CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING DEVICE AND METHOD

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0047394, filed on Apr. 8, 2024, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The following embodiments relate to a chemical mechanical polishing device and method.

2. Description of the Related Art

Manufacturing substrates requires chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) tasks including polishing, buffing, and cleaning. A CMP task includes a polishing process in which a substrate to be polished is physically worn by contacting a polishing pad, and through the polishing process, the surface state of the substrate reaches a target profile.

During the process of polishing the substrate, slurry may be supplied to the surface of the substrate. The slurry may be supplied between the substrate and the polishing pad to perform physical polishing through mechanical friction against the surface of the substrate, and at the same time, the surface of the substrate may be chemically polished through a chemical reaction of the composition that makes up the slurry.

During the process of polishing the substrate, the temperature of the surface of the polishing pad may increase due to the friction with the substrate. When the temperature of the polishing pad increases, the surface of the polishing pad may become vulnerable to damage and may cause defects in the substrate polished through the polishing pad. For example, foreign substances such as slurry used in the CMP process and particles from substrate polishing may chemically corrode the polishing pad and physically cause unevenness in the surface of the polishing pad. The corrosion and unevenness of the polishing pad may prevent the substrate from being polished smoothly, thereby lowering the yield of the substrate. Additionally, polishing the substrate using the polishing pad with an increased temperature may cause defects in the substrate such as dishing and erosion.

The above description is information the inventor(s) acquired during the course of conceiving the present disclosure, or already possessed at the time, and is not necessarily art publicly known before the present application was filed.

SUMMARY

An embodiment provides a chemical mechanical polishing device and method of spraying a low-temperature gas on a polishing pad during substrate polishing.

An embodiment provides a chemical mechanical polishing device and method of reducing the temperature of a polishing pad through adiabatic expansion by spraying a gas compressed with high pressure.

An embodiment provides a chemical mechanical polishing device and method of preventing freezing around an outlet port of a nozzle when a low-temperature gas is sprayed through the outlet port of the nozzle.

An embodiment provides a chemical mechanical polishing device and method of detecting the temperature of a polishing pad and regulating the temperature of a gas to be sprayed based on the detected temperature.

According to an aspect, there is provided a chemical mechanical polishing device for spraying a gas on a polishing pad for poshing a substrate, the chemical mechanical poshing device including a first gas supplier configured to supply a first gas of a high pressure for cooling a polishing pad, a second gas supplier configured to supply a second gas for preventing water vapor from condensing, a spraying nozzle including a first outlet port connected to the first gas supplier and configured to spray the first gas on the polishing pad and a second outlet port connected to the second gas supplier and configured to spray the second gas on the polishing pad, an automatic regulating valve connected to each of the first gas supplier and the second gas supplier and configured to regulate supply of the first gas and the second gas to the spraying nozzle, and a controller configured to control the automatic regulating valve.

In an embodiment, the controller may be configured to control the automatic regulating valve such that the spraying nozzle sprays the first gas of high pressure to cool the polishing pad and sprays the second gas to prevent water vapor from condensing around the outlet port.

In an embodiment, based on cross-sections of the first outlet port and the second outlet port, the first outlet port may be positioned at a center, and the second outlet port may be formed to enclose a circumference of the first outlet port.

In an embodiment, based on the cross-sections of the first outlet port and the second outlet port, the first outlet port may be formed in a circular shape, and the second outlet port may be formed in an annular shape to enclose the circumference of the first outlet port.

In an embodiment, a sum of cross-sectional areas of the first gas supplier may be greater than a sum of total cross-sectional areas of the first outlet port.

According to an embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device may further include a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the polishing pad. In an embodiment, the controller may be configured to feedback-control, based on the temperature of the polishing pad detected by the temperature sensor, the automatic regulating valve.

In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve may include a pressure regulating value configured to regulate spraying pressure of the first gas and the second gas and a pressure sensor configured to detect pressure of the first gas and the second gas.

In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve may include a flow rate regulating valve configured to regulate a flow rate of the first gas and a flow rate of the second gas and a flow rate sensor configured to detect the flow rate of the first gas and the flow rate of the second gas.

