TW202419676A - Liquid material vaporizer and liquid material vaporization method - Google Patents

Abstract

This liquid material vaporizer comprises: a gas-liquid mixing section that mixes a liquid material and a carrier gas to generate a gas-liquid mixture; a carrier gas supply channel that supplies the carrier gas to the gas-liquid mixing section; a channel section through which the gas-liquid mixture generated in the gas-liquid mixing section flows; a vaporizer that heats and vaporizes the liquid material contained in the gas-liquid mixture that flows through the channel section; and a cooling section that cools the channel section. The cooling section is connected to the carrier gas supply channel.

Description

Liquid material vaporization device and liquid material vaporization method

The present invention relates to a liquid material vaporization device and a liquid material vaporization method.

In a direct liquid injection (DLI) liquid material vaporization device (hereinafter also referred to as a "vaporizer"), a gas-liquid mixture of liquid material and carrier gas is sprayed into a vaporization chamber through a nozzle to vaporize the liquid material. In order to completely vaporize the liquid material in the vaporization chamber, a heater is used to heat the vaporization chamber.

However, if the vaporization chamber is heated to a high temperature, the heat of the vaporization chamber becomes easily transferred to the gas-liquid mixture before spraying. As a result, there is a concern that the liquid material contained in the gas-liquid mixture will be thermally decomposed or deteriorated before being vaporized in the vaporization chamber.

In this regard, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vaporizer including a cooling structure for cooling a nozzle. The cooling structure includes a refrigerant passage for circulating a refrigerant. Water or a coolant can be used as the refrigerant. The refrigerant is circulated in the refrigerant passage to cool the nozzle. In this way, the volatilization of the liquid material before spraying caused by the heat of the vaporization chamber is reduced. [Prior art document] [Patent document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-109348

[The problem that the invention wants to solve]

However, in the cooling structure of the vaporizer of Patent Document 1, in addition to the carrier gas mixed in the liquid material, a dedicated refrigerant is required to cool the nozzle to be cooled. Therefore, equipment for introducing the refrigerant and equipment for discarding the refrigerant after cooling the nozzle are required. As a result, there is a risk of increasing the size of the semiconductor processing device provided with the vaporizer. In addition, there is a risk of increasing the cost due to the installation of equipment required for introducing and discarding the refrigerant.

The present invention is completed to solve the above-mentioned problem, and its purpose is to provide a liquid material vaporization device and a liquid material vaporization method, which can effectively use the carrier gas mixed in the liquid material to cool the cooling object, thereby suppressing the size and cost increase of the semiconductor processing equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

One aspect of the present invention provides a liquid material vaporization device including: a gas-liquid mixing section for mixing a liquid material with a carrier gas to generate a gas-liquid mixture; a carrier gas supply path for supplying the carrier gas to the gas-liquid mixing section; a flow path section for circulating the gas-liquid mixture generated in the gas-liquid mixing section; a vaporization section for heating and vaporizing the liquid material contained in the gas-liquid mixture circulating in the flow path section; and a cooling section for cooling the flow path section, wherein the cooling section is connected to the carrier gas supply path.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for vaporizing a liquid material, including: a gas-liquid mixture generation step, in which a liquid material is mixed with a carrier gas in a gas-liquid mixing section to generate a gas-liquid mixture; a vaporization step, in which the liquid material contained in the gas-liquid mixture generated in the gas-liquid mixing section and supplied to the vaporization section via a flow path section is heated in the vaporization section to vaporize the liquid material; a cooling step, in which the flow path section is cooled by supplying the carrier gas; and a carrier gas supply step, in which the carrier gas after cooling the flow path section in the cooling step is supplied to the gas-liquid mixing section via a carrier gas supply path. [Effect of the invention]

According to the present invention, the carrier gas mixed in the liquid material can be effectively used as a gas for cooling the cooling object, thereby suppressing the increase in size and cost of a semiconductor processing apparatus provided with a liquid material vaporization device.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[1. Liquid material vaporization device] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the general structure of a liquid material vaporization device 1 of the present embodiment. The liquid material vaporization device 1 is provided in, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing device (not shown). The liquid material vaporization device 1 includes a flow control valve 2, a vaporization section 3, a connection section 4, and a cooling section 5.

