Thin film deposition equipment, thin film deposition method and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method and a computer-readable storage medium. The thin film deposition device includes a process chamber, a process gas source, an exhaust mechanism and a gas supply module. The process chamber is used to accommodate wafers to be processed and perform a thin film deposition process on them. The process gas source is used to provide process gas to the process chamber and is closed in response to an alarm signal. The exhaust mechanism includes a vacuum pump and a throttle valve. The vacuum pump is connected to the exhaust port provided in the process chamber via the throttle valve. In response to the alarm signal, the throttle valve gradually closes within its shut-off delay time, and then gradually opens according to a preset process termination curve to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the end pressure of the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve. The gas supply module provides supplementary gas to the process chamber within the shut-off delay time of the throttle valve in response to the alarm signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing, and in particular to a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] The thin film deposition process includes a deposition process and a vacuum process. After the deposition process is completed, the vacuum process rate seriously affects the film quality of the wafer. However, after the abnormal alarm signal is triggered in the existing thin film deposition equipment, all gas sources are shut down to stop supplying gas to the process chamber. At this time, if the vacuum pumping speed is too fast, it will cause damage to the vacuum pump. In addition, an unreasonable vacuum speed causes the surface of the wafer to be covered with impurity particles, which reduces the quality of the wafer film and may even cause the wafer to be scrapped. In addition, if the throttle valve angle is adjusted quickly after the pressure alarm signal, it will cause equipment vibration. Since there is no gas supply, the chamber pressure will still drop suddenly. Excessive vacuuming speed will also cause impurity particles to accumulate on the wafer surface.

[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides an improved thin film deposition equipment, which is used to avoid the throttle valve shutdown delay causing the air pressure inside the process chamber to be out of control in the alarm mode, thereby avoiding the air pressure out of control causing the backflow of particulate contamination of the exhaust mechanism and the damage of the wafer by particulate contamination. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following is a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceivable aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define 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 the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0005] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method and a computer-readable storage medium, which are provided with a gas supply module and a throttle valve that gradually opens according to a preset process termination curve, and controls the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the target gas pressure that ends the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve, so as to avoid the throttle valve closing delay causing the gas pressure inside the process chamber to be out of control in the alarm mode, thereby avoiding the gas pressure out of control causing particulate contamination backflow of the exhaust mechanism and particulate contamination damaging the wafer.

[0006] Specifically, the thin film deposition equipment provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber, a process gas source, an exhaust mechanism and a gas supply module. The process chamber is used to accommodate wafers to be processed and perform a thin film deposition process on them. The process gas source is used to provide process gas to the process chamber and is closed in response to an alarm signal. The exhaust mechanism includes a vacuum pump and a throttle valve. The vacuum pump is connected to the exhaust port provided in the process chamber via the throttle valve. In response to the alarm signal, the throttle valve gradually closes within its shut-off delay time, and then gradually opens according to a preset process termination curve to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the end pressure of the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve. The gas supply module provides supplementary gas to the process chamber within the shut-off delay time of the throttle valve in response to the alarm signal.

[0007] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the gas replenishment module includes a barometer, a gas replenishment source, and a mass flow controller. The barometer is disposed within the process chamber to collect the chamber pressure within the process chamber. The gas replenishment source is used to provide the replenishment gas. The mass flow controller is used to control the flow rate of the replenishment gas based on the pressure signal collected by the barometer to maintain the pressure within the process chamber at the starting pressure of the process termination curve.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the process gas source is connected to the process chamber via a first pneumatic valve. The gas supply module is connected to the process chamber via a second pneumatic valve. The first pneumatic valve closes in response to the alarm signal. The second pneumatic valve opens synchronously in response to the alarm signal and also closes in response to the complete closure of the throttle valve.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a memory and a controller are also included. The memory stores at least one process termination curve of a thin film deposition process. The controller is connected to the memory and the throttle valve, and is configured to: obtain the process termination curve of the current thin film deposition process in response to the complete closure of the throttle valve. The process termination curve includes multiple control stages with different air pressure change slopes; the corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate is determined according to the air pressure change slope of each control stage; and the opening angle of the throttle valve is linearly adjusted in stages according to each throttle valve angle adjustment rate to control the air pressure in the process chamber to drop to the end pressure for ending the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve.

