Apparatus and method for delivering vapor phase reagent to a deposition chamber
OwnerDavid Petersinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a vapor phase reagent dispensing apparatus or assembly having a liquid reagent level sensor for sensing liquid reagent level in the apparatus interior volume and a temperature sensor for sensing temperature of the liquid reagent in the apparatus interior volume. The floor of the apparatus has a cavity therein extending downwardly from the surface of the floor, and the lower ends of the liquid reagent level sensor and temperature sensor are positioned in the cavity. The dispensing apparatus may be used for dispensing of reagents such as precursors for deposition of materials in the manufacture of semiconductor materials and devices, and achieves a high level of withdrawal of the liquid reagent from the vessel.
Claims20
A vapor phase reagent dispensing apparatus comprising:
- a vessel bounded on its upper end by a top wall member and on its lower end by a bottom wall member to define therewithin an interior volume;
- the bottom wall member having a main floor surface containing a sump cavity therein extending downwardly from the main floor surface, the sump cavity being bounded at its lower end by a sub-floor surface, with at least a portion of the sump cavity being centrally located on the bottom wall member and at least a portion of the sump cavity being non-centrally located on the bottom wall member;
- a temperature sensor extending from an upper end exterior of the vessel through a centrally located portion of the top wall member and generally vertically downwardly into the interior volume of the vessel to a lower end of that portion of the sump cavity centrally located on the bottom wall member, with the lower end of the temperature sensor being located in non-interfering proximity to the sub-floor surface of the sump cavity;
- a liquid reagent level sensor extending from an upper end exterior of the vessel through a non-centrally located portion of the top wall member and generally vertically downwardly into the interior volume of the vessel to a lower end of that portion of the sump cavity non-centrally located on the bottom wall member, with the lower end of the liquid reagent level sensor being located in non-interfering proximity to the sub-floor surface of the sump cavity;
- and
- the temperature sensor being operatively arranged in the sump cavity to determine the temperature of liquid reagent in the vessel, the liquid reagent level sensor being operatively arranged in the sump cavity to determine the level of liquid reagent in the vessel, the temperature sensor and liquid reagent level sensor being located in non-interfering proximity to each other in the sump cavity, with the lower end of the temperature sensor being located at the same or closer proximity to the sub-floor surface of the sump cavity in relation to the lower end of the liquid reagent level sensor, and the temperature sensor and liquid reagent level sensor being in liquid reagent flow communication in the sump cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.