A thin film deposition system, a front structure for thin film deposition, and a purging method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a thin film deposition system, a pre-structure for thin film deposition, and a purging method thereof. The pre-structure includes: a vapor cylinder, which contains a precursor vapor for thin film deposition and is connected to a reaction chamber through a first passage; a pressure test diaphragm gauge branch, which is arranged on a branch of the first passage, and a pressure test diaphragm gauge is used to monitor the pressure in the first passage; and a purging branch, one end of which is connected to the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch, and the other end is connected to a tail exhaust pipeline branched from the first passage. The purging branch, the first passage, the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch, and the tail exhaust pipeline form an annular purging loop. A purging gas is introduced into the first passage, and the purging gas completely flows through the purging loop to discharge the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch. A detector is included on the purging branch to detect the chemical source residual content of the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing equipment, and specifically relates to a pre-structure for thin film deposition, a thin film deposition system, a purging method for a pre-structure of thin film deposition, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Currently, during semiconductor processing, the machine end of a thin film deposition device is connected to a storage container which stores reaction precursors inside. The reaction precursors in the storage container are transported to a reaction chamber for process reactions. A pressure test diaphragm gauge is provided on the outlet side of the storage container, which can be used to monitor the pressure of the outlet pipeline. As the process progresses, after the valve island and the storage container in the thin film deposition device reach a certain service life, they usually need to be replaced regularly to ensure the safety of the thin film deposition device. During the replacement process of the valve island and / or the storage container, it is necessary to separate the valve island from the storage container, that is, to disconnect the gas pipeline between the storage container and the valve island. After disconnection, the gas pipeline will be exposed to the atmosphere.

[0003] In the prior art, the pressure test diaphragm gauge on the outlet side of the storage container is located on a branch of the outlet pipeline. Due to the Bernoulli effect of fluid mechanics, it is difficult to purge the connecting branch section between the pressure test diaphragm gauge and the outlet pipeline, and this section belongs to a purging blind section. Moreover, the current purging method can only rely on manual experience and prediction to increase the purging time in the hope of achieving sufficient purging without residual precursor chemical sources. However, the risk of this purging method is that it requires long-term experience accumulation and human guesswork and judgment, and it cannot ensure that there is no residual precursor chemical source in the gas pipeline every time the storage container is removed, which brings troubles to the actual work and operational hazards.

[0004] When the gas pipeline cannot be purged cleanly, especially when there are a large number of chemical source residues in the connecting branch section between the pressure test diaphragm gauge and the outlet pipeline, removing the valve island at this time will cause the precursor chemical source to flow out. Since the precursor chemical source has extremely high activity, there is a risk of reacting when encountering air at normal temperature and pressure. This rapid reaction will also cause the module temperature to be too high and smoke, and even affect the safety of personnel.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, there is an urgent need in the art for a pre-technology for thin film deposition that can accurately monitor the purging cleanliness of the inlet and outlet pipelines of the storage container, not only improving the purging efficiency of the pipeline, avoiding the reaction of residual chemical sources inside the pipeline when it is removed and exposed to the air, increasing the safety factor of the component replacement operation in the wafer fab, but also reducing the pipeline pollution during the operation process. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A brief overview of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an exhaustive survey of all contemplated aspects and is neither intended to identify key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to delimit the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description given later.

[0007] To overcome the above-mentioned defects existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a pre-structure for thin film deposition, a thin film deposition system, a purging method for the pre-structure of thin film deposition, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can accurately monitor the purging cleanliness of the inlet and outlet pipelines of the storage container, not only improving the purging efficiency of the pipelines, avoiding the reaction of the residual chemical source inside the pipelines when they are removed and exposed to the air, increasing the safety factor of the component replacement operation in the wafer fab, but also reducing the pipeline pollution during the operation process.

