Fluid handling – Systems – Multiple inlet with multiple outlet
Patent
1991-12-02
1993-09-07
Hepperle, Stephen M.
Fluid handling
Systems
Multiple inlet with multiple outlet
F16K 1110
Patent
active
052419878
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a process gas supplying apparatus to be used in various film forming processes and in a dry etching process for forming fine patterns, and in particular, to an apparatus where a source gas is mixed with a balance gas to prepare a process gas with a desirable concentration enabling the formation of high quality films and high quality etching, and the process gas is supplied to a process apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, in the process of forming high quality thin films and in dry etching process for forming fine patterns, it is becoming more and more important that the process atmosphere be ultra high clean, that is, a technique for supplying an ultra high pure gas to a process apparatus.
For example, regarding a semiconductor device, the size of unit elements are becoming smaller and smaller year by year in order to increase the degree of integration of integrated circuits, and research and development for realizing semiconductor devices having a size of from 1 mm to a submicron size, or even a size of not more than 0.5 mm, is carried out actively. The production of such a semiconductor device is achieved by repeating such processes as forming thin films or etching the thin films to a predetermined circuit pattern. It has been becoming usual that such processes are carried out by putting silicon wafers into a process chamber and under a reduced pressure atmosphere to which a predetermined gas is introduced. The purpose of the reduced pressure state is to increase the mean free path of the gas molecules and to control the gas phase reaction for etching or packing through-holes or contact holes having a high aspect ratio.
When an impurity is mixed with the reaction atmosphere of these processes, such problems occur that the quality of thin films deteriorates, that the process precision in etching is not sufficient, that the selectivity deteriorates, and that the adhesivity between the thin films becomes insufficient. In order to produce integrated circuits having patterns of a submicron or a lower submicron size on a large diameter wafer at a high density and high production yield, the reaction atmosphere contributing to the film formation and etching must be controlled completely. This is why a technique for supplying an ultra high pure gas is important.
As gasses to be used in a semiconductor producing apparatus, there are general gasses which are relatively stable, such as N.sub.2, Ar, He, O.sub.2, H.sub.2, and special material gasses which are highly toxic, spontaneously combustible and corrosive, such as AsH.sub.3, PH.sub.3, SiH.sub.4, Si.sub.3 H.sub.5, HCl, NH.sub.3, Cl.sub.2, CF.sub.4, SF.sub.6, NF.sub.6, WF.sub.6 and F.sub.2.
Since the general gasses can be handled relatively easily, they are in most cases fed under pressure from a purification apparatus directly to a semiconductor producing apparatus, and by developing and improving containers, purification apparatuses and piping materials, it has become possible to supply ultra high pure gasses (Tadahiro Ohmi, "Challenge against ppt--Gas piping system for gasses for semiconductors challenging ppt impurity concentration", Nikkei Micro Device, July 1987, pp. 98-119).
On the other hand, the special gasses require sufficient attention in handling Since the amount of the special gasses used is small, they are in most cases contained in cylinders and fed under pressure through a cylinder cabinet piping apparatus to the semiconductor producing apparatus.
In connection to this, in the case of the special material gasses, they are usually diluted with a diluting gas (balance gas) to a low concentration to obtain process gasses, and they are contained in cylinders. A process gas supplying apparatus is constructed in such a manner that a process gas is supplied from a cylinder to the process apparatus. Therefore, the cylinder is changed with a new one, as frequently as once in a month or a week, so that even when a cylinder improved in respect to the inner surface contamination is used, the i
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Nakahara Fumio
Ohmi Tadahiro
Sugiyama Kazuhiko
Hepperle Stephen M.
Ohmi Tadahiro
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