Semiconductor device and exhaust line maintenance method

Abstract

The application discloses a semiconductor device and a maintenance method of an exhaust pipeline. The maintenance method comprises the following steps: defining a target pipe section and a non-target pipe section on the exhaust pipeline; setting the target pipe section at a first temperature, and setting the non-target pipe section and a process cavity at a second temperature which is less than the first temperature, so as to form a temperature gradient between the target pipe section and the non-target pipe section and the process cavity; introducing a coating gas into the exhaust pipeline through a bottom in the process cavity and an exhaust port; and coating a coating layer on an inner wall of the target pipe section by using the temperature gradient, while inhibiting the coating layer from being coated on inner walls of the process cavity and the non-target pipe section. The application can form a high corrosion-resistant coating layer on a required protection area of the exhaust pipeline of the device without disassembling the device, cut off a pollution source, and thus maximize the effects of pipeline corrosion prevention and pollutant adhesion, and improve the efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor equipment technology, and in particular to a semiconductor equipment and exhaust pipe maintenance method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, with the miniaturization and high integration of semiconductor processes, contamination management of vertical furnace equipment cavities and process exhaust pipes is becoming increasingly important. In particular, when using fluorinated gases such as F2 or NF3 for dry cleaning of cavities and exhaust pipes, the inner walls of stainless steel exhaust pipes (such as SUS 316L) are easily corroded, leading to particulate contamination.

[0003] One existing solution is to use Hastelloy tubing, which offers excellent corrosion resistance, but this comes at the cost of very high initial installation fees. Another approach involves applying a non-electroplated nickel coating (Clean-S coating) to protect the inner walls of the exhaust pipes. However, this coating gradually wears off under the influence of plasma or corrosive gases, requiring periodic disassembly and recoating. This leads to unnecessary costs and frequent equipment downtime. Furthermore, if online coating is chosen, there is a risk of wafer contamination if the metal coating is unintentionally applied to the quartz tube area of ​​the vertical furnace. Therefore, there is a limitation in simultaneously addressing the conflicting issues of preventing exhaust pipe corrosion and preventing wafer contamination. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art and to provide a method for maintaining semiconductor equipment and exhaust pipes.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this application is as follows:

[0006] According to a first aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a method for maintaining an exhaust pipe, wherein the exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, the exhaust port being disposed on a process cavity, and the maintenance method includes:

[0007] Define target pipe segments and non-target pipe segments on the exhaust pipe;

[0008] The target pipe section is placed at a first temperature, and the non-target pipe section and the process cavity are placed at a second temperature, wherein the first temperature is greater than the second temperature, so as to form a temperature gradient between the target pipe section and the non-target pipe section and the process cavity;

[0009] Coating gas is introduced into the exhaust pipe through the bottom of the process chamber and the exhaust port, and the coating is selectively applied to the inner wall of the target pipe section using the temperature gradient, while the coating is inhibited from being applied to the inner wall of the process chamber and the inner wall of the non-target pipe section.

[0010] In some embodiments, defining target pipe segments and non-target pipe segments on the exhaust pipe specifically includes: when the inner wall material of the exhaust pipe is entirely a first material that needs to be coated, the entire exhaust pipe is defined as the target pipe segment; or, when the exhaust pipe is composed of a first pipe segment whose inner wall material is a first material that needs to be coated and a second pipe segment whose inner wall material is a second material that needs to suppress the coating, the first pipe segment is defined as the target pipe segment and the second pipe segment is defined as the non-target pipe segment.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further includes: before introducing the coating gas, vacating the process chamber and introducing a first protective gas into the process chamber under a first pressure; then, introducing the coating gas under a second pressure to selectively coat the target pipe segment; after coating is completed, introducing a purging gas into the process chamber under a third pressure to purge; the first pressure, the second pressure, and the third pressure increase sequentially.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further includes: simultaneously introducing the coating gas and introducing a second protective gas above the bottom of the process chamber to suppress the coating gas introduced through the bottom of the process chamber.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further includes: before introducing the coating gas, introducing a passivation gas into the process cavity at a third temperature to passivate the surface of the film layer present on the inner wall of the process cavity, so as to improve the surface smoothness and density, wherein the third temperature is greater than the first temperature.

[0014] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the target pipe section is a stainless steel inner wall.

[0015] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the non-target pipe section and the inner wall of the process cavity are quartz inner walls or silicon carbide inner walls.

[0016] In some embodiments, the coating gas comprises a mixture of nickel precursor and fluorocarbon gas.

[0017] In some embodiments, the coating comprises a nickel-containing polymer layer.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first temperature is 140°C to 250°C.

[0019] In some embodiments, the second temperature is below 50°C.

[0020] In some embodiments, the third temperature is above 800°C.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first pressure is below 100 mTorr.

[0022] In some embodiments, the second pressure is 100 Torr to 300 Torr.

[0023] In some embodiments, the third pressure is above 300 Torr.

[0024] In some embodiments, the flow rate of the coating gas is 1000 sccm to 5000 sccm.

[0025] In some embodiments, the flow rate of the passivating gas is 500 sccm to 1000 sccm.

[0026] In some embodiments, at least one of the first protective gas, the second protective gas, and the purging gas includes nitrogen or an inert gas.

[0027] In some embodiments, the passivation gas includes an oxygen-containing gas.

[0028] In some embodiments, the method further includes setting a threshold and, upon triggering, performing maintenance on the exhaust pipe.

[0029] In some embodiments, the threshold is set based on the number of times the process chamber is dry-cleaned.

[0030] According to a second aspect of this application, embodiments of this application also provide a semiconductor device, the semiconductor device including a process chamber and a maintenance system communicating with an exhaust port of the process chamber, the maintenance system employing an exhaust pipe maintenance method as provided in any embodiment of the first aspect above, the maintenance system including:

[0031] An air supply chamber is located at the bottom of the process chamber and is connected to the process chamber. The air supply chamber is connected to an exhaust pipe through an exhaust port located on the process chamber.

[0032] The first air supply unit includes a first air supply port, which is located on one side of the air supply cavity opposite to the exhaust port. The first air supply port is used to introduce coating gas into the air supply cavity and then introduce it into the exhaust pipe through the exhaust port for coating.

[0033] A temperature control unit is used to control the target pipe segment defined on the exhaust pipe to be at a first temperature, and to control the process chamber and the non-target pipe segment defined on the exhaust pipe to be at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, so as to selectively apply a coating on the inner wall of the target pipe segment by utilizing the temperature gradient formed between the target pipe segment, the non-target pipe segment and the process chamber, while inhibiting the coating from being applied to the inner wall of the process chamber and the inner wall of the non-target pipe segment.

