Semiconductor processing system, accretion control method, and foreline assembly

Abstract

A semiconductor processing system includes a chamber configuration, a discharge configuration connected to the chamber configuration, a deposit sensor supported within the discharge configuration, and a processor. The processor is disposed to communicate with the deposit sensor and, in response to instructions recorded on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, receives a deposit signal from the deposit sensor indicating a deposit amount within the discharge configuration, receives a predetermined deposit amount value, and compares the deposit amount with the predetermined deposit amount value. When the received deposit amount is greater than the predetermined deposit amount value, the instructions further cause the processor to execute a deposit countermeasure. A method for controlling deposits within a discharge configuration of a semiconductor processing system and a front-end piping assembly for a semiconductor processing system are also described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to fabricating semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to controlling accretion in exhaust arrangements used in semiconductor processing systems during the fabrication of semiconductor devices. Prior Art

[0002] Semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits, power electronics, displays, and solar devices are typically manufactured by depositing a material layer onto a substrate. Material layer deposition typically involves supporting the substrate in a reaction chamber, adjusting the environment within the reaction chamber to one suitable for depositing the material layer onto the substrate, and providing one or more precursors to the reaction chamber. The reaction chamber flows the one or more precursors over the substrate, typically depending on the environmental conditions within the reaction chamber, such that the desired material layer is deposited onto the substrate during deposition, and thereafter (and / or simultaneously) residual precursors and / or reaction products are exhausted from the reaction chamber to an exhaust configuration.

[0003] In some material layer deposition techniques, a portion of residual precursors and / or reaction products may accumulate in the reaction chamber and / or exhaust arrangement. Without countermeasures, this accumulation of residual precursors and / or reaction products may alter environmental conditions within the reaction chamber during the material layer deposition process. For example, accumulation of residual precursors and / or reaction products on the interior surfaces of the reaction chamber may alter the thermal environment within the reaction chamber, such as by changing the transmittance (or thermal conductivity) of the walls forming the reaction chamber. Accumulation of residual precursors and / or reaction products can alter flow conditions within the reaction chamber, for example, by reducing the flow area within the reaction chamber and / or exhaust arrangement. Furthermore, the accumulation of residual precursors and / or reaction products may alter the operation of various devices within the reaction chamber and / or the exhaust arrangement, such as by fouling sensors and / or flow control devices disposed within the reaction chamber and / or the exhaust arrangement, for example, by reducing the stroke of valve components in the flow control devices within the exhaust arrangement that transport residual precursors and / or reaction products from the reaction chamber to the external environment.

[0004] Various strategies exist to limit the impact that residual precursors and / or reaction products might otherwise have on material layer deposition. For example, an etchant can be periodically supplied to the reaction chamber and / or exhaust arrangement to remove accumulations of residual precursors and / or reaction products. The reaction chamber and / or exhaust arrangement can also be periodically disassembled, and residual precursors and / or reaction products removed from the interior surfaces of the disassembled reaction chamber and / or exhaust arrangement components. While generally satisfactory for its intended purpose, etching effectiveness can be limited in relatively cool areas, and the downtime associated with disassembly often limits the availability (and throughput) of the reaction chamber.

[0005] Such systems and methods have generally been satisfactory for their intended purposes. However, there remains a need in the art for improved exhaust arrangements, semiconductor processing systems, and methods for controlling clogging in exhaust arrangements of semiconductor processing systems. The present disclosure provides a solution to this need. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A semiconductor processing system includes a chamber arrangement, an exhaust arrangement connected to the chamber arrangement, a congestion sensor supported within the exhaust arrangement, and a processor. The processor is positioned to communicate with the congestion sensor and, in response to instructions recorded on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, receives a congestion signal from the congestion sensor indicating an amount of congestion within the exhaust arrangement, receives a predetermined congestion amount value, and compares the congestion amount to the predetermined congestion amount value. When the received congestion amount is greater than the predetermined congestion amount value, the instructions further cause the processor to execute a congestion countermeasure. In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further examples may include:

[0007] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system can include that the fouling sensor includes a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) structure.

[0008] In addition or alternatively to one or more features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include the exhaust arrangement including a front-end piping assembly connected to the chamber arrangement, and the quartz crystal microbalance structure is supported in the front-end piping assembly.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, further examples of the semiconductor processing system can include the deposit volume being disposed on the quartz crystal microbalance structure.

[0010] In addition or alternatively to one or more features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may be that the exhaust arrangement includes an exhaust conduit connected to the chamber arrangement, wherein the sludge sensor is supported in the exhaust conduit.

[0011] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more features described above, further examples of the semiconductor processing system may include an isolation valve connecting the exhaust conduit to the chamber arrangement, the isolation valve separating the sludge sensor from the chamber arrangement.

[0012] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include a pressure control valve disposed along the exhaust conduit, the pressure control valve being between the sludge sensor and the chamber configuration.

[0013] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include the exhaust conduit having an etchant port, and the pressure control valve may be between the stagnation sensor and the etchant port.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include an etchant conduit connected to the etchant port and an etchant source connected to the etchant conduit and bypassing the chamber configuration, the etchant bypassing the chamber configuration and provided to the exhaust conduit.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include a maintenance valve connected to the exhaust conduit, and the siltation sensor is supported in the exhaust conduit between the maintenance valve and the chamber arrangement.

[0016] In addition or alternatively to one or more features described above, further examples of the semiconductor processing system can include that the etchant source includes chlorine gas (Cl 2 ).

[0017] In addition to or alternatively to one or more features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include: an exhaust conduit connected to the chamber configuration, the sludge sensor supported within the exhaust conduit; an etchant conduit connected to the exhaust conduit; and an etchant source connected to the etchant conduit, the etchant conduit bypassing the chamber configuration.

[0018] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include a reducing agent conduit connected to the etchant conduit, a reducing agent supply valve disposed along the reducing agent conduit, and an etchant supply valve disposed along the etchant conduit. The reducing agent conduit may be connected to the etchant conduit between the etchant supply valve and the exhaust conduit to introduce a reducing agent into an etchant provided by the etchant source within the etchant conduit.

[0019] In addition to or alternatively to one or more features described above, a further example of the semiconductor processing system may include the etchant supply valve and the reducing agent supply valve operably associated with the processor to heat the exhaust conduit using heat generated by reducing the etchant with the reducing agent within the etchant conduit.

[0020] In addition or alternatively to one or more features described above, further examples of the semiconductor processing system may include the etchant source comprising chlorine gas (Cl 2 ), and the reducing agent source comprising hydrogen gas (H 2 ).

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more features described above, further examples of the semiconductor processing system may include a precursor delivery arrangement. The precursor delivery arrangement may include: a silicon-containing precursor source connected to the chamber arrangement and, via the chamber arrangement, to the exhaust arrangement; an etchant source connected to the exhaust arrangement via an etchant conduit, the etchant conduit bypassing the chamber arrangement such that etchant provided to the exhaust arrangement does not pass through the chamber arrangement; and a reducing agent source connected to the etchant conduit such that reducing agent provided to the exhaust arrangement does not pass through the chamber arrangement.

