Base material processing system having ability to monitor gate valve and method thereof

Abstract

To provide a semiconductor process system having ability to monitor a gate valve, and a method thereof.SOLUTION: A semiconductor process system includes: a reaction chamber; a gate valve combined with the reaction chamber; and a controller operably connected to the gate valve and configured to open and close the gate valve and configured to calculate the average operation time of the gate valve, set parameters, measure the operation time of the gate valve and determine that the gate valve is abnormal when the operation time of the gate valve is not in the normal range on the basis of the parameters. The monitoring of the gate valve in real time allows more excellent base material processing and excellent wafer quality.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to semiconductor processing systems, and more particularly to systems with the capability to monitor a gate valve coupled to a reaction chamber within the system. [Background technology]

[0002] Semiconductor devices are commonly formed by depositing films onto a substrate using deposition techniques such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). ALD and / or CVD techniques generally employ cyclical provision of precursor or reactant gas flows to a reaction chamber for relatively short periods of time to form a desired layer on a particular substrate.

[0003] The gas flow may typically be provided by a gate valve that opens and closes according to predetermined scheduled times and may be controlled by a gate valve controller. The quality of the deposited film may depend on the precise degree to which the gate valve is opened and closed.

[0004] However, gate valves can become rusty or old and not respond to open / close signals exactly as expected, which can result in unstable gas pressure and / or timeouts in gate valve operation during substrate processing.

[0005] Thus, the present disclosure presents a system and method for monitoring the responsiveness of a gate valve to an open / close signal to facilitate maintaining product quality. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This Summary is provided to introduce selected concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are described in more detail in the Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiments of the Disclosure below. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] According to one embodiment, there may be provided a method for monitoring a gate valve in a semiconductor processing system, the method including calculating an average operation time of the gate valve, setting a parameter, measuring the operation time of the gate valve, and determining that the gate valve is abnormal if the operation time of the gate valve is not within a normal range based on the parameter.

[0008] According to another embodiment, an indication of the state of the gate valve may be provided.

[0009] According to another embodiment, a method may be provided which further includes indicating a state of the gate valve.

[0010] According to another embodiment, there may be provided a method, the method further comprising receiving parameters from a user interface and storing the received parameters.

[0011] According to another embodiment, there may be provided a calculating step, the calculating step further comprising: transmitting a valve-on signal to the gate valve; receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve; counting an elapsed time between the valve-on signal and the feedback signal; and repeating the transmitting, receiving, and counting a predetermined number of times to determine an average operation time of the gate valve.

[0012] According to another embodiment, there may be provided a measuring method, the measuring method further comprising: sending a valve-on signal to the gate valve; receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve; counting an elapsed time between the valve-on signal and the feedback signal; and determining the elapsed time to be an operation time of the gate valve.

[0013] According to another embodiment, there may be provided a semiconductor processing system comprising a reaction chamber, a gate valve coupled to the reaction chamber, and a controller operatively connected to the gate valve and configured to open and close the gate valve, wherein the controller is configured to calculate an average operation time of the gate valve, set parameters, measure the operation time of the gate valve, and determine that the gate valve is abnormal if the operation time of the gate valve is not within a normal range based on the parameters.

[0014] According to another embodiment, there may be provided a system further comprising an input unit configured to obtain input from an operator and a display unit configured to display a status of the gate valve, the input unit and the display unit being wired or wirelessly coupled to a controller, the controller being further configured to display the status of the gate valve on the display unit.

[0015] In at least one embodiment, the input unit is configured to receive input in textual or graphical form and is further configured to store the input in a memory.

[0016] According to another embodiment, a controller may be provided, further configured to send a valve-on signal to the gate valve, receive a feedback signal from the gate valve, count the elapsed time between the valve-on signal and the feedback signal, and repeat them a predetermined number of times to obtain an average operation time of the gate valve.

[0017] According to another embodiment, a controller may be provided that is further configured to send a valve on signal to the gate valve, receive a feedback signal from the gate valve, count an elapsed time between the valve on signal and the feedback signal, and determine the elapsed time to be an operation time of the gate valve.

[0018] According to another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable medium may be provided having stored thereon a set of instructions executable by a processor of a computer system to perform the above method. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale, for example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a substrate processing system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2(a) shows an overall flowchart of a gate valve monitoring method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2(b) shows a flowchart of obtaining an average operation time of a gate valve according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2(c) shows a flowchart of obtaining an operation time of a gate valve according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface portion of the system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(a) shows an example of a “text-based” user interface for selecting which gate valves to test according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4(b) shows an example of a “graphics-based” user interface for selecting which gate valves to test according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5(a) shows an example of when a gate valve may be tested normally according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5(b) shows an example of when a gate valve may be tested abnormally for being "too early" according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 5(c) shows an example of when a gate valve may be tested abnormally for being "too late" according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Although certain specific embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention, and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof, and therefore it is not intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should be limited by the specific disclosed embodiments described below.

