Gate valve structure, cleaning system of semiconductor equipment and cleaning method

Abstract

The invention discloses a gate valve structure and a cleaning system and method of semiconductor equipment. The gate valve structure comprises a valve box which is located at a wafer conveying channel between a vacuum conveying cavity and a process cavity, and a valve plate is arranged in the valve box so as to open and close the wafer conveying channel; and the gas distribution lining is located in the wafer conveying channel, a plurality of gas distribution holes are formed in the corner of the upper end face of the gas distribution lining, and the gas distribution lining is used for distributing and guiding clean gas through the gas distribution holes after the valve plate is closed, and at least purging fillets on the two sides of the valve plate. Through the gate valve structure, particle accumulation at dead angles of the wafer transfer gate valve can be removed, so that the problem of particle pollution caused by the fact that external particles are blown off to the surface of a wafer due to airflow disturbance in the wafer transfer process is reduced, the overall process performance in the long-term process can be improved, the equipment productivity is improved, and the production cost is reduced. In addition, the clean gas does not affect the process effect, and parts in the process cavity can be prevented from being over-etched by the clean gas, so that the service life of the parts is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a gate valve structure, a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment, a cleaning method for semiconductor equipment, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In semiconductor manufacturing, thin film deposition processes have stringent requirements for particle count on the wafer surface. However, due to the downdraft structure of the process module (PM) and the relatively low temperature on the slit valve (SLV) side, it is difficult to completely remove film particles deposited on the valve plate within the slit valve during the actual deposition process. This results in a continuous accumulation of film on the slit valve.

[0003] The vacuum transfer module (TM) and the process chamber are connected via a transfer channel. To prevent particles in the process chamber from blowing into the vacuum transfer chamber and contaminating the common path, the pressure in the process chamber is usually set to be lower than the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber. Therefore, during the process of transferring wafers into and out of the process chamber via the transfer channel, since the pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber is higher than the pressure in the process chamber, when the valve plate is opened, airflow disturbances are generated at the gate valve plate, causing film particles at that location to be blown onto the wafer surface, resulting in particle contamination of the wafer surface and even forming a special pattern of particles gathering on the wafer surface. Furthermore, the number of particles blown onto the wafer surface is positively correlated with the degree of accumulation of film particles at the gate valve plate, seriously affecting the process's control over the number of wafer particles.

[0004] Currently, in the method of solving the problem of film accumulation at the gate valve plate by using a downward exhaust structure inside the process chamber, the residual particles accumulated in the dead corners of the gate valve plate can be cleaned by increasing the amount of cleaning gas introduced or extending the cleaning time. However, this method will cause serious fluorination effects on other components in the process chamber, especially components in the reaction zone, such as heating plates and spray plates, affecting the service life of the components. Moreover, it is difficult to effectively remove the deposited film in the dead corners of the gate valve plate by simply increasing the temperature on the SLV side. In this regard, the existing method for dealing with the problem of film accumulation at the gate valve plate is not only difficult during the treatment process, but also easily affects the service life of the components in the process chamber.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, the field urgently needs an improved gate valve structure that can remove the accumulation of particles in the dead corners of the wafer transfer gate valve, thereby reducing the problem of external particles being blown onto the wafer surface due to airflow disturbance during the wafer transfer process, causing particle contamination, thereby improving the overall process performance in long-term process and increasing equipment production capacity. In addition, the clean gas will not affect the process effect and can prevent the components in the process chamber from being over-etched by the clean gas, thereby increasing the service life of the components. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a brief summary of one or more aspects to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceivable aspects and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be provided later.

[0007] In order to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a gate valve structure, a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment, a cleaning method for semiconductor equipment, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can remove the accumulation of particles in the dead corners of the wafer transfer gate valve, thereby reducing the problem of particle contamination caused by external particles being blown onto the wafer surface due to airflow disturbance during the wafer transfer process, thereby improving the overall process performance in long-term process and improving equipment production capacity. In addition, the cleaning gas will not affect the process effect and can prevent components in the process chamber from being over-etched by the cleaning gas, thereby increasing the service life of the components.