[0022] In addition to or alternatively to one or more features described above, further examples of the semiconductor processing system may include wherein the countermeasures performed by the processor include fluidly separating the exhaust arrangement from the chamber arrangement, fluidly coupling the exhaust arrangement to an etchant source, fluidly coupling the exhaust arrangement to a reducing agent source, and heating the exhaust arrangement using a reducing agent provided by the reducing agent source and an etchant provided by the etchant source.

[0023] In addition to or alternatively to one or more features described above, further examples of the semiconductor processing system may include the chamber configuration including a pedestal rotatably supported within a chamber body, the chamber body configured to flow a material layer precursor over a substrate mounted on the pedestal.

[0024] A method for controlling siltation is provided. The method includes, in a semiconductor processing system as described above, receiving, at a processor, a siltation signal from a siltation sensor indicating an amount of siltation within the exhaust arrangement; receiving, at the processor, a predetermined siltation amount; comparing, by the processor, the received siltation amount with the predetermined siltation amount; and executing, by the processor, a siltation countermeasure when the received siltation amount is greater than the predetermined siltation amount. The countermeasure includes at least one of: (a) providing a user output to a user interface operatively associated with the processor, (b) fluidly separating the exhaust arrangement from the chamber arrangement, (c) providing an etchant to the exhaust arrangement, and (d) providing a reducing agent to the exhaust arrangement to heat the exhaust arrangement.

[0025] A front-end piping assembly for a semiconductor processing system is provided. The front-end piping assembly includes: an exhaust conduit; an isolation valve and a maintenance valve disposed along the exhaust conduit for fluidically coupling the semiconductor processing system to a drain pump; and a pressure control valve disposed between the isolation valve and the maintenance valve for controlling the pressure within a chamber of the semiconductor processing system. A sludge sensor is disposed in the exhaust conduit between the pressure control valve and the maintenance valve to provide a sludge signal indicating an amount of sludge within the exhaust conduit. An etchant port is defined along the exhaust conduit between the isolation valve and the pressure control valve to use an etchant to remove sludge from the exhaust conduit using the sludge signal.

[0026] This summary is provided to introduce a series of concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are further described in detail in the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Simple diagram description

[0027] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure disclosed herein will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, certain embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a semiconductor processing system including a drain arrangement and a fouling sensor according to the present disclosure, illustrating fouling disposed within the drain arrangement; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the semiconductor processing system of FIG. 1 showing a precursor delivery arrangement coupled to a chamber arrangement and a controller positioned to communicate with a fouling sensor according to one embodiment; FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the semiconductor processing system of FIG1 showing a material layer deposited onto a substrate supported within a chamber configuration according to one embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the semiconductor processing system of FIG. 1 showing a pressure control valve and an isolation valve fluidly coupling a siltation sensor to a chamber arrangement according to one embodiment; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another semiconductor processing system constructed according to the present disclosure, showing an etchant source directly connected to an exhaust arrangement to provide etchant to the exhaust arrangement without flowing the etchant through the chamber arrangement; FIG6 and FIG7 are schematic diagrams of the semiconductor processing system of FIG5 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, showing that when an accumulation sensor indicates that accumulation in the exhaust arrangement exceeds a predetermined accumulation thickness, etchant is directly provided to the exhaust arrangement via an etchant conduit; FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another semiconductor processing system constructed according to the present disclosure, showing an etchant source and a reducing agent source directly connected to an exhaust arrangement via a common etchant conduit; 9 to 11 are schematic diagrams of the semiconductor processing system of FIG. 8 , showing that when an accumulation sensor indicates that accumulation in the exhaust arrangement exceeds a predetermined accumulation thickness, an etchant and a reducing agent are provided to the exhaust arrangement via an etchant conduit; and

[0028] FIG. 12 is a process flow diagram of a method of controlling stagnation within a drain arrangement of a semiconductor processing system, showing operations of the method according to an illustrative and non-limiting example of the method.

[0029] It should be understood that the elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the relative sizes of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure. Implementation Method

[0030] Reference will now be made to the drawings, in which like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a partial view of an example semiconductor processing system having a drain arrangement and a fouling sensor according to the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1 and is generally designated by reference character 100. As will be described, FIG. 2 through FIG. 12 provide further examples of semiconductor processing systems and methods for controlling fouling in drain arrangements for semiconductor processing systems according to the present disclosure or aspects thereof. The disclosed systems and methods may be used to control fouling in drain arrangements for semiconductor processing systems used to deposit material layers, such as epitaxial material layers deposited using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques, onto substrates, but the present disclosure is not limited to any particular deposition technique or semiconductor processing system for general material layer deposition.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1 , a semiconductor processing system 100 is shown. The semiconductor processing system 100 includes a precursor delivery arrangement 102, a chamber arrangement 104, an exhaust arrangement 106, and a controller 108. The precursor delivery arrangement 102 is connected to the chamber arrangement 104 and is configured to provide a material layer precursor 10 to the chamber arrangement 104. The chamber arrangement 104 is configured to flow the material layer precursor 10 over a substrate to deposit a material layer onto the substrate, such as depositing a material layer 12 (shown in FIG. 3 ) onto a substrate 14 (shown in FIG. 3 ) comprising a semiconductor wafer, and to exhaust residual precursor and / or reaction products 16 to the exhaust arrangement 106. The exhaust arrangement 106 is fluidically coupled to an external environment 18 outside the semiconductor processing system 100, is fluidically coupled to the chamber arrangement 104, and is configured to communicate residual precursor and / or reaction products 16 to the external environment 18.

[0032] As used herein, the term "substrate" may refer to any underlying material or materials upon which a device, circuit, or film may be used or formed. A "substrate" may be continuous or discontinuous; rigid or flexible; solid or porous. A substrate may be in any form, such as a powder, a plate, or a workpiece. Substrates in plate form may include wafers of various shapes and sizes. As non-limiting examples, substrates may be made of materials such as silicon, silicon germanium, silicon oxide, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide. A continuous substrate may extend beyond the boundaries of a processing chamber where a deposition process occurs and may be moved through the processing chamber, allowing the process to continue until the end of the substrate is reached. A continuous substrate may be supplied by a continuous substrate feeding system that allows the continuous substrate to be manufactured and output in any suitable form.