[0034] In some embodiments, the system further includes: a second gas supply unit and a pressure control unit; the second gas supply unit includes a second gas inlet, which is disposed on one side of the process cavity relative to the exhaust port, and is located above the first gas inlet, with multiple second gas inlets arranged sequentially from bottom to top; the second gas inlet is used to introduce a first protective gas to inflate the unloaded process cavity before the coating gas is introduced into the first gas inlet, and to introduce a purging gas to purge the process cavity after coating is completed; the pressure control unit includes a vacuum unit and an automatic pressure control unit, the vacuum unit is connected to the end of the exhaust pipe away from the exhaust port, and the automatic pressure control unit is disposed on the exhaust pipe; the pressure control unit is used to control the vacuum unit to evacuate the process cavity through the exhaust pipe via the automatic pressure control unit, so that the process cavity is under a first pressure, a second pressure, and a third pressure that increase sequentially, so as to perform inflating, selective coating of the target pipe section, and purging respectively.

[0035] In some embodiments, the second air supply port is further configured to introduce a second protective gas to suppress the introduced coating gas when the coating gas is introduced into the first air supply port.

[0036] In some embodiments, the second gas supply port is further configured to passivate the surface of the film layer present on the inner wall of the process chamber by introducing a passivating gas before introducing the coating gas, and the temperature control unit is further configured to control the process chamber to be at a third temperature greater than the first temperature in order to perform the passivation treatment.

[0037] In some embodiments, the semiconductor device is a vertical furnace, and the gas supply chamber and the process chamber are integrated into one unit; the temperature control unit includes a first temperature control module of the vertical furnace and a second temperature control module covering the exhaust pipe. The first temperature control module includes a first heating device and a first cooling device disposed on the process chamber, and the second temperature control module includes a second heating device covering the target pipe section and a second cooling device covering the non-target pipe section; the first gas supply unit further includes a first gas supply pipe connected to the first gas supply port, and the second gas supply unit further includes a second gas supply pipe connected to the second gas supply port. The first gas supply pipe and the second gas supply pipe are independently arranged and are respectively provided with flow control devices. The second gas supply pipe is a process gas injection pipe of the vertical furnace; the vacuum unit and the automatic pressure control unit of the pressure control unit are a vacuum pump and an automatic pressure controller of the vertical furnace, respectively.

[0038] In some embodiments, the system further includes an execution module; the execution module is used to control the temperature control unit, the flow control device, and the pressure control unit, and to perform maintenance on the exhaust pipeline when a threshold is triggered.

[0039] The embodiments of this application may have, or at least have, the following advantages:

[0040] (1) When maintaining the exhaust pipe on the process chamber, by defining the target pipe section (the pipe section that needs to be coated (the first pipe section of the first material (e.g., stainless steel)) and the non-target pipe section (the pipe section that needs to be suppressed for coating (the second pipe section of the second material (e.g., quartz)) on the exhaust pipe, and controlling the target pipe section to be at a first temperature and the non-target pipe section and the process chamber to be at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, a temperature gradient is formed between the target pipe section and the non-target pipe section and the process chamber. The temperature gradient can be used to selectively apply the coating in situ only on the inner wall of the target pipe section that needs to be coated, thus protecting the inner wall of the target pipe section and preventing the coating material that causes pollution from depositing on the inner wall of the process chamber and the inner wall of the non-target pipe section, thus cutting off the path of quartz tube contamination and wafer contamination from the source. Therefore, without disassembling the equipment (such as a vertical furnace), a highly corrosion-resistant coating (a nickel (Ni) polymer layer (Ni-PTFE-like composite coating)) can be formed on the area requiring protection (the inner wall of the target pipe section) of the equipment's exhaust pipe. This maximizes the protection against pipe corrosion and contaminant adhesion, reducing the cost waste caused by using expensive materials and frequent disassembly of the equipment for recoating. It also significantly reduces equipment downtime, increases equipment uptime, greatly improves production efficiency, and effectively solves the contradictory problem of simultaneously preventing exhaust pipe corrosion and wafer contamination.

[0041] (2) By introducing a first protective gas into the process chamber before introducing the coating gas, a protective atmosphere can be pre-formed within the process chamber. By introducing a second protective gas from above while introducing the coating gas, the coating gas introduced from below can be suppressed, effectively preventing the coating gas from diffusing upwards into the process chamber. By introducing purging gas into the process chamber after coating is completed, residue of the coating gas within the process chamber is prevented.

[0042] (3) By introducing passivating gas into the process chamber before introducing coating gas, the surface of the film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber can be passivated, which can improve the smoothness and density of the film layer, reduce the risk of contamination caused by the coating gas adsorbing on the inner wall when it rises, and reduce the risk of particulate contamination caused by the loose film layer falling off in subsequent processes.

[0043] (4) By integrating the gas supply chamber and the process chamber into one unit, the original process chamber of the vertical furnace equipment and its own facilities (process gas injection pipeline, first temperature control module, flow control device, vacuum pump and automatic pressure controller) can be used for maintenance. Only a new gas supply port (first gas supply port) needs to be added below the original gas supply port (second gas supply port). The coating gas can be introduced into the bottom of the process chamber and further introduced into the exhaust pipeline through the exhaust port on the bottom under the control of the automatic pressure controller. This ensures that the coating is formed on the exhaust pipeline. At the same time, the diffusion and deposition of the coating gas in the process chamber can be avoided as much as possible to prevent residual pollution. Only a second heating device needs to be set on the target pipe section and a second cooling device needs to be set on the non-target pipe section to form a temperature gradient between the target pipe section and the non-target pipe section and the process chamber. This makes the maintenance system simple in structure, convenient and reliable in control.

[0044] Other advantages of this application will be described in the following detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an exhaust pipe maintenance method according to a preferred embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of an exhaust pipe maintenance system according to a preferred embodiment of this application.

[0047] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exhaust pipe maintenance system according to a preferred embodiment of this application.

[0048] In the diagram: 1. First gas supply port; 2. Coating gas source; 3. First gas supply pipeline; 4. Auxiliary gas source; 5. Process gas source; 6. Flow control device; 7. Second gas supply pipeline; 8. Second gas supply port; 9. Process chamber; 10. Gas supply chamber; 11. Exhaust pipeline; 12. Automatic pressure controller; 13. Second heating device; 14. Vacuum pump; 15. Exhaust port; 16. Process chamber door; 17. Second cooling device; 18. Non-target pipe section; 19. Target pipe section; 100. Vertical furnace equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0049] To address the limitations of existing technologies, such as the inconvenience of using expensive materials and periodic disassembly for recoating, leading to unnecessary costs and frequent equipment downtime, as well as the conflicting issues of simultaneously preventing exhaust pipe corrosion and wafer contamination, this application provides an exhaust pipe maintenance method. The exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, which is located on a process chamber, for example, at the bottom of the process chamber or on the side of the process chamber near the bottom surface. The maintenance method includes:

[0050] Define target pipe segments and non-target pipe segments on the exhaust pipe;

[0051] The target pipe section is placed at a first temperature, and the non-target pipe section and the process cavity are placed at a second temperature, wherein the first temperature is greater than the second temperature, so as to form a temperature gradient between the target pipe section and the non-target pipe section and the process cavity;

[0052] Coating gas is introduced into the exhaust pipe through the bottom of the process chamber and the exhaust port, and the coating is selectively applied to the inner wall of the target pipe section using the temperature gradient, while the coating is inhibited from being applied to the inner wall of the process chamber and the inner wall of the non-target pipe section.