(1-1. Flow control valve) The flow control valve 2 is a mechanism for controlling the flow rate of the fluid (gas or liquid) used, for example, constituting a part of a mass flow controller (flow control device). The flow control valve 2 is, for example, a normally open type, and includes a body block 21, a support block 22, and an actuator 23.

The body block 21 is formed of a metal material such as stainless steel. The body block 21 includes a valve seat surface 21S. With respect to the valve seat surface 21S, a seat surface 24S of a valve body 24 described below is in contact with or separated from the valve seat surface 21S.

A liquid material supply path 21a, a carrier gas supply path 21b, and a gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c are formed in the main body block 21. The liquid material supply path 21a is a flow path for supplying the liquid material LQ to be vaporized in the vaporization section 3 to the gas-liquid mixing section 29 described below. The carrier gas supply path 21b is a flow path for supplying the carrier gas CG to the gas-liquid mixing section 29. As the carrier gas CG, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen and argon can be used. The gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c is a flow path for discharging the gas-liquid mixture MG generated in the gas-liquid mixing section 29. The gas-liquid mixture MG is a mixture of the liquid material LQ and the carrier gas CG. The carrier gas supply path 21b and the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c are connected via a connecting path 21d provided on the valve seat surface 21S.

The support block 22 includes a valve body 24. The valve body 24 is a movable body that moves along the contact separation direction (e.g., up and down direction) relative to the valve seat surface 21S of the main body block 21, and includes a seating surface 24S that contacts the valve seat surface 21S. The valve body 24 is supported by a support body 26 via a diaphragm 25 in a direction intersecting the contact separation direction (e.g., horizontal direction). The support body 26 is fastened to the main body block 21, for example, by bolts.

The actuator 23 is a driving part that moves the valve body 24 along the contact separation direction. The actuator 23 includes, for example, a piezoelectric stack 231. The piezoelectric stack 231 is formed by laminating a plurality of piezoelectric elements that expand and deform when voltage is applied. The piezoelectric stack 231 is housed in a housing 232, and applies a pushing force to the valve body 24 via a ball 27 and a plunger 28. The housing 232 is fixed to a support 26.

Moreover, the flow control valve 2 further includes a gas-liquid mixing section 29. The gas-liquid mixing section 29 mixes the liquid material LQ with the carrier gas CG to generate the gas-liquid mixture MG. The mixing of the liquid material LQ and the carrier gas CG is performed in the space between the valve seat surface 21S of the main body block 21 and the seat surface 24S of the valve body 24. The space is referred to as a gas-liquid mixing chamber 29a. Therefore, the gas-liquid mixing section 29 includes the gas-liquid mixing chamber 29a.

The gas-liquid mixing chamber 29a is a space between the valve seat surface 21S and the seat surface 24S, and the valve seat surface 21S and the seat surface 24S form the gas-liquid mixing chamber 29a. Therefore, it can be considered that the gas-liquid mixing portion 29 is composed of the valve seat surface 21S and the seat surface 24S that form the gas-liquid mixing chamber 29a.

In the above structure, the valve opening (gap between the valve seat surface 21S and the seat surface 24S) is set to a predetermined value when no voltage is applied to the piezoelectric stack 231. In this state, the valve body 24 and the plunger 28 are pushed in a first direction by an enabling member (not shown). The first direction is, for example, a direction in which the seat surface 24S is separated from the valve seat surface 21S (for example, upward in FIG. 1 ).

If voltage is applied to the piezoelectric stack 231, the piezoelectric stack 231 will extend. As a result, the piezoelectric stack 231 resists the applied force of the energy-enabling member, and pushes the valve body 24 in a second direction (e.g., downward) opposite to the first direction through the ball 27 and the plunger 28. Finally, the seat surface 24S of the valve body 24 is seated on the valve seat surface 21S.

