Enclosed-channel reactor system with conduit plate

An enclosed-channel reactor system is provided, which includes: a reactor body having a plurality of enclosed channels therein; an upper cap disposed at one end of the reactor body and having an inlet port communicating with the plurality of enclosed channels; a lower cap disposed at the other end of the reactor body opposite to the upper cap and having an outlet port communicating with the plurality of enclosed channels; and at least a conduit plate disposed between the upper cap and the reactor body for guiding a precursor injected from the inlet port into the plurality of enclosed channels uniformly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) the benefit of Taiwanese Patent Application No. 104142673 filed Dec. 18, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to reactor systems for chemical vapor reaction, and more particularly, to an enclosed-channel reactor system with a conduit plate using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology.

2. Description of Related Art

In order to increase chemical reaction rates, catalysts are typically applied in production to improve the yields. In a reaction process, a chemical reaction rate is positively correlated with the contact area between a catalyst and a reactant. Therefore, the catalysts that are used nowadays generally have particle sizes of nanoscale, so as to increase the reaction area.

Further, in the field of atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology, conventional ALD systems can be classified as perpendicular-flow or cross-flow reactors, however, the processing equipment of ADL systems are mostly applied to a process for growing a thin film on a planar substrate, instead of depositing a nanocatalyst on a large-sized complex structure. For example, to deposit nanocatalyst on carbon nanotubes that are coated on a silicon substrate, since the precursor is transported by diffusion within the nanostructure in the conventional ALD system, if the pulse time or partial pressure of the precursor is not sufficient, the precursor cannot diffuse into a deep portion of the nanostructure. As such, deposition only extends to a depth of approximately 2 μm below the surface of the carbon nanotubes, and no deposition occurs at a lower portion of the carbon nanotubes.

In other words, a uniformly-deposited thin film is difficult to form on a nanostructured substrate having a high aspect ratio, and most of the precursor cannot diffuse into the nanostructured substrate, and thereby resulting in poor uniformity and more waste of the precursor and consequently increasing the fabrication cost.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a reactor system to overcome the above-described drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above-described drawbacks, the present invention provides an enclosed-channel reactor system with a conduit plate, which includes: a reactor body having a plurality of enclosed channels; an upper cap disposed at one end of the reactor body, and having an inlet port communicating with the plurality of enclosed channels; a lower cap disposed at the other end of the reactor body and opposite to the upper cap, and having an outlet port communicating with the plurality of enclosed channels; at least two O-rings disposed between the reactor body and the upper cap and between the reactor body and the lower cap, respectively, for enhancing the sealing tightness; and a first conduit plate disposed between the upper cap and the reactor body for guiding a precursor injected from the inlet port into the plurality of enclosed channels uniformly.

In an embodiment, the first conduit plate includes: a plate body having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface; a plurality of through holes penetrating the upper surface and the lower surface of the plate body; and a plurality of conduits concavely formed on the upper surface of the plate body and communicating with the inlet port of the upper cap and the plurality of through holes.

In another embodiment, the first conduit plate includes: a plate body having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface; a through hole penetrating the upper surface and the lower surface of the plate body; and a plurality of conduits concavely formed on the lower surface of the plate body in a radial or fishbone arrangement, and each having one end communicating with a corresponding one of the plurality of enclosed channels of the reactor body and the other end communicating with the through hole.

In a further embodiment, the system further includes a second conduit plate, which includes: a plate body having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface; a plurality of through holes penetrating the upper surface and the lower surface of the plate body; and a plurality of conduits concavely formed on the upper surface of the plate body, wherein the second conduit plate is disposed between the first conduit plate and the reactor body, and the number of the conduits of the second conduit plate is greater than the number of the conduits of the first conduit plate.

In an embodiment, the system further includes a convergence plate, which includes: a plate body having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface; and a through hole positioned at a center of the plate body and penetrating the upper surface and the lower surface of the plate body; wherein the convergence plate is disposed between the upper cap and the first conduit plate.

The enclosed-channel reactor system and the conduit plate thereof according to the present invention allow the precursor to be guided into the enclosed channels uniformly. As such, collisions of precursor molecules with substrates are increased to enhance reactivity and reduce pulse time. Also, the present invention improves the diffusion efficiency of the precursor, and increases the reaction rates. Furthermore, the present invention reduces the consumption of precursor, and consequently reduces the fabrication cost. In addition, the present invention is applicable to a nanostructured substrate having a high aspect ratio for uniform plating of thin films.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following specific embodiments are provided to illustrate the disclosure of the present invention, these and other advantages and effects can be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this specification, and can also be implemented or applied by other different embodiments. Therefore, any parts in any of the specific examples encompassed by the present invention below can be combined with any parts in any other examples.

