阅读说明：本技术 具有多级冷却的装置 (Device with multistage cooling ) 是由 诺吉·A·贾金德拉 阿鲁尔·瓦桑·萨布拉曼尼亚 于 2019-07-31 设计创作，主要内容包括：本文描述的实施方式涉及用于消除半导体工艺中产生的化合物的热交换器。当热流出物流动至热交换器中时,可使冷却剂流动至热交换器之内的热交换表面的壁。热交换表面可以是产生多级交叉流动路径的弯曲形状,以便热流出物从热交换器流下。此流动路径迫使热流出物撞击热交换表面的冷壁,从而显著冷却流出物并且防止流出物直接流入真空泵中并造成热损坏。本文所述的实施方式还涉及形成热交换器的方法。热交换器可通过使用3D打印在表面上顺序地沉积导热材料层来建立,产生小得多的占地面积并且减少成本。(Embodiments described herein relate to a heat exchanger for eliminating compounds generated in a semiconductor process. When the hot effluent flows into the heat exchanger, the coolant can be caused to flow to the walls of the heat exchange surfaces within the heat exchanger. The heat exchange surfaces may be curved to create multiple stages of intersecting flow paths so that the hot effluent flows down the heat exchanger. This flow path forces the hot effluent to impinge on the cold wall of the heat exchange surface, thereby significantly cooling the effluent and preventing the effluent from flowing directly into the vacuum pump and causing thermal damage. Embodiments described herein also relate to methods of forming heat exchangers. The heat exchanger can be built by sequentially depositing layers of thermally conductive material on a surface using 3D printing, resulting in a much smaller footprint and reduced cost.)

1. A heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with a flowing fluid, comprising:

a first mounting flange having a central opening extending through a connecting surface of the first mounting flange, wherein the connecting surface is parallel to a first plane;

a second mounting flange having a central opening extending through a connecting surface of the second mounting flange, wherein the second mounting flange is disposed at a distance from the first mounting flange in a first direction;

an outer wall configured to surround an interior region of the heat exchanger, wherein the outer wall and interior region are disposed between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange;

an inner wall disposed within the interior region, wherein the inner wall is positioned to isolate the heat exchange region of the interior region from an outer region of the interior region, the outer region being defined by a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall;

a heat exchange fluid inlet and a heat exchange fluid outlet, wherein the heat exchange fluid inlet and the heat exchange fluid outlet are each in fluid communication with the outer region; and

a tapered tray disposed within the inner wall, wherein the tapered tray is configured to collect particles passing through the central opening of the first mounting flange.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the heat exchange fluid inlet has an opening in fluid communication with the outboard region, and the heat exchange fluid inlet is disposed closer to the first mounting flange than the second mounting flange.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the heat exchange fluid outlet has an opening in fluid communication with the outer region, and the heat exchange fluid outlet is disposed closer to the first mounting flange than the second mounting flange.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the area of the opening of the heat exchange fluid inlet is substantially equal to the area of the water inlet.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 1, further comprising a viewing port having an opening extending through the outer wall, wherein the opening is oriented to allow a user located outside the outer wall to view at least a portion of the tapered tray through the opening.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 1, further comprising a deflector configured to deflect gas passing through the central opening.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 6, wherein the deflector comprises an integral lip.

8. A heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with a flowing fluid, comprising:

a first mounting flange having a connecting surface parallel to the first plane;

a second mounting flange having a connecting surface, wherein the second mounting flange is disposed at a distance from the first mounting flange in a first direction; and

a heat exchange body disposed between and coupled with the first and second mounting flanges, wherein the heat exchange body comprises:

an outer wall configured to surround an interior region of the heat exchange body, the interior region having a central axis substantially perpendicular to the first plane;

an inner wall disposed within the inner zone, wherein the inner wall is positioned to isolate the heat exchange zone of the inner zone from an outer zone of the inner zone, wherein

The inner wall has a heat exchange surface adjacent the heat exchange area,

at least a portion of the heat exchange surface has a curvature that varies in a direction parallel to the central axis, and

a tangent to the curved portion at any point on the heat exchange surface has an angle of less than or equal to 60 degrees with respect to a central axis.

9. The heat exchanger of claim 8, further comprising a heat exchange fluid inlet having an opening in fluid communication with the outer region and disposed closer to the second mounting flange than the first mounting flange.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 9, further comprising a heat exchange fluid outlet having an opening in fluid communication with the outer region and disposed closer to the first mounting flange than the second mounting flange.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein the heat exchange body has a diameter between 150mm and 200 mm.

