JPS61218814A - Minute particle flow control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control a beam spraying region by providing a skimmer with the function of a variable aperture on the downstream situated side of a shrinkage/expansion nozzle. CONSTITUTION:A passage is provided with a shrinkage/expansion nozzle 1 in which a passage is gradually shrinked from an inlet 1a toward a throat 2 and gradually expanded therefrom toward an outlet 1b. A skimmer 7 is provided on the downstream situated side of the shrinkage/expansion nozzle 1. This construction enables a surface irradiated by a beam to be controlled and a beam spraying region to be accurately controlled.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a flow control device for a particulate flow that is used as a means for transporting or spraying particulates, for example, by using particulates. It is expected to be applied to film formation processing, composite material formation, doping processing, and new formation sites for fine particles.

In this specification, fine particles refer to atoms, molecules, ultrafine particles, and general fine particles. Here, ultrafine particles are, for example,
Evaporation method in gas, plasma evaporation method using gas phase reaction,
Obtained by gas phase chemical reaction method, colloidal precipitation method, solution spray pyrolysis method, etc. using liquid phase reaction,
Refers to ultrafine (generally 0.5 μm or less) particles. General fine particles refer to fine particles obtained by general methods such as mechanical crushing and precipitation treatment. Also, what is a beam?
A jet stream whose cross-sectional area is approximately constant in the flow direction, and its cross-sectional shape does not matter.

[Prior Art] Generally, fine particles are dispersed and suspended in a carrier gas and transported by the flow of the carrier gas.

Conventionally, control of the flow of fine particles accompanying the transfer of fine particles has been carried out by dividing the entire flow path of the fine particles flowing together with the carrier gas with a pipe material or a housing based on the differential pressure between the upstream side and the downstream side. do not have. Therefore, although the flow of particles varies in strength and weakness, the flow of particles inevitably occurs in a dispersed state throughout the pipe material or casing that defines the flow path for particles.

Furthermore, when spraying fine particles onto a substrate, the fine particles are jetted out together with a carrier gas through a nozzle. The nozzle used to spray the fine particles is a simple parallel tube or a tapered nozzle, and the jet cross section of the fine particles immediately after being ejected is certainly narrowed down according to the area of the nozzle end face. However, since the jet is diffused at the exit surface of the nozzle, the wave path is merely temporarily constricted, and the speed of the jet does not exceed the speed of sound.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, it is possible to divide the entire flow path of fine particles with a pipe material or a casing, and to
If particles are transferred along this flow path along with the carrier gas by the differential pressure between the flow side and the downstream side, a very high transfer speed cannot be expected. It is difficult to avoid contact between the wall surface and the particulates over the entire transfer section.

For this reason, there is a problem in that when moving particularly active fine particles to their collection position, the activity tends to disappear over time or due to contact with the tube material or the wall surface of the casing.

In addition, if the entire flow path of particles is divided by pipe material or housing,
Due to the occurrence of dead spaces in the flow, the collection rate of the transported particles decreases, and the utilization efficiency of the carrier gas for transporting the particles also decreases.

On the other hand, in conventional parallel tubes and tapered nozzles, the jet stream that passes through it becomes a diffuse flow with a large density distribution of particles. Therefore, when spraying fine particles onto a substrate, it is difficult to control uniform spraying. Furthermore, uniform spraying makes it difficult to control the area.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The measures taken to solve the problems mentioned above are explained with reference to FIG. 1, which is an explanatory diagram of the basic principle of the present invention. A contraction/expansion nozzle l is provided, and a skimmer 7 having a variable aperture function is further provided on the downstream side of this nozzle.
By providing this, the above problems are solved.

The contraction/expansion nozzle 1 in the present invention is a throat portion 2 in which the opening area is gradually narrowed from the inlet 1d toward the middle portion, and the opening area is gradually expanded from the throat portion 2 toward the outlet 1b. This refers to the nozzle that is

On the other hand, what is the skimmer 7 that has a variable aperture function?

A skimmer that has the ability to adjust the area of its opening stepwise or steplessly by operating it from the outside. In addition, in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the inflow side and the outflow side of the contraction/expansion nozzle l are each shown as an upstream chamber 3 which is a closed system.
and the downstream chamber 4. However, the inflow and outflow sides of the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 in the present invention can be a closed system if a differential pressure can be generated between the two and the particles can be passed along with the carrier gas while being exhausted on the downstream side. It may also be an open system.