It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in the figures appended to the present specification are all merely used for coping with the content of disclosure of the present specification, so as to enhance the understanding and perusal of one skilled in the art. They are not used to limit the implemental limitations of the present invention, such that they lack substantial technical meanings. Without affecting the effect brought about and the goals to be achieved by the present invention, any modification of a structure, alteration of a proportion or adjustment of a size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention. At the same time, terms used in the present specification are merely for the clarity of the descriptions, rather than limit the implemental scope of the present invention. Without substantially altering the technical content, an alteration or adjustment of relative positioning can also be regarded as an implemental scope of the present invention.

The present invention uses the ALD technology to prepare catalysts. A precursor is supplied in batches into an enclosed-channel reactor for reaction, and a large amount of gas, such as N2or Ar, that does not participate in the reaction is applied to dilute or remove the precursor. Various dilution or removal steps can be further applied or repeated to control the particle size of a catalyst, the thickness of a support material, and proportions of materials to be mixed. For example, to introduce two precursors A and B and a gas P, a cycle with sequential injections of A-P-B-P steps is repeated. The cycle number is chosen for controlling the nanoparticle size of a deposited catalyst or the thickness of a support material, so as to achieve an optimal catalyst reaction efficiency.

FIG. 1Ais a schematic view of an enclosed-channel reactor system1according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 1A, the system1has a reactor body10, an upper cap11and a lower cap12, and at least a first conduit plate13. The reactor body10has a plurality of enclosed channels101therein. The reactor body10can have, but not limited to, a cylindrical shape or a polygonal column shape. In an embodiment, each of the enclosed channels101is an elongated hollow tube being disposed in the reactor body10and penetrating an upper end surface102and a lower end surface103of the reactor body10. Moreover, the present invention does not limit the number of the enclosed channels101.

The upper cap11has an inlet port111and a recess112communicating with the inlet port111. The upper cap11is disposed on the upper end surface102of the reactor body10through the recess112, so as to allow the inlet port111to communicate with the enclosed channels101of the reactor body10.

The lower cap12has an outlet port121and a recess122communicating with the outlet port121. The lower cap12is disposed on the lower end surface103of the reactor body10through the recess122, so as to allow the outlet port121to communicate with the enclosed channels101of the reactor body10.

The first conduit plate13is disposed between the upper cap11and the reactor body10. In particular, the first conduit plate13is disposed on the upper end surface102of the reactor body10and received in the recess112of the upper cap11. That is, while the upper cap11is disposed on the upper end surface102of the reactor body10through the recess112, the first conduit plate13is sandwiched between the upper cap11and the reactor body10. The first conduit plate13is used to guide a precursor14injected from the inlet port111into the enclosed channels101uniformly.

In the first embodiment, the system1further has two O-rings15. The O-rings15are disposed between the reactor body10and the upper cap11and between the reactor body10and the lower cap12, respectively, to enhance the sealing tightness. As such, the enclosed channels101are in vacuum (<760 torr).

In the first embodiment, referring toFIGS. 1A to 1D, the first conduit plate13has a plate body130having an upper surface131and a lower surface132opposite to the upper surface131; a plurality of through holes133penetrating the upper surface131and the lower surface132of the plate body130; and a plurality of conduits134concavely formed on the upper surface131of the plate body130. Referring toFIG. 1B, the conduits134are arranged in a radial manner, extending from a center of the plate body130out to the through holes133and communicating between the inlet port111of the upper cap11and the through holes133.

In the first embodiment, the first conduit plate13further has a circular conduit136formed on the upper surface131of the plate body130, corresponding in position to the inlet port111of the upper cap11, and communicating with the conduits134.

In the first embodiment, the conduits134are parallel to the upper surface131of the plate body130. But it should be noted that the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the conduits134can be obliquely formed on the upper surface131of the plate body130, and have a depth that decreases gradually from one end to the other.

According to the enclosed-channel reactor system1and the first conduit plate13thereof, the precursor14injected from the inlet port111of the upper cap11first reaches the circular conduit136of the first conduit plate13and then flows along the conduits134so as to be guided along directions135into the through holes133. Therefore, the precursor14is uniformly guided into the enclosed channels101.

In another embodiment, referring toFIGS. 2A to 2D, the conduits134of the first conduit plate13are arranged in a fishbone manner, and the through holes133are formed not only communicating with the ends of the conduits134as described above, but also at intermediate positions communicating with the conduits134. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The descriptions of the other elements in the embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, so that they are not further described for brevity.