12. The heat exchanger of claim 11, wherein a distance between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange is between 200mm and 250 mm.

13. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein the tangent to the curved portion at any point on the heat exchange surface has an angle of less than or equal to 45 degrees with respect to the central axis.

14. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein the tangent to the curved portion at any point on the heat exchange surface has an angle of less than or equal to 30 degrees relative to the central axis.

15. A method of forming a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with a flowing fluid, comprising:

forming a first mounting flange having a central opening, wherein forming the first mounting flange includes sequentially depositing layers of thermally conductive material on a first surface;

forming a heat exchange body on the first mounting flange, wherein

The heat exchange body having a heat exchange section surrounding a heat exchange region extending in a direction perpendicular to the first surface; and is

Forming the heat exchange body includes sequentially depositing a layer of thermally conductive material on a surface of the formed first mounting flange,

the sequentially deposited layers disposed within the heat exchange section each include at least a portion of an outer wall and at least a portion of an inner wall,

the outer wall is configured to surround an interior region of the heat exchange body, and the interior region has a central axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first surface,

the inner wall disposed within the inner region and positioned to isolate the heat exchange region from an outer region of the inner region, wherein the outer region is defined by a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall,

the inner wall has a heat exchange surface adjacent to the heat exchange area, and

the heat exchange surface has a curvature varying in a direction parallel to the central axis, and

a tangent to the curved portion at any point on the heat exchange surface has an angle of less than or equal to 45 degrees with respect to a central axis; and

forming a second mounting flange on the heat exchange body, wherein the second mounting flange comprises sequentially depositing layers of thermally conductive material on the heat exchange body.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat exchange body has a diameter between 150mm and 200 mm.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein a distance between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange is between 200mm and 250 mm.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising a heat exchange fluid inlet positioned toward the second mounting flange and a heat exchange fluid outlet positioned toward the first mounting flange.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the heat exchange fluid inlet has an open area substantially equal to the area of the water inlet.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat exchanger is formed by a 3D printing process using a stainless steel material.

Technical Field

Embodiments described herein relate generally to semiconductor processing equipment and, more particularly, to abatement systems and heat exchangers for abating (abate) compounds produced in semiconductor processing.

Background

Process gases used by semiconductor processing facilities include many compounds such as Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) that must be eliminated and treated prior to disposal for regulatory requirements and environmental and safety concerns. Typically, a remote plasma source may be coupled to the processing system to abate compounds from the processing chamber. Reactants may be injected into the plasma source to assist in the abatement of the compound.

Conventional abatement techniques for abating perfluorocarbons utilize water vapor as a reactant, which provides good Destruction Removal Efficiency (DRE). However, the elimination of certain compounds using water vapor in the remote plasma source may result in the formation of solid particles in the remote plasma source due to the lower available chemical reaction (combination reaction) time and equipment downstream from the remote plasma source, such as discharge lines and pumps. Furthermore, the exhaust exiting the remote plasma source may be at an elevated temperature, which may create problems at the pump downstream of the remote plasma source. Existing solutions in the art that attempt to recombine (recombine) and cool the effluent are very cumbersome and inefficient, including having other maintenance issues.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved abatement system having an effective heat exchanger for abating compounds generated in semiconductor processes.

Disclosure of Invention

One or more embodiments described herein generally provide a heat exchanger for eliminating compounds generated in a semiconductor process.

In one embodiment, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with a flowing fluid includes: a first mounting flange having a central opening extending through a connecting surface of the first mounting flange, wherein the connecting surface is parallel to a first plane; a second mounting flange having a central opening extending through a connecting surface of the second mounting flange, wherein the second mounting flange is disposed at a distance from the first mounting flange in a first direction; an outer wall configured to surround an interior region of the heat exchanger, wherein the outer wall and the interior region are disposed between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange; an inner wall disposed within the interior region, wherein the inner wall is positioned to isolate a heat exchange region of the interior region from an outer region of the interior region, the outer region being defined by a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall; a heat exchange fluid inlet and a heat exchange fluid outlet, wherein the heat exchange fluid inlet and the heat exchange outlet are each in fluid communication with the outer region; and a tapered tray disposed within the inner wall, wherein the tapered tray is configured to collect particles passing through the central opening of the first mounting flange.