[0022] As used herein, the term "substrate" may refer to any underlying material or materials, including any underlying material or materials, that may be modified or upon which a device, circuit, or film may be formed. A "substrate" may be continuous or non-continuous, rigid or flexible, solid or porous, and combinations thereof. A substrate may be in any form, such as a powder, a plate, or a workpiece. Substrates in the form of a plate may include substrates of various shapes and sizes. Substrates may be made of semiconductor materials, including, for example, silicon, silicon germanium, silicon oxide, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, and silicon carbide.

[0023] As an example, the substrate in the form of a powder may have applications for pharmaceutical manufacturing. The porous substrate may include a polymer. Examples of workpieces may include medical devices (e.g., stents and syringes), jewelry, tooling devices, components for battery manufacturing (e.g., anodes, cathodes, or separators), or components of photovoltaic cells, etc.

[0024] The continuous substrate may extend beyond the boundaries of the process chamber in which the deposition process occurs. In some processes, the continuous substrate may move through the process chamber, such that the process continues until the end of the substrate is reached. The continuous substrate may be fed from a continuous substrate feed system to enable the production and output of a continuous substrate in any suitable form.

[0025] Non-limiting examples of continuous substrates may include sheets, nonwoven films, rolls, foils, webs, flexible materials, bundles of continuous filaments or fibers (e.g., ceramic fibers, or polymeric fibers). Continuous substrates may also include carriers, or sheets, onto which the non-continuous substrates are placed.

[0026] The illustrations presented herein are not intended to be actual representations of any particular materials, structures or devices, but merely idealized representations used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] The particular implementations shown and described are illustrative of the invention and its best mode, and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the aspects and implementations in any way. Indeed, for the sake of brevity, conventional manufacturing, connection, arrangement, and other functional aspects of the systems may not be described in detail. Moreover, the connecting lines shown in the various figures are intended to represent example functional relationships and / or physical couplings between the various elements. Many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in an actual system and / or may not be present in some embodiments.

[0028] It should be understood that the configurations and / or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be taken in a limiting sense, as numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. Thus, various illustrated operations may be performed in the illustrated order, or in other orders, or may be omitted in some cases.

[0029] The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various process, system, and configurations, as well as other features, functions, operations, and / or properties disclosed herein, and all equivalents thereof.

[0030] FIG. 1 generally illustrates a substrate processing system 100 according to an embodiment presented in this disclosure.

[0031] The system includes reaction chambers 110 , 120 , 130 , and 140 , gate valves 111 , 121 , 131 , and 141 coupled to the reaction chambers 110 , 120 , 130 , and 140 , respectively, and a controller 160 .

[0032] For simplicity herein, a gate valve sensor may be considered to be integrated with the gate valve, such that signals may be transmitted and received by the gate valve.

[0033] Controller 160 may be operatively connected to gate valves 111, 121, 131, 141 and may be further configured to send a valve-on signal to control gate valves 111, 121, 131, 141. Controller 160 may also be configured to receive a feedback signal from gate valves 111, 121, 131, 141 that confirms that gate valves 110, 120, 130, 140 operate according to a previously sent signal (e.g., a valve-on signal).

[0034] The controller 160 may further be configured to measure the time that the signals are transmitted and received.

[0035] The controller 160 may also be further configured to calculate an average actuation time and actuation time of the gate valve. "Actuation time" refers to the time between when a "valve on signal" (to open the gate valve) can be sent and when a "feedback signal" (confirming that the gate valve operates as instructed) can be received by the controller 160. "Average actuation time" refers to the average of actuation times measured multiple times, typically a predetermined number of times.

[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates a controller and user interface according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] The controller 360 may be operatively connected to user interfaces 370, 380.

[0038] The input user interface 370 and the output user interface (display unit) 380 may be separate as shown in Figure 3. The controller 360 may comprise a memory unit 361 for storing parameters such as the average operating time of all the gate valves in the system.

[0039] Overall, the controller 160, 360 may be configured to: 1) calculate an average operation time of the gate valve, 2) set parameters, 3) measure the operation time of the gate valve, and 4) determine that the gate valve is abnormal if the operation time of the gate valve is not within a normal range based on the parameters.

[0040] The parameters may be predetermined and stored within the controller 360 , but may also be input to the controller 360 through an input user interface 370 .

[0041] The parameters are 1) a valid range with a mean actuation time in the middle, and 2) a valve timeout for each gate valve.

[0042] 5(a) to (c) show three different cases when it is determined whether the gate valve is functioning normally or not.

[0043] 5(a)-(c) share the same “average operating time” (A1), upper validity range limit (B1), lower validity range limit (C1), and valve timeout (D1).

