Vacuumizing management system and plasma dry etching equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a vacuum-pumping management system and plasma dry etching equipment, and the vacuum-pumping management system comprises a pump assembly which comprises a main vacuum pump and an auxiliary vacuum pump; the pipeline assembly is used for connecting the pump assembly with equipment to be vacuumized, and the pipeline assembly comprises a first pipeline connected with the main vacuum pump, a second pipeline connected with the auxiliary vacuum pump and a third pipeline for connecting the first pipeline and the second pipeline with the equipment to be vacuumized; and the switch assembly is arranged on the pipeline assembly and used for switching and controlling opening and closing of the first pipeline and the second pipeline so as to switch one of the main vacuum pump and the auxiliary vacuum pump to be communicated with the equipment to be vacuumized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a vacuum management system and a plasma dry etching equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Chip manufacturing places extremely stringent requirements on the cleanliness of the production environment. Micron-sized suspended particles and toxic or harmful gases in the air can pose a fatal threat to wafers; therefore, chip production must be carried out in a high-vacuum environment that meets specific requirements. To maintain a 10⁻⁶ vacuum level inside the reaction chamber... 3 ~10- 7 To ensure high chip yield, semiconductor equipment is generally equipped with vacuum pumping devices. These devices typically use a single-pump, single-chamber architecture. While they can maintain high vacuum requirements under normal operating conditions, their vulnerability in special process scenarios leads to frequent sudden shutdowns. Each failure requires interrupting the production line to replace the entire pump. This emergency handling not only disrupts the production process but also directly affects wafer rework rates and economic benefits. Utility Model Content

[0003] To address the existing technical problems, this utility model provides a vacuum management system that enables production processes to be interrupted without shutdown when equipment malfunctions suddenly.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this application embodiment is implemented as follows:

[0005] A vacuum management system, comprising:

[0006] The pump assembly includes a main vacuum pump and a secondary vacuum pump; the piping assembly is used to connect the pump assembly to the equipment to be evacuated, the piping assembly includes a first pipe connected to the main vacuum pump, a second pipe connected to the secondary vacuum pump, and a third pipe connecting the first pipe and the second pipe to the equipment to be evacuated; the switch assembly is disposed on the piping assembly and is used to switch the opening and closing of the first pipe and the second pipe to switch one of the main vacuum pump and the secondary vacuum pump to be connected to the equipment to be evacuated.

[0007] A plasma dry etching apparatus, comprising:

[0008] The main unit includes an etching chamber; in any embodiment of the present application, the vacuum management system includes a pump assembly connected to the etching chamber.

[0009] The vacuum management system provided in the above embodiments integrates the main vacuum pump and the auxiliary vacuum pump into one system through the pipeline assembly by setting the above structure. The pipeline assembly is directly equipped with a switch component. When one of the vacuum pumps fails and stops operating, the switch component can be activated to automatically switch to the other vacuum pump to keep the entire production equipment running normally without interruption.

[0010] The plasma dry etching equipment provided in the above embodiments belongs to the same concept as the corresponding vacuum management system embodiments, and thus has the same technical effect as the corresponding vacuum management system embodiments, which will not be described again here. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum management system structure in one embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum management system structure in another embodiment.

[0013] Component symbol explanation:

[0014] Main vacuum pump 11, auxiliary vacuum pump 12, vacuum equipment to be evacuated 13, waste gas collection device 14, first pipeline 21, second pipeline 22, third pipeline 23, first pneumatic valve 31, second pneumatic valve 32, pneumatic three-way valve 33, first pressure sensor 41, second pressure sensor 42, first manual valve 51, second manual valve 52 Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solution of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0016] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the ways in which the invention may be implemented. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0017] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0018] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0019] In the following description, the phrase "some embodiments" refers to a subset of all possible embodiments. It should be noted that "some embodiments" can be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments, and can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0020] In the following description, the terms "first, second, and third" are used merely to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of objects. It is understood that "first, second, and third" may be interchanged in a specific order or sequence where permitted, so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0021] Please see Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vacuum management system provided in an embodiment of this application. The vacuum management system includes: a pump assembly, including a main vacuum pump 11 and a secondary vacuum pump 12; a pipeline assembly for connecting the pump assembly to a device 13 to be vacuumed, the pipeline assembly including a first pipeline 21 connected to the main vacuum pump 11, a second pipeline 22 connected to the secondary vacuum pump 12, and a third pipeline 23 connecting the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 to the device 13 to be vacuumed; and a switch assembly disposed on the pipeline assembly for switching the opening and closing of the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 to switch one of the main vacuum pump 11 and the secondary vacuum pump 12 to be connected to the device 13 to be vacuumed.

