Valve equipment and processing equipment and processing method of semiconductor device

Abstract

The invention discloses a valve device, a semiconductor device processing device and a semiconductor device processing method. The output end of the valve equipment is connected with the reaction cavity, the valve equipment comprises a valve body, an air channel is formed in the valve body, and an air outlet is formed in the inner wall of the valve body and used for outputting air; the valve plate is movably arranged in the valve body, and the opening degree of the valve equipment is adjusted by adjusting the pose of the valve plate; the controller is configured to respond to a process flow or a cleaning flow in the reaction cavity and control the valve plate to form an opening degree, so that process gas or clean gas enters the reaction cavity; and inert gas is introduced into the gas channel, so that the inert gas surrounds the inner wall to form a gas curtain, and the inner wall is isolated from the process gas or the clean gas. Deposition of process byproducts on the inner wall of the valve body and the valve plate can be reduced, and compact and difficult-to-clean sediments are prevented from being formed in the valve.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In the processing technology of semiconductor devices, it is usually necessary to use a valve plate connected to the reaction chamber to control the pressure in the reaction chamber to meet the requirements of the process environment.

[0003] In the carbon mask deposition process, the reaction gas is usually hydrocarbon, and its byproducts are easily attached to the valve plate in the form of carbon film. Moreover, since there is dissociated hydrogen in the byproducts, hydrogen itself will etch the carbon film. In addition, when the ambient temperature is higher, the carbon film's ability to absorb hydrogen is lower, and the hydrogen's etching ability is stronger. When the ambient temperature is lower, the etching ability of hydrogen is reduced, and it is easier to be absorbed by the carbon film, resulting in more byproducts accumulating on the valve plate, causing the valve plate to get stuck or the valve to get clogged.

[0004] In the prior art, heating methods are often used to effectively reduce the deposition rate of byproducts, but the effect is not ideal. Many byproducts that are difficult to clean will still accumulate on the inner wall of the pipeline near the valve plate and the surface of the valve plate. The reason is that since the butterfly valve equipment controls the pressure by rotating the valve plate, the flow resistance here is large and the flow capacity is reduced, which makes the reaction byproducts easy to deposit. Secondly, there is no direct heating unit in the valve plate, so the temperature is low. The low temperature makes it easier to accelerate the deposition rate of byproducts, thereby causing the valve plate to get stuck or blocked.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the art urgently needs an improved valve device that can reduce the deposition of process by-products on the inner wall and valve plate of the valve body and prevent the formation of dense and difficult-to-clean deposits in the valve. Summary of the invention

[0006] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0007] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a valve device, a semiconductor device processing device, a semiconductor device processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can reduce the deposition of process by-products on the inner wall and valve plate of the valve body and prevent the formation of dense and difficult-to-clean deposits in the valve.

[0008] Specifically, the above-mentioned valve device provided according to the first aspect of the present invention has its output end connected to the reaction chamber, and the valve device comprises: a valve body, an air channel is provided inside the valve body, and an air outlet is provided on the inner wall of the valve body for gas output; a valve plate, which can be movably arranged in the valve body, and the opening of the valve device is adjusted by adjusting the posture of the valve plate; and a controller, which is configured to: in response to a process flow or a cleaning process in the reaction chamber, control the valve plate to form an opening to allow the process gas or the cleaning gas to enter the reaction chamber; and introduce an inert gas into the air channel so that the inert gas forms an air curtain around the inner wall to isolate the inner wall from the process gas or the cleaning gas.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the valve body is an annular valve body, and the valve plate is rotatably disposed in the annular valve body, and the opening of the valve device can be adjusted by rotating the valve plate.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the annular inner wall of the annular valve body includes at least one air outlet, and the length of the at least one air outlet is not less than half of the circumference of the annular inner wall.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the annular inner wall includes a plurality of tangential gas outlets, and the plurality of tangential gas outlets are distributed around the annular inner wall so that the output inert gas forms a circumferentially flowing gas curtain.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, an angle is formed between the airway outlet section inside the annular valve body and the tangential air outlet, so that the output inert gas flows circumferentially along the annular inner wall to form the circumferentially flowing air curtain.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the annular valve body includes two double-layer air ducts therein, the two double-layer air ducts surround the annular valve body, and both ends of each double-layer air duct include two parallel tangential air outlets to increase the thickness of the air curtain.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the valve device also includes: a pressurizing device connected to an inert gas source to provide pressurized inert gas into the air passage so that the output inert gas moves at a high speed to form the circumferentially flowing air curtain.

