Gas supply line device

Abstract

In some examples, a gas supply line apparatus for inhibiting particle contamination in a substrate processing chamber is provided. An exemplary gas supply line apparatus includes: a cleaning gas source for a cleaning cycle of a substrate processing chamber; a cleaning gas source for a cleaning cycle of the substrate processing chamber; and a gas supply line for conveying a cleaning gas and a purge gas toward the substrate processing chamber. A three-way valve in the gas supply line device includes: a valve inlet connected to the gas supply line; a first valve outlet in fluid communication with the substrate processing chamber, the first valve outlet being operable to allow or prevent passage of a cleaning gas to the substrate processing chamber; and a second valve outlet connected to the diverting line and operable to allow or prevent a particulate-containing purge gas from passing to the diverting line.

Description

Priority claim

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 337,508, filed on May 2, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to methods and systems for suppressing or removing particle contamination in semiconductor processing chambers, and more particularly to gas supply line arrangements for suppressing or removing particle contamination during cleaning and purge cycles of a processing chamber. Background Art

[0003] Semiconductor substrate processing systems are used to process semiconductor substrates using techniques including etching, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), pulsed deposited layer (PDL), plasma enhanced pulsed deposited layer (PEPDL), and resist removal. One type of semiconductor substrate processing equipment is a plasma processing equipment including a vacuum processing chamber, which includes an upper electrode and a lower electrode. The vacuum processing chamber is supplied by a process gas supply line. During a substrate processing cycle, radio frequency (RF) power is applied between these electrodes to excite the process gas into a plasma to process the semiconductor substrate in the chamber. For example, during cleaning and purging cycles of the processing chamber, particulate material may accumulate on the internal surfaces of the gas supply line, contaminating wafers during subsequent processing and causing valve leaks.

[0004] The prior art presented herein is generally intended to present the context of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the information described in this section is intended to provide those skilled in the art with some background to the subject matter disclosed below and should not be considered as recognized prior art. Specifically, the work of the presently designated inventors within the scope described in this background section and aspects of the specification that could not be determined as prior art at the time the application was filed are neither explicitly nor implicitly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0005] Methods, systems, and computer programs for suppressing or removing particle contamination in semiconductor processing chambers and equipment are presented. Certain examples include a gas supply line arrangement for suppressing particle contamination during cleaning and sweeping cycles of a processing chamber.

[0006] In some examples, a gas supply line arrangement for suppressing particle contamination in a substrate processing chamber is provided. The exemplary gas supply line arrangement includes: a cleaning gas source for a cleaning cycle of a substrate processing chamber; a purge gas source for a purge cycle of the substrate processing chamber; a gas supply line for conveying cleaning gas and purge gas toward the substrate processing chamber; and a three-way valve including: a valve inlet connected to the gas supply line; a first valve outlet in fluid communication with the substrate processing chamber, the first valve outlet being operable to allow or prevent the cleaning gas from passing to the substrate processing chamber; and a second valve outlet connected to a diversion line and operable to allow or prevent the purge gas containing particles from passing to the diversion line.

[0007] In some examples, the second valve outlet is configured to open only when the first valve outlet is closed.

[0008] In some examples, the first valve outlet defines an internal clean gas termination point when closed.

[0009] In some examples, the second valve outlet defines an internal purge gas turning point when open.

[0010] In some examples, the internal purge gas turning point is located upstream of the internal purge gas termination point within the body of the three-way valve.

[0011] In some examples, during a purge cycle, gas and particulate material can be purged from the volume of the body of the three-way valve between the purge gas turnaround point and the clean gas termination point.

[0012] In some examples, the three-way valve is directly connected to the substrate processing chamber or its inlet manifold. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The various views in the drawings depict merely exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be considered limiting of its scope.

[0014] According to some exemplary embodiments, Figure 1 A processing chamber, such as a deposition chamber, for fabricating a substrate is shown.

[0015] Figure 2-3 Aspects of conventional gas supply line arrangements are shown.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 4 A form of gas supply line arrangement is shown.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, Figure 5 An image schematic of a three-way valve is shown.

[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment, Figure 6 An exemplary pattern of a three-way valve is shown.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment, Figure 7 The internal configuration of a three-way valve is shown.

