Chemical vapor deposition equipment and vacuum and tail gas treatment system thereof
Technical Field
The invention relates to chemical vapor deposition equipment and a vacuum and tail gas treatment system thereof, belonging to the technical field of chemical vapor deposition.
Background
Chemical vapor deposition (Chemical Vapor Deposition, CVD) is a technique in which a thin film is formed on a substrate surface by chemical reaction using one or more gas-phase compounds or elements containing a target coating element and using various energy sources such as heating, plasma excitation, or light irradiation. With the development of the third generation of semiconductor technology and materials, coated products represented by silicon carbide materials are widely focused and applied, and the coated product industry has come to be in a vigorous development period. CVD equipment is mature key equipment of coating preparation, and the security and the stability of equipment are the key of raising efficiency, reduce cost. At present, a mode of combining a dry pump such as a screw pump or a slide valve pump with spraying is generally adopted in a vacuum and tail gas treatment system of a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) device, for example, chinese patent publication No. CN210845584U discloses an online recovery treatment device for tail gas of chemical vapor deposition, and the vacuum pump used by the online recovery treatment device plays roles in two aspects at the same time: on the one hand, before the CVD process starts, the vacuum pump is operated so that the set vacuum degree (at which the vacuum degree is high) is reached and maintained in the chemical vapor deposition furnace; on the other hand, in the CVD process, the vacuum pump delivers the exhaust gas discharged from the chemical vapor deposition furnace to a spray tower downstream (at this time, the vacuum degree of the vacuum pump is not required to be too high). The proposal disclosed by the utility model has the advantages that a set of vacuum system can be used for achieving two effects, but the main problems are that: a large amount of solid, liquid and gaseous byproducts can be generated in the CVD process, and the deposition of the byproducts in the vacuum pump can bring the consequences of screw pump blocking, short maintenance period, shortened service life and the like, and the tail gas treatment has the technical problems of large sewage amount, incomplete reaction and the like, so that the problems of high labor cost and equipment cost, substandard waste liquid and waste gas emission and the like are caused.
In addition, MTS (trichloromethylsilane) is the most commonly used silicon source, and has special properties such as strong acidity and corrosiveness due to the fact that the decomposition is liquid at normal temperature, CVD equipment is usually metered by a bubbling method or an evaporation method, carrier gas (H2, ar, N2) is introduced into liquid-phase MTS, and the MTS is carried into a reaction cavity (furnace cavity) by gas escape. In a word, the existing CVD equipment feeding system is easy to have the problems of large gas fluctuation and unstable cracking gas flow, so that the deposition speed is unstable and the coating is uneven.
Disclosure of Invention
In order to overcome the problems in the prior art, the invention provides a vacuum and tail gas treatment system of chemical vapor deposition equipment, which improves the stability of the vacuum and tail gas treatment system, prolongs the maintenance period and improves the utilization rate of the system. The specific technical scheme is as follows.
A vacuum and exhaust treatment system for a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, comprising: the device comprises a tail gas pipeline, a vacuum pump, a water ring pump and an alkali liquid pool;
One end of the tail gas pipeline is communicated with the reaction furnace, and the other end of the tail gas pipeline is communicated with the air inlet of the water ring pump; the vacuum pump is communicated with the tail gas pipeline through a vacuum pipeline, so that the vacuum pump is connected with the water ring pump in parallel; the liquid outlet of the alkali liquid pool is communicated with the liquid inlet of the water ring pump through an alkali liquid pipeline, and the liquid inlet of the alkali liquid pool is communicated with the liquid outlet of the water ring pump through a liquid discharge pipeline; the alkali liquor tank is provided with an exhaust pipe.