In a state before the seating surface 24S is seated on the valve seat surface 21S, that is, in a state in which a gap is formed between the valve seat surface 21S and the seating surface 24S, the liquid material LQ is supplied to the gas-liquid mixing section 29 (gas-liquid mixing chamber 29a) through the liquid material supply path 21a, and the carrier gas CG is supplied to the gas-liquid mixing section 29 through the carrier gas supply path 21b. In the gas-liquid mixing section 29, after the liquid material LQ and the carrier gas CG are mixed to generate a gas-liquid mixture MG, the generated gas-liquid mixture MG is discharged to the connecting section 4 through the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c, and flows to the vaporizing section 3.

On the one hand, if the seating surface 24S is seated on the valve seat surface 21S, the flow rate of the liquid material LQ becomes zero. On the other hand, the carrier gas CG flows from the carrier gas supply path 21b to the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c via the connecting path 21d provided on the valve seat surface 21S. That is, when the seating surface 24S is seated on the valve seat surface 21S, only the carrier gas CG flows in the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c and is discharged. Furthermore, it is also possible to have a structure in which the flow rate of the carrier gas CG also becomes zero (similar to the liquid material LQ) when the seating surface 24S is seated on the valve seat surface 21S (i.e., a structure in which the liquid material LQ and the carrier gas CG do not flow).

As described above, by using the actuator 23 to move the valve body 24, a voltage corresponding to the desired valve opening can be applied to the actuator 23 to achieve the valve opening. In this way, the flow rate of the liquid material LQ supplied to the gas-liquid mixing section 29, mixed with the carrier gas CG, and discharged together with the carrier gas CG can be appropriately adjusted (controlled).

(1-2. Vaporization section) The vaporization section 3 heats the liquid material LQ contained in the gas-liquid mixture MG discharged from the gas-liquid mixture discharge passage 21c of the flow control valve 2 to vaporize it. Such a vaporization section 3 includes a vaporization chamber 31 and a nozzle N. The vaporization chamber 31 is a chamber for vaporizing the liquid material LQ contained in the gas-liquid mixture MG, and is heated by a heater not shown. The nozzle N is located on the upstream side of the vaporization chamber 31, communicates with the vaporization chamber 31, and sprays the gas-liquid mixture MG into the vaporization chamber 31.

(1-3. Connecting part) The connecting part 4 connects the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c of the flow control valve 2 with the vaporizing part 3. In the structure of FIG1 , the connecting part 4 includes a connecting tube 41. The connecting tube 41 is a ring-shaped tube that connects the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c with the nozzle N. The connecting part 4 is formed of a metal material such as stainless steel.

Here, the gas-liquid mixture discharge passage 21c of the flow control valve 2 and the connection portion 4 constitute a flow passage portion FP through which the gas-liquid mixture MG generated in the gas-liquid mixing portion 29 flows. That is, the flow passage portion FP is composed of the gas-liquid mixture discharge passage 21c and the connection portion 4. Therefore, it can also be considered that the vaporization portion 3 heats and vaporizes the liquid material LQ contained in the gas-liquid mixture MG flowing in the flow passage portion FP.

The cooling unit 5 cools the flow path unit FP. In particular, the cooling unit 5 cools the connection unit 4 included in the flow path unit FP. The cooling unit 5 includes a housing 51, an inlet 52, and an outlet 53.

The housing 51 covers the periphery of the connection portion 4. In the present embodiment, the housing 51 is located around the connection pipe 41 and is formed integrally with the connection pipe 41. That is, the housing 51 and the connection pipe 41 are formed of a double pipe having the housing 51 as an outer pipe and the connection pipe 41 as an inner pipe.

The inlet 52 is a port (opening) for introducing the carrier gas CG into the housing 51. As the carrier gas CG introduced into the housing 51, the same gas as the carrier gas CG mixed in the liquid material LQ in the flow control valve 2 is used. The outlet 53 is a port (opening) for leading (discharging) the carrier gas CG from the housing 51. The inlet 52 is located on the vaporization section 3 side relative to the outlet 53.

