Air inlet device and semiconductor process equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a gas inlet device, a gas inlet control method and semiconductor process equipment, relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, and aims to solve the problem that compensation is not timely during process gas switching. The air inlet device comprises an operation pipeline, an exhaust pipeline, a compensation switching assembly, a first compensation assembly and a second compensation assembly, the first compensation assembly and the second compensation assembly are configured to communicate with a compensation air source, and the first compensation assembly comprises a first compensation pipeline and a first flow control device arranged on the first compensation pipeline; the second compensation assembly comprises a second compensation pipeline and a second flow control device arranged on the second compensation pipeline; the compensation switching assembly is used for switching between a first mode and a second mode, in the first mode, the first compensation pipeline communicates with the operation pipeline, and the second compensation pipeline communicates with the exhaust pipeline; in the second mode, the first compensation pipeline communicates with the exhaust pipeline, and the second compensation pipeline communicates with the operation pipeline. The gas flow stability of the process chamber can be maintained during process gas switching.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor processing, and more particularly, to a gas inlet device and a semiconductor processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] MOCVD (Metal-organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) is a new type of gas-phase epitaxial growth technology developed on the basis of vapor phase epitaxy (VPE). Using organic compounds of group III and II elements and hydrides of group V and VI elements as crystal growth source materials, gas-phase epitaxy is carried out on the substrate by means of thermal decomposition reaction to grow thin single-crystal materials of various group III-V main group, group II-VI sub-group compound semiconductors and their multi-element solid solutions.

[0003] The gas transport pipeline plays a crucial role in MOCVD equipment. In particular, the operation / exhaust pipeline independently sends the group III hydride source and the group VI metal organic source into the chamber reaction chamber respectively, avoiding the pre-reaction of the two source gases before entering the reaction chamber. At the same time, the operation / exhaust pipeline structure enables the source gas participating in the reaction to first enter the tail gas treatment system through the exhaust pipeline and enter the standby state at the switching switch, thus providing valuable time for rapid switching and improving the quality of the grown film.

[0004] When growing a multi-layer film chip, rapid switching of gas components is required to form a steep interface; at the same time, it is necessary to ensure stable gas flow during switching to form an atomically smooth interface, that is, to require uniform thickness of the same layer of film and uniformity of the components forming the film. If the delivery of a certain reactant is switched from the exhaust pipeline to the operation pipeline, a pressure difference will quickly form between the operation and exhaust pipelines. Due to the cut-in of the reactant in the operation pipeline, the pressure in the operation pipeline increases, while the pressure in the exhaust pipeline decreases due to the cut-out of the gas. Although the differential pressure controller between the operation / exhaust pipelines compensates for this pressure difference, it is difficult to compensate for the instantaneous impact of the pipeline and the instantaneous fluctuation of the MO source concentration, which will have a greater impact on the quality of the grown film. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the gas flow entering the chamber remains stable during gas switching. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The first object of the present invention is to provide a gas inlet device to solve the technical problem of untimely compensation during the switching of existing process gases.

[0006] The gas inlet device provided by the present invention is applied to the metal organic chemical vapor deposition process and includes:

[0007] An operation pipeline configured to communicate with a process chamber;

[0008] An exhaust gas pipeline configured to communicate with an exhaust gas treatment device;

[0009] A first compensation component, including a first compensation pipeline and a first flow control device provided on the first compensation pipeline; the first compensation component is configured to communicate with a compensation gas source;

[0010] A second compensation component, including a second compensation pipeline and a second flow control device provided on the second compensation pipeline; the second compensation component is configured to communicate with a compensation gas source; and,

[0011] A compensation switching component for switching between a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the first compensation pipeline communicates with the operation pipeline and the second compensation pipeline communicates with the exhaust gas pipeline; in the second mode, the first compensation pipeline communicates with the exhaust gas pipeline and the second compensation pipeline communicates with the operation pipeline.

[0012] In a preferred technical solution, the compensation switching component includes a first compensation valve and a second compensation valve. The first compensation valve is configured to switch the first compensation pipeline to communicate with the operation pipeline or the exhaust gas pipeline; the second compensation valve is configured to switch the second compensation pipeline to communicate with the operation pipeline or the exhaust gas pipeline.

[0013] In a preferred technical solution, it further includes a differential pressure gauge and a pressure flow control device. The pressure flow control device is provided on the exhaust gas pipeline. The differential pressure gauge is electrically connected to the pressure flow control device. The differential pressure gauge is used to measure the differential pressure between the operation pipeline and the exhaust gas pipeline and convert the differential pressure into an electrical signal and transmit it to the pressure flow control device. The pressure flow control device is used to adjust the flow rate of the exhaust gas pipeline according to the electrical signal of the differential pressure gauge.

