Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/67242—Apparatus for monitoring, sorting or marking
  • H01L21/67253—Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
  • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
  • H01L21/673—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere using specially adapted carriers or holders; Fixing the workpieces on such carriers or holders
  • H01L21/6735—Closed carriers
  • H01L21/67389—Closed carriers characterised by atmosphere control
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P90/00—Enabling technologies with a potential contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
  • Y02P90/02—Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Definitions

• the present invention relates to methods and devices implemented for the fabrication of semiconductors or electromechanical microsystems (MEMS) in semiconductor manufacturing plants.
• the invention relates to means for increasing the efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing plants.
• substrates such as semiconductor wafers (wafers) and / or masks are processed in process chambers, which perform various steps such as deposition steps, engraving steps. Between each step, the substrates are moved between different devices.
• the large number of processing steps (of the order of 400) involves constraints of linking between the processing equipment.
• the substrates are transferred between the equipment.
• the waiting times between the equipment can be long, typically a few hours, it is necessary to store the substrates.
• a plurality of substrate processing equipment, substrate storage means, substrate transport means, and a manufacturing control system (MES) in relation to one another are provided. functional with the substrate processing equipment, with the substrate storage means and with the substrate transport means.
• MES manufacturing control system
• the manufacturing control system is thus adapted to control the equipment for processing substrates, in order to perform satisfactory processing steps.
• the manufacturing control system also instructs the substrates to exit the storage means, and drives the substrate transport means to bring the substrates to the next process equipment in the order of the process steps.
• semiconductor manufacturing plants manage a fixed maximum time between certain stages to avoid the problems associated with these waiting times. These durations are determined empirically, considering the minimum possible time in relation to the number of equipment available for the next step, and the maximum time beyond which there may be pollution problems due to storage.
• the maximum storage time of the substrates depends on a large number of factors: it depends on the final product to be manufactured by the factory, knowing that a factory usually manufactures more than a dozen different products that must pass in the same process equipment with different sequences and stages; it depends on the number of substrates to be treated and the number of substrates present in the treated batches; it depends on the batch history of substrates.
• the problem proposed by the present invention is thus to further increase the efficiency and flexibility of semiconductor manufacturing plants.
• the idea underlying the invention is that the yield reductions observed are mainly the result of pollution problems occurring during the transition phases between the treatment equipment. These pollution problems are related to the gases surrounding the batches of substrates, these gases reacting and creating defects on the substrates. These defects are both proportional to the concentration of the gases present and to the contact time.
• a dose can be defined as the concentration of a gas multiplied by time. From a certain dose, it is considered that problems will appear on the substrates.
• the substrate batches are contained in minienvironments, consisting of storage and transport boxes such as standardized front-opening transport enclosures (FOUPs), standardized bottom-opening storage and transport enclosures (SMI F). ).
• FOUPs front-opening transport enclosures
• SI F bottom-opening storage and transport enclosures
• the present invention is concerned with airborne molecular contamination (AMC) resulting from the presence of reactive gases in the indoor atmosphere of the storage and transport boxes.
• AMC airborne molecular contamination
• This air-borne molecular contamination is a generic designation for molecules that may react with the surface of semiconductor wafers. These chemical reactions can render unusable a semiconductor wafer. In some cases, these molecules appear in the form of salts or metal particles but are first of all gaseous substances.
• acids for example, acids, bases, condensable elements, doping elements.
• the storage and transport boxes are generally made of materials such as polycarbonate, which can in some cases concentrate contaminants and in particular organic, basic, amino, acid and dopant contaminants, which may result from the manufacture of storage boxes and themselves and / or their use.
• the storage and transport boxes are manipulated, which leads to the formation of polluting particles which lodge in the walls of storage and transport boxes, and which contaminate them .
• the particles stuck on the walls of the storage and transport boxes can then peel off, fall back on the substrates contained in these boxes and damage them.
• the contamination of the substrates contained in a storage and transport box increases both as a function of the quantity of contaminants present inside the box, and as a function of the duration of exposure of the substrates to the indoor atmosphere of the storage and transport box.
• This washing step which lasts from 5 to 7 minutes, is followed by a much longer drying step (between 5 hours and 8 hours) comprising for example a step in which the transport chambers are heated by convection of air heated by infrared and centrifuged, followed by a step in which the transport chambers are placed in the open air. Despite drying, there may still be water residues hanging on the walls of the storage and transport boxes.
• the idea is to manage the constraints of sequencing successive displacements of storage boxes and transport batches of substrates, by carrying out a dynamic management taking as a basis the measurement of the dose of a critical gas in the storage and transport boxes.
• the decision on the path of the batch of substrates contained in the storage and transport box, and the decision on the delay between the successive stages of treatment of the substrates, are taken dynamically from this information.
