Cleaning method of semiconductor process equipment, process equipment and storage medium

Abstract

According to the cleaning method of the semiconductor process equipment, the process equipment and the storage medium provided by the invention, the technical problem of waste of cleaning gas caused by a cleaning mode in the prior art is solved. According to the cleaning method provided by the invention, after the execution of the current wafer process is finished, the first cleaning process meeting the preset triggering condition is determined in the plurality of cleaning processes according to the current value of the target calling item and the target threshold value, and then the target cleaning process meeting the condition is selected in the first cleaning process according to the preset execution priority rule; after the current wafer process is finished, executing a target cleaning process so as to remove by-product films accumulated on the inner wall of the reaction chamber and by-product films peeled off to the chamber, and only executing the target cleaning process meeting the condition in the first cleaning processes meeting the preset triggering condition; and the number of the target cleaning processes is smaller than the number of the first cleaning processes meeting the preset triggering condition, so that the cleaning gas used for cleaning the machine table is saved, and the utilization rate of the machine table is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and more specifically to cleaning methods, process equipment, and storage media for semiconductor process equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Semiconductor process equipment refers to the equipment used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor chips for various processing, deposition, etching, and cleaning operations.

[0003] Semiconductor processes typically take place within reaction chambers, which are prone to generating byproducts on the inner walls of these chambers. As the number of processes increases, the thickness of these byproduct films accumulates. When the byproduct film reaches a certain thickness, there is a risk of it detaching. Once the byproduct film detaches, it contaminates the chamber and affects wafer processing. Therefore, the chambers require automatic cleaning to remove the byproduct film generated within them, ensuring normal wafer processing.

[0004] In the existing technology, the method of automatic cleaning of the chamber is as follows: a main process often includes multiple process steps, and multiple process steps can be attached to different cleaning processes. When the main process is completed, multiple cleaning processes are triggered and executed in sequence. Each cleaning process requires the introduction of cleaning gas into the chamber. Therefore, the sequential execution of multiple cleaning processes will cause waste of cleaning gas and reduce the utilization rate of the machine. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem solved by the embodiments of the present invention is the waste of cleaning gas caused by the cleaning method in the prior art.

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment. The cleaning method includes: obtaining a first cleaning list of currently invoked wafer processes, the first cleaning list including multiple first cleaning processes that satisfy preset trigger conditions, wherein the trigger parameters corresponding to the first cleaning process include a target invoked item and a target threshold corresponding to the target invoked item, and the preset trigger conditions include that the current value corresponding to the target invoked item is greater than or equal to the target threshold corresponding to the target invoked item; traversing the first cleaning list according to preset execution priority rules to determine a target cleaning process, the preset execution priority rules including: execution priority rules for the target invoked item and execution priority rules for the target threshold, wherein the number of target cleaning processes is less than the number of first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list; and executing the target cleaning process according to the target cleaning process recipe corresponding to the target cleaning process after the current wafer process has finished executing.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, when there are multiple target call items corresponding to multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list, the first cleaning list is traversed according to a preset execution priority rule to determine the target cleaning process, including: traversing the first cleaning list according to the execution priority rule of the target call item, and determining the first cleaning process corresponding to the target call item with the highest execution priority as the initial target cleaning process; when the number of the initial target cleaning processes is 1, the initial target cleaning process is determined as the target cleaning process;

[0008] When the number of initial target cleaning processes is greater than 1, the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the highest target threshold value is determined as the target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, determining the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the highest target threshold as the target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold includes: determining the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the highest target threshold as the first target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold.

[0010] When the number of the first target cleaning processes is 1, the first target cleaning process is determined as the target cleaning process; when the number of the first target cleaning processes is greater than 1, one first target cleaning process is randomly selected from multiple first target cleaning processes as the target cleaning process.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the type of the target call item corresponding to the plurality of first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list is 1, the first cleaning list is traversed according to the preset execution priority rule to determine the target cleaning process, including: determining the first cleaning process corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value as the target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the target call item includes cumulative film thickness and cumulative process count, the target threshold includes cumulative film thickness threshold and cumulative process count threshold; the current value includes current cumulative film thickness and current cumulative process count.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the execution priority rule of the target call item includes: the execution priority of the cumulative film thickness is higher than the execution priority of the cumulative number of processes.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the triggering parameter corresponding to the first cleaning process further includes: cleaning priority; wherein, after the target cleaning process is executed according to the target cleaning process corresponding to the target cleaning process, the cleaning method further includes: updating the current value of the target invocation item corresponding to the target cleaning process to 0; traversing the first cleaning list to determine a second cleaning list and a third cleaning list, wherein the second cleaning list includes a second cleaning process, and the cleaning priority of the second cleaning process is lower than or equal to the cleaning priority of the target cleaning process; the third cleaning list includes a third cleaning process, and the cleaning priority of the third cleaning process is higher than the cleaning priority of the target cleaning process; updating the current value of the target invocation item corresponding to the second cleaning process to 0; and maintaining the current value of the target invocation item corresponding to the third cleaning process unchanged.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, obtaining the first cleaning list of the current wafer process call includes: obtaining the current measurement value corresponding to the target call item after the current wafer process is completed; generating the current value corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process based on the initial value corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process attached before the current wafer process is executed and the current measurement value, wherein the initial value is the updated or maintained value of the target call item corresponding to each cleaning process after the target cleaning process corresponding to the previous wafer process is executed; determining the cleaning process that meets the preset triggering condition as the first cleaning process based on the current value corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process and the target threshold, and determining the first cleaning list based on multiple first cleaning processes.

[0016] As a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, comprising: a process chamber and a controller, the controller comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the cleaning method described above to clean the process chamber.

[0017] As a third aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the cleaning method described above.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment. After the current wafer process is completed, the first cleaning process that meets the preset trigger conditions is determined based on the current value of the target call item of each cleaning process and the target threshold (e.g., the current cumulative film thickness or the current cumulative process count). Then, a target cleaning process that meets the conditions is selected from the first cleaning processes according to the preset execution priority rules. After the current wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is executed to remove the by-product film accumulated on the inner wall of the reaction chamber and the by-product film peeled off into the chamber, so as to ensure that there are no by-products in the reaction chamber. Since the target cleaning process is selected from the first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, and the number of target cleaning processes is less than the number of first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, compared with the prior art which executes all cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, the present invention only executes the target cleaning processes that meet the conditions from the first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, which saves the cleaning gas used for machine cleaning and improves the utilization rate of the machine.

