System and method for in-line monitoring of airborne contamination and process health

Abstract

To provide a system and method for in-line monitoring of airborne contamination and process health.SOLUTION: The disclosure of the present invention describes embodiments of an airborne molecular contamination (AMC) monitoring apparatus. The AMC apparatus includes a manifold having a plurality of inlets and one or more outlets. A sampling tube bus is fluidly coupled to the manifold, the sampling tube bus comprises a plurality of individual sampling tubes, and each individual sampling tube is fluidly coupled to one of the plurality of inlets. One, two or more analyzers are each fluidly coupled to one of the one or more outlets of the manifold to analyze fluid drawn into the manifold through one or more of the plurality of individual sampling tubes. A control and communication system is coupled to the one, two or more analyzers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) to U.S. application Ser. No. 15 / 496,931, filed April 25, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 329,791, filed April 29, 2016.

[0002] The disclosed embodiments relate generally to air contamination monitors and more particularly, but not exclusively, to systems and methods for in-line monitoring of air contamination and process integrity. [Background technology]

[0003] Air quality and airborne molecular contamination (AMC) are of increasing concern in semiconductor, memory, and other similar high-tech industries (e.g., displays) as their processes advance. In these industries, AMC, among other things, is recognized as a significant contributor to manufacturing defect rates, and the impact of AMC on manufacturing process yields will only worsen as manufacturing techniques allow for smaller component sizes. Long-term exposure to AMC is also recognized as a possible risk to human health.

[0004] Manufacturers have made considerable efforts to continuously monitor and control the cleanliness of their facility's surroundings using on-site or off-line AMC sensing equipment. Detailed studies and continuous improvements have been conducted to identify contamination sources and prevention procedures to reduce AMC in the facility's surrounding air. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, even though considerable efforts have been made to control the air quality around the facility, the cleanliness inside manufacturing equipment such as processing equipment modules and mobile carriers (e.g., front opening integrated pods (FOUPs) used as substrate / wafer transport containers in the semiconductor industry) has not been fully studied. Although certain processing equipment modules or mobile carriers may also contribute to AMC, in most situations, processing equipment modules and substrates have their own sealed microenvironments, i.e., on-site facility ambient monitors cannot capture AMC-related issues associated with processing equipment modules or mobile carriers. Furthermore, AMC secondary contamination can occur on the manufacturing line when processing equipment modules or mobile carriers are contaminated, and the mobile carriers contribute as AMC carriers that spread the contamination to various locations. As a result, even if AMC is later found in a mobile carrier or processing equipment module, it becomes extremely difficult to trace the source of contamination.

[0006] Non-exhaustive and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1A] 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of a manufacturing process used in semiconductor manufacturing. [Figure 1B] 1 is a diagram of an embodiment of a manufacturing process used in semiconductor manufacturing. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an in-line monitor application of Total Airborne Molecular Contamination (TAMC) equipment in semiconductor manufacturing. [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a TAMC device. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a manifold that can be used with the embodiment of the TAMC device shown in FIG. 3A. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a manifold that can be used with the embodiment of the TAMC device shown in FIG. 3A. [Figure 3D]FIG. 3B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a manifold that can be used with the embodiment of the TAMC device shown in FIG. 3A. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an in-line monitoring application using an embodiment of a TAMC device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an in-line monitoring application using an embodiment of a TAMC device. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an in-line monitoring application using an embodiment of a TAMC device. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an in-line monitoring application using an embodiment of a TAMC device. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an in-line monitoring application using an embodiment of a TAMC device. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an in-line monitoring application using an embodiment of a TAMC device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Embodiments of systems and methods for in-line monitoring of air contamination and process health are described. Although specific details are described to provide an understanding of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the described details, or by using other methods, components, materials, etc. In some cases, well-known structures, materials, connections, or operations are not shown or described in detail, but still fall within the scope of the invention.

[0009] References throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a described feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in at least one described embodiment, and the appearances of "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0010] 1A-1B show an embodiment of a manufacturing line 100. The manufacturing line 100 can be used, for example, for semiconductor manufacturing, although in other embodiments it can be used for other purposes and with different equipment than that shown.

[0011] The manufacturing line 100 is positioned within an enclosure 102, which may be a building, a room or compartment within a building, or some other type of enclosure. One or more processing equipment modules 104 are positioned within the enclosure 102. Each processing equipment module 104 includes a load port and may include one or more chambers, each of which performs a different function associated with the manufacturing step being performed by that particular processing equipment module.

[0012] A manufacturing process typically involves many steps, with each processing equipment module performing only a portion of the steps of the entire manufacturing process. As a result, the items being manufactured on the manufacturing line 100, i.e., in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, semiconductor wafers with processors, memory, MEMS chips, optical chips, etc., must be moved from one processing equipment module to another until all steps in the process have been performed. The movement of the manufactured items is often accomplished internally using a movable carrier 106 that carries the manufactured items in a sealed microenvironment. In the embodiment of the semiconductor facility as shown, the movable carrier 106 is called a front opening integrated pod (FOUP), wafer container, or substrate container, since it is used to transport semiconductor wafers. However, in other embodiments, other types of movable carriers can be used.

