AN ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION APPARATUS

Abstract

An atomic layer deposition apparatus including an atomic layer deposition reactor and a reactor door. The reactor door is arranged against the end edge of the reactor in a closed position of the reactor. The apparatus having a cooling arrangement for cooling the reactor door having a shell structure surrounding the reactor from the outside of the reactor such that a cooling channel is formed between the shell structure and the at least one side wall of the reactor; a heat exchanger element arranged in the cooling channel in an area of the end edge; and a ventilation discharge connection in connection with the cooling channel provided at a distance from the edge end.

Claims

1.-17. (canceled)

18. An atomic layer deposition apparatus for processing substrates according to principles of atomic layer deposition, the apparatus comprising: an atomic layer deposition reactor having an opening to a deposition space inside the reactor, the reactor comprising at least one side wall and an end edge; and a reactor door in connection with the opening for opening and closing the reactor, the reactor door is arranged against the end edge of the reactor in a closed position of the reactor, wherein the apparatus further comprising a cooling arrangement for cooling the reactor door, the cooling arrangement comprising: a shell structure surrounding the reactor from the outside of the reactor such that a cooling channel is formed between the shell structure and the at least one side wall of the reactor; a heat exchanger element arranged in the cooling channel in an area of the end edge, the heat exchanger element comprises air intakes for providing a flow connection from outside of the apparatus to the inside of the cooling channel; and a ventilation discharge connection in connection with the cooling channel, the ventilation discharge connection is provided at a distance from the edge end of the reactor for discharging gas coming from air intakes of the heat exchanger element.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the reactor comprises a flange structure protruding from the at least one side wall of the reactor away from the deposition space, said flange structure is provided at the end edge of the reactor such that the reactor door is arranged against the flange structure in the closed position of the reactor door.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the heat exchanger element is arranged against the flange structure for providing a cooling heat transfer from the heat exchanger element to the flange structure for cooling the reactor door arranged against the flange structure.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the heat exchanger element is provided in contact with the flange structure forming a heat transfer connection with the flange structure for providing a cooling heat transfer from the heat exchanger element to the flange structure for cooling the reactor door arranged against the flange structure.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the heat exchanger element is arranged to form a heat transfer connection with the side wall of the reactor in the area of the end edge for providing a cooling heat transfer from the heat exchanger element to the end edge for cooling the reactor door.

23. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the heat exchanger element is arranged in the cooling channel at a distance of up to five centimetres from the end edge of the reactor, preferably at a distance of up to one centimetre from the end edge of the reactor.

24. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the heat exchanger element is made of material having a thermal conductivity of more than 50 W.Math.m.sup.−1.Math.K.sup.−1, preferably more than 100 W.Math.m.sup.−1.Math.K.sup.−1.

25. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the cooling channel is arranged to extend between the ventilation discharge connection and the end edge of the reactor.

26. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the shell structure comprises a collar arranged around the reactor in the area of the end edge, said collar comprises: a wall portion protruding away from the shell structure in a transverse direction with respect to the at least one side wall of the reactor, and a collar portion extending from the wall portion to a direction of the end edge of the reactor such that the collar portion is arranged to form together with the end edge of the reactor an opening to the cooling channel.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the collar is arranged to guide the cooling channel from the end edge toward the side wall of the reactor such that the cooling channel is arranged to extend from the opening towards the wall portion of the collar by extending along the collar portion, and arranged to turn towards the at least one side wall of the reactor by extending along the wall portion of the collar and arranged to turn towards the ventilation discharge connection by extending along the at least one side wall of the reactor.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the heat exchanger element and the wall portion of the collar are arranged to form part of the cooling channel which is extending transverse with respect to the side wall of the reactor.

29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the shell structure comprising the collar portion is arranged to extend along the length of the side wall of the reactor and such that the collar portion is arranged to form a hood around the reactor door.

30. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the reactor door comprises at least one radiation shield plate connected to the reactor door at the side of the deposition space to prevent radiation heat from entering the reactor door.

31. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the reactor door comprises a door structure and a perforated plate arranged at a distance from the door structure such that a space is arranged between the door structure and the perforated plate.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the perforated plate comprises inlet perforations at a lower part of the perforated plate formed to provide an air passage from outside of the perforated plate to the space between the door structure and the perforated plate; or the perforated plate comprises inlet perforations at a lower part of the perforated plate formed to provide an air passage from outside of the perforated plate to the space between the door structure and the perforated plate and outlet perforations at an upper part of the perforated plate formed to provide an air passage from the space between the door structure and the perforate plate to outside of the perforated plate for air to be guided to the collar.

33. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the heat exchanger element is arranged between the at least one side wall of the reactor and the shell structure such that the heat exchanger element is arranged to extend around the reactor and from the at least one side wall to the shell structure.

34. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the cooling channel is arranged to extend around the reactor such that the opening of the cooling channel is formed between the shell structure and the end edge of the reactor and extending around the end edge of the reactor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The invention is described in detail by means of specific embodiments with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which

[0029] FIG. 1a shows one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention as a side view;

[0030] FIG. 1b shows the apparatus shown in FIG. 1a as seen from the front of the reactor door;

[0031] FIG. 2a shows another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention as a side view; and

[0032] FIG. 2b shows the apparatus shown in FIG. 2a as seen along the line A-A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] FIG. 1a shows an embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention in which the reactor 1 is shown from side. Figure shows that the reactor 1 comprises a deposition space 10 within the reactor 1 and that the reactor comprises one side wall 11. FIG. 1b shows that the reactor 1 is cylindrical so that the one side wall 11 is arranged to surround the deposition space on all sides. The reactor 1 further comprises an end edge 12 on the side where the reactor door 2 is provided. An opening to the deposition space 10 is provided on one end of the reactor 1 which is closed at the other end 100. In this embodiment of the invention a shell structure 3 is arranged to surround the reactor 1 from the outside of the reactor 1 such that the shell structure 3 forms a cooling channel 4 between the at least one side wall 11 and the shell structure 3 and also between the end 100 and the shell structure 3 such that the cooling channel 4 surrounds the reactor from all other sides than at the opening. Although the reactor 1 does not show a reaction chamber within the reactor 1 it must be understood that the reactor 1 comprises a vacuum chamber and a deposition space within the vacuum chamber, which the deposition space is normally provided as a reaction chamber. The reactor 1 is preferably made of stainless steel.

[0034] The reactor door 2 is arranged against the end edge 12 of the reactor 1 in the closed position of the reactor 1. The reactor door 2 comprises a door structure 20 and a perforated plate 8 such that a space is formed between the door structure 20 and the perforated plate 8.

[0035] The cooling arrangement according to the invention comprises the shell structure 3 surrounding the reactor 1 and forming the cooling channel 4 between the shell structure 3 and the at least one side wall 11 of the reactor 1, and a heat exchanger element 6 arranged in the cooling channel in an area of the end edge 12, and a ventilation discharge connection 5, 50 in connection with the cooling channel 4. The ventilation discharge connection 5, 50 preferably comprises an exhaust channel 5 and a discharge unit 50 for discharging air coming through the cooling channel 4. The ventilation discharge connection 5, 50 is provided at a distance from the edge end 12 of the reactor 1 and preferably such that the ventilation discharge connection 5, 50 is provided on the opposite end than the end edge 12 of the reactor 1 such that the cooling channel 4 is arranged to extend along the length of the side wall 11 of the reactor.

[0036] The shell structure 3 preferably comprises a collar 13 around the end edge 12 of the reactor 1 and the heat exchanger element 6 is arranged within the collar 13. The collar 13 comprises a wall portion 13a protruding away from the shell structure 3 in a transverse direction with respect to the at least one side wall 11 of the reactor 1 and a collar portion 13b extending substantially parallel to the at least one side wall 11 of the reactor 1. The heat exchanger element 6 provided within the collar 13 is preferably arranged to extend from the at least one side wall 11 of the reactor 1 to the collar portion 13b. The heat exchanger element 6 comprises air intakes 16 for providing a flow connection from outside of the apparatus to the inside of the cooling channel 4 and the heat exchanger element 6 is arranged within the shell structure 4 such that the air intakes 16 are provided in the part of the cooling channel 4 extending along the collar portion 13b. As shown in the FIG. 1a the heat exchanger element 6 can be provided against a flange structure 21 protruding from the at least one side wall 11 of the reactor 1 away from the deposition space 10. The flange structure 21 is provided at the end edge 12 of the reactor 1 such that the reactor door 2 is arranged against the flange structure 21 in the closed position of the reactor door 2. The end edge 12 of the reactor 1 and the collar portion 13b of the collar 13 form an opening 40 to the cooling channel 4.