[0010] Further, in some embodiments of the present invention, the step of determining the corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate according to the air pressure change slope of each control stage includes: determining the starting air pressure and the ending air pressure of each control stage according to the air pressure change slope of each control stage; determining the exhaust volume of each control stage according to the starting air pressure and the ending air pressure of each control stage; and determining the ending opening angle of the throttle valve in the current control stage and the corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate according to the exhaust volume and duration of each control stage, and the starting opening angle of the throttle valve in the current control stage.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the controller is also configured to: obtain a process termination curve of the current thin film deposition process in response to a normal completion signal of the thin film deposition process; determine the corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate according to the pressure change slope of each control stage; and linearly adjust the opening angle of the throttle valve in stages according to each throttle valve angle adjustment rate to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the end point gas pressure for ending the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the memory also stores a process start curve and / or process curve of the at least one thin film deposition process. The controller is also connected to the process gas source and is configured to: obtain the process start curve and / or process curve of the current thin film deposition process; and adjust the gas supply flow rate of the process gas source and / or the opening angle of the throttle valve according to the target gas pressure of each control stage in the process start curve and / or process curve, so as to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to change according to the process start curve and / or process curve until the alarm signal or the normal completion signal of the thin film deposition process is received.

[0013] Furthermore, some embodiments of the present invention further include a wafer transfer mechanism and a clean gas source. The wafer transfer mechanism is configured to transfer the wafer out of the process chamber after the air pressure in the process chamber drops to the endpoint pressure for terminating the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve. The clean gas source is configured to supply clean gas to the process chamber after the wafer is transferred out of the process chamber to clean the process chamber and / or the exhaust mechanism.

[0014] In addition, the above-mentioned thin film deposition method provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: providing process gas to the process chamber via a process gas source to perform a thin film deposition process on the wafer contained therein; in response to an alarm signal, closing the process gas source and the throttle valve in the exhaust mechanism, and providing supplementary gas to the process chamber within the closing delay time of the throttle valve; and in response to the throttle valve being completely closed, gradually opening the throttle valve according to a preset process termination curve to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the endpoint gas pressure for ending the thin film deposition process according to the preset process termination curve.

[0015] Furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium provided in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the thin film deposition method provided in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or characteristics may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a thin film deposition device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of a thin film deposition method according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 3A A process termination curve diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 3B A process termination curve diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure 3C A process termination curve diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0022] Figure 4A Process start and process curves according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0023] Figure 4B Process start and process curves according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0024] Figure 4C Process start and process curves according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0025] Figure 5 A graph showing changes in chamber pressure and throttle angle adjustment rate over time under different conditions provided by some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Reference numerals:

[0027] 11 Process Chamber

[0028] 12 Process gas source

[0029] 13. Air extraction mechanism

[0030] 131 Vacuum Pump

[0031] 132 Throttle valve

[0032] 141 Qi Source

[0033] 15 Controller

[0034] 16 Clean air source

[0035] G1 Barometer

[0036] V1 First pneumatic valve

[0037] V3 Second pneumatic valve DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following specific embodiments illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiment is to cover other options 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, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0040] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in that section and the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are used solely for convenience of description and do not necessarily imply that the devices described herein must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0041] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or portions. Thus, a first component, region, layer, and / or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer, and / or portion without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] As mentioned above, when an abnormal alarm signal is triggered in existing thin film deposition equipment, all gas sources are shut down to stop supplying gas to the process chamber. At this time, if the vacuum pumping speed is too fast, it will cause damage to the vacuum pump. In addition, an unreasonable pumping speed causes the surface of the wafer to be covered with impurity particles, which reduces the quality of the wafer film and may even cause the wafer to be scrapped. In addition, if the throttle valve angle is quickly adjusted after the pressure alarm signal, it will cause equipment vibration. Since there is no gas supply, the chamber pressure will still drop suddenly. If the pumping speed is too fast, impurity particles will accumulate on the surface of the wafer.