In another embodiment, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with a flowing fluid includes: a first mounting flange having a central opening extending through a connecting surface of the first mounting flange, wherein the connecting surface is parallel to a first plane; a second mounting flange having a central opening extending through a connecting surface of the second mounting flange, wherein the second mounting flange is disposed at a distance from the first mounting flange in a first direction; an outer wall configured to surround an interior region of the heat exchanger, wherein the outer wall and the interior region are disposed between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange; an inner wall disposed within the interior region, wherein the inner wall is positioned to isolate a heat exchange region of the interior region from an outer region of the interior region; a conical tray enclosed within the inner wall, wherein the conical tray is configured to collect particles passing through the central opening; wherein: the outer region is defined by a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall; and the inner wall having a heat exchange surface adjacent the heat exchange area; and a heat exchange fluid inlet and a heat exchange fluid outlet, wherein the heat exchange fluid inlet and the heat exchange fluid outlet are each in fluid communication with the outer region.

One or more embodiments described herein also generally relate to a method of forming a heat exchanger.

In one embodiment, a method of forming a heat exchanger includes: forming a first mounting flange having a central opening, wherein forming the first mounting flange comprises sequentially depositing a layer of thermally conductive material on a first surface; forming a heat exchange body on the first mounting flange, wherein the heat exchange body has a heat exchange section surrounding a heat exchange region extending in a direction perpendicular to the first surface, and forming the heat exchange body comprises sequentially depositing layers of thermally conductive material on the surface of the formed first mounting flange, wherein the sequentially deposited layers disposed within the heat exchange section each include at least a portion of an outer wall configured to surround an inner region of the heat exchange body and having a central axis substantially perpendicular to the first surface, and an inner wall disposed within the inner region and positioned to isolate the heat exchange region from an outer region of the inner region, wherein the outer region is defined by a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall, the inner wall having a heat exchange surface adjacent to the heat exchange region, and the heat exchange surface has a curvature (curvature) that varies in a direction parallel to the central axis, and a tangent to the curvature at any point on the heat exchange surface has an angle of less than or equal to 45 degrees with respect to the central axis; forming a second mounting flange on the heat exchange body, the second mounting flange comprising a layer of thermally conductive material deposited sequentially on the heat exchange body.

Description of the drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a processing system and abatement system including a remote plasma source and a heat exchanger, according to at least one embodiment described herein;

FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a top cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 taken along a horizontal plane (X-Y plane) coincident with line 2B-2B shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2D is another schematic cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 taken along a vertical plane (Y-Z plane) coincident with line 2D-2D shown in FIG. 2B;

FIG. 2E is a schematic cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchange surface of FIGS. 2A-2D;

FIG. 2F is a close-up schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the heat exchange surface shown in FIG. 2E;

FIG. 3A is a schematic side view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B is a top cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 taken along a horizontal plane (X-Y plane) coincident with line 3B-3B shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3D is a schematic cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 taken along a vertical plane (Y-Z plane) coincident with line 3D-3D shown in FIG. 3B;

FIG. 3E is a schematic cross-sectional view of at least one embodiment of the heat exchange surface of FIGS. 3A-3D;

FIG. 3F is a close-up schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the heat exchange surface shown in FIG. 3E; and

fig. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for forming a heat exchanger according to at least one embodiment described herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoid obscuring one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to abatement systems and heat exchangers for removing unwanted compounds produced in semiconductor processes from effluent streams. After exiting the plasma zone and entering the heat exchanger, the fluid and solid effluents recombine and release a large amount of energy, resulting in an increase in the temperature of the heated effluent. To counteract the temperature increase, a cooling mechanism in the heat exchanger is designed. The cooling mechanism may include a plurality of fin structures having heat exchanging surfaces. A coolant may flow in a portion of the heat exchanger to cool the walls of the heat exchange surface. The heat exchange surfaces have a curved shape that creates a multi-stage cross flow path for the hot effluent to flow down the heat exchanger. This flow path increases the residence time of the hot effluent in contact with the cold wall of the heat exchange surface, thereby increasing the cooling efficiency of the heat exchanger. In addition, the flow path ensures that most of the effluent is in contact with the walls of the heat exchange surface, thereby significantly cooling the effluent and preventing the effluent from flowing directly into the vacuum pump and causing thermal damage.