[0020] According to an example, Figure 8 Exemplary operations of a method for suppressing particle contamination during a cleaning or purge cycle of a semiconductor processing chamber are shown.

[0021] Fig. 9 A block diagram is shown of an example of a machine on which one or more exemplary method embodiments may be implemented or by which one or more exemplary embodiments may be controlled. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Exemplary methods, systems, and computer programs are directed to methods, systems, and machine-readable storage media for suppressing or removing particle contamination in a semiconductor processing chamber during a processing cycle. Certain examples include a gas supply line device for suppressing particle contamination during cleaning and sweeping cycles of a processing chamber. Unless explicitly stated, components and functions are optional and may be combined or subdivided, and the order of operations may be changed, combined, or subdivided. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, many specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject matter may be implemented without these specific details.

[0023] As used herein, the terms "wafer" and "substrate" are used interchangeably. Wafer or substrate refers to the supporting material on which or within which the components of a semiconductor device are fabricated or attached. A substrate (e.g., Figure 1 The substrate 1306 in the embodiment may include, for example, a wafer (e.g., having a diameter of 100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, 450 mm, or more) composed of an elemental semiconductor material (e.g., silicon (Si) or germanium (Ge)) or a compound semiconductor material (e.g., silicon germanium (SiGe) or gallium arsenide (GaAs)). In addition, other substrates include, for example, dielectric materials such as quartz or sapphire (to which the semiconductor material may be applied). Exemplary substrates include blanket substrates and patterned substrates. A blanket substrate is a substrate that includes a low surface (or flat) top surface. A patterned substrate is a substrate that includes a high surface (or structured) top surface. The structured top surface of the substrate may include different high surface area structures, such as 3D NAND memory holes or other structures.

[0024] refer to Figure 1To provide a general description of a process chamber using the disclosed method. According to one embodiment, Figure 1 A processing chamber 100 (e.g., an etching or deposition chamber) for manufacturing a substrate is shown. In some examples, the processing chamber 100 may also be referred to as a vacuum chamber. Exciting an electric field between two electrodes is one method for obtaining a radio frequency (RF) gas discharge in a processing chamber. When an oscillating voltage is applied between the electrodes, the discharge obtained is called a CCP discharge.

[0025] Plasma 102 may be generated within a processing region 130 of the processing chamber 100 using one or more neutral processing gases to obtain various chemically reactive byproducts generated by the dissociation of various molecules caused by electron-neutron collisions. The chemical aspects of etching involve the neutral gas molecules and their dissociated byproducts reacting with molecules of the surface to be etched and producing volatile molecules, which may be pumped away. When the plasma is generated, positive ions are accelerated from the plasma through the space charge sheath separating the plasma from the chamber walls and impact the substrate surface with sufficient energy to remove material from the substrate surface. The process of using energetic and chemically reactive ions to selectively and anisotropically remove material from the substrate surface is called reactive ion etching (RIE). In some examples, the processing chamber 100 may be used in conjunction with a PECVD or PEALD deposition process.

[0026] The controller 116 manages the operation of the processing chamber 100, for example, during treatment, cleaning and sweep cycles, and by controlling various components in the processing chamber 100, such as the RF generator 118, the gas source 122, and the gas pump 120. The gas source 122 may include a cleaning gas source and a sweep gas source as further described below. In one embodiment, fluorocarbon gases (e.g., CF4 and C4F8) are used in dielectric etching processes due to their anisotropic and selective etching capabilities, but the principles described herein can be applied to other plasma-generating gases. Fluorocarbon gases readily dissociate into chemically reactive byproducts, including smaller molecules and atomic radicals. These chemically reactive byproducts can etch away dielectric materials.

[0027] The processing chamber 100 shows a processing chamber having an upper (or top) electrode 104 and a lower (or bottom) electrode 108. The upper electrode 104 can be grounded or coupled to an RF generator (not shown), and the lower electrode 108 is coupled to an RF generator 118 through a matching network 114. The RF generator 118 provides an RF signal between the upper electrode 104 and the lower electrode 108 to generate RF power at one or more (e.g., two or three) different RF frequencies. Depending on the desired configuration of the processing chamber 100 for a particular operation, at least one of the multiple RF frequencies can be turned on or off. In Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the RF generator 118 is configured to provide at least three different frequencies, such as 400 kHz, 2 MHz, 27 MHz, and 60 MHz, although other frequencies are possible.