In the housing 51 of the cooling section 5, by allowing the carrier gas CG to flow from the inlet 52 to the outlet 53, the connecting section 4 (connecting tube 41) covered by the housing 51 can be cooled. For example, even if the vaporization section 3 reaches a high temperature of about 200°C, the connecting section 4 can be cooled by introducing the carrier gas CG of the ambient temperature (e.g., room temperature) of the liquid material vaporization device 1 into the cooling section 5. Therefore, even if the vaporization section 3 reaches a high temperature, the heat of the vaporization section 3 is difficult to be transferred to the upstream side (the gas-liquid mixing section 29 side of the flow control valve 2) through the connecting section 4. Thereby, before the gas-liquid mixture MG is supplied to the vaporization section 3, the concern about the thermal decomposition and deterioration of the liquid material LQ contained in the gas-liquid mixture MG can be reduced.

In particular, when a material with a low vapor pressure (e.g., strontium) is used as the liquid material LQ, the temperature of the vaporization section 3 needs to be increased in order to evaporate the liquid material LQ in the vaporization section 3. Therefore, in order to reduce thermal decomposition of the liquid material LQ, the structure of the present embodiment in which the connection section 4 is cooled by the cooling section 5 is particularly effective when a material with a low vapor pressure is used as the liquid material LQ.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG1 , the cooling unit 5 is connected to the carrier gas supply path 21 b of the flow control valve 2. For example, by bolting the cooling unit 5 to the body block 21 of the flow control valve 2 via a flange (not shown), the cooling unit 5 can be connected to the carrier gas supply path 21 b. In particular, by bolting, the housing 51 of the cooling unit 5 is connected to the carrier gas supply path 21 b via the guide port 53.

(2. Liquid material vaporization method) FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of each step of a liquid material vaporization method for vaporizing liquid material LQ using the liquid material vaporization device 1 of the above structure. The liquid material vaporization method of this embodiment is described below based on FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 .

First, the carrier gas CG is introduced into the cooling section 5 (S1). More specifically, the carrier gas CG is introduced into the housing 51 from the inlet 52 of the cooling section 5. Thereby, the cooling of the flow path section FP (especially the connecting section 4) by the cooling section 5 begins (S2: cooling step). The carrier gas CG introduced into the cooling section 5 and after cooling the connecting section 4 is supplied to the gas-liquid mixing section 29 via the carrier gas supply path 21b (S3: carrier gas supply step). On the other hand, the liquid material LQ is supplied to the gas-liquid mixing section 29 via the liquid material supply path 21a (S4: liquid material supply step).

In the gas-liquid mixing section 29 , the liquid material LQ and the carrier gas CG are mixed to generate a gas-liquid mixture MG ( S5 : gas-liquid mixture generating step).

The gas-liquid mixture MG generated in the gas-liquid mixing section 29 is discharged to the connecting section 4 (connecting tube 41) through the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c (S6: discharge step). Then, the liquid material LQ contained in the gas-liquid mixture MG discharged through the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c and supplied to the vaporizing section 3 through the connecting section 4 is heated by the vaporizing section 3 and vaporized (S7: vaporization step).

Then, the supply of the liquid material LQ to the gas-liquid mixing section 29 is stopped (S8). Furthermore, S8 may be performed as needed. Then, in the case of continuing the process of vaporizing the liquid material LQ in the vaporizing section 3 (Yes in S9), the process returns to S4 and the process after S4 is repeated (since S3 is always performed). Furthermore, in the flow control valve 2, in the structure where the flow rate of the carrier gas CG becomes zero in the state where the seating surface 24S is seated on the valve seat surface 21S, the process moves from S9 to S3 and the process after S3 is repeated.

On the other hand, when the above-mentioned process is not to be continued (No in S9), the introduction of the carrier gas CG into the cooling section 5 is stopped (S10), the cooling of the connecting section 4 by the cooling section 5 is terminated (S11), and a series of processes are terminated.

