CN116695095A

CN116695095A - Gas supply device

Info

Publication number: CN116695095A
Application number: CN202310189369.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐东源; 李奎范; 千珉镐
Original assignee: Hanwha Corp
Current assignee: Hanwha Vision Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-03-03
Filing date: 2023-03-02
Publication date: 2023-09-05
Also published as: KR20230131558A

Abstract

A gas supply apparatus comprising: a cleaning gas supply source for supplying a cleaning gas; an engineering gas supply source for supplying engineering gas; a first flow path through which the cleaning gas flows; a gate valve that opens and closes the first flow path by being installed at a first position in the first flow path, so that the cleaning gas passes or is blocked; a second flow path through which the process gas flows and which merges with the first flow path at a second position downstream from the first position; and a showerhead unit for injecting the cleaning gas or the engineering gas passing through the gate valve into the chamber.

Description

Gas supply device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs deposition, etching, and cleaning of a thin film on a substrate, and more particularly, to a gas supply apparatus that sprays a cleaning gas and/or an engineering gas to the substrate.

Background

Generally, thin film deposition methods for depositing a thin film by supplying a reaction gas onto a substrate include, for example, atomic layer thin film deposition (ALD; atomic Layer Deposition), chemical vapor deposition (CVD; chemical Vapor Deposition), and the like. The atomic layer thin film deposition method is a method of adsorbing and depositing on a substrate by alternately performing supply and purge of a reaction gas on the substrate, and the chemical vapor deposition method is a method of depositing on a substrate by simultaneously spraying a reaction gas.

Inside a semiconductor device for performing the thin film deposition method, comprising: an engineering chamber including a heater member for mounting a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer); and a gas supply device disposed opposite to the heater member for supplying the process gas to the wafer surface. In the gas supply apparatus, a gas flow path may be formed in order to avoid mixing of a plurality of process gases with each other and to diffuse in a lateral direction and uniformly supply the process gases to the surface of the wafer.

In addition, the gas supply apparatus generally adopts a remote plasma (remote plasma) method for in-situ cleaning (in-situ cleaning). The remote plasma mode refers to a technology of cleaning deposition materials inside an engineering chamber by supplying a cleaning gas excited by plasma to the chamber. Specifically, a cleaning gas excited by plasma is supplied into the chamber by opening a gate valve at the time of cleaning, and a process gas is supplied by closing the gate valve by means of a process gas flow path converging at a downstream position of the gate valve and a deposition process is performed at the time of performing the deposition process.

However, as described above, since the gate valve is in a closed state when the deposition process is performed, a problem occurs in that the underside of the gate valve is unnecessarily deposited during the deposition of the wafer using the process gas. As described above, when the foreign matter is deposited on the underside of the gate valve, not only may the gate valve itself be damaged, but also problems may occur in that the foreign matter is separated and falls down in a subsequent process to clog a portion of a flow path connected to the showerhead or contaminate the deposited wafer.

In order to solve the above-described problems, it is considered to adopt a method of injecting the purge gas alone to the lower side surface of the gate valve, but there are problems in that it is difficult to uniformly supply the purge gas to the lower side surface of the gate valve and the flow rate of the purge gas required to be used in order to prevent unnecessary deposition as described above is excessively large.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

U.S. publication 2011-012664 (2011.6.2. Disclosure)

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to prevent a phenomenon that a lower side surface of a gate valve is deposited when a deposition process is performed by supplying a purge gas to the gate valve used in a semiconductor process apparatus equipped with a remote plasma apparatus for in-situ cleaning.

Another technical object to be achieved by the present invention is to prevent a phenomenon in which a lower side surface of a gate valve is deposited when a deposition process is performed by forming a purge gas supply flow path in the gate valve itself used in a semiconductor process apparatus equipped with a remote plasma apparatus for in-situ cleaning and injecting a purge gas through the supply flow path.