[0019] In addition, the present invention sets a cleaning priority for each cleaning process. When a target cleaning process that meets the conditions is executed, the current cumulative film thickness and the current cumulative number of processes corresponding to the executed target cleaning process are both cleared to zero. At the same time, the cumulative film thickness and the cumulative number of processes corresponding to other cleaning processes with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the executed target cleaning process are also cleared to zero. This can realize the group management of cleaning processes, and clean only the cumulative film thickness and the cumulative number of processes corresponding to the cleaning processes within the group according to the size of the cleaning priority. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the more detailed description of the embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same parts or steps.

[0021] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 The above is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 The above is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 The above is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 The above is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 The above is a flowchart illustrating a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 The diagram shown is a working block diagram of a semiconductor process equipment provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified. All directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, top, bottom, etc.) in the embodiments of this invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationships and movement of the components in a specific orientation (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific orientation changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0029] Furthermore, the reference to "embodiment" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0030] Application Overview

[0031] As described in the background section, in semiconductor diffusion processes, it is typically necessary to clean the chamber to remove the film on the chamber surface, thereby reducing the risk of film peeling off under stress. Taking a vertical oxidation furnace as an example, this key piece of equipment in semiconductor manufacturing forms an oxide layer on the wafer surface through precise control of the high-temperature oxidation process. The vertical oxidation furnace processes the materials according to the process formula (including multiple process steps in the material handling process and various process parameters in each step) to prepare semiconductors.

[0032] The process recipes for vertical furnace oxidation equipment typically include the following five types: Main Recipe, Sub Recipe, Abort Recipe, Idle Recipe, and Purge Recipe. The function of each process parameter is as follows:

[0033] 1) Main Recipe: This refers to the multiple process steps in semiconductor manufacturing for processing wafers, including the conditions, parameters, and materials for each step. It is the process recipe corresponding to a wafer processing task, which includes wafer loading, wafer fabrication, and wafer unloading. The main recipe includes, but is not limited to: process steps (such as cleaning, deposition, and engraving), parameter settings (detailed process parameters for each step, such as temperature, time, pressure, and gas flow rate), and materials (chemical reagents, solutions, and other materials required for each step, along with their proportions and usage methods).

[0034] 2) Sub-recipe: A sub-recipe contains the same parameters and functions as the main process recipe. The sub-recipe complements the main process recipe. A sub-recipe can only be called by the main process recipe or the cleaning process recipe. When multiple main process recipes include the same process steps, those steps can be replaced by a sub-recipe.

[0035] 3) Abort Recipe: This refers to a pre-set program or set of instructions that allows for the safe and orderly interruption of the current wafer process and subsequent processing. For example, a monitoring system can detect anomalies in the process. Once an anomaly is detected, an instruction to terminate the current wafer process can be triggered automatically or manually. The process equipment will be gradually stopped according to a pre-set procedure to ensure the safety of equipment and personnel. Simultaneously, anomaly information is recorded and analyzed to determine the cause and solution. After resolving the problem and confirming safety, the current wafer process can be resumed or a new process can be restarted. For example, the reason for terminating the current wafer process might be the presence of hazardous gases, temperatures exceeding safe limits, or pressure exceeding safe limits. Continuing the process could negatively impact the equipment or even endanger the safety of personnel. Therefore, the current wafer process is terminated, and a solution is implemented (e.g., nitrogen purification chamber and gas pipeline).

[0036] 4) Idle Recipe: This refers to the process recipe used to keep semiconductor process equipment in an "idle state" when it is not performing any production tasks or process steps, in order to reduce energy consumption, protect the equipment, and prepare for rapid startup.

[0037] 5) Purge Recipe:

[0038] After each execution of the main process formulation, the thickness of the byproduct film formed on the inner wall of the reaction chamber is accumulated, and the number of processes in the main process formulation increases by one. After the main process formulation is completed, it is determined whether a cleaning process formulation needs to be executed based on whether the conditions for triggering the cleaning process formulation have been met. For example, after the main process formulation is completed, the accumulated thickness of the byproduct film on the inner wall of the reaction chamber is accumulated, and the number of processes increases by one. Then, based on the set trigger conditions, the cleaning process formulations that meet the trigger conditions are searched among all the called cleaning process formulations, and a list of cleaning process formulations that meet the trigger conditions is stored in an execution list. All cleaning process formulations in the execution list are then executed.

[0039] Each cleaning process formulation can only correspond to one triggering method (trigger item and triggering condition). For example, if the main process formulation is attached to multiple cleaning process formulations, the triggering method for the first cleaning process formulation is: trigger item: cumulative film thickness, triggering condition: cumulative film thickness is greater than or equal to the cumulative film thickness threshold. The triggering method for the second cleaning process formulation is: trigger item: cumulative number of processes, triggering condition: cumulative number of processes is greater than or equal to the cumulative number of processes threshold.

[0040] For example, the current main process formulation includes 64 process steps, and the attached cleaning process formulations are: the first cleaning process (trigger item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), the second cleaning process (trigger item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 12), the third cleaning process (trigger item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 5), the fourth cleaning process (trigger item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and the fifth cleaning process (trigger item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). After the current wafer process is completed, the current cumulative film thickness in the reaction chamber is 11, and the current cumulative process count is 4. Then, the cleaning processes that meet the trigger conditions among these 5 cleaning processes are: the first cleaning process, the fourth cleaning process, and the fifth cleaning process. After the current wafer process is completed, the first cleaning process, the fourth cleaning process, and the fifth cleaning process are executed sequentially.

[0041] Since each process step in the main process can be equipped with different cleaning process formulas, multiple cleaning processes will be triggered after the main process is completed. In this case, multiple cleaning processes will be executed in sequence, which will cause waste of cleaning gas and reduce the utilization rate of the machine.

[0042] Therefore, the inventors discovered through research that after the current wafer process is completed, the first cleaning process that meets the triggering conditions is first determined based on the current cumulative film thickness or the current cumulative number of processes. Then, according to a preset execution priority rule, a target cleaning process that meets the conditions is selected from the first cleaning processes that meet the triggering conditions. After the current wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is executed to remove the by-product film accumulated on the inner wall of the reaction chamber and the by-product film that has peeled off into the chamber, so as to ensure that there are no by-products in the reaction chamber. The number of target cleaning processes is less than the number of cleaning processes that meet the triggering conditions. Therefore, compared with executing cleaning processes that meet the triggering conditions, executing only the target cleaning processes saves the cleaning gas used for machine cleaning and improves the utilization rate of the machine.