[0022] In the above embodiment, during normal operation of the vacuum management system, both the main vacuum pump 11 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 are running. The switching component controls one of the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 to be open while the other is closed. For example, the switching component controls the first pipeline 21 to be open and the second pipeline 22 to be closed, allowing the toxic and harmful waste gas in the equipment 13 to be vacuumed to enter the main vacuum pump 11 through the third pipeline 23 and the first pipeline 21. The main vacuum pump 11 then draws out the toxic and harmful waste gas from the equipment 13 to be vacuumed, ensuring the vacuum level inside the equipment 13. By integrating the main vacuum pump 11 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 into the same system through the pipeline assembly and installing the switching component on the pipeline assembly, both the main vacuum pump 11 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 can operate simultaneously. This design allows the switching component to automatically switch the pipeline when one of the vacuum pumps suddenly fails and cannot operate, directly switching to the other vacuum pump to continue working without interrupting the vacuum management system, thereby ensuring that the production equipment continues to operate continuously and without interruption.

[0023] The switching assembly includes: a pneumatic valve for switching between opening one of the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 and closing the other; and a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 and generating a corresponding signal, which is then transmitted to the pneumatic valve to control its switching action. The switching assembly, composed of a pneumatic valve and a pressure sensor, detects the pressure in the pipeline assembly using the pressure sensor and generates a signal from the pressure change to control the automatic switching of the pneumatic valve, thus completing the switching between the main vacuum pump 11 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 12.

[0024] In an optional example, during normal operation of the vacuum management system, the pneumatic valve switches the control of the first pipeline 21 to the open state and the second pipeline 22 to the closed state; the pressure sensor sets a lower limit value of vacuum pressure and detects the pressure values ​​in the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 in real time and generates corresponding signals. When the vacuum pressure in the pipeline is lower than the set value, the pressure sensor is triggered to generate a pressure value signal and transmits the pressure value signal to the pneumatic valve. The pneumatic valve can perform switching control actions upon receiving the action signal.

[0025] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1The pneumatic valve includes a pneumatic three-way valve 33. The pneumatic three-way valve 33 is located at the three-way connection point where the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 connect to the third pipeline 23. During normal operation of the vacuum management system, the pneumatic three-way valve 33 at the three-way connection point between the first pipeline 21, the second pipeline 22, and the third pipeline 23 is in a conducting state with the first pipeline 21 and a closed state with the second pipeline 22. The pneumatic three-way valve 33 can control the switching in both directions with a single action. Thus, by using a single pneumatic three-way valve 33, switching can be completed with a single control action, resulting in higher control efficiency and reliability.

[0026] In other embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 The pneumatic valve includes a first pneumatic valve 31 disposed on the first pipeline 21 and a second pneumatic valve 32 disposed on the second pipeline 22; the first pneumatic valve 31 and the second pneumatic valve 32 are interlocked; one of the first pneumatic valve 31 and the second pneumatic valve 32 is normally open and the other is normally closed. In this embodiment, the pneumatic valves include independent first pneumatic valve 31 and second pneumatic valve 32. During normal operation of the vacuum management system, when the main vacuum pump 11 is in an effective state of evacuating the device 13 to be evacuated, the first pneumatic valve 31 on the first pipeline 21 remains open, and the second pneumatic valve 32 on the second pipeline 22 remains closed. Conversely, when the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 is in an effective state of evacuating the device 13 to be evacuated, the first pneumatic valve 31 on the first pipeline 21 remains closed, and the second pneumatic valve 32 on the second pipeline 22 remains open. Thus, the first pneumatic valve 31 and the second pneumatic valve 32 are always interlocked, that is, one pneumatic valve is always open and the other pneumatic valve is always closed.