[0015] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the interior of the valve plate includes a first ultrasonic transducer, and after the step of controlling the valve plate to form an opening in response to a process flow or a cleaning process in the reaction chamber to allow process gas or cleaning gas to enter the reaction chamber, the step further includes: turning on the first ultrasonic transducer and transmitting its vibration energy to the valve plate so that the deposits on the surface of the valve plate are vibrated away from the valve plate.

[0016] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the interior of the valve body includes a second ultrasonic transducer for providing vibration energy to the valve body, so that the deposits on the valve body are vibrated away from the valve body.

[0017] In addition, the processing equipment of the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a reaction chamber; a gas source, connected to the reaction chamber to provide the process gas required for the process flow or the cleaning gas required for the cleaning flow into the reaction chamber; and the above-mentioned valve equipment provided by the first aspect of the present invention, which is arranged in the front-stage vacuum pipeline between the gas source and the reaction chamber, and is used to transport the process gas or the cleaning gas into the reaction chamber to carry out the process flow or the cleaning flow.

[0018] In addition, the processing method of the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention comprises the following steps: providing process gas or cleaning gas into the reaction chamber through the gas source in the processing equipment of the above-mentioned semiconductor device provided in the second aspect of the present invention; in response to the process flow or cleaning flow in the reaction chamber, controlling the valve plate in the valve device to form an opening so that the process gas or the cleaning gas enters the reaction chamber; and introducing an inert gas into the valve body air channel in the valve device so that the inert gas forms an air curtain around the inner wall of the valve body to isolate the inner wall from the process gas or the cleaning gas.

[0019] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the interior of the valve plate includes a first ultrasonic transducer, and after the step of controlling the valve plate in the valve device to form an opening in response to a process flow or a cleaning process in the reaction chamber to allow the process gas or the cleaning gas to enter the reaction chamber, the step further includes: turning on the first ultrasonic transducer and transmitting its vibration energy to the valve plate to vibrate the deposits on the surface of the valve plate away from the valve plate.

[0020] In addition, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a computer-readable storage medium on which computer instructions are stored. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the semiconductor device processing method provided by the third aspect of the present invention is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The above features and advantages of the present invention can 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 features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a valve device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a valve body in a valve device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 It shows a schematic internal perspective view of a valve body in a valve device provided according to some other embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a valve body in a valve device provided in some other embodiments of the present invention; and

[0026] Figure 5 A flow chart of a method for processing a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Reference numerals:

[0028] 100 valve equipment;

[0029] 110 Valve body;

[0030] 111 annular inner wall;

[0031] 120 valve plate;

[0032] 121 valve plate rotating shaft;

[0033] 130 controller;

[0034] 131 heat sink;

[0035] 140 inert gas source;

[0036] 150 flange;

[0037] 151 external leads;

[0038] 210 air outlet;

[0039] 220 Air intake;

[0040] 310 airway;

[0041] 311 exit section;

[0042] 320 tangential air outlet;

[0043] 410 Pressurization device; and

[0044] Steps S510~S530. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention, and 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 implementation. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the implementation 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.

