KR20080084055A - Semiconductor device fabrication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus is provided to prevent a processing error of a process chamber by preventing an inflow of an excessive amount of gas into the process chamber. An opening/closing valve is installed at a gas transport tube and controls an opening/closing rate according to a valve voltage. A flow rate controller is installed at the gas transport tube and controls a flow rate of the opening/closing valve. The flow rate controller includes a sensor part(410) for sensing the gas transported by the gas transport tube, a flow rate calculation part(420) for generating a flow rate calculation value, a valve voltage selector(430) from a sensed value, a comparator(440) for comparing a final selected valve voltage with a control valve voltage corresponding to a target flow rate, and an interlock part(450) for interrupting the valve voltage by using the opening/closing valve.

Description

Semiconductor device fabrication apparatus

1 is a block diagram of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the flow controller of FIG. 1.

3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a sensor unit of FIG. 2.

4 is a circuit diagram of a sensor unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: gas supply unit 200: gas transport pipe

300: on-off valve 400: flow controller

500: process chamber

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus including an on-off valve for controlling the flow rate of the reaction gas introduced into the process chamber.

Semiconductor devices are manufactured through various processes such as deposition, etching, cleaning, diffusion, ion implantation, and heat treatment. In order to complete one semiconductor device, the above-listed processes may be repeated at least several times. With the exception of some exceptional processes going in-situ, each of these processes is performed in a separate semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus including a process chamber.

Most process chambers have a variety of equipment to strictly adhere to process conditions. In particular, CVD apparatuses or dry etching apparatuses produce different results depending on the flow rates of the reactant gases provided, and thus have on / off valves for precisely controlling them. The opening / closing valve is installed in the gas transportation pipe, and controls the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas transportation pipe by opening, closing or partially opening the gas transportation pipe.

The degree of opening or closing of the on / off valve is determined by a mass flow controller (MFC) installed in the gas transport pipe. The MFC senses the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas delivery pipe, converts it into a flow rate calculation, and opens the on / off valve until the converted flow rate calculation matches the target flow rate.

However, as described above, since the MFC determines whether the on-off valve is opened based on the flow rate calculation value, if there is an error in the sensing value sensed by the sensor unit of the MFC, an error occurs in the opening degree of the on-off valve. That is, for example, if the target flow rate is 50% and the flow rate of 50% is actually used, but the sensor unit detects 40% flow rate, the MFC still recognizes that the target flow rate is insufficient and further opens the on / off valve. . Thus, excess flow of gas enters the process chamber through the on / off valve, resulting in the formation of sometimes unwanted reaction products.

In order to prevent such a phenomenon, MFC is required to have a sensor having a precise sensing capability, but because there is a certain limit in the sensing accuracy of the applicable sensor, it is not easy to overcome the reliability problem. Furthermore, in the case of a sensor used for a long time, the possibility of sensing error is further increased.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus capable of detecting a detection error of a flow controller and interlocking gas transport.

Technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the technical problem is a gas transport pipe, an on-off valve installed in the gas transport pipe, the opening and closing rate is adjusted by the applied valve voltage, and the gas transport And a flow rate controller installed in the pipe to adjust the flow rate of the valve, wherein the flow rate controller comprises: a sensor unit for sensing a gas transported by the gas transport pipe, a flow rate for generating a flow rate calculation value of the gas from the sensing value A calculation unit, a valve voltage selection unit for adjusting the valve voltage until the flow rate calculation value is equal to a target flow rate, and a valve voltage and the target flow rate finally selected by the valve voltage selection unit when the flow rate calculation value is equal to a target flow rate A comparison unit for comparing a control valve voltage corresponding to the control unit; If the roll valve voltage and less than 5% difference between I, comprises parts interlock to prevent that the valve voltage to the switching valve is applied.

Semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention for achieving the technical problem is installed in the gas transport pipe, the gas transport pipe, the opening and closing valve is controlled by the applied valve voltage, the gas transport pipe A first flow controller installed at the second flow controller for adjusting the flow rate of the valve, and a second flow controller connected to the first flow controller, wherein the first flow controller senses a gas transported by the gas transport pipe; The second flow controller including a sensor unit configured to generate a flow rate calculated value of the gas from the sensed value, and a valve voltage selector configured to adjust the valve voltage until the flow rate calculated value is equal to a target flow rate. Is the valve voltage selected by the valve voltage selector when the flow rate calculation is equal to the target flow rate. A comparison unit for comparing the control valve voltage corresponding to the target flow rate, and an interlock unit for blocking the application of the valve voltage to the on / off valve when the final selection valve voltage is 5% or more different from the control valve voltage. Include.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various forms, and only the embodiments are to make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and the general knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

Thus, in some embodiments, well known process steps, well known structures and well known techniques are not described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. As used herein, including and / or comprising includes the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements other than the components, steps, operations and / or elements mentioned. Use in the sense that does not exclude. And “and / or” includes each and all combinations of one or more of the items mentioned. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus 10 may include a gas supply part 100, a gas transport pipe 200, an open / close valve 300, a mass flow controller (MFC) 400, and a process chamber ( 500).

The process chamber 500 provides a space in which process processing of a semiconductor device is performed. The treatment process that can be applied may be, but is not limited to, for example, any one of deposition, etching, cleaning, diffusion, ion implantation, and heat treatment, or two or more. Preferably, the treatment process may be performed by using the reactive gas or the inert gas, in particular, the treatment process in which the flow rate of the provided gas needs to be strictly controlled.

The gas transport pipe 200 delivers the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 100 to the process chamber 500. In the present specification, when referred to as the gas transport pipe 200, it refers to a connecting means for spatially connecting the gas supply unit 100 and the process chamber 500 regardless of the shape, whether the intermediate intermediate structure, the branching or the like. . In other words, even if separated or branched, or other structures in between, the means for spatially connecting the gas supply unit 100 and the process chamber 500 are integrated as a whole to provide a gas transport pipe 200. May be referred to. Therefore, from the same point of view, the gas transport pipe 200 may be understood that one side is connected to the gas supply unit 100 and the other side is connected to the process chamber 500.

The flow of gas through the gas transport pipe 200 is controlled by the on / off valve 300 and the MFC 400 installed in the gas transport pipe 200. The open / close valve 300 has an open / close rate controlled by an applied valve voltage. That is, the valve voltage applied to the open / close valve 300 corresponds to the open / close ratio, and the open / close degree of the open / close valve 300 is determined according to the magnitude of the valve voltage. In some embodiments of the present invention, the valve voltage is a driving voltage for the opening and closing operation of the on-off valve 300. The valve voltage is provided by the MFC 400 or other power supply. This embodiment illustrates the case where the valve voltage is provided from the MFC 400.

The MFC 400 senses the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas transport pipe 200, and selects a valve voltage based on the gas flow rate to provide the on / off valve 300. In addition, when the difference between the control valve voltage and excessively detect the selected valve voltage serves to adjust the on-off valve (300) interlock (interlock). Reference is made to FIGS. 2 to 4 for a more detailed description.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the MFC of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the MFC 400 includes a sensor unit 410, a flow rate calculation unit 420, a valve voltage selector 430, a comparison unit 410, and an interlock unit 450.

The sensor unit 410 senses the gas transported by the gas transport pipe 200. Specific structures and circuits of the sensor unit for the gas sensing are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a sensor unit of FIG. 2. 4 is a circuit diagram of a sensor unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Arrows in FIG. 3 indicate the flow direction of the gas.

Referring to FIG. 3, the sensor unit 410 includes first and second coils 411 and 412. In some exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the gas transport pipe 200 is branched into the main gas transport pipe 210 and the minor gas transport pipe 220 in proximity to the sensor unit 410. The main gas transport pipe 210 may be responsible for, for example, 90% gas transport, and the minor gas transport pipe 220 may be responsible for 10% gas transport, but this is merely an example.