[0008] Specifically, the pre-structure for thin film deposition provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a vapor cylinder, which contains a precursor vapor for thin film deposition and is connected to a reaction chamber through a first passage; a pressure test diaphragm gauge branch, which is arranged on a branch of the first passage and is used to monitor the pressure in the first passage through a pressure test diaphragm gauge; and a purging branch, one end of which is connected to the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the other end is connected to a tail exhaust pipeline branched from the first passage. The purging branch, the first passage, the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the tail exhaust pipeline form a circular purging loop. A purging gas is introduced into the first passage, and the purging gas completely flows through the purging loop to discharge the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch. A detector is included on the purging branch to detect the residual chemical source content of the precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

[0009] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, a detachable first valve is provided in the first passage between the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the reaction chamber to adjust the flow rate of the precursor vapor in the first passage. A first manual valve is provided in the first passage between the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the vapor cylinder, and the first manual valve is in a closed state just before the first valve is about to be disassembled.

[0010] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the pre-structure further includes a second passage, one end of which is connected to a purging gas source and the other end is connected to the first passage, so that the purging gas completely flows through the purging loop via the first passage to carry out the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

[0011] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, a detachable second valve is provided near the connection port of the second passage with the first passage to adjust the flow rate of the purge gas introduced into the first passage.

[0012] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the purge gas includes a carrier gas with a gas as the mobile phase.

[0013] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, a second branch extends from the second passage. One end of the second branch is connected to the second passage, and the other end of the second branch is connected to the vapor cylinder to introduce the carrier gas into the vapor cylinder, so as to load the precursor vapor in the vapor cylinder into the reaction chamber through the carrier gas via the first passage for reaction.

[0014] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, a detachable third valve is provided at a position away from the vapor cylinder in the second branch to adjust the flow rate of the carrier gas introduced into the second branch. A second manual valve is provided at a position near the vapor cylinder in the second branch, and the second manual valve is in a closed state before the third valve is about to be detached.

[0015] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, a third passage is further included. One end of the third passage is connected to the precursor supply source, and the other end is connected to the vapor cylinder to supply the precursor liquid source into the vapor cylinder for storage. A third manual valve is provided at a position near the vapor cylinder in the third passage.

[0016] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the detector includes an infrared spectroscopy detector, and the chemical source residual content of the precursor vapor is monitored according to the chemical image of the spectral characteristics of the precursor vapor remaining in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

[0017] In addition, the above-mentioned film deposition system provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: the above-mentioned pre-structure of film deposition provided according to the first aspect of the present invention to introduce precursor vapor into the reaction chamber; and the reaction chamber, which performs a film deposition reaction on the wafer through the precursor vapor.

[0018] In addition, the above-mentioned purge method for the pre-device of film deposition provided according to the third aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: at least closing the first pipeline between the vapor cylinder and the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch; introducing purge gas into the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch to discharge the precursor vapor remaining in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch; obtaining the chemical source residual content of the precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch; and in response to the chemical source residual content being less than the detection threshold, confirming that the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch is purged clean.

[0019] In addition, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, on which computer instructions are stored. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the purging method of the pre-device for thin film deposition provided in the third aspect of the present invention is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] After reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings, the above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components having similar related characteristics or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0021] Figure 1 The structural block diagram of a thin film deposition system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 2 The partial structural schematic diagram of the pre-structure for thin film deposition provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the purging path of a pre-structure for thin film deposition provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown; and

[0024] Figure 4 The flowchart of the purging method of the pre-structure for thin film deposition provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0025] REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0026] 100 Thin film deposition system;

[0027] 110 Reaction chamber;

[0028] 200 Pre-structure for thin film deposition;

[0029] 210 Vapor cylinder;

[0030] 220 Pressure test thin film gauge branch;

[0031] 221 Pressure test thin film gauge;

[0032] 222 Connection branch section;

[0033] 230 Purging branch;

[0034] 231 Detector;

[0035] 232 Purging circuit;

[0036] 233 Gas flow switch valve;

[0037] 240 First passageway;

[0038] 241 First valve;

[0039] 242 First manual valve;

[0040] 250, 251 Tail exhaust pipeline;

[0041] 260 Second passageway;

[0042] 261 Second valve;

[0043] 262 Manual valve;

[0044] 263 Purge gas source;

[0045] 270 Second branch;