Another technical object to be achieved by the present invention is to prevent a phenomenon in which a lower side surface of a gate valve is deposited when a deposition process is performed by injecting a purge gas near the lower side surface of the gate valve used in a semiconductor process apparatus equipped with a remote plasma apparatus for in-situ cleaning.

Another technical object to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a spray structure and a spray condition capable of more effectively preventing the phenomenon that the lower surface of the gate valve is deposited.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned in the foregoing, and other technical problems not mentioned will be further clearly understood by the relevant practitioner from the following description.

In order to achieve the above technical object, a gas supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a cleaning gas supply source for supplying a cleaning gas; an engineering gas supply source for supplying engineering gas; a first flow path through which the cleaning gas flows; a gate valve that opens and closes the first flow path by being installed at a first position in the first flow path, so that the cleaning gas passes or is blocked; a second flow path through which the process gas flows and which merges with the first flow path at a second position downstream from the first position; and a showerhead unit for injecting the cleaning gas or the engineering gas passing through the gate valve into the chamber; wherein the gate valve comprises: a cavity formed in the inner space; an inflow hole for flowing a purge gas into the cavity; and a plurality of injection holes communicating with the cavity and opening to a lower side surface of the gate valve, thereby injecting the purge gas downward.

The gas supply device further includes: a purge gas supply source for supplying the purge gas; and a third flow path through which the supplied purge gas flows to the inflow hole.

The process gas is supplied while the gate valve is in a closed state so as to be injected into the chamber through the showerhead unit.

The purge gas is injected toward the underside of the gate valve when the gate valve is in a closed state, thereby preventing the underside of the gate valve from being deposited by the process gas.

The cavities are formed side by side along a lateral direction of the gate valve at a position closer to a lower side than an upper side of the gate valve.

In order to achieve the above technical object, a gas supply apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: a cleaning gas supply source for supplying a cleaning gas; an engineering gas supply source for supplying engineering gas; a first flow path through which the cleaning gas flows; a gate valve installed in the first flow path to open and close the first flow path, thereby allowing the cleaning gas to pass or block; a second flow path through which the process gas flows and which merges with the first flow path at a position downstream of the gate valve; and a showerhead unit for injecting the cleaning gas or the engineering gas passing through the gate valve into the chamber; further comprises: and a purge gas injection structure for preventing the lower side of the gate valve from being deposited by the engineering gas by injecting a purge gas in a state of being adjacent to the lower side of the gate valve.

Wherein, the purge gas injection structure includes: a gas supply ring formed in a direction surrounding the first flow path in the vicinity of a lower side surface of the gate valve; a third flow path through which the purge gas flows to the gas supply ring; and a plurality of injection holes communicating with the gas supply ring, and injecting purge gas flowing to the gas supply ring in a state adjacent to a lower side surface of the gate valve.

The purge gas is injected toward the underside of the gate valve when the gate valve is in a closed state.

The gas supply device further includes: and a purge gas supply source for supplying the purge gas to the purge gas injection structure.

The gas supply ring has a cross-sectional diameter greater than a diameter of the third flow path.

By the gas supply apparatus used in the thin film deposition process according to the present invention, the phenomenon that the lower side of the gate valve is deposited can be prevented, thereby preventing various problems due to the generation of foreign materials.

In addition, by the gas supply apparatus used in the thin film deposition process according to the present invention, the supply flow rate of the purge gas for preventing the gate valve from being deposited can be minimized, thereby achieving a step coverage (step coverage) improvement effect that can relatively increase the concentration of the process gas such as the source gas and the reaction gas.

Further, by the gas supply apparatus for use in a thin film deposition process according to the present invention, the supply flow rate of the purge gas for preventing the gate valve from being deposited can be minimized, thereby achieving the effects of reducing the process pressure and increasing the process window (window).

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view illustrating a gas supply apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gas supply apparatus of fig. 1 cut along a longitudinal direction.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view as seen from the lower side direction of a gate valve installed in the gas supply apparatus.

