TW201416133A - Cleaning method for showerhead - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a cleaning method for showerhead. The method uses a vibrator to directly or indirectly vibrate a showerhead to provide in situ clean or off line clean so as to remove the undesired particles or residue attached on the showerhead.

Description

Sprinkler cleaning method

This invention relates to a method of cleaning a shower, and more particularly to a method of cleaning a standardized shower.

In a semiconductor process such as a thin film deposition process or a chemical vapor deposition process performed in a shower chamber having a showerhead, the semiconductor wafer is placed on a wafer stage having a heating function, and the shower is The reactive gas required for the spray process enters the reaction chamber and over the semiconductor wafer on the wafer stage. When, for example, a reaction gas containing a precursor gas to be deposited is sprayed onto the semiconductor wafer through a shower, a chemical reaction is performed in the reaction chamber, thereby forming a thin film on the semiconductor wafer. During the chemical reaction, the reaction chamber must maintain a high temperature for chemical reaction.

The surface of the shower and the outlet of the gas source channel are very easy to deposit unwanted particles and reaction products during the process, so that the surface of the shower must be cleaned after the process, and thus it takes up a lot of time for the machine to go online. In addition, the deposition of particles on the inner surface of the gas source passage may cause the outlet or the opening to be clogged, affecting the gas flow rate and the uniformity of the flow field, thereby reducing the uniformity of the film thickness and the process yield. Even when the reaction chamber is evacuated, particles deposited on the inner surface of the gas source passage may fall slowly or agglomerate on the wafer, resulting in a decrease in wafer yield.

Conventional sprinkler cleaning methods are performed by the operator manually cleaning the surface of the sprinkler after the end of the process. In practice, the operator cleans the surface of the shower with a vacuum cleaner and a cleaning brush, and collects the particles by the retainer. Another conventional method of shower cleaner cleaning is to clean the shower with a chemical.

However, the traditional manual cleaning of the shower has many disadvantages. First, it takes a long time to manually clean the shower surface, taking up a lot of time on the machine. Secondly, the degree of surface cleaning of the shower depends on the individual operating methods of the operator and lacks consistent standards. In addition, the outlets of the sprinkler gas source passage and the inner surface of the gas source passage cannot be cleaned one by one by manual means, and the unremoved deposited particles may fall on the wafer during the process or during vacuuming, resulting in a decrease in the yield of the wafer. Finally, the deposition of particles on the outlet and inner surface of the gas source channel may interfere with the on-line monitor that detects the temperature of the wafer through the gas source channel, causing the measurement to be out of alignment, resulting in drifting of process parameters.

However, the cleaning method of cleaning the shower by chemical agents has problems such as residual chemical contamination and time consuming.

Accordingly, there is a need for an in-line cleaning method and apparatus that provides a standardized and efficient gas shower to address the above-discussed problems.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method of cleaning a line of a shower is provided, comprising the following steps. First, a shower is provided in combination with the reaction chamber and a mask. The mask is disposed on the shower, and the reaction chamber has a bearing tray. A vibrator is then placed on the shower or mask. Then use a vibrator to vibrate the shower and the mask. If the shower is closed to the reaction chamber, the reaction chamber can be evacuated and the clean gas stream can be passed through the shower and the retainer removed. If the shower and the reaction chamber are not fully closed, the retainer is removed first, and the shower is closed with the reaction chamber, and then the reaction chamber is evacuated.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides an off-line cleaning method for a shower, comprising the following steps. A sprinkler is first provided and the shower is placed in a cleaning tank. A vibrator is then placed on the shower or cleaning tank. Then use a vibrator to vibrate the shower or cleaning tank. The shower can be connected to a source of air and the jet can be jetted with a source of air. The cleaning tank can be connected to the pumping pump and pump the cleaning tank.

Still another embodiment of the present invention provides an off-line cleaning method for a shower, comprising the following steps. First, a shower is combined with a mask and the shower and the cover are placed in a cleaning tank. A vibrator is then placed on the shower or on the mask or cleaning tank. Then use a vibrator to vibrate the shower to cover or clean the tank. The shower and the cover can be connected to a source of air and the jet can be jetted with a source of air. The cleaning tank can be connected to the pumping pump and pump the cleaning tank.

Reference will be made to specific embodiments of the invention below. Some embodiments of the invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are illustrated with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be widely practiced in other embodiments except as described below, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the embodiments. On the contrary, the scope of the invention is intended to be In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a further understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced without some or all of the specific details. Furthermore, conventional process steps and components are not described in detail herein to avoid obscuring the scope of the present invention.