Embodiments described herein also generally relate to methods of forming heat exchangers. The heat exchanger may be produced by sequentially depositing layers of thermally conductive material on a surface to form one or more walls of the heat exchanger. The sequential deposition includes a first mounting flange formed on the first surface and a heat exchange body formed on a surface of the formed first mounting flange. The second mounting flange may be formed on a surface of the heat exchange body. The layer may be deposited by using an additive manufacturing process, such as 3D printing and the like. This provides the advantage of allowing recombination and staged cooling with much smaller footprint and much higher efficiency, reducing cost.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a processing system 100 and an abatement system 102 including a plasma source 104 and a heat exchanger 106, according to at least one embodiment described herein. The processing system 100 includes at least a process chamber 101 and an abatement system 102. The abatement system 102 includes at least a plasma source 104, a heat exchanger 106, and a process vacuum pump 108. The processing chamber 101 is generally configured to perform at least one integrated circuit fabrication process, such as a deposition process, an etch process, a plasma treatment process, a pre-clean process, an ion implantation process, or another similar integrated circuit fabrication process. In some embodiments, the process chamber 101 is configured to process substrates for display or solar applications. The process performed in the processing chamber 101 may be plasma-assisted. For example, the process performed in the processing chamber 101 may be a plasma deposition process for depositing a silicon-based material or a plasma etching process for removing a silicon-based material.

The process chamber 101 has a chamber exhaust 112 coupled to the heat exchanger 106 of the abatement system 102 via an exhaust foreline 114. A heat exchanger 106 is coupled to the process chamber 101 to cool the exhaust exiting the plasma source 104 and collect particles, such as silica particles, formed in an exhaust foreline 114 exiting the process chamber 101. The heat exchanger 106 is coupled to the exhaust conduit 116 and to the process vacuum pump 108. An exhaust conduit 118 couples the process vacuum pump 108 to the facility exhaust 110. The process vacuum pump 108 is typically used to evacuate the process chamber 101, while the facility exhaust 110 typically includes a scrubber or other exhaust cleaning device for preparing the effluent of the process chamber 101 for entry into the atmosphere.

The heat exchanger 106 is coupled between the process chamber 101 and the process vacuum pump 108 for reducing the temperature of the exhaust in the exhaust foreline 114 and for collecting particulates in the exhaust foreline 114. In one example, the heat exchanger 106 is part of the abatement system 102. The effluent exiting the process chamber 101 may deposit on cold surfaces (surfaces having a temperature substantially lower than the temperature of the effluent) inside the heat exchanger 106. An example of a material that may be collected in the heat exchanger 106 is silica, which may be formed in granular or particulate form.

In some embodiments, the processing chamber 101 includes a remote plasma source 120 for generating cleaning radicals, such as fluorine radicals, that flow into a processing region 122 of the processing chamber 101 to clean the processing chamber 101. Unreacted cleaning radicals may exit the process chamber 101 and enter the exhaust foreline 114 and the heat exchanger 106 to remove materials previously deposited in the exhaust foreline 114 and the heat exchanger 106 during the integrated circuit fabrication process. In some embodiments, the cleaning process performed in the processing chamber 101 is performed efficiently, which causes a minimal amount of unreacted cleaning radicals to exit the processing chamber 101 and enter the exhaust foreline 114. During normal use, the cleaning process that effectively cleans the processing chamber 101 will generally not provide enough cleaning radicals to effectively clean the heat exchanger 106.

Thus, to ensure that sufficient unreacted cleaning radicals reach and effectively clean the heat exchanger 106, the abatement system 102 includes a plasma source 104 that may be used to provide a cleaning plasma to clean the heat exchanger 106. Plasma source 104 is used to perform an abatement process on the gases and/or other materials exiting processing chamber 101 so that such gases and/or other materials may be subsequently trapped and converted into more environmentally-friendly and/or process equipment-friendly components. Plasma source 104 may be, for example, an inductively coupled plasma source, a capacitively coupled plasma source, a direct current plasma source, or a microwave plasma source. The plasma source 104 may be coupled to the abatement system 102 to ionize a cleaning gas, purge gas, carrier gas, or other process gas; to provide ionized gas to the abatement system 102; and to generate cleaning radicals to clean surfaces and trapped materials found in the heat exchanger 106. For example, a first gas supply 124 may be coupled to the plasma source 104 to provide an inert gas, such as argon (Ar), or a non-reactive gas to the abatement system 102 via the plasma source. A second gas supply 126 may be coupled to the plasma source 104 to provide, for example, NF via the plasma source ₃To the abatement system 102. Other contemplated cleaning gases include NF ₂H、CHF ₃、CF ₄And the like. In addition, the firstThree gas supplies 128 may be coupled to the plasma source 104 to provide a gas such as O therethrough ₂To abatement system 102.

As shown in fig. 1, plasma source 104 may be coupled to exhaust foreline 114 via conduit 117. The reactant gas facilitates removal of accumulated deposits from the interior of the abatement system 102, thereby reducing or eliminating the need to decompose the abatement system 102 for cleaning. In one embodiment, the cleaning radicals (such as NF) generated in plasma source 104 ₃Plasma) may flow into the exhaust foreline 114 and into the heat exchanger 106 to remove solid byproduct materials or particulates formed or collected in the heat exchanger 106.