[0037] The collar 13 is arranged to direct the cooling channel 4 such that the flow direction of the air coming from outside of the apparatus and further through the heat exchanger element 6 is changed. By changing the direction of the air flow and extending the air flow path between the shell structure and the reactor 1, the flange structure 12 and thus the reactor door 2 are more efficiently cooled.

[0038] As can be seen from the FIG. 1a the heat exchanger element 6 is preferably a planar structure comprising air intake holes 16 through the heat exchanger element 6 at least on that part of the heat exchanger element 6 that is provided in the cooling channel 4 such that air can pass through the air intakes 16. Part of the heat exchanger element 6 can be arranged against the flange structure 21 for heat transfer from the heat exchanger element 6 to the flange structure 21 and part of the heat exchanger element 6 can be arranged to extend in the cooling channel 4 such that the air intakes 16 are positioned in the cooling channel 4 for providing air passage through the air intakes in the cooling channel 4.

[0039] FIG. 1b shows the apparatus shown in FIG. 1a as seen from the front of the reactor door 2. The reactor door 2 comprises a perforated plate 8 forming an outer surface of the reactor door 2. The perforated plate 8 comprises inlet perforations formed to provide an air passage from outside of the perforated plate 8 to the space between the door structure 20 and the perforated plate 8. FIG. 1b shows perforations both on the lower part of the perforated plate 8 as well as on the upper part of the perforated plate 8. However, perforations need not to be arranged both at the lower part and the upper part of the perforated plate 8. The reactor door 2 is surrounded by the shell structure 3 comprising the collar 13 and the heat exchanger element 6 in the vicinity of the end edge 12 of the reactor 1. As can be seen from the FIG. 1b in one embodiment of the invention the heat exchanger element 6 is arranged to be a single element provided within the cooling channel 4 and extending around the reactor 1. However, the heat exchanger element 6 may be formed from multiple parts and such that the heat exchanger element 6 is only partly surrounding the reactor 1. The heat exchanger element 6 preferably comprises air intakes 16 at regular intervals and the heat exchanger element 6 shown in the figures is only an example of the heat exchanger element 6.

[0040] FIG. 2a shows another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention as a side view. In this embodiment the cooling channel 4 is only arranged in connection with the side walls 11 of the reactor 1 surrounding the cylindrical reactor 1. However, the form of the reactor is not limited to the cylindrical form but other forms are possible too. The reactor door 2 is provided with radiation shield plates 7 attached to the inner side of the reactor door 2 facing toward the deposition space 10. The radiation shield plates 7 are arranged to prevent excess heat from entering to the door structure 20 for cooling the reactor door 2. The structures of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2a are otherwise similar as described in connection with FIG. 1a and are not repeated again.

[0041] The cooling arrangement for cooling the reactor door 2 comprises on one hand the shell structure 3 forming the cooling channel 4 between the shell structure 3 and the at least one side wall 11 of the reactor 1, the heat exchanger element 6 arranged in the cooling channel 4 in an area of the end edge 12 for providing a flow connection for air coming from outside of the apparatus to the inside of the cooling channel 4 and the ventilation discharge connection 5, 50 in connection with the cooling channel 4 for discharging air coming from air intakes of the heat exchanger element 6; on the other hand the radiation shied plates 7 preventing excess heat from entering to the reactor door 2 from inside of the reactor 1; and further the door structure 20 forming together with the perforated plate 8 the space between the door structure 20 and the perforated plate 8 for cooling air passage within the reactor door 2.

[0042] FIG. 2b shows a cut-out of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2a as seen along the line A-A. It can be seen that the collar 13 extends from the rest of the shell structure 3 away from the deposition space 10. The cooling channel 4 is arranged between the shell structure 3 and the side wall 11 of the reactor 1 extending further between the collar 13 and the side wall 11 of the reactor 1 or between the collar 13 and the flange structure 21 (not shown in FIG. 2b). The radiation shield plates 7 are provided to the reactor door 2 in the side of the deposition space 10 for preventing heat from the deposition space 10 from entering the reactor door 2. The rest of the reactor door 2 or the heat exchanger 6 are not shown in FIG. 2b but they are already described in connection with FIGS. 1a-2a and apply also to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2b.

[0043] The invention has been described above with reference to the examples shown in the figures. However, the invention is in no way restricted to the above examples but may vary within the scope of the claims.