[0046] 271 Third valve;

[0047] 272 Second manual valve;

[0048] 280 Third passageway;

[0049] 281 Precursor supply source;

[0050] 282 Third manual valve;

[0051] 283 Flow control valve;

[0052] Steps S410 to S440. Detailed implementation manners

[0053] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation manners of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this implementation manner. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the implementation manner is to cover other alternatives or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusing or obscuring the key points of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0054] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection", and "coupling" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0055] In addition, the "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal", and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in this section and the related drawings. This relative term is only for convenience of description and does not mean that the device described needs to be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0056] It can be understood that although terms such as "first", "second", and "third" can be used here to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first component, region, layer, and / or part discussed below can be referred to as the second component, region, layer, and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0057] As described above, in the prior art, the pressure test membrane gauge on the outlet side of the storage container is located on a branch of the outlet pipeline. Due to the Bernoulli effect of fluid mechanics, it is difficult to purge the connection branch section between the pressure test membrane gauge and the outlet pipeline, and this section belongs to the purging blind section. Moreover, the current purging method can only rely on manual experience and prediction to increase the purging time in the hope of achieving sufficient purging without residual precursor chemical sources. However, the risk of this purging method is that it requires long-term experience accumulation and human guesswork and judgment, and it cannot ensure that there is no residual precursor chemical source in the gas pipeline every time the storage container is removed, which brings troubles and operational risks to the actual work. When the gas pipeline cannot be purged cleanly, especially when there are a large number of chemical source residues in the connection branch section between the pressure test membrane gauge and the outlet pipeline, removing the valve island at this time will cause the precursor chemical source to flow out. Since the precursor chemical source has extremely high activity, there is a risk of reaction when it encounters air at normal temperature and pressure. This rapid reaction will also cause the module temperature to be too high and smoke, and even affect the safety of personnel.

[0058] To solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a pre-device for film deposition, a film deposition system, a purging method for a pre-structure of film deposition, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can accurately monitor the purging cleanliness of the inlet and outlet pipelines of a storage container, not only improving the purging efficiency of the pipelines, avoiding the reaction of residual chemical sources inside the pipelines when they are removed and exposed to the air, increasing the safety factor of the component replacement operation in the wafer fab, but also reducing the pipeline contamination during the operation process.

[0059] In some non-limiting embodiments, the above-mentioned pre-device for film deposition provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the above-mentioned film deposition system provided by the second aspect of the present invention. In addition, the purging method for the above-mentioned pre-device for film deposition provided by the third aspect of the present invention can be implemented by the above-mentioned pre-device for film deposition provided by the first aspect of the present invention.

[0060] The working principles of the above-mentioned purging of the pre-device for film deposition and the film deposition system will be described below in conjunction with some embodiments of the purging method for the pre-device for film deposition. Those skilled in the art can understand that these embodiments of the purging method for the pre-device for film deposition are only some non-limiting implementation manners provided by the present invention, aiming to clearly show the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions convenient for the public to implement, rather than being used to limit all working manners or all functions of the purging of the pre-device for film deposition and the film deposition system. Similarly, the purging of the pre-device for film deposition and the film deposition system are also only a non-limiting implementation manner provided by the present invention, and do not limit the implementation subject of each step in these purging methods for the pre-device for film deposition.

[0061] First, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 which shows a structural block diagram of a film deposition system provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0062] As Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the thin film deposition system 100 may include a reaction chamber 110 and a pre - structure 200 for thin film deposition. The pre - structure 200 for thin film deposition can be used to introduce precursor vapor into the reaction chamber 110, and the reaction chamber 110 can perform a thin film deposition reaction on the wafers inside it through the precursor vapor. For example, in an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) device during the deposition process, the precursor vapor can be deposited alternately, and the chemical reaction of the new atomic film layer is directly related to the previous layer. Each reaction deposits only one atomic layer. This deposition method has the characteristics of self - limiting growth, enabling the thin film to be conformally deposited on the substrate without pinholes. Therefore, by controlling the number of deposition cycles, precise control of the thin film thickness can be achieved.