[Function] For example, as shown in FIG.
When the inside is evacuated by the vacuum pump 5, a pressure difference is created between the upstream chamber 3 and the downstream chamber 4. Therefore, the supplied carrier gas containing fine particles flows from the upstream chamber 3 through the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 and flows into the downstream chamber 4 . Pressure P in flow chamber 3
the pressure ratio P/PO of the pressure P of the downstream chamber 4 and the ratio A/A of the opening area A of the throat 2 and the opening area A of the outflow 01b.
By adjusting this, the flow of particles ejected together with the carrier gas can be sped up. If the pressure ratio P/Pa in the upstream chamber 3 and downstream chamber 4 is greater than the critical pressure ratio, the flow velocity at the exit of the contraction/expansion nozzle l becomes subsonic or less, and the particles are decelerated and ejected together with the carrier gas. Further, if the pressure ratio is equal to or lower than the critical pressure ratio, the flow velocity at the outlet of the contraction/expansion nozzle l becomes a supersonic flow, and the fine particles can be ejected together with the carrier gas at a super high speed.

Here, the velocity of the particle flow is U, and the sound velocity at that point is a.
, the specific heat ratio of the particulate flow is γ, and assuming that the particulate flow is a compressible one-dimensional flow and expands adiabatically, the Matzuha number M reached by the particulate flow is given by the following equation from the pressure Po in the upstream chamber and the pressure P in the downstream chamber. It is determined by the formula, especially when P/PO is below the critical pressure ratio, M
is less than l.

Note that the sound velocity a can be determined by the following equation, where T is the local temperature and R is the gas constant.

a=F71薯" Also, the opening area A of the outflow hole 1b and the opening area A of the throat part 2
The relationship between ° and Matsuha's number M is as follows.

Therefore, the opening area ratio A/A'' can be determined according to the Matsuha number M determined from equation (1) by the pressure ratio P/Po of the pressure PO in the upstream chamber 3 and the pressure P in the downstream chamber 4, or by A/A. By adjusting P/P according to M determined from equation (2), the flow velocity of the particulate flow ejected from the enlargement/contraction nozzle l can be adjusted.The velocity U of the particulate flow at this time is determined by the following (3). It can be determined by the formula.

The flow state of the particle flow is maintained at a constant state determined by the opening area ratio A/A- by keeping the pressure ratio P/Po of the pressure P0 of the upstream chamber 3 and the pressure P of the downstream chamber 4 constant. become.

In the above-mentioned ejection where the pressure ratio is less than the critical pressure ratio, the ejected carrier gas and the particles form a uniform diffusion flow, making it possible to uniformly spray the particles over a relatively wide range at once.

Further, since the skimmer 7 controls the outflow of the carrier gas to the downstream chamber 4, the pressure difference between the upstream chamber 3 and the downstream chamber 4 can be maintained efficiently.

On the other hand, when particles are ejected in a fixed direction along with carrier gas as an ultra-high-speed flow as described above, the carrier gas and particles travel straight while maintaining almost the jet cross section immediately after ejection.
Beamed. Therefore.

The flow of particles carried by this carrier gas is also converted into a beam, and is transported through the space within the downstream chamber 4 with minimal diffusion, in a spatially independent state without interference with the wall surface of the downstream chamber 4, and at ultra-high speed. will be done.

For this reason, 2, for example, it is possible to form active particles in the upstream chamber 3 and transfer them directly into a beam through the contraction/expansion nozzle 1, or activate them in the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 or immediately after the contraction/expansion nozzle 1. By forming fine particles having a particle size and transferring them as a beam, it is possible to transfer them as a spatially independent beam at supersonic speed.
For example, it can be deposited and collected on a substrate 6 provided in the downstream chamber 4. Therefore, it becomes possible to collect fine particles in a good active state. Further, since the fine particles are sprayed onto the substrate 6 as a beam whose jet cross section is substantially constant in the flow direction, the area of this spraying can be easily controlled.

[Example 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an example in which the present invention is applied to a film forming apparatus using ultrafine particles.
is an upstream chamber, 4d is a first-downstream chamber, and 4b is a second downstream chamber.