[0046] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" 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 a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0047] In addition, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "horizontal" and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the directions shown in the paragraph and the related drawings. Such relative terms are only used for the convenience of description and do not mean that the device described therein must be manufactured or operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0048] It is understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein 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 may be referred to as a second component, region, layer and / or part without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0049] As mentioned above, in the carbon mask deposition process, the reaction gas is usually a hydrocarbon, and its byproducts are easily attached to the valve plate in the form of a carbon film. Moreover, since there is dissociated hydrogen in the byproducts, hydrogen itself will etch the carbon film. Moreover, when the ambient temperature is higher, the carbon film has a lower ability to absorb hydrogen, and the stronger the etching ability of hydrogen, while when the ambient temperature is lower, the etching ability of hydrogen is reduced, and it is easier to be absorbed by the carbon film, thereby generating more byproducts that accumulate on the valve plate, causing the valve plate to get stuck or the valve to get blocked. In the prior art, heating methods are commonly used to effectively reduce the deposition rate of byproducts, but the effect is not ideal. A lot of byproducts that are difficult to clean will still accumulate on the inner wall of the pipeline near the valve plate and the surface of the valve plate. The reason is that, since the butterfly valve equipment controls the pressure by rotating the valve plate, the flow resistance here is large and the flow capacity is reduced, which leads to the easy deposition of reaction byproducts. Secondly, there is no direct heating unit in the valve plate, so the temperature is low, and the low temperature is more likely to cause the deposition rate of byproducts to accelerate, thereby causing the valve plate to get stuck or blocked.

[0050] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a valve device, a semiconductor device processing device, a semiconductor device processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can reduce the deposition of process by-products on the inner wall and valve plate of the valve body and prevent the formation of dense and difficult-to-clean deposits in the valve.

[0051] In some non-limiting embodiments, the valve device provided in the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the processing equipment of the semiconductor device provided in the second aspect of the present invention, and used to implement the processing method of the semiconductor device provided in the third aspect of the present invention.

[0052] Specifically, in some non-limiting embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, can be used to implement the semiconductor device processing method provided in the third aspect of the present invention.

[0053] The working principle of the above-mentioned valve device will be described below in conjunction with some embodiments of semiconductor device processing equipment and semiconductor device processing methods. Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments of these semiconductor device processing equipment and semiconductor device processing methods are only some non-limiting implementation methods provided by the present invention, which are intended to clearly demonstrate the main concept of the present invention and provide some specific solutions that are convenient for the public to implement, rather than to limit all working modes or all functions of the valve device. Similarly, the valve device is also only a non-limiting implementation method provided by the present invention, and does not constitute a limitation on the configuration objects in these semiconductor device processing equipment and the implementation subjects of each step in the semiconductor device processing method.

[0054] Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, the processing equipment of the semiconductor device may mainly include a reaction chamber, a gas source, and a valve device. A process flow can be carried out in the reaction chamber. Specifically, after the substrate is sent into the reaction chamber, various types of thin film deposition process reactions can be carried out on the substrate. In addition, after the process flow is completed in the reaction chamber, a cavity cleaning process can be carried out. The reaction chamber can be connected to a gas source to provide gases required for different processes to the reaction chamber. For example, when a process flow is carried out in the reaction chamber, the reaction chamber can be connected to a process gas source to obtain process gases required for different types of deposition processes. When the process flow is completed in the reaction chamber and the cleaning process is ready, the reaction chamber can be connected to a clean gas source to obtain the clean gas required for the cleaning process.

[0055] In addition, a valve device may be disposed in a foreline between the gas source and the reaction chamber to control the pressure in the reaction chamber and to deliver process gas or cleaning gas into the reaction chamber to perform a process flow or a cleaning flow.

[0056] In some optional embodiments, the processing equipment of the semiconductor device can select a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) device to perform a carbon mask deposition process in a reaction chamber. Specifically, it can include forming an initial amorphous carbon hard mask layer on a semiconductor substrate, and then treating the initial amorphous carbon hard mask layer with a nitrogen-containing plasma to form a carbon hard mask layer. Amorphous carbon has some advantages as a hard mask that other materials do not have. For example, amorphous carbon has good light transmittance, which is more conducive to layer alignment in lithography. In addition, amorphous carbon has a large hardness and has a high etching selectivity relative to other materials, and amorphous carbon is a material that is very easy to remove.

[0057] For further information, see Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a valve device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the output end of the valve device 100 can be connected to the reaction chamber, and the valve device 100 can mainly include a valve body 110, a valve plate 120 and a controller 130. An airway can be provided inside the valve body 110, and an air outlet can be provided on the inner wall of the valve body 110 for gas output. The valve plate 120 can be movably arranged in the valve body 110, and the opening of the valve device 100 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the valve plate 120. The controller 130 is connected to the valve body 110 and the valve plate 120, and is used to control the opening of the valve plate 120.