[0008] Specifically, the above-mentioned gate valve structure provided according to the first aspect of the present invention includes: a valve box, located at the film transmission channel between the vacuum transmission chamber and the process chamber, a valve plate is provided inside the valve box to open and close the film transmission channel; and an air separation sleeve, located in the film transmission channel, a plurality of air separation holes are provided at the corners of the upper end face of the air separation sleeve, which are used to separate and guide the clean gas through the plurality of air separation holes after the valve plate is closed, at least to purge the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, an air inlet is provided in the valve box to allow the clean gas to enter from the outside, and a strip air dividing hole is provided on the end face of the air dividing sleeve. The starting end of the strip air dividing hole corresponds to the air inlet, and the terminal end extends to the corners at both ends to divide the clean gas into two and guide it to the corners at both ends to purge the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the air inlet hole is located at the top of the valve box, and the upper end surface of the air dividing sleeve also includes a circular air dividing hole, which is located between the strip air dividing holes below the air inlet hole, and cooperates with the strip air dividing holes to divide the clean gas into three parts, and also guides the clean gas to the space below the air dividing sleeve to purge the front of the valve plate.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the air inlet holes are located on both sides of the valve box to correspond to the corners at both ends of the air dividing bushing, and corner strip air dividing holes are provided at the corners at both ends of the air dividing bushing, so that the cleaning gas can be blown from the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate to the front of the valve plate through the inclined air inlet angles corresponding to the corner strip air dividing holes.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the valve box is arranged on the outside of the process chamber, the gas separation sleeve is arranged in the process chamber, and is connected to the lower gas pumping structure in the process chamber from the outside of the reaction zone in the process chamber, so as to share the lower gas pumping structure with the process chamber, and the process gas in the process chamber and the cleaning gas of the gate valve structure are respectively pumped through the lower gas pumping structure.

[0013] In addition, the cleaning system for the above-mentioned semiconductor equipment provided according to the second aspect of the present invention includes: a cleaning gas source, connected to the process chamber through a first gas supply pipeline, and connected to the above-mentioned gate valve structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention through a second gas supply pipeline; and a switching device, whose air inlet end is connected to the cleaning gas source and whose air outlet end is connected to the first gas supply pipeline and the second gas supply pipeline, and the flow direction of the cleaning gas is controlled by the switching device so that it cleans the process chamber and the gate valve structure.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, a heating tape is wound around the second gas transmission pipeline to heat the clean gas transmitted to the gate valve structure.

[0015] In addition, the cleaning method of the above-mentioned semiconductor equipment provided according to the third aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: in response to the completion of the deposition process in the process chamber, opening the valve plate in the above-mentioned gate valve structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention, and sending the wafer out through the wafer transfer channel; closing the valve plate, and through the switching device in the cleaning system of the above-mentioned semiconductor equipment provided by the second aspect of the present invention, transmitting the cleaning gas to the process chamber through the first gas pipeline to clean the process chamber; and in response to the completion of cleaning of the process chamber, transmitting the cleaning gas to the gate valve structure through the second gas pipeline through the switching device to at least clean the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate in the gate valve structure.

[0016] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, before the step of opening the valve plate in the gate valve structure in response to completion of the deposition process in the process chamber and sending the wafer out through the wafer transfer channel, the following steps are also included: presetting a cleaning interval, wherein the cleaning interval includes the time to complete the deposition process at least once, and in response to completion of cleaning of the process chamber, transmitting the cleaning gas to the gate valve structure through the second gas pipeline through the switching device to clean at least the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate in the gate valve structure. The step also includes: closing the valve plate in response to reaching the cleaning interval, transmitting the cleaning gas to the gate valve structure through the second gas pipeline through the switching device to clean at least the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate in the gate valve structure.

