KR102145690B1 - Plasma reactor applicable plural plasma process - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a plasma reactor capable of reliably decomposing and removing pollutants through a plurality of plasma treatments and removing pollutants that accumulate at an inlet and an outlet. The plasma reactor includes an inlet plasma reaction unit having a first electrode assembly and a first internal ground, and a main plasma reaction unit connected to the inlet plasma reaction unit and having at least one second electrode assembly. Here, the electrode assemblies each have a dielectric material and an electrode, the inlet plasma reaction unit causes a first plasma reaction to first decompose pollutants, and the main plasma reaction unit causes a second plasma reaction to secondarily decompose pollutants. .

Description

Plasma reactor capable of processing multiple plasma reactions {PLASMA REACTOR APPLICABLE PLURAL PLASMA PROCESS}

The present invention relates to a plasma reactor capable of processing a plurality of plasma reactions.

Conventional plasma reactors use one electrode assembly in the form of a circular roll around a dielectric.

Accordingly, when a problem occurs in the electrode assembly, the power must be turned off, and as a result, the plasma reaction cannot be performed and contaminants introduced from the process chamber flow into the vacuum pump.

In addition, there is a problem in that by-products accumulate at the inlet or outlet of the plasma reactor and block it.

KR 10-1882813 B

The present invention is to provide a plasma reactor having a plurality of electrode assemblies.

In addition, the present invention provides a plasma reactor capable of reliably decomposing and removing contaminants through a plurality of plasma treatments and removing contaminants accumulated at the inlet and outlet.

In order to achieve the above object, a plasma reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an inlet plasma reaction unit having a first electrode assembly and a first internal ground; And a main plasma reaction unit connected to the inlet plasma reaction unit and having at least one second electrode assembly. Here, both the inlet plasma reaction unit and the main plasma reaction unit generate a plasma reaction during a process time, the inlet plasma reaction unit causes a plasma reaction during an idle time, and the main plasma reaction unit does not cause a plasma reaction.

The plasma reactor according to the present invention uses a plurality of electrode assemblies, and as a result, the life and function of the plasma reactor can be improved.

In addition, the plasma reactor performs the plasma treatment three times, as a result of which contaminants are completely removed and contaminants that accumulate at the inlet or outlet are removed, thereby preventing the inlet and outlet from being blocked.

1 is a schematic diagram of a process system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing a plasma reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a plasma reactor cut along the z1-z1 line and the x1-x1 line.
4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a plasma discharge flow and a pollutant flow.

Singular expressions used in the present specification include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “consisting of” or “comprising” should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various elements or various steps described in the specification, and some of the elements or some steps It may not be included, or it should be interpreted that it may further include additional elements or steps. In addition, terms such as "... unit" and "module" described in the specification mean units that process at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software. .

The present invention relates to a plasma reactor, and completely removes contaminants through a plurality of plasma reactions, and in particular, by removing accumulated contaminants, it is possible to prevent the inlet or outlet from being blocked.

In addition, the plasma reactor implements a plurality of electrode assemblies, so that even if some electrode assemblies do not operate normally, contaminants can be decomposed and removed.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a process system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the process system of this embodiment may include a process chamber 102, a plasma reactor 100, and a vacuum pump 104. The process chamber 102 and the plasma reactor 100 may be connected through the first vacuum pipe 110, and the plasma reactor 100 and the vacuum pump 104 may be connected through the second vacuum pipe 112.

However, the plasma reactor 100 is not disposed only between the process chamber 102 and the vacuum pump 104, and may be installed between the vacuum pump 104 and the scrubber or at the top of the scrubber. In addition, a plurality of plasma reactors may be installed at various locations between the process chamber, the vacuum pipe, the vacuum pump, and the scrubber. That is, as long as the plasma reactor 100 decomposes pollutants using a plasma reaction, there is no positional limitation.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, it will be assumed that the plasma reactor 100 is disposed between the process chamber 102 and the vacuum pump 104.

The process chamber 102 may perform a deposition process, an etching process, or a cleaning process in a vacuum state. However, the gas used in the process chamber 102 varies depending on the process.

As a result, exhaust gas including precursors, process gases, cleaning gases, or by-products from the process chamber 102 is input to the plasma reactor 100 through the first vacuum pipe 110 according to the process. That is, contaminants are input from the process chamber 102 to the plasma reactor 100.

These contaminants can be deposited on the inner surface of the pipe and block the inside of the pipe. In addition, when contaminants are input to the vacuum pump 104, temperature conditions and pressure conditions may change rapidly inside the vacuum pump 104, and as a result, the contaminants cause a phase change to the inside of the vacuum pump 104. Can be solidified or liquefied in. This can cause failure of the vacuum pump 104. In particular, when the pollutant is discharged into the atmosphere, it causes a big problem.

