Air exhaust assembly, cleaning method thereof and processing equipment of semiconductor device

Abstract

The invention provides an air exhaust assembly, processing equipment of a semiconductor device, a cleaning mode of the air exhaust assembly and a computer readable storage medium. The air exhaust assembly comprises an air exhaust pipeline, a plasma generator and an electron source. The first end of the exhaust pipeline is connected with the process chamber, and the second end is connected with the vacuum pump. And the valve is arranged on the exhaust pipeline. The plasma generator is arranged on the exhaust pipeline, located at the front end of the valve and used for exciting the cleaning gas in the exhaust pipeline into plasma so as to clean the valve. The electron source is arranged on the exhaust pipeline, located at the front end of the plasma generator and used for providing high-energy electrons for the front end of the plasma generator so as to pre-ionize the clean gas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor device processing, and more specifically to a vacuum assembly, a semiconductor device processing apparatus, a cleaning method for the vacuum assembly, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In the prior art, byproducts of the amorphous carbon hard mask (ACHM) process tend to deposit in areas with high flow resistance. Typical locations include the inner wall of the throttle valve (TV) connected to the foreline and the surface of the TV throttle valve plate.

[0003] The most effective technical solution for cleaning such byproducts is to install a plasma generator upstream of the TV. By dissociating oxygen, the byproducts on the inner wall of the TV and the surface of the pressure control valve plate are selectively removed. The cleaning effect directly depends on the dissociation efficiency of oxygen molecules.

[0004] However, due to space constraints (such as the diameter, length, and maintenance space requirements of the foreline pipe), the oxygen dissociation efficiency of the inline plasma source (Inline FRPS) is low, resulting in poor cleaning effect on the ACHM process byproducts deposited on the inner wall of the downstream TV and the surface of the pressure control valve plate.

[0005] To address the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art, this invention provides an air extraction component, a semiconductor device processing apparatus, a cleaning method for the air extraction component, and a computer-readable storage medium, which improves the dissociation efficiency of the cleaning gas, achieves full dissociation of the cleaning gas, and thus enhances the cleaning effect on the inner wall of the TV and the pressure control valve plate. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of them. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or decisive 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 descriptions that follow.

[0007] As described above, the present invention provides an air extraction component, a semiconductor device processing apparatus, a cleaning method for the air extraction component, and a computer-readable storage medium. By bombarding the cleaning gas molecules with high-energy electrons before the plasma generator, the cleaning gas molecules are pre-dissociated, thereby improving the dissociation efficiency of the cleaning gas and achieving sufficient dissociation of the cleaning gas, thus improving the cleaning effect on the inner wall of the TV and the pressure control valve plate.

[0008] Specifically, the first aspect of the present invention provides a gas extraction assembly, which includes a gas extraction pipeline, a valve, a plasma generator, and an electron source. A first end of the gas extraction pipeline is connected to a process chamber, and a second end is connected to a vacuum pump. The valve is located on the gas extraction pipeline. The plasma generator is located in the gas extraction pipeline, at the front end of the valve, and is used to excite the cleaning gas in the gas extraction pipeline into plasma to clean the valve. The electron source is located in the gas extraction pipeline, at the front end of the plasma generator, and is used to provide high-energy electrons to the front end of the plasma generator to pre-ionize the cleaning gas.

[0009] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the length of the first gas path from the plasma generator to the valve is between 40 mm and 50 mm, and / or the length of the second gas path from the electron source to the plasma generator is between 80 mm and 100 mm.

[0010] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plasma generator uses the principle of inductive coupling to excite plasma.

[0011] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the electron source includes a cold electron source and / or a hot electron source. The electron source is configured to provide the front end of the plasma generator with an electron flow of 0.001A to 0.01A, a single burst duration of 200 to 300 seconds, and / or a frequency of 800 kHz to 1 MHz of high-energy electrons.

[0012] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the pumping assembly provided in the first aspect of the present invention further includes at least one set of coils. The at least one set of coils is wound around the inlet and / or outlet of the pumping pipe where the electron source is located, for providing a magnetic field to the pumping pipe to promote the continuous movement of high-energy electrons at the corresponding position in the pumping pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, each coil has 100 to 500 turns and occupies a conduit length of 30 mm to 50 mm. The driving current of the coil is 1 A to 10 A.

[0014] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention, the process chamber is used to deposit a carbon-containing thin film, and the evacuation line is also connected to a clean gas source. This clean gas includes oxygen, and a plasma generator is used to excite the oxygen supplied by the clean gas source into oxygen plasma to clean carbon-containing byproducts deposited in the valves and / or evacuation line.

