Patent Application
20240337015
This application claims priority from Taiwan Patent Application No. 112113323, filed on Apr. 10, 2023, in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office, the content of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
The invention relates to vacuum component, and more particularly to an anti-deposition object for use in a vacuum environment.
In recent years, due to the continuous vigorous development of semiconductor technology, technological products have made great progress. In the manufacturing process of semiconductor chips, the chip is usually placed in a manufacturing process equipment for related process operations, and a vacuum pump is used to extract the air or gas in the manufacturing process equipment to keep the manufacturing process equipment in a negative pressure state, that is, in a certain degree of vacuum. However, in the semiconductor manufacturing process, manufacturing process substances such as process gases or process exhaust gases could be easily deposited or accumulated in the fluid channel, which leads to shorter and shorter maintenance cycles to affect manufacturing costs and schedules.
In view of the above, one object of the invention is to provide an anti-deposition object for use in a vacuum environment to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, the invention provides an anti-deposition object for use in a vacuum environment, comprising: a main structure having at least one surface; and a fluorine coating layer covering the surface of the main structure, wherein the anti-deposition object contacts with a manufacturing process substance used or discharged during a manufacturing process performed by a manufacturing process equipment in the vacuum environment, the fluorine coating layer has a water droplet contact angle with the manufacturing process substance higher than that of the surface of the main structure, the fluorine coating layer has a hardness similar to or higher than that of the surface of the main structure, and the fluorine coating layer has a roughness lower than that of the surface of the main structure.
In order to enable the examiner to have a further understanding and recognition of the technical features of the invention and the technical efficacies that could be achieved, preferred embodiments in conjunction with detailed explanation are provided as follows.
In order to understand the technical features, content and advantages of the invention and its achievable efficacies, the invention is described below in detail in conjunction with the figures, and in the form of embodiments, the figures used herein are only for a purpose of schematically supplementing the specification, and may not be true proportions and precise configurations after implementation of the invention; and therefore, relationship between the proportions and configurations of the attached figures should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the claims of the invention in actual implementation. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding, the same elements in the following embodiments are indicated by the same referenced numbers. And the size and proportions of the components shown in the drawings are for the purpose of explaining the components and their structures only and are not intending to be limiting.
Unless otherwise noted, all terms used in the whole descriptions and claims shall have their common meaning in the related field in the descriptions disclosed herein and in other special descriptions. Some terms used to describe in the present invention will be defined below or in other parts of the descriptions as an extra guidance for those skilled in the art to understand the descriptions of the present invention.
The terms such as “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth” used in the descriptions are not indicating an order or sequence, and are not intending to limit the scope of the present invention. They are used only for differentiation of components or operations described by the same terms.
Moreover, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “having”, and “with” used in the descriptions are all open terms and have the meaning of “comprising but not limited to”.
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One of the features of the anti-deposition object 10 for use in the vacuum environment of the invention lies in the surface 22 of the main structure 20 being covered by the fluorine coating layer 30, so the fluorine coating layer 30 could replace the surface 22 of the main structure 20 to contact with the manufacturing process substance 110 used or discharged during the manufacturing process performed by the manufacturing process equipment 100. Wherein the fluorine coating layer 30, for example, could cover the surface 22 of the main structure 20 by coating methods, wherein the coating methods are, but not limited to spray coating, brush coating, dip coating or wipe coating, for example. Wherein the invention could, for example, directly coat the liquid (fluid state) fluorine coating layer 30 on the surface 22 of the main structure 20, or coat the liquid fluorine coating layer 30 on the surface 22 of the main structure 20 after the surface 22 of the main structure 20 is roughened to increase a surface roughness. Roughening treatment could be, for example but not limited to, pickling or sandblasting, so as to form rough surfaces of rough structures 120 with more grooves or notches on the surface 22 of the main structure 20 in order to increase an adherence between the fluorine coating layer 30 and the surface 22 of the main structure 20. The invention is not limited to specific pickling or sandblasting means, that is, no matter what kind of technical means is used for roughening treatment, as long as a surface roughness of the main structure 20 could be increased, it belongs to a scope of protection claimed by the invention, so it will not be described in detail herein.