[0013] A transport system carries each moveable carrier 106 from one processing equipment module 104 load port to another so that different steps can be performed on the manufactured items carried inside the moveable carrier. In the illustrated embodiment, the transport system is an overhead track and hoist system. Wheeled and motorized carriages 110 run along tracks 108. A hoist 112 is mounted to each wheeled carriage 110 and has the potential to lift the moveable carriers 106 in the z-direction and also move them in the y-direction (into and out of the page) so that the moveable carriers 106 can be placed in load ports that can accept multiple carriers.

[0014] 1B, a track 108 winds through the facility 102, transporting the moveable carriers 106, and thus the manufactured items carried inside the moveable carriers, to a number of processing equipment modules, the embodiment shown having seven processing equipment modules P1-P7, although other embodiments may have a different number. After the manufactured items have passed through all of the processing equipment modules 104 in a particular enclosure 102, the transport system exits the enclosure 102 with the moveable carriers.

[0015] Although considerable efforts and research have been made to control the facility ambient air quality within the enclosure 102, the cleanliness of the environment inside the processing equipment module 104 and inside the mobile carrier 106 has not been well studied. In addition to facility ambient contaminants, i.e., contaminants originating from the equipment's overall air handling system such as ventilation and air conditioning, the processing equipment module 104 or the mobile carrier / FOUP 106 may contribute to airborne molecular contamination (AMC). Because the processing equipment module 104 and the mobile carrier 106 include closed chambers with their own internal microenvironments, on-site global equipment environmental monitors cannot catch AMC problems associated with the processing equipment module or the mobile carrier. For example, when the processing equipment module or the mobile carrier is contaminated, cross contamination may spread AMC in the manufacturing line, and the mobile carrier 106 serves as an AMC carrier that transfers AMC to various locations. However, with existing global equipment environmental monitors, it is very difficult to trace the source of contamination even if AMC is later found in the mobile carrier or the processing equipment module.

[0016] An alternative method is to install an on-site mobile carrier dedicated AMC monitor system. In such a system, when a wafer is finished in one processing equipment module and stored in a mobile carrier for transport to another processing equipment module, the mobile carrier is diverted from the normal processing sequence and sent to an on-site AMC mobile carrier monitor system for analysis regarding the internal atmosphere. However, such an AMC monitor system, although it can be an on-site monitor tool, is an off-process monitoring method since the mobile carrier no longer follows a regular processing sequence. Again, since the mobile carrier must be diverted from normal manufacturing for analysis, this approach introduces additional uncertainty due to the disturbance to the normal processing sequence. Furthermore, in such an approach, the on-site mobile carrier dedicated AMC monitor system has limited capabilities and can only inspect a limited number of mobile carriers (again, thus having less impact on the processing throughput). Again, even if the monitor system could increase the screening capability, the need to divert the mobile carrier still adds an extra processing sequence to the manufacturing, which in turn slows down the processing throughput. Thus, such an approach is limited to only screening the mobile carrier. It is not suitable for the purpose of in-line AMC monitoring of moving carriers and processing equipment modules.

[0017] 2 illustrates an embodiment of an in-line monitoring system 200 that uses a Total Airborne Molecular Contamination (TAMC) device 226 fluidly coupled to a processing equipment module 202. In the illustrated embodiment, the processing equipment module 202 includes a load port 204 that can be loaded with one or more movable carriers 206 (FOUPs in this embodiment); the illustrated embodiment shows a load port that can accept four movable carriers, but in other embodiments, the load port can accommodate a different number of movable carriers than shown. The processing equipment module 202 includes three chambers in addition to the load port 204; a front interface 208 is adjacent to the load port 204; a processing load lock chamber 210 is adjacent to the front interface 208; and finally, a processing chamber 212 in which an associated manufacturing step is performed on the item being manufactured is adjacent to the load lock chamber 210.

[0018] An individual sampling tube is fluidly coupled to each chamber in the processing equipment module 202. As used herein, components are "fluidically coupled" to mean coupled such that fluid can flow from one to the other or through the other. An individual sampling tube 216 is fluidly coupled to the processing chamber 212, an individual sampling tube 218 is fluidly coupled to the load lock chamber 210, and an individual sampling tube 220 is fluidly coupled to the front interface 208. The individual sampling tubes 216, 218, and 220 form a sampling tube bus 214. An individual sampling tube 222 is fluidly coupled to the load port 204, or more specifically, to components within the load port 204 that are fluidly coupled to the interior of the movable carrier 206. In the illustrated embodiment, there are four individual sampling tubes 222 because the load port 204 can accommodate four movable carriers, but in alternative embodiments, the number of individual sampling tubes can be adapted to the number of movable carriers that the load port can accommodate. The sampling tube bus 214 and the individual sampling tubes 222 then form a further sampling tube bus 224 that is fluidly coupled to a TAMC 226 .