[0014] In a preferred technical solution, the pressure flow control device is a dual-mode flow mass controller.

[0015] The second object of the present invention is to provide an intake control method to solve the technical problem of untimely compensation during the switching of process gases.

[0016] The intake control method provided by the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned intake device, including the steps:

[0017] Obtain a process menu. When the current gas flow rate of the process gas in the operation pipeline of the current process step is inconsistent with the subsequent gas flow rate of the process gas in the subsequent process step, control the first flow control device to adjust the flow rate of the first compensation pipeline communicating with the current exhaust gas pipeline to a compensation flow rate, and the compensation flow rate is the difference between the total flow rate of the operation pipeline and the subsequent gas flow rate;

[0018] When switching to the next process step in the current process step, control the first compensation pipeline to switch from the exhaust pipeline to the operation pipeline, and control the second compensation pipeline to switch from the operation pipeline to the exhaust pipeline.

[0019] In a preferred technical solution, obtain the maximum process gas flow rate, and determine the total flow rate of the operation pipeline according to the maximum process gas flow rate and the range of the flow control device.

[0020] In a preferred technical solution, the obtaining of the maximum process gas flow rate and determining the total flow rate of the operation pipeline according to the maximum process gas flow rate and the range of the flow control device includes:

[0021] Obtain the equivalent coefficient of each process gas relative to the carrier gas in the process menu, and calculate and compare according to the equivalent coefficient and the flow rate of each process gas in each process step of the process menu to obtain the maximum process gas flow rate Q m ;

[0022] Obtain the range coefficient k0 of the compensation component;

[0023] The total flow rate Q a The calculation formula of is: Q a =H*k0 + Q m ;

[0024] Wherein, H is the range of the flow control device; in each process step of the process menu, the total flow rate is constant and is the sum of the gas flow rate of the process gas connected to the operation pipeline and the air flow rate of the compensation pipeline.

[0025] The third object of the present invention is to provide an intake air control method to solve the technical problem of untimely compensation during the switching of process gases.

[0026] The intake air control method provided by the present invention is applied to the above intake air device, and the pressure flow control device obtains an electrical signal from the differential pressure gauge and controls the flow rate or pressure of the exhaust pipeline according to the electrical signal.

[0027] In a preferred technical solution, the pressure flow control device obtains an adjustment amount according to the electrical signal, and the pressure flow control device reduces or increases the flow rate or pressure of the exhaust pipeline according to the adjustment amount.

[0028] The fourth object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor process equipment to solve the technical problem of untimely compensation during the switching of process gases.

[0029] The semiconductor process equipment provided by the present invention includes a controller, a process chamber and the above intake air device; the intake air device is used to intake air into the process chamber; the controller is used to execute any of the above intake air control methods.

[0030] The beneficial effects brought by the intake device and the semiconductor processing equipment provided by the present invention are as follows:

[0031] By providing a first compensation component including a first compensation pipeline and a first flow control device, and a second compensation component including a second compensation pipeline and a second flow control device in the intake device, to respectively communicate with a compensation gas source and a compensation switching component, when the operating pipeline conveys process gas to the process chamber and one of the first compensation component and the second compensation component controls the flow rate of the compensation gas, the other of the first compensation component and the second compensation component conveys an appropriate amount of compensation gas required for the next process to the exhaust pipeline. Thus, when the next process step starts, the compensation switching component switches between the first mode and the second mode, and can quickly, timely, and even instantaneously convey the gas conveyed through the exhaust pipeline in the previous process step to the operating pipeline. The total gas flow rate in the exhaust pipeline in the previous process step is the same as the total gas flow rate in the operating pipeline in the next process step. Therefore, during the switching process, the gas flow rate entering the chamber from the operating pipeline is constant to maintain the laminar flow stability in the chamber.

[0032] The beneficial effects brought by an intake control method provided by the present invention are as follows:

[0033] At the current process step, it is judged whether the gas flow rate in the subsequent process step is the same as the current gas flow rate. If not, the flow rate of the proposed compensation pipeline is controlled to the compensation flow rate, so that the first compensation component can maintain the compensation gas flow rate at the next process step before the next process step starts. When the gas source flow rate of the process step changes, as long as the state of the compensation switching component is changed, the compensation gas required for the next process step can be quickly connected to the operating pipeline, thereby ensuring that the total flow rate entering the process chamber through the operating pipeline is constant and will not be affected by the action of the switching valve connected to the gas source, further ensuring the stability of the flow field in the process chamber.