The hlIt chamber 3 and the first downstream chamber 4a are configured as an integrated unit, and the skimmer 7, gate valve 8, and second downstream chamber 4b, which are also each unitized, are all common to the first downstream chamber 4a. They are sequentially connected to each other so that they can be connected and separated via a diameter flange (hereinafter referred to as a "common flange"). The upstream chamber 3, the first downstream chamber 4a, and the second downstream chamber 4b are maintained at a high degree of vacuum in stages from the upstream chamber 3 to the second downstream chamber 4b by an exhaust system described later.

A gas phase excitation device 9 is attached to one side of the upstream chamber 3 via a common flange. This gas phase excitation device 9 generates active ultrafine particles using plasma and sends the ultrafine particles together with a carrier gas such as hydrogen, helium, argon, nitrogen, etc. to a contraction/expansion nozzle l located on the opposite side. It is. In order to prevent the formed ultrafine particles from adhering to the inner surface of the upstream chamber 3, an anti-adhesion treatment may be applied to the inner surface of the upstream chamber 3. In addition, since the first downstream chamber 4a has a higher degree of vacuum than the L flow chamber 3, the generated l1fl fine particles directly flow through the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 together with the carrier gas due to the pressure difference between the two. and flows into the first downstream chamber 4a.

As shown in FIG. 3(a), the gas phase excitation device 9 includes a rod-shaped first electrode 9a disposed within a tubular second electrode 8b, and a carrier gas and a raw material gas supplied into the second electrode 9b. Thus, a discharge is caused between the two electrodes 9a and 9b. Further, the gas phase excitation device 9, as shown in FIG. 3(b),
The first electrode 9a provided in the second electrode 9b may be a porous tube to supply carrier gas and raw material gas between the two electrodes 9a and 9b through the inside of the first electrode 9a. As shown in.

It is also possible to connect the half-tubular electrodes 9a and 9b into a tube via an insulating material 9C, and supply the carrier gas and source gas into the tube formed by the electrodes 9a and 9b.

The contraction/expansion nozzle l opens the inflow Qla into the upstream chamber 3 at the side end of the first downstream chamber 4a on the upstream chamber 3 side, and
The outflow port 1b is opened at a, and the upstream chamber 3 is protruded into the upstream chamber 3, and is attached via a common flange. However, the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 may be installed in a state in which it projects into the first downstream chamber 4a. The direction in which the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 should be projected may be selected depending on the size, amount, properties, etc. of the B fine particles to be transferred.

As mentioned above, the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 has an inlet port 1a.
The opening area is gradually narrowed down to form the throat 2, and the opening area is gradually expanded again to form the outflow port 1b. The nozzle flow rate is determined to be smaller than the exhaust flow rate under the required pressure and temperature of the flow chamber 3.

As a result, the outlet 1b is properly expanded, and the outlet 1b
This can prevent deceleration, etc. Further, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 4(a), it is preferable that the inner circumferential surface near the outlet lb is substantially parallel to the central axis. This is because the direction of flow of the carrier gas and ultrafine particles to be ejected is influenced to some extent by the direction of the inner circumferential surface near the outlet lb, so that it is possible to make the flow parallel to each other as easily as possible. However, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the angle α of the inner peripheral surface from the throat portion 2 to the outlet 1b with respect to the central axis is
If the angle is 7° or less, preferably 5° or less, peeling phenomenon will not easily occur and the flow of the ejected carrier gas and ultrafine particles will be maintained almost uniformly, so in this case, it is not necessary to form the above-mentioned parallel portion. By omitting the formation of the parallel portion, the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 can be manufactured easily. Also,
If the contraction/expansion nozzle l is made rectangular as shown in FIG. 4(C), carrier gas and ultrafine particles can be ejected in a slit shape.

Here, the separation phenomenon is a phenomenon in which when there is a protrusion etc. on the inner surface of the contraction/expansion nozzle 1, the boundary layer between the inner surface of the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 and the flowing fluid becomes large and the flow becomes non-uniform. The faster the jet flow, the more likely it is to occur. In order to prevent this peeling phenomenon, it is preferable that the above-mentioned angle α is made smaller as the inner surface finish accuracy of the contraction/expansion nozzle l becomes lower. The inner surface of the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 conforms to JIS 8060.
1, it is preferable to have three or more inverted triangular marks representing surface finish accuracy, and optimally four or more. In particular, the peeling phenomenon at the enlarged part of the contraction/expansion nozzle l will affect the subsequent flow of carrier gas and ultrafine particles. Therefore, by determining the finishing accuracy with emphasis on this enlarged portion, the reduction/expansion nozzle 1 can be manufactured easily.