[0063] Further, to introduce the pre - structure 200 for thin film deposition more clearly, it can be combined with Figure 2 for a common understanding. Figure 2 FIG. shows a partial structural schematic diagram of the pre - structure for thin film deposition provided according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0064] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, in some embodiments, the pre - structure 200 for thin film deposition may include a vapor cylinder 210, which contains precursor vapor for thin film deposition and can be connected to the reaction chamber 110 through a first passage 240, serving as the outlet pipeline of the vapor cylinder 210.

[0065] Since reaction precursors usually have self - volatility and are prone to phase change, a vapor cylinder 210 can be selected to keep the reaction precursor under pressure for a long time, which helps to maintain the representativeness of the reaction precursor during storage. In some alternative embodiments, in the atomic layer deposition process, the reaction precursor can be trimethylaluminum (TMA) with self - volatility, and the vapor cylinder 210 is used to store TMA vapor.

[0066] In Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the pre - structure 200 for thin film deposition may include a pressure - testing thin - film gauge branch 220, which is arranged on a branch of the first passage 240 (i.e., the outlet pipeline). In view of the self - volatility of the chemical source of the precursor vapor, the pressure in the first passage 240 can be monitored through a pressure - testing thin - film gauge 221.

[0067] The pre - structure 200 for thin film deposition may further include a purge branch 230. As Figure 1As shown, one end of the purge branch 230 can be connected to the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220, and the other end can be connected to the tail exhaust pipeline 250 branched from the first passage 240. The purge branch 230, the first passage 240, the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220, and the tail exhaust pipeline 250 can form an annular purge loop 232. After introducing purge gas into the first passage 240, the purge gas can flow through the purge loop 232 completely to discharge the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220.

[0068] Especially for Figure 2 the connecting section 222 between the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220 and the first passage 240 in. In the prior art, during the actual purge process of the pipeline with purge gas, due to the Bernoulli effect in fluid mechanics, it is difficult for the purge gas to purge the connecting section 222. Therefore, when the purge gas moves steadily along the first passage 240 in a streamline downward direction, the connecting section 222 belongs to a purge blind section. However, in the above embodiment of the present invention, since the direct purge loop 232 that completely includes the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220 is added, the purge process of the straight pipeline of the vapor cylinder 210 that originally relied on the Bernoulli effect can be updated to a complete loop purge, realizing the direct purge of the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220, improving the pipeline purge efficiency, and reducing the purge energy consumption.

[0069] Furthermore, as Figure 1 shown, the purge branch 230 can also include a detector 231, which can be used to detect the chemical source residual content of the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220.

[0070] Specifically, in some preferred embodiments, the detector 231 in the purge loop 232 can be an infrared spectroscopy detector, such as a Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) instrument, which can be used to monitor the chemical source residual content of the precursor vapor in real time according to the chemical image of the spectral characteristics of the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220.

[0071] In this embodiment, by adding the detector 231, the monitoring of organic foreign matters in the pressure test thin film gauge branch 220 is realized, that is, the actual residual content of the precursor chemical source in the outlet pipeline of the steam cylinder 210 can be monitored. Based on this, the purging cleanliness of the entire pipeline can be further accurately obtained. In the existing method of detecting and monitoring the chemical source by pipeline leak rate, the pipeline leak rate detection is the leak rate detection with cavity integration. Especially when the chemical source in the pipeline is scarce, it is particularly difficult to monitor the chemical source. Compared with the existing method of detecting according to the pipeline leak rate and relying on the purging time calculated by human experience, the detector 231 in the above embodiment can control the purging time more accurately and stably. By directly detecting the chemical source content in the pipeline through the chemical source component content, the exposure of a small amount of chemical source residue to the atmosphere can be avoided, thereby reducing the possibility of polluting the gas pipeline. The infrared spectrum detector can improve the accuracy of monitoring the chemical source flowing through the gas pipeline by real-time monitoring the residual amount of the chemical source in the gas pipeline, improve the operation safety, reduce the pipeline pollution and improve the purging efficiency.