[0044] FIG. 5(a) shows the case where the gate valve operation time is somewhere between the lower and upper limits of the valid range (V1) when the valve timeout expires (D1).

[0045] If the controller 160, 360 measures the operation time of the gate valve as in this case, the controller 160, 360 will determine that the gate valve is functioning properly.

[0046] However, as shown in Figures 5(b) and (c), if the gate valve operation time is measured above the upper limit (V2) or below the lower limit (V3), in both cases the controller 160, 360 may determine that the gate valve is malfunctioning.

[0047] Although a gate valve responding too slowly to a signal (V3) is sufficient reason to be determined to be abnormal, a gate valve responding too quickly to a signal (V2) is also determined to be abnormal, since synchronization of valve operation is one of the important factors in substrate processing with reactant gases or precursors.

[0048] The valve opening action may be used to determine whether the gate valve is normal or abnormal, but the valve closing action may also be used to determine whether the gate valve is normal.

[0049] Figures 4(a) and (b) show two different types of input from the input user interface 370. Figure 4(a) may be a text-based form and Figure 4(b) may be a graphic-based form for selecting which gate valves to monitor.

[0050] FIG. 2(a) shows a flow chart of a method for monitoring a gate valve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] First, the average operation time of the gate valve is calculated (200).

[0052] This calculation may include sending a valve on signal to the gate valve (201) after receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve (202). After receiving, counting the time elapsed between the time of sending and the time of receiving, and repeating this sending, receiving, and counting a predetermined number of times (preferably 10) to determine an average operation time of the gate valve (203).

[0053] After calculating the average operating time of the gate valve (200), parameters are set (210), which may include receiving parameters from a user interface (211) and storing the parameters in memory (212).

[0054] A measurement of the operating time may then be taken (220), which may include sending a valve on signal to the gate valve (221), receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve (222), counting the elapsed time between the valve on signal and the feedback signal, and determining (223) the elapsed time to be the operating time of the gate valve.

[0055] After measuring the operating time, it may be determined whether the gate valve is functioning properly based on the parameters (such as the effective range and the valve timeout) 230. This determination is made with the use of the graphs shown in Figures 5(a)-(c).

[0056] After the gate valve is determined to be normal or abnormal, the result is displayed (240), and this display is made on the display unit 380.

[0057] The valve on signal (gate valve open signal) and the valve off signal (gate valve closed signal) may be used in the calculations and measurements.

[0058] The above-described arrangements of the devices are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention and numerous other embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. The scope of the invention should therefore not be determined with reference to the above description but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 100 Substrate Processing System 110 Reaction Chamber 111 Gate valve 160 Controller

Claims

1. 1. A method for monitoring a gate valve in a semiconductor processing system, the method comprising: calculating an average operation time of the gate valve; Setting parameters; measuring an operation time of the gate valve; determining that the gate valve is abnormal if the operation time of the gate valve is not within a normal range based on the parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a state of the gate valve.

3. The setting, Receiving parameters from a user interface; The method of claim 1 , further comprising: storing the received parameters.

4. The calculating step comprises: sending a valve on signal to a gate valve; receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: counting an elapsed time between the valve-on signal and the feedback signal; and repeating the transmitting, receiving, and counting a predetermined number of times to determine an average operation time of the gate valve.

5. The measuring step comprises: sending a valve on signal to the gate valve; receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: counting an elapsed time between the valve-on signal and the feedback signal, and determining the elapsed time as an operation time of the gate valve.

6. 1. A semiconductor processing system comprising: A reaction chamber; a gate valve coupled to the reaction chamber; a controller operatively connected to the gate valve and configured to open and close the gate valve, the controller comprising: Calculating an average operation time of the gate valve; Set the parameters, Measure the operation time of the gate valve; and a controller further configured to determine that the gate valve is abnormal if the operation time of the gate valve is not within a normal range based on the parameter.

7. an input unit configured to receive an input from an operator; a display unit configured to display the state of the gate valve; the input unit and the display unit are coupled to the controller by wire or wirelessly; 7. The semiconductor processing system of claim 6, wherein said controller is further configured to display a status of said gate valve on said display unit.

8. the input unit is configured to receive input in textual or graphical form; The semiconductor processing system of claim 7 further configured to store the input in a memory.

9. The controller: sending a valve on signal to the gate valve; receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve; 7. The semiconductor processing system of claim 6, further configured to count the elapsed time between the valve-on signal and the feedback signal and repeat them a predetermined number of times to obtain an average operation time of the gate valve.

10. The controller: sending a valve on signal to the gate valve; receiving a feedback signal from the gate valve; 7. The semiconductor processing system of claim 6, further configured to count an elapsed time between said valve-on signal and said feedback signal, and determine said elapsed time to be an operation time of said gate valve.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions executable by a processor of a computer system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 5.

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