[0028] The processing chamber 100 includes a gas showerhead on the upper electrode 104, which inputs a processing gas provided by a gas source 122 into the processing chamber 100, and a perforated confinement ring 112 that allows the gas to be pumped out of the processing chamber 100 by a gas pump 120. In some exemplary embodiments, the gas pump 120 is a turbomolecular pump, but other types of gas pumps may be used.

[0029] When the substrate 106 is present in the processing chamber 100 , the silicon focus ring 110 is located beside the substrate 106 so as to have a uniform RF field at the bottom surface of the plasma 102 to perform uniform etching (or deposition) on the surface of the substrate 106 . Figure 1 The embodiment of the present invention shows a three-pole reactor configuration in which the upper electrode 104 is surrounded by a ground electrode 124 (e.g., a symmetrical RF ground electrode). Insulator 126 is a dielectric that isolates the ground electrode 124 from the upper electrode 104. Other implementations of the processing chamber 100, including ICP-based implementations, are possible without changing the scope of the disclosed embodiments.

[0030] Each frequency generated by RF generator 118 may be selected for a specific purpose during the substrate manufacturing process. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , when RF power is provided at 400kHz, 2MHz, 27MHz, and 60MHz, the 400kHz or 2MHz RF power provides ion energy control, and the 27MHz and 60MHz powers provide control over plasma density and dissociation mode of chemicals. This configuration can turn each RF power on or off to enable certain processes that use ultra-low ion energy on a substrate, and certain processes where the ion energy must be low (e.g., below 700 or 200eV) (e.g., for soft etching of low-k materials).

[0031] In another embodiment, 60 MHz RF power is used on the upper electrode 104 to achieve ultra-low energy and very high density. This configuration allows for chamber cleaning with a high density plasma while minimizing sputtering on the electrostatic chuck (ESC) surface when the substrate 106 is not in the process chamber 100. When the substrate 106 is not present, the ESC surface is exposed and any ion energy on the surface should be avoided, which is why the bottom 2 MHz and 27 MHz power supplies may be turned off during cleaning.

[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, the processing chamber 100 further includes a sensor 128, which can be placed between the matching network 114 of the RF generator 118 and the lower electrode 108. The sensor 128 can include a voltage-current (or VI) sensor configured to generate a plurality of signals (e.g., sensed data) representing at least one signal characteristic of the RF signal generated by the RF generator 118 at corresponding multiple time points. For example, the VI sensor can generate a plurality of signals representing one or more of the following signal characteristics of the RF signal: voltage, current, phase, transmission power, and impedance. In some examples, the plurality of signals generated by the sensor 128 at corresponding multiple time points can be stored (e.g., stored in the controller 116 or the on-chip memory of the sensor 128), and can be retrieved (e.g., retrieved by the controller 116) for subsequent processing. In other aspects, the plurality of signals generated by the sensor 128 at corresponding multiple time points can be automatically transmitted to the controller 116 when they are generated.

[0033] In some examples, the gas source 122 is connected to one or more gas supply line devices disposed upstream of a gas showerhead located on the upper electrode 104. The gas supply line device may include one or more inlet manifolds connected to the processing chamber 100 (at Figure 1 100). As described above, the gas source 122 may include a cleaning gas source and a sweep gas source. In some examples, a gas supply line arrangement is connected to these gas sources and is used for cleaning and sweeping cycles of the processing chamber 100 between or after substrate processing cycles. In this regard, the inlet manifold may deliver a fluorine-containing plasma gas for chamber cleaning in a "cleaning cycle." A "sweep cycle" is sometimes performed after the "cleaning cycle" and uses argon gas to remove aluminum fluoride particles generated during the cleaning cycle. For example, aluminum fluoride particulate material may accumulate on the interior surfaces of the gas supply line, contaminate wafers during subsequent processing, and cause ALD valve leaks.