(3. Effect) As described above, in the present embodiment, the cooling section 5 is connected to the carrier gas supply path 21b of the flow control valve 2. Therefore, the carrier gas CG mixed in the liquid material LQ in the flow control valve 2 can be supplied from the cooling section 5 to the gas-liquid mixing section 29 via the carrier gas supply path 21b (refer to S2, S3). That is, the carrier gas CG mixed in the liquid material LQ can also be used as the gas for cooling the flow path section FP (especially the connecting section 4) in the cooling section 5. Thereby, in addition to the carrier gas CG mixed in the liquid material LQ, there is no need to prepare a dedicated refrigerant for cooling the flow path section FP. Therefore, there is no need for equipment for introducing the refrigerant, and further, there is no need for equipment for discarding the refrigerant after cooling. As a result, the size of the semiconductor processing device equipped with the liquid material vaporization device 1 can be suppressed, and the increase in cost caused by the installation of the equipment can be suppressed. Moreover, since a refrigerant dedicated to cooling is not used, waste caused by the disposal of the refrigerant will not occur.

Furthermore, the carrier gas CG is used by cooling the flow path portion FP, and the carrier gas CG is preheated by the heat of the vaporization portion 3. Therefore, before the gas-liquid mixture MG after the carrier gas CG is supplied from the cooling portion 5 to the gas-liquid mixing portion 29 via the carrier gas supply path 21b and mixed with the liquid material LQ is vaporized by the vaporization portion 3, the liquid material LQ can be heated to a temperature that is easy to vaporize (within a temperature range where thermal decomposition, etc. does not occur). Thereby, it is also expected that the vaporization performance of the liquid material LQ in the vaporization portion 3 can be improved.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, since the shell 51 covers the periphery of the connecting portion 4 of the flow path portion FP, a closed space is formed around the connecting portion 4. Since the carrier gas CG flows in this space, the diffusion of the carrier gas CG that would occur in an open space can be reduced. Thereby, the loss of cooling using the carrier gas CG and the useless consumption of the carrier gas CG can be reduced. Moreover, since the shell 51 is connected to the carrier gas supply path 21b, the carrier gas CG that has circulated in the shell 51 and cooled the connecting portion 4 can be reliably supplied to the gas-liquid mixing portion 29 via the carrier gas supply path 21b.

Moreover, as shown in FIG1 , the carrier gas supply path 21b is connected to the outlet 53 of the cooling unit 5. In this structure, the carrier gas CG introduced into the interior of the housing 51 from the inlet 52 of the cooling unit 5 can be supplied to the carrier gas supply path 21b via the outlet 53. That is, the structure in which the housing 51 and the carrier gas supply path 21b are connected can be realized reliably.

In particular, in the structure in which the inlet 52 is located on the side of the vaporization section 3 relative to the outlet 53 as shown in Figure 1, in the cooling step of S2, the connecting section 4 can be cooled by allowing the carrier gas CG to flow from the side close to the vaporization section 3 (the downstream side of the flow direction of the gas-liquid mixture MG flowing in the connecting section 4) to the side far from the vaporization section 3 (the upstream side of the flow direction of the gas-liquid mixture MG) inside the shell 51.

Thus, in the connection portion 4, the downstream side, to which the heat of the vaporization portion 3 is most easily transferred, can be efficiently cooled before the upstream side (with priority). As a result, it is possible to reliably make it difficult for the heat of the vaporization portion 3 to be transferred to the upstream side via the connection portion 4, thereby reliably reducing the concern about thermal decomposition and deterioration of the pre-vaporization liquid material LQ in the vaporization portion 3.

Furthermore, the introduction port 52 may be located on the opposite side of the vaporization portion 3 relative to the introduction port 53. However, in this positional relationship, the flow path connecting the introduction port 53 and the carrier gas supply path 21b needs to be formed to be relatively long.