[0017] Furthermore, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, wherein when the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the semiconductor device cleaning method provided in the third aspect of the present invention is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or characteristics may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic side cross-sectional view of a gate valve structure in a cleaning system for a semiconductor device is shown;

[0021] Figure 3A A bottom view schematic diagram of the structure of an air separator bushing provided in some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 3B for Figure 3A A side cross-sectional structural diagram of the positioning assembly of the air distributor bushing shown;

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an air distribution bushing of a gate valve structure in a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment shown in FIG.

[0024] Figure 5A A schematic structural diagram of the hole layout of an air separator bushing provided in some embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0025] Figure 5B for Figure 5A A schematic front view of the air distribution path on the front of the valve plate corresponding to the air distribution bushing shown;

[0026] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment according to some other embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0027] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A schematic top view of a gate valve structure in a cleaning system for a semiconductor device is shown;

[0028] Figure 8 for Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of an air distribution bushing of a gate valve structure in a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment shown in FIG.

[0029] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A schematic front view of the air distribution path on the front of the valve plate corresponding to the air distribution bushing shown; and

[0030] Figure 10 A flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0031] Reference numerals:

[0032] 100, 600 cleaning system;

[0033] 110 switching device;

[0034] 210 process chamber;

[0035] 211 First Gas Pipeline;

[0036] 212 lower exhaust structure;

[0037] 213 reaction zone;

[0038] 220, 620 gate valve structure;

[0039] 221 Second Gas Pipeline;

[0040] 230, 630 valve box;

[0041] 231, 631 valve plate;

[0042] 232 air intake;

[0043] 240, 640 air distributor bushing;

[0044] 241 pores;

[0045] 242, 642 corner;

[0046] 243 circular air holes;

[0047] 250 clamp blocks;

[0048] 251 flange;

[0049] 310 positioning structure;

[0050] 311 slot steps;

[0051] 641 Corner strip air holes; and

[0052] Steps S101 to S103. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The following specific embodiments illustrate the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention will be introduced in conjunction with the preferred embodiment, this does not mean that the features of this invention are limited to this embodiment. On the contrary, the purpose of introducing the invention in conjunction with the embodiment is to cover other options or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In order to provide a deep understanding of the present invention, the following description will include many specific details. The present invention can also be implemented without using these details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion or blurring the focus of the present invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0054] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0055] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood to refer to the orientations depicted in that section and the accompanying drawings. These relative terms are used solely for convenience of description and do not necessarily imply that the devices described herein must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0056] It will be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or portions, these components, regions, layers, and / or portions should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are merely used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or portions. Thus, a first component, region, layer, and / or portion discussed below may be referred to as a second component, region, layer, and / or portion without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0057] As mentioned above, currently, in the method of solving the problem of film accumulation at the gate valve plate by using a downward exhaust structure inside the process chamber, the residual particles accumulated in the dead corners of the gate valve plate can be cleaned by increasing the amount of cleaning gas introduced or extending the cleaning time. However, this method will cause serious fluorination effects on other components in the process chamber, especially components in the reaction zone, such as heating plates and spray plates, affecting the service life of the components. Moreover, it is difficult to effectively remove the deposited film in the dead corners of the gate valve plate by simply increasing the temperature on the SLV side. In this regard, the existing method for dealing with the problem of film accumulation at the gate valve plate is not only difficult during the treatment process, but also easily affects the service life of the components in the process chamber.

[0058] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a gate valve structure, a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment, a cleaning method for semiconductor equipment, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can remove the accumulation of particles in the dead corners of the wafer transfer gate valve, thereby reducing the problem of external particles being blown onto the wafer surface due to airflow disturbance during the wafer transfer process, causing particle contamination, thereby improving the overall process performance in long-term process steps and increasing equipment production capacity. In addition, the cleaning gas will not affect the process effect and can prevent components in the process chamber from being over-etched by the cleaning gas, thereby increasing the service life of the components.

[0059] In some non-limiting embodiments, the gate valve structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be configured in the cleaning system of the semiconductor device provided by the second aspect of the present invention, and used to implement the cleaning method of the semiconductor device provided by the third aspect of the present invention.

[0060] Specifically, in some non-limiting embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, can be used to implement the semiconductor device cleaning method provided in the third aspect of the present invention.

