KR20130029882A

KR20130029882A - Particle measurement apparatus for semiconductor equipment

Info

Publication number: KR20130029882A
Application number: KR1020110093256A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 유영선
Original assignee: 유영선
Priority date: 2011-09-16
Filing date: 2011-09-16
Publication date: 2013-03-26

Abstract

PURPOSE: A particle measurement apparatus for semiconductor equipment is provided to measure the size and the number of particles in a work space. CONSTITUTION: A main body(10) is moved into semiconductor equipment. A sensor module(20) is formed in the main body and moved into the semiconductor equipment to measure particles in a working area. A control unit(30) is installed on the main body and receives the data of the particles to change them into the size and the number of the particles.

Description

Particle measurement apparatus for semiconductor equipment

The present invention relates to a particle measuring device for semiconductor equipment.

In detail, the present invention, by measuring the size and number of particles introduced into the closed working space inside the semiconductor equipment processing the wafer and floating in the working space, and filtering the measured particles with a filter, the semiconductor equipment In the process of driving the real-time measurement of the particles, and accordingly relates to a particle measuring device for semiconductor equipment to obtain more accurate measurement data.

In addition, the present invention relates to a particle measuring device for semiconductor equipment that employs a sensor applied to the optical technology for the measurement of finer particles, so that the measurement information of the particles can be confirmed to the administrator through wireless communication.

A wafer is a material for fabricating a semiconductor chip, and is manufactured in the form of a disk in which a thin ingot formed by circumferentially growing a material type crystal of a silicon semiconductor. Such wafers are subjected to a surface treatment or a chip cutting process in a post-production process, which is performed by a dedicated semiconductor device.

At this time, the semiconductor equipment for processing the wafer forms a working space inside the closed space, and maintains the working space as a clean space in order to perform a very precise work. For reference, the biggest product defects during the semiconductor manufacturing process can be attributed to the fine particles and particles. Particularly, as the production of circuits with a pattern of less than 50 nm increases, Microparticles present inside semiconductor equipment cause fatal defects in products. Therefore, the semiconductor device as described above essentially measures the size and quantity of the fine particles or fine dust contained in the air or gas in the closed workspace.

As a device for measuring particles existing inside the semiconductor device as described above, a measurement device called a "particle counter" has been released and used. Such a particle counter has an air inlet formed at an upper portion thereof, and a tube is coupled to the air inlet so as to communicate with a chamber inside the semiconductor equipment, and configured to measure particles.

In order to measure a particle, such a conventional particle counter needs to perform work after stopping operation of semiconductor equipment, and inconvenient work and measurement results because the measurement is performed after suctioning particles from the semiconductor equipment. Is exposed.

According to Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2006-2177 (Name: Particle measuring equipment of a semiconductor manufacturing facility and a method of measuring the same, hereinafter referred to as the invention), the invention of the invention is a chamber inside a semiconductor device for processing a wafer The present invention provides an apparatus and method for measuring particles in a chamber.

Such an invention of the present invention is to measure the particles in the chamber and the degree of particle floating in the chamber more accurately to measure the particles in real time by measuring the particles inside the chamber in the state in which the semiconductor equipment is driven in real time.

As described above, the present invention is installed in a chamber of a relatively small (narrow, high and low height) point where a wafer is transferred in an automated wafer processing process because a measurement sensor for measuring particles is mainly installed at one side of the chamber. Difficult disadvantages are exposed.

In particular, the above-described invention has a problem that it is impossible to precisely measure the particles floating on the entire path to convey the wafer when the particles are floated due to the measurement sensor is installed on one side of the chamber is biased on any one inside the chamber Is exposed.

The present invention has been invented to solve the above problems.

Accordingly, the present invention, by moving the transfer path of the wafer for processing inside the semiconductor equipment, it is possible to measure the size and number of particles floating in the work space as a whole in real time without stopping the operation of the semiconductor equipment more accurate Its purpose is to provide a particle measuring instrument for obtaining measurement data.

Another object of the present invention is to implement a sensor using optical components such as laser diodes and photodiodes to measure finer particles in a workspace of semiconductor equipment, and to obtain measurement information of particles by wireless communication. To provide particle measuring equipment.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

The present invention includes a main body formed in a shape and size corresponding to a wafer moved inside a semiconductor device and introduced into the semiconductor device for measuring particles; A sensor module installed on the main body and inserted into the semiconductor equipment together with the main body to detect and measure particles floating in the work space; And a control unit installed on the main body to receive data of particles detected by the sensor module, and convert the received data into particle size and number information.

The sensor module may include: a module housing coupled to a main body and having an inner space for allowing particles suspended in a work space to pass through one side to another side; A suction fan installed at one side of the module housing to suck particles into the inner space; A sensing unit installed in a passage through which particles of the module housing pass and passing the particles inside and sensing the size and quantity of the particles; And a filter for collecting particles discharged to the work space by being installed in the inner space of the module housing for discharging particles passing through the sensing unit to the outside.