In an embodiment of the invention, the shower is applied to a deposition system, such as a chemical vapor deposition system, but is not limited to a chemical vapor deposition system. A typical deposition system typically includes a reaction chamber surrounding a process space, a gas delivery device, and a shower. The shower is disposed above the process space, and a substrate carrier is disposed below the process space. The substrate stage is for carrying at least one substrate disposed thereon for processing. A substrate that is typically loaded into a deposition system for processing includes a germanium wafer, a sapphire substrate, a tantalum carbide substrate, or a gallium nitride or a tri-five semiconductor substrate. It must be understood that other types of substrates, such as glass substrates, can also be loaded into the deposition system for processing. The deposition system may further comprise other components that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Figure 1A shows a cross-sectional view of a mask, shower and reaction chamber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The shower 100 in the first A diagram is coupled to the reaction chamber 200, the dome 400 is disposed on the shower 100, and the pneumatic vibrator 300 is disposed on the shower. On the body of the device 100, the retainer 210 is placed on the retainer bracket 211 in the reaction chamber 200. The pneumatic vibrator 300 may be disposed at an outer surface or circumference of the shower 100, or at an outer surface or circumference of the mask 400. There may be a gap between the retainer 210 and the inner wall of the reaction chamber 200 to facilitate vacuum pumping. The pneumatic vibrator 300 includes a pneumatic vibrator using nitrogen pressure at a pressure of about 6 bar, a vibration frequency of about 37,000 Hertz (Hz), and a vibration force of about 2100 Newtons (N) without the use of a lubricant. The pneumatic vibrator 300 is merely an example of a crucible, and is not limiting, and any other suitable vibrator may be employed in embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 1B shows a partial cross-sectional view of a mask and shower in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The mask 400 is disposed above the shower 100. The shower surface 110 of the shower 100, the air source passage outlet 130, and the air source passage inner surface 140 are simultaneously visible in the first B. The gas source channel is connected to a gas delivery device (not shown), and the gas source channel is connected to the gas source channel outlet 130. The gas delivery device contains a variety of gas sources that are required for the process to be performed. Various gases, such as a precursor gas, a carrier gas, a cleaning gas, or the like, may be supplied to the shower from the gas delivery device and ejected through the gas source passage and the gas source passage outlet 130.

The method of online cleaning shower cleaning line according to the present invention will be based on the pneumatic vibrators installed sprinkler body vibration at a particular frequency, in conjunction with a vacuum pump extraction flow momentum and nitrogen purge (purge) gas flow, so that The particles deposited on the surface of the shower, the outlet of the gas source passage, and the inner surface of the gas source passage are directly dropped and received and removed by the retainer. The cleaned shower can prevent accumulated deposited particles or residues from falling on the wafer during subsequent processes, resulting in a decrease in wafer yield.

In an embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. A, the shower 100 is coupled to the reaction chamber 200, and the shower 100 is vibrated by the pneumatic vibrator 300. The pneumatic vibrator 300 is placed in the shower 100. The retainer 210 is placed on the retainer bracket 211 in the reaction chamber 200, and the shower 100 and the reaction chamber 200 are in a closed state. The shower 100 is vibrated at a specific frequency by the pneumatic vibrator 300, so that particles deposited on the shower surface 110, the air source passage outlet 130, and the air source passage inner surface 140 are directly dropped onto the retainer 210. When the pneumatic vibrator 300 vibrates, the vacuum pump is simultaneously activated and purged with nitrogen. The pneumatic vibrator 300 is vibrated at a specific frequency, and is combined with the pumping vacuum and the nitrogen cleaning airflow, and is cleanly deposited by the vibration and the airflow force on the shower surface 110, the air source passage outlet 130, and the inner surface of the air source passage. 140 particles. The retainer 210 on the retainer bracket 211 within the reaction chamber 200 is removed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. C, the shower 100 is vibrated by the pneumatic vibrator 300 in the event that the shower 100 and the reaction chamber 200 are not fully closed. The pneumatic vibrator 300 is installed in the shower 100. The retainer 210 is placed on the retainer bracket 211 in the reaction chamber 200, and the shower 100 is in an open state or a nearly closed state with the reaction chamber 200. The shower 100 is vibrated at a specific frequency by the pneumatic vibrator 300, so that particles deposited on the shower surface 110, the air source passage outlet 130, and the air source passage inner surface 140 are directly dropped onto the retainer 210. The retainer 210 on the retainer bracket 211 within the reaction chamber 200 is removed. The shower 100 is brought into a closed state with the reaction chamber 200. The vacuum pump is activated to remove residual particles that have not fallen onto the retainer 210 and are removed by a particle trap device behind the reaction chamber 200.

The above method of cleaning the shower on the line does not need to manually clean the surface of the shower, and can simultaneously clean the surface of the shower, the outlet of the air source passage of the shower and the inner surface of the air source passage, and can shorten the cleaning requirements. The time spent increases the on-line time of the machine. In addition, the use of automated and standardized cleaning methods avoids the shortcomings of manual cleaning methods that lack consistent standards. The frequency and vibration force of the pneumatic vibrator can be achieved by adjusting the gas pressure.

Off-line off-line cleaning shower cleaning system of the present invention to remove shower body is placed in a cleaning bath, and then the pneumatic vibrator is mounted on the sprinkler body, and the vibration at a particular frequency, the deposited The particles on the surface of the shower, the outlet of the gas source passage and the inner surface of the gas source passage are directly dropped into the cleaning tank, thereby avoiding problems such as residual chemical contamination and time consumption of the chemical wet cleaning method.