[0043] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a thin film deposition device, a thin film deposition method and a computer-readable storage medium, which can control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the target gas pressure for ending the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve by setting a gas supply module and a throttle valve that gradually opens according to a preset process termination curve, so as to avoid the throttle valve closing delay causing the gas pressure inside the process chamber to be out of control in the alarm mode, thereby avoiding the gas pressure out of control causing the backflow of particulate contamination of the exhaust mechanism and the damage of the wafer by particulate contamination.

[0044] In some non-limiting embodiments, the thin film deposition method provided in the second aspect of the present invention can be implemented based on the thin film deposition apparatus provided in the first aspect of the present invention. Specifically, the thin film deposition apparatus may include a memory and a controller. The memory includes, but is not limited to, the computer-readable storage medium provided in the third aspect of the present invention, which stores at least one process termination curve and computer instructions for a thin film deposition process. The controller is connected to the memory and configured to execute the computer instructions stored in the memory to implement the thin film deposition method provided in the second aspect of the present invention.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a thin film deposition device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0046] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the thin film deposition apparatus provided by the first aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber 11, a process gas source 12, a gas extraction mechanism 13, a gas replenishment module, and a controller 15. The process chamber 11 is used to accommodate wafers to be processed and to perform a thin film deposition process on them. The process gas source 12 is used to supply process gas to the process chamber 11 and is shut down in response to an alarm signal. The gas extraction mechanism 13 includes a vacuum pump 131 and a throttle valve (TV) 132. The vacuum pump 131 is connected to a gas extraction port located in the process chamber 11 via the throttle valve 132. In response to the alarm signal, the throttle valve 132 gradually closes within its shutoff delay time (e.g., 1 second) and then gradually opens according to a preset process termination curve to control the pressure in the process chamber 11 to drop to an endpoint pressure (e.g., 0.02 torr) according to the process termination curve. In response to the alarm signal, the gas replenishment module provides replenishment gas to the process chamber 11 during the shutoff delay time of the throttle valve 132. Here, the shut-off delay time refers to the time difference between the first moment when the process gas source 12 is shut down and the second moment when the throttle valve 132 is closed, and mainly depends on the device parameters of the throttle valve 132 itself.

[0047] Furthermore, the gas supply module includes a barometer G1, a gas supply source 141, and a mass flow controller (MFC). Here, the barometer G1 is located inside the process chamber 11 to collect the chamber pressure inside the process chamber 11. The gas supply source 141 is used to provide a supplementary gas (e.g., N2). The mass flow controller MFC is used to control the flow rate of the supplementary gas based on the pressure signal collected by the barometer G1 to maintain the pressure inside the process chamber 11 at the starting pressure of the process termination curve (e.g., 600 torr).

[0048] Furthermore, the process gas source 12 is connected to the process chamber 11 via a first pneumatic valve V1. The gas supply module is connected to the process chamber via a second pneumatic valve V3. Here, the first pneumatic valve V1 closes in response to an alarm signal, while the second pneumatic valve V3 opens synchronously in response to the alarm signal and also closes in response to the complete closure of the throttle valve 132. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the first and second pneumatic valves V1 and V3 are preferably of the same model, so that the incremental gas supply during the opening of the second pneumatic valve V3 offsets the reduced process gas supply during the closing of the first pneumatic valve V1.

[0049] In addition, in some embodiments, the thin film deposition apparatus provided by the first aspect of the present invention may further optionally include a wafer transfer mechanism and a clean gas source 16. The wafer transfer mechanism is used to transfer the wafer out of the process chamber 11 after the gas pressure in the process chamber 11 drops to the endpoint gas pressure for terminating the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve. The clean gas source 16 is used to supply clean gas to the process chamber 11 after the wafer is transferred out of the process chamber 11, so as to clean the process chamber 11 and / or the exhaust mechanism 13.