In order to achieve the above other objects, the present invention has the following configuration.

The present invention is the sensor unit, the sensor housing is installed inside the tube through which the particles pass; A laser diode mounted at a point where the tube of the sensor housing is installed and irradiating a laser to penetrate a tube through which particles pass; And a photodiode mounted so as to face the laser diode in the sensor housing and detecting a laser beam radiated from the laser diode and passing through the tube to measure the size and quantity of particles traveling through the tube.

In addition, the control unit, the current sensing unit for the information of the size and quantity of particles detected by the sensor module to be sensed as the current value; And a control processor converting information on the size and quantity of particles detected by the current sensing unit into data and outputting the data.

In particular, the control unit, a wireless communication unit for wireless transmission and reception of data of the size and quantity of particles output from the control processor; And a user display unit for visually confirming data of the size and quantity of particles transmitted by the wireless communication unit.

As described above, the present invention has the effect of obtaining accurate particle data in real time without stopping the operation of semiconductor equipment by measuring the size and number of particles floating along the transfer path of the wafer to be processed and floating in the work space. have.

In addition, the present invention is that the sensor is manufactured by the optical component to be able to measure the finer particles, and the measurement information of the particles can be obtained by wireless communication to manage the particle measurement more efficiently and perform work It has an effect.

1 is a perspective view of a particle measuring device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sensor module of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the sensing unit of the particle measuring device according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is an illustration of the sensing unit particle measurement of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the main part of the sensing unit of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention.
6 is a block diagram of the control unit of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention.
7 is an exemplary state of use of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of a particle measuring device according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of an extract of the sensor module of the particle measuring device according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention has a basic configuration consisting of the main body 10, the sensor module 20, the control unit 30. In the drawing, reference numeral 11 denotes a PCB for mounting the sensor module 20 and the control unit 30 on the main body 10.

The main body 10 is formed in a disc shape such as a wafer to be introduced into the semiconductor equipment. The main body 10 is introduced into the semiconductor equipment and is transferred to a path through which wafers are processed, and the particle 10 can be measured by the configuration of the sensor module 20 installed on the main body 10. to be.

In addition, the upper surface of the main body 10, the sensor module 20 and the control unit 30 is connected to the PCB 11 having the electrical, electronic pattern is formed to be electrically connected and interlocked as described above.

For reference, the size of the flat plate is about 300mm, 200mm, 150mm, 450mm in diameter and the same as the semiconductor wafer, the thickness is about 8mm ~ 15mm to pass through each space inside the semiconductor equipment Is produced. In addition, the plate has a notch or flatzone based on the 'SEMI-STD Wafer standard technology' in order to be detected as a wafer inside the semiconductor equipment.

The sensor module 20 is installed on the PCB 11 of the main body 10. The sensor module 20 is configured to detect and measure particles floating in the working space after being introduced into the semiconductor equipment together with the main body 10. To this end, the sensor module 20 includes a module housing 21, a suction fan 22, a sensing unit 23, and a filter 24.

The module housing 21 is coupled to the PCB 11 of the main body 10 and is formed in the inner space for the particles suspended in the working space after passing through any one side is introduced into the semiconductor equipment to proceed to the other side. In other words, the module housing 21 is configured to form a passage through which particles suspended in the working space pass.

The suction fan 22 is installed at one side (inlet) of a passage through which particles of the module housing 21 pass. Such a suction fan 22 is composed of a micro motor, an impeller, a propeller, and the like to suck and move particles. In this case, the suction fan 22 may be replaced by a vacuum ejector or a small vacuum pump for performing the same function.

The sensing unit 23 is installed in a passage through which particles inside the module housing 21 pass. The sensing unit 23 is configured to pass the particles inside and detect the size and quantity of the particles. The specific configuration of the sensing unit 23 for this is the same as in Figures 3 to 5 will be described later.

The filter 24 is installed in the inner space (outlet of the passage) of the module housing 21 for discharging the particles passing through the sensing unit 23 to the outside. Such a filter 24 is configured to collect the particles discharged to the work space to perform the filtration function. Accordingly, the particle measuring device according to the present invention is configured to simultaneously perform the function of particle filtration.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the sensing unit of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 4 is an illustration of the sensing unit particle measurement of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention, Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the main part of the sensing unit of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention. to be.

Referring to the figure, the sensing unit 23 is composed of a sensor housing 25, a laser diode 26, a photodiode 27.

The sensor housing 25 has each component installed therein, and a tube 28 is installed to allow particles to enter one side and pass to the other side, and both sides of the sensor housing 25 are centered around the tube 28. The laser diode 26 and the photodiode 27 are disposed in the configuration.