[0034] The beneficial effects brought by another intake control method provided by the present invention are as follows:

[0035] The pressure and flow control device directly obtains an electrical signal from the differential pressure gauge and controls the flow rate of the exhaust pipeline according to the electrical signal, which can improve the reaction rate of regulation without the need to enter the controller for conversion, thus meeting the real-time requirement of control. Moreover, compared with the overshoot phenomenon that may occur in the PID parameter regulation in the related technology when the differential pressure change is relatively small, its regulation accuracy is high. Description of the Drawings

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the background art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the background art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only the embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained according to the provided drawings.

[0037] Figure 1 Structural schematic diagram of the intake device provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 Flow chart of an implementation manner of the intake control method provided in the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0040] 10 - Running pipeline; 11 - Flow controller; 20 - Exhaust pipeline; 21 - Dual - mode flow - quality controller; 30 - First compensation component; 31 - First compensation pipeline; 32 - First flow control device; 40 - Second compensation component; 41 - Second compensation pipeline; 42 - Second flow control device; 50 - Compensation switching component; 51 - First compensation valve; 52 - Second compensation valve; 61 - Differential pressure gauge; 71 - First gas source; 72 - First switching valve; 73 - Second gas source; 74 - Second switching valve; 75 - Third gas source; 76 - Third switching valve. Detailed implementation manners

[0041] Before any group - V element gas source is switched from the exhaust (Vent) pipeline to the running (Run) pipeline, it is necessary to maintain the pressure balance between the exhaust pipeline and the running pipeline as much as possible. If the pressures of the parallel running pipeline and the exhaust pipeline are not equal, many adverse effects will occur when the organic gas delivery pipeline is switched between the running pipeline and the exhaust pipeline. For example, the back - flow from the pipeline with higher pressure to the pipeline with lower pressure, the large - amplitude disturbance of the gas in the process chamber at the moment of switching, and the influence of the pressure disturbance on the quality of film growth.

[0042] Therefore, some related technologies introduce a differential - pressure control unit of the pressure - balance device, add a differential - pressure detection device between the running pipeline and the exhaust pipeline. At the same time, the differential - pressure detection device is also connected to a real - time differential - pressure calculation module. The real - time differential - pressure calculation module transmits the calculation result to the controller, and the controller controls the flow control device and assists in adjusting the tail gas needle valve to achieve the purpose of controlling the pipeline differential - pressure balance.

[0043] When growing such multi-layer film chips of LEDs, rapid switching of gas components is required to form a steep cross-section; when switching gases, it is necessary to ensure stable flow rates to form an atomically smooth interface. At the same time, there are also high requirements for the uniformity of gas switching. When the valve switches between the operating pipeline and the exhaust pipeline, although the differential pressure controller connected between the two pipelines compensates for this differential pressure, the instantaneous impact of the pipeline and the instantaneous fluctuation of the gas source concentration are difficult to be compensated, which has a greater impact on the quality of the grown film.

[0044] To make the above objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following specifically describes the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0045] Embodiment 1:

[0046] Figure 1 The structural schematic diagram of the intake device provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is as follows. As Figure 1 shown, the intake device provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied to the metal organic chemical vapor deposition process, and includes an operating pipeline 10, an exhaust pipeline 20, a first compensation component 30, a second compensation component 40, and a compensation switching component 50;

[0047] The operating pipeline 10 is configured to communicate with a process chamber (not shown in the figure); the exhaust pipeline 20 is configured to communicate with a tail gas treatment device (not shown in the figure); the first compensation component 30 includes a first compensation pipeline 31 and a first flow control device 32 provided on the first compensation pipeline 31; the first compensation component 30 is configured to communicate with a compensation gas source; the second compensation component 40 includes a second compensation pipeline 41 and a second flow control device 42 provided on the second compensation pipeline 41; the second compensation component 40 is configured to communicate with a compensation gas source; the compensation switching component 50 is used to switch between a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the first compensation pipeline 31 communicates with the operating pipeline 10 and the second compensation pipeline 41 communicates with the exhaust pipeline 20; in the second mode, the first compensation pipeline 31 communicates with the exhaust pipeline 20 and the second compensation pipeline 41 communicates with the operating pipeline 10.

[0048] In this embodiment, the intake device may include three gas sources - a first gas source 71, a second gas source 73, and a third gas source 75; the first gas source 71 is connected to the operating pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 through a first switching valve 72, the second gas source 73 is connected to the operating pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 through a second switching valve 74, and the third gas source 75 is connected to the operating pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 through a third switching valve 76. Among them, the first gas source 71, the second gas source 73, and the third gas source 75 can respectively provide different types of gaseous metal organic compounds.