Accordingly, a plasma reactor 100 for removing such contaminants may be installed between the process chamber 102 and the vacuum pump 104.

The plasma reactor 100 serves to decompose and remove the input contaminants. Specifically, the plasma reactor 100 generates an electric field using an electrode, but the pollutant may be decomposed by plasma reaction by the electric field, that is, electronic energy.

Here, when the electrode is destroyed, a plasma reaction does not occur in the plasma reactor 100. As a result, contaminants input from the process chamber 102 may be input to the vacuum pump 104.

Therefore, the plasma reactor 100 of the present invention uses a plurality of electrodes instead of one electrode. As a result, even if some electrodes are destroyed, since other electrodes operate normally, the plasma reactor 100 can continuously decompose and remove contaminants. That is, it is possible to extend the life of the plasma reactor 100 and improve the function.

Of course, as will be described later, the plasma reactor 100 may include only one electrode in the gas injection structure.

In addition, unreacted materials may be deposited on the inlet side of the plasma reactor 100 to block the pipe inlet or to accumulate by-products. Pipes may be clogged by these pollutants, and by-products accumulated inside the plasma reactor 100 may react with the atmosphere when separated. Accordingly, in order to block the inlet of the pipe or to remove contaminants accumulated therein, the plasma reactor 100 may perform an additional plasma reaction.

Hereinafter, the structure and operation of the plasma reactor 100 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a diagram showing a plasma reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view showing a plasma reactor cut along the z1-z1 line and the x1-x1 line, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are plasma These are diagrams showing discharge flow and pollutant flow.

2 to 5, the plasma reactor 100 of the present embodiment may include an inlet plasma reaction unit, a main plasma reaction unit, and an outlet plasma reaction unit.

The inlet plasma reaction unit corresponds to an inlet portion of the plasma reactor 100 into which contaminants are input from the process chamber 102, and at least one electrode assembly 206 formed on the inlet body 202 and the inlet body 202 Includes.

The electrode assembly 206 may include a dielectric 220 formed over the inlet body 202 and an electrode 222 formed over the dielectric 220. Here, a positive voltage may be applied to the electrode 222.

According to an embodiment, the inlet inner ground 212 may be formed in the inner space of the inlet body 202. The inlet internal ground 212 is supported by the support 216. Meanwhile, the inlet internal ground 212 may be formed of a plurality of sub-inlet internal grounds spaced apart from each other.

In addition, the electrode assembly 206 and the inlet internal ground 212 are arranged to face each other as shown in FIG. 3, but by adjusting and setting the distance between the electrode assembly 206 and the inlet internal ground 212, the opposite discharge and creepage It can cause discharge. In this case, the ions generated by the plasma discharge may be mainly concentrated in the electrode assembly 206 and near the inlet internal ground 212 (A).

That is, some of the contaminants inside the inlet body 202 are decomposed, that is, pretreated, and then the contaminant is input to the main plasma reaction unit.

In addition, the plasma reactor 100 may decompose and remove contaminants accumulated on the inlet of the inlet plasma reaction unit, the pipe connected to the inlet, or the floor.

Meanwhile, the inlet internal ground 212 may prevent clogging of the inlet or the pipe. Specifically, if the inlet internal ground 212 does not exist, the electric field generated from the main plasma reaction unit may affect the inlet or the inside of the pipe, so that a plasma reaction may occur inside the inlet or the pipe. In this case, since the plasma density is low, contaminants may not be completely treated inside the inlet or the pipe, so that a solid material may be generated, and the solid material may block the inlet or the pipe. Accordingly, the plasma reactor 100 of the present invention forms an inlet internal ground 212 inside the inlet plasma reaction unit to confine plasma into the main plasma reaction unit as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As a result, it is possible to prevent the inlet or the pipe from being blocked.

In order to prevent such a clogging phenomenon, the inlet inner ground 212 has a bent portion, but the bent portion is bent in the inlet direction. This is so that the electric field does not advance to the inlet.

The main plasma reaction unit is connected to the inlet plasma reaction unit and may include a main body 220 operating as a ground and at least one electrode assembly, for example, two electrode assemblies 208a and 208b.

When a positive voltage is applied to the electrode of the electrode assembly 208, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an electric field is formed between the electrode and the main body 220 and the inlet internal ground 212 to reduce contaminants. The car is disassembled and removed. That is, creepage discharge occurs. In this case, the electric field does not proceed to the inlet and outlet by the inlet internal ground 212 and the outlet internal ground 214 and is trapped inside the main plasma reaction unit.