[0043] In addition, a cleaning priority is set for each cleaning process. When a target cleaning process that meets the conditions is executed, the current cumulative film thickness and the current cumulative number of processes corresponding to the executed target cleaning process are both reset to zero. At the same time, the cumulative film thickness and the cumulative number of processes corresponding to other cleaning process formulas with a cleaning priority lower than the executed target cleaning process are also reset to zero. This enables group management of cleaning processes, and cleaning is performed only on the cumulative film thickness and the cumulative number of processes corresponding to the cleaning processes within the group according to the cleaning priority.

[0044] Based on the above concept, embodiments of the present invention provide a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment. The cleaning method provided by the embodiments of the present invention will be described exemplarily below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0045] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] Exemplary methods

[0047] As a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment includes the following steps:

[0048] S1: Obtain the first cleaning list called by the current wafer process. The first cleaning list includes multiple first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions. The trigger parameters corresponding to the first cleaning process include the target call item and the target threshold corresponding to the target call item. The preset trigger conditions include the current value being greater than or equal to the target threshold.

[0049] Specifically, the current wafer process refers to the process corresponding to the current wafer fabrication task. The current wafer fabrication task can include: current wafer loading, execution of the current wafer process, and current wafer unloading. The current wafer process recipe corresponding to the current wafer process can include multiple process steps, and these multiple process steps can be coupled with multiple cleaning processes. Each cleaning process corresponds to a set of trigger parameters, which can include: a target invocation item and a target threshold corresponding to the target invocation item. The target invocation item refers to the parameter type referenced for determining whether the cleaning process is invoked, such as cumulative film thickness, cumulative process count, and cumulative process duration. The target threshold corresponding to the target invocation item refers to a target threshold set for the parameter type referenced for determining whether the cleaning process is invoked, such as a cumulative film thickness threshold, a cumulative process count threshold, and a cumulative process duration threshold. The current value corresponding to the target invocation item refers to the current value of the parameter type referenced for determining whether the cleaning process is invoked after the wafer process execution is completed, such as the current cumulative film thickness, the current cumulative process count, and the current cumulative process duration. For example, if the target invocation item for a cleaning process is cumulative film thickness, then the cleaning process will only be triggered when the current cumulative film thickness is greater than or equal to the cumulative film thickness threshold. As another example, if the target invocation item for a cleaning process is cumulative process count, then the cleaning process will only be triggered when the current cumulative process count is greater than or equal to the cumulative process count threshold.

[0050] Specifically, the target invocation items for multiple cleaning processes attached to the current wafer process can be different. For example, if the current wafer process has 6 cleaning processes, the target invocation item for 4 cleaning processes is cumulative film thickness, and the target invocation item for 2 cleaning processes is cumulative process count. Furthermore, the target thresholds for multiple cleaning processes with the same target invocation item can also be different. For example, if the target invocation item for 4 cleaning processes is cumulative film thickness, the target thresholds for these 4 cleaning processes can all be different.

[0051] After the current wafer process is completed, the values ​​corresponding to the target calls in the multiple cleaning processes attached to the current wafer process are updated to generate the current values ​​for the target calls. For example, if the target call for some cleaning processes is cumulative film thickness, after the current wafer process is completed, the real-time film thickness of the film produced by the current wafer process can be detected, and the cumulative film thickness in the cleaning process after the current wafer process is completed will be the sum of the cumulative film thickness corresponding to the cleaning process before the current wafer process and the real-time film thickness (i.e., the current value of the cumulative film thickness). As another example, if the target call for some cleaning processes is cumulative process count, after the current wafer process is completed, the cumulative process count corresponding to the cleaning process before the current wafer process can be incremented by one to obtain the cumulative process count in the cleaning process after the current wafer process is completed (i.e., the current value of the cumulative process count).

[0052] After the current wafer process is completed, the values ​​corresponding to the target call items for each cleaning process are updated to generate current values. Then, it can be determined whether a cleaning process is triggered based on preset trigger conditions. The preset trigger condition is that the current value corresponding to the target call item is greater than or equal to the target threshold corresponding to the target call item. For example, if the target call item for the cleaning process is cumulative film thickness, and after the current wafer process is completed, the current cumulative film thickness (i.e., the current value of the cumulative film thickness) corresponding to this cleaning process is 10, while the cumulative film thickness threshold (i.e., the target threshold of the cumulative film thickness) corresponding to this cleaning process is 8, then this cleaning process is triggered.

[0053] Based on the preset trigger conditions, each cleaning process attached to the current wafer process is traversed to determine multiple first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, and these multiple first cleaning processes are added to the first cleaning list.

[0054] For example, the current wafer fabrication process includes 64 process steps, and these 64 process steps are associated with 5 cleaning processes. After the current wafer fabrication process is completed, the values ​​of the target call items in these 5 cleaning processes are updated. At this time, the 5 cleaning processes are: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 2 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 12), Cleaning Process 3 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 5), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). The corresponding current cumulative process count is 4, and the corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11. Then, Cleaning Process 1, Cleaning Process 4, and Cleaning Process 5 are called, that is, Cleaning Process 1, Cleaning Process 4, and Cleaning Process 5 are added to the first cleaning list.

[0055] S2: Traverse the first cleaning list according to the preset execution priority rules to determine the target cleaning process. The preset execution priority rules include the execution priority rules for the target call item and the execution priority rules for the target threshold.

[0056] After multiple first cleaning processes are determined in S1, the first cleaning list is traversed again according to the preset execution priority rules to determine the target cleaning process among the multiple first cleaning processes. The number of target cleaning processes is less than the number of first cleaning processes.

[0057] Specifically, the preset execution priority rules include: the execution priority rules of target call items, that is, the execution priority of target call items in the cleaning process attached to the current wafer process. For example, if there are 3 types of target call items in the multiple cleaning processes attached to the current wafer process, then the execution priorities of these 3 types of target call items are different. The execution priority of target call item 1 is higher than the execution priority of target call item 2, and the execution priority of target call item 2 is higher than the execution priority of target call item 3. Then the execution priority rule of target call items can be: in the first cleaning list, the first cleaning process corresponding to the target call item with the highest execution priority is selected as the target cleaning process.

[0058] In addition, the preset execution priority rules include: the execution priority rules of the target threshold, that is, when the types of the target call items in the first cleaning process are all the same, the target cleaning process can be determined in the first cleaning list according to the execution priority of the target threshold. For example, the execution priority rule of the target threshold can be: the first cleaning process corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value is selected as the target cleaning process in the first cleaning list.