[0049] Among them, in the first compensation assembly 30, the pipelines connecting the first flow control device 32 and the compensation gas source, and the pipelines connecting the first flow control device 32 and the compensation switching assembly 50 are both the first compensation pipelines 31. Similarly, in the second compensation assembly 40, the pipelines connecting the second flow control device 42 and the compensation gas source, and the pipelines connecting the second flow control device 42 and the compensation switching assembly 50 are both the second compensation pipelines 41.

[0050] In this embodiment, the compensation gas source can be the same gas source as the carrier gas source connected to the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20, and both are H2 gas sources.

[0051] By providing the first compensation assembly 30 including the first compensation pipeline 31 and the first flow control device 32, and the second compensation assembly 40 including the second compensation pipeline 41 and the second flow control device 42 to respectively communicate the compensation gas source and the compensation switching assembly 50, when the operation pipeline 10 conveys process gas to the process chamber and the flow rate of the compensation gas is controlled by one of the first compensation assembly 30 and the second compensation assembly 40, the other of the first compensation assembly 30 and the second compensation assembly 40 can convey an appropriate amount of compensation gas required for the next process to the exhaust pipeline 20. Thus, at the start of the next process step, the compensation switching assembly 50 switches between the first mode and the second mode, and can quickly, timely and even instantaneously convey the gas conveyed through the exhaust pipeline 20 in the previous process step to the operation pipeline 10. The total gas flow rate of the exhaust pipeline 20 in the previous process step is the same as the total gas flow rate of the operation pipeline 10 in the next process step. Therefore, during the switching process, the gas flow rate entering the chamber from the operation pipeline 10 is constant to maintain the laminar flow stability in the process chamber.

[0052] As Figure 1 shown, preferably, the compensation switching assembly 50 includes a first compensation valve 51 and a second compensation valve 52. The first compensation valve 51 is configured to switch the first compensation pipeline 31 to communicate with the operation pipeline 10 or the exhaust pipeline 20; the second compensation valve 52 is configured to switch the second compensation pipeline 41 to communicate with the operation pipeline 10 or the exhaust pipeline 20.

[0053] Among them, the first compensation valve 51 is connected to the output port of the first compensation pipeline 31, and the first compensation valve 51 is also connected to the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20. The second compensation valve 52 is connected to the output port of the second compensation pipeline 41, and the second compensation valve 52 is also connected to the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20.

[0054] By setting the first compensation valve 51 to connect the first compensation pipeline 31, the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20, and setting the second compensation valve 52 to connect the second compensation pipeline 41, the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20, the first compensation valve 51 and the second compensation valve 52 can be separately used to control the outputs of the first compensation assembly 30 and the second compensation assembly 40 to the exhaust pipeline 20 and the operation pipeline 10 respectively, thereby improving the flexibility of control.

[0055] In another implementation, a four-way valve can also be used as the compensation switching assembly 50. Among them, the four ports of the four-way valve can be respectively connected to the first compensation pipeline 31, the second compensation pipeline 41, the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20. The four-way valve can switch between the first mode and the second mode. In the first mode, the first compensation pipeline 31 is communicated with the operation pipeline 10 and the second compensation pipeline 41 is communicated with the exhaust pipeline 20; in the second mode, the first compensation pipeline 31 is communicated with the exhaust pipeline 20 and the second compensation pipeline 41 is communicated with the operation pipeline 10.

[0056] As Figure 1 shown, preferably, a differential pressure gauge 61 and a pressure and flow control device are further included. The pressure and flow control device is arranged on the exhaust pipeline 20. The differential pressure gauge 61 is electrically connected to the pressure and flow control device. The differential pressure gauge 61 is used to measure the differential pressure between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 and convert the differential pressure into an electrical signal to be transmitted to the pressure and flow control device. The pressure and flow control device is used to adjust the flow or pressure of the exhaust pipeline 20 according to the electrical signal of the differential pressure gauge 61.

[0057] Among them, in this embodiment, the differential pressure gauge 61 is connected to the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20, and the differential pressure gauge 61 can obtain the differential pressure between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20. In this embodiment, the signal output by the differential pressure gauge 61 to the pressure and flow control device can be a voltage signal. And the pressure and flow control device can correspondingly control the flow or pressure of the compensation gas passing through the exhaust pipeline 20 according to the magnitude and positive and negative of the voltage signal to increase or decrease the pressure of the exhaust pipeline 20.