[0072] Further, as Figure 1 shown, a gas flow switch valve 233 can be provided on the purging branch 230. When the detector 231 detects that the residual content of the precursor chemical source remaining in the pressure test thin film gauge branch 220 is less than the detection threshold, it is confirmed that the pressure test thin film gauge branch 220 has been purged clean. At this time, the gas flow switch valve 233 can be closed to end the purging work of the pressure test thin film gauge branch 220.

[0073] Specifically, reference can be made to Figure 3 , Figure 3 which shows a schematic diagram of the purging path of a pre-structure for thin film deposition according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0074] As Figure 3 shown, in some embodiments, the pre-structure 200 for thin film deposition can include a second passage 260, one end of which can be connected to the purging gas source 263 and the other end can be connected to the steam cylinder 210. The purging path of the purging gas can refer to the arrow direction in Figure 2 . The purging gas source 263 provides the purging gas. The purging gas first flows through the second passage 260 to the first passage 240 and flows upward and downward respectively at the connection port of the first passage 240, that is, it realizes flowing through the purging circuit 232 completely via the first passage 240, so as to carry out the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test thin film gauge branch 220 and finally discharge it through the tail exhaust pipeline 250.

[0075] Please continue to return to Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, in the pre-structural 200 for thin film deposition, a detachable first valve 241 may be provided in the first passage 240 between the pressure test thin film gauge branch 220 and the reaction chamber 110. Optionally, the first valve 241 may be an automatic flow control valve. By adjusting the valve opening under certain pressure conditions, the flow rate of the precursor vapor introduced into the first passage 240 can be adjusted. Also, a first manual valve 242 may be provided in the first passage 240 between the pressure test thin film gauge branch 220 and the vapor cylinder 210 to control the opening and closing of the process of transmitting the precursor vapor from the vapor cylinder 210 to the first passage 240. When the reaction chamber 110 is to perform a thin film deposition reaction, the first manual valve 242 is opened. When it is not necessary to transmit the precursor vapor, the first manual valve 242 can be closed to maintain the air pressure in the vapor cylinder 210 to prevent the precursor vapor stored therein from volatilizing or deactivating.

[0076] Further, since the first valve 241 in the first passage 240 can be periodically removed and replaced. In this embodiment, before the first valve 241 in the first passage 240 needs to be periodically removed and replaced, the first manual valve 242 on the vapor cylinder 210 can be closed first to block the volatilization of the precursor liquid source.

[0077] Continuing back to Figure 1 , in some alternative embodiments, a detachable second valve 261 may be provided at a position near the connection port with the first passage 240 in the second passage 260 to adjust the flow rate of the purge gas introduced into the first passage 240. Since the second passage 260 ultimately communicates with the first passage 240 and the second valve 261 can also be periodically removed and replaced. Before the second valve 261 in the second passage 260 needs to be periodically removed and replaced, the first manual valve 242 on the vapor cylinder 210 can also be closed first to block the volatilization of the precursor liquid source.

[0078] Optionally, as Figure 1 shown, several second valves 261 may also be distributed at other positions in the second passage 260, which can be used to adjust the flow rate of the purge gas in the second passage 260. Also, a manual valve 262 may be provided near the position where the purge gas source 263 is connected to the second passage 260 to control whether to introduce the purge gas into the second passage 260.

[0079] Further, in some embodiments, the purge gas may be a carrier gas with a gaseous mobile phase, such as some inert gases. Preferably, a second branch 270 may extend from the second passage 260. One end of the second branch 270 may be connected to the second passage 260, and the other end of the second branch 270 may be connected to the vapor cylinder 210 as an inlet pipeline of the vapor cylinder 210, for introducing the carrier gas into the vapor cylinder 210, so as to load the precursor vapor in the vapor cylinder 210 into the reaction chamber 110 via the first passage 240 for reaction. During the thin film deposition process, transporting the precursor vapor to the substrate surface in the reaction chamber 110 through an inert carrier gas for reaction is an effective means to improve the transport of the precursor vapor, which can enhance the transport efficiency of the precursor vapor.

