TW202129807A - System for stabilizing gas flow inputted to sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for stabilizing input gas flow to a sensor provided to include a bypass pipe wherein some gases may emit to the outside directly without having to input to the sensor that is segregated in a sensor connecting pipe of the processing equipment of the same having a sensor device, which internal gases of a processing chamber may undertake a component analysis, in which the gases received through a sensor connecting pipe, therefore some internal gases may be provided stably in a given range per time in the sensor device regardless of the pressure changes of the processing chamber.

Description

Stabilization system for the inflow of the sensor

The present invention relates to manufacturing-related equipment such as semiconductor devices, and more particularly to a sensor device for detecting the state of the process for the internal gas flowing into a process chamber, and stabilizing the amount of gas flowing into the sensor device at a reasonable level The sensor flows into the stabilization system of the airflow.

Manufacturing equipment such as semiconductor devices and display devices refers to the creation of various environments and the use of various manufacturing processes. Among various processes, deposition processes such as PVD and CVD, and etching processes such as dry etching are mostly performed in a low-pressure vacuum environment.

In this environment, the degree of deposition or etching is directly related to whether the performance of the semiconductor device to be completed is qualified or not. Therefore, very strict control is required. Almost all factors such as time, temperature, and amount of gas supply are required. It is adjusted very precisely.

In addition, in order to detect the end time point of the process, or to confirm the important state and time point of other processes, various types of sensors are used according to the process.

A part of the sensor is provided in the process chamber itself, and a part is provided in a space other than the process chamber. In this case, the detection object element capable of detecting the state of the process in the process chamber needs to be transmitted to the sensor.

FIG. 1 shows a conceptual configuration diagram of a combined configuration example of a process chamber used in a conventional semiconductor device manufacturing facility and a detection sensor device used in the process chamber.

Here, a process chamber 10, a turbomolecular pump 13 and a dry pump 14 that provide vacuum to the process chamber, and a pump connection pipe 15 connected to a vacuum pump to discharge internal gas from the process chamber 10 to the outside are disclosed. Here, the combined structure of a dry pump or a turbo molecular pump is an example of a vacuum pump, and other types and structures of vacuum pumps are not excluded.

Reference symbol 11 refers to a residual gas analyzer, and P1 refers to a vacuum pressure gauge in the process chamber. When the detected information is transmitted to the process gas control system (Process gas control system: 40), The process gas regulating system sends regulating signals to the piping regulating valve of the flow regulator (MFC) 50 attached to the piping of the three gas supply sources of A, B, and C to regulate the proportion and flow rate of the gas flowing into the process chamber.

The process chamber 10 is connected to a turbo molecular pump (TMP: turbo molecular pump) 13 and a dry pump 14 for exhausting internal gas and maintaining a high vacuum in the internal space, and a pump connection pipe 15 is branched through a port 31. The sensor is connected to the pipe 30 so that a part of the internal gas flows into the sensor device 20.

A needle valve (not shown) is installed at the entrance of the sensor device, and a vacuum pump composed of a turbomolecular pump and a dry pump is installed ^{to maintain a high vacuum of about 10-6 Torr for accurate measurement.} The vacuum pressure gauge P2 (22) used to measure the degree of internal vacuum or air pressure.

Here, a mass spectrometer (MS: mass spectrometer) is used as the sensor device 20. Various types of MS, such as TOF (Time of Flight) type and QMS (Quadrupole mass spectrometer), are currently known as MS. It is assumed that the target substance is separated from the sample by the ionization mass analyzer (Mass Analyzer), thus, It can obtain the information of the element structure of the sample material and the structure information of the chemical molecule, which is widely used in the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the material to be analyzed.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a structural concept of the MS.

In FIG. 2, the sensor device 20 is provided with an orifice valve or other gas inflow device (inlet system) 23 or an analysis device such as chromatography, ionization device (ion source) 24, and mass spectrometer in an envelop 21. An analyzer (mass analyzer) 25 and a detector (detector) 26, when a sample is introduced from the outside, ionize the sample by electron collision or laser irradiation, and the ionized sample substance is analyzed by mass spectrometry The meter and the tester measure the number per second according to the quality, and the test result data is transmitted to the data system (data system).

This configuration example is currently well-known, and further detailed description is omitted here.

In this structure, the sensor device and the process chamber are directly connected in space. The sensor device analyzes the gas in the process chamber to confirm the progress of the process, determine the end point detection (EPD), and monitor For the occurrence of appendages, the effect of process improvement and time reduction can be obtained by adjusting the amount, proportion, and time of the injected gas source through the analysis of the process.