[0061] The following describes the operating principle of the aforementioned gate valve structure in conjunction with embodiments of cleaning systems and methods for semiconductor devices. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these embodiments of cleaning systems and methods for semiconductor devices are merely non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, intended to clearly illustrate the main concepts of the present invention and provide specific solutions that facilitate implementation by the public, rather than limiting the full operating mode or functionality of the gate valve structure. Similarly, the gate valve structure is merely a non-limiting embodiment of the present invention and does not limit other configurations within the cleaning systems of these semiconductor devices or the implementation of the various steps within the cleaning methods for semiconductor devices.

[0062] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment provided according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the cleaning system 100 of the semiconductor device mainly includes a clean gas source (not shown in the drawings) and a switching device 110. The clean gas source can be connected to the process chamber 210 through a first gas supply line 211, and connected to the gate valve structure 220 located in the wafer transfer channel through a second gas supply line 221. The two ends of the wafer transfer channel are respectively connected to the vacuum transfer chamber (shown in the drawings) and the process chamber 210 in the semiconductor device. Therefore, the gate valve structure 220 is also located between the vacuum transfer chamber and the process chamber 210, and the valve plate is opened and closed to ensure the transfer of the wafer before and after the process. Optionally, the wafer transfer channel and the process chamber can be an integrated structure.

[0064] Furthermore, since the gate valve structure 220 can be mainly used in the vacuum environment of semiconductor equipment to control the material transfer between vacuum chambers, a slit valve can be preferably used for this gate valve structure 220. It has high vacuum sealing, corrosion resistance, low dust generation and low outgassing rate. It can avoid the use of lubricants in the design, reduce particle generation and outgassing, and is suitable for ultra-clean vacuum process environments.

[0065] like Figure 1 As shown, the switching device 110 can have its gas inlet connected to a clean gas source, and its gas outlet connected to a first gas pipeline 211 and a second gas pipeline 221 having two transmission directions. The switching device 110 can control the flow direction of the clean gas provided from the clean gas source to clean the process chamber 210 and the gate valve structure 220, respectively. Alternatively, the switching device 110 can use a pneumatic valve to switch the gas pipelines to control the flow direction of the clean gas. For example, when the pneumatic valve is closed, the clean gas can flow into the process chamber 210, and when the pneumatic valve is open, the clean gas can flow to the gate valve structure 220.

[0066] Furthermore, please combine Figure 2 Common understanding. Figure 2 for Figure 1 The figure shows a side cross-sectional structural diagram of a gate valve structure in a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment.

[0067] like Figure 2 As shown in the locally enlarged area I in the figure, in some embodiments, the gate valve structure 200 may include a valve box 230 arranged outside the film transmission channel and an air separation bushing 240 arranged inside the film transmission channel. A movable valve plate 231 is provided inside the valve box 230 to control the opening and closing of the film transmission channel. Optionally, the valve plate 231 can be pneumatically or electrically driven to achieve high-precision sealing and flow control under a vacuum environment. The air separation bushing 240 can be located on the side of the valve plate 231 corresponding to the process chamber 210, and a plurality of air separation holes 241 can be provided at the corner of the upper end face of the air separation bushing 240, which is used to separate and guide the clean gas through the plurality of air separation holes 241 after the valve plate 231 is closed, at least to purge the rounded corners (Radius Corner, referred to as R corner) on both sides of the valve plate 231.

[0068] Furthermore, if Figure 2 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the valve box 230 can be arranged on the outside of the process chamber 210. The gas distribution sleeve 240 can be arranged in the process chamber 210, and connected to the lower pumping structure 212 in the process chamber 210 from the outside of the reaction zone 213 in the process chamber 210, so as to share the lower pumping structure 212 with the process chamber 210. The process gas in the process chamber 210 and the cleaning gas of the gate valve structure 220 can be pumped out separately through the lower pumping structure 212. It can be understood that the process gas in the process chamber 210 here is not limited to the process reaction gas and its by-products, but can also include the cleaning gas in the process chamber cleaning process, that is, the gas remaining in the process chamber used in all the processes before and after the process.

