Semiconductor manufacturing equipment and tail gas treatment method and system thereof

Abstract

The invention provides semiconductor manufacturing equipment and a tail gas treatment method and system thereof. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment is provided with a process chamber and an exhaust flow path in fluid communication with the process chamber, and the tail gas treatment system is characterized by comprising a reaction medium adjusting unit which is configured to be in fluid connection with the exhaust flow path and used for controllably introducing a chemical modification medium into fluid in the exhaust flow path, the chemically modifying medium reacts with the process by-product in the fluid to produce a derivative having a higher stability than the process by-product; a hydrodynamic driving unit configured to generate a pressure gradient in the exhaust flow path in a direction away from the process chamber to move the derivative in the direction away from the process chamber; and the dynamic balance control unit is configured to adjust the medium introduction parameter of the reaction medium adjusting unit and the driving parameter of the fluid power driving unit according to the real-time pressure state in the process chamber.

Description

Semiconductor manufacturing equipment and its exhaust gas treatment methods and systems Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing technology, and in particular to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and its exhaust gas treatment method and system. Background Technology

[0002] In the N-type doping process of semiconductor manufacturing, metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles, such as phosphorus trioxide, are generated. These process byproducts are highly volatile and chemically unstable. During exhaust gas emission, they tend to accumulate on the inner wall of the exhaust pipe, forming unstable compounds that can cause blockages, disrupt the pressure balance of the process chamber, interfere with the precision of the doping process, and reduce the quality of semiconductor wafer products.

[0003] Meanwhile, the chemical reactivity of metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles may pose safety hazards, threatening the production environment and personnel safety. Existing exhaust gas treatment methods mostly rely on simple filtration or adsorption, which cannot effectively treat highly volatile phosphorus-containing byproducts; some chemical treatment solutions lack precise control over the amount of medium used and do not dynamically adjust according to changes in process chamber pressure, making it difficult to achieve coordinated matching between exhaust gas treatment and equipment operation, and failing to fundamentally solve the problems of pipeline blockage and safety risks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a semiconductor manufacturing equipment and its exhaust gas treatment method and system; it can solve the problems of insufficient exhaust gas treatment in existing semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which can easily lead to pipeline blockage and safety hazards.

[0005] The technical solution of this disclosure is implemented as follows: Firstly, this disclosure provides an exhaust gas treatment system for a semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment is used to manufacture single-crystal silicon doped with N-type dopant. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment has a process chamber and an exhaust gas flow path fluidly connected to the process chamber. The exhaust gas treatment system includes: a reaction medium conditioning unit configured to be fluidly connected to the exhaust gas flow path, for controlled introduction of a chemically modified medium into a fluid within the exhaust gas flow path, wherein the chemically modified medium reacts with process byproducts in the fluid to generate derivatives having higher stability than the process byproducts; a hydrodynamic drive unit configured to generate a pressure gradient in the exhaust gas flow path along a direction away from the process chamber, so as to move the derivatives in a direction away from the process chamber; and a dynamic balance control unit configured to adjust the medium introduction parameters of the reaction medium conditioning unit and the drive parameters of the hydrodynamic drive unit according to the real-time pressure state within the process chamber.

[0006] In a second aspect, this disclosure provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing single-crystal silicon doped with N-type dopant. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a crystal growth furnace configured to perform silicon wafer pulling and doping processes in a vacuum environment; an exhaust system for maintaining the basic vacuum level of the crystal growth furnace; and a process effluent processing system as described in the first aspect, installed between the outlet of the crystal growth furnace and the exhaust system.

[0007] Thirdly, this disclosure provides a method for treating exhaust gas from a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is used to manufacture single-crystal silicon doped with an N-type dopant. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has a process chamber and an exhaust flow path in fluid communication with the process chamber. The exhaust gas treatment method includes: controllably introducing a chemically modified medium into a fluid within the exhaust flow path to induce process byproducts in the fluid to react with the chemically modified medium to generate derivatives with higher stability than the process byproducts; applying an auxiliary fluid driving force downstream of the introduction of the chemically modified medium; and adjusting the introduction rate of the chemically modified medium or the intensity of the auxiliary fluid driving force based on the real-time pressure state of the process chamber.

