Solid precursor weight monitoring system, reactor system, and method of using the same

Abstract

To provide a precursor monitoring assembly for use in a reactor system that allows real-time and direct monitoring of raw material availability from a source vessel.SOLUTION: The assembly comprises one or more force sensors or load sensors, such as load cells, arranged between a bottom wall of an internal tray and an external wall (for instance, a bottom portion of a source vessel) and / or an outside of the source vessel. A signal conditioning component processes electrical output signals from the sensors, and then a controller processes the output signal from the signal conditioning component, for example by applying a conversion coefficient, to determine the present weight of raw material stored in the source vessel. The controller utilizes this weight to compute the available quantity of raw material or chemical within the source vessel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application is a regular patent application of, and claims priority to and benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 302,611, filed January 25, 2022, entitled "REACTOR SYSTEM WITH SOURCE VESSEL WEIGHT MONITORING," and a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority to and benefit of, U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 100,331, filed January 23, 2023, entitled "REACTOR SYSTEM WITH SOURCE VESSEL WEIGHT MONITORING," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor manufacturing methods and systems that use precursors or other raw materials stored in system source vessels, typically at elevated temperatures and over a wide range of pressures, including vacuum, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for monitoring the levels or quantities of raw materials, such as precursors, reactants, and the like, in solid, liquid, or gaseous form in the source vessels. [Background technology]

[0003] Deposition processing techniques, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and the like, are often used to form thin films of materials on substrates such as silicon wafers. In a CVD process, for example, gaseous molecules of the material to be deposited are supplied to a substrate to form a thin film of that material on the substrate through a chemical reaction. Such formed thin films may be polycrystalline, amorphous, or crystalline (e.g., epitaxial). Typically, ALD and CVD processes are performed at high temperatures to accelerate the chemical reaction and produce high-quality films, and deposition or process materials (e.g., precursors, reactants, and the like) may be provided to a reaction chamber via solid, liquid, or gaseous sources or through various chamber structures such as showerheads and the like.

[0004] During a deposition process, for example, deposition or raw materials that may be delivered to a substrate can be stored inside a temperature- and pressure-controlled source container inside a reactor system or tool, or the source container itself may be located in an enclosure (e.g., in a vacuum oven) at higher temperatures and a wide range of pressures. In some cases, the source container is stored in a source enclosure or cabinet (which may take the form of a vacuum oven in some cases) that is fluidly connected to or in communication with a reaction or processing chamber. For example, a solid source container may be used to provide precursor to a substrate (e.g., a wafer) on a substrate support or susceptor in a reaction chamber. During substrate processing, the precursor is consumed. When a source container becomes depleted or low on precursor (or other process material), the amount of vapor reaching the substrate can be affected, which can cause non-uniform deposition between substrate runs within a reactor system or even on a particular substrate. Such non-uniformity can lead to substrate scrapping, and batches of substrates may need to be re-run after the source container is refilled, which can reduce throughput.

[0005] Typical reactor systems do not provide any way to directly monitor how much chemical is available inside the source vessel at any given time. Currently, system operators may simply wait until no deposition or uneven deposition is observed to determine that the chemical source is depleted and requires refilling. In some cases, the amount of chemical being used is calculated based on a dosage pulse after a refill is performed, but errors in such calculations can lead to inaccuracies in this indirect source monitoring method. Thus, there remains a need for a direct measurement solution for monitoring the availability of raw material in the source vessel of a reactor system to prevent or mitigate dosage drift that can occur when precursor consumption is not monitored and / or drops below a certain level. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This Summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form. These concepts are described in more detail in the Detailed Description of Example Embodiments of the Disclosure below. This Summary is not necessarily 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 various embodiments, a source vessel weight monitoring assembly for use in a reactor system is disclosed herein to provide a real-time and direct measurement of the availability of source or process material from a source vessel. The assembly includes multiple sensors, such as load cells, positioned between the bottom wall of the source vessel (which in some implementations has a vessel support plate and a heater plate disposed between the bottom wall and the sensors) and a support element for the vessel (e.g., the base of a source vessel housing, which in some example systems may take the form of a vacuum oven). The sensors are positioned to at least partially support the vessel, and signal conditioning elements condition the electrical signals from the load cells. A controller processes the output signal from the signal conditioning elements, for example, using a conversion factor, to determine the current weight of the source vessel and the process material (e.g., solid, liquid, or gaseous precursors) stored therein. The controller uses this weight to calculate the amount of available process material or chemical in the source vessel and can report this amount to an operator of the reactor system to indicate the need for a source refill prior to any issues with scrap or deposition non-uniformity in the reactor chamber supplied by the source vessel.

