KR20010105941A - An apparatus for gas exhaustion of process chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

A diagnostic system (10) in an engine management system is provided for generating a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) to indicate the operational status of a component or a sub-system. The diagnostic system includes a diagnostic function module (DF Module) (20, 20', 20'') for each DTC or a group of related DTCs associated with a component or sub-system. The DF module includes means (22) for executing an evaluation routine to evaluate a component/sub- system to which the DTC of the specific DF module relates, and a dynamic scheduler (30) for determining which DF module may be allowed to execute an evaluation routine at a particular time. Each DF module (20, 20', 20'') includes means (22) for producing a ranking value dependent on the operating status of the component or sub-system being evaluated, a ranking value being generated each time an evaluation routine is performed; means (23) for processing and storing statistical results of the ranking values obtained over a number of evaluation routines; means (23) for evaluating the statistical results to produce evaluated data in the form of either an evaluated no-fault signal or an evaluated fault signal, and means (24) for establishing the priority of the associated evaluation routine, and means for transmitting the evaluated signals to the dynamic scheduler (30).

Description

An apparatus for gas exhaustion of process chamber

The present invention relates to a gas discharge device of a process chamber, and more particularly to a valve system of the gas discharge device.

Many process chambers used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices operate between vacuum and atmospheric pressure and have a gas exhaust device to exhaust gases generated during the process. In most cases, the gas discharge device is a discharge pipe connected to a vacuum pump, and a discharge valve is formed in the discharge pipe.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a process chamber gas discharge device of a conventional Semi Atmospheric Chemical Vapor Deposition (SACVD), and FIG. 2 shows a partition portion of a pressure control plug of a conventional process chamber gas discharge device. It is an enlarged view.

First, referring to FIG. 2, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, the pressure regulating plug 17 has a cylindrical wall or a ball shape, and various openings are formed in the cylinder or ball. By turning the handle of the plug 17, the partition wall 23 connected to the handle rotates to expose the opening 21 portion toward the pipe connection portion, and the opening 21 portion is in close contact with the casing portion or the sealing portion of the plug 17. Another portion of the partition wall 23 in which the openings 21 are not formed may be exposed toward the pipe connection portion. The valve opens when the opening 21 is exposed, and the smaller the portion where the opening 21 is exposed, the smaller the amount of fluid passing through the valve.

Referring to FIG. 1, some of the conventional process states will be described. During the chemical vapor deposition, the plug 17 is only slightly opened. One side of the discharge pipe 15 is connected to the process chamber 13 and the other side is connected to the external outlet through a vacuum pump, so that when the plug 17 is opened a little while the vacuum pump is operated, the inside of the process chamber 13 is opened. The pressure remains relatively high. That is, the level is 400 to 600 Torr. In the chemical vapor deposition process, the deposition is performed on the chamber wall or the like in addition to the wafer surface by chemical reaction of the gases supplied to the process chamber 13. In addition, fine particulate matter (powder) may be formed in the gas phase, or may be attached to the corner of the process chamber 13 or inside the discharge pipe 15. When these are called solid materials together, the solid material becomes a source of particles and the maintenance work of periodically removing them is performed because it may impair the normal functioning of the equipment.

The more maintenance work, the lower the operating efficiency of the equipment. Therefore, fluorine gas cleaning is performed by removing solid matters without disassembling the equipment in the middle of the process. A process in which fluorine gas cleaning is performed is called a cleaning process, in which fluorine gas flows from the fluorine source 11 into the process chamber 13 and reacts with the solid material to be removed to the discharge pipe 15. The pressure during the cleaning process is a low pressure of about 2 Torr, and the openings of the plug 17, which is a pressure regulating valve, are revealed.

However, in the conventional gas discharge device, when the chemical vapor deposition is performed in the process chamber 13, the plug 17 is only slightly open so that the partition wall around the opening is exposed toward the discharge pipe. Thus, solid materials are attached to the partition surface around the opening. In addition, in the cleaning process, the plug 17 is opened to the maximum so that foreign matters inside the chamber are well discharged. In the open state, the opening part is sufficiently exposed toward the discharge pipe 15, but a part of the part where the solid matter adheres to the opening part is not exposed to the casing or the sealing of the plug 17, so it reacts with the fluorine gas in the cleaning process. You cannot have a chance to be removed.

As a result, the solid matter accumulated around the opening of the plug partition wall is very firmly attached. In addition, these solid materials can damage the plug's Teflon sealing or casing by turning the knob of the plug to switch the process from chemical vapor deposition to cleaning, or vice versa. Damage. In addition, the plug itself or the seal should be replaced at frequent intervals to prevent pressure regulation.