The first and second coils 411 and 412 of the sensor unit 410 may be wound around the minor gas transport tube 220. The first and second coils 411 and 412 are maintained at a predetermined temperature. The holding temperature of the first and second coils 411 and 412 may be greater than the temperature of the gas being transported. To this end, a heater (not shown) may be connected to the first and second coils 411 and 412, for example.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first and second coils 411 and 412 act as first and second variable resistors R11 and R12 in the circuit of the sensor unit, respectively. These variable resistors R11 and R12 constitute a bridge circuit together with the other constant resistors R21 and R22 provided in the sensor unit. Therefore, the voltage Vout1 of the a terminal and the voltage Vout2 of the b terminal are changed by the values of the first and second variable resistors R11 and R12 (applying the principle of voltage division).

For example, when the first coil 411 and the second coil 412 are maintained at an initial temperature of 80 ° C., when a gas having a colder temperature of 20 ° C. flows toward the first coil 411, The temperature of the first coil 411 is lowered by the thermal conduction phenomenon. At the same time, when the gas obtains thermal energy and passes through the second coil 412, the gas has a temperature higher than 20 ° C. At this time, the temperature of the second coil 412 is lowered due to the thermal conduction phenomenon, for example, it is assumed to have a temperature of (80 ℃ -x).

Here, the value of x depends on the flow rate through the first coil 411. That is, when the flow rate is large and the flow velocity is large, since the time for obtaining thermal energy from the first coil 411 is short, the temperature of the gas passing through the second coil 412 is relatively small and the value of x is relatively small. Thus, the temperature of the second coil 412 is relatively large.

On the other hand, if the flow rate is small due to the small flow rate, the time for obtaining thermal energy from the first coil 411 is long, so that the value of x becomes relatively large as the temperature of the gas passing through the second coil 412 is relatively large. . Thus, the temperature of the second coil 412 is relatively small. That is, as the flow rate increases, the temperature of the second coil 412 increases. Since the resistance value increases in proportion to the temperature, as a result, when the flow rate increases in the circuit diagram of FIG. 4, the value of the second variable resistor R12 increases.

When the flow rate is large and the flow rate is small, since the resistance value of the second variable resistor R12 is different, different voltages are applied to the a terminal and the b terminal in each case. Of course, the temperature of the first coil 411 and the resistance of the first variable resistor R11 may also vary depending on the flow rate, thereby affecting the voltages Vout1 and Vout2 of the a terminal and the b terminal. However, in conclusion, the voltage values Vout1 and Vout2 of the a terminal and the b terminal do not change in having a function relation with respect to the flow rate somewhat.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, the sensor unit 410 derives a sensing value by the voltage difference (Vout1-Vout2) of the a terminal and the b terminal as described above, and based on this, the flow rate calculation unit 420 Generate flow calculations. Next, the valve voltage selection unit 430 selects the valve voltage based on the flow rate calculation value 420. The selected valve voltage is a voltage value capable of opening the on-off valve 300 so that more flow rate than the actual flow rate can be transported. This step is repeated until the flow rate calculation is equal to the flow amount of the target gas, that is, the target flow rate. The selected valve voltage is applied to the open / close valve 430 to adjust the open / close rate of the open / close valve 430.

Meanwhile, the final valve voltage selected when the same as the target flow rate among the valve voltages selected by the valve voltage selector 430 is provided to the comparator 440. The comparator 440 holds control valve voltage data corresponding to each target flow rate. The control valve voltage data corresponding to each target flow rate may be provided in the comparator 440 itself, or may be provided and retained from another external device such as a memory part. The comparator 440 compares the provided final valve voltage with a control valve voltage corresponding to the target flow rate to generate a difference value. If the final valve voltage is different from the control valve voltage by a predetermined ratio or a predetermined value, the result is provided to the interlock unit 450. The difference value depends on the difference between the flow rate targeted and the actual flow rate, which is caused by a sensing error in the sensor unit, and the larger the difference value, the greater the difference in the flow rate. That is, it includes the possibility that a flow rate different from the desired flow rate may actually be introduced.