[0008] In some exemplary embodiments herein, a reactor system adapted to monitor the availability of a feedstock is described. The system includes a reaction chamber, a feedstock housing (such as a vacuum oven), and a feedstock container positioned within the feedstock housing. The container includes an interior space adapted to receive a volume of raw material, and the interior space is fluidly connected to the reaction chamber. The system further includes a container weight monitoring assembly including a sensor assembly positioned within the feedstock housing operable to sense the weight of the feedstock container.

[0009] In some exemplary implementations of the system, the sensor assembly includes a plurality of force sensors positioned between the bottom wall of the source container and a support element of the source housing and supporting at least a portion of the weight of the source container. The one or more force sensors each output an electrical signal indicative of the force exerted by the source container on the one or more force sensors. In some cases, the force sensors include three load cells arranged in a circular pattern offset by 120 degrees, such that the force exerted on each of the three load cells is substantially equal. The system may also include a vessel base heater positioned between the bottom wall of the source container and the support element, and the force sensor may include a pneumatic load cell embedded within an outer surface of the vessel base heater.

[0010] The container weight monitoring assembly may further include a signal conditioning device for processing the signal of each of the one or more force sensors to calculate the weight of the raw material. Processing the signal may include amplifying the electrical signal from the load cell. The container weight monitoring assembly may further include a controller. The purpose or functionality of the controller is to apply a conversion factor to the weight of the raw material container and the overall measured or gross weight of the container, adapted to eliminate the supporting force exerted on the raw material container lid by the lid attachment hardware. The controller may be configured (or programmed) to generate at least one graphical user interface (GUI) within the display, including an image or text displaying the weight or an alarm based on a comparison of the weight to a refill alarm threshold. The lid attachment hardware may include at least one input line and at least one output line, each including at least one of a bellows, a coil gas line, or a hard gas line, to reduce the supporting force exerted on the lid. In the system, the interior space of the raw material housing has or can have an operating temperature greater than 150°C.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a reactor system adapted to monitor the availability of a feedstock is provided. The system includes a feedstock housing and a feedstock container positioned within an interior space of the feedstock housing. The feedstock container includes a bottom wall, a lid, and a sidewall defining an interior space for receiving process material. The system further includes one or more force sensors positioned within the interior space of the feedstock housing to at least partially support the feedstock container, and the plurality of force sensors each output a signal indicative of a force applied to the one or more force sensors. Signal conditioning elements are provided to condition electrical signals from the sensors. A controller is provided within the system that processes the signals output by the one or more force sensors to determine a weight of the process material.

[0012] In some embodiments of the system, the force sensor includes three load cells arranged in a pattern whereby the force on each of the three load cells is substantially equal. In other embodiments, the system includes a vessel base heater positioned between the bottom wall of the source vessel and the support element, and the one or more force sensors include a pneumatic load cell embedded within an outer surface of the vessel base heater.

[0013] Processing of the signal by the controller includes applying a conversion factor to the total measured or detected weight to account for the weight of the source container and the supporting force exerted by the lid attachment hardware on the source container lid. In some cases, the controller generates at least one graphical user interface (GUI) in the display that includes an image or text displaying the weight or an alarm based on a comparison of the weight to a refill alarm threshold. In these or other example systems, the lid attachment hardware includes at least one input line and at least one output line, each including at least one of a bellows and a coil, to reduce the supporting force on the lid.