[0080] The pressure test thin film gauge branch 220 can also indirectly monitor the pressure in the second branch 270 (inlet pipeline), and the detector 231 in the purge circuit 232 can also indirectly monitor the actual residual content of the precursor chemical source in the inlet pipeline of the vapor cylinder 210.

[0081] As Figure 1 shown, in some embodiments, a detachable third valve 271 may be provided at a position in the second branch 270 far from the vapor cylinder 210, which can be used to adjust the flow rate of the carrier gas introduced into the second branch 270. And a second manual valve 272 may be provided at a position in the second branch 270 close to the vapor cylinder 210, for controlling the opening and closing of the second branch 270 for transmitting the carrier gas to the vapor cylinder 210. When it is necessary to transmit the carrier gas to the vapor cylinder 210, the second manual valve 272 can be opened. When it is not necessary to transmit the carrier gas to the vapor cylinder 210, the second manual valve 272 can be closed to maintain the air pressure in the vapor cylinder 210, so as to prevent the precursor vapor stored therein from volatilizing or deactivating.

[0082] Further, since the third valve 271 in the second branch 270 can also be regularly disassembled and replaced. In this embodiment, before regularly disassembling and replacing the third valve 271 in the second branch 270, the second manual valve 272 on the vapor cylinder 210 can be closed first to block the volatilization of the precursor liquid source.

[0083] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 , the pre - structure 200 for thin film deposition may further include a third passage 280, one end of which may be connected to the precursor supply source 281, and the other end may be connected to the vapor cylinder 210. After the vapor cylinder 210 provides precursor vapor to the reaction chamber 110 for a period of time, the precursor liquid source can be replenished into the vapor cylinder 210 through the third passage 280.

[0084] Further, a third manual valve 282 may be provided at a position in the third passage 280 close to the vapor cylinder 210. When it is necessary to supply the precursor liquid source to the vapor cylinder 210, the third manual valve 282 can be opened. When it is not necessary to supply the precursor liquid source to the vapor cylinder 210, the third manual valve 282 can be closed to maintain the air pressure in the vapor cylinder 210, so as to prevent the precursor vapor stored therein from volatilizing or deactivating.

[0085] Optionally, as Figure 1 shown, several flow control valves 283 may also be distributed at other positions in the third passage 280, which can be used to adjust the flow rate of the precursor liquid source for supply introduced into the third passage 280.

[0086] As Figure 1 shown, in the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention, in the pre-structure 200 for thin film deposition, the valve island may at least include a first valve 241, a second valve 261, and a third valve 271. After reaching a certain service life, it usually needs to be replaced to ensure the safety of the thin film deposition equipment.

[0087] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 , in some embodiments, one end of the third passage 280 in the pre-structure 200 for thin film deposition in the thin film deposition system 100 may also be connected to a purge gas source 263, that is, the third passage 280 can also be purged by the purge gas to remove the precursor chemical source in the third passage 280 before preparing to detach the vapor cylinder 210 from the thin film deposition system 100.

[0088] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the detector 231 may also be disposed in multiple pipelines in the pre-structure 200 for thin film deposition to monitor the actual purge cleanliness of the pipelines that need to be purged in real time. After confirming that there is no precursor chemical source in the pipeline, that is, the pipeline purge is completed, the vapor cylinder 210 or at least the above-mentioned valve island can be removed and replaced. In this embodiment, by perfecting the purge path into a circular purge loop 232 and adding multiple infrared detectors 231, the purge efficiency of the pipeline and the monitoring of the chemical source content are improved, and the information on the content of the precursor chemical source in multiple pipelines can be obtained in real time, thereby improving the safety factor for replacing components in the wafer fab.

[0089] Continuing as Figure 1 shown, the reaction chamber 110 in the thin film deposition system 100 may also include a tail exhaust pipeline 251, which converges with the tail exhaust pipeline 250 in the above-mentioned purge loop 232 to discharge the excess waste gas after the reaction in the reaction chamber 110 and the precursor vapor in the pipeline.