[0059] Optionally, the number of target cleaning processes is 1. In this step S2, the target cleaning process with the highest execution priority is selected from multiple triggered first cleaning processes according to the preset execution priority rules.

[0060] S2 allows for further filtering of the target cleaning process from multiple first cleaning lists that meet preset triggering conditions, thus selecting the target cleaning process that meets the conditions.

[0061] S3: After the current wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is executed according to the target cleaning process formula corresponding to the target cleaning process.

[0062] Once S2 selects a target cleaning process that meets the criteria, the target cleaning process can be inserted after the queue of the current wafer process. For example, after the current wafer task corresponding to the current wafer process has been completed (e.g., after the wafer unloading process in the current wafer task has been completed), the target cleaning process is executed according to the target cleaning process formula to clean the reaction chamber.

[0063] This invention provides a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment. After the current wafer process is completed, a first cleaning process that meets preset trigger conditions is first determined based on the current value of the target call item for each cleaning process and the target threshold (e.g., current cumulative film thickness or current cumulative process count). Then, a target cleaning process that meets the conditions is selected from the first cleaning processes according to a preset execution priority rule. After the current wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is executed to remove by-product films accumulated on the inner wall of the reaction chamber and by-product films peeled off into the chamber, ensuring that there are no by-products in the reaction chamber. Since the target cleaning process is selected from the first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, and the number of target cleaning processes is less than the number of first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, compared to the prior art which executes all cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions, this invention only executes the target cleaning processes that meet the conditions from the first cleaning processes that meet the preset trigger conditions. This saves cleaning gas used for machine cleaning and improves the utilization rate of the machine.

[0064] In one embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the target invocation items of multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list may all be the same or they may not all be the same. Therefore, when the target invocation items of multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list are not all the same, that is, when the types of the target invocation items of multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list are multiple, such as Figure 2 As shown, S2 (traversing the first cleaning list according to the preset execution priority rules to determine the target cleaning process) specifically includes the following steps:

[0065] S21: According to the execution priority rules of the target call item, traverse the first cleaning list and determine the first cleaning process corresponding to the target call item with the highest execution priority as the initial target cleaning process;

[0066] Specifically, the execution priority rule for target calls is as follows: Based on the execution priority of the target calls, the first cleaning process corresponding to the target call with the highest execution priority is called sequentially. Specifically, the first cleaning process is searched directly in the first cleaning list according to the execution priority of the target calls, until the first cleaning process corresponding to the target call is found. For example, if the target calls include target call 1, target call 2, and target call 3, and the execution priority of target call 1 is higher than that of target call 2, and the execution priority of target call 2 is higher than that of target call 3, then the first cleaning process is searched directly in the first cleaning list for target call 1 to see if a corresponding first cleaning process exists. If it exists, the corresponding first cleaning process is determined as the initial target cleaning process; if it does not exist, the first cleaning process is searched directly in the first cleaning list for target call 2 to see if a corresponding first cleaning process exists. If it exists, the corresponding first cleaning process is determined as the initial target cleaning process; if it does not exist, the first cleaning process is searched directly in the first cleaning list for target call 3 to see if a corresponding first cleaning process exists, and so on, until the corresponding first cleaning process is determined.

[0067] For example, if the target call items include cumulative film thickness and cumulative process count, with cumulative film thickness having a higher execution priority than cumulative process count, then the first cleaning list is searched for a first cleaning process whose target call item is cumulative film thickness. If no such process is found, the first cleaning list is then searched for a first cleaning process whose target call item is cumulative process count. If a first cleaning process with cumulative film thickness is found in the first cleaning list, then that first cleaning process is determined to be the initial target cleaning process.

[0068] For example, the first cleaning list includes three first cleaning processes: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). The corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11, and the corresponding current cumulative process count is 4. The execution priority of cumulative film thickness is higher than that of cumulative process count. Therefore, Cleaning Process 1 and Cleaning Process 4 in the first cleaning list are determined as the initial target cleaning processes.

[0069] Specifically, the method for determining the number of target call item types corresponding to multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list can be as follows: traverse the first cleaning list, determine the target call item corresponding to each first cleaning process, and then determine the type of the target call item; thus, the number of target call item types can be determined. For example, if the first cleaning list includes 3 first cleaning processes, and the target call items corresponding to the 3 first cleaning processes include: cumulative film thickness and cumulative number of processes, then it can be determined that the types of target call items corresponding to multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list are multiple. It should be noted that the number of initial target cleaning processes determined in S21 above may be multiple or may be 1.

[0070] S22: When the number of initial target cleaning processes is 1, the initial target cleaning process is determined as the target cleaning process;

[0071] Determine the number of initial target cleaning processes. When the number of initial target cleaning processes is 1, then the initial target cleaning process can be determined as the target cleaning process.

[0072] For example, the first cleaning list includes three first cleaning processes: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 5), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). The corresponding current cumulative process count is 4, and the corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11. The execution priority of cumulative film thickness is higher than the execution priority of cumulative process count. Therefore, the initial target cleaning process determined after S21 is Cleaning Process 1, and Cleaning Process 1 is directly determined as the target cleaning process.

[0073] S23: When the number of initial target cleaning processes is greater than 1, the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the highest target threshold value is determined as the target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold.

[0074] If the number of initial target cleaning processes is greater than 1, the triggering parameters of each first cleaning process also include the target threshold corresponding to the target call item. Then, according to the execution priority rules of the target threshold, the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value can be determined as the target cleaning process.

[0075] It should be noted that in S23: according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold, the number of initial target cleaning processes corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value may be one or more. Therefore, the number of target cleaning processes may be one or more.

[0076] Optionally, if there is only one target cleaning process, then S23 specifically includes the following steps:

[0077] S231: Determine the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value as the first target cleaning process;

[0078] S232: When the number of first target cleaning processes is 1, the first target cleaning process is directly determined as the target cleaning process.

[0079] For example, the first cleaning list includes three first cleaning processes: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). Its current cumulative process count is 4, and its current cumulative film thickness is 11. The execution priority of cumulative film thickness is higher than that of cumulative process count. Therefore, Cleaning Process 1 and Cleaning Process 4 in the first cleaning list are determined as the initial target cleaning processes. Since there are two initial target cleaning processes, and the cumulative film thickness threshold of 10 in Cleaning Process 1 is greater than the cumulative film thickness threshold of 8 in Cleaning Process 4, Cleaning Process 1 can be determined as the target cleaning process.