[0059] Specifically, in some embodiments, a vacuum pressure gauge may be provided in the reaction chamber, and the pressure in the reaction chamber may be read by the vacuum pressure gauge, and the pressure value may be fed back to the controller 130. Then, the preset opening of the valve plate 120 may be calculated according to different process requirements by the algorithm inside the controller 130. Afterwards, the controller 130 may control the valve plate 120 to rotate to the position of the preset opening, for example, the valve plate 120 rotates 75°, and continue to adjust the opening of the valve plate 120 in real time through the feedback of the vacuum pressure gauge to ensure the stability of the pressure in the reaction chamber.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, in some optional embodiments, a heat sink 131 may be provided below the controller 130. Since the controller 130 includes many circuits inside and is not resistant to high temperatures, the heat sink 131 may be used to dissipate heat from the controller 130.

[0061] Furthermore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 130 can also be configured to: in response to a process flow or a cleaning process in the reaction chamber, control the valve plate 120 to form an opening to allow the process gas or the cleaning gas to enter the reaction chamber; and introduce an inert gas into the gas passage so that the inert gas forms an air curtain around the inner wall to isolate the inner wall from the process gas or the cleaning gas.

[0062] Specifically, if Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the valve device 100 may be a butterfly valve device. The butterfly valve device includes an annular valve body 110, and a valve plate shaft 121 is provided in the middle of the annular valve body 110, so that the valve plate 120 is rotatably arranged in the annular valve body 110 around the valve plate shaft 121. By rotating the valve plate 120, the flow capacity of the pipeline is changed, and by adjusting the opening of the butterfly valve device, the pressure of the reaction chamber is controlled. Alternatively, the valve device 100 may also use other types of valve devices, such as plate valves, gate valves, etc., and the opening of the valve device is adjusted by adjusting the position of the valve plate. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific types of valve devices are not limited to those provided by the present invention. This case takes the butterfly valve device as an example for schematic illustration.

[0063] For further information, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a valve body in a valve device provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0064] like Figure 2As shown, in some optional embodiments, in the butterfly valve device, the annular inner wall 111 of the annular valve body 110 may include at least one gas outlet 210, and the length of the at least one gas outlet 210 may preferably be not less than half of the circumference of the annular inner wall 111. It can be understood that a gas outlet 210 greater than or equal to a semicircular shape is opened at the upper end of the annular inner wall 111. For example, the length of the gas outlet 210 may be 3 / 4 of the circumference of the annular inner wall 111, so that the inert gas is discharged from top to bottom to form a tent-like gas curtain (such as Figure 2 As shown by the dotted arrow in the figure), the air curtain can completely cover the annular inner wall 111, so that when the butterfly valve device conducts the process gas or the cleaning gas, the annular inner wall 111 can be isolated from contact with the process gas or the cleaning gas.

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, an inert gas source 140 may be provided outside the valve device 100 to provide an inert gas to form a gas curtain output on the annular inner wall 111. The inert gas here can be understood as a gas that does not react with the process gas introduced in the deposition process or the cleaning gas introduced in the cleaning process.

[0066] In addition, see Figure 3 , Figure 3 The figure shows a schematic internal perspective view of a valve body in a valve device according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

[0067] like Figure 3 As shown, in other embodiments of the present invention, taking a butterfly valve device as an example, an air passage 310 is provided inside the annular valve body 110, and an inert gas can be introduced into the air passage 310 through the air inlet 220. The annular inner wall 111 may include a plurality of tangential air outlets 320, and the plurality of tangential air outlets 320 may be distributed around the annular inner wall 111, so that the output inert gas can form a circumferentially flowing air curtain along the annular inner wall 111 (such as Figure 3 ).

[0068] Further, continue as Figure 3 As shown, in some preferred embodiments, the outlet section 311 of the gas passage 310 inside the annular valve body 110 can form a certain angle α with the tangential gas outlet 320, so that the output inert gas can flow circumferentially along the annular inner wall 111 (such as Figure 3 ), forming an air curtain flowing in a circumferential direction (as shown by the 4 solid arrows in Figure 3 ).