In addition, in order to prevent the occurrence of peeling phenomenon, the throat portion 2 is made a smooth curved surface, and the differential coefficient of the cross-sectional area change rate is (1
) must be avoided.

Materials for the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 include iron, stainless steel, and other metals, as well as synthetic resins such as acrylic resin, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene, ceramic materials, and glass. can. This material may be selected in consideration of non-reactivity with the generated ultrafine particles, processability, gas release properties in a vacuum system, etc. Also, the reduction/expansion nozzle 1
It is also possible to plate or coat the inner surface of the substrate with a material that is less likely to cause adhesion and reaction of aW1 particles. As a specific example,
Examples include polyfluoroethylene coating.

The length of the contraction/expansion nozzle l can be arbitrarily determined depending on the size of the apparatus and the like. By the way, contraction/expansion nozzle I
When flowing through the carrier gas and ultrafine particles, the thermal energy they possess is converted into kinetic energy. Particularly when ejected at supersonic speed, the thermal energy becomes significantly small, resulting in a supercooled state. Therefore, if the carrier gas contains condensed components, it is also possible to actively condense them by the supercooled state, thereby forming ultrafine particles. Since the formation of ultrafine particles by this is homogeneous nucleation, it is easy to obtain homogeneous ultrafine particles. Further, in this case, in order to perform sufficient condensation, it is preferable that the contraction/expansion nozzle l be long. On the other hand, when condensation occurs as shown in L, thermal energy increases and velocity energy decreases. Therefore, in order to maintain high-speed jetting, it is preferable that the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 be short.

Pressure ratio P/P of pressure Pa in upstream chamber 3 and pressure P in downstream chamber 4
, and the ratio A/A'' between the opening area A'' of the throat portion 2 and the opening area of the outflow port 1b, and the ultrafine particles are allowed to flow through the contraction/expansion nozzle l. The carrier gas containing .

The skimmer 7 is installed in the first downstream chamber 4a so that the second downstream chamber 4b can maintain a sufficiently higher degree of vacuum than the first downstream chamber 4a.
This is to enable adjustment of the opening area between the first downstream chamber 4b and the second downstream chamber 4b. Specifically, as shown in No. 51N(a), two adjustment plates 11.11' each having a 〈 letter-shaped notch 10, 10' are connected to a v'J notch 10.1.
The adjustment plates 11 and 11' can be slid from the outside, and the overlapping condition of the notches 10 and 10' allows the beam to pass through the adjustment plates 11 and 11'. The opening degree is adjusted to allow for the above-mentioned conditions and to maintain a sufficient degree of vacuum in the second downstream chamber.

Note that the notches 10, 10' of the skimmer 7 and the adjustment plate 11.
The shape of If' may be semicircular or other shapes other than the illustrated shape.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the shape may be similar to that of an aperture mechanism used in a camera. With such a shape, delicate pressure adjustment becomes extremely easy.

The gate valve 8 has a valve body 13 that can be raised and lowered by turning a handle 12, and is open when the beam is traveling. By closing this gate valve 8, the unit in the second downstream chamber 4b can be replaced while maintaining the degree of vacuum in the upstream chamber 3 and the first downstream chamber 4a. Further, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the ultrafine particles are collected in the second downstream chamber 4b, but if the gate valve 8 is a pole valve or the like, especially when the ultrafine particles are metal particles that are easily oxidized, By replacing the unit of the second downstream chamber 4b together with this Pall valve.

This has the advantage that the unit can be replaced without the risk of rapid oxidation.

A base body 6 is located in the second downstream chamber 4b for receiving and depositing ultrafine particles transferred as a beam, and collecting the ultrafine particles in a film-formed state. This base body 6 is attached to the second downstream chamber 4b via a common flange, and is attached to the cylinder 1.
4 is attached to a base holder 16 at the tip of a slide shaft 15 that is slid by a slide shaft 15. A shutter 17 is located on the front side of the base 6, so that the beam can be blocked whenever necessary. Moreover, the substrate holder 16 is.

The substrate 6 can be heated or cooled under optimal temperature conditions for collecting ultrafine particles.