(4. Ideal position of the inlet) Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cooling section 5 cut at a section perpendicular to the flow direction of the gas-liquid mixture MG in the connecting section 4 (connecting tube 41). As shown in the figure, it is ideal that the inlet 52 of the cooling section 5 is located in the cross section at a position that overlaps with the tangent T to the outer peripheral surface 51a of the shell 51. The outer peripheral surface 51a of the shell 51 is a cylindrical surface that covers the outer peripheral surface 41a of the cylindrical connecting tube 41 of the connecting section 4 with a gap.

In this structure, the carrier gas CG is introduced into the housing 51 through the inlet 52 from the direction of the tangent line T of the outer peripheral surface 51a of the housing 51. As a result, the carrier gas CG can be easily caused to swirl around the connecting portion 4 in the housing 51. By the rotation of the carrier gas CG, the connecting portion 4 can be cooled by the carrier gas CG in the circumferential direction, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the connecting portion 4.

Based on the above, in the structure including the cooling part 5 shown in Figure 3, in the cooling step of S2, it can be considered that within the cross-section, the connecting part 4 is cooled by allowing the carrier gas CG to flow from the direction of the tangent T of the outer peripheral surface 51a of the shell 51 covering the surrounding of the connecting part 4 into the shell 51, thereby achieving the effect of improving the cooling efficiency of the connecting part 4.

[2. Another structure of the liquid material vaporization device] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another structure of the liquid material vaporization device 1 of the present embodiment. The liquid material vaporization device 1 of FIG. 4 has the same structure as FIG. 1 except that the housing 51 of the cooling unit 5 includes a spiral gas flow path 51P.

The gas flow path 51P is a flow path formed in a spiral shape around the connection portion 4 (connection pipe 41) in the housing 51. The housing 51 including such a gas flow path 51P is formed by, for example, a plurality of divided housings, and can be realized by bonding the divided housings together by welding or bolting. The spiral gas flow path 51P is connected to the inlet 52 and the outlet 53, respectively.

In the structure of Fig. 4, when the carrier gas CG is introduced into the housing 51 from the inlet 52, the carrier gas CG flows in a spiral shape around the connecting portion 4 along the spiral gas flow path 51P in the housing 51. In this way, the connecting portion 4 can be cooled by wrapping it with the carrier gas CG in the circumferential direction, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the connecting portion 4.

Based on the above, in the structure of Figure 4, in the cooling step of S2, it can be considered that in the shell 51 covering the connection part 4, the connection part 4 is cooled by allowing the carrier gas CG to flow in the spiral gas flow path 51P formed around the connection part 4, thereby achieving the effect of improving the cooling efficiency of the connection part 4.

[3. Another structure of the liquid material vaporization device] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another structure of the liquid material vaporization device 1 of the present embodiment. The liquid material vaporization device 1 of FIG. 5 has the same structure as FIG. 1 except that the cooling unit 5 includes a heat sink 54 in the housing 51.

The heat sink 54 is a flat heat sink, and a plurality of them are provided in the housing 51. Each heat sink 54 is connected to the outer peripheral surface 41a (refer to FIG. 3 ) of the connection portion 4 (connection pipe 41) by welding, for example. Moreover, each heat sink 54 is arranged on the outer peripheral surface 41a at a predetermined interval along the direction in which the connection portion 4 extends in the housing 51. Each heat sink 54 can be made of the same metal material as the connection portion 4, or can be made of a metal material having a higher thermal conductivity than the metal constituting the connection portion 4 (for example, aluminum, copper, or an alloy thereof).

By providing a plurality of heat sinks 54 connected to the outer peripheral surface 41a of the connection portion 4 in the housing 51, it is substantially equivalent to increasing the surface area of the outer peripheral surface 41a of the connection portion 4 by an amount corresponding to the surface area of the plurality of heat sinks 54. Therefore, in the housing 51, the carrier gas CG contacts not only the outer peripheral surface 41a of the connection portion 4 but also the heat sinks 54 having a large surface area, so that the connection portion 4 can be efficiently radiated. That is, the cooling efficiency of the connection portion 4 can be improved.