In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the second figure, the shower 100 is separated from the reaction chamber 200 and the mask 400, the shower 100 is placed in the cleaning tank 500, and the pneumatic vibrator 300 is placed. The device is in the shower 100, and the shower 100 is vibrated at a specific frequency by the pneumatic vibrator 300, so that the particles deposited on the shower surface 110, the air source passage outlet 130 and the inner surface 140 of the air source passage are directly dropped into the cleaning tank. 500. The shower 100 can also be separated from the reaction chamber 200 together with the mask 400 and placed in the cleaning tank 500, and the pneumatic vibrator 300 can be placed on the shower 100 or the mask 400 to the pneumatic vibrator 300. The shower 100 or mask 400 is vibrated at a particular frequency.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the pneumatic vibrator 300 is disposed above the cleaning tank 500, and the shower 100 or the shower 100 is placed in the cleaning tank 500 together with the mask 400, using the pneumatic vibrator 300. The shower 100 or the mask 400 is vibrated at a specific frequency such that particles deposited on the shower surface 110, the air source passage outlet 130, and the air source passage inner surface 140 are directly dropped into the cleaning tank 500.

In addition, in an embodiment of the invention, the shower 100 or the shower 100 together with the mask 400 may also be connected to a source of air for jetting to assist in cleaning the shower. The cleaning tank 500 can be connected to the helium pump and pumped to evacuate the particles in the cleaning tank 500.

The above-mentioned offline cleaning sprayer does not need to manually clean the surface of the shower, and can simultaneously clean the surface of the shower, the outlet of the air source passage of the shower, and the inner surface of the air source passage. In addition, the use of automated and standardized cleaning methods avoids the shortcomings of manual cleaning methods that lack consistent standards. The use of a pneumatic vibrator to vibrate the sprinkler avoids problems such as chemical contamination and time consumption of the chemical wet cleaning method.

The present invention has been described and described with respect to the embodiments of the present invention. However, the embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the technical spirit and features of the present invention, and the purpose of the present invention is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the contents of the present invention and implement them. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the invention, which is intended to be included within the scope of the invention as disclosed in the following claims. .

100. . . Sprinkler

110. . . Sprinkler surface

130. . . Air source outlet

140. . . Air source channel inner surface

200. . . Reaction chamber

210. . . Bearing

211. . . Shelf bracket

300. . . Pneumatic vibrator

400. . . Mask

500. . . Cleaning tank

The above-described features of the present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description of the invention. It is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not intended to The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the detailed description of the embodiments.

The first A is a schematic view of a shower in which a shower is combined with a reaction chamber and cleaned by a vibrator. Figure B is a partial cross-sectional view of a mask and shower of an embodiment of the present invention. The first C is a schematic view of the shower and the reaction chamber not completely closed and cleaned by a vibrator according to an embodiment of the invention. The second figure is a schematic view of a shower in which a shower is placed in a cleaning tank and cleaned with a vibrator.

100. . . Sprinkler

200. . . Reaction chamber

210. . . Bearing

211. . . Shelf bracket

300. . . Pneumatic vibrator

400. . . Mask

Claims (14)

A method for cleaning a line of a shower, comprising: providing a shower combined with a reaction chamber and a mask, the cover being disposed on the shower, the reaction chamber having a bearing tray; a vibrator is disposed on the shower or the mask; and the vibrator is used to vibrate the shower and the mask. The method of claim 1 wherein the shower is in a closed state with the reaction chamber. The method of claim 2, further comprising: evacuating the reaction chamber; passing the clean gas stream through the shower; and removing the retainer. The method of [Recommendation 1], wherein the vibrator is a pneumatic vibrator. The method of claim 4, wherein the pneumatic vibrator is a pneumatic vibrator using nitrogen pressure. The method of claim 1, wherein the shower is in an incompletely closed state with the reaction chamber. The method of claim 6, further comprising: removing the retainer; closing the shower with the reaction chamber; and evacuating the reaction chamber. An off-line cleaning method for a shower, comprising: providing a shower and placing the shower in a cleaning tank; placing a vibrator on the shower or the cleaning tank; and using the vibrator Vibrate the shower or the cleaning tank. The method of [Recommendation 8], wherein the vibrator is a pneumatic vibrator. The method of [Recommendation 8], further comprising connecting a gas source to the shower and ejecting the shower. The method according to [Recommendation 8], further comprising connecting the pumping pump to the cleaning tank and performing pumping. An off-line cleaning method for a shower, comprising: providing a shower combined with a mask and placing the shower and the mask in a cleaning tank; placing a vibrator in the shower or The mask or the cleaning tank; and the vibrator is used to vibrate the shower or the cleaning tank. The method of claim 12, further comprising connecting a gas source to the shower and the mask and jetting the shower. The method according to [Recommendation 12], further comprising connecting the pumping pump to the cleaning tank and performing pumping.