[0008] This disclosure provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and its exhaust gas treatment method and system. A chemically modified medium is introduced into the exhaust flow path through a reaction medium conditioning unit to convert unstable process byproducts into stable derivatives, reducing the accumulation of process byproducts in the pipeline from the source and lowering the risk of pipeline blockage. The pressure gradient generated by the hydrodynamic drive unit ensures that the fluid flows in a preset direction, preventing the chemically modified medium from backflowing and diffusing into the process chamber, thus ensuring the normal operating environment of the process chamber. A dynamic balance control unit dynamically adjusts relevant parameters according to the real-time pressure status of the process chamber, achieving precise matching between exhaust gas treatment and equipment operating status, ensuring the high efficiency and stability of exhaust gas treatment. Simultaneously, this technical solution can optimize the continuity of the doping process, improve production efficiency and product quality, reduce the frequency of pipeline cleaning and maintenance, lower maintenance costs, and provide a safe and stable exhaust gas treatment solution for semiconductor manufacturing processes. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the exhaust gas treatment system of a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in this disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the exhaust gas treatment system of another semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in this disclosure.

[0011] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the exhaust gas treatment system of a semiconductor manufacturing equipment including a mixing chamber provided in this disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the exhaust gas treatment system of a semiconductor manufacturing equipment, including a pressure zone distribution, provided in this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the exhaust gas treatment system of another semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method for treating exhaust gas from a semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solutions in this disclosure will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] In semiconductor wafer manufacturing, especially in the pulling and doping processes of single-crystal silicon, heavy doping is a critical step in the fabrication of high-performance devices. These high-temperature, specific-atmosphere processes generate a large number of process byproducts.

[0018] Existing technologies face significant challenges in handling these byproducts. For example, when high-concentration phosphorus doping is performed, phosphorus has an extremely high volatility. After leaving the high-temperature zone of the furnace, it easily generates metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles when entering the relatively low-temperature, vacuum-controlled exhaust path. For instance, phosphorus trioxide is highly volatile and chemically unstable. When rapidly cooled within the exhaust path, it is prone to phase transition deposition, leading to pipe blockage, or uncontrollable and violent oxidation reactions when exposed to trace amounts of air, posing safety hazards.

[0019] Existing treatment methods, such as pipeline heating, physical filtration, or downstream wet cleaning, either only address the symptoms and fail to eliminate chemical instability, or they are offline operations that severely impact production capacity. More importantly, traditional online treatment methods, such as introducing cleaning or modifying media into the exhaust pipeline, significantly increase mass flow and flow resistance in the flow path, thereby generating backpressure. In pressure-sensitive process chambers such as crystal growth furnaces, this pressure disturbance propagates backward at the speed of sound, disrupting the surface tension balance of the melt and directly leading to growth failure, edge breakage, or dislocation formation in single-crystal silicon rods.

[0020] Therefore, the technical problem in this field is how to address the deposition and safety risks of highly volatile, metastable process byproducts in the exhaust flow path, while avoiding the disruption of the precision vacuum environment stability of the upstream process chamber by fluid disturbances introduced by online processing methods.

[0021] Based on this, this disclosure first provides an exhaust gas treatment system for a semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The semiconductor manufacturing equipment is used to manufacture single-crystal silicon doped with N-type dopant. Referring to FIG1, the semiconductor manufacturing equipment has a process chamber 11 and an exhaust flow path 12 fluidly connected to the process chamber 11. The system may specifically include a reaction medium conditioning unit 20, a fluid dynamic drive unit 30, and a dynamic balance control unit 40. The reaction medium conditioning unit 20 is configured to be fluidly connected to the exhaust flow path 12 and is used to controllably introduce a chemically modified medium into the fluid within the exhaust flow path 12. The chemically modified medium reacts with process byproducts in the fluid to generate derivatives with higher stability than the process byproducts. The fluid dynamic drive unit 30 is configured to generate a pressure gradient in the exhaust flow path 12 along a direction away from the process chamber 11. The dynamic balance control unit 40 is configured to adjust the medium introduction parameters of the reaction medium conditioning unit and the drive parameters of the fluid dynamic drive unit according to the real-time pressure state within the process chamber 11.