Fig. 4a to 4c are longitudinal sectional views illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of injection holes are formed in a vertical direction in a gate valve according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5a and 5b are longitudinal sectional views illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of injection holes are formed in an inclined direction in a gate valve according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating an embodiment in which a lower side surface of a valve in which a plurality of injection holes are formed in a gate valve according to another embodiment of the present invention is concaved upward.

Fig. 7 is a front view illustrating a gas supply apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gas supply apparatus of fig. 7 cut along a longitudinal direction.

Fig. 9a is a longitudinal sectional view of a purge gas injecting structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is an enlarged view of the region a in fig. 8.

Fig. 9B is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along B-B' in fig. 9 a.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a purge gas injecting structure according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is an enlarged view of a region a in fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a purge gas injecting structure according to still another embodiment of the present invention, which is an enlarged view of a region a in fig. 8.

Detailed Description

The advantages and features of the present invention and methods of accomplishing the same may be further understood by reference to the following examples of the invention described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed in the following description, but may be embodied in various forms, which are only for the purpose of more completely disclosing the present invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, and more completely describing the scope of the present invention, which should be defined only by the scope of the claims. Throughout the specification, like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Furthermore, unless explicitly defined otherwise, terms that have been defined in a dictionary that are commonly used should not be interpreted as being excessively idealized or exaggeratedly interpreted.

The terminology used in the description presented herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In this specification, unless otherwise noted, single attribute statements also encompass plural meanings. As used in this specification, "include" and/or "comprising" do not realize the possibility that one or more other components other than the mentioned components exist or are added.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front view illustrating a gas supply apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 1, the gas supply apparatus 100 includes: a cleaning gas supply source 11 for supplying a cleaning gas; a process gas supply source 12 for supplying a process gas; a purge gas supply source 13 for supplying a purge gas; and a showerhead unit 40.

The cleaning gas may be a gas plasma excited by a remote plasma for in situ cleaning, and the process gas may include a source gas (source gas) and a reaction gas (reactant gas). Further, the purge gas (purge gas) may be an inert gas having low reactivity that is injected to block inflow of gas from a specific direction.

The cleaning gas, the process gas, and the purge gas may be supplied from the respective supply sources 11, 12, 13 through the respective supply pipes 21, 22, 23.

The showerhead unit 40 may function to uniformly spray a cleaning gas or the process gas to a wafer (not shown) disposed in a process chamber (not shown) therebelow. In particular, the showerhead unit 40 may supply an engineering gas to the wafer in an engineering mode and a cleaning gas to the wafer in a cleaning mode.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gas supply apparatus 100 of fig. 1 cut along a longitudinal direction. As shown in fig. 2, the cleaning gas supplied from the cleaning gas supply source 11 may be supplied to the showerhead unit 40 through the first flow path 31 in the first supply pipe 21. At this time, a gate valve 50 is mounted at a position on the upstream side of the first flow path 31. The gate valve 50 has a function of opening and closing the first flow path 31 to allow the cleaning gas to pass therethrough or to block the cleaning gas.

Further, the process gas supplied from the process gas supply source 12 may be supplied to the first flow path 31 through the second flow path 32 in the second supply pipe 22. At this time, the second flow path 32 merges with the first flow path 31 at a position downstream of the gate valve 50. The process gas may be supplied while the gate valve 50 is in a closed state so as to be injected into the process chamber through the showerhead unit 40. In contrast, the cleaning gas may be supplied while the gate valve 50 is in an open state so as to be sprayed into the interior of the process chamber through the showerhead unit 40. It is conceivable, of course, that in the course of supplying the cleaning gas as described above, the supply of the process gas needs to be blocked by a separate valve device.

The showerhead unit 40 supplies the cleaning gas or the process gas supplied through the common first flow path 31 as described above to the inside of the process chamber on the lower side. Specifically, the showerhead unit 40 may be composed of a combination of the carry-in port block 41, the diffusion block 43, and the nozzles 45. The lower end of the first flow path 31 is coupled to the carry-in port block 41, and the lower end of the first flow path 31 communicates with the diffusion region 16 of the diffusion block 43. The gas supplied through the first flow path 31 is diffused from the center to the outside by the diffusion region 16. The gas diffused outward as described above is finally injected downward through the plurality of nozzle holes 18 formed in the nozzle 45 after being converged into the buffer space 17 between the diffusion block 43 and the nozzle 45.