In one embodiment, the gas such as O is generated in plasma source 104 ₂An oxidant for the plasma may be delivered from the plasma source 104 into the exhaust foreline 114 to react with precursor products flowing from the process chamber 101 to the process vacuum pump 108 during the deposition process. The oxidizer reacts with the precursor byproducts from the deposition process and promotes the conversion of the precursor gaseous byproducts into solid byproducts or particulates to increase the amount of solid byproducts or particulates trapped in the heat exchanger 106. Increasing the amount of solid byproducts captured in the heat exchanger 106 reduces the amount of reactant byproduct gases that flow through the heat exchanger 106 and into the process vacuum pump 108, the exhaust conduit 118, and to the facility exhaust 110, thereby increasing the life expectancy of the process vacuum pump 108 and the exhaust conduit 118, and also reducing the time between maintenance for the process vacuum pump 108 and the exhaust conduit 118 to help increase tool uptime.

The heat exchanger 106 may be located a distance D from the process chamber 101 in a sub-fab (subfab) location of a manufacturing facility _FSuch as at least 10 to 40 feet or more; and the heat exchanger 106 may be separated from the process chamber 101 by a wall 130. The outlet of the remote plasma source 104 of the abatement system 102 may flow into the exhaust foreline 114 at a location 132 in the exhaust foreline 114, the exhaust foreline 114 being substantially adjacent to the inlet of the heat exchanger 106. In one example, location 132 is positioned in the exhaust foreline114 before entering heat exchanger 106 by a distance D _RA distance D of _RSuch as between 6 inches and 18 inches, or a distance of about 12 inches. It has been found that O is generated when plasma source 104 generates O ₂Distance D of plasma from the inlet of the heat exchanger 106 _RThe heat exchanger 106 captures more solid byproduct material as it is introduced into the exhaust foreline 114, the distance D _RSuch as between 6 inches and 18 inches.

The exhaust foreline 118 allows gas to flow from the process vacuum pump 108 to the facility exhaust 110. For example, the exhaust foreline 114, the exhaust line 116, the process vacuum pump 108, the exhaust line 118, and associated hardware may be formed from one or more process compatible materials, such as aluminum, anodized aluminum, nickel-plated aluminum, stainless steel, and combinations and alloys thereof. For example, the heat exchanger 106 may be formed of similar process compatible materials, or made of materials that facilitate condensation of the exhaust gases. For example, the facility exhaust 110 may be a combustion/wet abatement subsystem as known in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

The abatement system 102 may be provided at a location separate from the process chamber 101 within the manufacturing facility and separated from the process chamber 101 by the wall 130. The separation of the abatement system 102 from the process chamber 101 allows maintenance of the abatement system to be performed in environments that do not require stringent clean room air purity level requirements.

Fig. 2A-2D illustrate schematic, top, and cross-sectional views of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger 106 of fig. 1. As shown in fig. 2A, the heat exchanger 106 includes a heat exchange body 200, a first end 202, a second end 204 opposite the first end 202, an inlet 206, and an outlet 208 opposite the inlet 206. FIG. 2B is a top cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 106 taken along a horizontal plane (X-Y plane) coincident with line 2B-2B shown in FIG. 2A. Fig. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 106 of fig. 1. FIG. 2D is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 106 of FIG. 1 taken by a vertical plane (Y-Z plane) coincident with line 2D-2D shown in FIG. 2B.

The heat exchange body 200 has an interior volume (described further below) configured to fluidly connect an inlet 206 with an outlet 208. The heat exchange body 200 may be cylindrical, as shown in fig. 2A; or any other suitable shape. The heat exchange body 200 may have a diameter between 150mm and 200mm, although other diameters are possible. The first end 202 includes a first mounting flange 210 and the second end 204 includes a second mounting flange 222. The first and second mounting flanges 210, 222 are coupled to the heat exchange body 200 via a connecting surface that is parallel to the central axis 224. The heat exchange body 200 extends from the first mounting flange 210 to the second mounting flange 222 such that the second mounting flange 222 is disposed at a distance from the first mounting flange 210. This distance may be between 200mm and 250mm, but other distances are also possible. The heat exchange body 200 includes an outer wall 216 configured to surround an interior region 218 of the heat exchanger 106, and each of the outer wall 216 and the interior region 218 extends from the first mounting flange 210 to the second mounting flange 222. For reference, a plane 226 (e.g., an X-Y plane) is defined as being oriented substantially perpendicular to the central axis 224.

