GAS SUPPLY APPARATUS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING APPARATUS

• US 20110265895A1
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: OKABE, Tsuneyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,944,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/561.A
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes reactive sputtering or vacuum evaporation C23C14/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45561 Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0617 specially adapted for fluid materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7759 Responsive to change in rate of fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7761 Electrically actuated valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/85938 Non-valved flow dividers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87249 Multiple inlet with multiple outlet

Abstract

There is provided a gas supply apparatus 10 which does not necessitate installation of a pressure type flow controller for each processing reactor and which enables a compact construction of the flow controller. The gas supply apparatus 10 includes gas supply sources 11a, 11b, gas introduction pipes 13a, 13b, a main gas pipe 15, and branch pipes 21a, 21b. A pressure type flow controller 30 is provided for the main gas pipe 15 and the branch pipes 21a, 21b. The pressure type flow controller 30 includes a pressure detector 17 provided in the main gas pipe 15, and control valves 23a, 23b and orifices 22a, 22b, both provided in the branch pipes 21a, 21b. An arithmetic circuit 40 determines a flow rate Qc based on a detected pressure P₁ from the pressure detector 17, and an arithmetic control circuit 58 controls the control valves 23a, 23b based on a set flow rate signal Qs from a flow rate setting circuit 52 and on the flow rate Qc from the arithmetic circuit 40.

Claims

1. A gas supply apparatus for supplying a gas to a plurality of processing reactors of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of gas supply sources;

gas introduction pipes respectively connected to the gas supply sources;

a main gas pipe into which the gas introduction pipes converge;

branch pipes branching off the main gas pipe and respectively connected to the processing reactors; and

a pressure type flow controller provided for the main gas pipe and the branch pipes, wherein the pressure type flow controller includes a pressure detector provided in the main gas pipe, a control valve provided in each of the branch pipes, an orifice provided downstream or upstream of the control valve, an arithmetic circuit for determining a flow rate Qc=KP₁ (K is a constant) from a detected pressure P₁ from the pressure detector, a flow rate setting circuit for outputting a set flow rate signal Qs, and an arithmetic control circuit for controlling the control valves based on the flow rate Qc from the arithmetic circuit and on the set flow rate signal Qs from the flow rate setting circuit.

2. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure type flow controller further includes a flow detecting thermal sensor provided in the main gas pipe, and a signal Qa from the thermal sensor is sent to the arithmetic control circuit and the arithmetic control circuit determines whether the flow velocity of the gas passing through the orifice falls within the supersonic range.

3. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bypass pipe is connected to the gas introduction pipe of a particular gas supply source of the plurality of gas supply sources, and the bypass pipe and each of the branch pipes are connected by a communication pipe.

4. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the branch pipes are connected to cluster-type single-wafer processing reactors.

5. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the branch pipes are connected to batch processing reactors.

6. The gas supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure type flow controller further includes an electricity/air pressure regulator provided between the arithmetic control circuit and the control valves.