Injector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11993847-B2
Application number	US-202117142790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2021
Priority date	Jan 8, 2020
Publication date	May 28, 2024
Grant date	May 28, 2024

Abstract

An injector configured to be placed in a process chamber of a batch furnace assembly for injecting a gas into said process chamber. The injector has an elongated, tubular housing enclosing an injection chamber. The housing has a gas inlet opening for supplying a gas from a gas source to the injection chamber, at least one gas supply opening for supplying the gas from the injection chamber into the process chamber, and a circumferential wall extending in a longitudinal direction of the housing. The circumferential wall comprises a first lateral wall half and a second lateral wall half. Both lateral wall halves substantially span a length of the housing in the longitudinal direction. The first and second lateral wall halves are fastened to each other by means of mechanical fastening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An injector configured to be placed in a process chamber of a batch furnace assembly for injecting a gas into said process chamber, the injector comprising an elongated, tubular housing enclosing an injection chamber, wherein the housing comprises: a gas inlet opening for supplying a gas from a gas source to the injection chamber; at least one gas supply opening for supplying the gas from the injection chamber into the process chamber; and a circumferential wall extending in a longitudinal direction of the housing and comprising a first lateral wall half and a second lateral wall half, both lateral wall halves substantially spanning a length of the housing in the longitudinal direction, wherein the first and second lateral wall halves are fastened to each other by means of mechanical fastening, wherein the housing further comprises a bottom cap and a top cap attachable to the first and the second lateral wall halves, wherein the bottom cap and the top cap are configured such that they provide me chanical fastening when attached to the first and the second lateral wall halves.

2. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom cap is provided with the gas inlet opening.

3. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein the top cap is provided with a gas supply opening of the at least one gas supply opening, wherein the gas supply opening is configured such that it enables a dump of the gas though said opening.

4. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and the second lateral wall halves is provided with the at least one gas supply opening.

5. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein the first lateral wall half is a profile which extends in a first longitudinal direction between two ends and has a constant cross section between said two ends, and wherein the second lateral wall half is a profile which extends in a second longitudinal direction between two ends and has a constant cross section between said two ends.

6. The injector according to claim 5 , wherein the first longitudinal direction and the second longitudinal direction are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing.

7. The injector according to claim 5 , wherein the first lateral wall half has a first engagement surface configured to engage a first engagement surface of the second lateral wall half, and wherein the first lateral wall half has a second engagement surface configured to engage a second engagement surface of the second lateral wall half, wherein the first engagement surfaces and the second engagement surfaces have matching surfaces, wherein the first engagement surfaces of the first and second lateral wall halves define a first cross sectional profile contour in a cross sectional plane which extends perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing, wherein the second engagement surfaces of the first and second lateral wall halves define a second cross sectional profile contour in said cross sectional plane.

8. The injector according to claim 7 , wherein the first cross sectional profile contour has a Z-shape, wherein the second cross sectional profile contour has a Z-shape.

9. The injector according to claim 7 , wherein the first and second cross sectional profile contours are shaped such that the two lateral wall halves are moveable for disassembling with respect to each other in at least one first direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing and in a second direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing.

10. The injector according to claim 9 , wherein the housing further comprises a bottom cap and a top cap attachable to the first and the second lateral wall halves, wherein the bottom cap and the top cap are configured such that they provide mechanical fastening when attached to the first and the second lateral wall halves, and wherein the movability in the at least one first direction is blocked by the bottom cap and the top cap.

11. The injector according to claim 5 , wherein the profile of the first lateral wall half is identical to the profile of the second lateral wall half.

12. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second lateral wall halves are fastened to each other by means of at least one nut and bolt assembly.

13. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second lateral wall halves are not fastened to each other by means of adhesives.

14. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second lateral wall halves are fastened to each other by means of at least one deposition layer.

15. The injector according to claim 5 , wherein the first and second lateral wall halves are fastened to each other by means of at least one deposition layer, wherein the first lateral wall half has a first engagement surface configured to engage a first engagement surface of the second lateral wall half, and wherein the first lateral wall half has a second engagement surface configured to engage a second engagement surface of the second lateral wall half, wherein the first engagement surfaces and the second engagement surfaces are diverging surfaces to define a first and a second diverging gap, wherein the at least one deposition layer is provided in the diverging gaps.

16. The injector according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second lateral wall halves are made of a material comprising at least one of the group of Silicon (Si), Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and Silicon carbide (SiC).

17. A batch furnace assembly for processing wafers comprising:
a process chamber comprising the injector according to claim 1 ; and
a gas source fluidly connected to the gas inlet opening of the injector.

18. The batch furnace assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the batch furnace assembly is a vertical batch furnace assembly.

Assignees

• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• De Ridder Chris G M
• Boonstra Klaas P
• Oosterlaken Theodorus G M

Classifications

• C23C16/00

  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 title

• H10P72/0431

  Apparatus for thermal treatment · CPC title

• H10P72/0402 Primary

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

• C23C16/45578 Primary

  Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes · CPC title

• C23C16/45544 Primary

  characterized by the apparatus · CPC title