard is coupled to the output port.

Drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

Fig. 1 illustrates a portion of an ampoule in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of an injector according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an injector according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section of an injector according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section of a sparger and feed tube in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Fig. 6 illustrates a splash guard in accordance with one or more embodiments.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.

Detailed Description

Ampoules with improved efficiency are described herein. An ampoule may generally be used to provide precursor materials to a processing system for processing of a substrate. For example, an ampoule converts a liquid precursor into a vaporized state by the bubbling action of a carrier gas in the presence of heat. The vaporized precursor flows out of the output port of the ampoule and to a connected processing system. However, as the bubbling action is applied to the liquid precursor, the force of the carrier gas as it is applied to the liquid precursor may cause the liquid precursor to become excessively agitated, thereby generating spatter within the ampoule. A splash guard is provided to substantially prevent splash from entering the output port and to limit the amount of vaporized precursor that may flow from the ampoule. Thus, the ampoule with splash guard advantageously limits splashing within the ampoule, which enhances processing of the substrate.

Fig. 1 illustrates an ampoule 100 in accordance with one or more embodiments. The ampoule 100 includes a container 110, an inlet port 120, an output port 130, a diffuser 140, and a splash guard 150. The ampoule 100 may be used with semiconductor manufacturing precursors. For example, the ampoule 100 may be used to provide precursors during processing of a substrate. The ampoule 100 may provide precursors to a processing chamber to deposit materials on a substrate, for example, by an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) process. The liquid precursor is vaporized within ampoule 100 by a combination of heating and agitation to provide the vaporized precursor to the processing chamber. The term "precursor" is used to describe a liquid compound that is vaporized in ampoule 100, and the vaporized liquid compound may be flowed from ampoule 100 into a processing chamber or other processing environment in a vaporized state for use in deposition or other semiconductor manufacturing processes.

The container 110 may include a sidewall 112, a lid 114, and a bottom 116 that define a cavity 118. The cover 114 may be secured to the sidewall 112 to completely enclose the cavity 118 except for one or more ports. For example, the inlet port 120 and the output port 130 may pass through the cover 114. In addition, one or more other ports may be placed in one or more of the side wall 112, the lid 114, and the base 116. For example, a refill port may be placed within the sidewall 112 or lid 114 and used to refill the container 110 with additional liquid precursor.

The container 110 may be substantially cylindrical in shape. Alternatively, the container 110 may have other shapes.

The cover 114 may be a separate component from the sidewall 112 and attached to the sidewall 112 to define a cavity 118. For example, the cover 114 may be connected to the sidewall 112 by a welding process or through the use of one or more bolts or other connection means. Although not shown, a sealing member may be disposed between the cover 114 and the sidewall 112 to prevent leakage. The sealing member may be an O-ring or other seal.

The inlet port 120 provides a connection to an external carrier gas source. Additionally, the inlet port 120 provides a passage for the carrier gas to flow through the lid 114 and into the cavity 118. The inlet port 120 may include an inlet valve that controls the flow of gas through the inlet port 120 into the cavity 118.

The output port 130 allows vaporized precursor to flow from the cavity 118 to a process chamber or other environment via one or more gas lines. In addition, the output port 130 may provide a passage for gas to flow out of the cavity 118 and through the cover 114. The inlet port 120 may include an outlet valve that controls the flow of gas through the output port 130.

The diffuser 140 may be coupled to the inlet port 120 and may provide a path for gas to flow from an external source to the cavity 118. Diffuser 140 may include a feed tube 142 and a sparger 144. Feed tube 142 may be coupled to inlet port 120 and injector 144 and allow carrier gas to flow from inlet port 120 and injector 144. The feedpipe 142 can be substantially parallel to the sidewall 112, i.e., the feedpipe 142 can have a substantially vertical orientation. Alternatively, one or more portions of the feed tube 142 are not parallel to the sidewall 112.

Sparger 144 is coupled to feed tube 142. The injectors 144 may form a complete continuous ring. Alternatively, the injector 144 may have other shapes.

In addition, the injector 144 includes an orifice 146. The sparger 144 can be disposed near the bottom 116 of the vessel 110. In addition, the injector 144 may provide a path for the carrier gas to be carried and released at the bottom 116 of the container 110 to agitate the precursor contained within the cavity 118. The agitated precursor becomes vaporized such that the vaporized precursor flows through the output port 130.