[0014] According to a further aspect of the present specification, a method for monitoring the availability of raw material in a reactor system is described. The method includes receiving at least one signal, and typically multiple signals, from a set of force sensors positioned within the reactor system between a raw material container and a support element that vertically supports the raw material container. The method also includes converting the at least one signal into a weight measurement and calculating the weight of the raw material in the raw material container based on the weight measurement. In some cases, the volume of the precursor is determined using the density of the precursor using the formula volume = weight / density. This is useful when dealing with liquids, as the density of liquids changes with temperature, and the volume of the liquid inside the container can further be used to find the vapor pressure.

[0015] Calculating the weight can include applying a conversion factor to account for the weight of the ingredient container and the lifting force exerted on the ingredient container lid by the lid attachment hardware. In some implementations, the set of force sensors includes at least three load cells, each arranged to receive an equal or substantially equal (e.g., within 5%) percentage of the force exerted by the ingredient container on the set of force sensors. The method can further include generating a GUI having an image or text indicating the weight of the ingredient. Additionally, the method can include comparing the weight of the ingredient to a refill alarm setpoint and generating a refill alert based on the comparison.

[0016] According to various embodiments, a reactor system is disclosed herein that provides real-time and direct measurement of raw material availability from a source container. An exemplary system includes a reaction chamber, a source housing, and a source container positioned within the source housing. The source container can include an internal tray and an external wall configured to receive the internal tray. The internal tray can include a top surface having a recess adapted to receive a volume of the raw material and a bottom surface, the top surface being fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber. The recess can include a channel configured to hold a solid precursor. The reactor system also includes a solid precursor monitoring system, including a sensor assembly positioned between the bottom surface of the internal tray and the external wall. The sensor assembly includes a force sensor configured to measure a combined weight of the internal tray and the raw material. The force sensor is configured to output a signal indicative of the force applied by the sensor. In some embodiments, the source container may be subjected to high temperatures, and thus the force sensor includes a load cell configured to operate at temperatures between about 100°C and about 250°C. The source container further includes a lid and a lid attachment device. The lid attachment device includes an input line and an output line, and each of the input line and the output line includes a bellows or a coil.

[0017] The solid precursor monitoring system may further include a controller configured to receive and process signals from the force sensor and calculate the weight of the raw material according to the signals. The controller may apply a conversion factor to the combined weight to calculate the weight of the raw material. The controller may generate an indicator based on a comparison of the weight of the raw material with a minimum threshold value and may trigger various actions based on the indicator, the minimum threshold value being a weight indicating a depleted raw material that is desirable to be refilled and / or below a desired amount. Additionally, the controller may be configured to control the temperature of the raw material container at an operating temperature above 150°C.

[0018] In some exemplary embodiments, a solid precursor monitoring system adapted to monitor the availability of a solid precursor is described. The system includes a source enclosure (e.g., a vacuum oven) and a source container positioned within the source enclosure. The container includes an inner tray adapted to receive a volume of raw material and an outer wall of the source container configured to receive the inner tray. The system further includes a force sensor positioned adjacent to and in contact with a bottom wall of the inner tray and an outer wall of the source container, the force sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a force applied to the force sensor. In some embodiments, the source container may be subjected to high temperatures. The force sensor may include a load cell configured to operate at a temperature of about 100°C to about 250°C. The source container may further include a lid and a lid attachment device. The lid attachment device includes an input line and an output line, each of the input line and the output line including a bellows or a coil.

[0019] The solid precursor monitoring system may further include a controller configured to process the signal to calculate a weight of the raw material. The controller may be configured to apply a conversion factor to the combined weight of the inner tray and the raw material to determine the amount of raw material. The controller may generate an indicator indicative of the amount of raw material in the system and may trigger various actions based on the indicator.