[0053] This application embodiment achieves this by controlling the formation of a temperature gradient between the target pipe section, non-target pipe sections, and the process chamber during maintenance of the exhaust pipes in the process chamber. This temperature gradient allows for selective in-situ coating only on the inner wall of the target pipe section requiring coating, protecting its inner wall while preventing contaminating coating substances from depositing on the inner walls of the process chamber and non-target pipe sections. This effectively cuts off the pathways for quartz tube and wafer contamination at the source. Therefore, a highly corrosion-resistant coating can be formed on the protected areas of the equipment's exhaust pipes without disassembling the equipment. This maximizes the protection against pipe corrosion and contaminant adhesion, reducing the cost waste caused by using expensive materials and frequent equipment disassembly for recoating. It significantly reduces equipment downtime, increases equipment uptime, greatly improves production efficiency, and effectively solves the contradictory problem of simultaneously preventing exhaust pipe corrosion and wafer contamination.

[0054] This application also provides a semiconductor device, which includes a process chamber and a maintenance system connected to an exhaust port of the process chamber. The maintenance system is maintained using the exhaust pipe maintenance method described above.

[0055] The specific embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] refer to Figure 1 This application discloses a method for maintaining an exhaust pipe, comprising the following steps:

[0057] Step S11: Provide the process chamber for the exhaust pipeline that needs maintenance.

[0058] The process chamber is equipped with an exhaust pipe. The process chamber has an exhaust port, for example, located at the bottom or side of the process chamber near the bottom surface. One end of the exhaust pipe is connected to the exhaust port.

[0059] The process chamber can be a chemical vapor deposition chamber, a physical vapor deposition chamber, a dry etching chamber, or other chambers that require strict control of particulate contamination during the process. At the same time, the waste gas generated during the process and / or the pipeline cleaning process can cause corrosion to the pipeline, so regular maintenance is required.

[0060] refer to Figure 2 or Figure 3In some embodiments, the process chamber 9 and the exhaust pipe 11 may be provided on the vertical furnace equipment 100 (vertical furnace tube equipment). That is, the process chamber 9 and the exhaust pipe 11 are the process chamber 9 and the exhaust pipe 11 of the vertical furnace equipment 100. However, it is not limited to this. The following will take the maintenance of the exhaust pipe 11 provided in the process chamber 9 of the vertical furnace equipment 100 as an example to describe in detail a specific implementation of an exhaust pipe maintenance method of this application.

[0061] The vertical furnace equipment 100 requires dry cleaning before or after each process. Since the exhaust pipe 11 typically includes stainless steel sections (e.g., SUS 316L), when using fluorinated gases like F2 or NF3 to dry clean the process chamber 9 and exhaust pipe 11, the inner walls of the stainless steel sections are easily corroded, leading to particulate contamination. (The inner walls of the process chamber 9 are typically made of quartz or silicon carbide and are not damaged by dry cleaning.) Additionally, the exhaust pipe 11 may also have non-metallic sections (e.g., quartz or silicon carbide) connected to the stainless steel sections (in this case, the non-metallic section is usually directly connected to the exhaust port 15, and then the non-metallic section is connected to the stainless steel section). The inner walls of these non-metallic sections are also not damaged by dry cleaning. Therefore, the exhaust pipe maintenance method of this application can be used to perform online maintenance on the inner wall of the exhaust pipe 11 (actually for the stainless steel pipe section (target pipe section 19)) without disassembling the equipment.

[0062] Step S12: At the third temperature, passivation gas is introduced into the process chamber to passivate the surface of the film layer on the inner wall.

[0063] refer to Figure 2 or Figure 3 In some embodiments, before the exhaust pipe 11 is coated with a coating gas for maintenance (before step S15 is performed), at a third temperature, the surface of the film layer present on the inner wall of the process chamber 9 is passivated by introducing a passivating gas into the process chamber 9.

[0064] When the vertical furnace equipment 100 performs the deposition process, a thin film (film layer) is also deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber 9. This film is usually relatively rough, meaning its fine structure is uneven. When coating gas is introduced, if the coating gas diffuses within the process chamber 9, it can easily remain on the inner wall of the process chamber 9 and is difficult to remove completely, thus adversely affecting subsequent furnace tube processes. Therefore, before introducing the coating gas, a passivating gas can be introduced into the process chamber 9 to passivate the inner wall of the process chamber 9. This makes the film on the surface of the inner wall of the process chamber 9 denser and smoother, preventing gas residue and reducing the risk of contamination caused by the coating gas rising and adsorbing on the inner wall. This effectively prevents adverse effects on subsequent processes. At the same time, passivation treatment can enhance the mechanical strength of the film, making it less prone to particulate contamination caused by the loose film layer falling off during subsequent processes.

[0065] In some embodiments, passivating gas can be introduced into the process chamber 9 through a second gas supply port 8 located within the process chamber 9 for passivation treatment. The exhaust gas from the passivation process is then discharged through the exhaust port 15 and the exhaust pipe 11 by the vacuum pump 14 located at the end of the exhaust pipe 11. The vertical furnace equipment 100 is provided with a second gas supply pipe 7, the end of which is located within the process chamber 9, and the second gas supply port 8 is located at the end of the second gas supply pipe 7. The front end of the second gas supply pipe 7 is connected to a process gas source 5. The passivating gas can be provided by the process gas source 5 and flows through the second gas supply pipe 7 to the process chamber 9, ultimately being injected into the process chamber 9 through the second gas supply port 8.

[0066] In some embodiments, the passivation treatment may vary depending on the process to which the process chamber 9 is applied. Typical passivation gases include oxygen-containing gases such as oxygen, which can be used to oxidize the inner wall of the process chamber 9 to passivate and form an oxide layer.

[0067] In some embodiments, the flow rate of the passivating gas during passivation is 500 sccm to 1000 sccm. For example, the flow rate of the passivating gas can be 500 sccm, 600 sccm, 700 sccm, 800 sccm, 900 sccm, or 1000 sccm, or any value between any two of the aforementioned flow rates. However, it is not limited to this.

[0068] In some embodiments, the flow rate of the passivating gas can be precisely controlled by a mass flow controller (flow control device 6) provided on the second gas supply line 7.

[0069] In some embodiments, the passivation process typically requires a higher temperature (the third temperature) than the coating application temperature (the first temperature). For example, the third temperature may be above 800°C, 850°C, 900°C, 950°C, or 1000°C, etc. However, it is not limited to these.

[0070] In some embodiments, the temperature inside the process chamber 9 can be heated to the target temperature (third temperature) for passivation treatment by a heater (not shown) disposed on the inner wall of the process chamber 9.