[0022] The core of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is the process chamber 11, which is used to perform semiconductor manufacturing processes such as single-crystal silicon phosphorus doping and N-type heavy doping. A specific vacuum level or gas atmosphere must be maintained inside to ensure process accuracy. The exhaust path 12 is a tubular structure, which can be made of corrosion-resistant material (resistant to chemical erosion from phosphorus-containing volatiles). One end is sealed to the exhaust port of the process chamber 11, and the other end extends to the subsequent exhaust gas treatment stage, forming a channel in fluid communication with the process chamber 11 to remove fluid 121 containing process byproducts generated during the process.

[0023] The reaction medium regulating unit 20 is installed in the middle of the exhaust flow path 12 and is sealed to the exhaust flow path 12 to ensure that the fluid 121 does not leak. The reaction medium regulating unit 20 integrates a medium storage tank, a delivery pipeline, and a control valve. Its output end extends into the exhaust flow path 12, allowing for the directional introduction of a chemically modified medium into the fluid 121. The chemically modified medium refers to a chemical substance used to react with process byproducts; its selection must meet the requirement of reacting with the process byproducts to generate more stable derivatives. For phosphorus-containing process byproducts (such as phosphorus trioxide), common chemically modified media are oxygen-containing reagents, such as oxygen, air, and ozone. In some examples, the reaction medium regulating unit includes one of an electronically controlled proportional valve, a mass flow controller, or a piezoelectric injection valve. The specific type can be customized based on user needs and will not be elaborated here.

[0024] Derivatives refer to new substances generated by the reaction of process byproducts with chemically modified media, and their stability is higher than that of process byproducts. For example, phosphorus trioxide (unstable, volatile, and easily condensed) reacts with oxygen to produce phosphorus pentoxide (a solid powder with stable chemical properties and not easily accumulated in pipelines), which is a typical derivative.

[0025] The fluid dynamic drive unit 30 is located downstream of the reaction medium conditioning unit 20 (along the flow direction of the fluid 121 away from the process chamber 11). It is also connected to the exhaust flow path 12 through a seal. By selecting a suction device adapted to the semiconductor process requirements, a pressure gradient can be generated in the exhaust flow path 12 along the direction away from the process chamber 11, driving the fluid 121 to flow stably.

[0026] Referring to Figure 2, the dynamic balance control unit 40 consists of a pressure detection module 41 and a control chip 42. The pressure detection module 41 is a pressure sensing device, and its detection end extends into the process chamber 11 to collect pressure data in the chamber in real time. The control chip 42 is a processing chip adapted to industrial control. It is electrically connected to the pressure detection module 41, the control valve of the reaction medium regulating unit 20, and the drive circuit of the fluid power drive unit 30 through wires. It can receive pressure data and output control signals.

[0027] In some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, before the semiconductor manufacturing equipment 10 is started, the control chip 42 of the dynamic balance control unit 40 first executes an initialization program, sets the target pressure range of the process chamber 11 (determined according to the specific doping process requirements), and sends an initial signal to the reaction medium adjustment unit 20 to keep the control valve in the closed state; at the same time, it sends a start signal to the fluid power drive unit 30 to make it operate at the lowest output power, establish an initial negative pressure in the exhaust flow path 12, and avoid a sudden increase in chamber pressure when the process is started.

[0028] When the process chamber 11 begins the doping process, exhaust gas containing metastable phosphorus volatiles (such as phosphorus trioxide) is generated inside the chamber. The exhaust gas naturally flows into the exhaust path 12 to form fluid 121. At this time, the pressure detection module 41 collects the pressure data in the process chamber 11 in real time and sends the detection values ​​to the control chip 42 periodically. The control chip 42 filters the data (removing instantaneous fluctuation interference) to obtain the real-time pressure status.

[0029] The control chip 42 sends a control signal to the reaction medium regulation unit 20 according to preset process parameters (such as doping dosage and process temperature), opening its control valve to introduce the chemically modified medium 22 (such as oxygen) into the fluid 121 of the exhaust flow path 12 at a controlled rate. After the chemically modified medium 22 comes into contact with the metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles in the fluid 121, a chemical reaction occurs, generating a more stable derivative (such as phosphorus pentoxide). This derivative is a solid powder, which does not easily adhere to the inner wall of the pipe and can continue to flow with the fluid 121.