[0058] Taking the pressure and flow control device controlling the flow of the exhaust pipeline 20 as an example:

[0059] Among them, the differential pressure gauge 61 converts the differential pressure signal between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 into a standard analog voltage signal, for example, an analog voltage signal of 0V to 5V. When the differential pressure gauge 61 detects a pressure deviation between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20, the pressure flow control device directly calculates an adjustment amount to reduce or increase the compensation gas flow of the exhaust pipeline 20. For example, when the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the pressures of the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 are the same, it outputs a voltage signal of 2.5V to the pressure flow control device. When the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the air pressure of the operation pipeline 10 is greater than the air pressure of the exhaust pipeline 20, for example, higher by B Pa, it outputs a voltage signal of 3.5V to the pressure flow control device, then the pressure flow control device can control the exhaust pipeline 20 to increase the compensation gas by ASccm. If the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the difference in air pressure between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 is even greater, for example, higher by 2B Pa, it outputs a voltage signal of 4.5V to the pressure flow control device, then the pressure flow control device can control the exhaust pipeline 20 to increase the compensation gas by 2A Sccm, because 4.5V - 2.5V = 2 * (3.5V - 2.5V). If the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the air pressure of the operation pipeline 10 is lower than the air pressure of the exhaust pipeline 20, for example, lower by 0.5B Pa, it outputs a voltage signal of, for example, 3V to the pressure flow control device, then the pressure flow control device can control the exhaust pipeline 20 to reduce the compensation gas by A / 2Sccm, because 3V - 2.5V = (3.5V - 2.5V) / 2. Compared with the prior art solution of "connecting a differential pressure sensor to a differential pressure real-time calculation module, the differential pressure real-time calculation module transmits the calculation result to a controller, and the controller controls a flow control device and assists in adjusting an exhaust gas needle valve to achieve the purpose of controlling the differential pressure balance of the pipeline", there is no need to enter the controller for conversion, thus meeting the real-time requirement of control. Moreover, compared with the solution of the related technology, in the PID parameter adjustment, there may be an overshoot phenomenon when the differential pressure change is relatively small, and its adjustment accuracy is high.

[0060] Thus, the pressure introduced into the exhaust pipeline 20 at this time is as balanced as possible with the pressure introduced into the operation pipeline 10 at this time. When it is necessary to switch different combinations of gas sources and compensation gases during the process step switching, the air pressure fluctuation in the process chamber should be reduced as much as possible and even eliminated to improve the gas flow stability in the process chamber.

[0061] Of course, in another implementation, the differential pressure gauge 61 can also output a current signal to the pressure flow control device as a control signal.

[0062] As Figure 1 shown, preferably, the pressure flow control device is a dual-mode flow mass controller 21.

[0063] The dual-mode flow quality controller 21 is adopted. It can not only control the gas flow rate of the exhaust pipe 20 to make the pressures of the exhaust pipe 20 and the operation pipe 10 consistent, but also control the gas flow rate of the exhaust pipe 20 to make the pressures of the exhaust pipe 20 and the operation pipe 10 consistent, thus improving the flexibility of control.

[0064] In addition, a flow controller 11 is also provided on the operation pipe 10 to control the flow rate of the carrier gas source transported to the process chamber through the operation pipe 10.

[0065] Embodiment 2:

[0066] The intake air control method provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention is applied to the above-mentioned intake air device. The intake air control method includes the following steps:

[0067] S100. Obtain the process menu. When the current gas flow rate of the process gas in the operation pipe 10 in the current process step is inconsistent with the subsequent gas flow rate of the process gas in the subsequent process step, control the first flow control device 32 to adjust the flow rate of the first compensation pipe 31 communicating with the current exhaust pipe 20 to the compensation flow rate, and the compensation flow rate is the difference between the total flow rate of the operation pipe 10 and the subsequent gas flow rate.

[0068] S200. When switching from the current process step to the subsequent process step, control the first compensation pipe 31 to switch from the exhaust pipe 20 to the operation pipe 10, and control the second compensation pipe 41 to switch from the operation pipe 10 to the exhaust pipe 20.

[0069] In the current process step, when the subsequent gas flow rate in the subsequent process step is inconsistent with the current gas flow rate, controlling the flow rate of the first compensation pipe 31 to the compensation flow rate can make the first compensation component 30 maintain the compensation gas flow rate in the next process step before the subsequent process step starts. When the gas source flow rate of the process step changes, as long as the state of the compensation switching component 50 is changed, the compensation gas required for the next process step can be quickly connected to the operation pipe 10, thus ensuring that the total flow rate entering the process chamber through the operation pipe 10 is constant and will not be affected by the action of the switching valve connected to the gas source, further ensuring the stability of the flow field in the process chamber. When the subsequent gas flow rate in the subsequent process step is consistent with the current gas flow rate, the flow rate of the first compensation pipe 31 is controlled to be zero.