In the invention, after the liquid (fluid state) fluorine coating layer 30 is coated on the surface 22 of the main structure 20, it could optionally be subjected to self-condensation reaction at room temperature for about 1 to 7 days or subjected to self-condensation reaction at 40 degrees Celsius to 60 degrees Celsius for about 1 to 24 hours, that is, the fluorine coating layer 30 is solidified on the surface 22 of the main structure 20 to form the solidified fluorine coating layer 30. A thickness of the fluorine coating layer 30 could range from 1 μm to 3,000 μm, and could be any numerical interval or upper and lower endpoint values in this range, for example, from 10 μm to 300 μm. Physical and chemical properties of the fluorine coating layer 30 are superior to original physical and chemical properties of the surface 22 of the main structure 20. For example, in a vacuum environment, the fluorine coating layer 30 has a water droplet contact angle θ with the manufacturing process substance 110 higher than that of the surface 22 of the main structure 20, that is, the water droplet contact angle θ (range is about 100° to 140°, and could be any numerical interval or upper and lower endpoint values in this range, such as) 106.5° between the fluorine coating layer 30 and the manufacturing process substance 110 is higher than the water droplet contact angle θ (range is approximately 89 to 95 degrees) between the surface 22 of the main structure 20 and the manufacturing process substance 110. In the invention, by coating the fluorine coating layer 30 with the high water droplet contact angle θ on vacuum components is capable of preventing the vacuum components from depositing, and further capable of achieving effects of self-cleaning and easy-cleaning. The fluorine coating layer 30 has a hardness similar to or higher than that of the surface 22 of the main structure 20, that is, a hardness of the fluorine coating layer 30 (ranging from about 8H to 9H, and could be any numerical interval or upper and lower endpoint values in this range) is close to, the same as or higher than a hardness of the surface 22 of the main structure 20 (ranging from about 4H to 6.5H). In the invention, by coating the fluorine coating layer 30 with a high hardness on the vacuum components is capable of preventing the vacuum components from being scratched by impact of manufacturing process substances such as particles. An adherence between the fluorine coating layer 30 and the surface 22 of the main structure 20 (cross-cut test range is about 4B to 5B) is higher than a contact force of the manufacturing process substance 110 applied to the fluorine coating layer 30 (for example, external forces or adsorption forces impacting the fluorine coating layer 30 when the manufacturing process substance 110 is discharged), thereby the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention has excellent adherence to the main structure 20 to avoid peeling off during the manufacturing process. Compared with the surface 22 of the main structure 20, the fluorine coating layer 30 has a higher resistance to acid corrosion and plasma etching, thereby the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention is capable of protecting the vacuum components from acid corrosion and free radicals erosion. The fluorine coating layer 30 has a roughness lower than that of the surface 22 of the main structure 20, that is, a roughness (about 0.2) of the fluorine coating layer 30 is lower than a roughness of the surface 22 of the main structure 20, even the fluorine coating layer 30 could further provide an effect of filling or infiltrating the rough structures 120 such as grooves or notches on the surface 22 of the main structure 20 to achieve an efficacy of planarization. In addition, the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention is capable of withstanding relatively high temperatures, an operating temperature range thereof is quite wide, and a temperature tolerance could be as high as about 600 degrees Celsius. An operating temperature range of the fluorine coating layer 30 is, for example, less than or equal to about 600 degrees Celsius, preferably, for example, from about 260 degrees Celsius to 600 degrees Celsius, and could be any numerical interval or upper and lower endpoint values of less than or equal to 600 degrees Celsius. In contrast, conventional water-repellent coatings or anti-fouling coatings usually could not withstand high temperatures. For example, a temperature for using conventional Teflon is lower than 260 degrees Celsius. Not to mention a hardness of conventional water-repellent coatings or anti-fouling coatings is only about 1H to 3H, for example, a hardness of conventional Teflon is 1H to 2H. It could be known from this that conventional water-repellent layers or anti-fouling layers could not withstand high temperature, high vacuum, high corrosion, high impact and high deposition environment when the manufacturing process equipment 100 performs the semiconductor manufacturing process. In other words, the anti-deposition object 10 of the invention is capable of saving capital and manpower for frequent maintenance by combining the fluorine coating layer 30 with the main structure 20.