[0019] The TAMC 226 is communicatively coupled, wired or wirelessly, to a remote data / control server 228. The processing device module 202 is also communicatively coupled, wired or wirelessly, to the remote data / control server 228 and / or directly to the TAMC 226. The remote data / control server 228 can also be communicatively coupled, wired or wirelessly, directly to the processing device module 202.

[0020] In operation of the in-line monitor system 200, the mobile carriers / FOUPs are transferred to the load port so that their bottom air inlets and outlets are fluidly coupled to the mating inlets / outlets of the load port that release either N2 or clean air to flush the air / AMC from the interior of the mobile carrier 206 to the exhaust below the load port. In one embodiment, individual sampling tubes 222 can be connected to the exhaust of the load port purge system, which can then collect, analyze, and report the cleanliness of the air purged from each mobile carrier 206. The cleanliness of the exhaust represents the contamination level of the microenvironment within each mobile carrier and can be related to the cleanliness of their previous processing elsewhere. After a short purge process, the front door of the mobile carrier is opened and the wafers inside are transferred to other chambers of the processing equipment module, i.e., the front interface 208, the load lock 210, and the processing chamber 212, for the required manufacturing stage.

[0021] In addition to monitoring the AMC in the movable carrier 206, the system 200 can also or simultaneously monitor the AMC inside the front interface (FI) chamber 208, the load lock chamber 210, or the processing chamber 212, which can be sampled and analyzed by the TAMC device 226 to know the cleanliness of each chamber. While waiting for each wafer (typically 25 wafers in a FOUP) to be processed in the chamber of the processing equipment module 202, the TAMC device 226 continues to sample and analyze the air collected from each channel (i.e., each individual sampling tube) to record the change in AMC level. Such an AMC monitoring process provides in-line real-time AMC results for specific processing steps and locations, but without changing the existing manufacturing procedure, because air samples from specific targets can be collected in-line directly through the corresponding tube channel without interrupting the normal manufacturing process sequence. In the case of the system 200, it is not necessary to pull the movable carrier / FOUP 206 from its normal processing for AMC analysis.

[0022] Either or both of the TAMC 226 and the processing equipment module 202 can communicate with the remote data / control server 288, either wired or wirelessly, to receive instructions regarding the time and channel (i.e., individual sampling tubes) to sample and analyze. Meanwhile, the TAMC 226 can report the inspection results to the remote server 228 as feedback for manufacturing process control, which can communicate with the processing equipment module 202, either wired or wirelessly, to effect adjustments such as fabrication recipe modifications. In another embodiment, the TAMC device 226 can be programmed to directly communicate with the processing equipment, either wired or wirelessly, to control the manufacturing process based on the in-line AMC results measured by the TAMC device. Sampling and analysis at the load port 204, front interface 208, load lock 210, or processing chamber 212 can be performed in a time sequence or in parallel, and can be either preprogrammed into the TAMC device 226 or performed when commanded by the remote data / control server 228.

[0023] Figures 3A-3C together show an embodiment of a TAMC apparatus 300 that can be used in in-line monitoring systems and methods for air contamination and process health monitoring such as those shown in Figures 2 and 4-9. Figure 3A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a TAMC apparatus 300 that has a combination of several devices to collect, analyze, and report AMC detection results.

[0024] The TAMC 300 is contained in a housing 302, which may be fixed or movable. For example, the housing 302 may be a fixed or movable cabinet, or in some embodiments, a movable carrier such as the movable carrier 206 (see, e.g., FIG. 9). The TAMC 300 includes a manifold 304 having inlets fluidly coupled to individual sampling tubes from the sampling tube bus 224 (see, e.g., FIGS. 3B-3C). The manifold 304 also includes one or more outlets fluidly coupled to various analyzers through tubing 306. The tubing 306 includes valves 307 so that the output from the manifold can be selectively directed to any analyzer or combination of analyzers. The tubes 306 are inert to all AMC compounds and do not attract AMC compounds. They may be passivated or coated metal tubes, or inert plastic tubes (e.g., PFA or Teflon).