[0070] The intake air control method provided in the embodiment of the present invention further includes the following steps:

[0071] S300. Obtain the maximum process gas flow rate, and determine the total flow rate of the operation pipe 10 according to the maximum process gas flow rate and the range of the flow control device.

[0072] Among them, the range of the flow control device can be the range of the first flow control device 32 or the range of the second flow control device 42. In production practice, since it is difficult to predict which compensation component has a larger compensation flow during the equipment design and manufacturing process, the ranges of the first flow control device 32 and the second flow control device 42 are usually selected to be the same, which is conducive to ensuring the freedom when arranging the process and controlling various process gases, without being restricted by the ranges of the first flow control device 32 and the second flow control device 42. Of course, in special cases, if the process can be determined, the ranges of the first flow control device 32 and the second flow control device 42 can also be made different. If the range of the second flow control device 42 is larger, the second compensation component 40 can be used to supply gas to the operation pipeline 10 to match the process step with a smaller gas flow, and the cost of the equipment can also be reduced.

[0073] The above step S300 includes the following sub-steps:

[0074] S302, obtain the equivalent coefficient of each process gas relative to the carrier gas in the process menu, and calculate and compare to obtain the maximum process gas flow Q according to the equivalent coefficient and the flow of each process gas in each process step of the process menu m ;

[0075] S304, obtain the range coefficient k0 of the compensation component;

[0076] S306, calculate the total flow Q a The total flow Q a The calculation formula of is: Q a = H*k0 + Q m ;

[0077] Among them, H is the range of the flow control device; in each process step of the process menu, the total flow is constant and is the sum of the gas flow of the process gas connected to the operation pipeline 10 and the air flow of the compensation pipeline.

[0078] Among them, in this embodiment, the total flow Q a of the operation pipeline 10 does not include the flow directly input from the carrier gas source to the operation pipeline 10 controlled by the flow controller 11 provided on the operation pipeline 10.

[0079] As Figure 2 shown, the intake air control method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0080] First, considering that the along - path pressure loss of different types of gas flow is the same, calculate the equivalent coefficient of each process gas relative to H2, where the pressure loss can come from the pressure loss through each valve.

[0081] Specifically, the equivalent coefficients of the first gas source 71, the second gas source 73, and the third gas source 75 corresponding to H2 are calculated as K1, K2, and K3 respectively; for the convenience of description in this embodiment, it is assumed that K1 = 1.6, K2 = 1.7, and K3 = 1.8. That is, the frictional loss of the gas phase of 1 sccm of the first gas source 71 flowing through the pipeline is equivalent to the frictional loss of 1.6 sccm of H2 flowing through the same pipeline.

[0082] Next, the controller scans the entire process recipe to determine the total flow rate entering the operating pipeline 10 in each step, and then determines the flow rates of the first compensation component 30 and the second compensation component 40 in each process step.

[0083] Then, according to the process gas recipe of each process step in the process menu and the flow rates of the compensation components entering the operating pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipeline 20 in this process step, the flow rates of the respective compensation components and the states of the first compensation valve 51 and the second compensation valve 52 are controlled to execute each process step.

[0084] Specifically, as shown in the following table, in the following table, the underlined numbers are the process gases that need to enter the process chamber through the operating pipeline 10 in this process step, and the unit of the flow rate numbers in the following table is sccm, and the unit of the flow rate in the calculations based on the following table is also sccm.

[0085] Among S1, S2, and S3, the flow rate of the process gas entering the process chamber in S1 is 20 * 1.6 = 32, the flow rate of the process gas entering the process chamber in S2 is 20 * 1.6 + 15 * 1.7 = 32 + 25.5 = 57.5, and the flow rate of the process gas entering the process chamber in S3 is 20 * 1.6 + 10 * 1.7 + 15 * 1.8 = 32 + 17 + 27 = 76. The step with the largest flow rate of the process gas entering the process chamber is S3. From this, the maximum process gas flow rate Q m is 76. In this embodiment, the ranges of the first flow control device 32 and the second flow control device 42 are both 100, and the range coefficient k0 is 0.2. Therefore, the total flow rate Q a = 100 * 0.2 + 76 = 96.

[0086] At process step S1, the flow rate of the first gas source 71 entering the process chamber is 32. An additional compensation flow rate of 96 - 32 = 64 is required, which can be compensated by the first compensation component 30. At process step S2, the first gas source 71 and the second gas source 73 are used as the process gas entering the chamber. The flow rate entering the chamber in process step S2 is 57.5. An additional compensation flow rate of 96 - 57.5 = 38.5 is required. The compensation gas entering the operating chamber in S2 passes through the second compensation component 40. Therefore, at process step S1, the flow rate of the second compensation component 40 needs to be adjusted to the value of 38.5, so as to ensure that when switching from process step S1 to process step S2, the total flow rate entering the process chamber through the operating pipeline 10 can be maintained at 96 unchanged. When switching from process step S1 to process step S2, the second compensation component 40 cuts into the operating pipeline 10, and the first compensation component 30 cuts back to the exhaust pipeline 20.