[0030] Under the control of the control chip 42, the fluid dynamics drive unit 30 adjusts its output power according to the flow rate of the fluid 121 (calculated from indirect data from the pressure detection module 41, such as the rate of pressure change) to generate a stable pressure gradient within the exhaust flow path 12. This pressure gradient ensures that the fluid 121 always flows away from the process chamber 11, preventing the chemical modification medium 22 from backflowing and diffusing into the process chamber 11, preventing interference with the gas composition within the chamber, and ensuring the stability of the doping process.

[0031] The control chip 42 continuously compares the real-time pressure status with the target pressure range: if the real-time pressure is lower than the lower limit of the target pressure, it indicates that the suction of the fluid power drive unit 30 is too strong, which may cause the pressure inside the chamber to be too low and affect the process. At this time, the control chip 42 will reduce the output power of the fluid power drive unit 30 and appropriately reduce the valve opening of the reaction medium regulating unit 20 (reduce the amount of medium introduced to avoid the reaction being too violent and causing flow fluctuations); if the real-time pressure is higher than the upper limit of the target pressure, the relevant parameters will be adjusted according to the preset logic to always maintain the pressure stability of the process chamber 11 and the exhaust gas treatment efficiency.

[0032] In N-type doping processes (such as phosphorus doping), the phosphorus source in process chamber 11 decomposes at high temperatures. In addition to generating phosphorus atoms for doping, it also produces a large amount of metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles, the main component of which is phosphorus trioxide. The phosphorus atom in the phosphorus trioxide molecule has a +3 valence, making it highly chemically reactive. It readily reacts with other substances at room temperature and exhibits extremely high volatility. If not treated promptly after entering the exhaust flow path 12, it will rapidly condense and accumulate on the inner wall of the pipe, forming a loose, white compound layer. This can quickly lead to a reduction in the pipe diameter or even blockage.

[0033] In this embodiment, an oxygen-containing reagent is selected as the chemical modification medium 22. Its core function is to provide oxygen atoms to the metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles, oxidizing the phosphorus atoms from +3 to +5 valence to generate chemically stable phosphorus pentoxide. After the oxygen-containing reagent molecules (such as oxygen molecules O2) come into contact with the metastable phosphorus-containing volatile molecules in fluid 121, an oxidation reaction occurs in the temperature environment within the exhaust flow path 12 (the temperature of the process tail gas can provide the activation energy for the reaction). The reaction equation is: 2P2O3 + O2 = 2P2O5. The generated phosphorus pentoxide is a solid particle, which is not easily chemically adsorbed onto the inner wall of the pipe and can be smoothly drawn away by the fluid power drive unit 30 with fluid 121, fundamentally reducing accumulation in the pipe.

[0034] In some examples, the introduction rate of the chemically modified medium 22 can be correlated with the generation rate of metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles. The theoretical oxygen requirement can be estimated by the phosphorus source flow rate in the process chamber 11 (according to the reaction equation, the molar ratio of oxygen to phosphorus trioxide is 1:2), thus avoiding pressure fluctuations in the chamber due to excessive oxygen or incomplete reaction due to insufficient oxygen.

[0035] Meanwhile, the output power of the fluid power drive unit 30 is adjusted to meet the conveying requirements of solid oxide particles, and the flow rate in the exhaust flow path 12 is controlled within a reasonable range to ensure that phosphorus pentoxide particles will not settle due to excessively low flow rate, nor will the pipe wear be caused by excessively high flow rate.

[0036] In some examples, process byproducts include metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles generated in the N-type doping process, chemical modification medium 22 includes an oxygen-containing reagent, and the derivative is a solid oxide. The chemical modification medium 22 can be an oxygen-containing reagent selected from at least one of oxygen, air, or ozone.

[0037] In some examples, referring to Figure 3, to accommodate different oxygen-containing reagents, this embodiment adds a mixing chamber 21 to the reaction medium conditioning unit 20. The mixing chamber 21 is made of corrosion-resistant material and has an internal turbulence structure to fully mix the oxygen-containing reagent with the fluid 121, increasing the probability that phosphorus trioxide molecules can contact the oxygen-containing reagent molecules. When air or ozone is selected, the volume of the mixing chamber is designed to meet the mixing requirements, extending the mixing time and ensuring a complete reaction.

[0038] Meanwhile, a temperature monitoring point (such as a temperature sensor) is added to the exhaust flow path 12 near the reaction medium regulating unit 20 to monitor the reaction temperature in real time: when oxygen is selected, the natural temperature of the process tail gas can meet the reaction requirements; when air is selected, the temperature loss needs to be appropriately compensated; when ozone is selected, the temperature is controlled to avoid ozone decomposition.