By adopting the technical scheme, the vacuum pump and the water ring pump are arranged in parallel, and before the CVD process starts, the vacuum pump is started to enable the inside of the chemical vapor deposition furnace to reach and maintain the set vacuum degree (the vacuum degree is higher at the moment); in the CVD process, the vacuum pump is turned off, the water ring pump is in a working state, and the water ring pump conveys the tail gas discharged from the chemical vapor deposition furnace (reaction furnace) to the downstream (at this time, the too high vacuum degree is not needed). The invention skillfully aims at different process stages and process requirements, and pumps of different types are arranged in parallel, so that unexpected technical effects are achieved: on one hand, the vacuum pump is only used for providing high vacuum before CVD reaction, and the vacuum pump is not used for pumping tail gas, so that the damage of byproducts in the tail gas to the vacuum pump is avoided, the service life of the vacuum pump is prolonged, and the maintenance period of the vacuum pump is prolonged; on the other hand, the water ring pump has the characteristics of low cost and durability, and simultaneously utilizes alkali liquor as a working medium of the water ring pump, so that the tail gas and the alkali liquor can be subjected to full neutralization reaction in the water ring pump, and the tail gas treatment effect is improved. Because the cost of the vacuum pump is often far higher than that of the water ring pump, the scheme of the invention just improves the service life of the vacuum pump and also improves the tail gas treatment effect and efficiency. Therefore, the invention improves the stability and utilization rate of the whole vacuum and tail gas treatment system, and greatly reduces the labor cost required by maintenance.
Further, a trapping mechanism is further arranged on the tail gas pipeline and is located at the upstream of the vacuum pump and the water ring pump. The trapping mechanism can adopt the existing known structure and is used for collecting solid and liquid byproducts in the tail gas, so that the service life of a downstream pipeline and equipment is prolonged, and the water ring pump is ensured to be capable of repeatedly carrying out neutralization treatment on the tail gas. Upstream and downstream in the present invention are relative to the path of the exhaust gas, and the exhaust gas moves from upstream to downstream.
Further, a cooling device is arranged on the alkali liquor pipeline. The water ring pump, the liquid discharge pipeline, the alkali liquid pool and the alkali liquid pipeline form an alkali liquid circulation, alkali liquid in the water ring pump and the liquid discharge pipeline can absorb heat of the neutralization reaction, so that the alkali liquid in the alkali liquid pool is higher in temperature, and the cooling device is favorable for ensuring that the temperature of the alkali liquid entering the water ring pump is in a controllable state and ensuring the working state of the water ring pump.
Further, an atmosphere jet pump is further arranged on the tail gas pipeline, and the atmosphere jet pump is located at the upstream of the water ring pump. The atmosphere jet pump and the water ring pump are matched, so that the air suction effect of the water ring pump can be better exerted, and the vacuum degree in the CVD furnace can be ensured. The liquid and tail gas mixture is in the liquid discharge pipeline, and the purified tail gas enters the alkali liquor pool and is discharged from the exhaust pipe, so that the tail gas can be recycled or further treated after the tail gas is detected to be qualified.
Further, the water tank is communicated with a liquid inlet of the water ring pump through a cleaning pipeline; the drainage pipeline is communicated with a liquid outlet of the water ring pump. When the CVD process is finished and the water ring pump needs to be cleaned, the alkali liquor pipeline and the liquid discharge pipeline are closed, the cleaning pipeline and the water discharge pipeline are opened, tap water in the water storage tank enters the water ring pump and is discharged from the water discharge pipeline, so that the water ring pump is cleaned, and the automatic control of the whole system is facilitated.
Further, a buffer tank is further arranged on the tail gas pipeline, and the buffer tank is arranged at the upstream of the atmosphere jet pump. After the water ring pump works, the buffer tank can prevent water vapor in the atmospheric injection pump from entering the upstream tail gas pipeline, so that the hydrolysis reaction of byproducts in the tail gas pipeline is caused. The buffer vessel has a chamber with a larger cross section than the exhaust conduit.
Based on the same inventive concept, the invention also relates to a chemical vapor deposition device, which is provided with the vacuum and tail gas treatment system.
Further, a feed system is also included, comprising: MTS liquid storage tank, feeding tank, mixing tank, reaction chamber air inlet pipe and several air supply pipes;
The MTS liquid storage tank is communicated with the feeding tank through a first feeding pipe, the feeding tank is communicated with the mixing tank through a second feeding pipe, a plurality of air supply pipes are communicated to the mixing tank, one end of the reaction cavity air inlet pipe is communicated with the mixing tank, and the other end of the reaction cavity air inlet pipe is communicated with the reaction furnace;
A liquid flowmeter is arranged on the second feeding pipe; the mixing tank is provided with a heater and a heat preservation layer to prevent the liquid raw materials from condensing at low temperature.