The injector 144 may be configured to reduce spatter generation within the ampoule 100. For example, the injector 144 may include apertures 146 distributed over one or more portions of the injector 144. One or more of the size and location of the apertures 146 may be configured to increase the efficiency of the carrier gas. Small bubbles of carrier gas may have a larger combined surface area than large bubbles, which reduces splashing caused by the bubbles and improves the efficiency of the carrier gas. Increasing the efficiency of the carrier gas may correspond to reducing the amount of carrier gas required to cause vaporized precursor liquid to flow out of cavity 110 through output port 130.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the apertures 146 may be distributed on one or more of a bottom portion 224 of the injector 144, an inner portion 228 of the injector, and an outer portion 226 of the injector 144. The top portion 222 of the injector 144 may be devoid of the aperture 146. This configuration may reduce spatter generation as the carrier gas is directed away from the top of the (way from) container 110 (e.g., the lid 114) as compared to other eductors. In other words, the apertures 146 are arranged such that the average vector of the gas exiting the apertures does not have a directional component towards the cover 114.

The diameter of these holes 146 may be selected to diffuse the carrier gas while reducing splatter within the ampoule 100. For example, the diameter of each of the holes 146 may be in the range of about 10mm to about 40 mm. Additionally, each of the holes 146 on each portion of the injector 144 may have a substantially similar diameter. Alternatively, the holes on the first portion of the injector 144 may have a first diameter and the holes on the second portion of the injector 144 may have a second diameter different from the first diameter. Further, the orifices on the first portion of the injector 144 may have a common (common) diameter, and the diameter of one or more orifices on the second portion of the injector 144 may be different.

The holes 146 on each portion of the injector 144 may be equally spaced apart on the injector 144. For example, the distance between the apertures 146 may be in the range of about 4mm to about 8 mm. Alternatively, the distance between the holes 146 may be less than about 4mm or greater than about 8 mm. Additionally, the spacing of the hole spacing on the first portion of the injector 144 may be different than the spacing of the hole spacing on the second portion of the injector 144. For example, the spacing of the hole spacing on the inner portion 228 may be different than the spacing of the hole spacing on the outer portion 226 and/or the bottom portion 224.

The total number of apertures 146 may range from about 100 apertures to about 300 apertures. Alternatively, the total number of apertures 146 may be less than about 100 apertures or may exceed 300 apertures. Further, each portion of the injector 144 (e.g., the inner portion 228, the outer portion 226, and the bottom portion 224) may have a common number of holes, or at least a portion of the injector 144 may have more holes than another portion of the injector 144. For example, one or more of the inner portion 228, the outer portion 226, and the bottom portion 224 may have more apertures 146 than another of the inner portion 228, the outer portion 226, and the bottom portion 224.

Fig. 4 shows a cross section of the injector 144. As shown, injector 144 includes aperture 146a disposed along outer portion 226, aperture 146b disposed along inner portion 228, and aperture 146c disposed along bottom portion 224. Additionally, the top portion 222 is devoid of any apertures. The apertures 146 may be configured to flow the carrier gas in a direction away from the lid 114 of the container 110. For example, the centerline of each orifice 146 may be oriented at or below the horizontal line 410 of the injector. As shown in FIG. 4,

orifices

146a and 146b are arranged such that the center of each orifice is oriented along a horizontal line 410 of injector 144. In other words, the centerline of each

aperture

146a and 146b is parallel to horizontal line 410. Additionally, the

apertures

146a and 146b may be evenly spaced between the top portion 222 and the bottom portion 225.

Injector 144 may additionally include apertures 146e and/or 146 d. The centerline of each of the

apertures

146d and 146e is oriented between the horizontal line 410 and the vertical line 420 such that each

aperture

146d and 146e faces away from the top portion 222. Additionally, at least one of the size, number, and spacing of apertures 146 can be configured such that the combined cross-sectional area of all apertures 146 is greater than diameter 510 of feed tube 142.

Sparger 144 can have a different inner diameter than the inner diameter of feed tube 142. For example, as shown in fig. 5, feed tube 142 can have a diameter 510 and sparger 144 can have a diameter 520, wherein diameter 510 is smaller than diameter 520. Diameter 510 may be in the range of about 4mm to about 8mm, and diameter 520 may be in the range of about 10mm to 15 mm.