[0039] The fluid power drive unit 30 (suction pump) is installed on the exhaust flow path 12 downstream of the reaction medium conditioning unit 20. The distance between the two is set to a size that adapts to the reaction requirements (to ensure that the chemical modification medium 22 and the process by-products have sufficient reaction time before entering the negative pressure area).

[0040] Referring to Figure 4, when the fluid power drive unit 30 is working, it generates suction through the high-speed rotation of the power components, forming a local negative pressure zone 70 near its inlet (i.e., the area between the reaction medium conditioning unit 20 and the suction pump 31). The pressure P1 at the outlet of the reaction medium conditioning unit 20 is higher than the pressure P2 of the local negative pressure zone 70, and the pressure P2 of the local negative pressure zone 70 is higher than the outlet pressure P3 of the suction pump 31, forming a pressure gradient (P1>P2>P3) along the direction of the fluid 121. Because the pressure P2 of the local negative pressure zone 70 is lower than the pressure P1 at the outlet of the reaction medium conditioning unit 20, the chemical modification medium 22 (such as oxygen) can only flow towards the suction pump with the fluid 121 under the action of the pressure difference, and cannot diffuse backflow into the process chamber 11.

[0041] The pressure P2 of the local negative pressure zone 70 needs to be designed according to the type of chemical modification medium 22 and the pressure of the process chamber 11. It must ensure a sufficient pressure difference to prevent backflow, while avoiding excessive load on the suction pump 31 due to excessively low P2. P2 is monitored in real time by a pressure sensor 71 installed in the local negative pressure zone 70. When P2 exceeds the set range, the suction pump automatically adjusts its output power to maintain P2 within the appropriate range.

[0042] In some examples, referring to Figure 5, the dynamic balance control unit 40, in addition to the pressure detection module 41 (high-precision pressure sensor) and the control chip 42 (industrial control processing chip), also includes a threshold storage module 43 (for storing pressure thresholds) and an actuator drive module 44 for driving the valves of the reaction medium regulating unit 20 and the power components of the fluid power drive unit 30.

[0043] The pressure detection module 41 collects the real-time pressure signal of the process chamber 11, converts the analog signal into a digital signal and sends it to the control chip 42; the control chip 42 calls the first pressure threshold stored in the threshold storage module 43 and compares the real-time pressure with T1; according to the comparison result, the control chip 42 sends control signals to the reaction medium regulation unit 20 and the fluid power drive unit 30 through the actuator drive module 44 to perform medium regulation and power regulation respectively.

[0044] The setting of T1 needs to consider the pressure tolerance range of process chamber 11 and the exhaust gas treatment efficiency: if the maximum allowable pressure fluctuation of the process is a specific proportion of the target pressure T0, then T1 is set as the sum of T0 and that maximum fluctuation value to avoid excessive pressure affecting the process; at the same time, T1 must be lower than the upper limit of the safe pressure of process chamber 11 to prevent safety risks. Through multiple process experiments, a suitable T1 value was determined that can respond promptly to pressure increases without causing system fluctuations due to frequent adjustments.

[0045] When the real-time pressure exceeds T1, the control chip 42 adjusts the output power of the fluid power drive unit 30 according to a preset compensation ratio. The compensation ratio is set based on the correlation between pressure overshoot and power adjustment; that is, the larger the pressure overshoot, the larger the power adjustment. The compensation ratio is calibrated experimentally. Under different pressure overshoots, the impact of power adjustment on pressure is tested to ultimately determine the appropriate compensation relationship, ensuring that the pressure can quickly return to the target range.

[0046] When the real-time pressure of the process chamber 11 is between the target pressure T0 and the first pressure threshold T1, the control chip 42 determines that the pressure is normal, maintains the valve opening of the reaction medium regulating unit 20 and the output power of the fluid power drive unit 30, and ensures that the exhaust gas treatment proceeds stably.