A composition of the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention could be, for example, composed of fluorocarbons accounting for about 0.01˜20 wt %, alkoxysilanes accounting for about 5˜50 wt %, catalytic additives accounting for about 0.01˜20 wt % and solvents accounting for about 10˜90 wt %. The fluorocarbons are, for example, fluorine-containing monomers or polymers containing 1-20 carbon atoms. The fluorocarbons are, for example, fluorine-containing monomers containing from about 3 to about 20 carbon atoms and at least one terminal trifluoromethyl. For example, the fluorocarbons are selected from, for example, a group consisting of perfluoroalkanes (PFAS), fluorochlorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), fluoropolymers (PTFE) and hydrofluorochlorocarbons (HCFCs). The alkoxysilanes are selected from, for example, a group consisting of alkoxysilane oligomer, alkoxysilane compound, alkoxysilane polymer, alkylsiloxane oligomer, alkylsiloxane compound, alkylsiloxane polymer, amino-alkyl siloxane oligomer, amino-alkyl siloxane compound and amino-alkyl siloxane polymer. The catalytic additives are selected a group consisting of metals, metal oxides, phosphates and carboxylates of platinum, titanium, tin, zinc, aluminum, silver, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, copper, iron, cobalt, germanium, hafnium, lanthanum, lead, ruthenium, tantalum, tungsten and zirconium. For example, the catalytic additives are selected from a group consisting of silicon oxides, aluminum oxides, titanium oxides, iron oxides, magnesium oxides, molybdenum oxides, calcium oxides and calcium chlorides, and are, for example, nano-size. But the invention is not limited thereto. Micronano-sized or even micron-sized catalytic additives or components belong to a scope of protection claimed by the invention. The solvents are, for example, alcohols such as ethanol, propanol, or butanol. However, the invention is not limited thereto, the solvents of the invention could be selected from a group consisting of alcohols, ketones, esters, fluoroalcohols, fluoroethers and ethers. The alkoxysilanes of the invention have reactive functional groups, and the reactive functional groups carry out a self-condensation reaction at room temperature for 1 to 7 days (for example, 7 days) or carry out a self-condensation reaction at a temperature of 40 to 60 degrees Celsius for 1 to 24 hours (for example, 24 hours). Wherein the above-mentioned reactive functional groups are, for example, hydrosilated reactive functional groups (such as hydrogen atoms of alkenyl, acryl bonded to silicon atoms), condensation reactive functional groups (such as hydroxyl, alkoxy, acyloxy) or peroxide hardening reactive functional groups (such as alkyl, alkenyl, acryl, hydroxyl). In addition, in a feasible implementation mode, a composition of the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention could also be, for example, organic/inorganic macromolecular copolymers composed of fluorine, nano-titanium, silicon and silicon elastomer. Since a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains should know how to select and modulate the anti-deposition object 10 of the fluorine coating layer 30 having the efficacies of the invention based on the foregoing contents of the invention, so no further details are given herein.
A surface hardness testing method of the invention uses a hardness pencil to test a surface hardness of the fluorine coating layer 30. For example, load a hardness pencil (Mitsubishi standard pencil) on a trolley with a fixed load at an angle of 45 degrees, and then push the trolley by hand to slide over a surface of the fluorine coating layer 30 of the anti-deposition object 10 to confirm a surface hardness when scratched by a pencil. In the anti-deposition object 10 of the invention, all surface hardness test results of the fluorine coating layer 30 covering the surface 22 of the main structure 20 are between 8H load 1 Kg and 9H load 500 g.