In an embodiment, the controller may be configured to control the automatic regulating valve to supply the first gas through the spraying nozzle and then additionally supply the second gas for a predetermined time.

In an embodiment, the controller may be configured to control the automatic regulating valve to supply the first gas and the second gas simultaneously through the spraying nozzle.

In an embodiment, the controller may be configured to control the automatic regulating valve such that the first gas and the second gas sprayed through the spraying nozzle are sprayed in a way that pressure of the first gas is different from pressure of the second gas.

In an embodiment, the spraying nozzle may include a mixing flow path and an outlet port fluidly connected to the mixing flow path and configured to spray, to outside, the first gas and the second gas mixed in the mixing flow path.

In an embodiment, the first gas may include at least one of carbon dioxide, ammonia, and butane. In an embodiment, the second gas may include an inert gas.

According to an aspect, there is provided a substrate polishing system including a polishing pad configured to polish a substrate, a carrier head configured to grip the substrate and cause the substrate to contact the polishing pad, and a chemical mechanical polishing device disposed on the polishing pad and configured to spray a gas on the polishing pad. In an embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device may include a first gas supplier configured to supply a first gas of high pressure, a second gas supplier configured to supply a second gas, a spraying nozzle fluidly connected to the first gas supplier and the second gas supplier and including an outlet port to spray the first gas and the second gas on the polishing pad, an automatic regulating valve connected to each of the first gas supplier and the second gas supplier and configured to regulate supply of the first gas and the second gas to the spraying nozzle, a controller configured to control the automatic regulating valve, and a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the polishing pad. In an embodiment, the controller may be configured to control the automatic regulating valve such that the spraying nozzle sprays the first gas of high pressure to cool the polishing pad and sprays the second gas to prevent water vapor from condensing around the outlet port and feedback-control, based on the temperature of the polishing pad detected by the temperature sensor, the automatic regulating valve.

Additional aspects of embodiments will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, a chemical mechanical polishing device may decrease the temperature of a polishing pad by spraying a gas on the polishing pad during substrate polishing.

According to embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device may reduce and/or prevent defects that may occur on a substrate due to a poor state of a polishing pad by decreasing the temperature of the polishing pad during substrate polishing.

According to embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device may reduce or prevent a nozzle from being frozen by spraying a low-temperature gas through the nozzle by supplying different gases to the nozzle.

The effects of a low-temperature gas spraying device according to the disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other unmentioned effects can be clearly understood from the following description by one of ordinary skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate desired embodiments of the present disclosure and are provided together with the detailed description for better understanding of the technical idea of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth in the drawings.

These and/or other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a substrate polishing system according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a schematic view illustrating a chemical mechanical polishing

device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a schematic view illustrating the chemical mechanical polishing device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating a spraying nozzle according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3B is a bottom view illustrating disposed outlet ports of the spraying nozzle, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 3C is a transparent perspective view illustrating one of the outlet ports according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Regarding the reference numerals assigned to the components in the drawings, it should be noted that the same components will be designated by the same reference numerals, wherever possible, even though they are shown in different drawings. Also, in the description of the embodiments, detailed description of well-known related structures or functions will be omitted when it is deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the present disclosure.

Also, in the description of the components, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) or the like may be used herein when describing components of the embodiments. These terms are used only for the purpose of discriminating one component from another component, and the nature, the sequences, or the orders of the components are not limited by the terms. When one component is described as being “connected”, “coupled”, or “attached” to another component, it should be understood that one component may be connected or attached directly to another component, and an intervening component may also be “connected”, “coupled”, or “attached” to the components.

Components included in one embodiment and components having a common function will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise mentioned, the descriptions of an embodiment may be applicable to other embodiments and thus, repeated descriptions are omitted for conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a substrate polishing system according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a substrate polishing system 1 according to an embodiment may be used for a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process of a substrate. The substrate polishing system 1 may physically and chemically polish a surface of a substrate W such that the smoothness of the surface of the substrate W reaches a target profile.