[0033] As explained, in some semiconductor processing systems, residual precursor and / or reaction product accumulation within the exhaust arrangement of the semiconductor processing system may reduce the reliability of the semiconductor processing system and / or affect the quality of material layers deposited on substrates using the semiconductor processing system. For example, residual precursor and / or reaction product accumulation within the exhaust arrangement may restrict flow through the exhaust arrangement, thereby affecting the environment within the chamber arrangement and introducing changes to the material layers deposited on the substrates in the chamber arrangement. Residual precursor and / or reaction product accumulation in the exhaust arrangement may also alter the operation of flow control devices in the exhaust arrangement, thereby also affecting the environment within the chamber arrangement and introducing changes to the material layers deposited on the substrates in the chamber arrangement. To limit (or prevent) the development of residual precursor and / or reaction product accumulation (e.g., accumulation 20) in the exhaust arrangement 106, the semiconductor processing system 100 includes an accumulation sensor 110.

[0034] A siltation sensor 110 is supported within the discharge arrangement 106 and is configured to provide a siltation signal 22 including information indicating the amount of residual precursor and / or reaction product disposed within the discharge arrangement 106. It is contemplated that the siltation sensor 110 is disposed in communication with the controller 108, for example, via a wired or wireless connection 112, and that the siltation sensor 110 provides the siltation signal 22 to the controller 108 via the wired or wireless connection 112. The controller 108 is further configured to execute one or more countermeasures when the siltation signal 22 indicates that the siltation 20 exceeds a predetermined amount, such as a predetermined thickness. For example, when the siltation signal 22 indicates that the siltation 20 exceeds a predetermined siltation amount, the controller 108 may provide a user output 32 (shown in FIG. 2 ) to a user interface 116 (shown in FIG. 2 ). In some examples, the controller 108 may cause an etchant (e.g., etchant 24 (shown in FIG. 5 )) to be provided to the exhaust arrangement 106 to remove the sludge 20 when the sludge signal 22 indicates that the sludge 20 exceeds a predetermined sludge level. According to some examples, the controller 108 may cause an exhaust arrangement to be heated by reducing the energy associated with the etchant 24 with a reducing agent 34 (shown in FIG. 8 ) when the sludge signal 22 indicates that the sludge 20 exceeds a predetermined sludge level, and then remove the etchant 24 by redox products 36 (shown in FIG. 8 ). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, these countermeasures are illustrative and other countermeasures may be implemented using the sludge signal 22 and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 2 , a precursor delivery arrangement 102 is shown according to an example of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2 , the precursor delivery arrangement 102 includes a first precursor source 118, a second precursor source 120, and a purge / carrier source 122. The precursor delivery arrangement 102 also includes a first precursor supply valve 124, a second precursor supply valve 126, and a purge / carrier supply valve 128. While a specific arrangement is shown in FIG. 2 , it should be understood and appreciated that the precursor delivery arrangement 102 may include other elements and / or omit the elements shown and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] The first precursor source 118 includes a silicon-containing precursor 26 and is connected to a first precursor supply valve 124. The first precursor supply valve 124 is further connected to the chamber arrangement 104, fluidly coupling the first precursor source 118 to the chamber arrangement 104 and configured to provide a flow of the silicon-containing precursor 26 to the chamber arrangement 104. In some examples, the silicon-containing precursor 26 may include silane (SiH4). According to some examples, the silicon-containing precursor 26 may include dichlorosilane (H2SiCl2) or trichlorosilane (HCl3Si). It is also contemplated that, according to some examples, the first precursor source 118 may be connected to the exhaust arrangement 106 via an exhaust conduit and a first precursor exhaust valve, with the silicon-containing precursor 26 flowing to the exhaust arrangement 106 and bypassing the chamber arrangement 104 via the first precursor exhaust valve and the exhaust conduit.

[0037] The second precursor source 120 includes a dopant-containing precursor 28 and is connected to a second precursor supply valve 126. The second precursor supply valve 126 is further connected to the chamber arrangement 104, fluidly coupling the second precursor source 120 to the chamber arrangement 104 and configured to provide a flow of the dopant-containing precursor 28 to the chamber arrangement 104. In certain examples, as a non-limiting example, the dopant-containing precursor 28 may include germanium, such as germanium (GeH4). According to certain examples, the dopant-containing precursor 28 may include an n-type dopant or a p-type dopant. Examples of suitable n-type and p-type dopants include those containing arsenic (As), boron (B), and phosphorus (P). It is contemplated that the second precursor source 120 may be connected to the exhaust arrangement 106 via an exhaust conduit and a second precursor exhaust valve, with the dopant-containing precursor 28 flowing to the exhaust arrangement 106 and bypassing the chamber arrangement 104 via the second precursor exhaust valve and exhaust conduit.

[0038] The purge / carrier source 122 includes a purge / carrier gas 30 and is connected to a purge / carrier supply valve 128. The purge / carrier supply valve 128 is further connected to the chamber arrangement 104, fluidly coupling the purge / carrier supply valve 128 to the chamber arrangement 104 and configured to provide a flow of the purge / carrier gas 30 to the chamber arrangement 104. In some examples, the purge / carrier gas 30 may include (or consist of) an inert gas, such as nitrogen (N2) or argon (Ar). According to some examples, the purge / carrier gas 30 may include hydrogen (H2). It is contemplated that the purge / carrier source 122 may be connected to the exhaust arrangement 106 via an exhaust conduit and a purge / carrier exhaust valve, with the purge / carrier gas 30 flowing to the exhaust arrangement 106 and bypassing the chamber arrangement 104 via the purge / carrier exhaust valve and the exhaust conduit.

[0039] As also shown in FIG. 2 , the controller 108 may include a memory 114, a user interface 116, a device interface 130, and a processor 132. The device interface 130 connects the controller 108 to a wired or wireless link 112 and provides communication between the siltation sensor 110 and the processor 132. The processor 132 is, in turn, operably connected to the user interface 116 and arranged to communicate with the memory 114. The memory 114 includes a non-transitory, machine-readable medium having recorded thereon a plurality of program modules 134. These program modules, when read by the processor 132, cause the processor 132 to perform certain operations. Among these operations is the operation of the siltation control method 400 (shown in FIG. 12 ), as will be described. Although a specific architecture of the controller 108 is shown in FIG. 2 and described herein, it should be understood and appreciated that the controller 108 in the examples of the present disclosure may have other architectures, such as a distributed computing architecture, and still be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 3 , a chamber configuration 104 is shown according to one example. In the depicted example, the chamber configuration 104 includes an injection flange 136, a chamber body 138, and an exhaust flange 140. The chamber configuration 104 also includes an upper lamp array 142, a lower lamp array 144, and a spacer 146. The chamber configuration 104 further includes a susceptor 148, a susceptor support 150, a shaft 152, and a drive module 154. Although shown and described herein as a single-substrate cross-flow chamber configuration, it should be understood and appreciated that other examples of the chamber configuration 104, such as micro-batch and batch configurations, remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] The chamber body 138 is formed of a transmissive material 156 and has an injection end 158 and a longitudinally opposed exhaust end 160. The chamber body 138 is configured to flow the material layer precursor 10 through the substrate 14 during deposition of the material layer 12 thereon. In some examples, the transmissive material 156 may be a ceramic material, such as quartz. According to some examples, the chamber body 138 may include a plurality of external ribs extending laterally around the chamber body 138 and longitudinally spaced apart from each other between the injection end 158 and the exhaust end 160 of the chamber body 138. It is also contemplated that the chamber body 138 may lack external ribs.