[0069] Specifically, if Figure 2 As shown in the locally enlarged area I in the figure, the valve box 230 can be fixed to the process chamber 210 through the groove between the process chamber 210 and the clamping block 250. The clamping block 250 can be connected to the process chamber 210 through a threaded connection. A rubber ring can be placed between the flange 251 and the valve box 230, and the pipeline sealing can be achieved through a threaded connection. The gas separation sleeve 240 can be fixed to the inside of the process chamber 210 through a positioning structure, but is not connected to the reaction zone 213. The valve box 230 and the second gas supply line 221 can be fixed to the flange seal by screws, and the second gas supply line 221 can use a VCR connector to meet the high cleanliness environment requirements of semiconductor processing and manufacturing.

[0070] like Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, Figure 3A 1 shows a bottom view of the structure of an air separator bushing provided in some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3B for Figure 3A The side cross-sectional structural diagram of the positioning assembly of the air distributor bushing is shown.

[0071] like Figure 3A As shown, in some embodiments, the positioning structure 310 in the air separator bushing 240 may include an annular groove step 311 located at the bottom edge of the air separator bushing 240. Figure 3B As shown, the slot step 311 in the positioning structure 310 is tangent to the internal structure of the process chamber 210 , thereby completing the positioning and assembly of the gas separator bushing 240 .

[0072] Continue back Figure 2 ,like Figure 2 As shown by the arrows in the airflow path, during the cleaning process, since the valve plate 231 is closed, the cleaning gas flows only outside the process chamber 210. Specifically, the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 231 inside the valve box 230 are cleaned outside the reaction zone 213 in the process chamber 210. The cleaning gas flow path does not enter the reaction zone 213 inside the process chamber 210.

[0073] Furthermore, in some preferred embodiments, a heating tape may be wrapped around the second gas pipeline 221 to heat the clean gas transmitted to the gate valve structure 220. By increasing the temperature of the clean gas through the heating tape, its cleaning ability and cleaning efficiency can be improved, thereby reducing cleaning time.

[0074] Preferably, the gas separator bushing 240 can be made of ceramic material, which has higher thermal stability and oxidation resistance than metal materials. Therefore, using a ceramic gas separator bushing 240 can increase the heating temperature of the cleaning gas, thereby increasing the temperature at the gate valve structure 220, which is beneficial for improving the cleaning effect.

[0075] Specifically, see Figure 4 , Figure 4 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the gas distribution bushing of the gate valve structure in the cleaning system of the semiconductor equipment.

[0076] like Figure 4 As shown, in some embodiments, the valve box 230 may be provided with an air inlet 232 connected to the second air delivery line 221 to allow the clean gas to enter from the outside. Figure 4As shown in the locally enlarged area II in the figure, the end face of the air-dividing bushing 240 can be provided with a strip-shaped air-dividing hole 241, the starting end of the strip-shaped air-dividing hole 241 can correspond to the air inlet hole 232, and the terminal end thereof can extend to the corners 242 at both ends of the upper end face of the air-dividing bushing 240 to divide the clean gas into two and guide it to the corners 242 at both ends to purge the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 231.

[0077] Furthermore, if Figure 4 As shown, in some preferred embodiments, the air inlet 232 may be located at the top of the valve box 230 . For example, the air inlet 232 may be located at the top center of the valve box 230 .

[0078] Specific can be combined Figure 5A and Figure 5B Common understanding, Figure 5A A schematic structural diagram of the hole layout of the air separator bushing provided in some embodiments of the present invention is shown. Figure 5B for Figure 5A The schematic front view of the air distribution path on the front of the valve plate corresponding to the air distribution bushing shown.