[0047] To verify the feasibility of the disclosed technical solution, an N-type single-crystal silicon phosphorus doping production line was selected for practical application testing. The specific parameters and testing process are as follows: The application scenario parameters are as follows: Process chamber (crystal growth furnace): target pressure T0 = 10 Pa (vacuum), process temperature 1450℃, phosphorus doping concentration 5 × 10¹ 9 Atoms / cm³, single-stage pulled single-crystal silicon rod length 2m; exhaust flow path: made of quartz glass, inner diameter 50mm, length 1.5m, process byproduct mainly phosphorus trioxide (P₂O₃), exhaust gas flow rate stable at 0.8m³ / cm³. 3 / h; Chemical modification medium: 99.9% pure oxygen is selected; the reaction medium regulating unit adopts an electronically controlled proportional valve with an initial opening of 30%, corresponding to an oxygen introduction rate of 0.1m. 3 / h; Fluid power drive unit: a dry screw vacuum pump is selected, with an initial output power of 5kW and a target pressure of P2=5Pa in the local negative pressure zone; Dynamic balance control: the first pressure threshold T1=12Pa (target pressure T0+2Pa), and the compensation ratio is set to increase the vacuum pump power by 1kW for every 0.05m³ / h increase in oxygen flow rate.

[0048] The actual operation process is as follows: After the process starts, the pressure in the process chamber stabilizes at 10 Pa. Phosphorus trioxide volatiles flow with the exhaust gas in the exhaust path. The reaction medium adjustment unit introduces oxygen according to the initial parameters, which reacts with phosphorus trioxide to generate phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) solid particles. After running for 2 hours, the pressure detection module detects that the pressure in the process chamber rises to 12.3 Pa (exceeding T1=12 Pa). The dynamic balance control unit immediately starts adjustment: the proportional valve opening is increased to 40%, the oxygen introduction rate is increased to 0.15 m³ / h, and the vacuum pump power is increased to 6 kW according to the compensation ratio. Within 30 seconds after adjustment, the pressure in the process chamber drops back to 10.5 Pa and is maintained within the target pressure range. During continuous operation, the pressure fluctuation is always controlled within ±0.8 Pa, and no backflow phenomenon occurs. After the single drawing process is completed (duration 8 hours), the exhaust gas is filtered by the subsequent filter device to collect phosphorus pentoxide particles, completing the closed loop of exhaust gas treatment.

[0049] The comparison with existing technologies is shown in Table 1: Table 1

[0050] As shown in Table 1, existing technologies suffer from incomplete phosphorus trioxide reaction, resulting in significant deposits on the inner wall of the pipeline within 3 days, requiring shutdown for cleaning. This disclosure, through oxygen oxidation, generates stable phosphorus pentoxide solid particles, which are then removed by a vacuum pump with the airflow. After 90 days of operation, there are no obvious deposits on the inner wall of the pipeline, reducing the cleaning frequency by 96.7% and significantly improving production continuity. Traditional chemical treatments, due to the introduction of disordered media, cause severe pressure fluctuations, disrupting the surface tension of the silicon melt, resulting in a single-crystal silicon defect rate as high as 8.7%. This disclosure, through dynamic balance control, reduces pressure fluctuation amplitude by 84.6%, lowers the defect rate to 0.3%, and significantly improves product yield. Existing technologies do not completely remove phosphorus trioxide, which is prone to reacting with air and posing a risk of spontaneous combustion. This disclosure converts it into chemically stable phosphorus pentoxide, with exhaust emissions meeting national air pollutant emission standards. Furthermore, offline treatment is unnecessary, increasing the annual production capacity of the production line by approximately 15% (reducing downtime for maintenance).

[0051] The exhaust gas treatment system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment provided in this embodiment includes a reaction medium conditioning unit that is fluidly connected to the exhaust flow path 12. This unit introduces a chemically modified medium 22 (at least one oxygen-containing reagent selected from oxygen, air, or ozone) into the fluid within the exhaust flow path 12 in a controlled manner. This allows the chemically modified medium 22 to fully react with process byproducts (metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles) in the fluid, generating derivatives (solid oxides, typically phosphorus pentoxide) with higher stability than the process byproducts. These derivatives are solid particles that are less prone to adhering to or condensing on the inner wall of the exhaust flow path 12. This reduces the accumulation of process byproducts in the pipeline from the source, completely eliminating the risk of pipeline blockage and avoiding safety hazards caused by the chemical activity of metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles.