[0087] At process step S3, the sum of the flow rates of the process gases entering the process chamber is 76. Then an additional compensation flow rate of 96 - 76 = 20 is required, which can be compensated by the first compensation component 30. Therefore, at process step S2, the flow rate of the first compensation component 30 is adjusted to the value of 20, so as to ensure that when switching from process step S2 to process step S3, the total flow rate entering the process chamber through the operating pipeline 10 can be maintained at 96 unchanged. When switching from process step S2 to process step S3, the first compensation component 30 cuts into the operating pipeline 10, and the second compensation component 40 cuts back to the exhaust pipeline 20. And so on, the compensation flow rates of the first compensation component 30 and the second compensation component 40 in each step are calculated.

[0088] In addition, it should be noted that in the following table, since the gas recipes of the process steps after process step S3 are not listed, the compensation flow rate of the second compensation component 40 in the process steps after S3 is not listed, and the flow rate of the second compensation component 40 in process step S3 is unknown. Therefore, " / " is used to represent the flow rate of the second compensation component 40 at process step S3.

[0089]

[0090] Embodiment 3:

[0091] The intake air control method provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention is applied to the above intake air device. The pressure and flow rate control device obtains an electrical signal from the differential pressure gauge 61 and controls the flow rate or pressure of the exhaust pipeline 20 according to the electrical signal.

[0092] The pressure-flow control device directly obtains an electrical signal from the differential pressure gauge 61 and controls the flow rate of the exhaust pipe 20 according to the electrical signal, which can improve the reaction rate of regulation without entering the controller for conversion, thus meeting the real-time requirement of control. Moreover, compared with the overshoot phenomenon that may occur in the PID parameter regulation in the related art when the differential pressure change is relatively small, its regulation accuracy is high.

[0093] Preferably, the pressure-flow control device obtains an adjustment amount according to the electrical signal, and the pressure-flow control device reduces or increases the flow rate or pressure of the exhaust pipe 20 according to the adjustment amount.

[0094] Taking the pressure-flow control device controlling the flow rate of the exhaust pipe 20 as an example:

[0095] Among them, in this embodiment, the differential pressure gauge 61 converts the differential pressure signal between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipe 20 into a standard analog voltage signal, which can be, for example, an analog voltage signal of 0V to 5V. When the differential pressure gauge 61 detects a deviation in the pressure between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipe 20, the pressure-flow control device will directly calculate an adjustment amount to reduce or increase the compensation gas flow rate of the exhaust pipe 20. For example, if the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the pressures of the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipe 20 are the same, it outputs a voltage signal of 2.5V to the pressure-flow control device. When the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the air pressure of the operation pipeline 10 is greater than the air pressure of the exhaust pipe 20, for example, higher by B Pa, it outputs a voltage signal of 3.5V to the pressure-flow control device, then the pressure-flow control device can control the exhaust pipe 20 to increase ASccm of carrier gas as the adjustment amount of the exhaust pipe 20. If the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the difference in air pressure between the operation pipeline 10 and the exhaust pipe 20 is greater, for example, higher by 2B Pa, it outputs a voltage signal of 4.5V to the pressure-flow control device, then the pressure-flow control device can control the exhaust pipe 20 to increase 2ASccm of carrier gas as the adjustment amount of the exhaust pipe 20, because 4.5V - 2.5V = 2 * (3.5V - 2.5V). If the differential pressure gauge 61 detects that the air pressure of the operation pipeline 10 is lower than the air pressure of the exhaust pipe 20, for example, lower by 0.5BPa, it outputs a voltage signal of, for example, 3V to the pressure-flow control device, then the pressure-flow control device can control the exhaust pipe 20 to reduce A / 2Sccm of carrier gas as the adjustment amount of the exhaust pipe 20, because 3V - 2.5V = (3.5V - 2.5V) / 2.

[0096] Embodiment 4:

[0097] Embodiment 4 also provides a semiconductor process equipment, including a controller, a process chamber, and the above-mentioned intake device; the intake device is used to supply gas to the process chamber; the controller is used to execute the above intake control method:

[0098] By providing the above-described gas inlet device in a semiconductor processing apparatus, correspondingly, the semiconductor processing apparatus has all the advantages of the above-described gas inlet device, which will not be elaborated one by one herein.

[0099] Although the present invention is disclosed as above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined by the claims.