However, in this structure, the pressure inside the process chamber changes drastically according to the process conditions, which greatly changes the inflow of the target sample through the sensor device (ie, the MS inlet).

That is, generally, the pressure in the process chamber is 10 ^-5 Torr or more, and the vacuum degree or pressure inside the MS varies from 5*10 ^-5 to 5*10 ^-6 Torr. Compared with MS, the process chamber is In the case of low vacuum (high pressure), the inflow of the sample (gas inside the process chamber) at the entrance of the sensor device is over-injected, and the sensor analysis value rises, and it is in the pipeline (between the process chamber and the sensor device). The connection piping) is blocked. On the contrary, compared with MS, when the process chamber is in high vacuum (low pressure), the sample inflow at the inlet is reduced, the sensor analysis value is reduced, and the phenomenon of backflow to the process chamber can also occur. Forming the particle source of the process chamber, therefore, preventive measures are needed.

Therefore, preferably, the pressure of the process chamber is similar to the internal pressure of the sensor device, and the pressure of the process chamber is slightly higher, but the fact is that the pressure of the process chamber causes a sharp change in the amount of gas injected through the process chamber.

In addition, in order to improve the reliability of the measured value or data of the MS sensor device, the pressure in the pipeline space between the process chamber connected to the inlet of the sensor device and the sensor device needs to be kept constant.

Patent documents (existing technical documents):

(Patent Document 1) Korean Published Patent No. 10-2005-0056937.

(Patent Document 2) Korean Published Patent No. 10-2019-0068836.

The object of the present invention is to provide a stabilization system for the inflow airflow of the sensor, which is provided with a structure to prevent the internal pressure of the sensor device attached to the above-mentioned existing manufacturing equipment from drastically changing according to the pressure change of the process chamber, so that the sensing The analysis value of the analyzer has changed dramatically, and the reliability of the analysis value data is reduced.

The present invention provides a stabilization system for the inflow airflow of the sensor for achieving the above-mentioned purpose,

It is suitable for manufacturing equipment that has a process chamber, a vacuum pump installed to remove the internal gas of the process chamber, and a sensor device that receives the transmitted internal gas of the process chamber through a sensor connection pipe and performs component detection Wherein, the stabilization system for the sensor inflow airflow includes: the sensor connection pipe, and further includes a process chamber by-pass pipe, for example, the sensor device does not enter the sensor device from the sensor connection pipe The gas is discharged to the outside. Therefore, in the sensor connection pipe, a part of the internal gas of the process chamber is stably supplied to the sensor device within a predetermined range per hour in a manner independent of the change in the pressure state of the process chamber.

In the present invention, the stabilization system for the sensor inflow airflow includes: a sensor connecting pipe; an orifice plate connecting the sensor connecting pipe and the sensor device; a bypass pipe connecting the sensor connecting pipe The part of the orifice plate is connected to the sensor connection pipe.

At this time, the sensor connecting pipe, the bypass pipe and the sensor device are respectively connected to the three branches of the splitter connecting pipe. At this time, the branch connecting the splitter connecting pipe and the sensor device among the three branches can be The orifice plate is fixedly or alternatively provided.

At this time, a vacuum pressure gauge is installed in the sensor connection pipe, and a manually operated vacuum pump is also installed in the bypass pipe as a vacuum pump for another stabilization system.

At this time, at the front end of the vacuum pump for the stabilization system installed in the bypass pipe (here the "front end" refers to the part through which air flows forward on the pipe) or the sensor connection pipe at the front end of the orifice plate also has adjustment or A valve that regulates the flow of air.

In the present invention, the stabilization system for the airflow flowing into the sensor has the structure of a splitter, and the splitter has: a vacuum pressure gauge for measuring the pressure in the pipe connected to the sensor; a bypass pipe; and a vacuum pump installed in the Piping; regulating valve, set in the bypass pipe; controller, detecting the pressure of the vacuum pressure gauge to adjust the regulating valve.

At this time, the regulating valve is controlled proportionally by the controller or controlled by the PWM control method.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail through specific embodiments with reference to the drawings.