The inner region 218 includes a heat exchange region 213 and an outer region 220 separated by an inner wall 214. The inner wall 214 defines a plurality of fin structures 233. In one example, as shown in fig. 2B, the plurality of fin structures 233 includes six fin structures. Typically, the fin structures 233 each have a shape that extends radially and in an axial direction, and also have curved heat exchange surfaces that vary in at least two non-parallel directions, for a radially symmetric design that includes an axial direction (Z direction), a radial direction, and/or a theta direction.

The inner wall 214 is positioned within the heat exchange body 200 to fluidly isolate the heat exchange region 213 from an outer region 220 of the inner region 218. The outboard region 220 is defined by the space formed between the inner wall 214 and the outer wall 216. Heat exchange region 213 may be designed to collect effluent exiting plasma source 104 (as shown in fig. 1). As described above, the effluent will recombine (recombine) after exiting plasma source 104, which recombination occurs in heat exchange region 213. This recombination reaction releases a large amount of energy, resulting in an increase in the temperature of the heated effluent. Accordingly, the heat exchange zone 213 is configured to operate at a temperature of the hot effluent, which may range from 400 to 800 degrees celsius. A coolant (e.g., coolant P in fig. 2E) may flow through the outer region 220 and against the heat exchange surface 212 of the inner wall 214. The coolant may flow through the tubes or channels via the water inlet 228. The water inlet 228 is positioned toward the bottom of the heat exchange body 200, and the water outlet 230 is positioned toward the top of the heat exchange body 200. As such, the coolant is caused to flow from the bottom to the top of the heat exchange body 200 and is discharged from the top of the heat exchanger 106. The open area of the water inlet 228 may be the same as the area of the inlet 206, thereby minimizing the pressure drop from the inlet 206 to the outlet 208. The heat exchange surface 212 is adjacent to the heat exchange region 213 and functions to cool downstream effluent contacting the heat exchange region 213 through the fin structures 233, preventing thermal damage to the process vacuum pump 108 disposed downstream of the heat exchanger 106.

Fig. 2E shows a schematic cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the heat exchange surface 212 of the heat exchange region 213 of fig. 2A-2D. The heat exchange region 213 is disposed between two fin structures 233. The flow path of the hot outflow through the heat exchange area 213 is shown by reference arrows 232, which impinges on and contacts the heat exchange surface 212. The heat exchanging surface 212 may be a curved surface, wherein the curvature varies in a direction parallel to the central axis 224 as shown in fig. 2C-2D. The tangent to the curved portion at any point on the heat exchange surface 212 has an angle a relative to the central axis 224, which may be less than or equal to 45 degrees, which is again best shown in fig. 2C-2D. However, for the scope of the disclosure provided herein, a 45 degree angle is not intended to be limiting, as the angle a relative to the central axis 224 may vary depending on the manufacturing method and materials used to form the heat exchanger 106. It has been found that configuring the curved portion of the inner wall of the heat exchanger 106 so that the curved portion of the inner wall is less than or equal to 45 degrees at any point relative to the vertical central axis will improve the manufacturability of the heat exchanger by using an additive manufacturing process of stainless steel and also improve the heat transfer characteristics of the resulting heat exchange device.

In one example, as shown in fig. 2F, when a stainless steel material, such as 316 stainless steel, is used, the tangents T1, T2, and T3 of the heat exchange surface 212 always have an angle of less than 45 degrees with respect to the central axis (i.e., parallel to the Z axis). In other embodiments, when stainless steel is not used, angle a may be less than or equal to 60 degrees or 70 degrees relative to central axis 224 depending on the manufacturing method and materials. Reference arrows 232 illustrate multi-stage cross flow paths that increase the residence time of the hot effluent as it impinges the cold wall of the heat exchange surface 212 of the fin structure 233, thereby increasing cooling efficiency. Further, by forming the fin structures 233 such that the structures have varying surface curvatures, this configuration can be used to ensure that no portion of the hot effluent misses the heat exchange surface 212 of the inner wall 214 to cool the hot effluent to prevent the hot effluent from damaging the process vacuum pump 108 and/or other structures downstream. The wall temperature of the heat exchange surface 212 may range between 20 degrees celsius and 50 degrees celsius, cooling the hot effluent to within the temperature range until the time the hot effluent exits into the process vacuum pump 108.

