Film-forming atomizer, film-forming apparatus, and film-forming method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434257-B2
Application number	US-202118018746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2021
Priority date	Aug 5, 2020
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A film-forming atomizer atomizing a raw material liquid with ultrasonic wave to generate a raw material mist, includes: a raw material container containing the raw material liquid; a propagation vessel containing an intermediate liquid as a medium for propagating the ultrasonic wave to the raw material liquid; a support mechanism to support the raw material container so that at least a part of the raw material container is positioned in the intermediate liquid; a circulation mechanism to circulate the intermediate liquid; an ultrasonic wave generator to generate and apply the ultrasonic wave to the propagation vessel; and a degassing mechanism to discharge a gas in the intermediate liquid out of the film-forming atomizer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A film-forming atomizer configured to atomize a raw material liquid with ultrasonic wave to generate a raw material mist, the atomizer comprising:
a raw material container containing the raw material liquid;
a propagation vessel containing an intermediate liquid as a medium for propagating the ultrasonic wave to the raw material liquid;
a support mechanism configured to support the raw material container so that at least a part of the raw material container is in the intermediate liquid;
a fluid circuit configured to circulate the intermediate liquid;
an ultrasonic wave generator configured to generate and apply the ultrasonic wave to the propagation vessel; and
a degassing mechanism configured to discharge a gas in the intermediate liquid out of the film-forming atomizer; wherein
a draining port for draining the intermediate liquid from the propagation vessel to the fluid circuit is at a position higher than a bottom face of the raw material container; and
an injection port for injecting the intermediate liquid from the fluid circuit to the propagation vessel is at a position lower than a bottom face of the raw material container.

2. The film-forming atomizer according to claim 1 , wherein a draining port for draining the intermediate liquid from the propagation vessel to the fluid circuit is at a position higher than a bottom face of the raw material container.

3. The film-forming atomizer according to claim 1 , wherein the raw material container comprises a horizontal bottom face.

4. The film-forming atomizer according to claim 1 , wherein the degassing mechanism is on the propagation vessel.

5. The film-forming atomizer according to claim 4 , wherein the degassing mechanism spatially connects an internal part and an external part of a space surrounded by the propagation vessel and the support mechanism to support the raw material container.

6. The film-forming atomizer according to claim 1 , wherein the degassing mechanism is on the fluid circuit.

7. A film-forming apparatus configured to supply a raw material mist to a film-forming device and to form a thin film on a base substrate on the film-forming device, the apparatus comprising:
the film-forming atomizer according to claim 1 ;
the film-forming device; and
a supplying mechanism configured to supply the raw material mist to the film-forming device by a carrier gas, the raw material mist being generated by atomization with the film-forming atomizer.

8. A film-forming method for supplying a raw material mist to a film-forming device and forming a thin film on a base substrate on the film-forming device, the method comprising:
atomizing a raw material liquid with the film-forming atomizer according to claim 1 ;
mixing the atomized raw material liquid and a carrier gas to form a mixed gas; and
supplying the mixed gas to the base substrate to performing film-forming.

Assignees

• Shinetsu Chemical Co

Inventors

• Hashigami Hiroshi

Classifications

• H10P72/0402

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

• H10P14/3434

  being oxide semiconductor materials (Group IIB-VIA semiconductor materials H10P14/3424) · CPC title

• H10P14/6342

  Liquid deposition, e.g. spin-coating, sol-gel techniques or spray coating · CPC title

• H10P14/6939 Primary

  characterised by the metal · CPC title

• B05D1/02

  performed by spraying · CPC title