The present invention is to solve the above-described problems, the gas discharge device that can remove the solid material through the cleaning process even if the solid material accumulated by chemical vapor deposition on a part of the partition wall of the valve provided in the gas discharge device of the process chamber. The purpose is to provide.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a gas discharge device that can prevent the valve from being damaged due to the solid matter accumulated in the partition wall of the valve provided in the gas discharge device.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing a conventional process chamber gas discharge device.

2 is an enlarged view showing a gate portion of a pressure regulating plug of a conventional process chamber gas discharge device;

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a process chamber gas discharge device of the present invention.

※ Explanation of code for main part of drawing.

11: fluorine source 13: process chamber

15: outlet piping 17: plug

19: throttle valve

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plug-type pressure regulating valve on a side of a process chamber in a discharge pipe connected to an outlet of a process chamber, and is provided with an auxiliary valve separate from a plug-type pressure regulating valve toward an outside. Is done.

In the present invention, a butterfly throttle valve may be used as the auxiliary valve.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the periphery of the process chamber of the semi-atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition equipment as an example of the process chamber gas discharge device of the present invention.

In comparison with FIG. 1 showing a conventional example, a throttle valve 19 is further formed on the opposite side of the process chamber 13 on the discharge pipe 15 for discharging gas based on the plug 17, which is a pressure regulating valve. The gas discharge pipe 15 is connected to the discharge port of the process chamber 13, and the fluorine supply source 11 is connected to the other part of the process chamber 13.

Referring to Figure 3, the operating method of the embodiment of the present invention, first, when the process of chemical vapor deposition, such as a solid material such as powder is formed when the vacuum pump connected to the discharge pipe 15 is operated while the discharge pipe The plug 17, the pressure regulating valve of (15), is slightly open so that the opening is partially exposed. The gas discharged from the process chamber 13 is little by little on the exposed partition wall around the opening. As the sublimable particles contained in the gas precipitate, solid materials accumulate on the partition walls around the openings. At this time, the auxiliary valve throttle valve 19 is sufficiently open so as not to affect the pressure of the process chamber. Therefore, only the plug 17, the pressure regulating valve, maintains the pressure of the process chamber 13 at a subatmospheric pressure.

When the chemical vapor deposition is completed and the cleaning process is performed to clean the interior, the process gas and other particles should be sufficiently discharged through the gas discharge device including the exhaust pipe 15 and the valve systems 17 and 19 as in the prior art. Therefore, the opening of the plug 17 is sufficiently opened while the vacuum pump is in operation. However, when the openings of the plug 17 are sufficiently exposed, the partition walls around the openings are not exposed to maintain the accumulated state of the solid material. Therefore, during the cleaning process, the handle of the plug 17 is opened or closed manually or automatically in a certain range so that the partition wall to which the solid matter is attached is exposed to the air containing the fluorine gas.

However, if the fluorine gas is simply discharged through the discharge pipe 15, the fluorine gas is difficult to work even if solid matter is attached to the periphery of the opening in the partition wall opposite the process chamber 13 in the plug 17. Can't be done. Therefore, in the cleaning process, the handle of the plug 17 is turned to expose the solid matter adhered to the partition wall, and the auxiliary valve is partially closed to control the fluorine gas from escaping into the discharge pipe. In this case, the pressure at the front of the auxiliary valve rises slightly and fluorine gas is present at a relatively high concentration on the discharge pipe. Therefore, the solid material attached to the partition wall opposite the process chamber in the plug 17 also has a further opportunity to react with the fluorine, thereby removing the solid material without being excluded.

According to the present invention, in the cleaning process using fluorine gas or the like, solid matter deposited through chemical vapor deposition may be removed from all parts of the process chamber and the gas discharge pipe. Even if such solid material removal is not complete, the accumulation rate of solid material is reduced, thereby reducing the sealing or casing inner wall damage at the pressure regulating valve due to the solid material. Thus, replacement of the valve or seal due to damage is reduced.

Claims (3)

A discharge pipe connected to a gas outlet of the process chamber and discharging gas to the outside by a vacuum pump installed at an opposite end of the outlet, A pressure regulating valve installed on the pipe toward the process chamber; And an auxiliary valve installed on the pipe toward the vacuum pump. The method of claim 1, And the auxiliary valve is a throttle valve. The method of claim 1, And the pressure regulating valve is a pluggable valve.