[0090] Next, please refer to Figure 4 ,Figure 4 The flowchart of the purging method for the pre - structure of thin - film deposition provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0091] As Figure 4 shown, in some embodiments, the purging method for the pre - structure of thin - film deposition may include step S410: at least close the first pipeline between the steam cylinder and the pressure - test thin - film gauge branch.

[0092] Specifically, in some embodiments, as Figure 1 shown, the valve island in the pre - structure 200 of thin - film deposition may at least include a first valve 241, a second valve 261, and a third valve 271. Therefore, it is necessary to close a plurality of manual valves directly connected to the steam cylinder 210, including the first manual valve 242 corresponding to the first valve 241 and the second valve 261 in the first passage 240, the second manual valve 272 corresponding to the third valve 271 in the second branch 270, and the third manual valve 282 in the third passage 280, etc., so as to first block the volatilization of the liquid source in the steam cylinder 210.

[0093] As Figure 4 shown, next, step S420 is performed: introduce a purging gas into the pressure - test thin - film gauge branch to discharge the residual precursor vapor in the pressure - test thin - film gauge branch.

[0094] Specifically, as Figure 1 shown, the purging - gas source 263 can provide a purging gas. The purging gas first flows through the second passage 260 to the first passage 240, and flows in both directions at the connection port of the first passage 240, that is, it realizes a complete flow through the purging loop 232 via the first passage 240. Especially for the connection branch section 222 between the pressure - test thin - film gauge branch 220 and the first passage 240 in Figure 2 , it can update the purging process of the straight pipeline of the steam cylinder 210 that originally relied on the Bernoulli effect to a complete - loop purging. Moreover, during the purging of the gas pipeline, the pressure - test thin - film gauge 221 will also be purged by the gas, and the precursor chemical source therein will also be removed. Therefore, the residual precursor vapor in the pressure - test thin - film gauge branch 220 can be carried out and finally discharged through the tail - exhaust pipeline 250, improving the efficiency of pipeline purging.

[0095] Furthermore, when achieving a complete loop purging near the pressure - test thin - film gauge 221, the purging gas can be purged at a gas flow rate of 8000 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm) for 20 seconds, and then evacuated for 20 seconds, and it can be controlled by a controller to automatically circulate and purge according to this rule, so that direct gas - flow loops can be realized both upstream and downstream of the pressure - test thin - film gauge 221.

[0096] As shown Figure 4 Next, step S430 is executed: Obtain the chemical source residual content of the precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

[0097] Specifically, in some embodiments, a detector 231 may be provided in the purge circuit 232. Optionally, the detector 231 may be an infrared spectroscopic detector, such as a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy detection instrument (FTIR), which can be used to monitor the chemical source residual content of the precursor vapor in real time according to the chemical image of the spectral characteristics of the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220.

[0098] Preferably, in multiple pipelines of the thin film deposition system 100, multiple detectors 231 may be provided to monitor the actual purge cleanliness of the pipelines to be purged in real time, so as to achieve precise monitoring of the purge cleanliness in the pipelines.

[0099] As shown Figure 4 Next, step S440 is executed: In response to the chemical source residual content being less than the detection threshold, confirm that the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch is purged clean.

[0100] Specifically, in some embodiments, when the detector 231 detects that the chemical source in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220 is less than the detection threshold of a certain industrial order of magnitude, it can be determined that the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220 is purged clean and the purging work is completed. At this time, through signal feedback, a standard compliance signal indicating that the chemical source in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220 meets the standard for the gas pipeline to be exposed to the atmosphere can be fed back to the controller, and the controller can automatically control the closing of the gas flow switch valve 233 to end the purging work of the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch 220.

[0101] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of actions for simplicity of explanation, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, because according to one or more embodiments, some actions may occur in a different order and / or occur concurrently with other actions not illustrated and described herein but understood by those skilled in the art.

[0102] So far, the pre-structure of thin film deposition provided by the first aspect of the present invention, the thin film deposition system provided by the second aspect of the present invention, and the purging method of the pre-structure of thin film deposition provided by the second aspect of the present invention have been introduced. In some non-limiting embodiments, the above purging method may be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium provided by the fourth aspect of the present invention to implement the above purging method of the pre-structure of thin film deposition provided by the third aspect of the present invention.

