PRECURSOR DELIVERY SYSTEM

• US 20080085226A1
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM America Incorporated (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Shero, Eric, White, Carl L., Fondurulia, Kyle, Verghese, Mohith E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,137,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/198
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4401 Means for minimising impurities, e.g. dust, moisture or residual gas, in the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4402 Reduction of impurities in the source gas
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4481 by evaporation using carrier gas in contact with the source material C23C16/4486 takes precedence

Abstract

A precursor source vessel comprises a vessel body, a passage within the vessel body, and a valve attached to a surface of the body. An internal chamber is adapted to contain a chemical reactant, and the passage extends from outside the body to the chamber. The valve regulates flow through the passage. The vessel has inlet and outlet valves, and optionally a vent valve for venting internal gas. An external gas panel can include at least one valve fluidly interposed between the outlet valve and a substrate reaction chamber. Gas panel valves can each be positioned along a plane that is generally parallel to, and no more than about 10.0 cm from, a flat surface of the vessel. Filters in a vessel lid or wall filter gas flow through the vessel'"'"'s valves. A quick-connection assembly allows fast and easy connection of the vessel to a gas panel.

Claims

1. A chemical reactant source vessel, comprising:

a vessel body defining an internal chamber adapted to contain a solid or liquid chemical reactant;

a passage within the vessel body, the passage extending from outside the vessel body to the chamber; and

a valve attached directly to a surface of the vessel body and configured to regulate flow through the passage.

2. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the valve is connected to the surface of the vessel body without any tubing between the valve and the surface of the vessel body.

3. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the valve is at least partly integrally formed with the vessel body.

4. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the valve comprises:

a valve porting block mounted to or integrally formed with the vessel body, the porting block defining a valve seat and including internal gas flow conduits defining the passage, the gas flow conduits being in fluid communication with the valve seat; and

a movable flow restrictor adapted to block gas flow through the valve seat.

5. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the vessel body comprises:

a container body; and

a vessel lid adapted to engage the body to define the chamber therebetween, the passage being within the lid, the valve being attached directly to the lid.

6. The vessel of claim 1, wherein the vessel body includes an inlet and an outlet, the chamber including a tortuous path configured to contain the chemical reactant, the tortuous path extending from the inlet to the outlet.

7. The vessel of claim 6, further comprising a serpentine insert within the chamber, the serpentine insert defining the tortuous path.

8. The vessel of claim 6, further comprising a stack of trays within the chamber, the trays collectively defining a spiral gas flow path that comprises at least a portion of the tortuous path.

9. The vessel of claim 6, wherein the tortuous path is machined into the container body or the vessel lid.

10. A gas delivery system for a vapor phase reactor for vapor processing of substrates, comprising:

a vapor phase reaction chamber for processing substrates;

a vessel adapted to contain a solid or liquid chemical reactant;

an inlet valve connected to a generally flat surface of the vessel;

an outlet valve connected to the generally flat surface of the vessel;

a gas flow path through the vessel from the inlet valve to the outlet valve, the gas flow path configured to convey a gas so as to contact a solid or liquid chemical reactant contained within the vessel; and

a plurality of gas panel valves including at least one valve downstream of the outlet valve and fluidly interposed between the outlet valve and the reaction chamber;

wherein the gas panel valves are each positioned along a plane that is generally parallel to the flat surface of the vessel, the plane being no more than about 10.0 cm from the flat surface of the vessel.

11. The gas delivery system of claim 10, further comprising:

a vent valve connected to the flat surface of the vessel and positioned along said plane, the vent valve in fluid communication with the gas flow path; and

a vapor exhaust component downstream of the reaction chamber;

one or more conduits for delivering gas flow from the vent valve to the exhaust component without flowing through the gas panel valves or the reaction chamber.

12. A chemical reactant source vessel comprising:

a container defining an internal chamber adapted to contain a solid or liquid chemical reactant, a wall of the container having a passage extending to the chamber from outside the container;

a valve attached to the wall, the valve adapted to regulate gas flow to and from the chamber through the passage; and

a filter in the wall, the filter adapted to prevent particulate matter from flowing through the passage.

13. The vessel of claim 12, wherein the valve is at least partly integrally formed with the wall.

14. The vessel of claim 12, wherein the container comprises a container body and a lid adapted to engage the container body so that the chamber is defined between the lid and the body, the wall comprising a portion of the lid.

15. The vessel of claim 14, wherein an inner surface of the lid includes a recess that receives the filter, the passage having one end terminating in the recess and another end in fluid communication with the valve, the filter comprising:

a flange having an inner annular wall defining an opening within the flange, the flange being positioned within the recess; and

a filter material substantially filling the opening of the flange;

wherein gas within the chamber cannot flow through the passage without flowing through the filter material and the opening in the flange.

16. A gas delivery system for a vapor phase reactor for vapor processing of substrates, comprising:

a vapor phase reaction chamber for processing substrates;

a vessel adapted to contain a solid or liquid chemical reactant;

an outlet valve connected to the vessel;

a gas delivery system for delivering reactant gas flow from the outlet valve to the reaction chamber;

a vapor exhaust component downstream of the reaction chamber;

a vent valve connected to the vessel; and

one or more conduits for delivering gas flow from the vent valve to the exhaust component without flowing through the gas delivery system or the reaction chamber.

17. The gas delivery system of claim 16, wherein the vent valve is connected directly to a wall of the vessel.

18. The gas delivery system of claim 16, wherein the wall of the vessel has a passage extending from an exterior of the vessel to an interior chamber of the vessel, the interior chamber being configured to contain the solid or liquid chemical reactant, the vent valve being configured to regulate gas flow through the passage, the system further comprising a filter in the wall, the filter adapted to prevent particulate matter from flowing through the passage.

19. An apparatus for connecting a chemical reactant source vessel to a gas interface assembly of a vapor phase reactor for vapor processing of substrates, comprising:

a vessel having a chamber adapted to contain a solid or liquid chemical reactant, the vessel including an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with the chamber;

a gas interface assembly of a vapor phase reactor, the gas interface assembly having a gas inlet adapted to connect to the outlet of the vessel chamber; and

a connection assembly for connecting the vessel to the gas interface assembly, comprising;

a track component including one or more elongated tracks adapted to movably engage one or more track engagement members of the vessel; and

a lift assembly configured to move the track component vertically between a lowered position and a raised position;

wherein when the vessel'"'"'s one or more track engagement members engage the one or more tracks of the track component, and when the lift assembly moves the track component to its raised position, the vessel'"'"'s outlet becomes positioned to substantially directly fluidly communicate with the gas inlet of the gas interface assembly.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more track engagement members comprise aligned rollers and the one or more tracks are configured to receive the rollers.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more track engagement members comprise tongues and the one or more tracks are configured to slidably receive the tongues.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the gas interface assembly includes a heater plate adapted to heat up the vessel and a plurality of valves of the vessel and the gas interface assembly.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

an inlet valve adapted to regulate gas flow through the vessel'"'"'s inlet; and

an outlet valve adapted to regulate gas flow through the vessel'"'"'s outlet;

wherein the valves are attached directly to surfaces of the vessel.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the valves are at least partly integrally formed with the vessel.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the vessel comprises a container body and a lid adapted to engage the container body to define the chamber therebetween, the vessel inlet and vessel outlet being defined in the lid, the valves being attached to the lid.