[0080] S233: When the number of first target cleaning processes is greater than 1, one first target cleaning process is randomly selected from multiple first target cleaning processes as the target cleaning process.

[0081] For example, the first cleaning list includes four first cleaning processes: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3), and Cleaning Process 6 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10). Their corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11, and their current cumulative process count is 4. The execution priority of cumulative film thickness is higher than that of cumulative process count. Therefore, Cleaning Process 1, Cleaning Process 4, and Cleaning Process 6 in the first cleaning list are determined as the initial target cleaning processes. The initial target cleaning process has three elements. Since the cumulative film thickness thresholds for cleaning processes one and six are both 10, which is greater than the cumulative film thickness threshold of eight for cleaning process four, cleaning processes one and six are determined as the first target cleaning processes. The number of first target cleaning processes is two. Therefore, one cleaning process (e.g., cleaning process one) is randomly selected from cleaning processes one and six as the target cleaning process. In another embodiment of the invention, as described above, the target call items of multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list may all be the same or may not all be the same. Therefore, when the target call items of multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list are all the same, that is, when the type of the target call item of multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list is one, such as... Figure 3 As shown, S2 (traversing the first cleaning list according to the preset execution priority rules to determine the target cleaning process) specifically includes the following steps:

[0082] S25: Based on the execution priority rules of the target threshold, determine the first cleaning process corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value as the target cleaning process.

[0083] When the target call items corresponding to each first cleaning process in the first cleaning list are the same, for example, the target call items corresponding to each first cleaning process in the first cleaning list are all cumulative film thickness, or the target call items corresponding to each first cleaning process in the first cleaning list are all cumulative process counts, then the first cleaning process corresponding to the highest target threshold value is directly determined as the target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold.

[0084] For example, the first cleaning list includes three first cleaning processes: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 9), with a current cumulative film thickness of 11. Since the target call item for each first cleaning process in the first cleaning list is cumulative film thickness, and Cleaning Process 1 has the highest cumulative film thickness threshold of 10, the first cleaning process corresponding to the highest cumulative film thickness threshold is directly determined as the target cleaning process.

[0085] In another embodiment of the present invention, the triggering parameter corresponding to the first cleaning process further includes: cleaning priority. For example, the cleaning priority of the first cleaning process is higher than that of the first cleaning process two, and the cleaning priority of the first cleaning process two is higher than that of the first cleaning process three. Figure 4 As shown, after S3 (execute the target cleaning process according to the target cleaning process corresponding to the target cleaning process), the cleaning method provided by the present invention further includes the following steps:

[0086] S4: Update the current value of the target call item corresponding to the target cleaning process to 0;

[0087] After the target cleaning process is executed, the current value of the target call item corresponding to the target cleaning process is cleared to zero, that is, the current value of the target call item is set to 0. For example, if the target cleaning process is cleaning process one (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), and its corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11, then after the target cleaning process is executed, the current cumulative film thickness of 11 in cleaning process one is modified to 0, that is, the current cumulative film thickness of cleaning process one after being cleared to zero is 0.

[0088] S5: Traverse the first cleaning list, determine the second cleaning list and the third cleaning list. The second cleaning list includes the second cleaning process, and the cleaning priority of the second cleaning process is lower than or equal to the cleaning priority of the target cleaning process. The third cleaning list includes the third cleaning process, and the cleaning priority of the third cleaning process is higher than the cleaning priority of the target cleaning process.

[0089] The first cleaning list is traversed to determine a second and third cleaning list. The second cleaning list includes second cleaning processes with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process, and the third cleaning list includes third cleaning processes with a cleaning priority higher than the target cleaning process. That is, the cleaning priority of the third cleaning processes in the third cleaning list is higher than the target cleaning process, and the cleaning priority of the second cleaning processes in the second cleaning list is lower than or equal to the target cleaning process. Even if only one cleaning process is executed, this embodiment of the invention will reset the current value of the target call item corresponding to the first cleaning process with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process to zero. This allows for group management of cleaning processes, cleaning only the cumulative film thickness and cumulative number of processes corresponding to the cleaning processes within a group, based on their cleaning priority.

[0090] S6: Determine that the current value of the target call item corresponding to the second cleaning process is 0;

[0091] The current value of the target call item corresponding to the second cleaning process is cleared to zero. For example, the first cleaning list includes three first cleaning processes: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8, cleaning priority: 1), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10, cleaning priority: 2), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 9, cleaning priority: 3), with a corresponding current cumulative film thickness of 11. The target cleaning process is Cleaning Process 4, the second cleaning list includes Cleaning Process 1, and the third cleaning list includes Cleaning Process 5.

[0092] Then, the current cumulative film thickness of 11 corresponding to the cleaning process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8, cleaning priority: 1) will be cleared to zero, and the current cumulative film thickness corresponding to the cleaning process 1 after clearing will be 0.

[0093] S7: Keep the current value of the target call item corresponding to the third cleaning process unchanged.

[0094] The current value of the target call item corresponding to the third cleaning process will remain unchanged. For example, the first cleaning list includes three first cleaning processes: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8, cleaning priority: 1), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10, cleaning priority: 2), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3, cleaning priority: 3). The corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11, and the corresponding current cumulative process count is 4. A lower cleaning priority indicates a lower level of cleaning priority. If the target cleaning process is Process 4, then the third cleaning list will include Cleaning Process 5.

[0095] Therefore, the current cumulative number of processes corresponding to cleaning process five in S6 will remain unchanged, that is, the current cumulative number of processes will still be 4.

[0096] This invention sets a cleaning priority for each cleaning process. When the target cleaning process is executed, the current cumulative film thickness and the current cumulative number of processes corresponding to that cleaning process are both reset to zero. At the same time, the cumulative film thickness and the cumulative number of processes corresponding to other cleaning process formulations with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process are also reset to zero. This enables group management of cleaning processes, and the cumulative film thickness and the cumulative number of processes corresponding to the cleaning processes within the group are cleaned only according to the cleaning priority.

[0097] Optional, such as Figure 5 As shown, S1 (obtaining the first clean list called by the current wafer process) specifically includes the following steps:

[0098] S11: Obtain the current measurement value corresponding to the target call item after the current wafer process is completed;

[0099] Once the current wafer process is completed, the current measurement value corresponding to the target call item can be obtained. For example, if the target call item is cumulative film thickness, then the current measurement value is the current film thickness measurement value detected after the current wafer process is completed. If the target call item is cumulative process count, then the current measurement value is 1.