In an embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent a phenomenon in which the lower side of the gate valve 50 is deposited when the engineering gas is supplied in a state in which the gate valve 50 is closed, the purge gas is injected from the internal cavity (cavity) of the gate valve 50 itself to the lower side of the gate valve 50. For this purpose, the purge gas supply source 13 and the cavity of the gate valve 50 are connected by a third flow path 23 formed by means of a supply pipe 23. Further, as shown in fig. 3, a plurality of injection holes 51 communicating with the cavity inside the gate valve 50 are formed at the lower side 52 thereof, so that purge gas gathered into the cavity is injected through the plurality of injection holes 51. With the structure that can inject the purge gas from the gate valve 50 itself as described above, the purge gas can be uniformly supplied to the entire valve lower surface 52, so that deposition of the valve lower surface 52 can be sufficiently blocked even with a small gas flow rate.

The detailed construction of the gate valve 50 will be described in more detail later with reference to fig. 4a to 6. First, fig. 4a to 4c are longitudinal sectional views illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of injection holes 51 are formed in a vertical direction in a gate valve 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 4, the gate valve 50a includes: a cavity 54 formed in the inner space; an inflow hole 53 connected to the third flow path 33 to flow purge gas into the cavity 54; and a plurality of injection holes 51a communicating with the cavity 54 and opening to the lower side 52 of the gate valve, thereby injecting the purge gas downward.

The purge gas may be injected toward the lower side 52 of the gate valve 50a in a state where the gate valve 50a is closed, thereby preventing the lower side 52 of the gate valve 50a from being deposited by the process gas. In particular, the cavities 54 may be formed side by side along the lateral direction of the gate valve 50a at a position closer to the lower side than the upper side of the gate valve 50 a.

The plurality of injection holes 51 are arranged in a vertical direction from the cavity 54 toward the lower side 52 of the gate valve. By this, since the purge gas is injected downward of the gate valve 50a, the flow of the engineering gas supplied from the further downstream side through the second flow path 32 to the gate valve 50a side can be blocked from the source.

At this time, as shown in fig. 4a, the plurality of injection holes 51a may be arranged at the same interval with respect to the lower side 52 of the gate valve 50 a. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the plurality of injection holes 51 may be arranged so as to be gradually narrowed from the center to the outer periphery with respect to the lower surface 52 of the gate valve as shown in the gate valve 50b in fig. 4 b. At this time, the density of the plurality of injection holes 51b arranged in the outermost region may be less than about 2 times the density of the plurality of injection holes 51b arranged in the central region. The density of the plurality of injection holes 51b may be gradually increased from the central region toward the flared region. In the case described above, since a relatively higher injection pressure is formed on the outer contour with reference to the center of the valve lower side surface 52, the possibility of the outer region being deposited can be more reliably prevented in the valve lower side surface 52.

As shown in the gate valve 50c of fig. 4c, the plurality of injection holes 51c may be arranged so as to be gradually widened from the center to the outer periphery with respect to the lower surface 52 of the gate valve. At this time, the density of the plurality of injection holes 51c arranged in the central region may be less than about 2 times the density of the plurality of injection holes 51c arranged in the outermost region. The density of the plurality of injection holes 51c may be gradually decreased from the central region toward the flared region. In the case described above, since a relatively higher injection pressure is formed in the center of the valve lower side surface 52, the possibility of the center region being deposited can be more reliably prevented in the valve lower side surface 52.