3 is a structural conceptual diagram showing the stabilization system and peripheral structure of the sensor inflow airflow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Here, in comparison with the situation of the existing semiconductor device manufacturing equipment, an orifice plate 230 is formed at the end of the sensor connection pipe 300 connecting the process chamber 100 and the sensor device 200 through the port, and the orifice plate 230 is formed in the piping portion where the orifice plate is formed. A bypass pipe 315 is provided, and a manually operated dry pump 330 is also provided in the bypass pipe as a constituent element for the stabilization system. The operator controls the vacuum pressure gauges at various positions, and adjusts the flow and flow of the gas through the dry pump 330 for the stabilization system and the attached valve. The front end of the dry pump 330 for the stabilization system shown here is also adjusted. In the valve 320, a regulating valve 325 is further provided at a portion of the sensor connecting pipe close to the orifice plate.

Here, the inflow port of the dry pump 330 for the stabilization system is connected to the sensor connection pipe 300 through the piping portion provided with the orifice plate 230, and the discharge port of the dry pump and the discharge port of the sensor device are in process The process chamber combined with the chamber 100 is connected to the process chamber vacuum tube 150 at the back end of the vacuum pump 140, and the gas is discharged to the vacuum tube 160 of the device.

Although not explicitly shown in the figure, at this time, the sensor connection pipe, the bypass pipe, and the sensor device are respectively connected to the three branches of the splitter connection pipe. At this time, the three branches are connected The splitter connecting pipe and the branch of the sensor device can be fixedly or alternatively provided with an orifice plate.

In this structure, the stabilization system dry pump 330 connected to the sensor connection pipe 300 removes the excess gas that has not flowed into the sensor device 200:MS from the sensor connection pipe 300 and enters the sensor device 200 inlet , The orifice 230 is provided on the pipe to constantly adjust the flow rate of the gas introduced from the pipe to the sensor device 200.

According to this structure, the data distortion phenomenon caused by the pressure change of the process chamber 100 is prevented, and the data delay phenomenon caused by the dead space (dead volume) of the sensor connection pipe 300 is improved.

However, compared with the current embodiment, it is explained that the stability of the sensor device 200 is maintained. However, the operator manually adjusts the dry pump 330 for the stabilization system and needs to press the orifice plate according to the pressure condition of the process chamber 100. It is difficult to respond quickly when the pressure of the process chamber 100 changes sharply when the 230 is replaced and the size is adjusted.

Of course, in the case where a needle valve (not shown) that can be adjusted without replacement is provided at the entrance of the sensor device 200 instead of the orifice plate 230, this cumbersomeness is reduced, but there is still a problem that the response cannot be sufficiently rapid.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the sensor connecting pipe 400 between the process chamber 100 and the sensor device 200 is provided with a splitter as an air flow stabilization system.

Here, instead of the configuration of the simple bypass pipe and the dry pump 330 for stabilization system of FIG. 3, a stabilization system of an automatic air flow is provided. As a system for stabilizing the air flow, a first automatic valve 451 and a flow regulating valve that have a shut down function in the form of an opening/closing valve are installed at the port position of the gas flowing into the process chamber 100 to the sensor connection pipe 400 Or a second automatic valve 452 in the form of a pressure regulating valve, which is adjusted by a stabilization system controller 440 that obtains a detection signal of a vacuum pressure gauge P2:420 for a stabilization system.

The air flow stabilization system is also provided: a dry pump 430 for the stabilization system is installed in the branch pipe or bypass pipe 415 that is branched by the sensor connection pipe 400 through the orifice plate 230; the third automatic valve 453 is installed in this side Through pipe 415. The discharge port of the dry pump 430 for the stabilization system is shown in FIG. 3, and the discharge port of the sensor device 200 is connected to the process chamber vacuum tube 150 at the rear end of the process chamber vacuum pump 140 combined with the process chamber 100, and passes The vacuum tube 160 of the device exhausts gas. The third automatic valve and the stabilization system dry pump 430 are also adjusted by the stabilization system controller 440 that obtains the detection signal of the vacuum pressure gauge P2:420 for the stabilization system.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the stabilization system controller 440 is connected to the operator interface 460 in a manner of being adjusted by an operator located at a remote end to enable remote control (remote control).

In addition, the stabilization system controller 440 is linked with a timer and has a scheduler function that is run by a program input in advance. In this case, the stabilization system controller 440 can operate within the pre-booked time and interrupt the operation of various elements such as valves or vacuum pumps of the stabilization system. As shown in the figure, the stabilization system controller is usually The 440 can be configured to transmit and receive signals with the MS, which is the sensor device, and can be linked to start operation at a predetermined time, and finish the operation within the predetermined time.

Suppose that the user controls the MS and the splitter at the same time during the external remote adjustment, opens the on-off valve 451 and the automatic valve 452 within the time specified by the schedule function, and only when the chamber gas is supplied, the MS performs the measurement. In addition, The MS can also interrupt the measurement when the valve is completely closed.