[0071] It is worth noting that in existing technologies, it is generally necessary to avoid the corrosion of the exhaust pipe 11 on the inner wall of stainless steel by oxygen. Therefore, the exhaust pipe 11 must be kept at a low temperature during the exhaust process, that is, it needs to be cooled during exhaust. However, in the embodiment of this application, in the process of passing through oxygen for passivation treatment, even if the temperature of the discharged oxygen is relatively high, which may cause corrosion to the inner wall of stainless steel and generate oxides such as chromium oxide, it will not have an adverse effect on the subsequent coating process. In fact, it is better, because the oxide layer generated on the inner wall of stainless steel helps to improve the interface properties and is more conducive to the film formation of the coating.

[0072] It should be noted that step S12 is not a mandatory step; you can choose to perform step S12 or not perform step S12 as needed.

[0073] Step S13: Define target pipe sections and non-target pipe sections on the exhaust pipe, so that the target pipe section is at a first temperature and the non-target pipe section and the process chamber are at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, so as to form a temperature gradient.

[0074] For vertical furnace equipment 100, some exhaust pipes 11 have entirely stainless steel (e.g., SUS 316L) inner walls. In such cases, the entire exhaust pipe 11 must be coated for protection. Specifically, the stainless steel inner wall sections are the target pipe sections 19 requiring coating. Figure 3 As shown. However, some vertical furnace equipment 100 is equipped with an exhaust pipe 11 consisting of two sections. One section, directly connected to the process chamber 9 (exhaust port 15), has a quartz inner wall, while the other section has a stainless steel inner wall connecting the quartz inner wall section and the vacuum pump 14. In this case, it is necessary to avoid coating the quartz inner wall section to prevent contamination of the quartz tube area of ​​the vertical furnace equipment 100. That is, the quartz inner wall section becomes a non-target section 18 where coating should be avoided, such as... Figure 2 As shown, this helps to further prevent metal ions from entering the process chamber 9.

[0075] In some embodiments, target pipe segments 19 and non-target pipe segments 18 can be defined on the exhaust pipe 11 according to any of the above-described pipe segment configurations. Specifically, this includes: when the inner wall material of the exhaust pipe 11 is entirely the first material to be coated, the entire exhaust pipe 11 is defined as target pipe segments 19 (i.e., non-target pipe segments 18 are defaulted). Figure 3 As shown.

[0076] Alternatively, when the exhaust pipe 11 consists of a first pipe section with an inner wall material of a first material requiring coating and a second pipe section with an inner wall material of a second material requiring suppression of coating, the first pipe section is defined as the target pipe section 19, and the second pipe section as the non-target pipe section 18, such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0077] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the target pipe section 19 is a stainless steel inner wall. That is, the material of the inner wall of the first pipe section (the first material) is stainless steel. The material of the inner wall of the target pipe section 19 can also be any other material that can be protected against corrosion by coating, either currently or in the future.

[0078] In some embodiments, the inner wall of the non-target pipe segment 18 and the inner wall of the process cavity 9 are quartz inner walls or silicon carbide inner walls. That is, the material of the inner wall of the second pipe segment (the second material) is quartz or silicon carbide. The process cavity 9 is a quartz tube or a silicon carbide tube. The material of the inner wall of the process cavity 9 and the material of the inner wall of the non-target pipe segment 18 can also be any other applicable material currently or in the future.

[0079] In some embodiments, after defining a target pipe segment 19 and a non-target pipe segment 18 on the exhaust pipe 11, the target pipe segment 19 (applicable to...) can be configured by... Figure 2 or Figure 3 (In the case of...) heating to raise the temperature of the target pipe section 19 to a relatively high first temperature, and can be used to heat the non-target pipe section 18 (only applicable to...) Figure 2 In the case of [the target pipe section 19], the non-target pipe section 18 and the process cavity 9 are cooled down (or kept at a low temperature by utilizing the ambient temperature) to bring the non-target pipe section 18 and the process cavity 9 to a relatively low second temperature. That is, the target pipe section 19 and the non-target pipe section 18 and the process cavity 9 are respectively temperature controlled, and the first temperature is greater than the second temperature to form a significant temperature gradient between the target pipe section 19 and the non-target pipe section 18 and the process cavity 9.

[0080] In some embodiments, the existing heating and cooling devices (not shown) on the inner wall of the process chamber 9 of the vertical furnace equipment 100 can be used to control the process chamber 9 to be at a relatively low second temperature. The non-target pipe section 18 is controlled to be at the second temperature by a cooling device (second cooling device 17) covering the non-target pipe section 18. Alternatively, the non-target pipe section 18 can be kept at the low second temperature by utilizing the ambient temperature.

[0081] In some embodiments, the first temperature is 140°C to 250°C, which is lower than the third temperature. For example, the first temperature can be 140°C, 150°C, 160°C, 170°C, 180°C, 190°C, 200°C, 210°C, 220°C, 230°C, 240°C, or 250°C, or any value between any two of the aforementioned temperature values. However, it is not limited to this.

[0082] In some embodiments, the second temperature is below 50°C. For example, the second temperature may be below 50°C, or below 45°C, or below 40°C, or below 35°C, or below 30°C, or below 25°C, or below 20°C, or below 10°C, or below 0°C, etc. However, it is not limited to these.

[0083] Step S14: Under the first pressure, the first protective gas is introduced into the process chamber for inflation.

[0084] In some embodiments, before the coating of the exhaust pipe 11 is performed by introducing coating gas (before step S15), the process chamber 9 is in an unloaded state (the wafer carrier is not in the process chamber 9), and a first protective gas is introduced into the process chamber 9 under a first pressure of a certain vacuum degree to fill the process chamber 9, so as to form a protective gas atmosphere in the process chamber 9 in advance, which can avoid the problem of gas rising instantaneously when the coating gas is introduced later.

[0085] In some embodiments, the process chamber 9 can be evacuated first using a vacuum pump 14 until the vacuum level in the process chamber 9 reaches a first pressure, and then a first protective gas can be introduced into the process chamber 9 through the second gas supply port 8. The front end of the second gas supply line 7 is also connected to an auxiliary gas source 4 via a branch line. The first protective gas can be provided by the auxiliary gas source 4 and flows through the second gas supply line 7 to the process chamber 9, finally being injected into the process chamber 9 through the second gas supply port 8. Mass flow controllers (flow control devices 6) are respectively installed on the first branch line of the second gas supply line 7 connected to the process gas source 5 and the second branch line of the second gas supply line 7 connected to the auxiliary gas source 4, allowing for precise control of the flow rate of the passing gas.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first protective gas includes nitrogen or an inert gas. The inert gas may be, for example, argon.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first pressure is below 100 mTorr. For example, the first pressure may be below 100 mTorr, or below 90 mTorr, or below 80 mTorr, or below 70 mTorr, or below 60 mTorr, or below 50 mTorr, or below 40 mTorr, or below 30 mTorr, or below 20 mTorr, or below 10 mTorr, etc. However, it is not limited to these.

[0088] Step S15: Under the second pressure, coating gas is introduced into the exhaust pipe through the bottom of the process chamber, and a coating is selectively applied to the inner wall of the target pipe section using the temperature gradient.