[0025] The analyzers 308-328 may include sensors or sensor arrays for their particular type of detection, but in some embodiments may include additional components including gas chromatographs, pre-concentrators, traps, filters, valves, and the like. Different embodiments may use a variety of gas analyzers (VOC, acid, base, etc.), particle counters, humidity sensors, temperature sensors, ion analyzers, etc. Embodiments of the TAMC 300 may include one or more of the following types of analyzers, among others, and without being limited to the listed analyzers: - an analyzer that collects and analyzes the concentration of specific (individual) volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as IPA, and / or detects the total concentration of VOCs; - an analyzer for collecting and analyzing the concentration of specific (individual) acid compounds (e.g. HF, H2SO4, HCl, etc.) and / or detecting the total concentration of acids; - an analyzer for collecting and analyzing the concentration of specific (individual) base compounds (e.g. NH4OH, NaOH, etc.) and / or detecting the total concentration of base; - an analyzer for collecting and analyzing the concentration of specific (individual) sulfide-based compounds and / or detecting the total concentration of sulfides; - an analyzer for collecting and analyzing the concentration of specific (individual) amine compounds and / or detecting the total concentration of amines; an analyzer connected to the manifold device for detecting the number of airborne particles or aerosols; -An analyzer for detecting sample humidity, - an analyzer for detecting the sample temperature, - an analyzer for detecting fluoride-based compounds such as coolant chemistries (e.g., fluorocarbon compounds (CxF)) or dry etch chemicals (e.g., CxFy) and / or for detecting the total concentration of coolant chemistries such as fluorocarbons or the total concentration of dry etch chemicals; - an analyzer that collects and analyzes the concentration of specific (individual) anions (negatively charged ions) such as F-, Cl-, PO43-, NOx-, SO22-, and / or detects the total concentration of anions; - an analyzer that collects and analyzes the concentration of specific (individual) cations (negatively charged ions) such as NH4+ and / or detects the total concentration of cations; - an analyzer for collecting and analyzing the concentration of specific (individual) metal ions and / or detecting the total concentration of metal ions; -An analyzer that collects specific (individual) silicon dopant ions and analyzes their concentration and / or detects the total concentration of dopants.

[0026] The analyzers 308-328 are communicatively coupled to a control and communication system 332, which governs the operation of all the analyzers and devices included in the TAMC device 300. The control and communication system 332 is used to receive, process, and / or interpret data from the analyzers 308-328, and each analyzer and its associated valve 307 can be controlled by the control and communication system for sample analysis. In one embodiment, the hardware of the control and communication system 332 can be a general purpose computer including a processor, memory, storage, etc., along with software having instructions to cause the recited hardware to perform the required functions. However, in another embodiment, the control and communication system 332 can be a special purpose computer, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), also having software having instructions to cause the recited hardware to perform the required functions.

[0027] The control and communications system 332 may be communicatively coupled, wired or wirelessly, to one or more processing device modules and / or to a remote data / control server (e.g., see FIG. 2) that may collect data from each TAMC and control each TAMC and its associated processing device. Thus, the TAMC system may receive and transmit real-time test result updates or receive operational commands from the server, such as which particular sampling channels (i.e., particular individual sampling tubes) should perform an in-line AMC analysis.

[0028] As shown and described elsewhere (see Figures 2 and 4-9), one or more TAMCs 300 can be used to monitor multiple movable carriers / FOUPs, multiple chambers in one or more processing equipment modules, or a combination of movable carriers and processing equipment modules. Use of the TAMC 300 provides a method of direct in-line monitoring without interfering with normal manufacturing processes.

[0029] 3B illustrates an embodiment of a manifold 350 that can be used with the TAMC system 300. The manifold 350 includes one or more inlet tubes 354 fluidly coupled to individual sampling tubes 352 through three-way valves 356. Although the illustrated embodiment includes five individual sampling tubes 352a-352e with corresponding valves 356a-356e, other embodiments may be configured with a different number of individual sampling tubes and a different number of valves, and not all sampling tubes need to have a valve.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, the inlet tubes 354 have a design that eliminates dead spaces that can trap contaminants in the inlet tubes. Each three-way valve 356 has an additional port that can be used as a wash port for the individual sampling tubes, although in alternative embodiments, other types of valves can be used in place of the three-way valves 356.

[0031] The buffer tank 360 is fluidly coupled to the inlet tube 354 through a three-way valve 358. The buffer tank allows the TAMC system 300 to collect a large volume of sample in a short period of time (e.g., 20 liters in less than 5 seconds). In some circumstances, AMC contamination levels may change in less than 10 seconds. Valves 358 and 270 (which may be three-way or switching valves) are positioned at the inlet and outlet of the buffer tank 360, which open when air sampling is required and close when the air sample has been collected. The buffer tank 360 also allows for collection of transient AMC from the outlet at a specific location for an analyzer to later measure the contamination level.

[0032] The buffer tank 360 has a clean air inlet fluidly coupled to its interior through a pressure controller 362 and a valve 364, and a clean air outlet fluidly coupled to the interior of the buffer tank 360 by a valve 366. The clean air inlet and clean air outlet provide the ability to flush the interior of the buffer tank 360 to clean any sample remaining inside the buffer tank or sampling tube. The buffer tank 360 can also have an ambient air inlet 372 fluidly coupled to the interior of the buffer tank 360 by a valve 374, if desired.