In a further embodiment, referring toFIGS. 3A to 3E, the enclosed-channel reactor system1is provided with a first conduit plate13and a second conduit plate16. The first conduit plate13and the second conduit plate16are sequentially disposed between the upper cap11and the reactor body10, and disposed in the order of the upper cap11, the first conduit plate13, the second conduit plate16, and the reactor body10. The first conduit plate13differs from that of the first embodiment only in that the conduits134are arranged in a crossed manner. The elements, in addition to the second conduit plate16, in the embodiment are the same as those described in the first example, so that they are not further described for brevity. The following only illustrates the difference between the embodiment and the first embodiment.

The second conduit plate16has a plate body160having an upper surface161and a lower surface162opposite to the upper surface161; a plurality of through holes163formed corresponding in position to the enclosed channels101and penetrating the upper surface161and the lower surface162of the plate body160; and a plurality of conduits164concavely formed on the upper surface161of the plate body160and corresponding in position to the through holes133of the first conduit plate13. As such, the precursor14injected from the inlet port111first reaches the first conduit plate13, and is then guided along the conduits134into the through holes133, so as to reach the second conduit plate16. Further, the precursor14is guided along the conduits164into the through holes163, so as to be uniformly guided into the enclosed channels101. The number of the conduits164of the second conduit plate16is greater than the number of the conduits134of the first conduit plate so as to allow the precursor to be guided into the enclosed channels more uniformly through the first and second conduit plates. However, the present invention does not limit the number of the conduit plates or the shape of the conduits on the conduit plates. For example, referring toFIGS. 3B to 3E, the conduits134and164on the first conduit plate13and the second conduit plate16, respectively, are arranged in a crossed manner. In another embodiment, referring toFIG. 3F, the conduits134and164are arranged in a radial manner. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The main spirit of the embodiment is the effect of secondary guiding by the guiding plates.

FIGS. 4A to 4Dshow the enclosed-channel reactor system1according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIGS. 4A to 4D, the first conduit plate13includes the plate body130, a though hole133and a plurality of conduits134. The inlet port111is located at a side position, instead of a central position of the upper cap11, and the inlet port111is opened in a direction parallel to an axial direction of the upper cap11(i.e., gas enters from the side). The remaining technical content is the same as those described for the above enclosed-channel reactor system, such that it is not further provided for brevity.

The first conduit plate13has a plate body130having an upper surface131and a lower surface132opposite to the upper surface131, the through hole133penetrating the upper surface131and the lower surface132of the plate body130, and the plurality of conduits134concavely formed on the lower surface132of the plate body130. The first conduit plate13is disposed between the upper cap11and the reactor body10, and each of the conduits134has one end communicating with a corresponding one of the enclosed channels101, and the other end communicating with the through hole133. The conduits134are arranged on the lower surface132of the plate body130in a radial manner, as shown inFIG. 4C. In another embodiment, the conduits134are arranged on the lower surface132of the plate body130in a fishbone manner, as shown inFIG. 4C′. The present invention does not limit the arrangement of the conduits.

In the embodiment, the through hole133is positioned at a center of the plate body130of the first conduit plate13. Further, the conduits134can be parallel to the lower surface132of the plate body130. Alternatively, each of the conduits134is formed by having a depth that gradually decreases from the communication with the through hole133towards the communication with the enclosed channels101. That is, each of the conduits134has a depth that decreases gradually from the through hole133toward the end communicating with the corresponding one of the plurality of enclosed channels101. The present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, referring toFIG. 4B, the first conduit plate13further has a conduit136formed on the upper surface131of the plate body130for flow collection. The conduit136communicates with the through hole133, and extends outwardly from the through hole133in an arc shape. As such, the precursor is guided along directions135, so as to be collected in the through hole133. The conduit136corresponds in position to the inlet port111of the upper cap11. The present invention does not limit the positions of the conduit136and the inlet port111of the upper cap11.

In another embodiment, referring toFIG. 4B′, the first conduit plate13further has at least two conduits136formed on the upper surface131of the plate body130. Different from the arc-shaped conduit136ofFIG. 4B, the conduits136ofFIG. 4B′ have an elongated shape, which extend linearly from an edge of the first conduit plate13to the through hole133. During an A-P-B-P ALD cycle process, the two conduits136provide separate paths for transporting the precursors A and B to the through hole133, and thereby preventing the precursors A and B from reacting with each other. However, the present invention does not limit the positions and the amount of the conduits136.