[0103] In summary, the present invention provides a pre-device for thin film deposition, a thin film deposition system, a purging method for a pre-structure of thin film deposition, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can accurately monitor the purging cleanliness of the inlet and outlet pipelines of a vapor cylinder, not only improving the purging efficiency of the pipelines, avoiding the reaction of residual chemical sources inside the pipelines when they are removed and exposed to the air, increasing the safety factor of the component replacement operation in a wafer fab, but also reducing the pipeline contamination during the operation.

[0104] The foregoing description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A pre-structure for thin film deposition, characterized in that, Comprising: A steam cylinder, which contains precursor vapor for thin film deposition inside and is connected to a reaction chamber through a first passage; A pressure test diaphragm gauge branch, which is arranged on a branch of the first passage and is used to monitor the pressure inside the first passage through a pressure test diaphragm gauge; And A purge branch, one end of which is connected to the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch, and the other end is connected to a tail exhaust pipeline branched from the first passage. The purge branch, the first passage, the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the tail exhaust pipeline form a circular purge loop. Purge gas is introduced into the first passage, and the purge gas completely flows through the purge loop to discharge the residual precursor vapor inside the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch. A detector is included on the purge branch to detect the chemical source residual content of the residual precursor vapor inside the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

2. The front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A detachable first valve is provided in the first passage between the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the reaction chamber to adjust the flow rate of the precursor vapor in the first passage. A first manual valve is provided in the first passage between the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the steam cylinder, and the first manual valve is in a closed state before the first valve is about to be disassembled.

3. The front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a second passage, one end of which is connected to a purge gas source and the other end is connected to the first passage, so that the purge gas completely flows through the purge loop via the first passage to carry out the residual precursor vapor inside the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

4. The front structure according to claim 3, characterized in that A detachable second valve is provided at a position close to the connection port with the first passage in the second passage to adjust the flow rate of the purge gas introduced into the first passage.

5. The front structure according to claim 3, characterized in that The purge gas includes a carrier gas with a gas as the mobile phase.

6. The front structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, A second branch further extends from the second passage. One end of the second branch is connected to the second passage, and the other end of the second branch is connected to the steam cylinder to introduce the carrier gas into the steam cylinder, so as to load the precursor vapor in the steam cylinder into the reaction chamber via the first passage for reaction through the carrier gas.

7. The front structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, A detachable third valve is provided at a position far from the steam cylinder in the second branch to adjust the flow rate of the carrier gas introduced into the second branch. A second manual valve is provided at a position close to the steam cylinder in the second branch, and the second manual valve is in a closed state before the third valve is about to be disassembled.

8. The front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a third passage, one end of which is connected to a precursor supply source and the other end is connected to the steam cylinder to supply the precursor liquid source into the steam cylinder for storage. A third manual valve is provided at a position close to the steam cylinder in the third passage.

9. The front structure according to claim 1, characterized in that The detector includes an infrared spectroscopy detector, and monitors the chemical source residual content of the precursor vapor according to the chemical image of the spectral characteristics of the residual precursor vapor inside the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch.

10. A thin film deposition system, characterized in that, Comprising: The pre - structure for thin film deposition according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to introduce precursor vapor into a reaction chamber; And The reaction chamber, which performs a thin film deposition reaction on a wafer through the precursor vapor.

11. A purging method for a pre-device of thin film deposition, characterized in that, Comprising the following steps: At least close the first passage between the vapor cylinder and the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch in the pre-structure of the thin film deposition according to any one of claims 1 to 9; Introduce a purge gas into the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch to discharge the residual precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch, wherein the purge gas completely flows through the purge branch, the first passage, the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch and the tail exhaust pipeline to form a circular purge loop; Obtain the chemical source residual content of the precursor vapor in the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch via a detector; and In response to the chemical source residual content being less than a detection threshold, confirm that the pressure test diaphragm gauge branch is purged clean.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, implement the purge method of the pre-device for thin film deposition according to claim 11.

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