By adopting the technical scheme, the liquid MTS of the MTS liquid storage tank enters the feeding tank through the first feeding pipe, the liquid MTS of the feeding tank enters the mixing tank through the second feeding pipe, the liquid MTS is heated and gasified in the mixing tank by the heater and mixed with high-purity gases such as argon, hydrogen, methane (or other gases) and the like supplied in the gas supply pipe, and the mixed gases enter the reaction cavity of the subsequent reaction furnace through the reaction cavity gas inlet pipe. In the scheme, MTS adopts liquid metering, so that the metering is very accurate, and the accurate and stable supply of various gases in the mixing tank is guaranteed, so that the quality of CVD products is improved.
Further, an inert gas pipe for supplying inert gas is also included, one interface of the inert gas pipe is connected to the MTS liquid storage tank, and one interface of the inert gas pipe is connected to the feeding tank; and the MTS liquid storage tank and the feeding tank are connected with pressure release pipes. The inert gas pipe can be provided with a plurality of interfaces in parallel through a plurality of three-way valves, and corresponding stop valves can be arranged to control the opening and closing of the corresponding interfaces; the pressure release pipe is also provided with a stop valve for controlling the opening and closing of the pressure release pipe; when the inert gas enters the MTS liquid storage tank, the pressure release pipe is opened to purge and clean the MTS liquid storage tank by the inert gas, and when the MTS liquid storage tank is placed with the liquid MTS, the pressure release pipe is closed, so that the inert gas forms a certain high pressure in the MTS liquid storage tank, and the liquid MTS of the MTS liquid storage tank is input into the feeding tank through the first feeding pipe. Likewise, the feed tank may be purged with an inert gas or the liquid MTS in the feed tank may be fed into the compounding tank.
Further, one interface of the inert gas pipe is connected to a three-way valve on the second feed pipe; and a pressure relief pipe is also arranged on the reaction cavity air inlet pipe. When the mixing tank needs to be purged and cleaned, the inert gas pipe is communicated with the mixing tank by the three-way valve, and the inert gas is discharged from the pressure relief pipe after entering the mixing tank to realize purging. In the production process, the feeding tank and the mixing tank are communicated by utilizing the three-way valve (at the moment, inert gas cannot enter the mixing tank through the three-way valve), and then liquid MTS in the feeding tank can be input into the mixing tank.
Further, a liquid level meter is arranged in each of the MTS liquid storage tank and the feeding tank; and pressure gauges are arranged in the MTS liquid storage tank and the feeding tank. The residual amount of the liquid MTS in the liquid storage tank and the feeding tank is conveniently monitored, and the internal pressure of the liquid MTS and the feeding tank is better controlled, so that the conveying speed (flow rate) of the liquid MTS is controlled.
Further, a filter is further arranged on the second feeding pipe. The filter can filter impurities in the liquid MTS and avoid polluting CVD products.
Further, a heater and a heat preservation layer are arranged on the reaction cavity air inlet pipe. The temperature of the mixed gas is favorably controlled.
Further, a gas flow meter is arranged on the gas supply pipe. The gas supply amount in the mixing tank is controlled accurately.
The invention also relates to a tail gas treatment method of the chemical vapor deposition equipment, which is characterized by comprising the following steps of:
1) Vacuumizing the reaction furnace by using a vacuum pump, wherein a water ring pump for tail gas treatment is in a closed state;
2) Closing the vacuum pump, and starting the water ring pump to treat the tail gas, wherein the tail gas does not pass through the vacuum pump, and the fluid medium of the water ring pump adopts alkali liquor;
3) And after the tail gas treatment is finished, replacing the alkali liquor with tap water, and cleaning the water ring pump by using the tap water.
Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects.
1. The high vacuum is separated from the process vacuum system, and the service life of the whole vacuum and tail gas system is prolonged;
2. the tail gas can be fully treated, and automation control is facilitated;
3. The service life and the maintenance period of the vacuum pump are prolonged, the water ring pump is very stable and reliable, the maintenance cost is low, the utilization rate of the vacuum and tail gas treatment system is integrally improved, and the use cost is reduced.
4. The invention can accurately measure and control the consumption of MTS and maintain the uniformity and stability of the mixed gas entering the reaction cavity; the problem of large fluctuation of MTS supplied by a bubbling method in the prior art is avoided.