In this structure, regardless of the process pressure change in the process chamber, the automatic adjustment makes the sample gas flow into the MS in a predetermined manner.

An orifice plate or a metering valve is installed at the entrance of the sensor device, and the amount of gas flowing into the sensor device can be adjusted. The branch pipe (branch pipe) connected to the pipe and the dry pump installed in the branch pipe can be used to remove from the sample tube and cannot flow in. The residual gas of the sensor device thus has the effect of removing invalid space and preventing data delay from occurring.

In addition, the vacuum pressure gauge of the stabilization system installed in the connecting pipe continuously transmits the pressure value to the controller, and the controller adjusts each automatic valve regardless of the pressure in the process chamber, and the pressure in the connecting pipe is always maintained.

The valve of the embodiment of the present invention that performs automatic adjustment will be described in more detail. As the automatic adjustment valve, a currently used ALD valve (atomic layer deposition valve) or a proportional control valve capable of fine flow adjustment is used.

The ALD valve is currently used, and it is easy to select a finished product and use it. Therefore, there is an advantage that the system is relatively easy to configure. The automatic valve adjustment is provided with a pulse width modulation (PWM: pulse width modulation) circuit for use. In this PWM control, the controller receives the input pressure at the front end of the piping dry pump (pressure in the piping), and determines the opening and closing cycle of the automatic valve through feedback.

However, the ALD valve of this structure has the following shortcomings. In the case of less than 10 Hz, the pressure damping is severe, and the life of the valve is greatly shortened, and the structure is large and complicated.

In addition, the proportional control valve is provided with a metering valve as a flow regulating valve and a servo actuator for automatic flow adjustment of the metering valve. Like the ALD valve, the proportional control valve is also equipped with a vacuum pressure gauge for measuring the degree of vacuum.

The proportional control valve linear control is used for the opening and closing amount of the opening and closing action, and there is no pressure damping phenomenon. It can be controlled stably by using a proven metering valve. The service life is the same as the service life of the valve body, and there is no problem of shortening the life. Install the electric heater. However, in order to form a new type of proportional control valve, it is necessary to develop a controller that matches this combination.

In addition, with the structure of this embodiment, the temperature control of the connecting pipe and the splitter is performed by installing a heat jacket such as a connecting pipe or a valve or other types of heaters, thereby preventing the process of depositing inside the pipe. In addition, it is possible to realize that there is no change in the analysis value (measurement value, detection value) of the sensor device due to the influence of the pressure change caused by the temperature change in the space.

The temperature control of the piping by the heater can also be performed by the controller. In this case, the temperature sensor is installed in the connecting pipe or the orifice valve at the inlet of the sensor device, and it is necessary to connect the connecting pipe or the connecting pipe. The operation of transmitting the temperature of the gas in the main body of the component or the connecting pipe to the controller.

In the present invention, the controller for the stabilization system required for automatic adjustment will be described in more detail. The controller makes all the constituent elements of the stabilization system for automatic adjustment and airflow, or only the elements restricted by the automatic adjustment, part of the elements Manual adjustments are also made. In addition, it is assumed that an automatic valve that receives pressure information from the sensor connected to the pipe and automatically adjusts the amount of gas flowing into the self-made process chamber. In addition, it is also possible to maintain manual adjustment of the vacuum pump or the attached valve installed in the bypass pipe.

It is assumed that the controller has an automatic valve control function and a heater control function. In other respects, the heater control is recognized as a temperature control function. In addition, the dry pump, which is a vacuum pump connected to the piping, is also controlled by an on/off method.

The controller itself can be thought of by a computer and can also directly control the constituent elements, but it can also be combined with an existing computer and transmit control signals through the computer to have a structure to control each constituent element. Of course, for this situation, the computer needs to set up software, that is, the corresponding program, to receive the signal from the controller to generate and transmit the signal to control each component.

In summary, the present invention is explained through the limited embodiments, but they are only used for illustration and description to help understand the present invention, and the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments.

Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement various modifications or application examples based on the present invention, and such modifications or application examples naturally belong to the scope of the claims.

According to the present invention, the gas flow stabilization system is used to prevent the internal pressure of the sensor device connected to the process chamber of the vacuum suitable for manufacturing equipment, that is, MS, from rapidly changing according to the pressure change of the process chamber, and the sensor analysis value The situation where a huge change occurs and the reliability of the analysis value data is reduced, and the situation where a delay occurs when the sensor device detects the current state of the process chamber.