[0079] like Figure 5A As shown, in some preferred embodiments of the present invention, the upper end surface of the gas separation bushing 240 may further include multiple rows of circular gas separation holes 243, which are located between the strip gas separation holes 241 below the air inlet hole 232 at the top of the valve box 230. By cooperating with the strip gas separation holes 241 located at both ends, the clean gas introduced from the top of the gas separation bushing 240 can also be divided into three (such as Figure 5A As shown by the arrows in the three directions, three branch air flows are formed, and the clean gas can also be guided to the space below the gas separation sleeve 240 through the third branch air flow to purge the front of the valve plate 231.

[0080] Combine Figure 5B It is commonly understood that, through the ventilation mode of air intake from the top of the valve box 230, the clean gas flows to both ends in the central cross section of the upper end surface of the gas separation bushing 240, wherein the clean gas of the third split flow can directly pass through the circular gas separation hole 243 of the gas separation bushing 240 and enter the positive cross section of the valve plate 231, as shown in FIG. Figure 5B The first and second sub-flows flow through the central area of ​​the valve housing 230. The additional first and second sub-flows are distributed and guided by the strip-shaped air distribution holes 241 at both ends to the through-grooved areas on the sides of the air distribution bushing 240. From there, they enter the side cross-sectional spaces above and on both sides of the valve plate 231, allowing more clean gas to enter this area. The clean gas can diffuse into the rounded corners and front surface of the valve plate 231 within the valve housing 230, effectively cleaning any film buildup there.

[0081] In the above embodiment, through the upper air-inlet flow resistance reduction gas separation bushing 240 in the gate valve structure 220, the cleaning gas can effectively cover at least the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 231, reducing the loss of the fluorine-containing cleaning gas to the rounded corners, ensuring that the film at the rounded corners can be completely cleaned, thereby improving the process granularity (PA) performance of the machine.

[0082] In addition, alternatively, in some other embodiments of the present invention, the air inlet holes 232 of the valve box 230 may also be provided on both sides of the valve box 230 .

[0083] Specifically, see Figure 6 and Figure 7 , Figure 6 FIG2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment according to some other embodiments of the present invention. Figure 7 for Figure 6 The diagram shows a top view of a gate valve structure in a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment.

[0084] like Figure 6 As shown, in other embodiments, the second gas supply pipeline 221 can also be connected to both sides of the valve box 230. Figure 6 Most of the structures in the cleaning system 600 of the semiconductor equipment shown are the same as those of the above-mentioned cleaning system 100. The fixing method of the gate valve structure 620 and the positioning and assembly method of the gas distribution bushing inside it are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0085] Combine Figure 7 As shown in the partially enlarged area III in FIG, the air inlet of the valve box 630 can be located on both sides of the valve box 630, and the external clean gas can enter from both sides of the valve box 630 via the second gas pipeline 221 divided into two (the path of the clean gas is as shown in FIG. Figure 7 Path shown by arrows in the figure).

[0086] Furthermore, if Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 for Figure 6 The diagram shows the structure of the gas distribution bushing of the gate valve structure in the cleaning system of the semiconductor equipment.

[0087] Combine Figure 7 and Figure 8 In some embodiments, the air inlet holes 632 on both sides of the valve box 630 may correspond to the corners 642 at both ends of the air separation bushing 640. The corners 642 at both ends of the air separation bushing 640 may be provided with corner strip-shaped air separation holes 641. Figure 9 It is commonly understood that the cleaning gas can be blown from the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 631 to the front side of the valve plate 631 through the inclined air inlet angle corresponding to the corner strip-shaped air distribution holes 641.

[0088] like Figure 9 As shown, through the ventilation method of taking in air from both sides of the side of the valve box 630, the first sub-flow and the second sub-flow in the cleaning gas enter from the corner strip-shaped air-dividing holes 641 at the corners 642 at both ends of the upper end surface of the air-dividing sleeve 640. The first position cleaned is the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 631, and then gradually diffuses to the central area of ​​the valve plate 631, and then can clean the front position of the valve plate 631.

[0089] In the above embodiment, through the two-side air-intake flow resistance reduction gas distribution bushings 640 in the gate valve structure 620, the cleaning gas can directly and effectively cover the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 631, reducing the loss of the fluorine-containing cleaning gas to the rounded corners, ensuring that the film at the rounded corners can be completely cleaned, thereby improving the process granularity (PA) performance of the machine.