• the invention provides a device for handling substrates in a semiconductor manufacturing plant having substrate processing equipment, substrate storage means, substrate transport means, and a manufacturing control system (MES) in functional relation with the substrate processing equipment, with the substrate storage means, and with the substrate transport means.
• the device further comprises:
• each of the boxes being able to contain a batch of substrates, which is transported by the transport means and stored in the storage means,
• At least one device for analyzing the gases forming the interior atmosphere of a box for storing and transporting substrates which produces analysis signals representative of the quantity of critical gas likely to generate molecular contamination, which is present in the storage and transport box,
• control device which controls the transport means and the storage means, the control device comprising instructions for detecting a need for molecular decontamination as a function of the analysis signals emitted by the gas analysis device.
• the invention provides a method for handling substrates in a semiconductor manufacturing plant, comprising the steps of:
• the analysis carried out is both a qualitative analysis of at least one of the gas species present in the storage and transport box, and a quantitative analysis of this gaseous species.
• the program recorded in the control device may contain:
• the program recorded in the control device furthermore contains an algorithm for simulating the foreseeable evolution of the contamination inside the storage and transport box of substrates as a function of the analysis signals
• the instructions for controlling the means of transport and the storage means act according to the result of the simulation.
• the device therefore acts actively on the choice of storage boxes and transport of substrates whose content will be processed.
• the device also comprises at least one closed internal vacuum decontamination station for the internal decontamination of at least one transport and storage box,
• the program recorded in the control device also contains instructions for detecting a need for internal decontamination of the storage and transport box and for controlling the means of transport and the internal decontamination means in order to ensure the internal decontamination of the storage box and transport.
• the term internal vacuum decontamination station in the closed state a decontamination station, for example as described in WO-2007/135347.
• a closed storage and transport box, with or without substrates, is placed inside the decontamination station and the gas contained in the station is pumped.
• the storage and transport box usually comprising a leak, the gases contained in the storage and transport box are simultaneously pumped, thus ensuring the total or partial removal of contaminants.
• the program recorded in the control device may contain instructions for controlling the analysis of gases contained in a storage box and transport output of a substrate processing equipment, for conveying the storage box and of transport to the storage means if the level of a critical gas such as HF measured by the gas analysis device is less than a first predetermined threshold, and for conveying the storage and transport box to an internal decontamination station under vacuum if the measured level of the critical gas is greater than said first predetermined threshold.
• a critical gas such as HF measured by the gas analysis device
• the device further comprises at least one open vacuum and hot decontamination station for the open decontamination of at least one empty transport and storage box,
• the program recorded in the control device further contains instructions for detecting a need for open decontamination under vacuum and hot conditions and for controlling the means of transport and the means of open decontamination to ensure open and empty decontamination of the storage and transport box, or to ensure its quarantine.
• open decontamination station under hot vacuum a decontamination station, for example as described in WO-2009/021 941.
• An empty storage and transport box, empty of substrates, is placed inside the decontamination station. After washing and drying steps, the can surfaces are subjected to the combined action of subatmospheric gas pressure and infrared radiation.
• the program recorded in the control device may contain instructions for controlling the gas analysis in the empty storage and transport box and closed after a waiting period after cleaning, for conveying the empty storage and transport box in a vacuum open and hot desorption decontamination station for a period of less than 5 hours, preferably between 2 and 5 hours, if the measured level of a critical gas in the storage and transport box is between a second predetermined threshold and a third predetermined threshold, and for conveying the storage and transport box in the open decontamination station under vacuum and hot desorption for a period greater than 10 hours, preferably between 10 and 20 hours, if the measured level of critical gas is greater than the third predetermined threshold.
• the storage and transport box can be decontaminated under vacuum and hot in the open state for a period of less than 5 hours, preferably between 2 and 5 hours, if the level measured a critical gas in the indoor atmosphere of the empty and closed storage and transport box, after a waiting time greater than 2 hours, is between a second predetermined threshold and a third predetermined threshold, and during a duration greater than 10 hours, preferably between 10 and 20 hours, if said measured level of the critical gas is greater than the third predetermined threshold.
• a learning step can be provided to determine the allowable limits for the amount of critical gas beyond which defects may appear on the product manufactured by the process.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic functional view of a semiconductor manufacturing unit according to a particular embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating decision-making on the movement of a storage and transport box between two steps of a method, according to an embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the decision-making on the displacement of an empty storage and transport box as a function of the decontamination needs after washing, and
• FIG. 4 illustrates a storage means provided with a contamination measuring device and a transfer robot, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 1 The semiconductor manufacturing unit 1 further comprises substrate storage means 3, substrate transport means 4, and a manufacturing control system MES which is in operative relation with the substrate processing equipment 2a. -2f, with the substrate storage means 3 and with the substrate transport means 4.