[0089] After the process chamber 9 is pressurized, the pressure inside the process chamber 9 is adjusted to a second pressure by the suction action of the vacuum pump 14 (during which the first protective gas is continuously introduced). Then, under the second pressure, and with the process chamber 9 and the non-target tube section 18 at a second temperature, and the target tube section 19 at a first temperature, coating gas is introduced into the exhaust pipe 11 through the bottom of the process chamber 9 and the exhaust port 15. Utilizing the temperature gradient formed between the target tube section 19, the non-target tube section 18, and the process chamber 9, the deposition (coating) of coating materials that would cause wafer contamination on the quartz or silicon carbide inner walls of the non-target tube section 18 and the process chamber 9 is prevented (suppressed). Simultaneously, in-situ coating is selectively applied only to the inner wall of the stainless steel target tube section 19, where coating is required. Thus, while performing online maintenance on the exhaust pipe 11, the deposition of a coating film inside the process chamber 9 (quartz reaction tube) is avoided, cutting off the pathways of quartz tube contamination and wafer contamination at the source. Therefore, without disassembling the vertical furnace equipment 100, a highly corrosion-resistant coating can be formed on the area requiring protection (inner wall of the target pipe section 19) of the equipment's exhaust pipe 11, thereby maximizing the role of pipe corrosion prevention and contaminant adhesion. This reduces the cost waste caused by using expensive materials and frequent disassembly of the equipment for recoating, significantly reduces equipment downtime, increases equipment uptime, greatly improves production efficiency, and effectively solves the contradictory problem of simultaneously preventing corrosion of the exhaust pipe 11 and wafer contamination.

[0090] In some embodiments, a gas supply chamber 10 can be provided at the bottom of the process chamber 9 and connected to the process chamber 9. The gas supply chamber 10 is connected to the exhaust pipe 11 through the exhaust port 15, and a first gas supply port 1 is provided at the bottom of the gas supply chamber 10 for introducing coating gas into the gas supply chamber 10, which is then introduced into the exhaust pipe 11 through the exhaust port 15 for coating. The first gas supply port 1 and the second gas supply port 8 are each independently provided, and the first gas supply port 1 is located below the second gas supply port 8. The first gas supply port 1 is connected to the front-end coating gas source 2 through the first gas supply pipe 3. The coating gas can be supplied by the coating gas source 2 and transported to the first gas supply port 1 through the first gas supply pipe 3 and injected into the gas supply chamber 10 (that is, injected into the process chamber 9 from the bottom). The first gas supply line 3 and the second gas supply line 7 are each set independently. The first gas supply line 3 can also be equipped with a mass flow controller (flow control device 6) to precisely control the flow rate of the coating gas. The reason for introducing the coating gas through the first gas supply port 1 at the bottom of the gas supply chamber 10 (i.e., the bottom of the process chamber 9) and then discharging it through the exhaust line 11 is to minimize the diffusion and deposition of the coating gas in the process chamber 9, which would cause residual pollution. The reason for discharging the coating gas through the process chamber 9 to the exhaust line 11, instead of directly introducing it to the exhaust line 11, is to utilize the automatic pressure control system (vacuum pump 14 and APC (automatic pressure controller 12) system) of the process chamber 9 to control the pressure and ensure that the coating is formed on the target pipe section 19 of the exhaust line 11.

[0091] In some embodiments, the coating gas comprises a mixture of a nickel precursor and a carbon-fluorine based gas. The nickel precursor may be, for example, nickel tetracarbonyl (Ni(CO)4) or nickel dicenocene (C... 10 H 10 Nickel precursors and fluorocarbon gases can be, for example, C2F6 or CF4. Preferably, the nickel precursor and the fluorocarbon gas can be simultaneously introduced into the gas supply chamber 10 (process chamber 9).

[0092] In some embodiments, the coating formed by the application includes a nickel-containing polymer layer (a Ni-PTFE composite coating). This type of coating has good corrosion resistance, which can effectively extend the service life of the exhaust pipeline, reduce equipment downtime for maintenance, and improve equipment output.

[0093] In some embodiments, a coating gas is introduced at a second pressure greater than the first pressure to perform selective in-situ coating. The second pressure is 100 Torr to 300 Torr. For example, the second pressure can be 100 Torr, 110 Torr, 120 Torr, 150 Torr, 180 Torr, 200 Torr, 230 Torr, 250 Torr, 290 Torr, or 300 Torr, or any value between any two of the aforementioned pressure values. However, it is not limited to these.

[0094] In some embodiments, the flow rate of the coating gas is 1000 sccm to 5000 sccm. For example, the flow rate of the coating gas can be 1000 sccm, 1100 sccm, 1500 sccm, 1900 sccm, 2000 sccm, 2500 sccm, 3000 sccm, 3500 sccm, 4000 sccm, 4500 sccm, or 5000 sccm, or any value between any two of the aforementioned flow rates. However, it is not limited to these values.

[0095] Within the aforementioned first temperature range, second pressure range, and coating gas flow rate range, a nickel-containing polymer coating can be stably formed on the inner wall of the target pipe section 19. Furthermore, within the aforementioned second temperature range and second pressure range, the formation of a nickel-containing polymer coating on the inner wall of the non-target pipe section 18 and the inner wall of the process chamber 9 can be effectively suppressed. Thus, by utilizing the temperature gradient formed between the target pipe section 19 and the non-target pipe section 18 and the process chamber 9, the deposition of coating materials that could cause wafer contamination on the quartz or silicon carbide inner walls of the non-target pipe section 18 and the process chamber 9 is prevented, while simultaneously enabling selective in-situ coating on the inner wall of the stainless steel target pipe section 19, where only coating is required.

[0096] In some embodiments, while the coating gas is introduced, a second protective gas is also introduced above the bottom of the process chamber 9, that is, above the first air supply port 1 located at the bottom of the process chamber 9, to suppress the coating gas introduced through the bottom of the process chamber 9 (i.e., the coating gas introduced through the first air supply port 1) from above, and together they are introduced into the exhaust pipe 11. In this process, the diffusion of the coating gas to the top of the process chamber 9 can be effectively prevented, which plays a role in continuously protecting the inside of the process chamber 9.

[0097] In some embodiments, the second protective gas includes nitrogen or an inert gas. The inert gas may be, for example, argon.

[0098] In some embodiments, the flow rate ratio of the second protective gas to the coating gas is 1:9 or less (i.e., the flow rate of the second protective gas accounts for less than 10% of the total flow rate of the second protective gas and the coating gas). For example, the flow rate ratio of the second protective gas to the coating gas is 1:9 or less, or 1:10 or less, or 1:11 or less, or 1:12 or less, or 1:15 or less, or 1:20 or less, etc. However, it is not limited to these.

[0099] The second protective gas can be provided by auxiliary gas source 4.

[0100] Step S16: After coating is completed, purge gas is introduced into the process chamber under the third pressure for purging.

[0101] After coating is completed, purge gas can be introduced into the process chamber 9 at a third pressure greater than the second pressure to thoroughly purge the process chamber 9 and prevent coating gas residue from remaining inside. Afterwards, the furnace tube process can be restarted.