[0034] In conventional gas supply pipeline arrangements, for example Figure 2 As shown, a remote plasma generator (for a cleaning cycle) or a gas source (for a purge cycle) can be connected to the remote plasma generator using a two-way valve 202. Figure 1 The process chamber 100 is isolated from the chamber 100. Here, the argon purge gas containing aluminum fluoride particles is exhausted directly into the process chamber 100 and may cause the wafer contamination problem described above. Other process cycles may be affected by such particle problems. Examples in the present disclosure attempt to suppress particle contamination in wafer processing cycles, chamber cleaning cycles, and purge cycles, and in some cases provide particle removal and decontamination during or in preparation for these cycles.

[0035] For example Figure 3 As shown, some further conventional examples attempt to divert the argon purge gas away from the processing chamber. Figure 2 The two-way valve 202 is turned off, and particles are not allowed to flow into the processing chamber 100. During the purge cycle, the argon gas containing particles flows on the diverted purge path 314 and enters the divert line 304 through another two-way valve 302. As shown, the gas divert point 306 is located outside and upstream of the two-way valves 202 and 302, and is located at a joint or fork in the gas supply line 308. The gas termination point 312 in the gas supply line 308 is located downstream of the two-way valve 202. This non-coincident configuration of the external gas diversion and termination points creates a dead zone 310 (or volume) between the gas turning point 306 and the gas termination point 312. The existence of the dead zone 310 does not solve the problem of particle contamination, but actually exacerbates the problem of particle contamination. Even during a purge cycle, particles may still be trapped. Figure 3 304. These particles cannot escape downstream of the diverting line 304. The only way to exit the dead zone 310 downstream is through the processing chamber 100. Therefore, when the two-way valve 202 is opened again for subsequent wafer processing or cleaning, these trapped particles will directly enter the processing chamber 100 and cause the same problems discussed further above. Therefore, despite the provision of the diverting line 304, the contamination problem still exists.

[0036] In some examples of the present disclosure, these problems are solved by gas supply line arrangements of the process chamber 100 that include strategically placed and configured three-way valves, which are also referred to as three-way valves in some examples.

[0037] refer to Figure 4 In some examples, in the gas supply pipeline device of the processing chamber 100, the three-way valve 402 is set Figure 3 The purge path 404 is located at the gas turning point 306, or at least at the beginning of the purge path 404. The purge path 404 passes through the three-way valve 402, but does not pass through any part of the downstream pipeline below the three-way valve 402, otherwise a dead zone may be formed.

[0038] As described more fully below, Figure 3 The gas turning point 306 and the gas termination point 312 are at Figure 4In some examples, the gas turning point 306 and the gas termination point 312 are made substantially coincident within the body of the three-way valve 402. Thus, the external dead zone 310 is substantially eliminated or at least minimized. In some examples further described below, while the interior of the three-way valve 402 retains a minimized dead zone, the zone can still be cleaned of particulate material and contaminants.

[0039] In some examples, three-way valve 402 is located proximate to process chamber 100 or its inlet manifold so that no dead zone 310 is formed in the supply line downstream of three-way valve 402. In other words, gas supply line 308 terminates at three-way valve 402 and does not pass through it.

[0040] exist Figure 5 4 shows an exemplary three-way valve 402 in a schematic shape. The three-way valve 402 has a valve inlet 502, a first valve outlet 504, and a second valve outlet 506, and is therefore called a three-way valve or a three-way valve. The first and second pneumatic valve actuators 508 and 510 operate to open and close the first valve outlet 504 and the second valve outlet 506, respectively.

[0041] Figure 6 4 shows exemplary modes of the three-way valve 402. In a first mode 602 (e.g., a "plasma flow" mode) of the three-way valve 402, such as used during substrate processing or chamber cleaning, a gas such as fluorine enters the valve inlet 502 of the three-way valve 402. The entering gas may be, for example, from Figure 1 The first valve outlet 504 is provided by an upstream gas source of the gas source 122 or from a remote plasma gas generator (RPC generator). For cleaning or substrate processing purposes, the first valve outlet 504 is open and allows fluorine gas to enter the downstream processing chamber 100. In the first plasma flow mode, the second valve outlet 506 is closed and no gas flows through the outlet. All gas flows are restricted to enter the processing chamber 100. However, the abrasive and corrosive nature of the fluorine gas used in the cleaning cycle may still produce unwanted particles, such as aluminum fluoride particles, which may accumulate on the internal surfaces of the gas pipelines and chamber walls and cause wafer contamination and valve leakage.