• the semiconductor manufacturing unit 1 further comprises a gas analysis device. 5, an internal vacuum decontamination station 6, and a vacuum and hot open decontamination station 7.
• the manufacturing control system MES comprises a control device 8 with processor and recorded program, able to control the transport means 4 and the storage means 3 as a function of the signals it receives from the gas analysis device 5.
• waste device 9 in which can be directed storage boxes and transport declared unfit for use by the gas analysis device.
• Figure 1 is a purely schematic illustration of a semiconductor manufacturing plant 1.
• the number of processing equipment 2a-2f can be very different from six depending on the capacity of the plant.
• the substrate storage means 3 may be centralized, as illustrated in FIG. Alternatively or in addition, they can be divided into several storage areas.
• the gas analysis means 5 may be in greater numbers, for example distributed at the output of certain substrate processing equipment 2a 2f, integrated in one or more substrate storage means 3, coupled to one or more radio stations. decontamination 6 or 7.
• the substrates to be treated are distributed in batches each contained in a storage and transport box 10a-10e.
• the storage and transport boxes 10a-10e contain an interior atmosphere and optionally one or more substrates such as semiconductor wafers.
• the storage and transport boxes 10a-10e each define a confined space which is separated from the environment of use and transport of the substrates by a peripheral wall provided with a door opening opening closed by a door.
• the standardized speakers for transporting and storing FOUP ("Front Opening Unified Pod”) type front opening substrates, or opening with the SMIF (Standard Mecanical Interface Pod) bottom type are standardized speakers. transport and storage of photomasks RSP type ("Retical Smif Pod”), substrate transport enclosures for the solar industry.
• FOUP Front Opening Unified Pod
• SMIF Standard Mecanical Interface Pod
• these storage and transport enclosures contain an indoor atmosphere at atmospheric pressure, and are intended to remain in atmospheric pressure of the atmosphere present in the semiconductor manufacturing plant 1.
• These 10a-10e storage and transport enclosures are made of materials such as polycarbonate, which can in some cases concentrate organic, basic, amino, acidic and dopant contaminants (AMC), which may result from the manufacture of storage enclosures and transport and / or their use.
• AMC organic, basic, amino, acidic and dopant contaminants
• the substrates undergo a large number of processing steps that are performed in the substrate processing equipment 2a-2f.
• a single substrate processing equipment can not perform all operations. It is therefore necessary to periodically transport batches of substrates from one substrate processing equipment to another.
• the substrate transport means 4 make it possible to transport the storage and substrate transport boxes 10a-10e inside the semiconductor manufacturing plant 1.
• These substrate transport means 4 may for example comprise a plurality of shuttles 4a for transporting a plurality of storage and transport boxes such as the box 10b, and a transport system 4b defining travel paths for moving the shuttles 4a to inside the semiconductor manufacturing plant 1.
• the substrate storage means 3 are able to store a plurality of storage and transport boxes for substrates such as the box 10a, and include storage areas and interior means for handling boxes between the storage areas and input-output areas.
• Figure 4 schematically illustrates such substrate storage means 3, with storage shelves such as shelf 3a, and with a transfer robot 3b to an input-output area 3c.
• the gas analysis device 5, illustrated in FIG. 1, may for example, in the case of storage and transport boxes of the FOUP type, be a device as described in the document EP-1 703 547.
• the interior atmosphere of the storage and transport box 10c is placed in communication with an IMS ("Ion Mobility Spectrometer") or IAMS ("Ion") type gas analysis cell. Attachment Mass Spectrometer ").
• IMS Ion Mobility Spectrometer
• IAMS Ion
• Attachment Mass Spectrometer " a gaseous sample from the inner atmosphere of the storage and transport box is introduced into the reactive part of a tube, where the molecules undergo ionization, for example by electron bombardment.
• the ions resulting from the cracking of the molecules are injected into a region where the movement of the ions occurs for the analysis of their mobility. Mobility is determined by the speed reached by the positive and negative ions in an electric field.
• the ions produced are attracted by an electrode that generates an electric current. This electric current is then processed to obtain the concentration of the gases (in ppbv).
• the device illustrated schematically comprises two types of decontamination stations 6 and 7.
• the first type of decontamination station 6 is an internal vacuum decontamination station in the closed state for the internal decontamination of at least one storage and transport box 10d that may or may not contain a batch of substrates.
• the internal decontamination station 6 comprises a sealed chamber with gas introduction means and gas pumping means.
• the closed storage and transport box 10c is placed inside the sealed chamber, and the gas contained in the sealed chamber is pumped.
• the pump simultaneously ensures the suction of the gases contained in the storage and transport box 10c, ensuring total evacuation or partial of the contaminants carried by the gas in the inner atmosphere of the box.
