BUBBLING SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR STABLE PRECURSOR SUPPLY

• US 20130092241A1
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Original Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Inventors: Yanagita, Kazutaka, Nakamoto, Naoyuki, Nakagawa, Toshiyuki, SAKATA, Yoichi
• Application Number:
  US13/705,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20130092241A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4482 by bubbling of carrier gas through liquid source material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02 Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide apparatus and methods for vaporizing liquid precursors. In one embodiment, a bubbling system for supplying a vapor of liquid precursor is provided including a gas flow conduit having a first end and a second end, a nozzle structure connected to the second end of the gas flow conduit, and comprising one or more perforated conduits fluidly coupled with the second end of the gas flow conduit, and a plate disposed around the gas flow conduit and in a spaced relationship from the nozzle structure, wherein both the one or more perforated conduits and the plate extend radially from an axis of the gas flow conduit.

Claims

1. A bubbling system for supplying a vapor of liquid precursor, comprising:

a gas flow conduit having a first end and a second end;

a nozzle structure connected to the second end of the gas flow conduit, and comprising one or more perforated conduits fluidly coupled with the second end of the gas flow conduit; and

a plate disposed around the gas flow conduit and in a spaced relationship from the nozzle structure, wherein both the one or more perforated conduits and the plate extend radially from an axis of the gas flow conduit.

2. The bubbling system of claim 1, wherein the plate is disposed around the gas flow conduit and in a parallel spaced relationship from the nozzle structure.

3. The bubbling system of claim 2, wherein the plate comprises an annular disk having a diameter equal to or greater than any lengths of the one or more perforated conduits.

4. The bubbling system of claim 3, wherein the annular disk comprises a ratio of annular disk diameter to perforated conduit length from greater than 1:

1 to about 2;

1.

5. The bubbling system of claim 3, wherein the annular disk is disposed from the nozzle structure along the gas flow conduit by a ratio of distance from the nozzle structure to an annular disk diameter from about 1:

12 to about 1;

1.

6. The bubbling system of claim 1, wherein the plate is disposed from about 0.5 cm to about 6 cm from the nozzle structure along the gas flow conduit.

7. The bubbling system of claim 6, wherein the plate comprises an annular disk having a disk diameter from about 4 cm to about 8 cm and is disposed from about 3 cm to about 4 cm from the nozzle structure along the gas flow conduit with.

8. The bubbling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more perforated conduits are oriented in an orthogonal manner to the gas flow conduit wherein each of the one or more perforated conduits comprise two arms, and each arm comprises one or more perforations.

9. The bubbling system of claim 1, wherein the bubbling system further comprises the gas flow conduit disposed in a fluid container having a volume from about 0.1 liter to about 10 liters.

10. The bubbling system of claim 8, wherein each perforation is from about 0.1 mm to about 3 mm in diameter.

11. The bubbling system of claim 1, wherein the bubbler further comprises a jacket heater disposed on the sidewalls and bottom of the container and a controller coupled to the jacket heater.

12. The bubbler system of claim 1, wherein the plate has a diameter from about 4 cm to about 8 cm and a thickness from about 0.1 mm to about 2 mm and each of the one or more perforated conduits has a diameter from about 0.5 cm to about 1.5 cm and a length from about 1 cm to about 8 cm.

13. A method for vaporizing a liquid precursor, comprising:

providing a bubbling system, comprising;

a fluid container;

a gas flow conduit having a first end and a second end disposed in the liquid container;

a nozzle structure connected to the second end of the gas flow conduit, and comprising one or more perforated conduits fluidly coupled with the second end of the gas flow conduit; and

a plate disposed around the gas flow conduit and in a spaced relationship from the nozzle structure, wherein both the one or more perforated conduits and the plate extend radially from an axis of the gas flow conduit; and

providing a liquid precursor to the fluid container and forming an initial volume greater than a height of the plate;

providing a carrier gas through the gas conduit and exiting the one or more perforated conduits of the nozzle structure, wherein;

the exiting carrier gas forms first bubbles having a first size in the liquid precursor;

the first bubbles contact the plate to form second bubbles having a second size less than the first size; and

the second bubbles flow to a surface of the liquid precursor; and

produce a vaporized precursor at the surface of the liquid precursor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the one or more perforated conduits comprise two arms, and each arm comprises one or more perforations.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first bubbles have a size of no greater than about the diameter of one or more perforations in the nozzle structure.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the diameter of the one or more perforations in the nozzle structure comprise from 0.1 mm to 3 mm in diameter.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the flowing the second bubbles to the surface of the liquid comprises flowing second bubbles at a rising velocity less than a rising velocity of the first bubbles.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the vaporized precursor has a dosage from about 1.5 grams/minute to about 11.8 grams/minute.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising the liquid precursor developing a processing volume less than the height of the plate, wherein a liquid precursor mist contacts the plate.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the carrier gas is selected from the group of nitrogen, argon, helium, and combinations thereof, and is provided to the gas conduit at a flow rate from greater than about 1 slm to about 10 slm.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the liquid precursor comprises a hydrocarbon compound or a metal-containing precursor selected from the group consisting of diethyl zinc, dimethyl zinc, trimethyl aluminum, and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the plate comprises an annular disk having a diameter equal to or greater than any lengths of the one or more perforated conduits.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the annular disk is disposed from the nozzle structure along the gas flow conduit by a ratio of distance from the nozzle structure to an annular disk diameter from about 1:

12 to about 1;

1.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the fluid container has a volume from about 0.5 liter to about 10 liters.