Fig. 5a and 5b are longitudinal sectional views illustrating an embodiment in which a plurality of injection holes 51 are formed in an inclined direction in a gate valve 50 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the gate valve 50d illustrated in fig. 5a, a plurality of injection holes 51d are arranged in a flared shape (flare shape) that spreads from the cavity 54 toward the lower side 52 of the gate valve. In this case, the plurality of injection holes 51d disposed in the central region may be elongated in the vertical direction, and the plurality of injection holes 51d disposed outside the central region may be elongated obliquely from the central region toward the edge region of the side surface 52. Specifically, the inner surface of the injection hole 51d disposed in the center region may be perpendicular to the lower surface 52. The inner surface and the lower surface 52 of the injection hole 51d disposed outside the central region may form an inclination angle of about 55 degrees to about 80 degrees. In the case as described above, since the injection area of the purge gas is to be expanded, an effect of expanding the deposition gas blocking area can be achieved. Preferably, the inclination angle may satisfy a range of about 60 degrees to about 75 degrees in consideration of flow characteristics of the purge gas supplied to the first flow path 31 and in order to prevent deposition of substances to the lower side of the gate valve 50 d.

In the gate valve 50e illustrated in fig. 5b, the plurality of injection holes 51 may be arranged in a tapered shape (tapered shape) that is narrowed from the cavity 54 toward the lower side 52 of the gate valve. In this case, the plurality of injection holes 51e arranged in the central region may be elongated in the vertical direction, and the plurality of injection holes 51e arranged outside the central region may be elongated obliquely from the central region toward the edge region of the side surface 52. Specifically, the inner surface of the injection hole 51e disposed in the center region may be perpendicular to the lower surface 52. The inner surface and the lower surface 52 of the injection hole 51e disposed outside the central region may form an inclination angle of about 55 degrees to about 80 degrees. In the case described above, although the injection area of the purge gas is reduced, the effect of raising the injection pressure in the center can be achieved. Preferably, the inclination angle may satisfy a range of about 60 degrees to about 75 degrees in consideration of flow characteristics of the purge gas supplied to the first flow path 31 and in order to prevent deposition of substances to the lower side of the gate valve 50 e.

Here, the outermost area may refer to an area of about 20% or less of the diameter of the lower side 52 of the gate valve 50b toward the center direction, and the center area may refer to an area of about 30% or less of the diameter of the lower side 52 of the gate valve 50b toward the center. Further, the density may refer to an area occupied by the injection hole 51b per unit area of the lower side surface 52.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating an embodiment in which a lower side surface 52f of a valve in which a plurality of injection holes 51 are formed in a gate valve 50f according to another embodiment of the present invention is concaved upward. The lower side 52f of the gate valve 50f is formed in a shape recessed (concave) toward the upper side of the gate valve. Further, the plurality of injection holes 51f are formed with respect to the lower side surface 52 of the gate valve in such a manner that the height thereof gradually increases from the center toward the outline. For example, the height d2 of the outer injection hole is larger than the height d1 of the injection hole near the center. For example, among the plurality of injection holes 51f arranged on the lower side surface 52f, the height d1 of the injection hole 51f arranged at the center may be smallest, and the height d2 of the injection hole 51f arranged at the outer side may be highest. In this case, the purge gas can be injected downward on the whole surface, and higher linearity can be ensured in the vicinity of the outer side than in the center. At this time, the height d2 of the injection hole 51f arranged outside may be within a range of about 2 times the height d1 of the injection hole 51f arranged in the center. In the case where the ratio of the height difference exceeds 2 times, the flow characteristics thereof can be improved. However, there is a possibility that the center of the lower surface 52f is not too thin or the thickness of the widened region of the lower surface 52 is too thick, which results in a problem that the reliability of the apparatus is lowered, or that the compactness is not achieved due to an increase in size and weight. Therefore, the ratio of the heights d1 and d2 of the injection hole 51f may be within the above range.

In the above, the gas supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention has been described in which the phenomenon that the lower side surface of the gate valve is deposited is prevented by forming the flow path in the gate valve itself. Next, a gas supply apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention for injecting purge gas in a state adjacent to the lower side of the gate valve in order to prevent a phenomenon that the lower side of the gate valve is deposited will be described.