[0069] Optionally, combine Figure 4 Common understanding, Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram of a valve body in a valve device provided according to some further embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0070] In some other preferred embodiments, the interior of the annular valve body 110 may include two double-layer air passages 310. Figure 3 As shown, the air passage 310 on the left side can be two parallel air passage structures. Similarly, the air passage 310 on the right side also includes two parallel air passage structures, and the two double-layer air passages 310 on the left and right sides can surround the annular valve body 110. Figure 4 As shown, both ends of each double-layer gas channel 310 include two parallel tangential gas outlets 320 , so as to increase the gas flow rate of the output inert gas, which is used to increase the thickness of the gas curtain and improve the isolation effect of the gas curtain on the annular inner wall 111 .

[0071] Furthermore, if Figure 4 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the valve device 100 may further include a pressurizing device 410. The pressurizing device 410 may be connected to the inert gas source 140 to provide pressurized inert gas into the gas channel 310, so that the output inert gas moves at a high speed to form a circumferentially flowing gas curtain with a high moving speed, thereby reducing the deposition of reaction byproducts on the valve plate 120 and the annular inner wall 111, and preventing the formation of dense deposits that are difficult to clean.

[0072] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the valve plate 120 may include a first ultrasonic transducer (not shown in the drawings). After the controller 130 completes the above-mentioned step of controlling the valve plate 120 to form an opening in response to the process or cleaning process in the reaction chamber so that the process gas or the cleaning gas enters the reaction chamber, the controller 130 may also control the opening of the first ultrasonic transducer in the valve plate 120, and transmit its vibration energy to the valve plate 120, so that the deposits on the surface of the valve plate 120 are vibrated away from the valve plate 120.

[0073] In this embodiment, by turning on the first ultrasonic transducer during one or several steps of the process flow or the cleaning process in the reaction chamber, the vibration energy is directly transmitted to the inside of the valve plate 120, and at the same time, an inert gas is introduced and output through the gas outlet on the annular inner wall 111 to form an air curtain with a relatively high moving speed. Through the combined effect of the two, it is possible to effectively prevent the formation of dense and difficult-to-clean deposits on the surface of the valve plate 120 and the inner wall of the valve body.

[0074] Furthermore, optionally, the valve body 110 may further include a second ultrasonic transducer (not shown in the drawings) inside, which may be used to provide vibration energy to the valve body 110 so that the deposits on the valve body 110 are vibrated and separated from the valve body 110. Figure 1As shown, the outer side of the valve body 110 can be connected to the pipeline through the flange 150. A second ultrasonic transducer can be integrated in the outer wall of the valve body 110 and the flange 150, which can be used to further prevent the formation of dense and difficult-to-clean deposits on the inner wall of the pipeline near the valve body 110. Figure 1 As shown, the first ultrasonic transducer inside the valve plate 120 and the second ultrasonic transducer inside the valve body 110 can be connected to an external power source via an external lead 151 .

[0075] Optionally, continue Figure 1 As shown, the valve plate 120 may also be provided with a first heating unit for heating the valve plate 120. The valve body 110 and / or the flange 150 may also be provided with a second heating unit for heating the valve body 110. By increasing the temperature of the valve plate 120 and the valve body 110, the absorption capacity of the carbon film to hydrogen in the carbon mask deposition process can be reduced, the etching capacity of hydrogen can be increased, and the deposition of reaction byproducts can be reduced.

[0076] Next, the working principle of the valve device 100 will be introduced through a semiconductor device processing method provided by another aspect of the present invention in combination with a semiconductor device processing device. Figure 5 , Figure 5 A flow chart of a method for processing a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0077] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the processing method of a semiconductor device may include the following steps. First, step S510 may be performed: a process gas or a cleaning gas is provided to the reaction chamber through a gas source in the processing equipment of the semiconductor device. Subsequently, step S520 may be performed: in response to a process flow or a cleaning flow in the reaction chamber, a valve plate in the valve device is controlled to form an opening to allow the process gas or the cleaning gas to enter the reaction chamber. Finally, step S530 may be performed: an inert gas is introduced into the valve body airway in the valve device so that the inert gas forms an air curtain around the inner wall of the valve body to isolate the inner wall from the process gas or the cleaning gas.