[0042] Thus, in the second mode 604 (e.g., "sweep flow" mode), a purge gas such as argon is used to sweep away these particles and inhibit wafer contamination and other damage to the chamber and associated valves and facilities. Unlike the prior art, where trapped dead zone particles are flushed into the chamber, in an exemplary apparatus of the present invention, the first valve outlet 504 is closed and gas and particles are not allowed to enter the chamber, such as shown by "no flow" 608. The second valve outlet 506 is opened and the scavenged gas and particles exit the valve through the outlet and harmlessly enter the diverter line at 610 at 516. In some examples, the second valve outlet 506 is configured to open only when the first valve outlet 504 is closed to reduce the risk of particles and contaminants entering the chamber. Figure 1 of the processing chamber 100 (if not eliminated).

[0043] In a third mode 606 (e.g., a "no flow" mode), no gas flows through the three-way valve 402 when both the first and second valve outlets 504 and 506 are closed. In this mode, particulate material or contaminants can be temporarily and safely held upstream of the three-way valve 402, the diversion line 610, or the processing chamber 100, as desired.

[0044] The internal configuration of the exemplary three-way valve 402 corresponding to the three modes including the first mode 602 (plasma flow), the second mode 604 (sweep flow), and the third mode 606 (no flow) can be referred to in the accompanying drawings. Figure 7 Come to understand.

[0045] In Modes 1 and 2, a gas such as fluorine or argon (or a mixture containing one or different components) may be allowed to enter the three-way valve 402 via the valve inlet 502 in a plane normal to the page. In Mode 1 (e.g., including a cleaning cycle), the first valve outlet 504 is open, and the allowed gas may enter the chamber 100 via the fluorine plasma path 708 for chamber cleaning. In Mode 1, as shown, the second valve outlet 506 is connected to the diverter (purge) line, but is closed. In Mode 1, no gas enters the diverter line.

[0046] In Mode 2 (e.g., including a purge cycle), argon is supplied to the valve inlet 502, which again enters orthogonally into the page. The first valve outlet 504 is closed and defines a gas termination point 702 disposed inside the three-way valve 402. In Mode 2, the purge gas is not allowed to enter the chamber 100, and perhaps more importantly, the particulate contaminants carried by the purge gas are not allowed to enter the chamber. Instead, the second valve outlet 506 is opened to allow the purge gas and the particulate contaminants carried therein to enter harmlessly into the connected steering line. The second valve outlet 506 defines the gas turning point 704.

[0047] In the example shown, the gas turning point 704 is disposed slightly upstream of the gas termination point 702, but still disposed within the three-way valve 402. In the example shown, the gas termination point 702 and the gas turning point 704 are not disposed upstream or downstream in an external or separate gas line (such as the arrangement in the prior art described above). Instead, as in the example shown, the gas termination point 702 and the gas turning point 704 are substantially coincident (adjacent to each other without an intermediate supply line), or at least coincident in the sense that they are both disposed within the body of the same three-way valve 402. The presence of dead space is substantially eliminated, or at least eliminated relative to the external environment of the three-way valve 402 and the surrounding gas supply line arrangement. It is also noted that in the event that a potential dead space or volume exists within the three-way valve 402 and between the gas termination point 702 and the gas turning point 704, such as shown by the shaded area labeled 706; this area can still be flushed. As shown, as the purge gas passes through the three-way valve 402 , the purge gas cleans or sweeps the potential dead zone 706 and carries out particulate material and other contaminants through the second valve outlet 506 on a purge path 710 .

[0048] In Mode 3 (No Flow), both the first valve outlet 504 and the second valve outlet 506 of the three-way valve 402 are closed. No gas is allowed to enter the chamber 100 or to the diverting line.

[0049] Some examples include methods. Figure 8, a method 800 for suppressing particle contamination during a cleaning or sweep cycle of a substrate processing chamber includes: at operation 802, providing a cleaning gas source for a cleaning cycle of the substrate processing chamber; at operation 804, providing a sweep gas source for a sweep cycle of the substrate processing chamber; at operation 806, connecting a gas supply line to transport a cleaning gas and a sweep gas toward the substrate processing chamber; at operation 808, connecting a three-way valve to a gas supply line device of the substrate processing chamber, the three-way valve including a valve inlet and a first valve outlet, the valve inlet being connectable to the gas supply line, the first valve outlet being in fluid communication with the substrate processing chamber, the first valve outlet being operable to allow or prevent the cleaning gas from passing to the substrate processing chamber, the three-way valve further including a second valve outlet, the second valve outlet being connectable to a diversion line and being operable to allow or prevent the sweep gas containing particles from passing to the diversion line; at operation 810, connecting the three-way valve to the diversion line; and at operation 812, during the sweep cycle, discharging the sweep gas containing particles into the diversion line.