[0027] The pressure sensors include a first pressure sensor 41 and a second pressure sensor 42. The first pressure sensor 41 is located on the first pipeline 21, and the second pressure sensor 42 is located on the second pipeline 22. When independent pneumatic valves are provided for the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22, pressure sensors are also correspondingly provided for each pipeline. During normal operation of the vacuum management system, the first pressure sensor 41 on the first pipeline 21 remains open, and the second pressure sensor 42 on the second pipeline 22 remains closed. The first pressure sensor 41 and the second pressure sensor 42 are always interlocked, meaning one pressure sensor is always open and the other is always closed. Thus, by independently setting pressure sensors for the first pipeline 21 and the second pipeline 22 to detect pipeline pressure, and utilizing the interlocking state of the first pressure sensor 41 and the second pressure sensor 42, along with the first pneumatic valve 31 and the second pneumatic valve 32, the switching control of the main vacuum pump 11 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 can be achieved, improving the overall reliability of the vacuum management system.

[0028] The vacuum management system also includes manual valves for manually controlling the opening and closing of the first pipeline 21 or the second pipeline 22. The manual valves include a first manual valve 51 and a second manual valve 52; the first manual valve 51 is located in the first pipeline 21; and the second manual valve 52 is located in the second pipeline 22. During normal operation of the vacuum management system, both the first manual valve 51 in the first pipeline 21 and the second manual valve 52 in the second pipeline 22 remain open, for manual intervention only during maintenance.

[0029] The vacuum management system 13 also includes a waste gas collection device 14, which is connected to the pump assembly. During normal operation of the vacuum management system, the pump assembly maintains a high vacuum environment in the equipment 13 to be vacuumed, allowing production to proceed under this environment. The pump assembly also extracts toxic and harmful waste gases from the equipment 13 and delivers them to the waste gas collection device 14.

[0030] This application also provides a plasma dry etching apparatus, which includes a main unit and a vacuum management system as described in any of the foregoing embodiments of this application; the main unit includes an etching chamber; wherein the pump assembly is connected to the etching chamber and is used to maintain a high vacuum environment within the etching chamber.

[0031] Please refer to it again. Figure 1 The vacuum management system adopts, for example Figure 1Taking the vacuum management system shown as an example, another specific working process of the plasma dry etching equipment is as follows: During the normal production operation of the vacuum management system, the main vacuum pump 11 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 are both in operation, the first manual valve 51 and the second manual valve 52 are both in the open state, the first pressure sensor 41 is in the open state, the second pressure sensor 42 is in the closed state, the pneumatic three-way valve 33 is in the conducting state with the first pipeline 21 and in the closed state with the second pipeline 22, and the toxic and harmful waste gas in the vacuum equipment 13 is extracted through the third pipeline 23 and the first pipeline 21, enters the main vacuum pump 11, and is then sent to the waste gas collection device 14. The first pressure sensor 41 is set with a lower limit value for vacuum pressure and monitors the pressure value in the first pipeline 21 in real time, generating a corresponding signal. When the main vacuum pump 11 malfunctions, i.e., when the vacuum pressure in the first pipeline 21 is lower than the set value, the first pressure sensor 41 is triggered and transmits the action signal to the pneumatic three-way valve 33. Upon receiving the action signal, the pneumatic three-way valve 33 switches to a state where it is connected to the second pipeline 22 and closed to the first pipeline 21, thus switching the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 to normal operation. Similarly, the process of switching to the main vacuum pump 11 when the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 malfunctions is not described in detail here.

[0032] Please refer to it again. Figure 2 The vacuum management system adopts, for example Figure 2 Taking the vacuum management system shown as an example, the specific working process of the plasma dry etching equipment includes: during the normal production operation of the vacuum management system, the main vacuum pump 11 and the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 are both in operation, the first manual valve 51 and the second manual valve 52 are both in the open state, the first pressure sensor 41 is in the open state, the second pressure sensor 42 is in the closed state, the first pneumatic valve 31 is in the open state, and the second pneumatic valve 32 is in the closed state. The toxic and harmful waste gas in the vacuum equipment 13 is extracted through the third pipeline 23 and the first pipeline 21, enters the main vacuum pump 11, and is then sent to the waste gas collection device 14. The first pressure sensor 41 is set with a lower limit value for vacuum pressure and monitors the pressure value in the first pipeline 21 in real time, generating a corresponding signal. When the main vacuum pump 11 malfunctions, i.e., when the vacuum pressure in the first pipeline 21 is lower than the set value, the first pressure sensor 41 is triggered and transmits the action signal synchronously to the first pneumatic valve 31 and the second pneumatic valve 32. Upon receiving the action signal, the first pneumatic valve 31 switches to the closed state, and the second pneumatic valve 32 switches to the open state, thus switching the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 to normal operation. Similarly, the process of switching to the main vacuum pump 11 when the auxiliary vacuum pump 12 malfunctions is not described in detail here.