5. The invention is beneficial to realizing automatic feeding, utilizes the means of automatic control under the action of inert gas, realizes automatic feeding by adjusting parameters such as opening and closing of a stop valve, pressure and the like, and can also clean a MTS liquid storage tank, a feeding tank and a mixing tank by rectangular sweeping.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a vacuum and exhaust treatment system of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the feed system of the present invention.
In the figure: 1-high purity gas cabinet, 2-MTS liquid storage tank, 3-feed tank, 4-filter, 5-liquid flowmeter, 6-mixing tank, 7-reaction chamber intake pipe, 8-gas supply pipe, 9-second feed pipe, 10-discharge port, 11-gas flowmeter 12-feed port, 13-manometer, 14-pressure relief pipe, 15-inert gas pipe, 16-stop valve, 17-liquid level meter, 18-first feed pipe, 19-heater, 20-three-way valve, 21-heat preservation layer, 22-reaction furnace, D1-tail gas pipeline, D2-vacuum pump, D3-water ring pump, D4-alkali liquid pool, D5-vacuum pipeline, D6-alkali liquid pipeline, D7-liquid discharge pipeline, D8-exhaust pipe, D9-trapping mechanism, D10-cooling device, D11-atmosphere jet pump, D12-water storage tank, D13-exhaust pipe, D14-cleaning pipeline, D15-buffer tank, D16-valve, D17-vacuum exhaust pipe.
Detailed Description
The invention is described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to fig. 1-2, a chemical vapor deposition apparatus includes a feed system, a reactor 22, and a vacuum and exhaust treatment system.
Wherein, vacuum and tail gas treatment system includes: a tail gas pipeline D1, a vacuum pump D2, a water ring pump D3 and an alkali liquor pool D4;
One end of the tail gas pipeline D1 is communicated with the reaction furnace 22, and the other end of the tail gas pipeline D1 is communicated with an air inlet of the water ring pump D3; the vacuum pump D2 is communicated with the tail gas pipeline D1 through a vacuum pipeline D5, so that the vacuum pump D2 is connected with the water ring pump D3 in parallel; the liquid outlet of the alkali liquid pool D4 is communicated with the liquid inlet of the water ring pump D3 through an alkali liquid pipeline D6, and the liquid inlet of the alkali liquid pool D4 is communicated with the liquid outlet of the water ring pump D3 through a liquid discharge pipeline D7; the alkali liquid pool D4 is provided with an exhaust pipe D8.
Preferably, the exhaust pipeline D1 is further provided with a trapping mechanism D9, and the trapping mechanism D9 is located upstream of the vacuum pump D2 and the water ring pump D3. The trapping mechanism D9 can adopt the existing known structure and is used for collecting solid and liquid byproducts in the tail gas, so that the service life of a downstream pipeline and equipment is prolonged, and the water ring pump D3 can be ensured to repeatedly neutralize the tail gas.
Preferably, the lye pipeline D6 is provided with a cooling device D10. The water ring pump D3, the liquid discharge pipeline D7, the alkali liquor pool D4 and the alkali liquor pipeline D6 form an alkali liquor circulation, alkali liquor in the water ring pump D3 and the liquid discharge pipeline D7 can absorb heat of tail gas, so that the temperature of the alkali liquor in the alkali liquor pool D4 is higher, and the cooling device D10 is favorable for ensuring that the temperature of the alkali liquor entering the water ring pump D3 is in a controllable state.
Preferably, the exhaust pipe D1 is further provided with an atmospheric jet pump D11, and the atmospheric jet pump D11 is located upstream of the water ring pump D3. The air jet pump D11 and the water ring pump D3 cooperate to better exert the suction effect and the exhaust gas treatment effect of the water ring pump D3. The liquid discharge pipeline D7 is a mixture of liquid and tail gas, and the purified tail gas enters the alkali liquor pool D4 and is discharged from the exhaust pipe D8, so that the tail gas can be recycled or further processed after the tail gas is detected to be qualified later.
