Simple leak detection method for semiconductor equipment vacuum system

Abstract

The invention discloses a simple leak detection method for a semiconductor device vacuum system, a semiconductor device is internally provided with a control system, and the vacuum system comprises a process gas pipeline, a vacuum cavity, an exhaust pipeline, a vacuum gauge, a pumping resistance valve, a vacuum pump, an MFC, a source bottle, a hand valve, a diaphragm valve, an ALD valve, an N2 pipeline and an O3 pipeline. And the control system is embedded with a logic control program and an algorithm for leak rate testing and performs control and data acquisition on each element of the vacuum system, and a leak rate testing result is displayed through a leak rate testing interface. The data of the vacuum gauge of the equipment is directly read through the control system, and the error of leak rate calculation is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of a leak detection method, and in particular to a simple leak detection method for a vacuum system of a semiconductor device. Background Art

[0002] The vacuum system is indispensable for most semiconductor equipment, especially equipment for etching and coating related processes. In these equipment, the stability of the vacuum system has a crucial impact on its product quality and production efficiency; in some etching equipment, the stability of the vacuum system can even be directly related to the safety of the equipment.

[0003] The vacuum leakage rate is one of the important indicators for evaluating the performance of a vacuum system. In practical applications, special instruments are usually used for leak detection, but these instruments are often expensive, costly to use, and require a high level of professionalism from operators. Some research institutions or units generally do not have leak detectors. Another way to detect leaks is to manually determine the leakage of the vacuum system by the increase in the historical vacuum data of the equipment within a certain period of time, but this method requires manual operation and cannot comprehensively evaluate the entire vacuum system, and the error in leak detection is large. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above problems, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple leak detection method for a vacuum system of a semiconductor device, which directly reads the data of the device vacuum gauge through a control system to reduce the error in leak rate calculation.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a simple leak detection method for a vacuum system of a semiconductor device, a control system is provided in the semiconductor device, the vacuum system includes a process gas pipeline, a vacuum chamber, an exhaust pipeline, a vacuum gauge, a resistance extraction valve, a vacuum pump, an MFC (mass flow controller), a source bottle, a hand valve, a diaphragm valve, an ALD valve, an N2 pipeline, and an O3 pipeline. The control system is embedded with a logic control program and algorithm for a leak rate test, and controls and collects data for each component of the vacuum system. The result of the leak rate test is displayed through a leak rate test interface. The specific steps include:

[0006] a. Before conducting the leak rate test, first confirm whether the switch valves at the front end of each gas pipeline of the source bottle, hand valve, N2 pipeline, and O3 pipeline in the vacuum system are closed;

[0007] b. When you click the leak rate test button in the control system, it will automatically determine whether the device is in standby mode and whether the basic data of the leak rate test are within the normal range;

[0008] c. When the self-check is normal, the control system will automatically open the diaphragm valve and ALD valve in the vacuum system, start the cleaning function of the MFC, force the control valve inside the MFC to open, then start the vacuum pump, open the resistance valve, evacuate the vacuum system, and read the vacuum degree data of the vacuum gauge in real time;

[0009] d. When the vacuum degree of the vacuum gauge reaches the background vacuum or the preset vacuum degree, the control system will automatically close the resistance valve and record the initial vacuum degree data;

[0010] e. The calculation formula for the leakage rate value is: The unit is Pa·m 3 / s,

[0011] Where Q represents the leak rate of the vacuum system, ΔP represents the pressure change, P0 represents the initial vacuum degree in Pa, P1 represents the vacuum degree during data calculation in Pa, and V represents the volume of the vacuum system in m 3 , Δt represents the time change, t0 is the starting time, set to 0, t1 is the cumulative time when the data is calculated, the unit is s;

[0012] f. The leak rate test interface displays the vacuum degree and leak rate value in real time, and displays the relevant data in the form of a curve;

[0013] g. When the default time is reached or the vacuum degree and leak rate data tend to be stable, the control system will automatically determine whether the leak rate meets the standard and display the final conclusion on the leak rate test interface. If it meets the standard, it will automatically restore to the initial state and standby. If it does not meet the standard, it will issue an alarm and lock the device. The device can only be unlocked and used normally after the leak point is eliminated and the leak test is passed again.