[0050] In some examples, method 800 further includes opening the second valve outlet only when the first valve outlet is closed.

[0051] In some examples, method 800 further includes configuring the first valve outlet to define an internal cleaning gas termination point when closed.

[0052] In certain examples, method 800 further includes configuring the second valve outlet to define an internal purge gas turning point when opened.

[0053] In some examples, method 800 further includes positioning or operating the three-way valve such that the internal purge gas turning point is upstream of the internal purge gas termination point within the body of the three-way valve.

[0054] In certain examples, method 800 further includes purging gas and particulate material in a volume of a body of the three-way valve between an internal purge gas turning point and an internal clean gas termination point during a purge cycle.

[0055] In some examples, method 800 further includes connecting a three-way valve directly to the substrate processing chamber or an inlet manifold thereof.

[0056] Certain examples provide a non-transitory machine-readable medium containing instructions that, when read by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations in a method for suppressing particle contamination during a cleaning or purge cycle of a substrate processing chamber, the method comprising: turning on or off a cleaning gas source for a cleaning cycle of the processing chamber; turning on or off a purge gas source for a purge cycle of the processing chamber; controlling a connected gas supply line to deliver cleaning gas and purge gas toward the substrate processing chamber; controlling an actuator of a three-way valve connected to the gas supply line, the three-way valve comprising a valve inlet and a first valve outlet, the valve inlet being fluidically connected to the gas supply line, the first valve outlet being fluidically connected to the substrate processing chamber, the first valve outlet being operable to allow or prevent the cleaning gas from passing to the substrate processing chamber, the three-way valve further comprising a second valve outlet, the second valve outlet being connectable to a diversion line and operable to allow or prevent the particle-containing purge gas from passing to the diversion line; and sending a signal to one of the actuators of the three-way valve to open the second valve outlet to discharge the particle-containing purge gas into the diversion line during the purge cycle.

[0057] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing a machine 900 (e.g. Figure 1 116), on which one or more of the exemplary processing embodiments described herein may be implemented or controlled, or by which one or more of the exemplary processing embodiments described herein may be implemented or controlled. In alternative embodiments, machine 900 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, machine 900 may operate as a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In one example, machine 900 may be used as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network (or other distributed network) environment. In addition, although only a single machine 900 is shown, the term "machine" should also be considered to include any collection of machines (controllers) that individually or jointly execute one or more sets of instructions to perform any one or more of the methods described herein, such as via cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

[0058] The examples described herein may include logic, several components or mechanisms, or may be operated by logic, several components or mechanisms. A circuit system is a collection of circuits implemented in a tangible entity including hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic). The circuit system membership may be flexible over time and with the variability of the basic hardware. The circuit system includes components that can perform specified operations individually or in combination when used. In one example, the hardware of the circuit system can be designed in a fixed and immutable manner to perform specific operations (e.g., hard wiring). In another example, the hardware of the circuit system may include variable connection physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits), which include computer-readable media that are modified by physical means (e.g., magnetically and electrically through the movable setting of constant mass particles) to encode instructions for specific operations. When connecting physical components, the basic electrical properties of the hardware components are changed (e.g., from insulators to conductors, and vice versa). Instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., execution units or loading mechanisms) to generate components of the circuit system in hardware via variable connections to perform parts of specific operations when performing operations. Thus, when the device operates, the computer-readable medium is communicatively coupled to other components of the circuit system. In some examples, any of the physical components can be used in more than one component in more than one circuit system. For example, in operation, an execution unit can be used in a first circuit of a first circuit system at one point in time, and reused by a second circuit of the first circuit system, or by a third circuit of the second circuit system at a different time.