Figure 6 shows a splash guard 150. A splash guard 150 may be attached to the output port 130. For example, the splash guard 150 can be mounted to the output port 130 such that the output port 130 is at least partially within the splash guard 150, or the splash guard 150 is at least partially within the output port 130. In addition, a splash guard 150 may be attached to the output port 130 and/or the cover 114. For example, the splash guard 150 may be welded, glued, or otherwise secured to the output port 130 and/or the cover 114. Additionally or alternatively, the splash guard 150 and the output port 130 can include complementary threaded portions such that one of the splash guard 150 and the output port 130 can be threaded into the other.

As shown in fig. 6, the splash guard 150 may be attached to the output port 130 at an angle 610 relative to the cover 114. For example, angle 610 may range from about 2 degrees to about 10 degrees. In one particular example, the angle is about 5 degrees. Additionally, the angle may be in a range of about 2 degrees to about 10 degrees.

The splash guard 150 may include one or more openings. For example, the splash guard 150 can include an opening 152 and an opening 154. Alternatively, the splash guard 150 may include the opening 152 and omit the opening 154.

As described above, by utilizing a diffuser 140 and splash guard 150 having an annular injector (e.g., 144) with a plurality of apertures 146, splashing affecting the output of the ampoule can be reduced. The apertures 146 may be configured to increase the efficiency of carrier gas flow therethrough, thereby reducing splashing within the ampoule. Additionally, the splash guard 150 may be configured to prevent liquid from entering the output port 130, thereby interfering with the flow of vaporized precursor through the output port 130. Accordingly, the efficiency of ampoule 100 may be improved.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments described herein, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. An ampoule, comprising:

a container comprising a bottom enclosing a cavity, a sidewall, and a lid;

an inlet port;

an output port;

a diffuser disposed within the cavity, the diffuser comprising:

a feed tube coupled to the inlet port; and

a sparger coupled to the feed tube, the sparger having a closed-loop shape and comprising a plurality of holes, wherein a centerline of each hole of the plurality of holes is oriented to direct fluid away from the lid; and

a splash guard coupled to the output port.

2. The ampoule of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of holes are the same diameter.

3. The ampoule of claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of holes has a diameter of between about 10mm to about 40 mm.

4. The ampoule of claim 1, wherein the injector further comprises a top portion, a bottom portion, an interior portion, and an exterior portion, wherein the plurality of holes are disposed on the bottom portion, the interior portion, and the exterior portion, but not on the top portion.

5. The ampoule of claim 1, wherein the injector has an inner diameter greater than an inner diameter of the feed tube.

6. The ampoule of claim 1, wherein the injector is disposed near the bottom of the container.

7. The ampoule of claim 1, wherein the splash guard comprises a first opening oriented between about 3 degrees and about 10 degrees relative to the lid of the container.

8. An ampoule, comprising:

a container comprising a bottom enclosing a cavity, a sidewall, and a lid;

an inlet port;

an output port;

a diffuser disposed within the cavity, the diffuser comprising:

a feed tube coupled to the inlet port; and

a sparger coupled to the feed tube, the sparger having a closed-loop shape and comprising a plurality of holes, wherein an inner diameter of the sparger is larger than an inner diameter of the feed tube; and

a splash guard coupled to the output port.

9. The ampoule of claim 8, wherein a centerline of each of the plurality of holes is oriented to direct fluid away from the cap.

10. The ampoule of claim 8, wherein at least two of the plurality of holes have the same diameter.

11. The ampoule of claim 8, wherein a sprayer is disposed near the bottom of the container.

12. The ampoule of claim 8, wherein the splash guard comprises a first opening oriented between about 3 degrees and about 10 degrees relative to the lid of the container.

13. An ampoule, comprising:

a container comprising a bottom enclosing a cavity, a sidewall, and a lid;

an inlet port;

an output port;

a diffuser coupled to the inlet port and disposed within the cavity, the diffuser comprising:

a feed tube coupled to the inlet port; and

a sparger coupled to the feed tube, the sparger comprising a plurality of holes, wherein the cross-sectional area of the plurality of holes is greater than the inner diameter of the feed tube; and

a splash guard coupled to the output port.

14. The ampoule of claim 13, wherein the injector has an inner diameter greater than an inner diameter of the feed tube.

15. The ampoule of claim 13, wherein the injector has a closed-loop shape, and wherein a centerline of each of the plurality of holes is oriented to direct fluid away from the cap.