[0014] Preferably, in step a, when the leak rate test button is clicked, a reminder will be given to check whether the switch valves at the front ends of the gas pipelines are closed and confirmation will be performed.

[0015] Preferably, the basic data of the leak rate test in step b include the temperature of the vacuum system. If there is an abnormality, a prompt will be given and the leak detection will be stopped.

[0016] Preferably, the volume V of the vacuum system in step e is calculated using a three-dimensional model.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: by embedding the logic control program and algorithm of the leak rate test in the control system of the equipment, the leak rate detection can be carried out extremely conveniently, and the data of the vacuum gauge of the equipment can be directly read through the control system to reduce the error of the leak rate calculation; the control system can also automatically collect and calculate the data, thereby reducing the error caused by human factors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the vacuum system of this embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the leak rate test interface of this embodiment.

[0020] In the figure: 1. process gas pipeline; 2. vacuum chamber; 3. exhaust pipeline; 4. vacuum gauge; 5. resistance extraction valve; 6. vacuum pump; 7. MFC; 8. source bottle; 9. manual valve; 10. diaphragm valve; 11. ALD valve; 12. N2 pipeline; 13. O3 pipeline; 14. reserved interface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that the advantages and features of the present invention can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby making a clearer and more definite definition of the protection scope of the present invention.

[0022] See also Figure 1-Figure 2 This embodiment discloses a simple leak detection method for a semiconductor device vacuum system. A control system is provided in the semiconductor device. The vacuum system includes a process gas pipeline 1, a vacuum chamber 2, an exhaust pipeline 3, a vacuum gauge 4, a resistance extraction valve 5, a vacuum pump 6, an MFC 7, a source bottle 8, a hand valve 9, a diaphragm valve 10, an ALD valve 11, an N2 pipeline 12, and an O3 pipeline 13. The control system is embedded with a logic control program and algorithm for a leak rate test, and controls and collects data for each component of the vacuum system. The result of the leak rate test is displayed through a leak rate test interface. The specific steps include:

[0023] a. Before conducting a leak rate test, first confirm whether the switch valves at the front end of each gas pipeline of the source bottle 8, hand valve 9, N2 pipeline 12, and O3 pipeline 13 in the vacuum system are closed; when clicking the leak rate test button, a reminder will be issued to confirm whether the switch valves at the front end of each gas pipeline are closed;

[0024] b. When you click the leak rate test button in the control system, it will automatically determine whether the equipment is in standby mode, whether the basic data of the leak rate test are within the normal range, and if there are any abnormalities in the basic data such as the temperature of the vacuum system, a prompt will be given and the leak detection will be stopped;

[0025] c. When the self-check is normal, the control system will automatically open the diaphragm valve 10 and ALD valve 11 in the vacuum system, and start the cleaning function of MFC7, force the control valve inside MFC7 to open, and then start the vacuum pump 6, open the resistance valve 5, evacuate the vacuum system, and read the vacuum degree data of the vacuum gauge in real time;

[0026] d. When the vacuum degree of the vacuum gauge 4 reaches the background vacuum or the preset vacuum degree, the control system will automatically close the resistance valve 5 and record the initial vacuum degree data;

[0027] e. The calculation formula for the leakage rate value is: The unit is Pa·m 3 / s,

[0028] Where Q represents the leak rate of the vacuum system, ΔP represents the pressure change, P0 represents the initial vacuum degree in Pa, P1 represents the vacuum degree during data calculation in Pa, and V represents the volume of the vacuum system in m 3 , Δt represents the time change, t0 is the starting time, set to 0, t1 is the cumulative time during data calculation, the unit is s; the volume V of the vacuum system is calculated by the three-dimensional model;

[0029] f. The leak rate test interface displays the vacuum degree and leak rate value in real time, and displays the relevant data in the form of a curve, which is more intuitive;

[0030] g. When the default time is reached or the vacuum degree and leak rate data tend to be stable, the control system will automatically determine whether the leak rate meets the standard and display the final conclusion on the leak rate test interface. If it meets the standard, it will automatically restore to the initial state and standby. If it does not meet the standard, it will issue an alarm and lock the device. The device can only be unlocked and used normally after the leak point is eliminated and the leak test is passed again.