[0059] The machine 900 (e.g., a computer system) may include a hardware processor 902 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a graphics processing unit (GPU) 903, a main memory 904, and a static memory 906, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interconnect 908 (e.g., a bus). The machine 900 may also include a display device 910, an alphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 914 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display device 910, the alphanumeric input device 912, and the UI navigation device 914 may be a touch screen display. The machine 900 may additionally include a mass storage device (e.g., a drive unit) 916, a signal generating device 918 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 920, and one or more sensors 921, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or another sensor. The machine 900 may include an output controller 928 (e.g., serial (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC))) connection) to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (e.g., printer, card reader).

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment, the hardware processor 902 may perform the functionality of the controller 116 discussed herein.

[0061] The mass storage device 916 may include a machine-readable medium 922 on which one or more sets of data structures or instructions 924 (e.g., software) may be stored that implement or are used by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 924 may also reside, in whole or in part, within the main memory 904, within the static memory 906, within the hardware processor 902, or within the GPU 903 during execution thereof by the machine 900. In one example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 902, the GPU 903, the main memory 904, the static memory 906, or the mass storage device 916 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

[0062] Although machine-readable medium 922 is shown as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (eg, centralized or distributed databases and / or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 924.

[0063] The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions 924 for execution by the machine 900 and causing the machine 900 to perform any one or more of the techniques of the present disclosure; or any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or related to such instructions 924. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media may include solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media. In one example, a mass machine-readable medium includes a machine-readable medium 922 having a plurality of particles having a constant mass (e.g., a rest mass). Therefore, a mass machine-readable medium is not a transient propagating signal. Specific examples of a mass machine-readable medium may include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electronically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0064] The instructions 924 may be further transmitted or received over the communication network 926 through the network interface device 920 using a transmission medium.

[0065] The implementation of the aforementioned technology can be completed via any number of specifications, configurations or exemplary deployments of hardware and software. It should be understood that the functional units or capabilities described in this specification may be referred to or labeled as components or modules to more specifically emphasize their implementation independence. Such components can be embodied in any number of software or hardware forms. For example, a component or module can be implemented as a hardware circuit, which includes a customized very large integrated (VLSI) circuit or gate array, a ready-made semiconductor, transistor or other discrete component such as a logic chip. The component or module can also be implemented in a programmable hardware device, such as a field programmable gate array, a programmable array logic, a programmable logic device, etc. The component or module can also be implemented in software and executed by various types of processors. The identified component or module of the executable code may, for example, include one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for example, be organized as an object, a program or a function. However, the executable files of the identified components or modules do not need to be physically placed together, but may include different instructions stored in different locations, which, when logically connected together, include components or modules and achieve the described purpose of the components or modules.

[0066] In fact, the components or modules of executable code can be single instructions or multiple instructions, and can even be distributed on several different code segments, in different programs, and across several memory devices or processing systems. Specifically, some aspects of the program (such as code rewriting and code analysis) may occur on a processing system (for example, a computer embedded in a sensor or manipulator) different from the processing system that deploys the code (for example, a computer in a data center). Similarly, operational data can be identified and depicted in the components or modules herein, and can be embodied in any suitable form and can be organized in any suitable type of data structure. Operational data can be collected as a single data group, or can be distributed in different locations including different storage devices, and can exist at least partially only as an electronic signal on a system or network. The components or modules can be passive or active, including agents that can be operated to perform the desired function.

[0067] Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as single instances. Although the individual operations of one or more methods are depicted and described as individual operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed simultaneously, and it is not necessary to perform these operations in the order shown. The structures and functions presented as individual components in the exemplary configuration may be implemented with combined structures or components. Similarly, the structures and functions presented as single components may be implemented with individual components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

[0068] The embodiments described herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to implement the disclosed teachings. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, so that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this specific embodiment should not be considered restrictive, and the scope of the various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to which these claims are entitled.

[0069] The claims may not list every feature disclosed herein, as embodiments may feature a subset of the features described. In addition, embodiments may include fewer features than those disclosed in a particular example. Therefore, the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description, where the claims stand on their own as separate embodiments.