The substrate W, which is polished by the substrate polishing system 1, may be a silicon wafer for a semiconductor. However, the type of the substrate is not limited thereto, and the substrate may be glass for a flat panel display (FPD) device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a plasma display panel (PDP).

In an embodiment, the substrate polishing system 1 may include a polishing pad 200, a carrier head C, and a chemical mechanical polishing device 10.

In an embodiment, the carrier head C may grip the substrate W. The carrier head C may chuck and grip the substrate W to be polished and may move the gripped substrate W to the upper portion of the polishing pad 200. The carrier head C may polish the substrate W by causing the substrate W, which is moved to the upper portion of the polishing pad 200, to contact the polishing pad 200. The carrier head C may regulate the frictional force between the substrate W and the polishing pad 200 to regulate the degree of polishing by pressing the substrate W contacting the polishing pad 200. In an embodiment, the carrier head C may receive power from the outside and rotate on an axis perpendicular to a surface of the polishing pad 200. As the carrier head C rotates, the gripped substrate W may be polished while contacting the polishing pad 200 and rotating.

In an embodiment, the polishing pad 200 may polish the substrate W by contacting the substrate W gripped by the carrier head C and relatively rotating. For example, the polishing pad 200 may rotate while contacting the substrate W gripped by the carrier head C. For example, the polishing pad 200 may stay still while the carrier head C gripping the substrate W rotates. In this case, the polishing pad 200 and the substrate W may cause friction by relatively rotating while in contact with each other, thereby polishing the substrate W. In this case, the temperature of the polishing pad 200 may increase.

In an embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may spray a gas G on the polishing pad 200 and regulate the temperature of the polishing pad 200. For example, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may cool the polishing pad 200 of which the temperature increases due to the friction with the substrate W. In an embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may cool the polishing pad 200 by spraying the gas G on the polishing pad 200 while polishing the substrate W. In an embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may spray the gas G of high pressure on the polishing pad 200. In this case, the sprayed gas G may contact and cool the polishing pad 200. For example, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may spray the gas G of high pressure on the polishing pad 200 through a spraying nozzle 140. In this case, the gas G of high pressure, sprayed by the chemical mechanical polishing device 10, may undergo a temperature drop through adiabatic expansion, and the gas G at low temperature may contact and cool the polishing pad 200. However, the gas G is not necessarily sprayed at high pressure, and various modifications may apply to the spraying of the gas G to cool the polishing pad 200. For example, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may spray the gas G at low temperature and high pressure. For example, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may spray the gas G in a liquefied state on the polishing pad 200. For example, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may spray, on the polishing pad 200, the gas G in a solidified state through sublimation.

FIG. 2A is a schematic view illustrating a chemical mechanical polishing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2B is a schematic view illustrating the chemical mechanical polishing device according to an embodiment.

In an embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may include a first gas supplier 110, a second gas supplier 120, the spraying nozzle 140, an automatic regulating valve 130, a temperature sensor (not shown), and a controller (not shown). In an embodiment, the chemical mechanical polishing device 10 may spray a first gas and a second gas on the polishing pad 200 through the spraying nozzle 140.

In an embodiment, the first gas supplier 110 may supply the first gas to the spraying nozzle 140 such that the spraying nozzle 140 sprays the first gas. In an embodiment, the first gas supplier 110 may be fluidly connected to the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, the first gas supplier 110 may include a gas tank (not shown) in which the first gas is stored and a tube (not shown) forming a flow path. In this case, one end of the tube may be connected to the gas tank in which the first gas is stored, and the other end of the tube may be fluidly connected to the spraying nozzle 140. In this case, the first gas supplier 110 may supply the first gas from the gas tank to the spraying nozzle 140 through the flow path. In an embodiment, the first gas supplier 110 may supply the first gas at high pressure. For example, the pressure of the first gas supplied from the first gas supplier 110 may be greater than or equal to 55 bars. For example, the first gas supplier 110 may supply the first gas that is liquefied at high pressure. For example, the first gas supplier 110 may supply the first gas in a solidified state with sublimation at high pressure. In an embodiment, the first gas may include at least one of carbon dioxide, ammonia, and butane. However, the pressure, temperature and type of the first gas supplied by the first gas supplier 110 are only examples and not limited thereto. For example, the first gas supplier 110 may supply the first gas at low temperature and high pressure.

