Plasma processing system with gas recovery system

Abstract

A gas recovery system attachable to a semiconductor processing chamber is provided. A membrane filtration system is in fluid connection with the semiconductor processing chamber, the membrane filtration system comprising at least one gas separation membrane, where the at least one gas separation membrane filters pressurized exhaust gas from the semiconductor processing chamber to separate at least one gas from the pressurized exhaust gas.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 63 / 400,516, filed on August 24, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Background Art

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to wafer processing systems used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

[0003] Various gases are used during semiconductor wafer processing, such as process gases, heat exchange gases, gas carriers, vacuum leak detection gases, and gas line purge gases. Some of these gases are limited resources and / or are expensive.

[0004] The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the present disclosure. The information described in this background section and aspects of the specification that were not determined to be 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] To achieve the above objectives and in accordance with the purpose of the present disclosure, a gas recovery system that can be attached to a semiconductor processing chamber is provided. A membrane filtration system is fluidly connected to the semiconductor processing chamber, and the membrane filtration system includes at least one gas separation membrane, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane filters pressurized exhaust gas from the semiconductor processing chamber to separate at least one gas from the pressurized exhaust gas.

[0006] In another manifestation, an apparatus for processing a substrate is provided. A processing chamber for processing a substrate is provided. An inlet supplies a gas into the processing chamber. A gas source supplies the gas to the inlet. An exhaust pump pumps exhaust gas from the processing chamber. A membrane filtration system is adapted to receive the exhaust gas from the exhaust pump, wherein the membrane filtration system comprises at least one gas separation membrane, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane filters the exhaust gas to separate at least one gas from the exhaust gas.

[0007] In another embodiment, a method for processing a substrate in a semiconductor processing chamber is provided. Gas is supplied to the semiconductor processing chamber from a gas source. Exhaust gas is pumped from the semiconductor processing chamber to a membrane filtration system comprising at least one gas separation membrane via an exhaust pump. At least one gas is separated from the exhaust gas using at least one gas separation membrane.

[0008] These and other features of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below in the detailed description and in conjunction with the following figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures and in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which:

[0010] Figure 1 An example of a semiconductor processing chamber that may be used in some embodiments is depicted.

[0011] Figure 2 is a high-level flow chart that may be used in some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a gas recovery system that may be used in some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of an H2 separation system that may be used in some embodiments to separate H2 from He.

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another gas recovery system that may be used in some embodiments.

[0015] Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a membrane filtration system that may be used in some embodiments.

[0016] In the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals are sometimes used to designate similar structural elements. It should also be understood that the depictions in the figures are schematic and not drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to several preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other cases, known process steps and / or structures are not described in detail to avoid making the present invention unclear unnecessarily.

[0018] Helium (He) is a rare and limited resource on Earth. It is expensive to obtain He by mining or distillation using cryogenic treatment. He has many uses and is widely used in the production of semiconductor devices. He is commonly used in semiconductor processing systems using plasma processing. As He becomes more and more expensive, the cost of semiconductor processing using He is also gradually increasing.

[0019] Some embodiments recycle gases used in semiconductor processing chambers. In examples of etching and / or deposition, many gases are not ionized or chemically reacted and remain in their original form. Remaining in the original form applies to most process gases and some rare / inert gases, such as xenon, helium, and argon. The recovery and regeneration of these high-priced rare gases is desirable. Semiconductor processing chambers use a large amount of helium because He can be used for semiconductor processing, for chamber heat exchange, as a gas carrier, for vacuum leak detection, for gas line cleaning, and so on. The gas is drawn away at the exhaust of the etching or deposition tool and enters the foreline and then enters the abatement. Helium is highly volatile because its mass and size are 58% smaller than hydrogen. Therefore, helium will escape and enter the high altitude of the atmosphere, eventually leaving the gravity of the earth, making He more scarce.