[0100] S12: Generate the current value corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process based on the initial value and the current measurement value of each cleaning process target call item attached before the current wafer process is executed;

[0101] Specifically, the initial value is the updated or maintained value of the target call item corresponding to each cleaning process after the target cleaning process corresponding to the previous wafer process has been executed.

[0102] After the previous wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process corresponding to the previous wafer process is executed. Before the current wafer process is executed, the target call items in the target cleaning process corresponding to the previous wafer process and the cleaning processes with a lower cleaning priority level than the target cleaning process are all updated to zero. Therefore, before the current wafer process is executed, it is necessary to obtain the initial value corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process attached to the current wafer process (this initial value is the value after the target cleaning process corresponding to the previous wafer process was executed, the first cleaning process with an execution level lower than the target cleaning process and the target call item of the target cleaning process are updated to zero, and the target call item of the first cleaning process with an execution level higher than the target cleaning process remains unchanged).

[0103] For example, when the target call item is cumulative film thickness, the current value of the cumulative film thickness of each cleaning process attached to the current wafer process = the current film thickness measurement value + the value corresponding to the cumulative film thickness of each cleaning process before the current wafer process is executed.

[0104] If the target call item is the cumulative process count, the current value of the cumulative process count of each cleaning process attached to the current wafer process is 1 + the value corresponding to the cumulative process count of each cleaning process before the current wafer process is executed.

[0105] S13: Based on the current value and target threshold corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process, determine the cleaning process that meets the preset triggering conditions as the first cleaning process, and determine the first cleaning list based on multiple first cleaning processes.

[0106] Specifically, the preset trigger condition is: the current value corresponding to the target call item is greater than or equal to the target threshold corresponding to the target call item.

[0107] By using S12, the trigger parameters of all cleaning processes attached to the current wafer process can be determined. Then, based on the trigger parameters of each cleaning process, the cleaning process whose current value is greater than or equal to the target threshold can be determined as the first cleaning process.

[0108] For example: After S12, it is determined that the current wafer process has 5 cleaning processes attached. These 5 cleaning processes are: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 2 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 12), Cleaning Process 3 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 5), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). The corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11 and the corresponding current cumulative process count is 4. Then, Cleaning Process 1, Cleaning Process 4, and Cleaning Process 5 are called, that is, Cleaning Process 1, Cleaning Process 4, and Cleaning Process 5 are added to the first cleaning list.

[0109] To better understand this invention, Example 1 is used as an example to describe it in detail below. In Example 1: the target call items are cumulative film thickness and cumulative process count. The execution priority rule for the target call items is: the execution priority of cumulative film thickness is higher than the execution priority of cumulative process count. The triggering parameters include: cumulative film thickness, the current value of cumulative film thickness, the target threshold of cumulative film thickness, and the cleanup priority. A smaller cleanup priority value indicates a lower cleanup priority level.

[0110] like Figure 6 As shown, a cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment includes the following steps:

[0111] S101: Before the current wafer process is executed, obtain the value corresponding to the cumulative film thickness in the cleaning process called by the accumulated film thickness, and the value corresponding to the cumulative process number of the cleaning process called by the accumulated process number.

[0112] S102: Obtain the current measurement value of the film thickness detected in the reaction chamber after the current wafer process has been completed;

[0113] S103: Update the value corresponding to the cumulative film thickness in the cleaning process called by the accumulated film thickness according to the current measurement value of the film thickness, so as to generate the current accumulated film thickness corresponding to the accumulated film thickness in the cleaning process called by the accumulated film thickness.

[0114] S104: Increment the value corresponding to the cumulative process count of the cleaning process called by the cumulative process count by 1, and generate the current cumulative process count corresponding to the cumulative process count of the cleaning process called by the cumulative process count.

[0115] S105: Traverse all cleaning processes attached to the current wafer process, determine the cleaning process whose current cumulative process count is greater than or equal to the corresponding cumulative process count threshold, and / or determine the cleaning process whose current cumulative film thickness is greater than or equal to the cumulative film thickness threshold as the first cleaning process, and generate the first cleaning list.

[0116] For example, the current wafer process includes 64 process steps, and these 64 process steps are associated with 5 cleaning processes. After the current wafer process is completed, the values ​​of the target call items in these 5 cleaning processes are updated. At this time, the 5 cleaning processes are: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 2 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 12), Cleaning Process 3 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 5), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). Their corresponding current cumulative film thickness is 11 and their corresponding current cumulative process count is 4. Then, Cleaning Process 1, Cleaning Process 4, and Cleaning Process 5 are called, that is, Cleaning Process 1, Cleaning Process 4, and Cleaning Process 5 are added to the first cleaning list.

[0117] S106: Traverse the first cleaning list and determine whether there is a first cleaning process in the first cleaning list whose target call item is the cumulative film thickness;

[0118] If the judgment result of S106 is yes, then determine whether the number of first cleaning processes with cumulative film thickness as the target call item is greater than 1, that is, execute S107. If the judgment result of S106 is no, it means that there is no first cleaning process with cumulative film thickness as the target call item in the first cleaning list, that is, the first cleaning list only has the first cleaning process with cumulative process count as the target call item. Then determine whether the number of first cleaning processes with cumulative process count as the target call item is greater than 1, that is, execute S109.

[0119] S107: Determine whether the number of the first cleaning process with the cumulative film thickness as the target call item is greater than 1;

[0120] If the judgment result of S107 is yes, that is, the number of first cleaning processes with cumulative film thickness as the target call item is greater than 1, then the first cleaning process with the largest cumulative film thickness threshold is determined as the target cleaning process, that is, S108 is executed. If the judgment result of S107 is no, that is, the number of first cleaning processes with cumulative film thickness as the target call item is equal to 1, then the first cleaning process with cumulative film thickness as the target call item is directly determined as the target cleaning process, that is, S1081 is executed.

[0121] S108: Determine the first cleaning process with the largest cumulative film thickness threshold as the target cleaning process, and then execute S1093.

[0122] For example, the first cleaning list includes: cleaning process one (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), cleaning process four (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and cleaning process five (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). Then, there are 2 cleaning processes with cumulative film thickness as the target call item. Therefore, cleaning process one with the largest cumulative film thickness threshold is determined as the target cleaning process.

[0123] S1081: The first cleaning process with accumulated film thickness is determined as the target call item and then S1093 is executed.

[0124] S109: Determine whether the number of the first cleaning process with the cumulative process count as the target call item is greater than 1.