According to the present invention, the endurance life of the MS sensor device is increased, and the necessity of maintenance is reduced, so that the management burden can be reduced.

10, 100: process cavity 11: Residual gas analyzer 13: Turbo molecular pump 14, 330, 430: dry pump 15: Pump connection piping 20, 200: sensor device 21: Shell 22: Vacuum pressure gauge 23: Gas inflow device 24: Ionization device 25: Mass analyzer 26: Detector 30, 300, 400: Sensor connection piping 31: Port 40: Process gas regulation system 50: Flow Regulator (MFC) 140: Vacuum pump for process chamber 150: Process chamber vacuum tube 160: Equipment vacuum tube 230: orifice plate 320, 435: regulating valve 315, 415: Bypass pipe 451: switch valve 452, 453: automatic valve 420: Vacuum pressure gauge for stabilization system (P2) 440: Controller for stabilization system 460: Operator Interface

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a vacuum process chamber suitable for existing manufacturing equipment and a sensor device connected here;

Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram of the structure of an MS as a sensor device;

3 is a conceptual diagram showing the stabilization system and peripheral structure of the sensor inflow airflow according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a stabilization system and peripheral structure of the inflow airflow of the sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

100: process cavity

140: Vacuum pump for process chamber

150: Process chamber vacuum tube

160: Equipment vacuum tube

200: Sensor device

220: vacuum pressure gauge

230: orifice plate

400: Sensor connection piping

415: Bypass

420: Vacuum pressure gauge for stabilization system (P2)

430: Dry pump

440: Controller for stabilization system

451: On-off valve

452, 453: Automatic valve

460: Operator Interface

Claims (8)

A stabilization system for a sensor inflow airflow, which is suitable for a vacuum pump for a process chamber having a process chamber, a process chamber for removing internal gas from the process chamber, and a sensor connected to a pipe to receive the transferred process chamber In the manufacturing equipment of a sensor device for detecting internal gas and detecting components, the stabilization system of the sensor inflow airflow includes: The sensor is connected to the piping; and The bypass pipe is used to discharge a part of the gas that has not been put into the sensor device in the sensor connection pipe to the outside, wherein In the sensor connection piping, a part of the internal gas of the process chamber is stably supplied to the sensor device within a predetermined range per hour in a manner independent of changes in the pressure state of the process chamber. The stabilization system of the sensor inflow airflow according to claim 1, wherein the sensor connection pipe and the sensor device are connected by an orifice plate, and the bypass pipe is connected to the sensor The connection pipe and the part of the orifice plate of the sensor device are connected to the sensor connection pipe, and a vacuum pump for a stabilization system is provided in the bypass pipe. The stabilization system for the sensor inflow airflow according to claim 2, further provided with a vacuum pressure gauge for a stabilization system for measuring the gas pressure in the sensor connection pipe, and the stabilization system is provided with a vacuum pump Make the observation of the stabilization system with a vacuum pressure gauge and manual adjustment. The stabilization system for the inflow airflow from the sensor as described in claim 2 is also provided with: The vacuum pressure gauge for the stabilization system is used to measure the gas pressure in the connecting pipe of the sensor; An automatic valve is provided at the inlet portion that receives the internal gas of the process chamber from the sensor connection pipe; The stabilization system controller receives pressure information detected by the stabilization system vacuum pressure gauge, adjusts the inflow of gas through the automatic valve, and regulates the operation of the stabilization system vacuum pump. The stabilization system of the sensor inflow airflow according to claim 4, wherein the automatic valve is controlled by a proportional control or a pulse width modulation method by the controller for the stabilization system. The stabilization system for sensor inflow airflow according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a heater and a temperature sensor are provided in the connecting pipe or the automatic valve, and the stabilization system controller receives the The temperature information of the temperature sensor adjusts the operation of the heater. The stabilization system for the inflow airflow from the sensor as described in claim 3 is also provided with: An automatic valve is provided at the inlet portion that receives the internal gas of the process chamber from the sensor connection pipe; The stabilization system controller receives pressure information detected by the vacuum pressure gauge for the stabilization system and adjusts the inflow of gas through the automatic valve. The stabilization system for sensor inflow airflow according to any one of claims 2 to 5 or 7, wherein the sensor connection pipe, the bypass pipe, and the sensor device are respectively connected to a splitter The three branches of the tube are connected, The orifice plate is provided at the branch connecting the splitter connecting pipe and the sensor device.

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