[0033] An optional sampling pump 368 may be fluidly coupled to the interior of the buffer tank 360 through a valve 370. If present, the sampling pump 368 may be used to draw sample received at the inlet tube 354 into the interior of the buffer tank 360. The sampling pump 368 reduces pressure within the buffer tank 360 to remove air from the load port exhaust, FI, load lock, or process chamber outlet. In embodiments where the load port exhaust, FI chamber, load lock chamber, or process chamber output and thus the output of the individual sampling tubes 352 have positive pressure / flow, the sampling pump 368 may not be required.

[0034] One or more analyzers, up to N analyzers, can be fluidly coupled to the outlet of the buffer tank 360 through valve 376, these analyzers corresponding to analyzers 308-328 shown in Figure 3A. A non-limiting list of types of analyzers that can be used in different embodiments is provided above in connection with Figure 3A.

[0035] FIG. 3C illustrates an embodiment of a manifold 375 that can be used with the TAMC 300. The manifold 375 is similar in most respects to the manifold 350. The main difference between the manifold 375 and 350 is that in some cases it may be useful to analyze the samples before they enter the buffer tank 360. Some analyzers / sensors have a fast sensing response or include an internal fast sampling module that does not need to be connected to a buffer tank to share the collected samples. To accommodate this, the manifold 375 includes a flow splitter 380 that is fluidly coupled to the tube 354 upstream of the three-way valve 358. The flow splitter 380 is fluidly coupled to one or more analyzers, such as a temperature / humidity analyzer 382 or other type of analyzer 384. In such an embodiment, the analyzer / sensor does not consume the samples collected in the buffer tank 360.

[0036] 3D illustrates another embodiment of manifold 390. Manifold 390 is similar in most respects to manifolds 350 and 370. The primary difference is that manifold 390 does not include buffer tank 360. In embodiments where a buffer tank is not needed to collect and store large sample volumes, buffer tank 360 can be replaced with tubing 392 having fluid connections to the individual analyzers. For example, in an embodiment, multiple diverters (e.g., like diverter 380 in the embodiment) connected in series to tubing 392 can be used to couple tubing 392 to N analyzers to direct the sample fluid to one or more of the N individual analyzers.

[0037] 4 illustrates an embodiment of an in-line monitor system 400 that uses an embodiment of a TAMC device such as TAMC 300. In monitor system 400, one or more processing equipment modules are positioned in a manufacturing device. The illustrated embodiment has two processing equipment modules 402 and 404, although alternative embodiments may include more or fewer processing equipment modules than are shown. A transport system moves a moveable carrier, in this embodiment a FOUP, from one processing equipment module to the other.

[0038] The processing instrument module 402 has a sampling tube bus 408 coupled to one or more of its chambers, and the processing instrument module 404 similarly has a sampling tube bus 410 coupled to one or more of its chambers. The sampling tube buses 408 and 410 are shown in simplified form to avoid cluttering the figure, but in embodiments, the sampling tube buses 408 and 410 can each include a set of individual sampling tubes and tube buses fluidly coupled to the processing instrument module 402 shown in FIG.

[0039] The TAMC 406 is mobile and can be quickly connected and disconnected from the sampling tube buses 408 and 410. With the ability to quickly connect and disconnect from the tube buses 408 and 410, the TAMC 406 can be easily moved between the process equipment modules 402 and 404, for example, by being housed in a rolling cabinet. The TAMC device 406 is initially fluidly coupled to the process equipment module 402 for a specific amount of time to monitor the cleanliness of the process equipment in-line and also to monitor FOUPs transferred to the process equipment. The TAMC system can then be moved and fluidly coupled to the process equipment module 404 to continue to monitor its cleanliness and the cleanliness within the FOUPs transferred to it.

[0040] 5 illustrates another embodiment of an in-line monitor system 500. In the system 500, multiple TAMCs can be connected to a process equipment module 502 and focused to independently monitor specific chambers within the process equipment module.

[0041] In the illustrated embodiment, the processing equipment module 502 has multiple chambers, and as before, it has a load port to which one or more movable carriers, such as a FOUP, can be mated, and in the illustrated embodiment, also has a front interface, a processing load lock chamber, and a processing chamber. Different TAMCs are fluidly coupled to different chambers in the processing equipment module 502, and in the illustrated embodiment, one TAMC 504 is fluidly coupled to the load port, another TAMC 506 is fluidly coupled to the front interface, and a third TAMC 508 is fluidly coupled to the load lock chamber and the processing chamber. In other embodiments, the fluid couplings may be different than those shown. Although not shown, the TAMCs 504-508 and the processing equipment module 502 may be communicatively coupled to each other or to each other and to a central server, either wired or wirelessly, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0042] 6 illustrates another embodiment of an in-line monitor system 600. The system 600 includes multiple process equipment modules, with the illustrated embodiment having 16 process equipment modules labeled L1-L16, although other embodiments may have more or less process equipment modules than shown. The system includes two separate sampling tube buses 602 and 604. The sampling tube bus 602 includes one or more individual sampling tubes fluidly coupled to all of the process equipment modules L1-L16, and the sampling tube bus 604 also includes one or more individual sampling tubes fluidly coupled to all of the process equipment modules L1-L16.