[0102] In some embodiments, the purging gas includes nitrogen or an inert gas. The inert gas may be, for example, argon.

[0103] In some embodiments, the third pressure is 300 Torr or higher. For example, the third pressure can be 300 Torr or higher, or 350 Torr or higher, or 400 Torr or higher, or 450 Torr or higher, or 500 Torr or higher, or 550 Torr or higher, or 600 Torr or higher, or 650 Torr or higher, or 700 Torr or higher, or 750 Torr or higher, or 760 Torr or higher, etc. However, it is not limited to these.

[0104] Purging gas can be introduced into the process chamber 9 through the second gas supply port 8 for purging. The purging gas can be provided by the auxiliary gas source 4.

[0105] In some embodiments, a threshold can be set, and maintenance of the exhaust pipe 11 can be performed when the threshold is triggered. In other words, when the threshold is triggered, it indicates that the exhaust pipe 11 of the process chamber 9 needs maintenance, thereby enabling the execution of step S11.

[0106] In some embodiments, the threshold can be set based on the number of dry cleanings performed on the process chamber 9. This is because each dry cleaning performed before or after the furnace tube process causes some damage to the coating on the inner wall surface of the target pipe section 19 on the exhaust pipe 11. Therefore, the maintenance cycle can be determined by setting a threshold. That is, by counting the number of dry cleanings, it can be determined how many dry cleanings are required before the coating needs to be applied again. An appropriate threshold can be determined based on empirical values. In another example, time or process throughput (number of wafers processed) can also be used as the coating threshold based on experience.

[0107] This application also provides a semiconductor device, which includes a process chamber and a maintenance system connected to an exhaust port of the process chamber. The maintenance system performs maintenance using the exhaust pipe maintenance method described in any of the above embodiments. The maintenance process can be periodic or initiated as needed.

[0108] The semiconductor device of this application will now be described in detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0109] refer to Figure 2 or Figure 3 The exhaust pipe maintenance system for a semiconductor device according to an embodiment of this application includes an air supply chamber 10, a first air supply unit, and a temperature control unit.

[0110] The air supply chamber 10 is located at the bottom of the process chamber 9 and is connected to the process chamber 9. The air supply chamber 10 is connected to the exhaust pipe 11 provided in the process chamber 9 via an exhaust port 15 located on the lower right side of the process chamber 9. In other examples, the exhaust port may also be located on the bottom surface of the process chamber; this is not strictly limited. The exhaust pipe 11 is the maintenance object involved in this application. Specifically, in one case, the exhaust pipe 11 includes a target pipe section 19 and a non-target pipe section 18, such as... Figure 2 As shown. Another scenario is that the entire exhaust pipe 11 is formed from the target pipe section 19, as shown... Figure 3 As shown, the target pipe section 19 on the exhaust pipe 11 is the one that truly needs maintenance.

[0111] The first air supply unit includes a first air supply port 1; the first air supply port 1 is provided corresponding to the exhaust port, for example, it is located on the bottom left side of the air supply cavity 10 opposite to the exhaust port 15. The first air supply port 1 is used to introduce coating gas into the air supply cavity 10, and under pressure control, it is further introduced into the exhaust pipe 11 through the exhaust port 15 to apply the coating.

[0112] A temperature control unit is provided on the exhaust pipe 11 and the process chamber 9. The temperature control unit is used to control the target pipe section 19 defined on the exhaust pipe 11 to be at a first temperature, and to control the process chamber 9 and the non-target pipe section 18 defined on the exhaust pipe 11 to be at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, so as to selectively coat the inner wall of the target pipe section 19 by utilizing the temperature gradient formed between the target pipe section 19, the non-target pipe section 18 and the process chamber 9, while inhibiting the coating from being applied to the inner wall of the process chamber 9 and the inner wall of the non-target pipe section 18.

[0113] In some embodiments, the maintenance system further includes a second air supply unit and a pressure control unit.

[0114] In some embodiments, the second air supply unit includes a second air supply port 8; the second air supply port 8 is located on the upper left side of the process cavity 9 relative to the exhaust port 15. Furthermore, the second air supply port 8 is located above the first air supply port 1, and multiple second air supply ports 8 are arranged sequentially from bottom to top along the height direction of the process cavity 9.

[0115] In some embodiments, the second gas supply port 8 may have multiple uses for injecting different gases to produce corresponding effects.

[0116] In some embodiments, before the coating gas is introduced through the first air supply port 1, the second air supply port 8 can be used to introduce a first protective gas into the process chamber 9 when the process chamber 9 is under a first pressure and a second temperature, to fill the unloaded process chamber 9 with gas, so as to pre-form a protective atmosphere in the process chamber 9 and avoid the problem of gas rising instantaneously when the coating gas is introduced later.

[0117] In some embodiments, while the coating gas is introduced through the first air supply port 1, the second air supply port 8 is also used to introduce a second protective gas into the process cavity 9 when the process cavity 9 is under a second pressure and a second temperature, to suppress the introduced coating gas, and together introduce it into the exhaust pipe 11. In this process, the diffusion of the coating gas to the top of the process cavity 9 can be effectively prevented, and the process cavity 9 can be continuously protected.

[0118] In some embodiments, after coating is completed (first air supply port 1 is closed), second air supply port 8 can be used to introduce purging gas into process chamber 9 when process chamber 9 is under a third pressure and a second temperature to purge process chamber 9 and prevent coating gas from remaining in process chamber 9.

[0119] In some embodiments, before the coating gas is introduced to maintain the exhaust pipe 11, the second gas supply port 8 can be used to introduce passivating gas into the process chamber 9 at a third temperature to passivate the surface of the film layer present on the inner wall of the process chamber 9. The temperature control unit is also used to control the process chamber 9 to be at a third temperature greater than the first temperature to perform the passivation treatment. The passivation treatment can improve the smoothness of the film surface and the density of the film layer, reduce the risk of contamination caused by the coating gas adsorbing on the inner wall when it rises, and reduce the risk of particulate contamination caused by the loose film layer falling off in subsequent processes.

[0120] In some embodiments, the pressure control unit includes a vacuum unit and an automatic pressure control unit. The vacuum unit is connected to the end of the exhaust pipe 11 furthest from the exhaust port 15; the automatic pressure control unit is located on the exhaust pipe 11. The pressure control unit controls the vacuum unit via the automatic pressure control unit, causing the vacuum unit to evacuate the process chamber 9 through the exhaust pipe 11, placing the process chamber 9 under sequentially increasing first, second, and third pressures to respectively perform gas filling, selective coating of the target pipe section 19, and purging.

[0121] In some embodiments, the semiconductor equipment is a vertical furnace, and correspondingly, the process chamber 9 and the exhaust pipe 11 are the process chamber 9 (furnace tube) and exhaust pipe 11 of the vertical furnace 100. In other examples, the semiconductor equipment may also be a monolithic CVD, PVD, or dry ETCH equipment, without specific limitations, but this application mainly uses a vertical furnace as an example. In some embodiments, the process chamber 9 can be reused as a gas supply chamber 10, that is, the gas supply chamber 10 can be integrated with the process chamber 9. The first gas supply port 1 is also located at the bottom of the process chamber 9 and below the second gas supply port 8. In this way, the inherent facilities of the vertical furnace 100 (such as process gas injection pipeline, temperature control module, flow control device 6, vacuum pump 14, and automatic pressure controller 12, etc.) can be fully utilized for maintenance of the exhaust pipe 11.