Incidentally, glass windows 18 are attached to the upper and lower sides of the upstream chamber 3 and the second downstream chamber 4b through common flanges, respectively, as shown in the figure, so that the inside can be observed. 9 Although not shown, the upstream chamber 3 and the first downstream chamber 4a
Similar glass windows (same as 18 in the figure) are installed at the front and rear of the first downstream chamber via common 7 lunges. These glass windows 18 can be removed and replaced with various measuring devices, load lock chambers, etc. via a common flange.

Next, the exhaust system in this embodiment will be explained.

The upstream chamber 3 is connected to the main valve 2 via a pressure regulating valve 19.
Connected to 0a. The first downstream chamber 4a is directly connected to the main valve 20a, and this main valve 20a
is connected to the vacuum pump 5a. The second downstream chamber 4b is connected to a main valve 20b, which in turn is connected to a vacuum pump 5b. still,
21a and 21b are main valves 20a and 20, respectively.
The auxiliary valve 23d is connected to the immediate upstream side of the valve 22a and 22b via the bias valves 22a and 22b.

The vacuum pump 23b is connected to the vacuum pump 5a and is used to check the inside of the upstream chamber 3, the first downstream chamber 4a, and the second downstream chamber 4b. In addition, 24a to 24h are each chamber 3, 4a, 4b and pump 5a, 51), 2
1a and 21b are leak and purge valves.

First, the interference valves 21a and 21b and the pressure regulating valve 1
8, the upstream chamber 3, the first and second downstream chambers 4a, 4
The check in b is performed using the vacuum pumps 20a and 20b.

Next, the auxiliary valves 23a, 23b and the main valves 20a, 2 are closed.
0b is opened and the vacuum pumps 5a and 5b are used to create a sufficient degree of vacuum in the upstream chamber 3 and the first and second downstream chambers 4a and 4b. At this time, by adjusting the opening degree of the pressure regulating valve 19, the degree of vacuum in the first downstream chamber 4a is made higher than that in the upstream chamber 3,
Next, the carrier gas and the raw material gas are flowed, and the skimmer 7 is used to adjust the degree of vacuum in the second downstream chamber 4b to be higher than that in the first downstream chamber 4a. This adjustment can also be performed by adjusting the opening degree of the main valve 20b. The chambers 3, 4a, and 4b are controlled to maintain a constant degree of vacuum throughout the formation of ultrafine particles and the film forming operation by beam injection. This control may be done manually, but each room 3, 4a,
This may be done by detecting the pressure in the upstream chamber 3 and automatically controlling the opening and closing of the pressure regulating valve 19, main valves 20a, 20b, skimmer 7, etc. based on the detected pressure. If the carrier gas and particulates are directly transferred to the downstream side via the contraction/expansion nozzle 1, the exhaust gas during transfer will be transferred to the downstream side, that is, the
and only the second downstream chambers 4a and 4b.

The degree of vacuum may be controlled by separately providing vacuum pumps 5a for the upstream chamber 3 and the first downstream chamber 4a for each chamber 3, 4a. However, as in this embodiment, one vacuum pump 5a is used to exhaust air in the direction of beam flow, and the upstream chamber 3
By controlling the degree of vacuum in the first downstream chamber 4a, it is easy to maintain a constant pressure difference between the two even if there is some pulsation in the vacuum pump 5a. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is easy to maintain a constant flow state that is susceptible to fluctuations in differential pressure.

The suction by the vacuum pumps 5a, 5b is preferably performed from above, especially in the first and second downstream chambers 4a, 4b.By suctioning from above, the descent of the beam due to gravity can be suppressed to some extent. can.

Although the apparatus according to this embodiment is as described above, the following modifications can be made.

First, the contraction/expansion nozzle l can be made to be able to tilt vertically and horizontally, or to scan at regular intervals, and can also be made to be able to form a film over a wide range. It is advantageous to combine it with the rectangular nozzle of FIG. 4C.

The contraction/expansion nozzle l is made of an insulator such as quartz, and microwaves are applied thereto to form active ultrafine particles inside the contraction/expansion nozzle 1, or ultraviolet, infrared, or laser is formed by forming the contraction/expansion nozzle l of a translucent material. It is also possible to irradiate the flow with light having various wavelengths, such as light. It is also possible to provide a plurality of contraction/expansion nozzles l to generate a plurality of beams at once. In particular, when a plurality of contraction/expansion nozzles l are provided, by connecting each to an independent upstream chamber 3, beams of different particles can be run at the same time. It is also possible to form new particles by collision of different particles by crossing them.