[0033] In advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, the reliability of the vacuum system in plasma dry etching equipment directly affects process stability and throughput efficiency. In semiconductor process fabrication, an abnormal shutdown of the vacuum pump unit can trigger a domino effect of process interruptions, leading to the following key technical problems:

[0034] 1. Vacuum Failure Chain Reaction: Residual reactive gases (such as CF4 and Cl2) in the etching chamber of plasma dry etching equipment can chemically adsorb with process residues. Vacuum degradation leads to damage to the passivation layer on the chamber wall, and restarting after an interruption will require chamber seasoning. Imbalance in the partial pressure of process gases causes plasma impedance mismatch, requiring recalibration of the impedance matching network.

[0035] 2. Quantitative Analysis of Process Recovery Costs: After a hot shutdown, restarting the vacuum system requires mechanical cooling, vacuum pumping profile recovery, and plasma impedance matching. This process takes 6 to 48 hours, and the time will be longer for processes with higher requirements. Wafer rework results in a loss of 120 to 150 wafers per hour (based on 300mm wafers). Contamination of the etching chamber in plasma dry etching equipment leads to a 35-40% decrease in overall equipment efficiency (OEE).

[0036] The plasma dry etching equipment using the vacuum management system provided in this application adopts a dual-pump single-chamber architecture. The main vacuum pump and the auxiliary vacuum pump are always kept in a hot standby state. The switching control of the two pipelines is interlocked by a pneumatic valve. The pressure sensor works in conjunction with the pneumatic valve, and the pressure sensor transmits the data to the pneumatic valve synchronously. The action time is short and the response speed is high, which enables the plasma dry etching equipment to always maintain the vacuum state without interruption.

[0037] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application 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 this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A vacuum management system, characterized in that, include: The pump assembly includes a main vacuum pump (11) and a secondary vacuum pump (12); A piping assembly for connecting the pump assembly to the vacuum equipment (13), the piping assembly including a first pipe (21) connected to the main vacuum pump (11), a second pipe (22) connected to the auxiliary vacuum pump (12), and a third pipe (23) connecting the first pipe (21) and the second pipe (22) to the vacuum equipment (13); A switching assembly, located on the pipeline assembly, is used to switch the opening and closing of the first pipeline (21) and the second pipeline (22) to switch one of the main vacuum pump (11) and the auxiliary vacuum pump (12) to be connected to the vacuuming device (13).

2. The vacuum management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching assembly includes: A pneumatic valve is used to switch the control of one of the first pipeline (21) and the second pipeline (22) to be open and the other to be closed; A pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure in the first pipeline (21) and the second pipeline (22) and generate a corresponding signal, which is then transmitted to the pneumatic valve to control the switching action of the pneumatic valve.

3. The vacuum management system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pneumatic valve includes a pneumatic three-way valve (33); the pneumatic three-way valve (33) is located at the three-way connection where the first pipeline (21) and the second pipeline (22) connect to the third pipeline (23).

4. The vacuum management system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pneumatic valve includes a first pneumatic valve (31) disposed on the first pipeline (21) and a second pneumatic valve (32) disposed on the second pipeline (22); the first pneumatic valve (31) and the second pneumatic valve (32) are in an interlocked state.

5. The vacuum management system according to claim 4, characterized in that, One of the first pneumatic valve (31) and the second pneumatic valve (32) is normally open, and the other is normally closed.

6. The vacuum management system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The pressure sensor includes a first pressure sensor (41) and a second pressure sensor (42); the first pressure sensor (41) is located on the first pipeline (21); the second pressure sensor (42) is located on the second pipeline (22).

7. The vacuum management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum management system also includes a manual valve for manually operating and controlling the opening and closing of the first pipeline (21) or the second pipeline (22).

8. The vacuum management system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The manual valves include a first manual valve (51) and a second manual valve (52); the first manual valve (51) is located in the first pipeline (21); and the second manual valve (52) is located in the second pipeline (22).

9. The vacuum management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum management system also includes a waste gas collection device (14), which is connected to the pump assembly.

10. A plasma dry etching apparatus, characterized in that, include: Main unit, including etching chamber; The vacuum management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the pump assembly is connected to the etching chamber.

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