[0122] In some embodiments, when the semiconductor equipment is a vertical furnace, before maintaining the exhaust pipe 11, the process chamber door 16 can be opened to remove the wafer carrier from the process chamber 9, and the process chamber door 16 can be closed again to put the process chamber 9 in a sealed and unloaded state. Then, the aforementioned steps S11 to S16 are performed again.

[0123] In some embodiments, the temperature control unit includes a first temperature control module (not shown) inherent to the vertical furnace equipment 100, and a second temperature control module covering the exhaust pipe 11.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first temperature control module includes a first heating device and a first cooling device disposed on the process chamber 9. The first heating device and the first cooling device can be heaters and cooling devices typically disposed on a vertical furnace equipment 100. For example, the heater can be a resistance heater embedded in the inner wall of the process chamber 9, and the first cooling device can be a circulating water cooling or air cooling device covering the outer wall of the process chamber 9. The first temperature control module is used to control the process chamber 9 to be at a second temperature and a third temperature.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second temperature control module includes a second heating device 13 covering the outside of the target pipe segment 19, such as... Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, and the second cooling device 17 covering the outside of the non-target pipe section 18, as Figure 2 As shown. For example, the second heating device 13 can be a jacketed resistance heater covering the target pipe section 19, and can employ PID control to improve the control accuracy of the first temperature. The second cooling device 17 can be a circulating water cooling or air cooling device covering the non-target pipe section 18. Alternatively, the ambient environment at room temperature can be used to keep the non-target pipe section 18 at a low temperature (second temperature) (i.e., using the ambient environment at room temperature as the second cooling device). The second heating device 13 is used to control the target pipe section 19 to be at the first temperature; the second cooling device 17 is used to control the non-target pipe section 18 to be at the second temperature. A heating device, such as a jacketed resistance heater, can also be installed on the non-target pipe section 18 to heat the non-target pipe section 18 during the semiconductor equipment's process processing to prevent exhaust gases emitted during the process from condensing on the pipeline. During the process, the heating device on the target pipe section 19 is activated simultaneously, also to prevent exhaust gases emitted during the process from condensing on the pipeline. During the application of the protective coating, only the heating device on the target pipe section 19 is activated, while the heating device on the non-target pipe section 18 is not activated.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first gas supply unit further includes a first gas supply line 3 connected to the first gas supply port 1, and the front end of the first gas supply line 3 is connected to the coating gas source 2. The coating gas is supplied by the coating gas source 2 and is transported through the first gas supply line 3 to the first gas supply port 1 and injected into the gas supply cavity 10 (the bottom of the process cavity 9).

[0127] In some embodiments, the second gas supply unit further includes a second gas supply line 7 connected to the second gas supply port 8. The front end of the second gas supply line 7 is connected to the process gas source 5 and the auxiliary gas source 4 via a first branch and a second branch, respectively. The passivation gas is supplied by the process gas source 5 and delivered to the second gas supply port 8 via the first branch and the second gas supply line 7, where it is injected into the process chamber 9. The auxiliary gas source 4 supplies at least one of a first protective gas, a second protective gas, and a purging gas, and delivers it to the second gas supply port 8 via the second branch and the second gas supply line 7, where it is injected into the process chamber 9. The auxiliary gas can be nitrogen or an inert gas (such as argon).

[0128] In some embodiments, the second air supply port 8 protrudes from the vertical end of the second air supply pipeline 7 located within the process cavity 9, such as... Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown.

[0129] In some other embodiments, the second air inlet is flush with the wall surface of the vertical end of the second air supply line located within the process cavity.

[0130] In some embodiments, the first gas supply line 3 and the second gas supply line 7 are arranged independently of each other and are each provided with a flow control device 6. For example, the flow control device 6 may be a mass flow controller respectively provided on the first gas supply line 3 and on the first branch and the second branch of the second gas supply line 7.

[0131] In some embodiments, the second gas supply line 7 is a process gas injection line inherent to the vertical furnace equipment 100. The process gas source 5 also supplies other types of process gases besides passivation gases.

[0132] In some embodiments, the vacuum unit and automatic pressure control unit of the pressure control section are respectively the vacuum pump 14 and automatic pressure controller 12 (vacuum pump and APC (automatic pressure controller) system) of the vertical furnace equipment 100.

[0133] By merging the gas supply chamber 10 with the process chamber 9, maintenance can be performed using the existing process chamber 9 and its own facilities (process gas injection pipeline, first temperature control module, flow control device 6, vacuum pump 14, and automatic pressure controller 12, etc.) of the vertical furnace equipment 100. Only a new gas supply port (first gas supply port 1) needs to be added below the existing gas supply port (second gas supply port 8). This allows the coating gas to be introduced at the bottom of the process chamber 9 and, under the control of the vacuum pump 14 by the automatic pressure controller 12, enter through the exhaust port 15 at the bottom. The exhaust pipe 11 is connected in one step, which ensures that a coating is formed on the exhaust pipe 11. At the same time, it can minimize the diffusion and deposition of coating gas in the process chamber 9, which would cause residual pollution. Only the second heating device 13 needs to be set on the target pipe section 19 and the second cooling device 17 needs to be set on the non-target pipe section 18. This can create a temperature gradient between the target pipe section 19, the non-target pipe section 18 and the process chamber 9, so as to achieve selective in-situ coating only on the target pipe section 19. This makes the maintenance system simple in structure, convenient in control and reliable.

[0134] In some embodiments, the maintenance system may further include an execution module. The execution module is used to control the temperature control unit, the flow control device 6, and the pressure control unit, and to perform maintenance on the exhaust pipe 11 when a threshold is triggered. The execution module may be located on a host computer or a slave computer.

[0135] The semiconductor equipment and exhaust pipeline maintenance method disclosed in this application can be used in various semiconductor process technologies, and is especially suitable for various vertical furnace equipment, such as vertical oxidation furnaces, vertical diffusion furnaces, and vertical alloy furnaces.

[0136] In summary, this embodiment of the application, by controlling the formation of a temperature gradient between the target pipe section 19 and the non-target pipe section 18 and the process cavity 9 during maintenance of the exhaust pipe 11 on the process cavity 9, allows for selective in-situ coating only on the inner wall of the target pipe section 19, protecting its inner wall while preventing contaminating coating substances from depositing on the inner wall of the process cavity 9 and the inner wall of the non-target pipe section 18. This effectively cuts off the pathways for quartz tube contamination and wafer contamination at the source. Therefore, a highly corrosion-resistant coating can be formed on the protected area of ​​the equipment's exhaust pipe 11 without disassembling the equipment, maximizing its role in pipe corrosion prevention and contaminant adhesion. This reduces the cost waste caused by using expensive materials and frequent equipment disassembly for recoating, significantly reduces equipment downtime, increases equipment uptime, greatly improves production efficiency, and effectively solves the contradictory limitations of simultaneously preventing exhaust pipe corrosion and wafer contamination.