[0020] For ease of understanding, according to one embodiment, Figure 1 An example of a semiconductor processing chamber 100 is schematically depicted, which can be used to perform a process of etching a silicon-containing layer. The semiconductor processing chamber 100 includes a plasma reactor 102 having a semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 therein. A plasma power supply 106 tuned by a matching network 108 supplies power to a variable voltage coupled plasma (TCP) coil 110 located near a power window 112 to generate a plasma 114 in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 by providing inductively coupled power. The TCP coil (upper power supply) 110 can be configured to generate a uniform diffusion profile in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104. For example, the TCP coil 110 can be configured to generate a toroidal power distribution in the plasma 114. The power window 112 is provided to separate the TCP coil 110 from the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 while allowing energy to be transferred from the TCP coil 110 to the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104. The wafer bias power supply 116 tuned by the matching network 118 provides power to the electrode 120 to set the bias voltage on the substrate 164 supported by the electrode 120. The controller 124 sets the operating points of the plasma power supply 106, the gas source / gas supply mechanism 130, and the wafer bias power supply 116. The electrode 120 is used to support the substrate 164 in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104.

[0021] The plasma power supply 106 and the wafer bias power supply 116 can be configured to operate at a specific radio frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, 27 MHz, 2 MHz, 60 MHz, 200 kHz, 2.54 GHz, 400 kHz, and 1 MHz or a combination thereof. The plasma power supply 106 and the wafer bias power supply 116 can be appropriately sized to supply a range of powers to achieve the desired processing performance. For example, in one embodiment, the plasma power supply 106 can supply power in the range of 50 to 5000 watts, and the wafer bias power supply 116 can supply a bias in the range of 20 to 2000 V. For bias voltages up to 4 kV or 5 kV, less than 25 kW of power is provided. In addition, the TCP coil 110 and / or the electrode 120 can be composed of two or more sub-coils or sub-electrodes, which can be powered by a single power supply or by multiple power supplies.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the semiconductor processing chamber 100 also includes a gas source / gas supply mechanism 130. The gas source 130 is fluidly connected to the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 via a gas inlet (e.g., a showerhead 140). The gas inlet can be located at any advantageous position in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 and can inject gas in any form. However, the gas inlet is preferably configured to produce an "adjustable" gas injection profile, which allows independent adjustment of the corresponding gas flow to multiple regions in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104. Processing gas and byproducts are removed from the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 via a pressure control valve 142 and an exhaust pump 144, which is also used to maintain a specific pressure in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104. The gas source / gas supply mechanism 130 is controlled by the controller 124. The Kiyo series of products of Lam Research (Fremont, CA) can be used to practice the implementation scheme. In other examples, the Flex series of products of Lam Research (Fremont, CA) using capacitive coupling can be used to practice the implementation scheme.

[0023] In this embodiment, a gas recovery system 132 is provided connected to an exhaust pipe 146 after the exhaust pump 144, and the exhaust gas flows into the gas recovery system 132. The gas recovery system 132 is capable of separating one or more gases from the exhaust gas. In some embodiments, the separated gas can be directed back to the gas source 130 for use in processing semiconductors in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 or can be directed to a collector 138. The gas directed to the collector 138 can be compressed and sent to another facility for further processing or can be sold to a gas supplier.

[0024] For ease of understanding, Figure 22 is a high-level flow chart of the process used in some embodiments. Gas is supplied to the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 by the gas source 130 (step 204). Semiconductor processing is provided to process substrate 164 (step 208). In some embodiments, the gas is used as at least one of the following: processing gas, heat exchange gas, gas carrier, vacuum leak detection gas, and gas line purge gas. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) power is used to convert the gas into plasma. The gas flows out from the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104 to the gas recovery system 132 via the exhaust pump 144 (step 212). The gas recovery system 132 separates the recovered gas (step 216). The separated gas is recovered (step 220). The remaining waste gas is directed to the exhaust system 134.