The base body 6 is held movably or rotatably in the vertical and horizontal directions,
It is also possible to receive the beam over a wide range. Further, by winding up the base body 6 into a roll and sending it out one after another so as to receive the beam, a long base body 6 can also be treated with fine particles. Furthermore, the treatment with fine particles may be performed while rotating the drum-shaped base 6.

In this example, there are 8 generation rooms, 3. Although the second downstream chamber 4a is composed of a downstream chamber 4a and a second downstream chamber 4b, the second downstream chamber 4b may be omitted, or a third chamber may be provided downstream of the second downstream chamber.

Fourth...downstream chambers can also be connected. Also.

By pressurizing the upstream chamber 3, the first downstream chamber 4a can be made into an open system, and by reducing the pressure in the first downstream chamber 4a, the upstream chamber 3 can be made into an open system. Especially like an autoclave.
It is also possible to pressurize the upstream chamber 3 and reduce the pressure in the first downstream chamber 4a.

In this embodiment, active ultrafine particles are formed in the upstream chamber 3, but this is not necessarily necessary, and separately formed particles may be sent to the upstream chamber 3 together with the carrier gas. Further, it is also possible to provide a valve for opening and closing the contraction/expansion nozzle 1, and to obtain fine particles by intermittently opening and closing the valve while temporarily storing fine particles in the upstream chamber 3 side. By opening and closing the above-mentioned valve in synchronization with the energy application performed on the downstream side including the throat section 2 of the contraction-expansion nozzle 1, the burden on the exhaust system can be significantly reduced, and the raw material gas can be used effectively. A pulsed particle flow can be obtained. Note that under the same exhaust conditions, the above-mentioned intermittent opening and closing has the advantage that it is easier to maintain a high vacuum on the downstream side. In case of intermittent opening and closing,
A chamber may be provided between the upstream chamber 3 and the contraction/expansion nozzle 1 to temporarily store fine particles.

In addition, multiple contraction/expansion nozzles 1 are arranged in series, and the pressure ratio on the upstream side and downstream side is adjusted to maintain the beam speed, and each chamber is made spherical to minimize the generation of dead space. It can also be prevented.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, fine particles can be transported as a supersonic beam in a uniformly dispersed state, so that fine particles can be transported in a spatially independent state at super high speed.

Therefore, the active particles can be reliably transported as they are to the collection position, and by controlling the beam irradiation surface, the spraying area can be accurately controlled.

In addition, it becomes a focused ultra-high-speed parallel flow called a beam, and when it is made into a beam, thermal energy is converted to kinetic energy, and the particles in the beam become frozen, so we can create a new reaction field that utilizes these. I have high hopes for what I will achieve. Furthermore, according to the flow control device of the present invention, since the fluid is in the frozen state, it is also possible to define the microscopic state of molecules in the fluid and handle the transition from one state to another state. In other words, it is possible to perform chemical reactions in the gas phase using a new method in which various energy levels of molecules are defined and energy corresponding to the levels is imparted. Furthermore, by providing a field for energy exchange different from conventional ones, it is also possible to easily create intermolecular compounds formed by relatively weak intermolecular forces such as hydrogen bonds and van der Waals bonds.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the basic principle of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention applied to a film forming apparatus using ultrafine particles, and Figures 3 (a) to (C) are FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams each showing an example of a gas phase excitation device, and FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams each showing an example of the shape of a contraction/expansion nozzle. FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are explanatory views of the skimmer. l: contraction/expansion nozzle, 1a: inlet. 1b Two outlets, 2: Throat, 3: Upstream chamber. 4: downstream chamber, 4a: first downstream chamber, 4b: second downstream chamber, 5, 5a, 5b: vacuum pump. 6: Substrate, 7: Skimmer, 8: Gate valve, 9: Gas phase excitation device, 9a: First electrode, 9b = Second electrode, 10.10': 4j'J notch, 11
, 11': Adjustment plate, 12: Handle, 13: Valve body. 14 double cylinder, 15 double slide shaft, 16 double base holder, 17: shutter, 18 double glass window, 19: pressure regulating valve, 20a, 20b: main valve. 21a, 21b: Decompression pump, 22a, 22b: Arabiki valve. 23a, 23b: Auxiliary valves, 24a to 24h: Leak and purge valves.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A flow control device for a particulate flow, characterized in that a contraction/expansion nozzle is provided in a flow path, and a skimmer having a variable throttling function is provided downstream of the nozzle.