[0052] The fluid dynamic drive unit 30, located downstream of the reaction medium conditioning unit, generates a pressure gradient in the exhaust flow path 12 in the direction away from the process chamber 11, and forms a local negative pressure zone near its inlet. This pressure gradient can drive the fluid containing the derivative to flow stably away from the process chamber 11, ensuring that the derivative is smoothly transported to the subsequent processing stage. At the same time, the pressure in the local negative pressure zone is lower than the pressure at the outlet of the reaction medium conditioning unit, which can effectively prevent the chemical modification medium 22 from backflowing and diffusing into the process chamber 11, avoid interference with the gas composition in the process chamber 11, and ensure the vacuum degree or gas atmosphere stability required for the doping process.

[0053] The dynamic balance control unit 40 collects the real-time pressure status in the process chamber 11 through the pressure detection module, and adjusts the medium introduction parameters (such as valve opening and medium introduction rate) of the reaction medium regulation unit and the driving parameters (such as output power) of the fluid power drive unit 30 according to the status: when the real-time pressure status indicates that the pressure rises above the first threshold, the opening of the reaction medium regulation unit can be increased to promote the reaction between process by-products and chemical modification medium 22, and the output power of the fluid power drive unit 30 can be increased according to the preset compensation ratio to accelerate fluid delivery; when the real-time pressure is lower than the target pressure lower limit, the output power of the fluid power drive unit 30 can be reduced and the valve opening of the reaction medium regulation unit can be reduced to avoid the reaction being too violent or the chamber pressure being too low, which would affect the process; through this dynamic adjustment, the pressure in the process chamber 11 is always kept stable, ensuring that the doping process accuracy is not affected by the exhaust gas emission status, and improving the stability of the semiconductor manufacturing process and the consistency of product quality.

[0054] This embodiment provides a semiconductor wafer growth apparatus. Referring to FIG6, the semiconductor wafer growth apparatus includes a crystal growth furnace 100, an exhaust system 200, and a tail gas treatment system of the aforementioned semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The crystal growth furnace 100 is used to perform the pulling and doping process of single crystal silicon wafers. Its internal furnace cavity is a process chamber 11, which is made of high-temperature resistant material (to withstand the requirements of high-temperature processes). A heating device 13 (such as a graphite heater) is provided on the outside of the process chamber 11 to heat the silicon material to a molten state to form a silicon melt 14. A seed crystal driving mechanism 15 is installed on the top of the process chamber 11, which can drive the seed crystal to rotate and extend downward into the silicon melt 14 to realize the pulling of single crystal silicon 16.

[0055] The exhaust system 200 is used to maintain the basic vacuum level of the crystal growth furnace 100. It can consist of a main vacuum pump 201 (such as a molecular pump) and a filter 202 (used to filter solid impurities). The main vacuum pump 201 is connected to the filter 202 through a pipe, and the other end of the filter 202 is connected to the exhaust gas treatment system of the process effluent semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

[0056] The exhaust gas treatment system of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is installed between the outlet of the crystal growth furnace 100 and the exhaust system 200. One end of its exhaust flow path 12 is sealed to the exhaust port of the furnace process chamber 11, and the other end is connected to the inlet of the filter 202. The structure and connection relationship of the reaction medium adjustment unit 20, the fluid power drive unit 30 and the dynamic balance control unit 40 have been described in detail above and will not be repeated here. The pressure detection module of the dynamic balance control unit 40 extends into the furnace process chamber 11 to monitor the furnace pressure.

[0057] Furthermore, this disclosure also provides a method for treating exhaust gas from a semiconductor manufacturing equipment, applied to the aforementioned semiconductor manufacturing equipment having a process chamber and an exhaust flow path in fluid communication with the process chamber. Referring to FIG7, the method may include steps S710 to S730.

[0058] In step S710, a chemically modified medium is introduced into the fluid in the exhaust flow path in a controlled manner to induce the process byproducts in the fluid to react with the chemically modified medium to generate derivatives with higher stability than the process byproducts.

[0059] In step S720, an auxiliary fluid driving force is applied downstream of the introduced chemically modified medium.

[0060] In step S730, the introduction rate of the chemically modified medium or the intensity of the auxiliary fluid driving force is adjusted based on the real-time pressure status of the process chamber.

[0061] It should be noted that the specific details of steps S710 to S730 can be found in the description of the exhaust gas treatment system of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0062] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one instruction, which is executed by a processor to implement the exhaust gas treatment method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as described in the various embodiments above.