[0125] If the judgment result of S109 is yes, it means that the number of the first cleaning process with the cumulative process count is greater than 1. At this time, the first cleaning process with the largest cumulative process count threshold is determined as the target cleaning process. That is, S1091 is executed.

[0126] If the judgment result of S109 is negative, it means that the number of the first cleaning process with the cumulative process count as the target call item is 1. In this case, the first cleaning process with the cumulative process count as the target call item is directly determined as the target cleaning process. That is, S1092 is executed.

[0127] S1091: Determine the first cleaning process with the largest cumulative process count threshold as the target cleaning process, and then execute S1093.

[0128] S1092: Determine the first cleaning process with the cumulative number of process calls as the target cleaning process, and then execute S1093.

[0129] S1093: After the target cleaning process is determined, the target cleaning process is inserted after the queue of the current wafer process so that after the current wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is executed according to the target cleaning process formula corresponding to the target cleaning process.

[0130] S1094: After the target cleaning process is completed, clear the current value of the target call item corresponding to the target cleaning process to zero.

[0131] For example, when the target call item for the target cleaning process is the cumulative film thickness, then the current cumulative film thickness corresponding to the target cleaning process is cleared to zero, that is, the current cumulative film thickness is determined to be 0.

[0132] When the target call item for the target cleaning process is the cumulative number of processes, then the current cumulative number of processes corresponding to the target cleaning process is cleared to zero, that is, the current cumulative number of processes is determined to be 0.

[0133] S1095: Clear the current value of the target call item corresponding to the first cleaning process with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process, and keep the current value of the target call item corresponding to the first cleaning process with a cleaning priority higher than the target cleaning process unchanged.

[0134] For example, if the target invocation item for the first cleaning process with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process's cleaning priority is the cumulative film thickness, then the current cumulative film thickness corresponding to this first cleaning process is cleared to 0, meaning the current cumulative film thickness corresponding to the first cleaning process with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process is updated to 0. Similarly, if the target invocation item for the first cleaning process with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process is the cumulative process count, then the current cumulative process count corresponding to this first cleaning process is cleared to 0, meaning the current cumulative process count corresponding to the first cleaning process with a cleaning priority lower than or equal to the target cleaning process is updated to 0.

[0135] If the target invocation item for the first cleaning process, whose cleaning priority is higher than that of the target cleaning process, is the cumulative film thickness, then the current cumulative film thickness corresponding to the first cleaning process will remain unchanged. If the target invocation item for the first cleaning process, whose cleaning priority is higher than that of the target cleaning process, is the cumulative number of processes, then the current cumulative number of processes corresponding to the first cleaning process will remain unchanged.

[0136] S1096: After the next wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is re-determined according to the preset trigger conditions and preset execution priority rules, and the re-determined target cleaning process is executed according to the target cleaning process recipe corresponding to the re-determined target cleaning process. After the target cleaning process is executed, the current values ​​of the target call items in the target cleaning process and the cleaning processes with cleaning priorities lower than or equal to the target cleaning process are all cleared to zero, while the current values ​​of the target call items in the cleaning processes with cleaning priorities higher than the target cleaning process remain unchanged. For example, the current wafer process includes 64 process steps, and the 64 process steps are equipped with 5 cleaning processes. The 5 cleaning processes are: Cleaning Process 1 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 10), Cleaning Process 2 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 12), etc. The five cleaning processes are: Cleaning Process 3 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 5), Cleaning Process 4 (target call item: cumulative film thickness, cumulative film thickness threshold: 8), and Cleaning Process 5 (target call item: cumulative process count, cumulative process count threshold: 3). Their current cumulative process counts are 4, and their current cumulative film thicknesses are 13. The cleaning priorities of these five cleaning processes are: Cleaning Process 1 < Cleaning Process 2 < Cleaning Process 3 < Cleaning Process 4 < Cleaning Process 5. Cleaning Process 2 is the target cleaning process. Therefore, the current values ​​corresponding to the target call items of the five cleaning processes after being updated or maintained are: Current cumulative film thickness of Cleaning Process 1 is 0, Current cumulative film thickness of Cleaning Process 2 is 0, Current cumulative process count of Cleaning Process 3 is 4, Current cumulative film thickness of Cleaning Process 4 is 13, and Current cumulative process count of Cleaning Process 5 is 4.

[0137] After the next wafer process is completed, the cumulative film thickness and the number of processes are both accumulated. The current values ​​corresponding to the target call items of the cleaning process are as follows: The current cumulative film thickness for cleaning process one is 0 plus the film thickness measured after the next wafer process is completed; the current cumulative film thickness for cleaning process two is 0 plus the film thickness measured after the next wafer process is completed; the current cumulative number of processes for cleaning process three is 5; the current cumulative film thickness for cleaning process four is 13 plus the film thickness measured after the next wafer process is completed; and the current cumulative number of processes for cleaning process five is 5. At this point, after the next wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is re-determined based on preset trigger conditions and preset execution priority rules. Since the current value of the target call item must be greater than the target threshold when the target cleaning process is re-determined, and since the current value of the target call item of the cleaning process with higher cleaning priority was not cleared after the current wafer process was completed, the cleaning priority of the target cleaning process re-determined after the next wafer process is higher than that of the target cleaning process after the current wafer process is completed. After the next wafer process is completed, the re-determined target cleaning process can be executed, and the cleaning priority of the re-determined target cleaning process is higher. And so on, as the number of wafer processes increases, the cleaning priority of the re-determined target cleaning process also increases. That is, as the number of wafer processes increases, a cleaning process with higher cleaning priority and stronger cleaning effect is executed.

[0138] Exemplary process equipment

[0139] Another embodiment of this specification also provides a semiconductor process apparatus, see [link to relevant documentation] Figure 7 As shown, a semiconductor process apparatus includes a process chamber and a controller, wherein the controller includes a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to perform the steps of the cleaning method for the semiconductor process apparatus according to various embodiments of this specification as described in the above embodiments, in order to clean the process chamber.

[0140] The internal structure of the controller in this semiconductor process equipment can be as follows: Figure 7As shown, the controller in this semiconductor process equipment includes a processor, memory, network interface, and input devices connected via a system bus. The processor provides computing and control capabilities. The controller's memory includes a non-volatile storage medium and internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and computer programs. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and computer programs in the non-volatile storage medium. The controller's network interface is used to communicate with external terminals via a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, it follows the steps of the cleaning method for the semiconductor process equipment according to various embodiments of this specification as described in the above embodiments.

[0141] The processor may include the main processor, as well as baseband chips, modems, etc.