[0043] Various configurations of the sampling tube buses are possible in different embodiments of the system 600. In one embodiment, for example, the sampling tube bus 602 can have all of its individual sampling tubes coupled to one type of processing equipment module chamber, while the sampling tube bus 604 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to another type of chamber. For example, the sampling tube bus 602 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to the load ports of the processing equipment modules L1-L16, while the sampling tube bus 604 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to the processing chambers of the processing equipment modules L1-L16. In another embodiment, the bus 602 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to one combination of chambers in each processing equipment module, while the bus 604 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to another combination of chambers in each processing equipment module. In yet another embodiment, both the buses 602 and 604 can have all of their individual sampling tubes coupled to all chambers of all processing equipment modules, for example as shown in FIG. 2.

[0044] A TAMC is fluidly coupled to each sampling tube bus to collect samples from each individual sampling tube and analyze the collected samples, i.e., TAMC 606 is fluidly coupled to sampling tube bus 602 and TAMC 608 is fluidly coupled to sampling tube bus 604, so that there is a one-to-one correspondence of TAMCs to sampling tube buses. However, in alternative embodiments, sampling tube buses 602 and 604 can be decoupled and directed to a greater or lesser number of TAMCs than shown. As in the other illustrated embodiments, TAMCs 602-608 and individual processing equipment modules L1-L16 can be communicatively coupled, wired or wirelessly, to each other and / or to a central or remote server / control center 610 as shown in FIG. 2. The communication connections between processing equipment modules L1-L16 and server 610 are not shown to avoid cluttering the figure.

[0045] In the case of in-line monitor system 600, a combination of different in-line TAMC systems can be used to cover the same processing area. One or more in-line TAMC systems can be fluidly coupled to focus on monitoring the load port FOUP exhaust, while another in-line TAMC system can be fluidly coupled to focus on monitoring the FI chambers of all equipment in the target processing area. The same is true for additional in-line TAMC systems for all load lock chambers and / or processing chambers in the target processing area in the fab.

[0046] 7 illustrates another embodiment of an in-line monitor system 700. The system 700 includes multiple process instrument modules, with the illustrated embodiment having 16 process instrument modules labeled L1-L16, although other embodiments may have more or fewer process instrument modules than illustrated. The system includes two separate sampling tube buses 702 and 704. The sampling tube bus 702 includes one or more individual sampling tubes fluidly coupled to a subset of the process instrument modules, in this embodiment chambers L1-L4 and L9-L12, and the sampling tube bus 704 also includes one or more individual sampling tubes fluidly coupled to a different subset of the process instrument modules, in this embodiment chambers L5-L8 and L13-L16.

[0047] Various sampling tube bus configurations are possible in different embodiments of system 700. In one embodiment, for example, sampling tube bus 702 can have all of its individual sampling tubes coupled to one type of processing equipment module chamber, while sampling tube bus 704 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to another type of chamber. For example, sampling tube bus 702 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to the load ports of processing equipment modules L1-L4 and L9-L12, while sampling tube bus 704 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to the processing chambers of processing equipment modules L5-L8 and L13-L16. In another embodiment, bus 702 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to one combination of chambers in each processing equipment module in the subset, while bus 704 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to another combination of chambers in each processing equipment module in the subset. In yet another embodiment, buses 702 and 704 can both have all of their individual sampling tubes coupled to all chambers of all processing equipment modules, for example as shown in FIG. 2.

[0048] A TAMC is fluidly coupled to each sampling tube bus to collect samples from each individual sampling tube and analyze the collected samples, i.e., TAMC 706 is fluidly coupled to sampling tube bus 702 and TAMC 708 is fluidly coupled to sampling tube bus 704, although in alternative embodiments, sampling tube buses 702 and 704 can be disconnected and directed to a greater or lesser number of TAMCs than shown. As in the other illustrated embodiments, TAMCs 702-708 and individual processing equipment modules L1-L16 can be communicatively coupled, wired or wirelessly, to each other and / or to a central or remote server / control center 710 as shown in FIG. 2. The communication connections between the processing equipment modules L1-L16 and the server 710 are not shown to avoid cluttering the figure.

[0049] For in-line monitor system 700, TAMCs 706 and 708 can be used to connect to multiple process equipment / modules with an expanded manifold design (i.e., more sampling channels) to cover specific process areas within a manufacturing tool. Each in-line TAMC can be configured to monitor FOUP load port exhaust, FI, load lock, or process chamber for a specific total number of process equipment (and FOUPs).