[0015] Furthermore, a second aspect of the present invention provides a semiconductor device processing apparatus, which includes a process chamber, a vacuum pump assembly as provided in the first aspect of the present invention, a vacuum pump, and a gas source. The gas source is used to supply process gas to the process chamber and to supply cleaning gas to the vacuum pump assembly.

[0016] Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention provides a cleaning method for an air extraction assembly, the cleaning method comprising the following steps: in response to an instruction to clean the air extraction assembly as provided in the first aspect of the present invention, providing cleaning gas to the air extraction pipeline of the air extraction assembly, and turning on the electronic source and plasma generator of the air extraction assembly, providing high-energy electrons to the front end of the plasma generator via the electronic source to pre-ionize the cleaning gas, and exciting the pre-ionized cleaning gas into plasma via the plasma generator.

[0017] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer instructions stored thereon. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, a cleaning method for an air extraction assembly as provided in a third aspect of the present invention is implemented. Attached Figure Description

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

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an air extraction assembly according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of an air extraction assembly illustrated according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0021] Figure label:

[0022] Air extraction line 1

[0023] Valve 2

[0024] Plasma Generator 3

[0025] Electronic source 4

[0026] Coil 5 Detailed Implementation

[0027] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention is presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of the invention are limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of the present invention. To provide a thorough understanding of the invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The invention may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description.

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0029] Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," and "vertical" used in the following description should be understood as the orientations shown in the relevant paragraphs and accompanying drawings. These relative terms are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply that the described apparatus must be manufactured or operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0030] It is understood that although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these components, regions, layers, and / or parts should not be limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguish different components, regions, layers, and / or parts. Therefore, the first components, regions, layers, and / or parts discussed below may be referred to as second components, regions, layers, and / or parts without departing from some embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] As mentioned above, byproducts of the existing amorphous carbon hard mask (ACHM) process tend to deposit in areas with high flow resistance. Typical locations include the inner wall of the throttle valve (TV) connected to the foreline and the surface of the TV throttle valve plate.

[0032] The most effective technical solution for cleaning such byproducts is to install a plasma generator upstream of the TV. By dissociating oxygen, the byproducts on the inner wall of the TV and the surface of the pressure control valve plate are selectively removed. The cleaning effect directly depends on the dissociation efficiency of oxygen molecules.

[0033] However, due to space constraints (such as the diameter, length, and maintenance space requirements of the foreline pipe), the oxygen dissociation efficiency of the inline plasma source (Inline FRPS) is low, resulting in poor cleaning effect on the ACHM process byproducts deposited on the inner wall of the downstream TV and the surface of the pressure control valve plate.

[0034] Therefore, the present invention provides an air extraction component, a semiconductor device processing apparatus, a cleaning method for the air extraction component, and a computer-readable storage medium, which improves the dissociation efficiency of the cleaning gas, achieves full dissociation of the cleaning gas, and thus improves the cleaning effect on the inner wall of the TV and the pressure control valve plate.

[0035] In some non-limiting embodiments, the vacuum assembly provided in the first aspect of the present invention is disposed in a semiconductor device processing apparatus provided in the second aspect of the present invention, and when computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium provided in the fourth aspect of the present invention are executed by a processor, a cleaning method for the vacuum assembly provided in the third aspect of the present invention is implemented.

[0036] In some embodiments, a semiconductor device processing apparatus provided in the second aspect of the present invention includes a process chamber, a vacuum pump assembly as provided in the first aspect of the present invention, and a gas source. The gas source is used to supply process gas to the process chamber and to supply cleaning gas to the vacuum pump assembly.

[0037] Next, we will combine Figures 1-2 The first aspect of the present invention provides an air extraction assembly.

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an air extraction assembly according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0039] Figure 2 A partial schematic diagram of an air extraction assembly illustrated according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0040] like Figures 1-2As shown, the first aspect of the present invention provides a gas extraction assembly, which includes a gas extraction pipeline 1, a valve 2, a plasma generator 3, and an electron source 4. The first end of the gas extraction pipeline 1 is connected to a process chamber, and the second end is connected to a vacuum pump. The valve 2 is located on the gas extraction pipeline. The plasma generator 3 is located on the gas extraction pipeline 1 and at the front end of the valve, and is used to excite the cleaning gas in the gas extraction pipeline into plasma to clean the valve 2. The electron source 4 is located on the gas extraction pipeline 1 and at the front end of the plasma generator 3, and is used to provide high-energy electrons to the front end of the plasma generator to pre-ionize the cleaning gas.