[0078] Next, two specific embodiments will be used to fully describe the steps in the above-mentioned method for processing the semiconductor device.

[0079] In some optional embodiments of the present invention, the processing equipment of the semiconductor device can select PECVD equipment to perform a carbon mask deposition process in a reaction chamber. Figure 1As shown, the semiconductor device processing equipment includes a valve device 100. The valve device 100 in this embodiment can be a butterfly valve device, and the valve plate 120 can further include a first ultrasonic transducer inside. The semiconductor device processing equipment can also include a remote plasma source (RPS).

[0080] When the carbon mask deposition process is to be carried out in the reaction chamber, a hydrocarbon process gas can be introduced into the reaction chamber through a process gas source. Then, by adjusting the rotation opening of the valve plate 120 in the valve device 100, the pressure in the reaction chamber is stably controlled. At the same time, the valve plate 120 in the valve device 100 can be adjusted to a preset process opening to allow the process gas to enter the reaction chamber. After that, RF power can be input into the reaction chamber to generate plasma with the process gas in the excited reaction chamber, that is, ignition is performed to carry out the carbon mask deposition process.

[0081] At this time, the controller can control the first ultrasonic transducer in the valve plate 120 to open, so that the valve plate 120 vibrates, and the vibration energy generated by the first ultrasonic transducer can be directly transmitted to the valve plate 120, so that the deposits on the surface of the valve plate 120 are vibrated and separated from the valve plate 120. Figure 3 As shown, the controller can also control the pressurized inert gas to be output from the multiple tangential gas outlets 320 on the annular inner wall 111 of the annular valve body 110, and form a circumferential gas curtain with a high moving speed along the annular inner wall 111 (such as Figure 3 ), to isolate the annular inner wall 111 from the process gas, thereby preventing the process gas from contacting the inner wall of the valve body and depositing thereon to form dense deposits that are difficult to clean.

[0082] In some other optional embodiments of the present invention, the processing equipment of the semiconductor device may further include a remote plasma source (RPS).

[0083] After the carbon mask deposition process is completed in the reaction chamber, oxygen can be dissociated by a remote plasma source, and the obtained dissociated free radicals can be used as a cleaning gas to etch the carbon mask in the reaction chamber. Then, by adjusting the rotation opening of the valve plate 120 in the valve device 100, the pressure in the reaction chamber is stably controlled. At the same time, the valve plate 120 in the valve device 100 can be adjusted to a cleaning preset opening to allow the cleaning gas to enter the reaction chamber.

[0084] At this time, the controller can control the first ultrasonic transducer in the valve plate 120 to open, so that the valve plate 120 vibrates, and the vibration energy generated by the first ultrasonic transducer can be directly transmitted to the valve plate 120, so that the deposits on the surface of the valve plate 120 are vibrated and separated from the valve plate 120. Figure 3 As shown, the controller can also control the pressurized inert gas to be output from the multiple tangential gas outlets 320 on the annular inner wall 111 of the annular valve body 110, and form a circumferential gas curtain with a high moving speed along the annular inner wall 111 (such as Figure 3 As shown by the arc dotted arrow in the figure, the annular inner wall 111 is isolated from the cleaning gas, so as to prevent the by-products in the reaction chamber from dissociating and generating hydrogen, which is absorbed by the carbon film and accumulates densely on the inner wall of the valve body and is difficult to clean.

[0085] 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 concurrently with other actions from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art.

[0086] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, a storage medium may be integrated into a processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0087] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented as a computer program product in software, each function may be stored on or transmitted by a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. Any connection is also properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, a server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, a fiber optic cable, a twisted pair, a digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included in the definition of the medium. Disk and disc as used herein include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, wherein disk often reproduces data magnetically, while disc reproduces data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0088] In summary, the present invention provides a valve device, a semiconductor device processing device, a semiconductor device processing method, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can reduce the deposition of process by-products on the inner wall and valve plate of the valve body and prevent the formation of dense and difficult-to-clean deposits in the valve.