[0025] In some embodiments, the recovered gas is He. Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a gas recovery system 132 for recovering He used in some embodiments. The exhaust gas is supplied to the gas recovery system 132 via the exhaust pipe 146. In some embodiments, a first dust filter / particle filter 320 is in the gas recovery system 132. In some embodiments, the first dust filter / particle filter 320 is a stainless steel metal mesh filter for filtering particles larger than about 1 μm. In some embodiments, a second dust filter / particle filter 324 is in the first dust filter / particle filter 320. In some embodiments, the second dust filter / particle filter 324 is a stainless steel metal mesh filter for filtering particles larger than about 0.1 μm. A purge gas source 312 supplies purge gas to the second dust filter / particle filter 324. There is a He and hydrogen (H2) gas separation filter 328 in the second dust filter / particle filter 324, which filters He and H2 out of the remaining exhaust gas. In some embodiments, the He and H2 gas separation filter 328 is a membrane filter, such as a graphene membrane filter. In some embodiments, the membrane filter is at least one of a monolayer membrane and a multilayer membrane, such as a multilayer graphene oxide membrane. The separated He and H2 are supplied to the H2 separation system 316 via a pipeline 348. A temperature controller 340 is thermally connected to the He and H2 gas separation filter 328. The He and H2 gas separation filter 328 provides a membrane filtration system.

[0026] In some embodiments, pressurized exhaust gas is supplied to the gas recovery system 132 under pressure from the exhaust pipe 146. The pressure causes particles smaller than 1 μm to pass through the first dust filter / particle filter 320. The remaining exhaust gas is delivered to the exhaust system 134. In the first dust filter / particle filter 320, particles smaller than 0.1 μm pass through the second dust filter / particle filter 324. The remaining exhaust gas is delivered to the exhaust system 134. He and H2 pass through the He and H2 gas separation filter 328. The remaining exhaust gas is delivered to the exhaust system 134. He and H2 gas are delivered to the H2 separation system 316 via pipe 348. In some embodiments, some neon (Ne) is also delivered through the He and H2 gas separation filter 328. The purge gas source 312 supplies a purge gas to the first dust filter / particle filter 320. In some embodiments, the purge gas is nitrogen (N2). The purge gas is removed of dust and other particles by the first dust / particulate filter 320 and the second dust / particulate filter 324 .

[0027] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of a H2 separation system 316 for separating H2 from He used in some embodiments. He and H2 gases are delivered to the H2 separation system 316 via He and H2 valves 408 on the pipeline 348. An oxygen source 412 is also connected to the H2 separation system 316. An igniter 420 is also connected to the H2 separation system 316. In the H2 separation system 316 is a He filtration system 460 that is capable of filtering He from H2O. The H2 separation system 316 is connected to an H2O purge via an H2O valve 448. In some embodiments, the He filtration system 460 comprises one or more membrane filters, such as one or more graphene membrane filters. The He filtration system 460 is connected to a He output 424 via a He valve 452.

[0028] In some embodiments, a mixture of He and H2 is passed through the conduit 348 and through the He and H2 valve 408 to the H2 separation system 316. Oxygen also flows into the H2 separation system 316. The igniter 420 ignites a reaction that causes H2 to form water with O2. In some embodiments, the igniter 420 utilizes field electron emission using a sharp needle and high voltage to ignite the reaction of O2 with H2. In some embodiments, the flow of O2 is high enough to make H2 the limiting reactant so that all H2 reacts because it is easier to separate O2 from He than to separate H2 from He. As a result of the reaction, He, O2, and H2O remain in the H2 separation system 316. The He filtration system 460 separates He from O2 and H2O. The separated He is passed through the He valve 452 to the He output 424. In some embodiments, the He output 424 supplies He to the gas source 130 for reuse in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104. Such an embodiment may not require the use of cryogenic distillation to separate the He. In some embodiments, the separated He is collected and sold to a gas supplier. The gas supplier may further process the He.