The liquid material vaporization device 1 described above is a structure in which the vaporization section 3 includes a nozzle N, the connection section 4 includes a connection tube 41, and the cooling section 5 cools the connection section 4 (connection tube 41). In this structure, the cooling section 5 is connected to the carrier gas supply path 21b, so that the carrier gas CG mixed in the liquid material LQ can be effectively used as a gas for cooling the connection section 4, and the size increase and cost increase of the semiconductor processing device provided with the liquid material vaporization device 1 can be suppressed, and the effect of the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained.

[4. Another structure of the liquid material vaporization device] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another structure of the liquid material vaporization device 1 of the present embodiment. The liquid material vaporization device 1 of FIG. 6 has the same structure as FIG. 1 except that the nozzle N is provided in the connection part 4 which is the outside of the vaporization part 3 and the cooling part 5 cools the connection part 4 including the nozzle N. Furthermore, the structure of the cooling part 5 shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 can of course also be applied to the liquid material vaporization device 1 of FIG. 6.

In the liquid material vaporization device 1 of FIG6 , the connection section 4 includes a connection tube 41 and a nozzle N. The nozzle N is located between the connection tube 41 and the vaporization section 3, and sprays the gas-liquid mixture MG into the vaporization chamber 31 of the vaporization section 3. That is, the nozzle N is located outside the vaporization section 3 and on the upstream side of the vaporization section 3. The housing 51 of the cooling section 5 covers both the connection tube 41 and the nozzle N.

Even in the structure of FIG. 6 , similar to the structure of FIG. 1 , by connecting the cooling section 5 with the carrier gas supply path 21 b, the carrier gas CG mixed in the liquid material LQ can be effectively used as a gas for cooling the connecting section 4, thereby suppressing the increase in size and cost of the semiconductor processing apparatus provided with the liquid material vaporization device 1, and achieving the effect of the above-mentioned present embodiment.

[5. Supplement] In a structure where the nozzle N is arranged outside (upstream side) of the vaporization section 3, the connection section 4 may be composed only of the nozzle N. That is, the connection section 4 may be a structure that does not include the connection tube 41 and connects the gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21c of the flow control valve 2 to the vaporization section 3 via the nozzle N. In this structure, the nozzle N is covered with a shell 51, and the carrier gas CG flows into the shell 51, thereby cooling the nozzle N. Therefore, by connecting the cooling section 5 including such a shell 51 to the carrier gas supply path 21b, the same effect as the present embodiment can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, the flow control valve 2 included in the liquid material vaporization device 1 is a normally open type, but the structure of the present embodiment in which the carrier gas supply path 21b is connected to the cooling section 5 can also be applied to a normally closed type flow control valve 2. In this case, the gas-liquid mixing section 29 can be appropriately changed to a structure suitable for the normally closed type.

The liquid material vaporizing device 1 of the present embodiment adopts an internal mixing method in which the liquid material LQ and the carrier gas CG are mixed inside the flow control valve 2 to generate a gas-liquid mixture MG, and the carrier gas supply path 21b is connected to the cooling section 5. In the external mixing method in which the liquid material LQ and the carrier gas CG are mixed outside the flow control valve 2, for example, when spraying into the vaporizing chamber 31, the carrier gas CG after the cooling nozzle N in the cooling section 5 can be mixed with the liquid material LQ, and in this case, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained.

The above has described the implementation method of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention can be implemented by expansion or modification within the scope of the subject matter of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

The present invention can be used, for example, in a vaporizer disposed at the front end of a semiconductor manufacturing device.

1: Liquid material vaporization device 2: Flow control valve 3: Vaporization section 4: Connection section 5: Cooling section 21: Main body block 21a: Liquid material supply path 21b: Carrier gas supply path 21c: Gas-liquid mixture discharge path 21d: Connection path 21S: Valve seat surface 22: Support block 23: Actuator 24: Valve body 24S: Seating surface 25: Diaphragm 26: Support body 27: True ball 28: Plunger 29: Gas-liquid mixing section 29a: Gas-liquid mixing chamber 31: Vaporization chamber 41: Connection tube 41a, 51a: Outer peripheral surface 51: Shell 51P: Gas flow path 52: Inlet 53: outlet 54: heat sink 231: piezoelectric stack 232: container CG: carrier gas FP: flow path LQ: liquid material MG: gas-liquid mixture N: nozzle T: tangent

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the schematic structure of a liquid material vaporization device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of each step of a liquid material vaporization method for vaporizing a liquid material using the liquid material vaporization device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling portion included in the liquid material vaporization device when it is cut at a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the gas-liquid mixture in the connection portion. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another structure of the liquid material vaporization device. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another structure of the liquid material vaporization device. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another structure of the liquid material vaporization device.