[0050] 8 illustrates another embodiment of an in-line monitor system 800. The system 800 includes multiple process instrument modules, with the illustrated embodiment having 16 process instrument modules, labeled L1-L16, although other embodiments may have more or fewer process instrument modules than illustrated. The system includes two separate sampling tube buses 802 and 804. The sampling tube bus 802 includes one or more individual sampling tubes fluidly coupled to a subset of the process instrument modules, in this embodiment chambers L1-L4 and L9-L12, and the sampling tube bus 804 also includes one or more individual sampling tubes fluidly coupled to a different subset of the process instrument modules, in this embodiment chambers L5-L8 and L13-L16.

[0051] Various sampling tube bus configurations are possible in different embodiments of system 800. In one embodiment, for example, sampling tube bus 802 can have all of its individual sampling tubes coupled to one type of processing equipment module chambers, while sampling tube bus 804 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to another type of chamber. For example, sampling tube bus 802 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to the load ports of processing equipment modules L1-L4 and L9-L12, while sampling tube bus 804 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to the processing chambers of processing equipment modules L5-L8 and L13-L16. In another embodiment, bus 802 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to one combination of chambers in each processing equipment module in the subset, while bus 804 can have its individual sampling tubes coupled to another combination of chambers in each processing equipment module in the subset. In yet another embodiment, buses 802 and 804 can both have all of their individual sampling tubes coupled to all chambers of all processing equipment modules, for example as shown in FIG. 2.

[0052] In the illustrated embodiment, a mobile TAMC 806 is fluidly coupled to each sampling tube bus to collect samples from each individual sampling tube therein and to analyze the collected samples. With the ability to quickly connect and disconnect to the sampling tube buses 802 and 804, the TAMC 806 can be easily moved between the sampling tube buses, for example, by being housed in a rolling cabinet. The TAMC 806 is initially coupled to the sampling tube bus 802. Once the monitoring of its corresponding subset of processing equipment modules is finished, the TAMC 806 is disconnected from the sampling tube bus 802 and fluidly coupled to the sampling tube bus 804. As in the other illustrated embodiments, the TAMC 806 and the individual processing equipment modules L1-L16 can be communicatively coupled to each other, wired or wirelessly, and / or to a central or remote server / control center 810 as shown in FIG. 2. The communication connections between the processing equipment modules L1-L16 and the server 810 are not shown to avoid cluttering the figure.

[0053] In the case of the in-line monitor system 800, a single in-line TAMC system can be connected to multiple processing equipment / modules by an expanded manifold design (more sampling channels) to cover a specific processing area in the manufacturing equipment. The in-line TAMC can be moved from location A to location B to cover the AMC monitor in the location B area with multiple processing equipment. In another embodiment, a single in-line TAMC system connected to multiple processing equipment / modules by an expanded manifold design (more sampling channels) can be made movable to cover a specific processing area in the manufacturing equipment. The in-line TAMC can be moved from location A to location B to cover the AMC monitor in the location B area with multiple processing equipment.

[0054] Figure 9 illustrates another embodiment of an in-line monitor system 900. The monitor system 900 is similar in most respects to the monitor system 200 illustrated in Figure 2, in that the fluidic couplings between the TAMC 226 and the different chambers of the processing equipment modules, such as 202, are substantially the same, and the communication connections between the TAMC 226, the processing equipment modules 202, and the remote data / control server 228 are substantially the same.

[0055] The main difference between system 900 and system 200 is that in system 900, TAMC 226 includes its own load port 902 to which the mobile carrier can be mated for analysis, just as mobile carrier 904 can be mated to load port 204 of processing equipment module 202. In one embodiment, the load port 902 provides an additional location to which mobile carriers 904 and 206 can be docked for analysis. In another embodiment, the load port 902 allows TAMC 226 to function as a base station for purpose-specific mobile carriers 904. For example, mobile carrier 904 can be a special process health monitor FOUP that carries a battery-powered sensor or sampling collector inside the FOUP (instead of the semiconductor wafers that it normally carries) for more detailed TAMC analysis, FOUP cleaning, or in-FOUP battery charging. The purpose-specific mobile carriers / FOUPs can also be transported to the same load port 204 as the normal processing FOUPs. The load port 902 can also be used to perform AMC analysis directly on standard moveable carriers or processing FOUPs, with or without wafers inside.

[0056] The above description of the embodiments, including those described in the Abstract, are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the described forms. While specific embodiments of, and examples relating to, the invention have been described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention in light of the above detailed description, as those skilled in the art will recognize. The in-line TAMC system with load port is designed for direct FOUP docking and analysis.