In an embodiment, the second gas supplier 120 may supply the second gas to the spraying nozzle 140 such that the spraying nozzle 140 sprays the second gas. In an embodiment, the second gas supplier 120 may be fluidly connected to the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, the second gas supplier 120 may include a gas tank (not shown) in which the second gas is stored and a tube (not shown) forming a flow path. In this case, one end of the tube may be connected to the gas tank in which the second gas is stored, and the other end of the tube may be fluidly connected to the spraying nozzle 140. In this case, the second gas supplier 120 may supply the second gas from the gas tank to the spraying nozzle 140 through the flow path. In an embodiment, the second gas supplier 120 may supply the second gas at high temperature at high pressure. In an embodiment, the second gas may include an inert gas. For example, the second gas may include clean dry air (CDA). For example, the second gas may include nitrogen.

In an embodiment, the spraying nozzle 140 may cool the polishing pad 200 by spraying the first gas and the second gas on the polishing pad 200. In an embodiment, the spraying nozzle 140 may receive the first gas and the second gas from the first gas supplier 110 and the second gas supplier 120. For example, the upper end of the spraying nozzle 140 may be fluidly connected to the first gas supplier 110 and the second gas supplier 120. In an embodiment, the spraying nozzle 140 may spray the first gas and the second gas through an outlet port. For example, the outlet port spraying the first gas and the second gas may be formed at the bottom of the spraying nozzle 140. In this case, a plurality of outlet ports may be provided.

In an embodiment, the spraying nozzle 140 may mix the first gas with the second gas and spray the mixed gas. For example, the spraying nozzle 140 may reduce or prevent the water vapor in the air from condensing around an outlet port of the spraying nozzle 140 and blocking the outlet port by mixing the first gas with the second gas and spraying the mixed gas. For example, the spraying nozzle 140 may spray the mixture of the first gas and the second gas, thereby regulating the temperature of the mixture of the first gas and the second gas. For example, the spraying nozzle 140 may form a mixing flow path (not shown). In this case, the mixing flow path may be fluidly connected to the first gas supplier 110 and the second gas supplier 120. In this case, the gas mixed in the mixing flow path may be sprayed on the polishing pad 200 through an outlet port formed at the bottom of the spraying nozzle 140.

In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may regulate the supply of the first gas and the second gas to the spraying nozzle 140. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may regulate the pressure and/or flow rate of the first gas and the second gas supplied to the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may be connected to each of the first gas supplier 110 and the second gas supplier 120. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may be connected to a tube forming the flow path of the first gas supplier 110 and a tube forming the flow path of the second gas supplier 120.

In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may regulate the pressure of the first gas and the second gas. In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may include a pressure regulating valve (not shown) for regulating the spraying pressure of the first gas and the second gas. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may individually regulate the spraying pressure of the first gas and the second gas supplied to the spraying nozzle 140 through the pressure regulating valve. In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may regulate the spraying pressure of the first gas and the second gas in real time while the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may include a pressure sensor (not shown) for detecting the pressure of the first gas and the second gas. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may individually detect the pressure of the first gas and the pressure of the second gas through the pressure sensor. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may individually detect the pressure of the first gas and the pressure of the second gas in real time while the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the spraying nozzle 140 through the pressure sensor.

In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may regulate the flow rate of the first gas and the second gas. In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may include a flow rate regulating valve (not shown) for regulating the flow rate of the first gas and the second gas. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may individually regulate the flow rate of the first gas and the flow rate of the second gas, wherein the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the spraying nozzle 140 through the flow rate regulating valve. In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may regulate the flow rate of the first gas and the flow rate of the second gas in real time while the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may include a flow rate sensor (not shown) for detecting the flow rate of the first gas and the flow rate of the second gas. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may individually detect the flow rate of the first gas and the flow rate of the second gas through the flow rate sensor. For example, the automatic regulating valve 130 may individually detect the flow rate of the first gas and the flow rate of the second gas through the flow rate sensor while the first gas and the second gas are supplied to the spraying nozzle 140.