[0050] The following describes the operating principles of the thin film deposition apparatus described above, using examples of thin film deposition methods. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples of thin film deposition methods are merely non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, intended to clearly illustrate the main concepts of the present invention and provide specific solutions that facilitate implementation by the public, rather than limiting the full functionality or operating methods of the thin film deposition apparatus. Similarly, the thin film deposition apparatus is merely a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the execution entities or execution order of the steps in these thin film deposition methods.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of a thin film deposition method according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, during the operation of the thin film deposition apparatus, it can first supply process gas to the process chamber 11 via the process gas source 12 to perform a thin film deposition process on the wafers contained therein. Thereafter, in response to an alarm signal, the thin film deposition apparatus can immediately close the process gas source 12 and the throttle valve 132 in the exhaust mechanism 13, and supply supplementary gas to the process chamber 11 during the closing delay time of the throttle valve 132 to maintain the gas pressure in the process chamber 11 at the process gas pressure. Thereafter, in response to the throttle valve 132 being completely closed after its closing delay time, the thin film deposition apparatus can gradually open the throttle valve 132 according to a preset process termination curve to control the gas pressure in the process chamber 11 to drop to the endpoint pressure for terminating the thin film deposition process according to the preset process termination curve.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 3A to Figure 3C . Figure 3A A process termination curve diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 3B A process termination curve diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 3C A process termination curve diagram according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0054] like Figure 3A to Figure 3CAs shown, in response to the throttle valve 132 being completely closed, the controller can obtain a process termination curve for the current thin film deposition process. Here, the process termination curve includes multiple control stages with different pressure change slopes. The thin film deposition equipment can first determine the corresponding throttle valve 132 angle adjustment rate based on the pressure change slope of each control stage, and then linearly adjust the opening angle of the throttle valve 132 in stages based on the angle adjustment rate of each throttle valve 132. In this way, the pressure in the process chamber 11 is controlled to drop to the end pressure of the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve, while avoiding a sudden change in the throttle valve 132 angle causing a sudden change in the pressure.

[0055] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the controller may first determine the starting and ending pressures of each control stage based on the pressure change slope of each control stage, and then determine the air extraction volume of each control stage based on the starting and ending pressures of each control stage. The controller may then determine the ending opening angle of the throttle valve 132 in the current control stage and the corresponding throttle valve 132 angle adjustment rate based on the air extraction volume and duration of each control stage, as well as the starting opening angle of the throttle valve 132 in the current control stage.

[0056] Alternatively, in other embodiments, in response to a normal completion signal of the thin film deposition process, the thin film deposition apparatus may obtain a process termination curve for the current thin film deposition process and determine the corresponding angle adjustment rate of the throttle valve 132 based on the slope of the pressure change in each control stage. Subsequently, the thin film deposition apparatus may linearly adjust the opening angle of the throttle valve 132 in stages based on the angle adjustment rate of each throttle valve 132, thereby controlling the pressure in the process chamber 11 to drop to the endpoint pressure at which the thin film deposition process ends according to the process termination curve.

[0057] In addition, please refer to Figures 4A to 4C . Figure 4A Process start and process curves provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 4B Process start and process curves provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 4C Process start and process curves provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are shown.

[0058] exist Figures 4A to 4CIn the illustrated embodiment, the memory may also preferably store at least one process start curve and / or process progress curve for the thin film deposition process. Thus, during the thin film deposition process, the thin film deposition apparatus may first obtain the process start curve and / or process progress curve for the current thin film deposition process, and then adjust the gas flow rate of the process gas source 12 and / or the opening angle of the throttle valve 132 based on the target gas pressure for each control stage in the process start curve and / or process progress curve, thereby controlling the gas pressure in the process chamber 11 to vary according to the process start curve and / or process progress curve until an alarm signal or a signal indicating the normal completion of the thin film deposition process is received.

[0059] Please refer to further Figure 5 And Table 1. Figure 5 The following table shows the change curves of chamber pressure and throttle angle adjustment rate over time under different conditions according to some embodiments of the present invention. Table 1 shows the setting parameters of the exhaust process and the wafer status after processing according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0060]

[0061] like Figure 5 As shown in Table 1, in the embodiment of parameter setting group 1#, in response to the alarm signal indicating a malfunction of the thin film deposition equipment, the thin film deposition equipment can enter an alarm mode and immediately close the throttle valve 132. At this time, the pressure in the process chamber 11 drops rapidly, resulting in a large amount of impurities on the surface of the processed wafer.

