Apparatus for increasing flux from an ampoule

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11628456-B2
Application number	US-202117350353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2021
Priority date	Mar 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

Ampoules for a semiconductor manufacturing precursors and methods of use are described. The ampoules include a container with an inlet port and an outlet port. The inlet port has a showerhead that the end within the container. The showerhead has at least two angled nozzles to direct the flow of gas within the cavity so that the gas flow is not perpendicular to the surface of a liquid within the ampoule.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing a flow of precursor, the method comprising:
flowing a carrier gas through an inlet port of a precursor ampoule having a liquid precursor therein,
directing the flow of the carrier gas within the ampoule with a showerhead at an end of the inlet port, the showerhead comprising at least two angled nozzles to direct the flow of gas at an angle not perpendicular to a surface of the liquid precursor; and
flowing the carrier gas and precursor out of the ampoule through an outlet port, wherein the ampoule comprises a container having a bottom, sidewalls, and a lid, and the end of the inlet port is located a first orthogonal distance from the lid and the outlet port is located a second orthogonal distance from the lid, and the first orthogonal distance is larger than the second orthogonal distance.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flow of carrier gas is sufficient to disturb a liquid/gas interface of the liquid precursor without bubbling through the liquid precursor.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the disturbing of the liquid/gas interface forms a dimple in the surface of the liquid precursor, the dimple having a depth less than or equal to about 1 mm.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flow of carrier gas has a maximum velocity to prevent condensation at the outlet port.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzles are independently angled in a range of about 2° to about 25° measured relative to a line orthogonal to the surface of the liquid precursor.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein all of the nozzles are in direct fluid communication with a bottom end of a gas passage defined by the inlet port.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the gas passage defined by the inlet port is in direct fluid communication with a gas source.

8. A method of providing a flow of precursor, the method comprising:
flowing a carrier gas through an inlet port of a precursor ampoule having a liquid precursor therein, the inlet port having at least two angled nozzles through an end of the inlet port located within a cavity of the ampoule;
directing the flow of the carrier gas within the through the at least two angled nozzles to direct the flow of the carrier gas from any of the angled nozzles at an angle not perpendicular to a surface of the liquid precursor; and
flowing the carrier gas and the precursor out of the ampoule through an outlet port, wherein the cavity is defined by a container having a bottom, sidewalls, and a lid, and the end of the inlet port is located a first orthogonal distance from the lid and the outlet port is located a second orthogonal distance from the lid, and the first orthogonal distance is larger than the second orthogonal distance.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the flow of carrier gas is sufficient to disturb a liquid/gas interface of the liquid precursor without bubbling through the liquid precursor.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the disturbing of the liquid/gas interface forms a dimple in the surface of the liquid precursor, the dimple having a depth less than or equal to about 1 mm.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein all of the nozzles are in direct fluid communication with a bottom end of a gas passage defined by the inlet port.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the gas passage defined by the inlet port is in direct fluid communication with a gas source.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid precursor comprises dicobalt hexacarbonyl tert-butylacetylene.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the liquid precursor comprises dicobalt hexacarbonyl tert-butylacetylene.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzles are independently angled in the range of about 3° to about 12° measured relative to a line orthogonal to the surface of the liquid when the liquid is present.

16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nozzles are independently angled in the range of about 3° to about 12° measured relative to a line orthogonal to the surface of the liquid when the liquid is present.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzles are independently angled in the range of about 4° to about 10° measured relative to a line orthogonal to the surface of the liquid when the liquid is present.

18. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nozzles are independently angled in the range of about 4° to about 10° measured relative to a line orthogonal to the surface of the liquid when the liquid is present.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nozzles are independently angled in the range of about 5° to about 7° measured relative to a line orthogonal to the surface of the liquid when the liquid is present.

20. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nozzles are independently angled in the range of about 5° to about 7° measured relative to a line orthogonal to the surface of the liquid when the liquid is present.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Choi Kenric
• Yuan Xiaoxiong
• Yao Daping
• Chang Mei

Classifications

• H10P72/0402

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P72/50

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title

• C23C16/18

  from metallo-organic compounds · CPC title

• C23C16/4481 Primary

  by evaporation using carrier gas in contact with the source material (C23C16/4486 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B7/2491 Primary

  characterised by the means for producing or supplying the atomising fluid, e.g. air hoses, air pumps, gas containers, compressors, fans, ventilators, their drives · CPC title