[0100] Finally, it should also be noted that in this text, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "comprising an..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0101] In the above embodiments, descriptions of orientations such as "upper" and "lower" are all based on the figures shown.

[0102] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

[0103] Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to these embodiments shown herein, but rather to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An intake device, which is applied to the metal organic chemical vapor deposition process, is characterized in that Comprising: An operating pipeline (10), configured to communicate with a process chamber; An exhaust pipeline (20), configured to communicate with an exhaust gas treatment device; A first compensation assembly (30), including a first compensation pipeline (31) and a first flow control device (32) provided on the first compensation pipeline (31); the first compensation assembly (30) is configured to communicate with a compensation gas source; A second compensation assembly (40), including a second compensation pipeline (41) and a second flow control device (42) provided on the second compensation pipeline (41); the second compensation assembly (40) is configured to communicate with a compensation gas source; And, A compensation switching assembly (50), the compensation switching assembly (50) is used to switch between a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the first compensation pipeline (31) communicates with the operating pipeline (10) and the second compensation pipeline (41) communicates with the exhaust pipeline (20); in the second mode, the first compensation pipeline (31) communicates with the exhaust pipeline (20) and the second compensation pipeline (41) communicates with the operating pipeline (10).

2. The intake device according to claim 1, wherein The compensation switching assembly (50) includes a first compensation valve (51) and a second compensation valve (52). The first compensation valve (51) is configured to switch the first compensation pipeline (31) to communicate with the operating pipeline (10) or the exhaust pipeline (20); the second compensation valve (52) is configured to switch the second compensation pipeline (41) to communicate with the operating pipeline (10) or the exhaust pipeline (20).

3. The intake device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It further includes a differential pressure gauge (61) and a pressure flow control device. The pressure flow control device is provided on the exhaust pipeline (20). The differential pressure gauge (61) is electrically connected to the pressure flow control device. The differential pressure gauge (61) is used to measure the differential pressure between the operating pipeline (10) and the exhaust pipeline (20) and convert the differential pressure into an electrical signal to transmit to the pressure flow control device. The pressure flow control device is used to adjust the flow or pressure of the exhaust pipeline (20) according to the electrical signal of the differential pressure gauge (61).

4. The intake device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pressure flow control device is a dual-mode flow mass controller (21).

5. An intake control method, applied to the intake device according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein It includes steps: Obtain a process menu. When the current gas flow rate of the process gas in the operating pipeline (10) of the current process step is inconsistent with the subsequent gas flow rate of the process gas in the subsequent process step, control the first flow control device (32) to adjust the flow rate of the first compensation pipeline (31) communicating with the current exhaust pipeline (20) to a compensation flow rate, and the compensation flow rate is the difference between the total flow rate of the operating pipeline (10) and the subsequent gas flow rate; When switching from the current process step to the subsequent process step, control the first compensation pipeline (31) to switch from the exhaust pipeline (20) to the operating pipeline (10), and control the second compensation pipeline (32) to switch from the operating pipeline (10) to the exhaust pipeline (20).

6. The intake air control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, It further includes the steps of: Obtaining the maximum process gas flow rate, and determining the total flow rate of the operation pipeline (10) according to the maximum process gas flow rate and the range of the flow control device.

7. The intake air control method according to claim 6, wherein The step of obtaining the maximum process gas flow rate and determining the total flow rate of the operation pipeline (10) according to the maximum process gas flow rate and the range of the flow control device includes: Obtain the equivalent coefficients of each process gas relative to the carrier gas in the process menu, and calculate and compare to obtain the maximum process gas flow rate Q according to the equivalent coefficients and the flow rates of each process gas in each process step of the process menu m ; Obtaining the range coefficient k0 of the compensation component; The total flow rate Q a is calculated by the formula: Q a = H*k0 + Q m ; where H is the range of the flow control device; in each process step of the process menu, the total flow rate remains constant and is the sum of the gas flow rate of the process gas communicated with the operation pipeline (10) and the gas flow rate of the compensation pipeline.

8. An intake air control method, applied to the intake air device of claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The pressure flow control device obtains an electrical signal from the differential pressure gauge (61) and controls the flow rate or pressure of the exhaust pipeline (20) according to the electrical signal.

9. The intake air control method according to claim 8, wherein The pressure flow control device obtains an adjustment amount according to the electrical signal, and the pressure flow control device reduces or increases the flow rate or pressure of the exhaust pipeline (20) according to the adjustment amount.

10. A semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, It includes a controller, a process chamber, and an intake device according to any one of claims 1-4; the intake device is used to supply gas to the process chamber; The controller is used to execute the intake control method according to any one of claims 5-9.

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