1: Liquid material vaporization device

2: Flow control valve

3: Vaporization section

4: Connection part

5: Cooling section

21: Body block

21a: Liquid material supply line

21b: Carrier gas supply path

21c: Gas-liquid mixture discharge path

21d: Connecting passages

21S: Valve seat surface

22: Support block

23: Actuator

24: Valve body

24S: Seating surface

25: Diaphragm

26: Support body

27: True Ball

28: Plunger

29: Gas-liquid mixing section

29a: Gas-liquid mixing chamber

31: Vaporization chamber

41: Connecting pipe

51: Shell

52: Entryway

53: Export

231: Piezoelectric stack

232: Containment Body

CG:Carrier gas

FP: Flow path

LQ: Liquid material

MG: gas-liquid mixture

N: Nozzle

Claims (11)

A liquid material vaporization device comprises: a gas-liquid mixing section for mixing a liquid material with a carrier gas to generate a gas-liquid mixture; a carrier gas supply path for supplying the carrier gas to the gas-liquid mixing section; a flow path for circulating the gas-liquid mixture generated in the gas-liquid mixing section; a vaporization section for heating the liquid material contained in the gas-liquid mixture circulating in the flow path to vaporize it; and a cooling section for cooling the flow path, the cooling section being connected to the carrier gas supply path. The liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 1, wherein the flow path section includes: a gas-liquid mixture discharge path for discharging the gas-liquid mixture generated in the gas-liquid mixing section; and a connecting section for connecting the gas-liquid mixture discharge path to the vaporization section, and the cooling section for cooling the connecting section. The liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 2, wherein the cooling portion includes a shell covering the periphery of the connecting portion, and the shell is connected to the carrier gas supply path. The liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 3, wherein the cooling section includes: an inlet for introducing the carrier gas into the housing; and an outlet for conducting the carrier gas out of the housing, and the carrier gas supply path is connected to the outlet. A liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 4, wherein the inlet is located on the side of the vaporization portion relative to the outlet. The liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 4, wherein in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the gas-liquid mixture in the connecting portion, the inlet is located at a position that coincides with a tangent to the outer peripheral surface of the shell. A liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 3, wherein the shell includes a gas flow path, and the gas flow path is formed in a spiral shape around the connecting portion. A liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 2, wherein the cooling part includes a heat sink connected to the outer peripheral surface of the connecting part. The liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 2, wherein the vaporization section includes a nozzle, and the nozzle sprays the gas-liquid mixture into the vaporization chamber, and the connecting section includes a connecting tube, and the connecting tube connects the gas-liquid mixture discharge path to the nozzle. The liquid material vaporization device as described in claim 2, wherein the connection portion includes: a connection pipe connected to the gas-liquid mixture discharge path; and a nozzle located between the connection pipe and the vaporization portion to spray the gas-liquid mixture into the vaporization chamber of the vaporization portion. A method for vaporizing a liquid material comprises: a gas-liquid mixture generating step, mixing a liquid material with a carrier gas in a gas-liquid mixing section to generate a gas-liquid mixture; a vaporizing step, heating the liquid material contained in the gas-liquid mixture generated in the gas-liquid mixing section and supplied to the vaporizing section via a flow path section in the vaporizing section to vaporize the liquid material; a cooling step, cooling the flow path section by supplying the carrier gas; and a carrier gas supplying step, supplying the carrier gas after cooling the flow path section in the cooling step to the gas-liquid mixing section via a carrier gas supply path.