[0070] When used in this article, the term "or" can be interpreted in an inclusive or exclusive sense. In addition, plural instances can be provided for the resources, operations or structures described herein as single instances. In addition, the boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, tools and data storage are arbitrary to some extent, and specific operations are shown in the context of a specific description configuration. Other allocations of functions are envisioned and may fall within the scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, the structure and function presented as a separate resource in an exemplary configuration may be implemented with a combined structure or resource. Similarly, the structure and function presented as a single resource can be implemented with a separate resource. These and other changes, modifications, additions and improvements fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure, as presented in the appended claims. Therefore, the specification and the accompanying drawings are considered to be illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A gas supply line device for suppressing particle contamination in a substrate processing chamber, the gas supply line device comprising: a cleaning gas source for use in a cleaning cycle of the substrate processing chamber; a purge gas source for use in a purge cycle of the substrate processing chamber; a gas supply line for delivering cleaning gas and purge gas toward the substrate processing chamber; and A three-way valve comprising: a valve inlet connected to the gas supply line; a first valve outlet in fluid communication with the substrate processing chamber, the first valve outlet operable to allow or prevent a cleaning gas from passing to the substrate processing chamber; as well as A second valve outlet is connected to the diverting line and is operable to allow or prevent the passage of the particulate-laden purge gas to the diverting line. 2 . The gas supply line arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the second valve outlet is configured to open only when the first valve outlet is closed.

3. The gas supply line arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first valve outlet defines an internal clean gas termination point when closed.

4. The gas supply line arrangement of claim 3, wherein the second valve outlet defines an internal purge gas turning point when open.

5. The gas supply line arrangement of claim 4, wherein the internal purge gas turning point is located upstream of the internal purge gas termination point within the body of the three-way valve.

6. The gas supply line arrangement of claim 5, wherein during the purge cycle, gas and particulate material in the volume of the body of the three-way valve between the purge gas turning point and the clean gas termination point can be purged.

7. The gas supply line arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the three-way valve is directly connected to the substrate processing chamber or an inlet manifold thereof.

8. A method of inhibiting particle contamination during a cleaning or sweep cycle of a substrate processing chamber, the method comprising: providing a cleaning gas source for a cleaning cycle of the substrate processing chamber; providing a purge gas source for a purge cycle of the substrate processing chamber; Connect gas supply lines to deliver cleaning gas and purge gas toward the substrate processing chamber ； as well as connecting a three-way valve to a gas supply line arrangement for the substrate processing chamber, the three-way valve comprising a valve inlet connectable to the gas supply line; a first valve outlet in fluid communication with the substrate processing chamber, the first valve outlet being operable to allow or prevent the cleaning gas from passing to the substrate processing chamber, the three-way valve further comprising a second valve outlet connectable to a diversion line and operable to allow or prevent the particle-laden purge gas from passing to the diversion line; connecting the three-way valve to the steering line; as well as During the purge cycle, the particulate-laden purge gas is discharged into the divert line.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising opening the second valve outlet only when the first valve outlet is closed.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising configuring the first valve outlet to define an internal clean gas termination point when closed.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising configuring the second valve outlet to define an internal purge gas turning point when open.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising configuring or operating the three-way valve so that the internal purge gas turning point is upstream of the internal clean gas termination point within a body of the three-way valve.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising purging gas and particulate material in a volume of the body of the three-way valve between the internal purge gas turning point and the internal clean gas termination point during a purge cycle.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising connecting the three-way valve directly to the substrate processing chamber or an inlet manifold thereof.

15. A tangible machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when read by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations in a method of suppressing particle contamination during a cleaning or sweep cycle of a substrate processing chamber, the method comprising: turning on or off a cleaning gas source for a cleaning cycle of the process chamber; turning on or off a purge gas source for a purge cycle of the process chamber; controlling connected gas supply lines to deliver cleaning gas and purge gas toward the substrate processing chamber; an actuator controlling a three-way valve connected to the gas supply line, the three-way valve comprising: a valve inlet in fluid communication with the gas supply line; a first valve outlet in fluid communication with the substrate processing chamber, the first valve outlet being operable to allow or prevent the cleaning gas from passing to the substrate processing chamber, the three-way valve further comprising a second valve outlet connectable to a diversion line and operable to allow or prevent the particle-laden purge gas from passing to the diversion line; and A signal is sent to one of the actuators of the three-way valve to open the second valve outlet to discharge the particulate-laden purge gas into the divert line during the purge cycle.

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