[0137] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, any equivalent changes made based on the description and drawings of this application should also be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining an exhaust pipe, wherein the exhaust pipe is connected to an exhaust port, the exhaust port being located on a process cavity, characterized in that, The maintenance method includes: Define target pipe segments and non-target pipe segments on the exhaust pipe; The target pipe section is placed at a first temperature, and the non-target pipe section and the process cavity are placed at a second temperature, wherein the first temperature is greater than the second temperature, so as to form a temperature gradient between the target pipe section and the non-target pipe section and the process cavity; Coating gas is introduced into the exhaust pipe through the bottom of the process chamber and the exhaust port, and the coating is selectively applied to the inner wall of the target pipe section using the temperature gradient, while the coating is inhibited from being applied to the inner wall of the process chamber and the inner wall of the non-target pipe section.

2. The exhaust pipe maintenance method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The definition of target pipe segments and non-target pipe segments on the exhaust pipe specifically includes: When the inner wall material of the exhaust pipe is entirely the first material that needs to be coated, the entire exhaust pipe is defined as the target pipe segment; Alternatively, when the exhaust pipe route consists of a first pipe segment whose inner wall material is a first material that needs to be coated with the coating and a second pipe segment whose inner wall material is a second material that needs to be inhibited from being coated with the coating, the first pipe segment is defined as the target pipe segment and the second pipe segment is defined as the non-target pipe segment.

3. The exhaust pipe maintenance method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Before introducing the coating gas, the process chamber is left unloaded, and a first protective gas is introduced into the process chamber under a first pressure for inflation. Then, under a second pressure, the coating gas is introduced to selectively coat the target pipe section; After coating is completed, purge gas is introduced into the process chamber under the third pressure for purging; The first pressure, the second pressure, and the third pressure increase sequentially; And / or, while the coating gas is being introduced, a second protective gas is also introduced above the bottom of the process chamber to suppress the coating gas introduced through the bottom of the process chamber. And / or, before introducing the coating gas, at a third temperature, a passivation gas is introduced into the process chamber to passivate the surface of the film layer existing on the inner wall of the process chamber, so as to improve the surface smoothness and density, wherein the third temperature is greater than the first temperature.

4. The exhaust pipe maintenance method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The inner wall of the target pipe section is made of stainless steel; and / or, the inner wall of the non-target pipe section and the inner wall of the process chamber are made of quartz or silicon carbide; and / or, the coating gas includes a mixture of nickel precursor and fluorocarbon gas; and / or, the coating includes a nickel-containing polymer layer; and / or, the first temperature is 140°C to 250°C, the second temperature is below 50°C, and the third temperature is above 800°C; and / or, the first pressure is below 100 mTorr, the second pressure is 100 to 300 mTorr, and the third pressure is above 300 mTorr; and / or, the flow rate of the coating gas is 1000 sccm to 5000 sccm; and / or, the flow rate of the passivation gas is 500 sccm to 1000 sccm; and / or, at least one of the first protective gas, the second protective gas, and the purging gas includes nitrogen or an inert gas; and / or, the passivation gas includes an oxygen-containing gas.

5. The exhaust pipe maintenance method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A threshold is set, and when triggered, maintenance is performed on the exhaust pipe.

6. The exhaust pipe maintenance method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The threshold is set based on the number of times the process chamber is dry-cleaned.

7. A semiconductor device, characterized in that, The semiconductor equipment includes a process chamber and a maintenance system connected to an exhaust port of the process chamber. The maintenance system is maintained using the exhaust pipe maintenance method as described in any one of claims 1-6. The maintenance system includes: An air supply chamber is located at the bottom of the process chamber and is connected to the process chamber. The air supply chamber is connected to an exhaust pipe through an exhaust port located on the process chamber. The first air supply unit includes a first air supply port, which is located on one side of the air supply cavity opposite to the exhaust port. It is used to introduce coating gas into the air supply cavity and then introduce it into the exhaust pipe through the exhaust port for coating. A temperature control unit is used to control the target pipe segment defined on the exhaust pipe to be at a first temperature, and to control the process chamber and the non-target pipe segment defined on the exhaust pipe to be at a second temperature lower than the first temperature, so as to selectively apply a coating on the inner wall of the target pipe segment by utilizing the temperature gradient formed between the target pipe segment, the non-target pipe segment and the process chamber, while inhibiting the coating from being applied to the inner wall of the process chamber and the inner wall of the non-target pipe segment.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: Second gas supply unit and pressure control unit; The second air supply unit includes a second air supply port, which is located on one side of the process cavity opposite to the exhaust port. The second air supply port is located above the first air supply port, and multiple second air supply ports are arranged sequentially from bottom to top. The second air supply port is used to introduce a first protective gas to fill the unloaded process cavity before the coating gas is introduced into the first air supply port, and to introduce a purging gas to purge the process cavity after coating is completed. The pressure control unit includes a vacuum unit and an automatic pressure control unit. The vacuum unit is connected to the end of the exhaust pipe away from the exhaust port. The automatic pressure control unit is located on the exhaust pipe. The pressure control unit controls the vacuum unit to evacuate the process chamber through the exhaust pipe via the automatic pressure control unit, so that the process chamber is under a first pressure, a second pressure, and a third pressure that increase sequentially, so as to perform gas filling, selective coating of the target pipe section, and purging, respectively.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second air supply port is also used to introduce a second protective gas to suppress the introduced coating gas when the coating gas is introduced through the first air supply port; and / or, the second air supply port is also used to introduce a passivating gas to passivate the surface of the film layer existing on the inner wall of the process chamber before the coating gas is introduced, and the temperature control unit is also used to control the process chamber to be at a third temperature greater than the first temperature in order to perform the passivation treatment.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The semiconductor equipment is a vertical furnace, and the gas supply chamber and the process chamber are integrated into one unit; The temperature control unit includes a first temperature control module of the vertical furnace equipment and a second temperature control module covering the exhaust pipe. The first temperature control module includes a first heating device and a first cooling device disposed on the process chamber. The second temperature control module includes a second heating device covering the target pipe section and a second cooling device covering the non-target pipe section. The first gas supply unit further includes a first gas supply pipeline connected to the first gas supply port, and the second gas supply unit further includes a second gas supply pipeline connected to the second gas supply port. The first gas supply pipeline and the second gas supply pipeline are independently arranged and are respectively equipped with flow control devices. The second gas supply pipeline is the process gas injection pipeline of the vertical furnace equipment. The vacuum unit and automatic pressure control unit of the pressure control section are respectively the vacuum pump and automatic pressure controller of the vertical furnace equipment. It also includes: an execution module; the execution module is used to control the temperature control unit, the flow control device and the pressure control unit, and to perform maintenance on the exhaust pipeline when a threshold is triggered.

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