Fig. 3A-3D illustrate schematic, top, and cross-sectional views of at least one embodiment of the heat exchanger 106 of fig. 1. As shown in fig. 3A, the heat exchanger 106 includes a heat exchange body 300, a first end 302, a second end 304 opposite the first end 302, an inlet 306, and an outlet 308 opposite the inlet 306. FIG. 3B is a top cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 106 taken along a horizontal plane (X-Y plane) coincident with line 3B-3B shown in FIG. 3A. Fig. 3C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 106 of fig. 1. FIG. 3D is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 106 of FIG. 1 taken by a vertical plane (Y-Z plane) coincident with line 3D-3D shown in FIG. 3B.

In this embodiment, much like the embodiment shown in fig. 2A-2D, the heat exchange body 300 has an internal volume (described further below) configured to fluidly connect the inlet 306 with the outlet 308. The heat exchange body 300 may be cylindrical, as shown in fig. 3A; or any other suitable shape. The heat exchange body 300 may have a diameter between 150mm and 200mm, although other diameters are possible. The first end 302 includes a first mounting flange 311 and the second end 304 includes a second mounting flange 323. The first and second mounting flanges 311, 323 are coupled to the heat exchange body 300 via a connecting surface, which is parallel to the central axis 326. The heat exchange body extends from the first mounting flange 311 to the second mounting flange 323 such that the second mounting flange 323 is disposed at a certain distance from the first mounting flange 311. This distance may be between 200mm and 250mm, however other distances are possible. The heat exchange body 300 includes an outer wall 318 configured to surround an interior region 320 of the heat exchanger 106, and each of the outer wall 318 and the interior region 320 extends from a first mounting flange 311 to a second mounting flange 323. For reference, a plane 328 is defined that is oriented substantially perpendicular to the central axis 326. The inner region 320 includes a heat exchange region 313 and an outer region 322 separated by an inner wall 316. The inner wall 316 is positioned within the heat exchange body 300 to fluidly isolate the heat exchange region 313 from the outer region 322 of the inner region 320. The outboard region 322 is defined by the space formed between the inner wall 316 and the outer wall 318.

In addition, the heat exchanger 106 contains at least one viewing port (two shown) 309, a deflector 310, and a cone tray 312. Viewing port 309 includes a clamp 309A, clamp 309A for sealing window 309B against a portion of outer wall 318. This may allow a user located outside the heat exchanger 106 to see inside the heat exchange body 300 to view the particles collected in the tapered trays 312. The conical tray 312 is enclosed within the inner wall 316 and is designed to capture and isolate the maximum number of particles entering the heat exchanger 106 during the processing sequence of the process chamber 101. In addition, the deflector 310 is designed to deflect some of the cleaning gas so that the gas will interact with and react with the solid deposits, thereby improving cleaning efficiency. The deflector 310 may be designed with an integral lip 310A (fig. 3C) to allow particles to fall onto the conical tray 312.

The outboard region 322 is defined by the space formed between the inner wall 316 and the outer wall 318. Similar to the embodiment described in fig. 2A-2D, the effluent will recombine after exiting plasma source 104. Recombination will typically occur in the heat exchange region 313. This recombination reaction releases a large amount of energy, resulting in an increase in the temperature of the heated effluent. Thus, the heat exchange region 313 is subject to the temperature of the hot effluent and may be in the range of 400 degrees Celsius to 800 degrees Celsius. A coolant (e.g., coolant P in fig. 2E) may flow through the outboard region 322 and against the heat exchange surface 314. The coolant may flow through the tubes or channels via the water inlet 330. The water inlet 330 is positioned towards the bottom of the heat exchange body 300 and the water outlet 332 is positioned towards the top of the heat exchange body 300. As such, the coolant is caused to flow from the bottom to the top of the heat exchange body 300 and is discharged from the top of the heat exchanger 106. The open area of the water inlet 330 may be the same as the area of the inlet 306, thereby minimizing the pressure drop from the inlet 306 to the outlet 308. The heat exchange surface 314 is adjacent to the heat exchange region 313 and acts to cool downstream effluent from the heat exchange region 313, preventing thermal damage to the process vacuum pump 108.

Similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 2E, fig. 3E shows a schematic cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the heat exchange surface 314 of the heat exchange region 313 of fig. 3A-3D. Similar to the embodiment described above in fig. 2E, the heat exchange region 313 is disposed between two fin structures 333. The flow path of the hot outflow through the heat exchange region 313 is shown by reference arrows 334, which impinge on and contact the heat exchange surface 314. The heat exchanging surface 314 may be a curved surface, wherein the curvature varies in a direction parallel to the central axis 326 as shown in fig. 3C-3D. The tangent to the curved portion at any point on the heat exchange surface 314 has an angle a relative to the central axis 326, which may be less than or equal to 45 degrees, which is again best shown in fig. 3C-3D. In one example, as shown in fig. 3F, the tangents T1, T2, and T3 to the heat exchange surface 314 using a stainless steel material always have an angle of less than 45 degrees with respect to the central axis (i.e., parallel to the Z axis). In other embodiments, when stainless steel is not used, angle a may be less than or equal to 60 degrees or 70 degrees relative to the central axis 326 depending on the manufacturing method and materials used. Reference arrows 334 illustrate multi-stage intersecting flow paths that increase the residence time of the hot effluent as it strikes the cold wall of the heat exchange surface 314, thereby increasing cooling efficiency. Further, by forming the heat exchange surface 314 such that the heat exchange surface 314 has varying surface curvature, this configuration can be used to ensure that any portion of the hot effluent will not miss the heat exchange surface 314 of the inner wall 316 to cool the hot effluent from damaging the process vacuum pump 108 and/or other structures downstream. The wall temperature of the heat exchange surface 314 can range between 20 degrees celsius and 50 degrees celsius, cooling the hot effluent to within the temperature range until the time the hot effluent exits into the process vacuum pump 108. The temperature on the conical tray 312 will be slightly lower than the temperature of the gas, enabling the deposition of solid and liquid effluents.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 400 for forming a heat exchanger according to one embodiment described herein. A method 400 of forming a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with a fluid. The layers may be deposited using an additive manufacturing process, such as a 3D printing process and the like. This provides the advantage of allowing recombination and staged cooling with much smaller footprint and much higher efficiency, reducing cost. The stages may be extended depending on the cooling required.

More specifically, in some embodiments, the construction of the heat exchanger begins by building a computer-aided design (CAD) model of a three-dimensional version of the heat exchanger. This can be done using existing CAD design software, such as Unigraphics or other similar software. The output files generated by the modeling software are then loaded into an analysis program to ensure that the heat exchanger design meets the design requirements (e.g., gas tightness, angular orientation of the curved portion of the heat exchange surface, mass density). The output file is then rendered, and the 3D model is then "sliced" into a series of 2D data bitmaps, or pixel maps. A 2D bitmap (or pixel map) is used to define positions across the X and Y planes at which the layers of the heat exchanger will be established. In this configuration, the additive manufacturing process will use these locations to define where the laser will be applied to form the desired layer features.

The coordinates found in the pixel map are used to define the location at which the laser energy will be focused. For each coordinate of the X and Y positions and a given heat exchanger support Z stage position will be defined based on a pixel map. Each X, Y and Z position will include a laser energy delivery or non-delivery condition. By combining pixel maps in each of the formed layers, a heat exchanger having a desired shape and structural configuration can be printed by positioning laser energy in a desired pattern across the layers. This process may be used to perform each of the blocks described below.

In block 402, a first mounting flange having a central opening is formed. The first mounting flange may sequentially deposit layers of material on the first surface.

In block 404, a heat exchange body is formed on a first mounting flange. The heat exchange body has a heat exchange section surrounding a heat exchange region extending in a direction perpendicular to the first surface. The heat exchange body may sequentially deposit a layer of thermally conductive material on the surface of the formed first mounting flange. In some embodiments, the electrically conductive material comprises a metal (e.g., Ti, Ni, Fe), a metal alloy (e.g., stainless steel), a thermally conductive ceramic material (e.g., AlN, AlOx, BN), or other thermally conductive material that is inert to the effluent material. The sequentially deposited layers disposed within the heat exchange section may each include at least a portion of an outer wall and at least a portion of an inner wall. The outer wall may be configured to surround an interior region of the heat exchange body, and the interior region has a central axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first surface. The inner wall may be disposed within the interior region and positioned to isolate the heat exchange region from an outer region of the interior region. The outer region may be defined by a space formed between the inner wall and the outer wall. The inner wall may have a heat exchange surface adjacent to the heat exchange area. The heat exchange surface may have a curvature that varies in a direction parallel to the central axis, and a tangent to the curvature at any point on the heat exchange surface has an angle of less than or equal to 70 degrees, 60 degrees, 45 degrees, 30 degrees, or 20 degrees with respect to the central axis. However, other angles are possible.

In block 406, a second mounting flange is formed on the heat exchange body. The second mounting flange may sequentially deposit layers of material on the heat exchange body. The heat exchange body may have a diameter between 150mm and 200mm, however the diameter may be other lengths. The distance between the first mounting flange and the second mounting flange may be between 200mm and 250mm, although other distances are possible.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.