[0063] This disclosure also provides a computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium; a processor of a computing device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computing device to perform the exhaust gas treatment method of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus described in the various embodiments above.

[0064] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the functions described in this disclosure in one or more of the examples above can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0065] It should be noted that the technical solutions described in this disclosure can be combined arbitrarily as long as they do not conflict.

[0066] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A tail gas treatment system for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus being used to manufacture single-crystal silicon doped with N-type dopant, the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a process chamber and an exhaust flow path in fluid communication with the process chamber, characterized in that, The exhaust gas treatment system includes: a reaction medium conditioning unit configured to be fluidly connected to the exhaust flow path for controlled introduction of a chemically modified medium into the fluid within the exhaust flow path, wherein the chemically modified medium reacts with process byproducts in the fluid to generate derivatives with higher stability than the process byproducts; a fluid dynamic drive unit configured to generate a pressure gradient in the exhaust flow path along a direction away from the process chamber, so as to move the derivatives away from the process chamber; and a dynamic balance control unit configured to adjust the medium introduction parameters of the reaction medium conditioning unit and the drive parameters of the fluid dynamic drive unit according to the real-time pressure state within the process chamber.

2. The exhaust gas treatment system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process byproducts include metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles generated in the N-type doping process, the chemical modification medium includes oxygen-containing reagents, and the derivatives are solid oxides.

3. The exhaust gas treatment system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The metastable phosphorus-containing volatiles include phosphorus trioxide, the derivative includes phosphorus pentoxide, and the oxygen-containing reagent includes at least one of oxygen, air, or ozone.

4. The exhaust gas treatment system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fluid dynamic drive unit is located downstream of the reaction medium regulation unit and is used to create suction in a local negative pressure zone, which prevents the chemical modification medium from backflowing and diffusing into the process chamber.

5. The exhaust gas treatment system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dynamic balance control unit is configured to: receive the real-time pressure status within the process chamber; when the real-time pressure status indicates that the pressure rises above a first threshold, increase the opening of the reaction medium adjustment unit to increase the flow rate of the chemical modification medium, thereby promoting the reaction, and increase the output power of the fluid power drive unit according to a preset compensation ratio; wherein the output power is positively correlated with the flow rate of the chemical modification medium.

6. The exhaust gas treatment system for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reaction medium regulating unit includes one of an electronically controlled proportional valve, a mass flow controller, or a piezoelectric injection valve.

7. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus being used to manufacture single-crystal silicon doped with N-type dopant, characterized in that, include: A crystal growth furnace, configured for performing silicon wafer pulling and doping processes in a vacuum environment; an exhaust system for maintaining the basic vacuum level of the crystal growth furnace; and a tail gas treatment system for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, installed between the outlet of the crystal growth furnace and the exhaust system.

8. A method for treating exhaust gas from a semiconductor manufacturing equipment, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing equipment is used to manufacture single-crystal silicon doped with N-type dopant, characterized in that, The semiconductor manufacturing equipment has a process chamber and an exhaust flow path in fluid communication with the process chamber. The exhaust gas treatment method includes: controllably introducing a chemically modified medium into a fluid within the exhaust flow path to induce process byproducts in the fluid to react with the chemically modified medium to generate derivatives with higher stability than the process byproducts; applying an auxiliary fluid driving force downstream of the introduction of the chemically modified medium; and adjusting the introduction rate of the chemically modified medium or the intensity of the auxiliary fluid driving force based on the real-time pressure state of the process chamber.

9. The exhaust gas treatment method for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The process is a phosphorus doping process for single-crystal silicon, the chemical modification medium includes an oxygen-containing reagent, the process byproduct is phosphorus trioxide, the derivative includes phosphorus pentoxide, and the oxygen-containing reagent is selected from at least one of oxygen, air, or ozone.

10. The exhaust gas treatment method for semiconductor manufacturing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method of adjusting the introduction rate of the chemically modified medium or the intensity of the auxiliary fluid driving force based on the real-time pressure status of the process chamber includes: when the real-time pressure status indicates that the pressure rises above a first threshold, increasing the flow rate of the chemically modified medium to promote the reaction, and increasing the output power of the fluid driving force according to a preset compensation ratio; wherein the output power is positively correlated with the flow rate of the chemically modified medium.

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