The cross-cut test of the invention is performed according to ASTM D3359 method B (cross-cut method). The test method uses a cross-cut knife to draw 10×10 (100 pieces) 1 mm×1 mm small grid lines on a surface of a test sample, each drawn line should reach a bottom layer of the fluorine coating layer 30 of the anti-sediment object 10; use a brush to clean debris in a test area; use a standard adhesive tape (3M tape No. 600) or an equivalent adhesive tape to stick to the tested small grid lines, use an eraser to rub the tape vigorously to increase a contact area and a strength between the tape and the tested area, grab one end of the tape with a hand, and quickly tear off the tape at an angle of 180 degrees within 1.5 minutes plus or minus 30 seconds and observe a state of peeling off of the fluorine coating layer 30. In the anti-deposition object 10 of the invention, all results of the cross-cut test of the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention coated on the surface 22 of the main structure 20 are between 5B (cut edges are completely smooth, and grid edges do not have any peeling off) and 4B (small flakes at intersections of cuts, and actual damage ≤5% inside grid areas). It could be known from the results that an adhesion (adherence) of the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention to the surface 22 of the main structure 20 is quite high.
An acid corrosion resistance test experiment of the invention uses 0.05 ML of 5% HCl (hydrochloric acid) to drop on a test sample, let it stand for 24 hours, and wait for the HCl solution to volatilize. During the volatilization process, a concentration of the HCl area will rise, and an effect of diffusion corrosion will increase. After 24 hours of observation, a diffusion area is corroded. According to the test results, a corrosion area (mm2) of the surface 22 of the main structure 20 without coating the fluorine coating layer 30 is about 45.13 mm2, but a corrosion area (mm2) of the surface 22 of the main structure 20 coated with the fluorine coating layer 30 is only about 19.4 mm2.
In addition, the invention has also undergone a plasma etching test, results show that under the same etching conditions (CHF3:Ar is 1:1, 60 minutes, a rate of etching oxides is 750 nm/30 min), the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention reliably has a resistance to plasma etching better than that of the surface 22 of the main structure 20 (made of anodized aluminum). As for a thermal stability test (thermogravimetric analyzer, TGA test), under a test environment of heating rate being 5 degrees Celsius/min and test atmosphere being N2, a weight of the fluorine coating layer 30 of the invention shows a steady and slow decline within a test temperature range (600 degrees Celsius), and there is no sudden weight change, showing that cracking does not occur in the fluorine coating layer 30 of the anti-deposition object 10 of the invention.
The manufacturing process performed by the manufacturing process equipment 100 is, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing process. For example, the manufacturing process performed by the manufacturing process equipment 100 is an atomic layer deposition (ALD) manufacturing process, and the manufacturing process substance 110 is titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), wherein the main structure 20 of the anti-deposition object 10 is, for example, a fluid delivery pipe, but not limited thereto. For example, the manufacturing process performed by the 10 manufacturing process equipment 100 is a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) manufacturing process, and the manufacturing process substance 110 is a process gas or a process exhaust gas, wherein the main structure 20 of the anti-deposition object 10 is, for example, an outlet pipe of a vacuum air pump, but not limited thereto. For example, the manufacturing process performed by the manufacturing process equipment 100 is an Al-pad manufacturing process, and the manufacturing process substance 110 is a process gas reactant or a process exhaust gas, such as selected from a group consisting of N2, O2, Ar, SF6, He, HBr, CF4, CH4, Cl2, BCl3 and CHF3, wherein the main structure 20 of the anti-sedimentation object 10 is, for example, a pump part and an outlet pipe with a helical diversion groove, but not limited thereto. The anti-deposition object 10 for use in the vacuum environment of the invention has been tested in practice and has excellent effects in the above-mentioned manufacturing processes. For example, in the Al-pad manufacturing process, the anti-deposition object 10 of the invention is capable of extending about 20% of a maintenance cycle, so is capable of reducing capital and manpower for frequent maintenance.
In summary, the anti-deposition object for use in the vacuum environment of the invention has the following advantages:
Note that the specification relating to the above embodiments should be construed as exemplary rather than as limitative of the present invention, with many variations and modifications being readily attainable by a person of average skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112113323 | Apr 2023 | TW | national |