[0042] The injection flange 136 is connected to the injection end 158 of the chamber body 138, fluidly couples the precursor delivery arrangement 102 to the interior 162 of the chamber body 138, and is configured to provide access to the interior 162 of the chamber body 138 for the substrate handling robot 164 via a gate valve 166. The exhaust flange 140 is connected to the exhaust end 160 of the chamber body 138, fluidly couples the interior 162 of the chamber body 138 to the exhaust arrangement 106, and is configured to communicate residual precursors and / or reaction products 16 exhausted from the chamber body 104 to the exhaust arrangement 106. In some examples, the exhaust flange 140 can be as shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 10,612,136, issued on April 7, 2020 to Sreeram et al., the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0043] The upper lamp array 142 is supported above the chamber body 138 (relative to gravity), includes a plurality of linear lamps, and is radiatively coupled to the interior 162 of the chamber body 138 via a transmissive material 156 forming an upper wall of the chamber body 138. The lower lamp array 144 is similar to the upper lamp array 142, but is additionally supported below the chamber body 138 and radiatively coupled to the interior 162 of the chamber body 138 via a transmissive material 156 forming a lower wall of the chamber body 138. It is contemplated that the upper and lower lamp arrays 142, 144 are configured to radiatively heat the substrate 14 using electromagnetic radiation, such as electromagnetic radiation in the infrared band, emitted by the plurality of linear lamps included in the upper and lower lamp arrays 142, 144. In some examples, the upper lamp array 142 can extend longitudinally between an injection end 158 and an exhaust end 160 of the chamber body 138. According to some embodiments, the lower lamp array 144 can extend laterally below the chamber body 138. It is also contemplated that the linear lamps included in the lower lamp array 144 can be angled relative to the linear lamps included in the upper lamp array 142, such as orthogonally.

[0044] A divider 146 is disposed within the interior 162 of the chamber body 138, dividing the interior 162 of the chamber body 138 into an upper chamber 168 and a lower chamber 170, and has an aperture 172 extending therethrough. Aperture 172 fluidly couples the upper chamber 168 to the lower chamber 170 of the chamber body 138 and extends about a rotational axis 174. In some examples, the divider 146 can be formed from an opaque material 176 that is opaque to the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the upper and lower lamp arrays 142, 144. Examples of suitable opaque materials include graphite coated with silicon carbide.

[0045] The base 148 is disposed in the aperture 172, rotatably supported about a rotation axis 174, and rotationally fixed relative to the base support 150. The base support 150 is disposed along the rotation axis 174, couples the base 148 to the shaft 152, and is rotationally fixed relative to the shaft 152. The shaft 152 extends along the rotation axis 174 and through the lower wall of the chamber body 138, and couples the drive module 154 to the base 148. The drive module 154 is operably associated with the shaft 152, and is associated with the base support 150 and the base 148 via the shaft 152, and is configured to rotate (R) the base 148 about the rotation axis 174. In some examples, the base 148 may be formed from an opaque material 176. According to some examples, either or both the base support 150 and the shaft 152 may be formed from the transmissive material 156 forming the chamber body 138.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 4 , an exhaust arrangement 106 is shown according to one example. In the illustrated example, the exhaust arrangement 106 includes an exhaust conduit 178, an isolation valve 180, and a pressure control valve 182. The exhaust arrangement 106 also includes a maintenance valve 184, a drain pump 186, and a sludge sensor 110. In certain examples, the exhaust conduit 178, the pressure control valve 182, and the sludge sensor 110 can be configured as a front-end piping assembly 188, which allows the exhaust arrangement 106 to be packaged with components of the chamber arrangement 104 and limits the footprint of the semiconductor processing system 100. Although shown and described as having certain components, it should be understood and appreciated that the exhaust arrangement 106 can have different configurations in other examples and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] The exhaust conduit 178 fluidly couples the exhaust pump 186 to the chamber arrangement 104 and is configured to communicate residual precursors and / or reaction products 16 exhausted from the chamber body 104 to the exhaust pump 186. The exhaust pump 186, in turn, fluidly couples the exhaust conduit 178 to an external environment 18 outside the semiconductor processing system 100 and is configured to communicate residual precursors and / or reaction products 16 exhausted from the chamber arrangement 104 to the external environment 18. In some examples, the exhaust pump 186 may include a vacuum pump.

[0048] Isolation valve 180 connects exhaust conduit 178 to chamber arrangement 104 and is configured to provide selective fluid communication between exhaust conduit 178 and chamber arrangement 106. In this regard, it is contemplated that isolation valve 180 includes a valve member supported therein, having an open position in which isolation valve 180 fluidly couples exhaust conduit 178 to chamber arrangement 104, and a closed position in which isolation valve 180 fluidly separates exhaust conduit 178 from chamber arrangement 104. In some examples, isolation valve 180 may include a manual actuator for manually moving the valve member within isolation valve 180 between an open position and a closed position. According to some examples, isolation valve 180 may include an electric actuator, such as a solenoid, for moving the valve member within isolation valve 180 between an open position and a closed position. In such examples, isolation valve 180 may be operatively associated with controller 108 for opening and closing isolation valve 180. As will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, closing of isolation valve 180 facilitates maintenance of drain conduit 178 and / or pressure control valve 182.

[0049] Maintenance valve 184 connects drain conduit 178 to drain pump 186 and is configured to provide selective fluid communication between drain conduit 178 and drain pump 186. In this regard, it is contemplated that maintenance valve 184 has an open position, in which maintenance valve 184 fluidly couples drain conduit 178 to drain pump 186, and a closed position, in which maintenance valve 184 decouples drain conduit 178 from drain pump 186. In some examples, maintenance valve 184 may include a manual actuator for manually moving a valve member within maintenance valve 184 between an open position and a closed position. According to some examples, maintenance valve 184 may include an electric actuator, such as a solenoid, for moving the valve member between an open position and a closed position. In such examples, maintenance valve 184 may be operatively associated with controller 108 to open and close maintenance valve 184. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, closing maintenance valve 184 also facilitates maintenance of drain conduit 178 and / or pressure control valve 182.