[0029] HO is transferred through the HO valve to the HO purge section that provides a water recovery system. In some embodiments, HO may be supplied to the gas source 130 for use in the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104. In some embodiments, HO may be sold or discharged as waste. In some embodiments, heat from the reaction that produces HO may be used in semiconductor processing. In some embodiments, excess O2 may remain in the H2 separation system 316 to react with H2 to form HO.

[0030] Some embodiments use temperature control, such as cooling the graphene membrane He and H2 gas separation filter 328 to increase the separation selectivity. The separation selectivity is the ratio of the number of moles of He and H2 divided by the total number of moles of the exhaust gas.

[0031] Because He and H2 are the smallest gas molecules or atoms, in order to separate He, a single set of filters is required to separate the smallest gas molecules or atoms. Because He atoms are very small and He is a rare gas, He is a limited resource. Therefore, the ability to recycle He allows for the conservation of limited resources.

[0032] In some embodiments, it is desirable to recover larger gas molecules or atoms. For ease of understanding, Figure 5Schematic diagram of gas recovery system 132, which separates larger gas molecules or atoms, such as xenon (Xe) used in some embodiments. Exhaust gas is supplied to the gas recovery system 132 via the exhaust pipe 146. In some embodiments, dust filter / particle filter 520 is in the gas recovery system 132. In some embodiments, the dust filter / particle filter 520 is one or more dust filters / particle filters for removing dust / particles greater than 0.1 μm. A purge gas source 512 supplies purge gas to the dust filter / particle filter 520. A high-pass gas separation filter 526 is in the dust filter / particle filter 520, which allows gas atoms or molecules approximately equal to or larger than Xe to pass through. In some embodiments, the high-pass gas separation filter 526 is a membrane filter, such as a graphene membrane filter. In some embodiments, a low-pass separation filter 528 is in the high-pass gas separation filter 526. In some embodiments, the low-pass separation filter 528 allows gas molecules or atoms smaller than Xe to pass through. The temperature controller 540 provides a temperature control system that is thermally connected to the high-pass gas separation filter 526 and the low-pass separation filter 528. The high-pass gas separation filter 526 and the low-pass separation filter 528 provide a membrane filtration system.

[0033] In some embodiments, the pressurized exhaust gas is supplied to the gas recovery system 132 by the exhaust pipe 146 under pressure. The pressure causes particles smaller than 0.1 μm to pass through the dust filter / particle filter 520. The remaining exhaust gas is passed to the exhaust system 134. The Xe-containing gas is passed through the high-pass gas separation filter 526, thereby providing a separated gas containing Xe and smaller gas molecules and atoms. The remaining exhaust gas is passed to the exhaust system 134. The separated gas is exposed to the low-pass separation filter 528. Atoms and molecules smaller than Xe are passed through the low-pass separation filter 528 and then to the exhaust system 134, thereby providing a purified, Xe-containing gas flowing through the separation valve 518 to the collector 138. In some embodiments, the separation valve 518 is used to maintain the gas containing Xe at a pressure sufficient to allow atoms and molecules smaller than Xe to pass through the low-pass separation filter 528. The purge gas source 512 provides a purge system that supplies purge gas to the dust / particulate filter 520 to remove dust and other particles from the dust / particulate filter 520 .

[0034] Using high-pass gas separation filter 526 and low-pass separation filter, gas atoms and / or molecules of any size can be separated for recovery. Additional gas separation filters allow more than one gas to be separated and recovered at a time. In addition, different chemical reactions (such as water production) can be used to further separate the gas. In addition, other separation processes can be used, such as thermal distillation by cooling the gas to form a liquid can be used in combination with separation using a membrane to further separate the gas.