Fig. 7 is a front view illustrating a gas supply apparatus 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 7, the gas supply apparatus 200 includes: a cleaning gas supply source 111 for supplying a cleaning gas; a process gas supply source 112 for supplying a process gas; a purge gas supply source 113 for supplying a purge gas; and a showerhead unit 140.

The cleaning gas, the process gas, and the purge gas may be supplied from the respective supply sources 111, 112, 113 through the respective supply pipes 121, 122, 123.

The showerhead unit 140 may function to uniformly spray a cleaning gas or the process gas to a wafer (not shown) disposed in a process chamber (not shown) therebelow. In particular, the showerhead unit 140 may supply the process gas to the wafer in the process mode and supply the cleaning gas to the wafer in the cleaning mode.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gas supply apparatus 200 of fig. 7 cut along a longitudinal direction. As shown in fig. 8, the cleaning gas supplied from the cleaning gas supply source 111 may be supplied to the showerhead unit 140 through the first flow path 131 in the first supply pipe 121. At this time, a gate valve 150 is mounted at a position on the upstream side of the first flow path 131. The gate valve 150 has a function of passing or blocking the cleaning gas by opening and closing the first flow path 131.

Further, the process gas supplied from the process gas supply source 112 may be supplied to the first flow path 131 through the second flow path 132 in the second supply pipe 122. At this time, the second flow path 132 merges with the first flow path 131 at a position downstream of the gate valve 150. The process gas may be supplied while the gate valve 150 is in a closed state so as to be injected into the process chamber through the showerhead unit 140. In contrast, the cleaning gas may be supplied while the gate valve 150 is in an open state so as to be sprayed into the interior of the process chamber through the showerhead unit 140. It is conceivable, of course, that in the course of supplying the cleaning gas as described above, the supply of the process gas needs to be blocked by a separate valve device.

The showerhead unit 140 supplies the cleaning gas or the process gas supplied through the common first flow path 131 as described above to the inside of the process chamber at the lower side. Specifically, the showerhead unit 140 may be composed of a combination of the carry-in port block 141, the diffusion block 143, and the nozzles 145. The lower end of the first flow path 131 is coupled to the carry-in port block 141, and the lower end of the first flow path 131 communicates with the diffusion region 116 of the diffusion block 143. The gas supplied through the first flow path 131 is diffused from the center to the outside by the diffusion region 116. The gas diffused outward as described above is finally injected downward through the plurality of nozzle holes 118 formed in the nozzle 145 after being converged into the buffer space 117 between the diffusion block 143 and the nozzle 145.

In an embodiment of the present invention, in order to prevent a phenomenon that the lower side surface of the gate valve 150 is deposited when the engineering gas is supplied in a state where the gate valve 150 is closed, the purge gas is injected from the vicinity of the lower side surface of the gate valve 150. For this purpose, the purge gas supply source 113 and a position near the lower side of the gate valve 150 are connected through a third flow path 123 formed by means of a supply pipe 123.

The detailed configuration of the supply of the purge gas from the vicinity of the lower side of the gate valve 150 as described above will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 9a to 11 in the following.

Fig. 9a is a longitudinal sectional view of the purge gas injection structure 170a according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is an enlarged view of the region a in fig. 8, and fig. 9B is a transverse sectional view of the purge gas injection structure 170a, which is cut along the line B-B' in fig. 9 a.

The purge gas injection structure 170a may inject a purge gas in a state adjacent to the lower side 152 of the gate valve 150 when the gate valve 150 is closed and the process gas is supplied through the second flow path 132, thereby preventing the lower side of the gate valve from being deposited by the process gas.

Specifically, the purge gas injection structure 170a may include: a gas supply ring 175a formed in a direction surrounding the first flow path 131 near the lower side 152 of the gate valve 150; a third flow path 133 through which purge gas from the purge gas supply source 113 flows into the gas supply ring 175 a; and a plurality of injection holes 171a communicating with the gas supply ring 175a to inject the purge gas flowing to the gas supply ring 175a in a state adjacent to the lower side 152 of the gate valve 150.