[0050] A pressure control valve 182 is disposed along the discharge conduit 178 between the isolation valve 180 and the maintenance valve 184, fluidly downstream of the isolation valve 180 relative to the general flow direction between the chamber arrangement 104 and the discharge pump 186, and is configured to control the pressure within the chamber arrangement 104. In certain examples, the pressure control valve 182 may include a throttle member supported therein for adjusting the effective flow area between the chamber arrangement 104 and the discharge pump 186. According to certain examples, the pressure control valve 182 may include an electric actuator, such as a solenoid or a servo actuator, and may be operatively associated with the controller 108. Pressure control within the chamber arrangement 104 may be achieved, for example, through the coordination of a throttle member position schedule maintained in memory and pressure measurements obtained from within the chamber arrangement 104. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, other modes of pressure control valve operation are possible and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0051] A siltation sensor 110 is supported within the discharge arrangement 106 to provide a siltation signal 22 to the controller 108. More specifically, the siltation sensor 110 is supported within the discharge conduit 178 between the isolation valve 180 and the maintenance valve 184 to provide the siltation signal 22 to the controller 108. Specifically, the siltation sensor 110 is supported within the discharge conduit 178 between the pressure control valve 182 and the maintenance valve 184 to provide the siltation signal 22 to the controller 108. It is contemplated that the siltation signal 22 includes information indicating the amount of siltation within the discharge arrangement 106. In certain examples, the siltation signal 22 may indicate the amount of siltation located directly on the siltation sensor 110. According to certain examples, the siltation signal 22 may indicate the amount of siltation located at another location within the discharge arrangement 106 (e.g., within the pressure control valve 182). This may be accomplished, for example, by applying a voltage offset to the output of the silt sensor 110 that corresponds to the temperature or flow difference between the position of the silt sensor 110 and the pressure control valve 182 .

[0052] In certain examples, the siltation sensor 110 may include a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) structure 190. The QCM structure 190 may be supported within the exhaust conduit 178, such as on an interior surface or on a bracket member centrally positioned within the flow region of the exhaust conduit 178, such that the QCM structure 190 is exposed to the same exhaust gas flow conditions as other structures within the exhaust conduit 178. It is also contemplated that the QCM structure 190 may be in communication with the exhaust conduit 178 via ports and / or taps, thereby facilitating maintenance of the QCM structure 190. Advantageously, the use of the QCM structure 190 provides the ability to detect relatively small amounts of siltation directly at the location of the QCM structure 190 and / or at least in part on the QCM structure 190 itself. The ability to detect relatively small amounts of silt accumulation also allows the silt sensor 110 to be positioned at locations where silt accumulation is relatively slow, for example, within a dead-leg conduit (or tap) connected to the drain conduit 178 at a port or socket, and the detected accumulation is correlated with accumulation at locations within the drain arrangement 106 that experience more rapid silt accumulation. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, this can extend the expected service life of the silt sensor 110. An example of a suitable quartz crystal microbalance structure includes the 750-7000-GXX sensor available from INFICON GmbH of Bad Ragaz, Switzerland.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 5 , a semiconductor processing system 200 is shown. Semiconductor processing system 200 is similar to semiconductor processing system 100 (shown in FIG. 1 ) and additionally includes an etchant source 202, an etchant supply valve 204, and an etchant supply conduit 206. Etchant source 202 includes etchant 24, is connected to etchant supply valve 204, and is configured to provide a flow of etchant 24 to exhaust arrangement 106. In some examples, etchant 24 may include a halide, such as chlorine gas. According to some examples, etchant 24 may include (e.g., consist of, or consist essentially of) chlorine gas (Cl2). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, etchant 24 may include another etchant (or multiple etchants) and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0054] The etchant supply valve 204 is connected to the etchant source 202 and is configured to provide selective fluid communication between the etchant source 202 and the exhaust arrangement 106. In this regard, it is contemplated that the etchant supply valve 204 includes a valve member supported for movement within the etchant supply valve 204 between a closed position, in which the etchant supply valve 204 fluidly separates the etchant source 202 from the exhaust arrangement 106, and an open position, in which the etchant supply valve 204 fluidly couples the etchant source 202 to the exhaust arrangement 106.

[0055] In some examples, the etchant supply valve 204 may have a manual actuator to move the valve member between an open position and a closed position within the etchant supply valve 204. According to some examples, the etchant supply valve 204 may have an electric or pneumatic actuator to move the valve member between an open position and a closed position within the etchant supply valve 204. In such examples, the etchant supply valve 204 may be operatively associated with the controller 108, allowing the controller 108 to selectively provide etchant to the exhaust arrangement 106 based on the amount of stagnation indicated by the stagnation sensor 110 via the stagnation signal 22.

[0056] It is contemplated that the etchant supply valve 204 is fluidly coupled to the exhaust arrangement 106 via an etchant supply conduit 206. When a valve member within the etchant supply valve 204 is in an open position, the etchant supply conduit 206 allows the etchant 24 to flow to the exhaust arrangement 106. It is contemplated that the etchant supply conduit 206 bypasses the chamber arrangement 106, so that the etchant 24 provided by the etchant source 202 reaches the exhaust arrangement 106 without passing through the chamber arrangement 106. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, allowing the etchant 24 to flow to the exhaust arrangement 106 while passing through the chamber arrangement 104 limits the effects that the etchant 24 might otherwise have on components within the chamber arrangement 106, thereby improving chamber component life by removing material that has accumulated within the exhaust arrangement 106 and thereby avoiding unnecessary etching within the chamber arrangement 104.

[0057] In some examples, the etchant supply conduit 206 can be connected to an etchant port 208 disposed along the exhaust conduit 178 and located between the isolation valve 180 and the pressure control valve 182. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, when so positioned, the etchant 24 can be introduced into the exhaust conduit 178 at a location upstream of the pressure control valve 182. This facilitates in-situ sludge removal, i.e., without disassembling the exhaust arrangement 106, as the etchant can be drawn by the exhaust pump 186 across the pressure control valve 182 and subsequently across the sludge sensor 110, before being communicated to the external environment 18 via a scrubber or other abatement device. As will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, the etchant port 208 can be located at other locations along the exhaust conduit 178, such as between the sludge sensor 110 and the pressure control valve 182 or between the sludge sensor 110 and the maintenance valve 184, and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0058] Referring to FIG6 and FIG7 , the control of stagnation within the exhaust arrangement 106 is illustrated. As shown in FIG6 , when the amount of stagnation within the exhaust arrangement 106 indicated by the stagnation signal 22 is below a predetermined stagnation value, no action is required. In this regard, the isolation valve 180 and the maintenance valve 184 remain open, the pressure control valve 182 throttles the flow through the exhaust conduit 178 to maintain a predetermined material layer deposition pressure within the chamber arrangement 106, and the etchant supply valve 204 remains closed, preventing etchant from flowing from the etchant source 202 to the exhaust arrangement 106. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, the chamber arrangement 106 can be used to deposit a material layer onto a substrate (e.g., material layer 12 (shown in FIG3 )) or onto the substrate 14 (shown in FIG2 ) without interruption. It is contemplated that the exhaust arrangement 106 communicates residual precursor and / or reaction product 16 to the external environment 18, and the sludge signal 22 indicates that the accumulated sludge associated with the residual precursor and / or reaction product 16 flowing through the exhaust arrangement 106 remains below a predetermined sludge level.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 7 , when the fouling signal 22 provided by the fouling sensor 110 exceeds a predetermined fouling level, the controller 108 can implement countermeasures. For example, the controller 108 can provide a user output, such as user output 32 (shown in FIG. 2 ), to a user via the user interface 116 (shown in FIG. 2 ). The user can then remove fouled material from the exhaust conduit 178 by opening the etchant supply valve 204 and flowing the etchant 24 to the exhaust arrangement 106 . As those skilled in the art will appreciate in light of this disclosure, providing the user output allows the user to address fouling formation in the exhaust arrangement 106 before the fouling reaches a size sufficient for deposition of a material layer within the chamber arrangement 106 . As those skilled in the art will also appreciate in light of this disclosure, providing the user output also allows the user to limit the impact on the operation of the semiconductor processing system 200 by, for example, completing deposition of a material layer on a substrate prior to providing the etchant 24 to the exhaust arrangement 106 and subsequently processing it within the chamber arrangement 106 .