[0031] When leak detection begins, the control system will automatically open all valves and other mechanisms inside the vacuum system, thereby achieving leak rate detection without blind spots in the entire vacuum system; when detecting leaks, the control system will first pump the vacuum degree of the vacuum system to the background vacuum or the preset vacuum value, then disconnect the vacuum line and record the current vacuum degree; when the leak rate does not meet the minimum requirement, the equipment will automatically warn and, in order to ensure the rigor of the experiment and the safety of the equipment itself, it will be interlocked until the leak rate test is qualified.

[0032] If a more accurate leak rate result is required, a reserved interface 14 may be provided in the vacuum system so as to use a vacuum gauge with higher accuracy as a data acquisition source for the vacuum degree, thereby improving the calculation accuracy of the data.

[0033] The above implementation modes are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it, and they cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A simple leak detection method for a semiconductor device vacuum system, characterized in that: A control system is provided in the semiconductor equipment. The vacuum system includes process gas pipelines, vacuum chambers, exhaust pipelines, vacuum gauges, resistance extraction valves, vacuum pumps, MFCs, source bottles, hand valves, diaphragm valves, ALD valves, N2 pipelines, and O3 pipelines. The control system embeds the logic control program and algorithm of the leak rate test, and controls and collects data for each component of the vacuum system. The results of the leak rate test are displayed on the leak rate test interface. The specific steps include: a. Before conducting the leak rate test, first confirm whether the switch valves at the front end of each gas pipeline of the source bottle, hand valve, N2 pipeline, and O3 pipeline in the vacuum system are closed; b. When you click the leak rate test button in the control system, it will automatically determine whether the device is in standby mode and whether the basic data of the leak rate test are within the normal range; c. When the self-check is normal, the control system will automatically open the diaphragm valve and ALD valve in the vacuum system, start the cleaning function of the MFC, force the control valve inside the MFC to open, then start the vacuum pump, open the resistance valve, evacuate the vacuum system, and read the vacuum degree data of the vacuum gauge in real time; d. When the vacuum degree of the vacuum gauge reaches the background vacuum or the preset vacuum degree, the control system will automatically close the resistance valve and record the initial vacuum degree data; e. The calculation formula for the leakage rate value is: The unit is Pa·m 3 / s, Where Q represents the leak rate of the vacuum system, ΔP represents the pressure change, P0 represents the initial vacuum degree in Pa, P1 represents the vacuum degree during data calculation in Pa, and V represents the volume of the vacuum system in m 3 , Δt represents the time change, t0 is the starting time, set to 0, t1 is the cumulative time when the data is calculated, the unit is s; f. The leak rate test interface displays the vacuum degree and leak rate value in real time, and displays the relevant data in the form of a curve; g. When the default time is reached or the vacuum degree and leak rate data tend to be stable, the control system will automatically determine whether the leak rate meets the standard and display the final conclusion on the leak rate test interface. If it meets the standard, it will automatically restore to the initial state and standby. If it does not meet the standard, it will issue an alarm and lock the device. The device can only be unlocked and used normally after the leak point is eliminated and the leak test is passed again.

2. A simple leak detection method for a semiconductor equipment vacuum system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step a, when the leak rate test button is clicked, a reminder will be given to check whether the switch valves at the front ends of the gas pipelines are closed and confirmation will be performed.

3. A simple leak detection method for a semiconductor equipment vacuum system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The basic data of the leak rate test in step b include the temperature of the vacuum system. If there is an abnormality, a prompt will be given and the leak detection will be stopped.

4. A simple leak detection method for a semiconductor equipment vacuum system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The volume V of the vacuum system in step e is calculated using a three-dimensional model.

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