[0090] The two aforementioned top-inlet and side-inlet gate valve structures provided by the present invention offer two methods for achieving a cleansing effect of clean gas at the gate valve. These two air intake methods, combined with corresponding bushing structures, can better address film deposition on the edges of the valve plate, thereby improving machine operating efficiency. The gate valve structure provided by the present invention can reduce the overall cleaning time of semiconductor equipment, thereby improving overall cleaning efficiency, fundamentally resolving the problem of film accumulation at the gate valve, and enhancing machine PA performance.

[0091] Furthermore, due to the relatively small size of the valve box located at the wafer transfer channel of semiconductor equipment, the space available for designing purge inlet holes is extremely limited. Designing multiple purge air distribution holes directly on the valve box body would increase the complexity of the structure and be difficult to implement within the overall space of the machine. To address this, the present invention provides a collaborative design based on a flow resistance bushing structure and a single-hole air inlet hole in the valve box. Clean gas is introduced through the single hole in the valve box, and combined with the different hole positions in the air distribution bushing, flow resistance is controlled at specific locations, thereby achieving targeted and quantitative cleaning of key areas. This means that the flow direction and flow rate of the clean gas can be precisely controlled through flow resistance.

[0092] The gate valve structure provided by the first aspect of the present invention and the semiconductor device cleaning system provided by the second aspect have been introduced. Next, the working principle of the cleaning system including the gate valve structure will be further explained in conjunction with a semiconductor device cleaning method.

[0093] Please see Figure 10 , Figure 10 A flow chart of a method for cleaning a semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0094] like Figure 10As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, a method for cleaning a semiconductor device may include the following steps S101 to S103 .

[0095] Specific combination Figure 1 The cleaning system 100 of the semiconductor device shown is commonly understood. Figure 1 and Figure 10 As shown, first, step S101 can be performed. In response to the completion of the deposition process in the process chamber 210, the valve plate 231 in the gate valve structure 220 can be opened, and the wafer can be sent to the vacuum transfer chamber via the wafer transfer channel. Subsequently, step S102 can be performed to close the valve plate 231 in the gate valve structure 220. Through the switching device 110, a cleaning gas can be first transmitted to the process chamber 210 through the first gas pipeline 211 to clean the interior of the process chamber. Thereafter, step S103 can be performed. In response to the completion of the cleaning of the interior of the process chamber 210, a cleaning gas can be transmitted to the gate valve structure 220 through the second gas pipeline 221 through the switching device 110 to clean at least the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 231 in the gate valve structure 220, thereby removing the film accumulation at the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 231.

[0096] Furthermore, in some preferred embodiments, to improve the cleaning automation level of the cleaning system 100, a cleaning interval may be preset within the cleaning system 100 before step S101, wherein the cleaning interval may include the time required to complete at least one deposition process. In this regard, step S103 may further include, in response to reaching the cleaning interval, closing the valve plate 231 of the gate valve structure 220, and transmitting a cleaning gas to the gate valve structure 220 via the second gas pipeline 221 via the switching device 110 to clean at least the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate 231 in the gate valve structure 220. For example, it may be preset that after completing five deposition processes within the process chamber 210, a gate valve structure cleaning process is performed.

[0097] Although the above methods are illustrated and described as a series of acts for simplicity of explanation, it is to be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the acts, as some acts may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other acts from those illustrated and described herein or not illustrated and described herein but understandable to those skilled in the art according to one or more embodiments.

[0098] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0099] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software as a computer program product, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Any connection is also properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0100] In summary, the present invention provides a gate valve structure, a cleaning system for semiconductor equipment, a cleaning method for semiconductor equipment, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can remove particle accumulation in the dead corners of the wafer transfer gate valve, thereby reducing the problem of particle contamination caused by external particles being blown onto the wafer surface due to airflow disturbance during the wafer transfer process, thereby improving the overall process performance in long-term process and improving equipment production capacity. In addition, the cleaning gas will not affect the process effect, and can prevent components in the process chamber from being over-etched by the cleaning gas, thereby increasing the service life of the components.