[0060] In some examples, the countermeasures executed by the controller 108 may include closing the isolation valve 180 before providing the etchant 24 to the exhaust arrangement 106. Closing the isolation valve 180 before providing the etchant 24 to the exhaust arrangement 106 fluidically separates the chamber arrangement 106 from the exhaust arrangement 106, thereby preventing the etchant 24 from affecting process conditions that may otherwise exist in the chamber arrangement 106 due to the etchant flowing back into the chamber arrangement 106 from the exhaust conduit 178. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, limiting (or preventing) changes in process conditions within the chamber arrangement 106 reduces downtime of the semiconductor processing system 200 associated with removing sludge from the exhaust arrangement 106, thereby improving the availability of the semiconductor processing system 200.

[0061] According to certain examples, the siltation signal 22 provided by the siltation sensor 110 can be utilized for endpoint detection during the removal of silt from the exhaust arrangement 106. In this regard, it is contemplated that the controller 108 closes the etchant supply valve 204 when the siltation signal 22 indicates that the amount of silt in the exhaust arrangement 106 has fallen below a predetermined siltation level during the supply of etchant 24 to the exhaust conduit 106. Advantageously, the use of the siltation sensor 110 for endpoint detection allows for in-situ removal of silt from the exhaust arrangement 106 without requiring disassembly of the exhaust arrangement 106 for visual inspection of the interior surface. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, this limits (or entirely eliminates) potential hazards that might otherwise be associated with exposing maintainers to residual silt (such as hydrochloric acid (which may adsorb from the interior surface after exposure to ambient pressure) and arsenic, located within the exhaust arrangement 106 after cleaning, as a non-limiting example.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 8 , semiconductor processing system 300 is shown. Semiconductor processing system 300 is similar to semiconductor processing system 100 (shown in FIG. 1 ) and is additionally configured to internally heat exhaust arrangement 106 to facilitate removal of sludge from exhaust arrangement 106 . In this regard, semiconductor processing system 300 includes an etchant source 302 and a reducing agent source 304 . Semiconductor processing system 300 also includes an etchant supply valve 306 , an etchant supply conduit 308 , and a reducing agent tee 310 . Semiconductor processing system 300 further includes a reducing agent supply valve 312 , a reducing agent supply conduit 314 , and a reduced-oxidation (redox) product / etchant conduit 316 . As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, semiconductor processing system 300 may include additional features and / or omit depicted features in other embodiments and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0063] The etchant source 302 includes the etchant 24 and is connected to an etchant supply valve 306. The etchant supply valve 306 is further connected to an etchant supply conduit 308 and, via the etchant supply conduit 308, to the exhaust arrangement 106 via a reducing agent tee 310 and a redox product / etchant conduit 316. The etchant supply valve 306 is configured to provide the etchant 24 for intermixing with the reducing agent 34 at the reducing agent tee 310. In some examples, the etchant supply valve 306 may include a manual actuator. According to some examples, the etchant supply valve 306 may include an electric actuator, such as a solenoid, or be incorporated into a mass flow controller (MFC) device. It is contemplated that the etchant supply valve 306 may be operatively associated with the controller 108, such as via a wired or wireless link 112, for cooperation with the reducing agent supply valve 312 and / or the isolation valve 180.

[0064] Reductant source 304 includes reductant 34 and is connected to reductant supply valve 312. Reductant supply valve 312 is in turn connected to reductant supply conduit 314, and via reductant supply conduit 314, is connected to exhaust arrangement 106 via reductant tee 310 and redox product / etchant conduit 316, and is configured to provide reductant 34 to reductant tee 310. It is contemplated that reductant 34 intermixes with etchant 24 at reductant tee 310, and that the intermixed reductant 34 and etchant 24 undergo a reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction within redox product / etchant conduit 316 to form reduced product 36. It is further contemplated that the redox reaction is exothermic, and that the reduced product thereby uses heat H (shown in FIG. 11 ) generated by the redox reaction to heat exhaust arrangement 106. In some examples, the duration and / or mass flow rate of the reducing agent 34 is selected so that the heating of the exhaust arrangement 106 increases the temperature of the sludge within the exhaust arrangement 106, where the sludge can be quickly etched away by the etchant 24. According to some examples, the reducing agent supply valve 312 can include a manual actuator or an electric actuator, such as a solenoid or a mass flow controller device, and the reducing agent supply valve 312 is operatively associated with the controller 108. An example of a suitable reducing agent includes hydrogen (H2), but other reducing agents may also be used and remain within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0065] Referring to Figures 9 through 12 , a semiconductor processing system 300 is shown when the siltation signal 22 indicates that siltation within the exhaust arrangement is less than a predetermined siltation level, and when the siltation signal 22 indicates that siltation within the exhaust arrangement 106 is greater than the predetermined siltation level. As shown in Figure 9 , when the siltation signal 22 provided by the siltation sensor 110 indicates that siltation within the exhaust arrangement 106 is less than the predetermined siltation level, material layer deposition can continue without interruption. In this regard, it is contemplated that the etchant supply valve 306 is maintained in a closed position 322, the reducing agent supply valve 312 is maintained in a closed position 324, and the isolation valve 180 and the maintenance valve 184 fluidly couple the exhaust pump 106 to the chamber arrangement 104. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, fluidly coupling the exhaust pump 186 to the chamber arrangement 104 allows the pressure control valve 182 to maintain a predetermined material layer deposition pressure within the chamber arrangement 104.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 10 , when the sludge signal 22 provided by the sludge sensor 110 indicates that sludge within the exhaust arrangement 106 is greater than a predetermined sludge level, deposition of a material layer within the chamber arrangement 104 can be interrupted, such as after deposition of the material layer on a substrate supported within the chamber arrangement 104 or upon a substrate schedule originally permitted by the semiconductor processing system 300. Sludge removal is achieved by closing the isolation valve 180, opening the etchant supply valve 306, and further opening the reducing agent supply valve 312. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, closing the isolation valve 180 fluidically isolates the chamber arrangement 104 from the exhaust arrangement 106. As will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, opening the etchant supply valve 306 causes the etchant source 302 to flow the etchant 24 to the etchant supply conduit 308, and opening the reducing agent supply valve 312 causes the reducing agent source 304 to flow the reducing agent 34 to the reducing agent supply conduit 314. It is contemplated that the etchant 24 and the reducing agent 34 intermix with one another at the reducing agent tee 310 , where a reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction occurs to produce a redox product 36 , which is provided to the exhaust arrangement 106 by the redox product / etchant conduit 316 .