[0142] The memory stores a program that executes the technical solution of this invention, and may also store an operating system and other critical business functions. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operation instructions. More specifically, the memory may include read-only memory (ROM), other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM), other types of dynamic storage devices capable of storing information and instructions, disk storage, flash memory, etc.

[0143] The processor can be a general-purpose processor, such as a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, etc., or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present invention. It can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0144] Input devices may include devices that receive data and information input by the user, such as keyboards, mice, cameras, scanners, light pens, voice input devices, touch screens, pedometers, or gravity sensors.

[0145] Output devices may include devices that allow information to be output to the user, such as displays, printers, speakers, etc.

[0146] The communication interface may include any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

[0147] The processor executes the program stored in the memory and calls other devices, which can be used to implement the various steps of any of the semiconductor process equipment cleaning methods provided in the above embodiments of this specification.

[0148] The controller may also include a display component and a voice component. The display component may be an LCD screen or an e-ink screen. The input device of the controller may be a touch layer covering the display component, or buttons, trackballs or touchpads set on the controller housing, or external keyboards, touchpads or mice, etc.

[0149] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 7 The structure shown is merely a block diagram of a portion of the structure related to the scheme described in this specification, and does not constitute a limitation on the controller to which the scheme described in this specification is applied. A specific controller may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0150] Exemplary computer program products and storage media

[0151] In addition to the methods and devices described above, the cleaning methods for semiconductor process equipment provided in the embodiments of this specification can also be computer program products, which include computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in the cleaning methods for semiconductor process equipment according to various embodiments of this specification as described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above.

[0152] The aforementioned computer program product can be implemented through hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In one optional embodiment, the computer program product is specifically embodied in a computer storage medium; in another optional embodiment, the computer program product is specifically embodied in a software product, such as a software development kit (SDK), etc.

[0153] The computer program product described herein can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages ​​to perform the operations of the embodiments described herein. These programming languages ​​include object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the controller in the user's semiconductor process equipment, partially on the user's equipment, as a standalone software package, partially on the controller in the user's semiconductor process equipment and partially on the controller in a remote semiconductor process equipment, or entirely on the controller or server in a remote semiconductor process equipment.

[0154] Furthermore, embodiments of this specification also provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor of the steps in the cleaning methods for semiconductor process equipment according to various embodiments of this specification as described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above.

[0155] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the methods described above. Any references to memory, storage, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this specification can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in various forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), RAMbus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and RAMbus dynamic RAM (RDRAM), etc.

[0156] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0157] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods outlined in this specification. While the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the solutions provided in this specification. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this specification, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this specification. Therefore, the scope of protection for this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cleaning method for semiconductor process equipment, characterized in that, The cleaning method includes: Obtain the first cleaning list of the current wafer process call. The first cleaning list includes multiple first cleaning processes that meet preset trigger conditions. The trigger parameters corresponding to the first cleaning process include a target call item and a target threshold corresponding to the target call item. The preset trigger conditions include that the current value corresponding to the target call item is greater than or equal to the target threshold corresponding to the target call item. The first cleaning list is traversed according to a preset execution priority rule to determine the target cleaning process. The preset execution priority rule includes: the execution priority rule of the target call item and the execution priority rule of the target threshold. The number of target cleaning processes is less than the number of first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list. After the current wafer process is completed, the target cleaning process is executed according to the target cleaning process formula corresponding to the target cleaning process.

2. The cleaning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When there are multiple target call items corresponding to multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list, the first cleaning list is traversed according to a preset execution priority rule to determine the target cleaning process, including: According to the execution priority rules of the target call item, traverse the first cleaning list and determine the first cleaning process corresponding to the target call item with the highest execution priority as the initial target cleaning process; When the number of initial target cleaning processes is 1, the initial target cleaning process is determined to be the target cleaning process; When the number of initial target cleaning processes is greater than 1, the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the highest target threshold value is determined as the target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold.

3. The cleaning method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the highest target threshold value as the target cleaning process according to the execution priority rule of the target threshold includes: Based on the execution priority rules of the target threshold, the initial target cleaning process corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value is determined as the first target cleaning process; When the number of the first target cleaning process is 1, the first target cleaning process is determined to be the target cleaning process; When the number of the first target cleaning processes is greater than 1, one of the first target cleaning processes is randomly selected from the multiple first target cleaning processes as the target cleaning process.

4. The cleaning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the type of the target call item corresponding to multiple first cleaning processes in the first cleaning list is 1, the first cleaning list is traversed according to the preset execution priority rule to determine the target cleaning process, including: Based on the execution priority rules of the target threshold, the first cleaning process corresponding to the target threshold with the highest value is determined as the target cleaning process.

5. The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The target call items include cumulative film thickness and cumulative number of processes; the target threshold includes cumulative film thickness threshold and cumulative number of processes threshold; the current value includes current cumulative film thickness and current cumulative number of processes.

6. The cleaning method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The execution priority rules for the target invocation item include: the execution priority of the cumulative film thickness is higher than the execution priority of the cumulative number of processes.

7. The cleaning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The triggering parameters corresponding to the first cleaning process also include: cleaning priority; Wherein, after executing the target cleaning process according to the target cleaning process formula corresponding to the target cleaning process, the cleaning method further includes: Update the current value of the target call item corresponding to the target cleaning process to 0; The first cleaning list is traversed to determine a second cleaning list and a third cleaning list. The second cleaning list includes a second cleaning process, and the cleaning priority of the second cleaning process is lower than or equal to the cleaning priority of the target cleaning process. The third cleaning list includes a third cleaning process, and the cleaning priority of the third cleaning process is higher than the cleaning priority of the target cleaning process. Update the current value of the target call item corresponding to the second cleaning process to 0; The current value of the target call item corresponding to the third cleaning process remains unchanged.

8. The cleaning method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The process of obtaining the first clean list for the current wafer process call includes: Obtain the current measurement value corresponding to the target call item after the current wafer process is completed; Based on the initial value corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process attached before the current wafer process is executed and the current measurement value, the current value corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process is generated. The initial value is the updated or maintained value of the target call item corresponding to each cleaning process after the execution of the target cleaning process corresponding to the previous wafer process is completed. Based on the current value and target threshold corresponding to the target call item of each cleaning process, the cleaning process that meets the preset triggering condition is determined as the first cleaning process, and the first cleaning list is determined based on multiple first cleaning processes.

9. A semiconductor process apparatus, characterized in that, include: A process chamber and a controller, the controller including a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 to clean the process chamber.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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