[0035] In some embodiments, a membrane filter such as a graphene membrane is used. The membrane filter can provide gas separation under an allowable pressure. The graphene membrane is a membrane of one or more layers of graphene. Graphene is a two-dimensional sheet of carbon. Temperature, electric field and pressure are parameters that can be applied to the graphene membrane to change the properties of the graphene membrane that can change the particle size that can be transmitted through the graphene membrane. Nano windows and nano holes of different sizes under nanoscale can be manufactured in the graphene membrane to determine the size of the molecules or atoms that are transmitted through the graphene membrane. In some embodiments, a plurality of graphene layers can be laminated together to form a multilayer graphene laminate layer used as a membrane filter. In some embodiments, the membrane filter is at least one of the following: a graphene membrane filter, a skeleton (CTF-0) membrane filter based on covalent triazine, a polyphenyl membrane filter, a graphene membrane filter, a graphitized carbon nitride (g-C3N4) membrane filter, and a silicene membrane filter. In some embodiments, the membrane filter is an inorganic porous membrane of at least one of graphene-1, polyphenylene, graphyne, silicene, graphitic carbon nitride, etc., which exhibits optimal selective permeability properties for targeted helium separation.

[0036] Figure 6Schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a membrane filtration system 604 that can be used in some embodiments. The portion of the membrane filtration system 604 includes a first grid 608. In some embodiments, the first grid 608 includes a metal grid. A first filter layer 612 is located on a first side of the first grid 608. In some embodiments, the first filter layer 612 is a polypropylene layer. A first bonding layer 616 is located on a first side of the first filter layer 612. In some embodiments, the first bonding layer 616 includes a gas permeable bonding material, such as a gas permeable silica gel layer. A membrane layer 620 is located on a first side of the first bonding layer 616. In some embodiments, the membrane layer includes at least one of a graphene layer and a polyethyleneimine (PEI) layer. A second bonding layer 624 is located on a first side of the membrane layer 620. In some embodiments, the second bonding layer 624 includes a gas permeable bonding material, such as a gas permeable silica gel layer. A second filter layer 628 is located on a first side of the second bonding layer 624. In some embodiments, the second filter layer 628 is a polypropylene layer. The second mesh 632 is located on the first side of the second filter layer 628. In some embodiments, the second mesh 632 comprises a metal mesh. In some embodiments, a bonding agent 636 (e.g., epoxy resin) can be used to seal and bond the portion of the membrane filtration system 604 to the support 640.

[0037] In operation, the membrane filtration system 604 is subjected to gas pressure. During different stages of operation and regulation, the gas pressure can be supplied to either side of the membrane filtration system 604. In the absence of additional support, the gas pressure may bend and / or stretch the membrane layer 620. The bending and / or stretching of the membrane layer 620 can change the filtering performance of the membrane layer 620, such as allowing larger particles to pass through the membrane layer 620. Therefore, this part of the membrane filtration system 604 is designed to reduce the bending and / or stretching of the membrane layer 620. The first grid 608 and the second grid 632 provide a bending strength that reduces the bending of the membrane filtration system 604 when subjected to gas pressure. The first grid 608 and the second grid 632 have openings to allow gas to be transmitted to and from the membrane layer 620. The first filter layer 612 provides support between the first grid 608 and the membrane layer 620. The second filter layer 628 provides support between the second grid 632 and the membrane layer 620. The first mesh 608 and the second mesh 632 have openings to allow gas to pass to and from the membrane layer 620. The first bonding layer 616 bonds the first filter layer 612 to the membrane layer 620. The second bonding layer 624 bonds the second filter layer 628 to the membrane layer 620. The first filter layer 612, the second filter layer 628, the first bonding layer 616, and the second bonding layer 624 have openings, or are sufficiently porous or gas permeable to allow gas to pass to and from the membrane layer 620.