[0067] In some examples, the etchant 24 may include (e.g., consist of, or consist essentially of) chlorine (Cl 2). According to some examples, the reducing agent 34 may include (e.g., consist of, or consist essentially of) hydrogen (H 2). It is also contemplated that, according to some examples, the etchant 24 may include chlorine (Cl 2) and the reducing agent may include hydrogen (H 2), in which case the reduction product 36 is hydrochloric acid (HCl). As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, the use of chlorine (Cl 2) and hydrogen (H 2) limits the duration of the interval required to generate the hydrochloric acid (HCl) due to the heat generated by the redox reaction, thereby allowing heating to be achieved relatively quickly. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure, other etchants and / or reducing agents may be used and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0068] As shown in FIG11 , the reductant supply valve 312 is then closed. Closing the reductant supply valve 312 stops the flow of the reductant 36 to the reductant tee 310 , causing the redox product / etchant conduit 316 to then only provide the etchant 24 to the exhaust arrangement 106 . Advantageously, the rate at which the etchant 24 removes the accumulated material from the exhaust arrangement 106 can be relatively rapid due to the heating of the exhaust arrangement 106 by the redox product 36 (as shown in FIG10 ). Furthermore, in instances where the redox product 36 itself is an etchant (e.g., hydrochloric acid), the redox product 36 can roughen the exposed surface of the accumulated material within the exhaust arrangement 106 , further increasing the rate at which the etchant 24 removes the accumulated material from the exhaust arrangement 106 . In some examples, the sludge signal 22 provided by the sludge sensor 110 may provide endpoint detection, and the controller 108 may determine when to stop providing the etchant 24 to the exhaust arrangement 106 by comparing the amount of sludge material indicated by the sludge signal 22 with a predetermined sludge material value.

[0069] 12 , a method 400 for controlling fouling within an exhaust arrangement for a semiconductor processing system, such as exhaust arrangement 106 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of semiconductor processing system 100 (shown in FIG. 1 ), is shown. Method 400 includes receiving a fouling signal (e.g., fouling signal 22 (shown in FIG. 1 )) and a predetermined fouling value, as indicated by blocks 410 and 420. Method 400 also includes comparing the received fouling amount to the received fouling value, as indicated by block 430. When the received fouling amount is less than the predetermined fouling value, fouling monitoring continues, as indicated by block 440 and arrow 442. When the received fouling value is greater than the predetermined fouling value, fouling countermeasures are implemented, as indicated by arrow 444 and block 450.

[0070] In some examples, the countermeasure includes providing a user output to a user interface, as shown at block 452. According to some examples, the countermeasure may include fluidly decoupling the exhaust arrangement from the chamber arrangement (e.g., chamber arrangement 104 (shown in FIG. 1 )), as shown at block 454. In further examples, the countermeasure may include providing an etchant (e.g., etchant 24 (shown in FIG. 5 )) to the chamber arrangement, as shown at block 456. It is also contemplated that according to some examples, the countermeasure may include providing both an etchant and a reducing agent (e.g., reducing agent 34 (shown in FIG. 8 )) to the chamber arrangement to heat the chamber arrangement, as shown at block 458. As shown by arrow 460, once the sludge signal indicates that the etchant has removed sufficient sludge from the exhaust arrangement such that the amount of sludge indicated in the sludge signal is less than a predetermined sludge value, the provision of the etchant to the exhaust arrangement may be stopped.

[0071] Obviously, various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present description and illustrations are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Indeed, it will be appreciated that the various systems and methods disclosed herein each possess several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for or claimed for the desirable properties disclosed herein. The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another or may be combined in various ways. All possible combinations and subcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0072] Certain features described in this specification in the context of multiple separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, while features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be removed from that combination, and a claimed combination may lead to subcombinations or variations of subcombinations. No single feature or group of features is required or indispensable for each and every embodiment.

[0073] Unless otherwise specifically stated, or otherwise understood from the context in which it is used, it will be understood that conditional language used herein (such as "can, could, might, may," "e.g.,," etc.) is generally intended to convey that some embodiments include and other embodiments do not include certain features, elements, and / or steps. Thus, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that features, elements, and / or steps are in any way essential to one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for determining, with or without author input or prompting, whether such features, elements, and / or steps are included or performed in any particular embodiment. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like are synonymous and are used in an open-ended, inclusive manner and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and the like. Similarly, the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense), such that, for example, when used to connect a list of elements, the term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the use of "a," "an," and "the" in this application and the claims that follow should be interpreted to mean "one or more" or "at least one." Similarly, although operations may be depicted in a particular order in the drawings, it should be understood that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all depicted operations need not be performed to achieve the desired results. Furthermore, one or more example methods or processes may be described herein. However, other operations may be incorporated into the example methods and processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, concurrently with, or between any of the explicitly provided operations. Furthermore, operations may be rearranged or reordered in other embodiments. Furthermore, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all embodiments. It should be understood that the program components and systems described can often be integrated into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Furthermore, other embodiments are also within the scope of the patent applications filed later. In some cases, the actions listed in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired results.

[0074] Therefore, the scope of the claims is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described herein, but is intended to be consistent with the broadest scope consistent with the present disclosure, the principles and features disclosed herein.