In this case, in order to form a sufficient buffering capacity, the cross-sectional diameter of the gas supply ring 175a is preferably designed to be considerably larger than the diameter of the third flow path 133.

Further, as shown in fig. 9b, the plurality of injection holes 171a may be equally arranged along the circumferential direction of the gas supply ring 175 a. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the plurality of injection holes 171a may be unevenly arranged along the circumferential direction. For example, the interval between the injection holes 171a on the side far from the third flow path 133 may be arranged in a denser state than the interval between the injection holes 171a on the side near the third flow path 133. In the case of the uniform arrangement, there is a possibility that the injection pressure in the injection hole 171a in the vicinity of the third flow path 133, which is the entry path of the purge gas, is higher than the injection pressure in the injection hole 171a located on the opposite side in the circumferential direction, and the problem as described above can be alleviated by the non-uniform arrangement as described above.

However, as shown in fig. 9a, assuming that the diameter of the first flow path 131 is d, the radius of the injection holes 171a is r, and the number of the injection holes 171a is n, the flow rate Q of the purge gas reaching the center of the first flow path 131 can be calculated by the following equation 1.

Equation 1

The flow rate Q of the purge gas for achieving the deposition preventing effect of the lower surface 152 of the gate valve 150, i.e., the curtain effect, can be theoretically calculated by the above equation 1. However, since pumping of the process gas occurs at one side under the first flow path 131, an effect of being pumped down may also occur in the purge gas. Therefore, even when the purge gas is dispersed horizontally, the purge gas is directed downward to some extent near the center of the first flow path 131. In the case as described above, the purge effect in the central region of the first flow path 131 is weakened, and thus a large flow of purge gas is required to compensate for it, which may not only result in energy loss due to the waste of purge gas, but also may adversely affect the overall process,

therefore, in order to solve the problem that the purge gas in the central region of the first flow path 131 faces downward, which may cause the problem as described above, it is necessary to raise the direction of the injection hole 171a to some extent. The problem is that the degree of upward angle (θ) is appropriate, and the upward angle (θ) can be calculated by the following equation 2.

Equation 2

Where d is the diameter of the first flow path 131 as described above, and k is the distance from the injection hole 171 to the lower side 152 of the gate valve 150. Next, the process of equation 2 will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a purge gas injection structure 170b according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is an enlarged view of a region a in fig. 8. The plurality of injection holes 171b are arranged so as to be inclined upward from the gas supply ring 175b toward the lower surface of the gate valve 150 with reference to the lateral direction. Specifically, the upward inclination angle, that is, the upward angle (θ), can be calculated by the equation 2. Referring to fig. 10, the upward angle (θ) is a value calculated assuming that a position when the purge gas is reflected and returned at the lower side of the gate valve 150 after the inclined injection is located at the center of the first flow path 131. The upward angle (θ) as described above is preferably practically satisfied in the range of 30 ° to 45 °. If the upward angle (θ) is smaller than the lower limit, there is a problem that the compensation for the central drop of the purge gas is insufficient, whereas if it is larger than the upper limit, there is a problem that the curtain effect at the central position of the lower side 152 of the gate valve 150 becomes weak due to too much dispersion of the purge gas in the longitudinal direction. That is, the upward angle (θ) of the gas supply device 200 according to the embodiment may be made to satisfy the range as described above. Further, the diameter d of the first flow path 131 and the position k of the injection hole 171 may be set by the upward angle (θ) and the equation 2, and thereby the effect as described above is obtained.

Further, fig. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a purge gas injection structure 170c according to still another embodiment of the present invention, which is an enlarged view of a region a in fig. 8. Referring to fig. 11, the plurality of injection holes 171c spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the gas supply ring 175c may be respectively composed of a plurality of sub injection holes 171-1, 171-2, 171-3 re-divided along the longitudinal direction. In the case of using a plurality of sub injection holes as described above, the purge gas may be injected relatively more uniformly. In order to form the plurality of sub injection holes 171-1, 171-2, 171-3 at intervals in the longitudinal direction as described above, the cross section of the gas supply ring 175c may be not circular as shown in fig. 9a or 10, but may be oval with a longer longitudinal direction.