In an embodiment, the automatic regulating valve 130 may include a first automatic regulating valve 130-1 and a second automatic regulating valve 130-2 respectively connected to the first gas supplier 110 and the second gas supplier 120 such that the spraying pressure and/or flow rate of the first gas and the spraying pressure and/or flow rate of the second gas are individually regulated. For example, the first automatic regulating valve 130-1 and the second automatic regulating valve 130-2 may regulate the spraying pressure and/or flow rate of the first gas and the spraying pressure and/or flow rate of the second gas, respectively. The first automatic regulating valve 130-1 and the second automatic regulating valve 130-2 may be components that are substantially the same as the automatic regulating valve 130.

In an embodiment, the temperature sensor (not shown) may detect the temperature of the polishing pad 200. For example, the temperature sensor may measure the temperature of a surface of the polishing pad 200. For example, the temperature sensor may include an infrared sensor. For example, the temperature sensor may include a measuring sensor embedded in the polishing pad 200. However, the type and installation technique of the temperature sensor described in the present disclosure are only examples and not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the controller (not shown) may control the automatic regulating valve 130 such that the first gas and the second gas are sprayed through the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 such that the spraying nozzle 140 sprays the first gas at high pressure to cool the polishing pad 200. In this case, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 to spray the second gas to prevent water vapor condensing around an outlet port of the spraying nozzle 140 and blocking the outlet port due to the adiabatic expansion of the first gas sprayed at high pressure.

In an embodiment, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 based on the temperature value of the polishing pad 200, detected by the temperature sensor. For example, the controller may detect the temperature of the polishing pad 200 in real time through the temperature sensor during the polishing of a substrate (e.g., the substrate W of FIG. 1) and control the automatic regulating valve 130 in real time through feedback control based on the detected temperature. For example, when the real-time temperature value of the polishing pad 200 is greater than a set value, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 in real time to increase the pressure and/or flow rate of the first gas or decrease the pressure and/or flow rate of the second gas. For example, when the real-time temperature value of the polishing pad 200 is less than the set value, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 in real time to decrease the pressure and/or flow rate of the first gas or increase the pressure and/or flow rate of the second gas.

In an embodiment, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 to supply the first gas and the second gas simultaneously through the spraying nozzle 140. In this case, the pressure and/or flow rate of the first gas may be different from the pressure and/or flow rate of the second gas, wherein the first gas and the second gas are supplied through the spraying nozzle. In this case, a phenomenon in which water vapor condenses around the outlet port as the spraying nozzle sprays the first gas and the second gas simultaneously may be reduced or prevented. In an embodiment, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 to only supply the first gas through the spraying nozzle 140. In this case, the temperature of the gas sprayed on the polishing pad 200 may not increase. In this case, the controller may control the automatic regulating valve 130 to supply the first gas and then supply the second gas additionally for a predetermined time to prevent water vapor from condensing around the outlet port.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating a spraying nozzle according to

an embodiment. FIG. 3B is a bottom view of disposed outlet ports of the spraying nozzle, according to an embodiment. FIG. 3C is a transparent perspective view illustrating one of the outlet ports according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3C, the spraying nozzle 140 according to an embodiment may spray a first gas and a second gas. In an embodiment, the spraying nozzle 140 may include a body 1401. For example, a flow path may be formed inside the body 1401. For example, the flow path may be formed inside the spraying nozzle 140 and formed in a tube shape connected to an outlet port 1401-4 formed at the bottom of the spraying nozzle 140.