[0038] In some embodiments, additional layers may be provided in the portion of the membrane filtration system 604. In some embodiments, the portion of the membrane filtration system 604 may not have one or more of the following: the first mesh 608, the second mesh 632, the first filter layer 612, the second filter layer 628, the first bonding layer 616, and the second bonding layer 624. For example, in some embodiments, the portion of the membrane filtration system 604 does not have the first bonding layer 616 and the second bonding layer 624. Instead, the membrane layer 620 is sandwiched between the first filter layer 612 and the second filter layer 628. The gas may be filtered faster without the first bonding layer 616 and the second bonding layer 624. In some embodiments, the portion of the membrane filtration system 604 may have the first bonding layer 616 but not the second bonding layer 624. In some embodiments, at least one of the first mesh 608, the second mesh 632, the first filter layer 612, the second filter layer 628, the first bonding layer 616, and the second bonding layer 624 may form a partial layer, wherein a portion of the partial layer is absent.

[0039] In some embodiments, the gas separation membrane filter can be a filter that separates different gas molecules or atoms using one or more of Knudsen diffusion, molecular sieving, solution diffusion and adsorption separation. Knudsen diffusion filters provide separation based on mass. Molecular sieving filters provide separation based on size. Solution diffusion filters provide separation based on diffusivity. Adsorption separation filters provide separation based on affinity. Graphene membrane monolayers can be used as molecular sieves with holes large enough to only pass molecules and / or atoms of a specific size. In some embodiments, the membrane can be supported by a substrate, wherein the substrate can be used to reduce the tension on the membrane and the deformation of the membrane. The deformation of the membrane reduces selectivity and may damage the membrane.

[0040] In some embodiments, multiple filters of the same membrane material can be used to continuously filter and purify gas. For example, passing the gas through a first filter can provide 80% purified gas. Passing the 80% purified gas through a second filter can provide 96% purified gas. In some embodiments, a series of high-pass separation filters and low-pass separation filters can be used to further purify the separated gas and provide the separated gas of the desired purity. In some embodiments, the multiple filters can be made of different materials.

[0041] In some embodiments using He for heat exchange, the purity of the He does not need to be high purity. In some embodiments, recovered He of less than 90% purity is used for heat exchange in semiconductor processing systems.

[0042] In some embodiments, recyclable gases, such as chlorine (Cl2), hydrogen bromide (HBr), xenon (Xe), neon (Ne), and bromine (Br2). Although in some embodiments Cl2 and / or Br2 can react or dissociate during semiconductor processing, a portion of Cl2 and / or Br2 is unreacted and recyclable. In some embodiments, high-pass separation filters and low-pass separation filters can be used to separate out HBr, Cl2, Ar, or Br2. In some embodiments, the gas reused is at least one of: a gas that is a limited resource, an expensive gas, and a gas that is a severe pollutant. Recycling a gas that is a severe pollutant reduces pollution.

[0043] In some embodiments, the gas recovery system 132 is located in at least one of the following: the semiconductor processing confinement chamber 104, or the exhaust foreline after the exhaust pump 144, or at the abatement section. In some embodiments based on molecular transport through a gas separation membrane with specific properties, filters using such gas separation membranes can be easily maintained or replaced because they are placed inline with the current exhaust flow.

[0044] although Figure 1 The gas recovery system is shown for an inductively coupled plasma (ICP), but other types of semiconductor processing chambers may be used in some embodiments. Examples of other types of semiconductor processing chambers that may use a gas recovery system include capacitively coupled plasma processing chambers (CCPs), bevel plasma processing chambers, atomic layer deposition chambers, and other processing chambers. In some embodiments, the plasma processing chamber may be a dielectric processing chamber or a conductor processing chamber. An example of such a plasma processing system is the Exelan 1000 manufactured by Lam Research, Inc. (Fremont, CA). Etching system. In some embodiments, a process gas is converted into a remote plasma before being supplied into the semiconductor processing chamber.

[0045] Although the present disclosure has been described according to several preferred embodiments, there are changes, permutations, modifications and various alternative equivalents that fall within the scope of the present invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternatives to implement the method and apparatus of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are intended to be interpreted as including all such changes, permutations and various alternative equivalents that fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention. As used herein, the phrase "A, B or C" should be interpreted as representing the logic ("A or B or C") using a non-exclusive logic "OR", and should not be interpreted as representing "only" one of A or B or C. The various steps in the process may be selective and non-essential steps. Different embodiments may have one or more steps removed or the steps may be in different orders. In addition, various embodiments may provide different steps simultaneously rather than sequentially.