[0062] In the embodiment of the second set of parameter settings, in response to an alarm signal indicating a malfunction in the thin film deposition equipment, the thin film deposition equipment enters alarm mode and closes throttle valve 132. Then, it reopens throttle valve 132 at a starting opening angle of 10.5%. During a first control phase of less than 15%, throttle valve 132 is opened at a rate of 0.1% / s. During a second control phase of 15% to 40%, throttle valve 132 continues to open at a rate of 0.5% / s. At this point, the pressure drop curve within process chamber 11 is still below the standard process termination curve 5# for normal deposition completion, thus causing a large amount of impurities to appear on the surface of the processed wafer.

[0063] Similarly, in the embodiment of the parameter setting group #3, in response to an alarm signal indicating a malfunction in the thin film deposition equipment, the thin film deposition equipment enters alarm mode and closes throttle valve 132. Then, it reopens throttle valve 132 at a starting opening angle of 0%. During a first control phase of less than 15%, throttle valve 132 is opened at a rate of 0.1% / s. During a second control phase of 15% to 40%, throttle valve 132 continues to be opened at a rate of 0.1% / s. At this point, the pressure drop curve within process chamber 11 is significantly higher than the standard process termination curve #5 for normal deposition completion, thus causing a large amount of impurities to appear on the surface of the processed wafer.

[0064] Conversely, in the embodiment with parameter settings set in group 4#, in response to an alarm signal indicating a malfunction in the thin film deposition equipment, the thin film deposition equipment enters alarm mode and closes throttle valve 132. It then reopens throttle valve 132 at a starting opening angle of 4%. During a first control phase of less than 15%, throttle valve 132 is opened at a rate of 0.1% / s. During a second control phase of 15% to 40%, throttle valve 132 continues to open at a rate of 0.1% / s. At this point, the pressure reduction curve within process chamber 11 is closer to the standard process termination curve 5# indicating normal deposition completion than curve 3#. Consequently, impurities on the surface of the processed wafers are significantly reduced, meeting acceptable wafer surface cleanliness standards.

[0065] Similarly, in the embodiment of parameter setting group 6#, in response to an alarm signal indicating a malfunction in the thin film deposition equipment, the thin film deposition equipment enters alarm mode and closes throttle valve 132. Then, it reopens throttle valve 132 at a starting opening angle of 4%. During a first control phase of less than 15%, throttle valve 132 is opened at a rate of 0.1% / s. During a second control phase of 15% to 40%, throttle valve 132 continues to be opened at a rate of 0.3% / s. At this point, the pressure reduction curve within process chamber 11 is closer to the standard process termination curve 5# indicating normal deposition completion than curve 3#. Consequently, impurities on the surface of the processed wafers are significantly reduced, meeting the qualified wafer surface cleanliness standard.

[0066] It can be seen from this that when the throttle valve 132 is adjusted with an appropriate starting opening angle and angle adjustment rate, and the gas pressure in the process chamber 11 is reduced to the target gas pressure for ending the thin film deposition process according to the standard process termination curve, the impurities on the surface of the wafer after the process can be effectively reduced, thereby improving the film formation quality on the wafer surface.

[0067] In summary, the above-mentioned thin film deposition equipment, thin film deposition method and computer-readable storage medium provided by the present invention can control the air pressure in the process chamber 11 to drop to the target air pressure for ending the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve by setting a gas supply module and a throttle valve 132 that gradually opens according to a preset process termination curve, so as to avoid the throttle valve 132 from being delayed in closing and causing the air pressure inside the process chamber 11 to be out of control in the alarm mode, thereby avoiding the air pressure out of control and causing the backflow of particulate contamination in the exhaust mechanism and the damage of the wafer by particulate contamination.

[0068] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of acts for simplicity of explanation, it is to be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the acts, as some acts may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other acts from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art according to one or more embodiments.

