Apparatus for providing a liquefied material, dosage system and method for dosing a liquefied material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12209303-B2
Application number	US-202117563242-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2021
Priority date	Jan 15, 2021
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

A vapor deposition apparatus is provided. The vapor deposition apparatus includes a tank for providing a liquefied material, a first unit having an alterable first volume, the first unit including a first actuator and including a first line to be in fluid communication with the tank. Further, the vapor deposition apparatus includes a second unit having an alterable second volume, the second unit including a second actuator and including a second line to be in fluid communication with the tank. The vapor deposition apparatus includes an evaporation arrangement, the evaporation arrangement being in fluid communication with the first unit and the second unit. The first actuator and the second actuator are configured to alternatingly provide a force to the alterable first volume and the alterable second volume for providing the liquefied material to the evaporation arrangement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vapor deposition apparatus, comprising:
a tank for providing a liquefied material;
a first unit having an alterable first volume, the first unit comprising a first actuator and a first line to be in fluid communication with the tank;
a second unit having an alterable second volume, the second unit comprising a second actuator and a second line to be in fluid communication with the tank; and
an evaporation arrangement, the evaporation arrangement being in fluid communication with the first unit and the second unit;
wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are configured to alternatingly provide a force to the alterable first volume and the alterable second volume so that the liquefied material is alternatingly provided from the first unit to the evaporation arrangement and from the second unit to the evaporation arrangement.

2. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , the vapor deposition apparatus further comprising a heating arrangement to provide heat to a material to obtain the liquefied material.

3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first line comprises a first operable flow restriction device to regulate a first flow of the liquefied material towards the first unit; and wherein the second line comprises a second operable flow restriction device to regulate a second flow of the liquefied material towards the second unit.

4. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first operable flow restriction device and the second operable flow restriction device comprise a valve.

5. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tank comprises a gas inlet to provide a gas to the tank to provide the liquefied material to the first unit and the second unit.

6. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tank comprises a filling inlet to provide a material to the tank.

7. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first unit comprises a first compressible device and the second unit comprises a second compressible device.

8. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the first compressible device is a first membrane bellow and the second compressible device is a second membrane bellow.

9. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first unit comprises a first pushing device and the second unit comprises a second pushing device.

10. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first unit and the second unit are made of a material that is resistant to corrosion.

11. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the liquefied material is a metal selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal.

12. A dosage system to provide a liquefied material to an evaporation arrangement, the dosage system comprising:
a first unit having an alterable first volume and comprising a first actuator,
a second unit having an alterable second volume and comprising a second actuator,
wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are configured to alternatingly provide a force to the first unit and the second unit to alternatingly alter the first volume and the second volume so that the liquefied material is alternatingly provided from the first unit to the evaporation arrangement and from the second unit to the evaporation arrangement.

13. The dosage system to provide a liquefied material to an evaporation arrangement according to claim 12 , wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are linear motors.

14. The dosage system to provide a liquefied material to an evaporation arrangement according to claim 13 , wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are selected from the group of a motor driven spindle gear, a crank shaft and a rack-and-pinion drive.

15. A method for dosing a liquefied material, the method comprising:
liquefying a material in a tank;
providing the liquefied material from the tank to a first unit having an alterable first volume and to a second unit having an alterable second volume;
acting on the alterable first volume with a first actuator providing a first force to transport the liquefied material from the first unit towards an evaporation arrangement;
acting on the alterable second volume with a second actuator providing a third force to transport the liquefied material from the second unit towards the evaporation arrangement and acting on the alterable first volume with the first actuator providing a second force lower than the first force; and
acting on the alterable second volume with the second actuator providing a fourth force lower than the third force.

16. The method for dosing a liquefied material according to claim 15 , the method further comprising:
acting with a first negative force on the alterable first volume for stopping transportation of the liquefied material from the first unit towards the evaporation arrangement.

17. The method for dosing a liquefied material according to claim 15 , the method further comprising:
acting with a second negative force on the alterable second volume for stopping transportation of the liquefied material from the second unit towards the evaporation arrangement.

18. The method for dosing a liquefied material according to claim 15 , wherein providing the liquefied material to the first unit and the second unit comprises acting on the liquefied material in the tank with a gas.

19. The method for dosing a liquefied material according to claim 18 , wherein the gas is an inert gas.

20. The method for dosing a liquefied material according to claim 15 , wherein the tank is continuously refilled with the material to be liquefied.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Sauer Andreas
• Hacker Volker
• Deppisch Thomas
• Scheidt Ralf

Classifications

• B01D1/0064

  Feeding of liquid into an evaporator · CPC title

• B01D1/0082

  Regulation; Control · CPC title

• C23C14/243

  Crucibles for source material (C23C14/28, C23C14/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/14

  Metallic material, boron or silicon · CPC title

• H01M4/0423

  Physical vapour deposition · CPC title