Moreover, the direction of the opening of the inlet port111of the upper cap11in the enclosed-channel reactor10is not limited. Referring to the second embodiment shown inFIG. 4A, the inlet port111is opened in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the upper cap11. In particular, the inlet port111is formed on a surface of the upper cap11opposite to the recess112. But it should be noted that the present invention is not limited thereto. In a third embodiment ofFIG. 5, the inlet port111is opened in a direction parallel to a radial direction of the upper cap11. In particular, the inlet port111is formed on a side surface of the upper cap11. In addition to the difference in the direction of the opening of the inlet port111, the remaining technical content of the third embodiment is the same as that described for the above enclosed-channel reactor system, so that it is not further described for brevity.

In other embodiments, referring toFIGS. 6A to 7B, the enclosed-channel reactor system according to the present invention further has a convergence plate17. The convergence plate17has a plate body170having an upper surface171and a lower surface172opposite to the upper surface171, and a through hole173positioned at a center of the plate body170and penetrating the upper surface171and the lower surface172of the plate body170. The convergence plate17is disposed between the first conduit plate13and the upper cap11. Further, at least a conduit176communicating with the through hole173is formed on the upper surface171of the convergence plate170. The conduit176can extend outwardly from the through hole173in a fan shape or have an elongated shape extending linearly from an edge of the convergence plate17to the through hole173. The conduit176corresponds in position to the inlet port111of the upper cap11.

In other words, the function of the conduit136on the upper surface131of the first conduit plate13in the second and third embodiments is separated in the present embodiment by providing the convergence plate17. As such, the convergence plate17can be used in combination with the first conduit plate13of the first embodiment and the second conduit plate16of the first embodiment to guide the precursor into the enclosed channels uniformly. Also, the inlet port111can be formed at any position of the upper cap11, provided that the opening direction of the inlet port111is parallel to the axial direction of the upper cap11. Further, the conduit176of the convergence plate17can be omitted, and only the through hole173is formed on the convergence plate17. In addition, the convergence plate17can be used in combination with a first conduit plate that has a plurality of first conduits concavely formed on a lower surface of the plate body (as shown inFIG. 4A) but does not have a second conduit formed on an upper surface of the plate body. The first conduits can even penetrate the plate body of the first conduit plate.

FIGS. 8A to 8Cillustrate photographs of deposited thin films fabricated by an ALD system, wherein gray gradients are used to indicate whether a thin film is uniform. The more the grey gradients, the less uniform the thin film is.FIG. 8Ais a photograph of a thin film formed by an ALD system that does not use a carrier gas or a conduit plate,FIG. 8Bis a photograph of a thin film formed by an ALD system that uses a carrier gas but does not use a conduit plate, andFIG. 8Cis a photograph of a thin film formed by an ALD system that uses both a carrier gas and a conduit plate according to the present invention.

In the present experiment, Ta2O5is grown on a silicon substrate having a length of 10 cm. The operating parameters are shown as follows.

Referring toFIGS. 8A to 8C, the thin film ofFIG. 8Cthat is formed by the ALD system using the carrier gas and the conduit plate according to the present invention is more uniform than those ofFIGS. 8A and 8B.

FIG. 9illustrates photographs and SEM images showing growth of a thin film of TiO2on a polysulfone (PSF) hollow fiber template fabricated by the ALD system using the carrier gas and the conduit plate according to the present invention. The operating parameters are shown as follows.

Referring toFIG. 9, TiO2is grown on the entire nanoporous hollow fiber template uniformly by the ALD system using the carrier gas and the conduit plate according to the present invention (whether it is formed on the upper, middle or lower section of the nanoporous hollow fiber template), thus achieving an excellent coverage and deposition uniformity.

Therefore, the enclosed-channel reactor system and the conduit plate thereof according to the present invention allow precursors to be guided into the enclosed channels uniformly. As such, collisions of precursor molecules with substrates are increased to enhance reactivity and reduce pulse time. Also, the present invention improves the diffusion efficiency of precursors and increases the growth rate of thin films. Furthermore, the present invention reduces the consumption of precursors and consequently reduces the fabrication cost. In addition, the present invention is applicable to a nanostructured substrate having a high aspect ratio for deposition of uniform thin films. Also, the present invention is applicable to an ALD process using low vapor pressure precursors.

The above-described descriptions of the detailed embodiments are only to illustrate the preferred implementation according to the present invention, and it is not to limit the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, all modifications and variations completed by those with ordinary skill in the art should fall within the scope of present invention defined by the appended claims.