[0089] 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 should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A valve device, the output end of which is connected to a reaction chamber, characterized in that: The valve device comprises: A valve body, wherein an air passage is provided inside the valve body, and an air outlet is provided on the inner wall of the valve body for gas output; a valve plate movably disposed in the valve body, and the opening of the valve device can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the valve plate; and The controller is configured to: in response to a process flow or a cleaning process in the reaction chamber, control the valve plate to form an opening so that the process gas or the cleaning gas enters the reaction chamber; and introduce an inert gas into the gas channel so that the inert gas forms an air curtain around the inner wall to isolate the inner wall from the process gas or the cleaning gas.

2. The valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that The valve body is an annular valve body, and the valve plate is rotatably arranged in the annular valve body. The opening degree of the valve device can be adjusted by rotating the valve plate.

3. The valve device according to claim 2, characterized in that The annular inner wall of the annular valve body includes at least one air outlet, and the length of the at least one air outlet is not less than half of the circumference of the annular inner wall.

4. The valve device according to claim 2, characterized in that The annular inner wall comprises a plurality of tangential gas outlets, and the plurality of tangential gas outlets are circumferentially distributed on the annular inner wall so that the outputted inert gas forms a circumferentially flowing gas curtain.

5. The valve device according to claim 4, characterized in that An angle is formed between the gas passage outlet section inside the annular valve body and the tangential gas outlet, so that the output inert gas flows circumferentially along the annular inner wall to form the circumferentially flowing gas curtain.

6. The valve device according to claim 5, characterized in that The annular valve body includes two double-layer air passages therein, the two double-layer air passages surround the annular valve body, and two ends of each double-layer air passage include two parallel tangential air outlets to increase the thickness of the air curtain.

7. The valve device according to claim 4, characterized in that Also includes: The pressurizing device is connected to the inert gas source and provides pressurized inert gas into the gas channel, so that the output inert gas moves at a high speed to form the circumferentially flowing air curtain.

8. The valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that The valve plate includes a first ultrasonic transducer inside, and after the step of controlling the valve plate to form an opening in response to a process flow or a cleaning process in the reaction chamber so that the process gas or the cleaning gas enters the reaction chamber, the step further includes: The first ultrasonic transducer is turned on to transmit its vibration energy to the valve plate, so that the deposits on the surface of the valve plate are vibrated away from the valve plate.

9. The valve device according to claim 8, characterized in that The interior of the valve body includes a second ultrasonic transducer for providing vibration energy to the valve body, so that the deposits on the valve body are vibrated away from the valve body.

10. A semiconductor device processing equipment, characterized in that: include: Reaction chamber; A gas source, connected to the reaction chamber, to provide process gas required for a process flow or cleaning gas required for a cleaning process into the reaction chamber; as well as The valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is arranged in the fore-stage vacuum pipeline between the gas source and the reaction chamber, and is used to transport the process gas or the cleaning gas into the reaction chamber to carry out the process flow or the cleaning flow.

11. A method for processing a semiconductor device, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Providing process gas or cleaning gas into the reaction chamber through the gas source in the semiconductor device processing equipment as claimed in claim 10; In response to a process flow or a cleaning process being performed in the reaction chamber, controlling a valve plate in a valve device to form an opening so that the process gas or the cleaning gas enters the reaction chamber; as well as An inert gas is introduced into the valve body air passage in the valve device so that the inert gas forms an air curtain around the inner wall of the valve body to isolate the inner wall from the process gas or the cleaning gas.

12. The processing method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The valve plate includes a first ultrasonic transducer inside, and after the step of controlling the valve plate in the valve device to form an opening in response to the process or cleaning process in the reaction chamber so that the process gas or the cleaning gas enters the reaction chamber, the step further includes: The first ultrasonic transducer is turned on to transmit its vibration energy to the valve plate, so that the deposits on the surface of the valve plate are vibrated away from the valve plate.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the method for processing a semiconductor device according to any one of claims 11 and 12 is implemented.

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