SYSTEM AND METHOD OF SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING WITH ENERGY RECOVERY

• US 20110318909A1
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GTAT Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GT Solar
• Inventors: Gum, Jeffrey C., Fero, Chad
• Application Number:
  US12/826,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20110318909A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/488
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 33/035 by decomposition or reduction of gaseous or vaporised silicon compounds in the presence of heated filaments of silicon, carbon or a refractory metal, e.g. tantalum or tungsten, or in the presence of heated silicon rods on which the formed silicon is deposited, a silicon rod being obtained, e.g. Siemens process
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/24 Deposition of silicon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4411 Cooling of the reaction chamber walls C23C16/45572 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4418 Methods for making free-standing articles C23C16/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 21/0001 Recuperative heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/10 Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines

Abstract

The invention can provide or facilitate energy recovery operations during semiconductor processing operations by utilizing a bell jar having a radiation shield thereon that is comprised of a mediating layer comprising nickel disposed on an interior surface of the bell jar, and a reflective layer which can comprise a gold layer that is disposed on the mediating layer. The reflective layer has an emissivity of less than 5% and, more preferably, the reflective layer has an emissivity of less than about 1%. Heat from the reaction chamber can be used to reduce the heating load of one or more other unit operations.

Claims

1. A chemical vapor deposition system of a semiconductor material fabrication facility, the chemical vapor deposition system comprising:

a reaction chamber having a base plate and a bell jar securable to the base plate, the bell jar comprising a radiation shield comprised of a nickel layer disposed on an interior surface of the bell jar, and a gold layer disposed on the nickel layer, the bell jar further comprising a cooling conduit having a conduit inlet port and a conduit outlet port, the cooling conduit in thermal communication with the radiation shield; and

a heat exchanger fluidly connected at a first thermal side thereof to the cooling conduit and further fluidly connected at a second thermal side thereof to at least one unit operation of the semiconductor material fabrication facility.

2. The chemical vapor deposition system of claim 1, wherein the radiation shield has an emissivity of less than about 5%.

3. The chemical vapor deposition system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is thermally connected to the radiation shield through a coolant consisting essentially of water.

4. The chemical vapor deposition system of claim 1, further comprising a flash drum having an inlet fluidly connected to the conduit outlet port of the cooling conduit, and a vapor outlet port fluidly connected to an exchanger inlet port of the heat exchanger.

5. The chemical vapor deposition system of claim 4, wherein the heat exchanger has an exchanger outlet port fluidly connected upstream of the flash drum.

6. The chemical vapor deposition system of claim 5, wherein the flash drum has a condensate outlet port fluidly connected upstream of the conduit inlet port of the cooling conduit.

7. The chemical vapor deposition system of claim 6, further comprising a cooler fluidly connected downstream from the heat exchanger and upstream of the conduit inlet port of the cooling conduit.

8. The chemical vapor deposition system of claim 1, further comprising a source of at least one polycrystalline silicon precursor compound fluidly connectable to a reactant inlet of the reaction chamber.

9. A method of facilitating fabricating a semiconductor material in a semiconductor fabrication facility, the method comprising:

providing a chemical vapor deposition system comprising a reaction chamber having a base plate and a bell jar securable to the base plate, the bell jar comprising a radiation shield with a nickel layer disposed on an interior surface of the bell jar and a gold layer disposed on the nickel layer, the bell jar further comprising a cooling conduit comprising a conduit inlet port and a conduit outlet port; and

fluidly connecting the cooling conduit to a heat exchanger at a first thermal side thereof, the heat exchanger fluidly connected at a second thermal side thereof to at least one unit operation of the semiconductor fabrication facility.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein fluidly connecting the cooling conduit to the heat exchanger comprises connecting the first thermal side of the heat exchanger to a flash drum and connecting the flash drum to the cooling conduit.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising connecting a cooling system to the cooling conduit and to the flash drum.

12. A chemical vapor deposition system comprising a reaction chamber having a base plate and a bell jar securable to the base plate, the bell jar comprising a radiation shield comprised of a nickel layer disposed on an interior surface of the bell jar, and a gold layer disposed on the nickel layer, the bell jar further comprising a cooling conduit having a conduit inlet port and a conduit outlet port, the cooling conduit in thermal communication with the radiation shield.

13. A method of fabricating a semiconductor material in a chemical vapor deposition apparatus of a semiconductor fabrication facility, the chemical vapor deposition apparatus having a reaction chamber that is at least partially defined by a bell jar having a radiation shield thereon that is comprised of a nickel layer disposed on an interior surface of the bell jar and a gold layer disposed on the nickel layer, the method of fabricating the semiconductor material comprising:

introducing precursor reactants into the reaction chamber;

heating a filament in the reaction chamber to a temperature sufficient to promote conversion of at least a portion of the precursor reactants into the semiconductor material; and

transferring at least a portion of heat energy from the reaction chamber to a process fluid of the semiconductor fabrication facility.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the semiconductor material is polycrystalline silicon.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising recovering heat energy from the reaction chamber.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein recovering heat energy from the reaction chamber comprises promoting heat transfer to a coolant to maintain a temperature of the radiation shield in a range of from about 200°

C. to about 300°

C.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein recovering heat energy from the reaction chamber comprises promoting sufficient heat transfer to the coolant to maintain the temperature of the radiation shield in a range of from about 200°

C. to about 250°

C.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein recovering heat energy from the reaction chamber comprises circulating water through a cooling conduit in thermal communication with the radiation shield, and wherein transferring at least a portion of the recovered heat energy from the reaction chamber comprises vaporizing at least a portion of the water into flash steam in a flash vaporizer and heating the process fluid with the flash steam.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring at least a portion of heat energy from the reaction chamber comprises vaporizing at least a portion of a coolant, transferring at least a portion of the vaporized coolant to a heat exchanger, and condensing at least a portion of the vaporized coolant in the heat exchanger.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring at least a portion of the recovered heat energy comprises heating the process fluid in a reboiler of the semiconductor fabrication facility.

21. A method of producing polycrystalline silicon in a reaction chamber of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus, the method comprising promoting conversion of silicon precursor reactants into polycrystalline silicon at a net reaction chamber power consumption rate of less than 50 KW·

hr per Kg of polycrystalline silicon produced, wherein the reaction chamber is at least partially defined by a bell jar having a radiation shield thereon that is comprised of a nickel layer disposed on an interior surface thereof, and a gold layer disposed on the nickel layer and having an emissivity of less than 5%.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising transferring heat energy from the reaction chamber to a heat exchanger of a polycrystalline silicon facility.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising regulating at least one operating condition of a coolant disposed to receive at least a portion of heat energy from the reaction chamber.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein regulating the at least one operating condition of the coolant comprises adjusting a flow rate of the coolant flowing through a cooling conduit that provides thermal communication between the reaction chamber and the heat exchanger.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein regulating the at least one operating condition of the coolant comprises maintaining the gold layer at a maximum temperature in a range of from about 200°

C. to about 300°

C. during production of the polycrystalline silicon.