[0101] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A gate valve structure, characterized in that: include: A valve box is located at the film transmission channel between the vacuum transmission chamber and the process chamber, and a valve plate is provided inside the valve box to open and close the film transmission channel; as well as The air-dividing bushing is located in the transmission channel. A plurality of air-dividing holes are provided at the corners of the upper end surface of the air-dividing bushing, which are used to divide and guide the clean gas through the plurality of air-dividing holes after the valve plate is closed, so as to at least blow the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate.

2. The gate valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve box is provided with an air inlet hole for introducing the clean gas from the outside. The end face of the gas separation bushing is provided with a strip-shaped gas separation hole, the starting end of the strip-shaped gas separation hole corresponds to the air inlet hole, and the terminal end thereof extends to the corners at both ends to divide the clean gas into two and guide it to the corners at both ends to purge the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate.

3. The gate valve structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air inlet is located at the top of the valve box. The upper end surface of the gas separation bushing also includes a circular gas separation hole, which is located between the strip gas separation holes below the air inlet hole. The strip gas separation holes cooperate with each other to divide the clean gas into three parts, and also guide the clean gas to the space below the gas separation bushing to purge the front of the valve plate.

4. The gate valve structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air inlet holes are located on both sides of the valve box to correspond to the corners at both ends of the air separation bushing. Corner strip-shaped air distribution holes are provided at the corners at both ends of the air distribution bushing, so that the clean gas is blown from the rounded corners on both sides of the valve plate to the front of the valve plate through the inclined air inlet angles corresponding to the corner strip-shaped air distribution holes.

5. The gate valve structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The valve box is arranged on the outside of the process chamber, and the gas distribution sleeve is arranged in the process chamber, and is connected to the lower gas pumping structure in the process chamber from the outside of the reaction zone in the process chamber, so as to share the lower gas pumping structure with the process chamber, and respectively pump out the process gas in the process chamber and the cleaning gas of the gate valve structure through the lower gas pumping structure.

6. A cleaning system for semiconductor equipment, characterized in that: include: a clean gas source connected to the process chamber via a first gas pipeline and connected to the gate valve structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 via a second gas pipeline; as well as A switching device, whose air inlet end is connected to the cleaning gas source and whose air outlet end is connected to the first gas pipeline and the second gas pipeline, controls the flow direction of the cleaning gas through the switching device to clean the process chamber and the gate valve structure.

7. The cleaning system according to claim 6, wherein: A heating belt is wound around the second gas transmission pipeline to heat the clean gas transmitted to the gate valve structure.

8. A method for cleaning a semiconductor device, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: In response to completion of the deposition process in the process chamber, opening the valve plate in the gate valve structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and sending the wafer out through the wafer transfer channel; closing the valve plate, and transmitting the cleaning gas to the process chamber through the first gas pipeline by means of the switching device in the cleaning system for semiconductor equipment as claimed in claim 6 or 7, so as to clean the process chamber; as well as In response to the process chamber being cleaned, the switching device transmits the cleaning gas to the gate valve structure via the second gas pipeline to at least clean the fillets on both sides of the valve plate in the gate valve structure.

9. The cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein Before the step of opening the valve plate in the gate valve structure in response to completion of the deposition process in the process chamber and sending the wafer out through the wafer transfer channel, the following steps are also included: A preset cleaning interval time, wherein the cleaning interval time includes the time required to complete at least one deposition process, In response to the process chamber being cleaned, the step of transmitting the cleaning gas to the gate valve structure via the second gas pipeline through the switching device to at least clean the fillets on both sides of the valve plate in the gate valve structure further includes: In response to reaching the cleaning interval, the valve plate is closed, and the cleaning gas is transmitted to the gate valve structure through the second gas pipeline by the switching device to at least clean the fillets on both sides of the valve plate in the gate valve structure.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, the cleaning method of semiconductor equipment according to claim 8 or 9 is implemented.

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