Monolithic gas distribution manifold and various construction techniques and use cases therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10914003-B2
Application number	US-201916725173-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2019
Priority date	Oct 17, 2014
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

A gas delivery substrate for mounting gas supply components of a gas delivery system for a semiconductor processing apparatus is provided. The substrate may include a plurality of layers having major surfaces thereof bonded together forming a laminate with openings for receiving and mounting first, second, third and fourth gas supply components on an outer major surface. The substrate may include a first gas channel extending across an interior major surface that at least partially overlaps a second gas channel extending across a different interior major surface. The substrate may include a first gas conduit including the first gas channel connecting the first gas supply component to the second gas supply component, and a second gas conduit including the second channel connecting the third gas supply component to the fourth gas supply component. Also disclosed are various techniques for manufacturing gas delivery substrates.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas delivery system for a semiconductor processing apparatus, the gas delivery system comprising:
a substrate including:
a plurality of layers having major surfaces thereof bonded together forming a laminate, wherein the major surfaces of each layer are on opposite sides of the layer, the major surfaces of the layers that are bonded together are interior major surfaces of the laminate, and the major surfaces of the layers that are not bonded to another of the layers are outer major surfaces of the laminate;
a mixing chamber extending from a first interior major surface of the interior major surfaces into the layer having the first interior major surface;
a plurality of radial spoke channels extending from the first interior major surface into the layer having the first interior major surface, radiating outward from the mixing chamber, and having the same length;
a plurality of first surface-mount valve interfaces, wherein each first surface-mount valve interface is located on one of the outer major surfaces, includes a corresponding first through-hole through one or more of the layers, a corresponding second through-hole through one or more of the layers, a corresponding plurality of first mounting holes, and is fluidically connected within the laminate to a corresponding one of the radial spoke channels via the corresponding first through-hole;
a plurality of second surface-mount valve interfaces, wherein each second surface-mount valve interface is located on one of the outer major surfaces and includes a corresponding third through-hole through one or more of the layers, a corresponding fourth through-hole through one or more of the layers, and a corresponding plurality of second mounting holes;
a plurality of first gas channels, each first gas channel extending at least partially into one of the interior major surfaces;
a plurality of second gas channels, each second gas channel extending at least partially into one of the interior major surfaces;
a plurality of first gas conduits, each first gas conduit including one of the first gas channels and fluidically connecting one of the second through-holes with one of the third through-holes within the laminate; and
a plurality of second gas conduits, each second gas conduit including one of the second gas channels and fluidically connected with one of the fourth through-holes within the laminate, wherein:
each first surface-mount valve interface is configured to interface with a corresponding first gas flow component via the first mounting holes of that first surface-mount valve interface, and
each second surface-mount valve interface is configured to interface with a corresponding second gas flow component via the second mounting holes of that second surface-mount valve interface.

2. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the radial spoke channels are arranged in a circular array around the mixing chamber.

3. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the layers includes one or more items selected from the group consisting of: one or more heaters for heating gas, a gas flow splitter, a filter forming a gas restrictor, and a non-linear gas channel.

4. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes at least one gas channel or through-holes that forms an oblique angle with respect to a plane of a layer.

5. The gas delivery system of claim 2 , wherein there are eight radial spoke channels.

6. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the mixing chamber extends into more than one of the layers.

7. The gas delivery system of claim 2 , wherein the radial spoke channels are equally spaced around the mixing chamber.

8. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the layers are bonded through a process selected from the group consisting of: firing, sintering, adhesive, welding, soldering, cold spraying and heat treatment, ultrasonic welding, brazing, and diffusion bonding.

9. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein each layer is made from a material selected from the group consisting of: ceramics, glass, metals, and polymers.

10. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the layers having outer major surfaces include a plurality of gas inlets and one or more gas outlets.

11. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the laminate includes one or more items selected from the group consisting of: a) air conduits extending through one or more of the layers and configured to carry air between a pneumatic manifold and diaphragm valves and b) wire conduits extending through one or more layers and configured route wires to or from gas supply components.

12. The gas delivery system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of gas flow components mounted on at least one of the outer major surfaces, wherein:
the plurality of gas flow components includes the plurality of first gas flow components and the plurality of second gas flow components, and
the gas flow components are selected from the group consisting of: an on/off gas valve, a mass flow controller (MFC), a vacuum coupling radiation (VCR) fitting, a manual gas valve, a gas pressure regulator, a gas filter, a purge gas component, a gas flow restrictor, and a pressure transducer.

13. The gas delivery system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of gas flow components are mounted on opposing outer major surfaces of the substrate.

14. The gas delivery system of claim 12 , wherein:
the first gas flow components are on/off gas valves,
the second gas flow components are MFCs, and
each on/off gas valve is fluidically connected to a corresponding one of the MFCs via a corresponding one of the first gas conduits.

15. The gas delivery system of claim 14 , wherein:
(a) some of the gas conduits crisscross each other and at least some of the mounted gas flow components are arranged on one or two outer major surfaces in a non-linear arrangement, or
(b) some of the gas conduits crisscross each other, and at least some of the mounted gas flow components are arranged on one or two outer major surfaces in a circular arrangement.

16. The gas delivery system of claim 14 , wherein gas flow paths between gas inlets on the laminate to the mixing chamber in the laminate have equal lengths.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Lee Andrew C
• Kellogg Michael C
• Pena Christopher J
• Daugherty John Edward

Classifications

• C23C16/45561 Primary

  Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber · CPC title

• C23C16/4409 Primary

  characterised by sealing means · CPC title

• C23C16/4402

  Reduction of impurities in the source gas · CPC title

• C23C16/045

  Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates · CPC title

• C23C16/042

  using masks · CPC title