In order to facilitate cleaning of the water ring pump D3, the water tank D12 and the drainage pipeline D13 are also included, and the water tank D12 is communicated with a liquid inlet of the water ring pump D3 through a cleaning pipeline D14; the drainage pipeline D13 is communicated with a liquid outlet of the water ring pump D3. When the CVD process is finished and the water ring pump D3 needs to be cleaned, the alkali liquor pipeline D6 and the liquid discharge pipeline D7 are closed, the cleaning pipeline D14 and the water discharge pipeline D13 are opened, tap water in the water storage tank D12 enters the water ring pump D3 and is discharged from the water discharge pipeline D13, so that the water ring pump D3 is cleaned, and the automatic control of the whole system is facilitated.
Preferably, the tail gas pipeline D1 is further provided with a buffer tank D15. The buffer tank D15 has a chamber with a larger cross section than the exhaust pipeline D1, and the exhaust gas enters the buffer tank D15 and then moves downstream from the buffer tank D15, and the pipelines upstream and downstream of the buffer tank D15 are both the exhaust pipeline D1.
It should be noted that: those skilled in the art will recognize that the valve D16 may be disposed on each pipe to control the open/close state of each pipe, and the valve D16 may be an electromagnetic valve.
The tail gas treatment method mainly comprises the following steps:
1) Vacuumizing the reaction furnace 22 by using a vacuum pump D2 so as to enable the reaction furnace 22 to reach and maintain a set vacuum degree (the vacuum degree is higher at the moment), and enabling a water ring pump D3 for tail gas treatment to be in a closed state; the gas pumped by the vacuum pump D2 is discharged through the vacuum exhaust pipe D17.
2) Closing a vacuum pump D2 (also closing a valve D16 on a vacuum pipeline D5), opening a water ring pump D3 to treat the tail gas, wherein the tail gas does not pass through the vacuum pump D2, a fluid medium of the water ring pump D3 adopts alkali liquor, the tail gas and the alkali liquor carry out full neutralization reaction in the water ring pump D3, a liquid discharge pipeline D7, an alkali liquor pool D4 and an alkali liquor pipeline D6 form an alkali liquor circulation, the liquid discharge pipeline D7 is a mixture of liquid and the tail gas, and the purified tail gas is discharged from an exhaust pipe D8 after entering the alkali liquor pool D4, and is subsequently detected to be qualified and recycled or further treated.
3) After the tail gas treatment is finished, replacing the alkali liquor with tap water, and cleaning the water ring pump D3 by using the tap water; namely, the alkali liquor pipeline D6 and the liquid discharge pipeline D7 are closed, the cleaning pipeline D14 and the drainage pipeline D13 are opened, tap water in the water storage tank D12 enters the water ring pump D2 and is discharged from the drainage pipeline D13, so that the water ring pump D2 is cleaned, and the automatic control of the whole system is facilitated.
As shown in fig. 1-3, the feed system includes: the device comprises an MTS liquid storage tank 2, a feeding tank 3, a mixing tank 6, a reaction cavity air inlet pipe 7 and a plurality of air supply pipes 8, wherein an air flowmeter 11 is arranged on each air supply pipe 8;
The MTS liquid storage tank 2 is communicated with the feeding tank 3 through a first feeding pipe 18, the feeding tank 3 is communicated with the mixing tank 6 through a second feeding pipe 9, a plurality of air supply pipes 8 are communicated with the mixing tank 6, one end of a reaction cavity air inlet pipe 7 is communicated with the mixing tank 6, and the other end of the reaction cavity air inlet pipe is communicated with the reaction furnace 22; the second feeding pipe 9 is provided with a liquid flowmeter 5; the mixing tank 6 is provided with a heater 19. Wherein the heater 19 is enclosed in the outer wall of the mixing tank 6.