[0069] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information, signals, and data may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips cited throughout the foregoing description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0070] The previous 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 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 thin film deposition device, characterized in that: include: A process chamber is used to accommodate wafers to be processed and perform thin film deposition processes on them; a process gas source for supplying process gas to the process chamber and shutting down in response to an alarm signal; an exhaust mechanism comprising a vacuum pump and a throttle valve, wherein the vacuum pump is connected to an exhaust port provided in the process chamber via the throttle valve, and the throttle valve is first gradually closed within its shut-off delay time in response to the alarm signal, and then gradually opened according to a preset process termination curve, so as to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop according to the process termination curve to an endpoint gas pressure for terminating the thin film deposition process; as well as A gas supplementation module is configured to provide supplementary gas to the process chamber within a closing delay time of the throttle valve in response to the alarm signal.

2. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The gas replenishment module includes: a barometer, disposed inside the process chamber to collect chamber pressure inside the process chamber; a supplementary gas source, for providing the supplementary gas; and A mass flow controller is used to control the flow rate of the supplementary gas according to the pressure signal collected by the barometer, so as to maintain the pressure inside the process chamber at the starting pressure of the process termination curve.

3. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The process gas source is connected to the process chamber via a first pneumatic valve, and the gas supply module is connected to the process chamber via a second pneumatic valve, wherein the first pneumatic valve is closed in response to the alarm signal, and the second pneumatic valve is synchronously opened in response to the alarm signal and is also closed in response to the complete closure of the throttle valve.

4. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: a memory storing at least one process termination curve of a thin film deposition process; as well as a controller connected to the memory and the throttle valve and configured to: in response to the complete closure of the throttle valve, obtain a process termination curve of the current thin film deposition process, wherein the process termination curve includes multiple control stages with different gas pressure change slopes; and determine a corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate according to the gas pressure change slope in each of the control stages; And according to the adjustment rate of each throttle valve angle, the opening angle of the throttle valve is linearly adjusted in stages to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the end pressure of the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve.

5. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The step of determining the corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate according to the air pressure change slope in each control stage includes: Determining the starting air pressure and the ending air pressure of each control stage according to the air pressure change slope of each control stage; Determining the air extraction volume of each control stage according to the starting air pressure and the ending air pressure of each control stage; and According to the air extraction volume and duration of each control stage, and the starting opening angle of the throttle valve in the current control stage, the ending opening angle of the throttle valve in the current control stage and the corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate are determined respectively.

6. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The controller is further configured to: In response to a normal completion signal of the thin film deposition process, obtaining a process termination curve of the current thin film deposition process; Determining the corresponding throttle valve angle adjustment rate according to the air pressure change slope in each control stage; as well as According to the throttle valve angle adjustment rate, the opening angle of the throttle valve is linearly adjusted in stages to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to the endpoint gas pressure for ending the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve.

7. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The memory also stores a process start curve and / or a process curve of the at least one thin film deposition process. The controller is further connected to the process gas source and is configured to: obtain a process start curve and / or a process curve of a current thin film deposition process; And according to the target gas pressure of each control stage in the process start curve and / or the process curve, the gas supply flow of the process gas source and / or the opening angle of the throttle valve are adjusted to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to change according to the process start curve and / or the process curve until the alarm signal or the normal completion signal of the thin film deposition process is received.

8. The thin film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: a wafer conveying mechanism, configured to convey the wafer out of the process chamber after the pressure in the process chamber drops to an endpoint pressure for terminating the thin film deposition process according to the process termination curve; as well as A cleaning gas source is used to provide cleaning gas to the process chamber after the wafer is transferred out of the process chamber, so as to clean the process chamber and / or the exhaust mechanism.

9. A thin film deposition method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: supplying a process gas to the process chamber via a process gas source to perform a thin film deposition process on the wafer contained therein; In response to an alarm signal, closing the process gas source and the throttle valve in the exhaust mechanism, and supplying supplementary gas to the process chamber within a closing delay time of the throttle valve; as well as In response to the throttle valve being fully closed, the throttle valve is gradually opened according to a preset process termination curve to control the gas pressure in the process chamber to drop to an endpoint gas pressure for terminating the thin film deposition process according to the preset process termination curve.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the thin film deposition method according to claim 9 is implemented.

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