[0041] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the length of the first gas path from the plasma generator to the valve is between 40 mm and 50 mm, and / or the length of the second gas path from the electron source 4 to the plasma generator 3 is between 80 mm and 100 mm.

[0042] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the plasma generator 3 uses the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) principle to excite the plasma.

[0043] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the electron source 4 includes a cold electron source and / or a hot electron source. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the cold electron source has a "tip-gate" structure, which generates a discharge phenomenon upon increasing the voltage; the hot electron source is a tungsten filament emitting electrons in a vacuum.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present invention, the electron source 4 is configured to provide the front end of the plasma generator 3 with an electron flow of 0.001A to 0.01A, a single duration of 200 seconds to 300 seconds, and / or a frequency of 800KHz to 1MHz.

[0045] Please continue to refer to this. Figures 1-2 Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the pumping assembly provided in the first aspect of the present invention further includes at least one set of coils 5. The at least one set of coils is wound around the inlet and / or outlet of the pumping pipe where the electron source is located, for providing a magnetic field to the pumping pipe, so as to promote the continuous movement of high-energy electrons at the corresponding position in the pumping pipe by utilizing the Lorentz force, thereby increasing the number of collisions between high-energy electrons and gas molecules to be dissociated.

[0046] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, if high-energy electrons at 10 5 If it enters the magnetic field at a speed of m / s, then 10 -4 The magnetic field strength is T. In some embodiments, each coil 5 has 100 to 500 turns and occupies a conduit length of 30 mm to 50 mm. The driving current of the coil is 1 A to 10 A.

[0047] Furthermore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the process chamber is used to deposit a carbon-containing thin film, and the evacuation line 1 is also connected to a clean gas source, which can be connected via the process chamber. The clean gas includes oxygen, and the plasma generator 3 is used to excite the oxygen provided by the clean gas source into oxygen plasma to clean the carbon-containing byproducts deposited in the valve 2 and / or the evacuation line 1.

[0048] The working principle of the aforementioned vacuum assembly and process chamber will be described below with reference to embodiments of cleaning methods for vacuum assemblies and semiconductor device fabrication methods. Those skilled in the art will understand that these embodiments of cleaning and fabrication methods indicate some non-limiting implementations provided by the present invention, intended to clearly demonstrate the technical concept of the invention and provide some specific solutions convenient for public implementation, rather than limiting all operating modes of the aforementioned vacuum assembly and process chamber. Similarly, the aforementioned vacuum assembly and process chamber are only some non-limiting implementations provided by the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the execution order or the objects of operation in the following cleaning or fabrication methods.

[0049] In some embodiments, a cleaning method for an air extraction assembly provided by a third aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: in response to an instruction to clean an air extraction assembly as provided by a first aspect of the present invention, providing cleaning gas to the air extraction pipeline of the air extraction assembly, and turning on the electronic source and plasma generator of the air extraction assembly, providing high-energy electrons to the front end of the plasma generator via the electronic source to pre-ionize the cleaning gas, and exciting the pre-ionized cleaning gas into plasma via the plasma generator.

[0050] Furthermore, in some other embodiments of the present invention, while performing the step of activating the electron source and plasma generator of the vacuum assembly and providing high-energy electrons to the front end of the plasma generator via the electron source, at least one set of coils wound around the inlet and / or outlet of the vacuum pipeline where the electron source is located are energized to generate a magnetic field. Under the action of this magnetic field, the Lorentz force is used to promote the continuous movement of high-energy electrons at the corresponding position in the vacuum pipeline, thereby increasing the number of collisions between high-energy electrons and the gas molecules to be dissociated, and more fully pre-ionizing the clean gas molecules.

[0051] Thus, according to some practical data of the present invention, after the pre-ionization operation of the air extraction component in the present invention, the dissociation rate of the clean gas can be increased by 7% to 10% compared with single dissociation. Therefore, the present invention improves the dissociation efficiency of the clean gas, achieves sufficient dissociation of the clean gas, and thus improves the cleaning effect on the inner wall of the TV and the pressure control valve plate.