The feeding system further comprises an inert gas pipe 15 for supplying inert gas, the inert gas pipe 15 and a plurality of gas supply pipes 8 are led out from the high-purity gas cabinet 1, the inert gas pipe 15 is divided into a plurality of branch pipes through connectors (each branch pipe is provided with a stop valve 16), each branch pipe is provided with a corresponding connector, one connector is connected to the MTS liquid storage tank 2, and one connector is connected to the feeding tank 3; both the MTS liquid storage tank 2 and the feeding tank 3 are connected with a pressure release pipe 14. The pressure release pipe 14 is also provided with a stop valve 16 for controlling the opening and closing of the pressure release pipe, and the stop valve 16 can be an electromagnetic valve; when inert gas enters the MTS liquid storage tank 2, the MTS liquid storage tank 2 can be purged and cleaned by the inert gas by opening the pressure relief pipe 14, when the MTS liquid storage tank 2 is placed with liquid MTS, the pressure relief pipe 14 is closed, and then the inert gas forms a certain high pressure in the MTS liquid storage tank 2 so that the liquid MTS of the MTS liquid storage tank 2 is input into the feeding tank 3 through the first feeding pipe 18. Likewise, the feed tank 3 may be purged with an inert gas, or the liquid MTS in the feed tank 3 may be fed into the mixing tank 6.
A liquid level meter 17 is arranged in each of the MTS liquid storage tank 2 and the feeding tank 3; pressure gauges 13 are provided in both the MTS reservoir 2 and the feed tank 3. The residual amount of the liquid MTS in the MTS liquid storage tank 2 and the feeding tank 3 can be monitored by the liquid level meter 17, and the pressure in the MTS liquid storage tank 2 and the feeding tank 3 can be detected and adjusted by the pressure meter 13, so that the conveying speed and the flow rate of the liquid MTS are controlled by inert gas.
The top of the MTS liquid storage tank 2 is also provided with a feed supplement port 12, so that materials can be conveniently added into the MTS liquid storage tank 2; the bottom of the MTS reservoir 2 is also provided with a drain 10 to allow the MTS reservoir 2 to be emptied when desired.
Preferably, one interface of the inert gas pipe 15 is connected to a three-way valve 20 on the second feed pipe 9; the reaction chamber air inlet pipe 7 is also provided with a pressure relief pipe 14. When the mixing tank 6 needs to be purged and cleaned, the three-way valve 20 is utilized to communicate the inert gas pipe 15 with the mixing tank 6, and inert gas is discharged from the pressure release pipe 14 after entering the mixing tank 6 to purge the mixing tank 6. In the production process, the three-way valve 20 is used for communicating the feeding tank 3 with the mixing tank 6 (at this time, inert gas cannot enter the mixing tank 6 through the three-way valve 20), so that the liquid MTS in the feeding tank 3 can be input into the mixing tank 6. The inert gas in the inert gas pipe 15 is preferably argon, and of course, nitrogen may be introduced into the inert gas pipe 15 during the purging operation. All the pressure relief pipes 14 are communicated with the tail gas pipeline D1 of the tail gas treatment system, so that when the purging work is carried out, the water ring pump D3 is started to discharge purging gas.
Preferably, the second feed pipe 9 is also provided with a filter 4. The filter 4 is capable of filtering impurities in the liquid MTS to avoid contamination of the CVD products.
Wherein, the reaction chamber air inlet pipe 7 is similar to the mixing tank 6, and is provided with a heater 19 and a heat preservation layer 21. The temperature of the mixed gas in the reaction cavity air inlet pipe 7 is beneficial to control.
The feed system of the present invention works as follows.
Before production and feeding, a stop valve 16 of a pressure release pipe 14 on the MTS liquid storage tank 2 is opened, and inert gas in an inert gas pipe 15 is input into the MTS liquid storage tank 2, so that purging and cleaning of the inside of the MTS liquid storage tank 2 are realized; in a similar manner, the feed tank 3 and the mixing tank 6 may also be purged.
During feeding, adding liquid MTS into the MTS liquid storage tank 2, and generating pressure in the MTS liquid storage tank 2 and the feeding tank 3 by using inert gas under the condition of closing the pressure release pipe 14 so as to input the liquid MTS in the MTS liquid storage tank 2 into the feeding tank 3 and further into the mixing tank 6, wherein the liquid MTS is accurately metered and controlled by the liquid flowmeter 5 on the second feeding pipe 9; the liquid MTS is heated and vaporized in the mixing tank 6 by the heater 19 and mixed with high-purity argon, hydrogen, methane (or other gases) and other gases supplied in the gas supply pipe 8, and the mixed gases enter the reaction chamber of the subsequent reaction furnace 22 through the reaction chamber gas inlet pipe 7.
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the embodiments of the present invention and the features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which are merely illustrative and not restrictive, and many forms may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims, which are all within the scope of the invention.