The laser diode 26 is mounted on one side of the tube 28 of the sensor housing 25. Such a laser diode 26 is configured to irradiate a laser to penetrate the tube 28 through which particles pass. Here, the focus lens 29 for arranging the diameter of the laser is arranged in front of the laser diode 26, the laser is emitted is configured.

The photodiode 27 is mounted so as to face the laser diode 26 about the tube 28 in the sensor housing 25. The photodiode 27 is configured to measure the size and quantity of particles that pass through the tube 28 by sensing the laser beam radiated from the laser diode 26 and passing through the tube 28.

In the configuration of the sensing unit 23, a mirror 28a is coupled to the outer surface of the tube 28, which is a photodiode when a laser passing through the tube 28 is diffusely reflected by a particle. It is a structure for proceeding to (27).

6 is a block diagram of a control unit of the particle measuring apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the control unit 30 is a configuration of a chip or element mounted on the PCB 11 of the main body 10. The control unit 30 is configured to receive the data of the particles detected by the sensor module 20, convert the received data into the size and number information of the particles and outputs.

To this end, the control unit 30 includes a wireless communication unit 33 and a user display unit 34 using the current sensing unit 31 and the control processor 32 as a basic configuration.

The current sensing unit 31 is configured in a chip form mounted on the PCB 11 so that information on the size and quantity of particles detected by the sensing unit 23 of the sensor module 20 is detected as a current value. It is a structure for doing so.

The control processor 32 also has a chip form mounted on the PCB 11 and is a signal processing device that converts and outputs information on the size and quantity of particles detected by the current sensing unit 31 into data.

The wireless communication unit 33 is a PC or laptop which is interlocked with the PCB 11 and the user display unit 34 of the main body 10 to wirelessly transmit and receive data of the size and quantity of particles output from the control processor 32. It consists of a transmission and reception module installed divided into terminals.

The user display unit 34 may be applied as a monitor such as a separate LCD, and a display monitor such as a PC or a notebook held by an administrator is applied. The user display unit 34 is configured to visually confirm the data of the size and quantity of particles transmitted by the wireless communication unit 33.

Reference numeral 35 in the figure is a battery for supplying power to the circuit configuration of the control unit 30, 36 is a temperature sensor for checking the temperature conditions of the point where the particles are measured.

7 is an exemplary view illustrating a state of use of the particle measuring device according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the particle measuring apparatus is manufactured in a shape and a standard corresponding to the specifications of the wafer is introduced into the space of the semiconductor equipment to be able to measure the particles inside the workspace in real time. In the drawing, a scene passing through a slit valve, which is the narrowest space inside a semiconductor device, is illustrated.

10: body 11: PCB
20: sensor module 21: module housing
22: suction fan 23: sensing unit
24: filter 25: sensor housing
26: laser diode 27: photodiode
28: tube 30: control unit
31: current sensing unit 32: control processor
33: wireless communication unit 34: user display unit

Claims

A main body 10 formed in a shape and size corresponding to a wafer moved inside the semiconductor device and introduced into the semiconductor device for measuring particles;
A sensor module 20 installed on the main body 10 for sensing and measuring particles floating in the work space after being introduced into the semiconductor equipment together with the main body 10;
And a control unit 30 installed on the main body 10 to receive data of particles detected by the sensor module 20, convert the received data into size and number information of the particles, and output the converted information. Particle measuring device for semiconductor equipment.

The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor module 20
A module housing 21 coupled to the main body 10 and having an inner space for allowing particles suspended in the work space to pass through one side to the other side;
A suction fan 22 installed at one side of the module housing 21 to suck particles into the inner space;
A sensing unit 23 installed in a passage through which particles of the module housing 21 pass and passing the particles inside and sensing the size and quantity of the particles;
And a filter (24) installed in the interior space of the module housing (21) for discharging particles passing through the sensing unit (23) to the outside to collect the particles discharged to the work space. Particle measuring equipment for equipment.

The method of claim 2, wherein the sensing unit 23
A sensor housing 25 provided with a tube 28 through which particles are passed;
A laser diode (26) mounted at a point where the tube (28) of the sensor housing (25) is installed and irradiating a laser to penetrate the tube (28) through which particles pass;
The sensor housing 25 is mounted to face the laser diode 26 to detect the laser beam irradiated from the laser diode 26 and passed through the tube 28 to determine the size and quantity of particles proceeding through the tube 28. Particle measuring apparatus for semiconductor equipment comprising a; photodiode for measuring (27).

The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit 30
A current sensing unit 31 for sensing information of the size and quantity of particles detected by the sensor module 20 as a current value;
And a control processor (32) for converting information on the size and quantity of particles detected by the current sensing unit (31) into data and outputting the data.

The method of claim 1 or 4, wherein the control unit 30
A wireless communication unit 33 for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data of the size and quantity of particles output from the control processor 32;
And a user display unit (34) for visually confirming data of the size and quantity of particles transmitted by the wireless communication unit (33).