[0052] In some embodiments, a processing method implemented in the semiconductor device processing apparatus provided in the second aspect of the present invention includes: firstly providing process gas to a process chamber for depositing a carbon-containing thin film; then, after completing the thin film deposition, extracting the exhaust gas in the process chamber via a vacuum assembly; and then, in response to a cleaning command, performing a cleaning method for a vacuum assembly as provided in the third aspect of the present invention.

[0053] It should be noted that the above cleaning instructions can be triggered manually or automatically based on preset parameters such as the number of processes, process time, valve morphology, and number of product defects.

[0054] In summary, the present invention provides an air extraction component, a semiconductor device processing apparatus, a cleaning method for the air extraction component, and a computer-readable storage medium, which improves the dissociation efficiency of the cleaning gas, achieves full dissociation of the cleaning gas, and thus improves the cleaning effect on the inner wall of the TV and the pressure control valve plate.

[0055] Although the methods described above are illustrated and depicted as a series of actions for the sake of simplicity, it should be understood and appreciated that these methods are not limited by the order of the actions, as some actions may occur in a different order and / or concurrently with other actions from the illustrations and descriptions herein or not illustrated and described herein but which may be understood by those skilled in the art, according to one or more embodiments.

[0056] Those skilled in the art will understand that information, signals, and data can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips described throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0057] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in a generalized manner in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of the invention.

[0058] Although the controller described in the above embodiments can be implemented through a combination of software and hardware, it is understood that the controller can also be implemented in software or hardware. For hardware implementation, the controller can be implemented using one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic devices for performing the above functions, or a selection of combinations of the above devices. For software implementation, the controller can be implemented using independent software modules such as procedures and functions running on a general-purpose chip, each module performing one or more functions and operations described herein.

[0059] The various illustrative logic modules and circuits described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, it may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0060] 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 both. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor such that the processor can read and write information to / from 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 as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0061] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software as a computer program product, the functionality may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on or through a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, encompassing any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, 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 is accessible to a computer. Any connection is also legitimately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of a medium. As used in this article, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0062] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this 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 this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A gas extraction assembly, characterized in that, The gas extraction assembly comprises: a gas extraction pipe having a first end connected to the process chamber and a second end connected to the vacuum pump; a valve disposed in the gas extraction pipe; a plasma generator disposed in the gas extraction pipe and located at a front end of the valve, for exciting a cleaning gas in the gas extraction pipe into plasma to clean the valve; and an electron source disposed in the gas extraction pipe and located at a front end of the plasma generator, for providing high-energy electrons to the front end of the plasma generator to pre-ionize the cleaning gas. The first gas path length of the plasma generator to the valve is between 40 mm and 50 mm, and / or 2. The gas extraction assembly of claim 1, wherein, The second gas path length of the electron source to the plasma generator is between 80 mm and 100 mm. The plasma generator uses an inductive coupling principle to excite the plasma.

3. The gas extraction assembly of claim 1, wherein, The electron source includes a cold electron source and / or a hot electron source, which is configured to provide a stream of electrons to the front end of the plasma generator at a current of 0.001 A to 0.01 A, a single duration of 200 seconds to 300 seconds, and / or a frequency of 800 KHz to 1 MHz.

4. The gas extraction assembly of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising:

5. The gas extraction assembly of claim 1, wherein, at least one set of coils wound around an inlet and / or an outlet of the gas extraction pipe where the electron source is located, for providing a magnetic field to the gas extraction pipe to facilitate the sustained movement of the high-energy electrons at the corresponding position of the gas extraction pipe. Each set of the coils has a number of turns of 100 to 500 turns and occupies a pipe length of 30 mm to 50 mm, wherein the driving current of the coils is 1 A to 10 A.

6. A gas extraction assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The process chamber is used for depositing a carbon-containing film, and the gas extraction pipe is further connected to a cleaning gas source, wherein the cleaning gas includes oxygen, and the plasma generator is used to excite the oxygen provided by the cleaning gas source into oxygen plasma to clean the valve and / or carbon-containing byproducts deposited in the gas extraction pipe.

7. The gas extraction assembly of claim 1, wherein, The gas extraction assembly comprises:

8. A processing apparatus of a semiconductor device, characterized by comprising: a process chamber; a gas extraction assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7; a vacuum pump; and a gas source for providing a process gas to the process chamber and a cleaning gas to the gas extraction assembly. The computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the cleaning method of the gas extraction assembly according to claim 9. The computer instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the cleaning method of the gas extraction assembly according to claim 9.

9. A method of cleaning a gas extraction assembly, characterized by, ​ ​ 10. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer instructions, wherein, ​

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