• the internal decontamination station 6 may itself comprise means for analyzing the pumped gases, in particular to make it possible to know the origin of a contamination and to monitor the quality of the storage and transport box 10c.
• the decontamination step in the internal decontamination station 6 can be automated, triggered by the reading of signals from the gas analysis device 5 into which the storage and transport box 10d has previously been introduced.
• the second type of decontamination station 7 is a hot vacuum open decontamination station, suitable for decontaminating an open storage and transport box 10e without lots of substrates.
• a station as described in the document WO-2009/021941.
• the 10th storage and transport boxes are decontaminated after being washed with a liquid such as deionized water.
• This washing step which lasts from 5 to 7 minutes, is followed by a drying step.
• the surfaces of the box are subjected to the combined action of a subatmospheric gas pressure and infrared radiation, the storage and transport box 10e being open. This eliminates, at least in large part, the contaminants present on the surface or even in the mass of the storage box and transport 10e.
• the decision on the routing of a storage and transport box and the batch of substrates it contains is taken dynamically according to the measurement of the critical gas dose present in the storage box. and transport.
• This decision making is carried out in principle at each stage of treatment of the manufacturing process, that is to say between steps n and n + 1.
• Figure 2 illustrates such decision making, in an embodiment according to the present invention. Decision making may be used at each transition between two successive stages, or during certain transitions only between successive stages.
• the substrate transport means 4 (FIG. 1) introduce it into a gas analysis device 5.
• the gas analysis device 5 produces the analysis of the critical gases, that is to say say gases liable to generate contaminations of the substrates contained in the storage and transport box, and compares the results of the analysis with predetermined limits of concentration of critical gases.
• the substrate transport means 4 is instructed to transport the storage and transport box into 3.
• the transport means 4 take the storage and transport box in the atmospheric storage means 3, and bring it to the substrate processing equipment suitable for carrying out the step n + 1 (101).
• the substrate transport means bring the storage box and transport in a station of internal vacuum decontamination 6.
• the internal vacuum decontamination station 6 itself is equipped with a means of control by measurement of critical gas, it can directly send the storage and transport box in the means 3. In the absence of this, the internal vacuum decontamination station 6 can return the storage and transport box to the gas analysis device 5, for controlling the effectiveness of the decontamination.
• the substrate transport means 4 is instructed to send the storage and transport box either to the means of transport.
• atmospheric storage 3 for use in the production cycle after introduction of a batch of substrate, either in a waste zone 9 or to a hot open decontamination station 7. For example, it involves controlling an empty FOUP storage and transport box after cleaning.
• the average level of acid in a clean room is less than 0.5 ppbv. It has been noted that the average level of acid contained in an empty FOU P storage and transport box, i.e. devoid of lots of substrates, is higher, for example by about 1 ppbv. The difference is due to acid degassing by the material of the box.
• the acidity of the indoor atmosphere of the storage and transport box is measured.
• a second threshold lim 2 for example of the order of 3 ppbv, it is decided that this level is satisfactory, and the box reintegrates the production flow.
• the box is sent to the open decontamination station 7 for desorption for a period of less than 5 hours, for example about 4 hours.
• the box is sent to the open decontamination station 7a for desorption for a period greater than 10 hours, for example of the order of 15 hours.
• the box can be sent to the waste zone 9.
• the measurement should not be carried out immediately after cleaning, because the box has just been closed and therefore contains mainly the air of the clean room. It is necessary to wait at least 2 hours.
• the storage and transport box may be filled with a batch of substrates and returned to the gas analysis device 5, to decide on the return to the atmospheric storage means 3 or to the internal decontamination station 6.
• MES manufacturing
• control and manufacturing system is functionally connected to the substrate processing equipment 2a-2f, but also to the substrate storage means 3, to the substrate transport means 4, to the substrate analysis device. gas 5, as well as the decontamination stations 6 and 7.
• the program stored in the controller 8 contains instructions for generating and scanning the analysis signals from the one or more gas analyzing devices 5, instructions for making a comparison between the analysis signals and threshold values. such as lim 1, lim 2 and lim 3 prerecorded, and instructions for controlling the means of transport 4 and the storage means 3 according to the result of this comparison.
• the program recorded in the control device 8 contains an algorithm that simulates the foreseeable evolution of the pollution inside. of the storage and transport box of substrates according to the analysis signals. This simulation may involve the chemical reaction capabilities of the contaminating gases, the presence of possible multiple contaminants, the nature of the substrates present in the storage and transport box.
• the thresholds lim 2 and lim 3 it is advantageous to proceed by statistical analysis.
• a population of empty storage and transport boxes present in the semiconductor manufacturing plant 1 their respective critical gas concentrations are measured by calculating their mean M and their standard deviation o.

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• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
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• 2009
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