[0075] 10: Material layer precursor 12: Material layer 14:Substrate 16: Reaction products 18: External Environment 20: Siltation 22: Congestion signal 24: Etching agent 26: Silicon-containing precursor 28: containing dopant precursor 30: Purge / Carrier Gas 32: User output 34: Reducing agent 36: Redox products 100:Semiconductor processing system 102: Precursor delivery configuration 104: Chamber Configuration 106: discharge configuration 108:Controller 110: Siltation sensor 112: Wired or wireless connection 114: Memory 116: User Interface 118: First precursor source 120: Second precursor source 122: Purge / Carrier Source 124: First precursor supply valve 126: Second precursor supply valve 128: Purge / Carrier Supply Valve 130:Device Interface 132: Processor 134: Program Module 136: injection flange 138: Chamber body 140: discharge flange 142: Upper light array 144: Lower light array 146: spacer 148: Base 150: Base support 152: shaft 154:Driver module 156: Transmissive Materials 158: injection port 160: discharge end 162: Interior 164: Substrate handling robot 166: Gate Valve 168: Upper chamber 170:Lower chamber 172: Porosity 174: Rotation axis 176: Opaque material 178: discharge catheter 180: Isolation valve 182: Pressure control valve 184:Maintenance valve 186:Discharge pump 188:Front section pipeline assembly 190: Quartz crystal microbalance structure 200:Semiconductor processing system 202: Etchant source 204: Etchant supply valve 206: Etchant supply conduit 300:Semiconductor processing system 302: Etchant source 304: Reducing agent source 306: Etchant supply valve 308: Etchant supply conduit 310: Reducing agent T-tube 312: Reductant supply valve 314: Reducing agent supply conduit 316: Redox products, etchant conduit 322: Close position 324: Close position 400: Siltation Control Methods 410: Box 420: Box 430: Box 440: Box 442: Arrow 444: Arrow 450: Box 452: Box 454: Box 456: Box 458: Box 460: Arrow H: Hot R: Rotation

Claims

1. A semiconductor processing system, comprising: One-chamber configuration; A discharge configuration is connected to the chamber configuration; a sludge sensor is supported within the discharge configuration; And a processor, disposed to communicate with the deposit sensor, and in response to instructions recorded on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, to: receive a deposit signal from the deposit sensor indicating a deposit amount within the discharge configuration; receive a predetermined deposit amount value; compare the deposit amount with the predetermined deposit amount value; and, when the deposit amount is greater than the predetermined deposit amount value, execute a deposit countermeasure.

2. The semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein the sludge sensor includes a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) structure.

3. The semiconductor processing system of claim 2, wherein the discharge configuration includes a front-end piping assembly connected to the chamber configuration, and wherein the quartz crystal microbalance structure is supported in the front-end piping assembly.

4. The semiconductor processing system of claim 2, wherein the deposit is at least partially placed on the quartz crystal microbalance structure.

5. The semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein the discharge configuration includes a discharge conduit connected to one of the chamber configurations, wherein the sludge sensor is supported in the discharge conduit.

6. The semiconductor processing system of claim 5 further includes connecting the discharge conduit to an isolation valve of the chamber configuration, wherein the isolation valve separates the sludge sensor from the chamber configuration.

7. The semiconductor processing system of claim 5 further includes a pressure control valve disposed along the discharge conduit, wherein the pressure control valve is disposed between the sludge sensor and the chamber.

8. The semiconductor processing system of claim 7, wherein the discharge conduit has an etchant port, wherein the pressure control valve is located between the sludge sensor and the etchant port.

9. The semiconductor processing system of claim 8 further includes: An etchant conduit is connected to the etchant port; And an etchant source connected to the etchant conduit and bypassing the chamber configuration, the etchant being provided to the discharge conduit bypassing the chamber configuration.

10. The semiconductor processing system of claim 9, wherein the etchant source includes chlorine gas (Cl2).

11. The semiconductor processing system of claim 5 further includes a maintenance valve connected to the discharge conduit, wherein the sludge sensor is supported in the discharge conduit between the maintenance valve and the chamber configuration.

12. The semiconductor processing system of claim 1 further includes: A discharge conduit connected to the chamber configuration, wherein the sludge sensor is supported within the discharge conduit; an etchant conduit connected to the discharge conduit; and an etchant source connected to the etchant conduit, the etchant conduit bypassing the chamber configuration.

13. The semiconductor processing system of claim 12 further includes: A reducing agent conduit connected to the etchant conduit; a reducing agent supply valve disposed along the reducing agent conduit; an etchant supply valve disposed along the etchant conduit; and wherein the reducing agent conduit is connected between the etchant supply valve and the discharge conduit to the etchant conduit to introduce a reducing agent into an etchant supplied by the etchant source within the etchant conduit.

14. The semiconductor processing system of claim 13, wherein the etchant supply valve and the reductant supply valve are operatively associated with the processor to heat the discharge conduit using the heat generated by reducing the etchant with the reductant within the etchant conduit.

15. The semiconductor processing system of claim 13, wherein the etchant source includes chlorine (Cl2) and the reducing agent includes hydrogen (H2).

16. The semiconductor processing system of claim 1 further includes a precursor delivery configuration, the precursor delivery configuration comprising: A silicon-containing precursor source is connected to the chamber configuration and connected via the chamber configuration to the discharge configuration; an etchant source is connected to the discharge configuration via an etchant conduit that bypasses the chamber configuration such that etchant supplied to the discharge configuration does not pass through the chamber configuration; and a reducing agent source is connected to the etchant conduit such that reducing agent supplied to the discharge configuration does not pass through the chamber configuration.

17. The semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein the countermeasure performed by the processor includes: This separates the discharge configuration from the fluid in the chamber configuration; The discharge configuration is fluidly coupled to an etchant source; The discharge configuration is fluidly coupled to a reducing agent source; The discharge configuration is heated using a reducing agent supplied by the reducing agent source and an etchant supplied by the etchant source.

18. The semiconductor processing system of claim 1, wherein the chamber configuration includes a base rotatably supported within a chamber body, the chamber body being configured to allow a material layer precursor to flow through a substrate placed on the base.

19. A method for controlling sedimentation, comprising: In a semiconductor processing system, the semiconductor processing system includes a chamber configuration, a discharge configuration connected to the chamber configuration, a contamination sensor supported within the discharge configuration, and a processor disposed to communicate with the contamination sensor and a memory including a non-transitory machine-readable medium. The processor receives a contamination signal from the contamination sensor, the contamination signal indicating a contamination amount within the discharge configuration; receives a predetermined contamination amount value at the processor; compares the contamination amount with the predetermined contamination amount value using the processor; and executes a contamination countermeasure using the processor when the contamination amount is greater than the predetermined contamination amount value; and wherein the countermeasure includes at least one of: providing a user output to a user interface operatively associated with the processor; fluidly separating the discharge configuration from the chamber configuration; providing an etchant to the discharge configuration; and providing a reducing agent to the discharge configuration to heat the discharge configuration.

20. A front-end piping assembly for a semiconductor processing system, comprising: Once the catheter is removed; An isolation valve and a maintenance valve are configured along the discharge conduit to fluidly couple the semiconductor processing system to a discharge pump; The system includes a pressure control valve configured between the isolation valve and the maintenance valve to control the pressure within a chamber configuration of the semiconductor processing system; a sludge sensor configured between the pressure control valve and the maintenance valve within the discharge conduit to provide a sludge signal indicating a sludge amount within the discharge conduit; and wherein the discharge conduit has an etchant port defined along the discharge conduit between the isolation valve and the pressure control valve to remove the sludge amount from the discharge conduit using an etchant with the sludge signal.

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