The interlock 450 receives the difference value from the comparator 440 to block the application of the valve voltage to the on / off valve 300. When the valve voltage is cut off, the open / close valve 300 is closed, and as a result, the flow of gas through the gas transport pipe 200 is stopped. The magnitude of the difference as a premise for blocking by the interlock unit 450 may vary depending on the flow rate, the type of processing process, the type of gas, and the like. For example, when the last selected valve voltage is about 5% or more different from the control valve voltage, the interlock unit 450 may block the valve voltage.

When the on-off valve 300 is closed due to the blocking of the valve voltage by the interlock unit 450, an unexpected excessive or excessive amount of gas may be prevented from flowing into the process chamber 500. Thus, poor processing in the process chamber 500 can be prevented. Subsequently, the sensor unit 410 or the MFC 400 is repaired or replaced to normalize the sensing, and then gas transportation is resumed.

5 is a block diagram of a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the present exemplary embodiment is different from the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 in that two MFCs 401 and 402 are provided. That is, the first MFC 401 includes a sensor unit 410, a flow rate calculation unit 420, and a valve voltage selector 430, and the second MFC 402 includes a comparator 440 and an interlock unit ( 450). Each detailed component performs substantially the same function as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The first MFC 401 and the second MFC 402 may be separated by points physically separated from each other. For example, the first MFC 401 and the second MFC 402 may have different PCB substrates and may be connected by a connector or the like.

In addition, the second MFC 402 may further include a display unit 460. The display unit 460 may display a selection valve voltage selected by the valve voltage selection unit 430 of the first MFC 401 and applied to the on / off valve 300.

In addition, the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the present exemplary embodiment may further include a memory unit 600 and / or a personal computer (PC) 700 for transmitting and receiving data with the second MFC 402. Incidentally included memory unit 600 and / or personal computer (PC) 700 may contribute to the processing speed, processing capacity, processing precision, automation of the first and / or second MFC (401, 402).

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. I can understand that. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

According to the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention, when the sensing error of the MFC is detected by interlocking the gas transport, it is possible to prevent the unexpected excessive or excessive amount of gas flowing into the process chamber. Thus, poor processing in the process chamber can be prevented.

Claims (6)

Gas transport pipes; An opening / closing valve installed in the gas transport pipe and having an opening / closing rate controlled by an applied valve voltage; And Is installed in the gas transport pipe and includes a flow rate controller for adjusting the flow rate of the valve, The flow controller, Sensor unit for sensing the gas transported by the gas transport pipe, A flow rate calculation unit for generating a flow rate calculation value of the gas from the sensing value, A valve voltage selection unit for adjusting the valve voltage until the flow rate calculation value is equal to a target flow rate, A comparison unit for comparing the control valve voltage corresponding to the target flow rate with the valve voltage finally selected by the valve voltage selection unit when the flow rate calculation value is equal to the target flow rate, and And an interlock unit configured to block the application of the valve voltage to the on / off valve when the last selected valve voltage is different from the control valve voltage by 5% or more. Gas transport pipes; An opening / closing valve installed in the gas transportation pipe and having an opening / closing rate controlled by an applied valve voltage; A first flow controller installed in the gas transport pipe to adjust a flow rate of the valve; And Including a second flow controller connected to the first flow controller, The first flow controller, Sensor unit for sensing the gas transported by the gas transport pipe, A flow rate calculation unit for generating a flow rate calculation value of the gas from the sensing value, and A valve voltage selector for adjusting the valve voltage until the flow rate calculation is equal to a target flow rate, The second flow controller comprises: a comparing unit for comparing the control valve voltage corresponding to the target flow rate with the valve voltage finally selected by the valve voltage selection unit when the flow rate calculation value is equal to the target flow rate, and And an interlock unit configured to block the application of the valve voltage to the on / off valve when the final selection valve voltage differs by at least 5% from the control valve voltage. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The gas transport pipe includes a main gas transport pipe, and a minor gas transport pipe branched therefrom, The sensor unit comprises a coil wound around the minor gas transport pipe. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And a gas supply unit connected to one side of the gas transport pipe, and a process chamber connected to the other side of the gas transport pipe. The method of claim 2, The second flow controller further comprises a display unit for displaying the selection valve voltage. The method of claim 2, And a memory unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from the second flow controller.

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