The plurality of injection holes 171-1, 171-2, 171-3 are disposed so as to be inclined upward from the gas supply ring 175c toward the lower side of the gate valve 150 with reference to the lateral direction. Specifically, the upward angles (θ1, θ2, θ3) are the same as the injection holes 171b in fig. 10, satisfying a range of 30 ° to 45 ° upward.

However, since the positions of the respective sub-injection holes 171-1, 171-2, 171-3 in the longitudinal direction are different from each other at this time, it is necessary to separately design the upward angles and diameters of the sub-injection holes 171-1, 171-2, 171-3 according to the different positions.

First, in terms of the diameters of the sub injection holes 171-1, 171-2, 171-3, in order to equalize the flow rates in the respective sub injection holes, it is preferable that the sub injection holes farther apart from the lower side 152 of the gate valve 150 have a larger diameter.

In addition, in order to ensure that each sub-injection hole satisfies the above equation 2 in terms of the upward angles (θ1, θ2, θ3) toward which the sub-injection holes 171-1, 171-2, 171-3 are directed, it is preferable that sub-injection holes farther apart from the lower side 152 of the gate valve 150 have a larger upward angle. This is because in the equation 2, the injection hole located at the opposite lower side has a larger value of "k".

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments described in the foregoing are, therefore, to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. A gas supply apparatus comprising:

a cleaning gas supply source for supplying a cleaning gas;

an engineering gas supply source for supplying engineering gas;

a first flow path through which the cleaning gas flows;

a gate valve that opens and closes the first flow path by being installed at a first position in the first flow path, so that the cleaning gas passes or is blocked;

a second flow path through which the process gas flows and which merges with the first flow path at a second position downstream from the first position; the method comprises the steps of,

a shower head unit for injecting the cleaning gas or the engineering gas passing through the gate valve into the chamber;

wherein the gate valve comprises:

a cavity formed in the inner space;

an inflow hole for flowing a purge gas into the cavity; the method comprises the steps of,

and a plurality of injection holes communicating with the cavity and opening to a lower side surface of the gate valve, thereby injecting the purge gas downward.

2. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a purge gas supply source for supplying the purge gas; the method comprises the steps of,

and a third flow path through which the supplied purge gas flows to the inflow hole.

3. The gas supply device according to claim 1,

4. The gas supply device according to claim 2,

5. The gas supply device according to claim 1,

6. A gas supply apparatus comprising:

a cleaning gas supply source for supplying a cleaning gas;

an engineering gas supply source for supplying engineering gas;

a first flow path through which the cleaning gas flows;

a gate valve installed in the first flow path to open and close the first flow path, thereby allowing the cleaning gas to pass or block;

a second flow path through which the process gas flows and which merges with the first flow path at a position downstream of the gate valve;

a shower head unit for injecting the cleaning gas or the engineering gas passing through the gate valve into the chamber; the method comprises the steps of,

a purge gas injection structure that prevents a lower side surface of the gate valve from being deposited by the engineering gas by injecting a purge gas in a state adjacent to the lower side surface of the gate valve;

wherein, the purge gas injection structure includes:

a gas supply ring formed in a direction surrounding the first flow path in the vicinity of a lower side surface of the gate valve;

a third flow path through which the purge gas flows to the gas supply ring; the method comprises the steps of,

and a plurality of injection holes communicating with the gas supply ring, and injecting purge gas flowing to the gas supply ring in a state adjacent to a lower side surface of the gate valve.

7. The gas supply device according to claim 6,

8. The gas supply device according to claim 7,

9. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

and a purge gas supply source for supplying the purge gas to the purge gas injection structure.

10. The gas supply device according to claim 6,