Modular vaporizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9982341-B2
Application number	US-201514610990-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

An improved vaporizer for vaporizing a process fluid is provided. The vaporizer may be assembled from stacked plates and may include one or more plenums with a relatively large wall-area-to-cross-sectional-flow-area ratio. The vaporizer may be equipped with one or more heating elements configured to heat the plenums above the vaporization temperature of the precursor. At least some of the plenums may be heated above the vaporization temperature, but below the Leidenfrost temperature, of the precursor. Multiple stacked plate arrangements may be ganged together in series to achieve complete vaporization, if necessary. The vaporizers may be easily disassembleable for cleaning and maintenance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vaporizer comprising:
a first process fluid cap plate with a first inlet configured to flow a first process fluid;
a first process fluid first peripheral passage plate with a plurality of first process fluid peripheral passage holes;
a first process fluid first plenum volume;
a first process fluid first central passage plate with a first process fluid central passage hole; and
a first process fluid second plenum volume, wherein:
the first process fluid first plenum volume is bounded, at least in part, by a first surface of the first process fluid cap plate and a first surface of the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate offset from the first surface of the first process fluid cap plate by a first offset distance,
the first process fluid first plenum volume fluidically connects the first inlet and the first process fluid peripheral passage holes,
the distance from the first inlet to at least one of the peripheral passage holes is at least three times greater than the first offset distance,
the first process fluid second plenum volume is bounded, at least in part, by a first surface of the first process fluid first central passage plate and a second surface of the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate offset from the first surface of the first process fluid first central passage plate and on a side of the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate opposite the first surface of the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate, and
the first process fluid second plenum volume fluidically connects the first process fluid central passage hole and the first process fluid peripheral passage holes.

2. The vaporizer of claim 1 , wherein the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate comprises a first material with a thermal conductivity above 100 W/m/K.

3. The vaporizer of claim 2 , wherein the first material is selected from the group consisting of CVD silicon carbide, aluminum, and copper.

4. The vaporizer of claim 1 , wherein the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate comprises:
a core structure made of a first material, and
an outer skin made of a second material, wherein:
the outer skin is interposed between the core structure and the first process fluid when the first process fluid is flowed through the vaporizer, and
the second material is chemically non-reactive with the first process fluid under normal operating conditions of the vaporizer.

5. The vaporizer of claim 4 , wherein the first material is selected from the group consisting of copper and aluminum.

6. The vaporizer of claim 4 , wherein the second material is a coating applied to the core structure.

7. The vaporizer of claim 1 , wherein the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate further comprises:
an internal flow inlet fluidically connected to a flow path internal to the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate;
an internal flow outlet fluidically connected to the flow path; and
the flow path, wherein the flow path is:
fluidically interposed between the internal flow inlet and the internal flow outlet,
fluidically isolated from the first process fluid peripheral passage holes, and
configured to flow a heat transfer fluid through the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate.

8. The vaporizer of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first process fluid second peripheral passage plate with a plurality of first process fluid peripheral passage holes; and
a first process fluid third plenum volume, wherein:
the first process fluid third plenum volume is bounded, at least in part, by a second surface of the first process fluid first central passage plate on a side of the first process fluid first central passage plate opposite the first surface of the first process fluid first central passage plate and a first surface of the first process fluid second peripheral passage plate offset from the second surface of the first process fluid first central passage plate, and
the first process fluid second plenum volume fluidically connects the first process fluid central passage holes and the first process fluid peripheral passage holes of the first process fluid second peripheral passage plate.

9. The vaporizer of claim 1 , further comprising a first heating element configured to heat the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate.

10. The vaporizer of claim 9 , wherein the first heating element is in thermally-conductive contact with at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate.

11. The vaporizer of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second process fluid cap plate with a second inlet configured to flow a second process fluid;
a second process fluid first peripheral passage plate with a plurality of second process fluid peripheral passage holes;
a second process fluid first plenum volume;
a first outlet; and
an outlet plenum volume, wherein:
the second process fluid first plenum volume is bounded, at least in part, by a first surface of the second process fluid cap plate and a first surface of the second process fluid first peripheral passage plate offset from the first surface of the second process fluid cap plate by a second offset distance,
the second process fluid first plenum volume fluidically connects the second inlet and the second process fluid peripheral passage holes, and
the outlet plenum volume is:
a) fluidically interposed between the first process fluid first plenum volume and the second process fluid first plenum volume,
b) fluidically interposed between the first process fluid first plenum volume and the first outlet, and
c) fluidically interposed between the second process fluid first plenum volume and the first outlet.

12. The vaporizer of claim 11 , further comprising a mixer located within the outlet plenum volume, the mixer including one or more baffles and configured to facilitate mixing of the first process fluid and the second process fluid within the outlet plenum volume.

13. The vaporizer of claim 11 , further comprising:
a second process fluid first central passage plate with a first second gas central passage hole; and
a second process fluid second plenum volume, wherein:
the second process fluid second plenum volume is bounded, at least in part, by a first surface of the second process fluid first central passage plate and a second surface of the second process fluid first peripheral passage plate offset from the first surface of the second process fluid first central passage plate and on a side of the second process fluid first peripheral passage plate opposite the first surface of the second process fluid first peripheral passage plate, and
the second process fluid second plenum volume fluidically connects the first second gas central passage hole and the second process fluid peripheral passage holes.

14. The vaporizer of claim 11 , further comprising a carrier gas source fluidically connected to the second inlet and configured to flow a carrier gas into the second process fluid first plenum volume.

15. The vaporizer of claim 11 , further comprising a second heating element configured to heat the second process fluid first peripheral passage plate.

16. The vaporizer of claim 1 , further comprising a first spacer interposed between the first process fluid cap plate and the first process fluid first peripheral passage plate, wherein:
the first spacer is a thin plate with an opening that forms a continuous perimeter around the first process fluid peripheral passage holes,
the first spacer has a f

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Schoepp Alan M
• Smith Colin F
• Sung Edward

Classifications

• C23C16/4481 Primary

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

• F22B1/282

  with water or steam circulating in tubes or ducts · CPC title