In an embodiment, inlets (e.g., a first inlet 1401-3, a second inlet 1401-1, and a third inlet 1401-2) connected to a first gas supplier and a second gas supplier may be formed on the upper end of the spraying nozzle 140. For example, the first inlet 1401-3 connected to the first gas supplier may be formed in the spraying nozzle 140. For example, the second inlet 1401-1 and the third inlet 1401-2 each connected to the second gas supplier may be formed in the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, each of the inlets (e.g., the first inlet 1401-3, the second inlet 1401-1, and the third inlet 1401-2) may be connected to a flow path. In other words, the inlets (e.g., the first inlet 1401-3, the second inlet 1401-1, and the third inlet 1401-2) may be formed in one end of the flow path. In this case, each of the first gas and the second gas may be supplied to a flow path (not shown) formed inside the spraying nozzle 140 through the inlets (e.g., the first inlet 1401-3, the second inlet 1401-1, and the third inlet 1401-2).

In an embodiment, a gas introduced into an inlet may be sprayed on a spray target through an outlet port 1401-4. In an embodiment, the outlet port 1401-4 may be formed at the bottom of the body 1401 of the spraying nozzle 140. In an embodiment, the outlet port 1401-4 may include a first outlet port 1401-4a spraying the first gas on a polishing pad and a second outlet port 1401-4b spraying the second gas. For example, a first outlet port 1401-4a may be connected to the first gas supplier through the first inlet 1401-3. For example, a second outlet port 1401-4b may be connected to the second gas supplier through the second inlet 1401-1 and the second inlet 1401-2.

In an embodiment, the first outlet port 1401-4a and the second outlet port 1401-4b may be formed to be separated such that the first gas and the second gas are not mixed in a flow path. For example, in a state in which the body 1401 is viewed from the bottom (e.g., a state in which the body 1401 is viewed from the-Z axis direction), based on the cross-sections of the first outlet port 1401-4a and the second outlet port 1401-4b, the first outlet port 1401-4a may be positioned at the center, and the second outlet port 1401-4b may be formed to enclose the circumference of the first outlet port 1401-4a. For example, in a state in which the body 1401 is viewed from the bottom (e.g., a state in which the body 1401 is viewed from the-Z axis direction), based on the cross-sections of the first outlet port 1401-4a and the second outlet port 1401-4b, the first outlet port 1401-4a may be formed in a circular shape, and the second outlet port 1401-4b may be formed in an annular shape to enclose the circumference of the first outlet port 1401-4a. In other words, the cross-section of the first outlet port 1401-4a may be formed in a circular shape, and the cross-section of the second outlet port 1401-4b may be formed in an annular shape to enclose the circumference of the first outlet port 1401-4a. In an embodiment, a partition wall may be formed between the first outlet port 1401-4a and the second outlet port 1401-4b such that the first gas and the second gas are not mixed in the flow path.

In an embodiment, the spraying nozzle 140 may spray the first gas and the second gas simultaneously, thereby reducing or preventing water vapor in the air from condensing around the outlet port 1401-4 and blocking the outlet port 1401-4.

For example, when the first gas is carbon dioxide, the second gas includes a nitrogen gas, thereby reducing or preventing the outlet port 1401-4 from being frozen. For example, when the first gas includes liquid carbon dioxide and is sprayed through the spraying nozzle 140, the spraying nozzle 140 may spray a substance in which solid carbon dioxide and a carbon dioxide gas are mixed due to the adiabatic expansion of the first gas and spray the second gas including a nitrogen gas, thereby reducing or preventing the outlet port 1401-4 from being frozen. In this case, spraying the second gas may prevent the outlet port 1401-4 from undergoing a significant temperature decrease or increase. For example, the controller may control the pressure ratio of the first gas and the second gas to control the temperature of the outlet port 1401-4.

In an embodiment, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the first gas supplier may be greater than the sum of the total cross-sectional areas of the first outlet port 1401-4a. For example, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the first outlet port 1401-4a may be less than the total sum of the cross-sectional areas of the first inlet 1401-3. In this case, a phase change in the first gas sprayed through the first outlet port 1401-4a may be reduced or prevented. Furthermore, a phenomenon in which water vapor is frozen around the first outlet port 1401-4a may be reduced or prevented.

While the embodiments are described with reference to drawings, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various alterations and modifications in form and details may be made in these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order, and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner, and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents of the claims are within the scope of the following claims.