Claims

1. A gas recovery system attachable to a semiconductor processing chamber, the gas recovery system comprising: A membrane filtration system is fluidly connected to the semiconductor processing chamber comprising at least one gas separation membrane, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane filters pressurized exhaust gas from the semiconductor processing chamber to separate at least one gas from the pressurized exhaust gas.

2. The gas recovery system of claim 1, wherein the membrane filtration system filters at least one of helium, hydrogen, and neon from the pressurized exhaust gas.

3. The gas recovery system according to claim 2, further comprising: an H2 separation system for forming water from hydrogen and oxygen and separating the water from helium.

4. The gas recovery system of claim 3, further comprising: a water recovery system for utilizing water separated from the helium in the semiconductor processing chamber.

5. The gas recovery system of claim 1, wherein the membrane filtration system further comprises: a mesh filter, wherein the mesh filter filters out particles.

6. The gas recovery system according to claim 5, further comprising: a cleaning system for cleaning the mesh filter.

7. The gas recovery system according to claim 1, wherein the membrane filtration system further comprises: a temperature control system for controlling the temperature of the at least one gas separation membrane.

8. The gas recovery system of claim 1, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane comprises: a high-pass gas separation membrane and a low-pass gas separation membrane.

9. The gas recovery system of claim 1, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane comprises a membrane of at least one of: a graphene membrane filter, a covalent triazine-based skeleton membrane filter, a polyphenylene membrane filter, a graphene membrane filter, a graphitized carbon nitride membrane filter, and a silicene membrane filter.

10. The gas recovery system of claim 1, wherein the membrane filtration system separates at least one of He, Cl2, Br2, HBr, xenon, and neon.

11. The gas recovery system of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor processing chamber comprises a drain pump, wherein the gas recovery system receives exhaust gas from the drain pump under pressure.

12. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: a processing chamber for processing a substrate; a gas inlet for supplying gas into the processing chamber; a gas source for supplying the gas to the gas inlet; an exhaust pump for pumping exhaust gas from the process chamber; and A membrane filtration system is adapted to receive the exhaust gas from the exhaust pump, wherein the membrane filtration system comprises at least one gas separation membrane, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane filters the exhaust gas to separate at least one gas from the exhaust gas.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the membrane filtration system filters at least one of helium, hydrogen, and neon from the exhaust gas.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the membrane filtration system further comprises an H2 separation system for forming water from hydrogen and oxygen and separating the water from helium.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the membrane filtration system further comprises a mesh filter, wherein the mesh filter filters out particles.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the membrane filtration system further comprises: a cleaning system for cleaning the mesh filter.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the membrane filtration system further comprises: a temperature control system for controlling the temperature of the at least one gas separation membrane.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane comprises: a high-pass gas separation membrane and a low-pass gas separation membrane.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one gas separation membrane comprises a membrane of at least one of: a graphene membrane filter, a covalent triazine-based skeleton membrane filter, a polyphenylene membrane filter, a graphene membrane filter, a graphitized carbon nitride membrane filter, and a silicene membrane filter.

20. A method for processing a substrate in a semiconductor processing chamber, comprising: supplying a gas from a gas source to the semiconductor processing chamber; pumping exhaust gas from the semiconductor processing chamber via an exhaust pump to a membrane filtration system comprising at least one gas separation membrane; and At least one gas is separated from the exhaust gas using at least one gas separation membrane.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the separating at least one gas from the exhaust gas causes at least one of helium, hydrogen, and neon to be separated from the exhaust gas.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising: Formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen; and The water is separated from the helium.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said separating at least one gas from said exhaust gas comprises: exposing the exhaust gas to a high flux gas separation membrane to provide a separated gas; as well as The separated gas is exposed to a low pass gas separation membrane.

Images