The outlet plasma reaction unit is connected to the main plasma reaction unit, and thirdly decomposes and removes contaminants input from the main plasma reaction unit.

The outlet plasma reaction unit includes an outlet body 204 and at least one electrode assembly 210.

According to an embodiment, an outlet internal ground 214 is formed inside the outlet plasma reaction unit, and the outlet internal ground 214 may be supported by the support unit 218.

Here, the electrode assembly 210 and the outlet internal ground 214 may be arranged to face each other, but by adjusting and setting the distance between the electrode assembly 210 and the outlet internal ground 214, the opposite discharge and the creepage discharge may be generated. have. In this case, the plasma discharge may be concentrated near the electrode assembly 210 and the outlet internal ground 214 (B).

In order to prevent clogging of the outlet, the outlet inner ground 214 has a bent portion, but the bent portion is bent in the direction of the outlet. This is so that the electric field does not advance to the outlet.

Meanwhile, the outlet internal ground 214 may not exist. This is because there are not many contaminants in the outlet plasma reaction unit, so there is almost no contaminants accumulated and clogging of the pipe hardly occurs.

In summary, the plasma reactor 100 of the present invention may completely remove contaminants input from the process chamber 102 using the inlet plasma reaction unit, the main plasma reaction unit, and the outlet plasma reaction unit. In this case, opposite discharge may occur in the inlet plasma reaction unit and the outlet plasma reaction unit, and creepage discharge may occur in the main plasma reaction unit.

Looking at the driving operation of the plasma reactor 100, during the process time of removing contaminants input from the process chamber 102, plasma discharge occurs in all of the inlet plasma reaction unit, the main plasma reaction unit, and the outlet plasma reaction unit. I can.

On the other hand, during the idle time, in order to reduce power consumption, the main plasma reaction unit may not be driven, but only the inlet plasma reaction unit and the outlet plasma reaction unit in which contaminants mainly accumulate. Of course, since contaminants hardly accumulate in the outlet plasma reaction unit, only the inlet plasma reaction unit may be driven.

Meanwhile, although not mentioned above, at least one of the inlet plasma reaction unit, the main plasma reaction unit, and the outlet plasma reaction unit may include a plurality of electrode assemblies.

If only one electrode is formed over the entire body, contaminants may flow to the vacuum pump 104 through the body when the electrode fails to operate normally due to damage to the dielectric or electrode. Therefore, the operation of the plasma reactor must be stopped immediately, that is, the power applied to the electrode must be immediately cut off.

On the other hand, when a plurality of electrode assemblies are formed on the body, contaminants can be continuously removed because other electrode assemblies operate normally even if some electrode assemblies do not operate normally. That is, the life of the plasma reactor 100 may be extended.

According to an embodiment, power may be applied to each of the electrode assemblies. In this case, the power sources may be sub power sources separated from one power source.

When some of the electrode assemblies do not operate normally, a stronger power is applied to the electrode assembly that normally operates, thereby increasing the plasma density. In this case, power supply may be cut off to electrodes of the electrode assembly that do not operate normally. As a result, even if some electrode assemblies do not operate normally, the pollutant removal efficiency may be similar to that when all electrode assemblies operate normally.

Meanwhile, the constituent elements of the above-described embodiment can be easily grasped from a process point of view. That is, each component can be identified as a respective process. In addition, the process of the above-described embodiment can be easily grasped from the viewpoint of the components of the device.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for the purpose of illustration, and those skilled in the art who have ordinary knowledge of the present invention will be able to make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications, changes and additions It should be seen as belonging to the following claims.

100: plasma reactor 102: process chamber
104: vacuum pump 206, 208, 210: electrode assembly
212: inlet internal ground 214: outlet internal ground

Claims (2)

An inlet plasma reaction unit having a first electrode assembly and a first internal ground; And
A main plasma reaction unit connected to the inlet plasma reaction unit and having at least one second electrode assembly,
Both the inlet plasma reaction unit and the main plasma reaction unit generate a plasma reaction during a process time, the inlet plasma reaction unit causes a plasma reaction during an idle time, and the main plasma reaction unit does not cause a plasma reaction,
Plasma reactor, characterized in that the first internal ground is installed inside the inlet plasma reaction unit so that plasma generated from the main plasma reaction unit does not proceed to the inlet of the inlet plasma reaction unit or to a pipe connected to the inlet plasma reaction unit . The method of claim 1, further comprising an outlet plasma reaction unit connected to the main plasma reaction unit and having a third electrode assembly and a second internal ground,
The plasma reactor, wherein the inlet plasma reaction unit, the main plasma reaction unit, and the outlet plasma reaction unit respectively generate plasma discharge to thirdly decompose and remove contaminants.

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