[0057] The terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims. Rather, the scope of the invention shall be determined entirely by the following claims, which are to be construed using established doctrines of claim interpretation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 200 In-line Monitor System 202 Processing Equipment Module 206 Mobile carrier (FOUP) 214 Sampling Tube Bath 226 Total Airborne Molecular Contamination (TAMC) Apparatus

Claims

1. a manifold having a plurality of inlets and one or more outlets; a sampling tube bus fluidly coupled to the manifold and including a plurality of individual sampling tubes, each individual sampling tube fluidly coupled to one of the plurality of inlets; one or more analyzers, each fluidly coupled to one of the one or more outlets of the manifold for analyzing fluid drawn into the manifold through one or more of the plurality of individual sampling tubes; a control and communication system coupled to the one or more analyzers; 1. An airborne molecular contamination (AMC) monitor comprising:

2. 2. The AMC monitor of claim 1, wherein each individual sampling tube is coupled to a chamber of a processing equipment station.

3. 2. The AMC monitor device of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors can include an individual or collective volatile organic compound (VOC) detector, an acid compound detector, a base compound detector, a sulfide-based compound detector, an amine compound detector, an air particle or aerosol counting detector, a humidity detector, a temperature detector, a chemical coolant detector, an anion detector, a cation detector, a metal ion detector, or a doped ion detector.

4. The manifold comprises: an inlet tube, each of the plurality of individual sampling tubes being fluidly coupled to the inlet tube by a three-way valve; a buffer tank fluidly coupled to the inlet tube through a three-way valve; a plurality of outlet tubes, each outlet tube being fluidly coupled to the buffer tank and each outlet tube being fluidly coupled to an analyzer through a three-way valve; a clean air inlet and a clean air outlet coupled to the buffer tank for flushing the interior of the buffer tank; Including, 2. The AMC monitor device according to claim 1.

5. 5. The AMC monitor system of claim 4, wherein said manifold further includes a pump fluidly coupled to said interior of said buffer tank.

6. 6. The AMC monitor of claim 5, further comprising one or more analyzers coupled to the inlet tube upstream of the three-way valve coupling the inlet tube to the buffer tank.

7. 7. The AMC monitor of claim 6, wherein the one or more analyzers coupled to the inlet tube upstream of the three-way valve include a temperature analyzer or a humidity analyzer.

8. 5. The AMC monitor of claim 4, further comprising a pump fluidly coupled to said three-way valve coupling said inlet tube to said buffer tank.

9. 10. The AMC monitor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control and communication system is communicatively coupled, wirelessly or wired, to a remote server, to a processing device module, or to both a remote server and a processing device module.

10. 10. The AMC monitor of claim 1, further comprising a load port attached to the AMC monitor and fluidly coupled to at least one individual sampling tube.

11. a sampling bus including a plurality of sampling tubes, each sampling tube being fluidly coupled to one or more chambers of at least one processing device module; one or more airborne molecular contamination (AMC) devices fluidly coupled to the sampling bath, a manifold having a plurality of inlets and one or more outlets; a sampling tube bus fluidly coupled to the manifold and including a plurality of individual sampling tubes, each individual sampling tube fluidly coupled to one of the plurality of inlets; one or more analyzers, each fluidly coupled to one of the one or more outlets of the manifold for analyzing fluid drawn into the manifold through one or more of the plurality of individual sampling tubes; and a control and communication system coupled to the one or more analyzers; The airborne molecular contamination (AMC) device comprising: a remote server communicatively coupled to said control and communication system, either wirelessly or by wire; 1. An environmental monitoring system comprising:

12. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein each processing equipment module includes a load port for receiving a movable carrier carrying an item being manufactured so that the item can be moved into the one or more chambers of the processing equipment module.

13. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein at least one individual sampling tube is fluidly coupled to each load port for sampling the environment inside the movable carrier when the movable carrier is positioned on the load port.

14. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein individual sampling tubes are fluidly coupled to an interface chamber, a load lock chamber, and a processing chamber of the processing equipment module for sampling the environment within each chamber.

15. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device module includes a plurality of processing device modules grouped into two or more sets, each set having its own sampling bus and its own AMC device coupled to the sampling bus.

16. the at least one processing instrument module includes a plurality of processing instrument modules grouped into two or more sets, each set having its own sampling bus; A single mobile AMC device is adapted to be connected to and disconnected from each sampling bus for monitoring each set. The system of claim 11 .

17. the at least one processing device module includes a plurality of processing device modules; Each processing instrument module is coupled to a pair of sampling buses; each of said pair of sampling buses is connected to its own environmental monitoring device; The system of claim 11 .

18. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control and communication system is communicatively coupled, wirelessly or wired, to a remote server, to the at least one processing device module, or to both the remote server and the at least one processing device module.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a load port attached to at least one of the one or more AMC devices and fluidly coupled to at least one individual sampling tube of the AMC device to which the load port is attached.

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