[0020] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method for monitoring the availability of raw materials in a reactor system is described. The method includes receiving a signal from a force sensor positioned between a bottom surface of an internal tray of a raw material container in the reactor system and an external wall of the raw material container. The method also includes calculating, by a controller, a weight of the raw material in the internal tray of the raw material container. In some cases, calculating, by the controller, includes applying a conversion factor to the calculated combined weight of the raw material container and the raw material. Additionally, the method may include comparing, by the controller, the weight of the raw material to a minimum threshold value and generating, by the controller, a refill alert based on the comparison. This may be particularly useful when working with liquids, since the density of liquid raw materials changes with temperature and the volume of liquid inside the container can further be used to determine vapor pressure. The force sensor may include a load cell configured to operate at temperatures between about 100°C and about 250°C.

[0021] All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure. These and other embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments, which refer to the accompanying drawings, and the present disclosure is not limited to any particular embodiment discussed.

[0022] While this specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming what are regarded as embodiments of the present disclosure, the advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure may be more readily ascertained from the description of certain specific examples of embodiments of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like element numbering throughout the drawings indicates identical elements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary reactor system of the present description having a vessel weight monitoring assembly operable to monitor raw material availability based on vessel weight measurements. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates the general design and operation of a vessel weight monitoring assembly that may be used in the reactor system of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a portion of a reactor system including one exemplary implementation of a sensor assembly of the vessel weight monitoring assembly of the present description. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom view of the reactor system of FIG. 3 showing the positioning of the three load sensors of the sensor assembly relative to the outer surface of the vessel bottom support plate. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 provides graphical results of three calibration runs for a sensor assembly used to determine the weight of a source material or process material in a source container. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates another portion of a reactor system, including another exemplary implementation of a sensor assembly at least partially embedded within a vessel base heater. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary feedstock or process material availability monitoring method that may be implemented by operation of the reactor system described in FIGS. 1-6 based on direct vessel weight measurements. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary reactor system of the present description having a solid precursor weight monitoring assembly operable to monitor feedstock availability based on internal tray weight measurements. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows an isometric view of an ingredient container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows an isometric view of a portion of an ingredient container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of an ingredient container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of an exemplary raw material availability monitoring method that may be implemented by operation of the reactor system described in FIGS. 1-6 based on direct internal tray weight measurements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] While certain specific embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the present disclosure, and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof, and therefore it is not intended that the scope of the present disclosure should be limited by the specific embodiments described herein.

[0025] The illustrations presented herein are not intended to be actual representations of any particular materials, apparatus, structures, or devices, but are merely representations used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] As used herein, the term "chemical vapor deposition" (CVD) may refer to any process in which a substrate is exposed to one or more volatile precursors that react and / or decompose on the substrate surface to produce a desired deposit.

[0027] As used herein, the term "atomic layer deposition" (ALD) may refer to a vapor deposition process in which deposition cycles, preferably multiple consecutive deposition cycles, are performed in a process chamber. Typically, during each cycle, a precursor is chemisorbed to a deposition surface (e.g., a substrate surface or a previously deposited underlying surface (e.g., material from a previous ALD cycle)) to form a monolayer or quasi-monolayer that does not readily react with additional precursors (i.e., a self-limiting reaction). If desired, a reactant (e.g., another precursor or reactant gas) may then be introduced into the process chamber for use in converting the chemisorbed precursor to the desired material on the deposition surface. Typically, this reactant can further react with the precursor. Additionally, a purge step may also be utilized during each cycle to remove excess precursor from the process chamber after conversion of the chemisorbed precursor and / or to remove excess reactants and / or reaction by-products from the process chamber. Additionally, as used herein, the term atomic layer deposition is also meant to include processes designated by related terms, such as chemical vapor deposition atomic layer deposition, atomic layer epitaxy (ALE), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), gas source MBE, or metalorganic MBE, as well as chemical beam epitaxy when carried out using alternating pulses of precursor compositions, reactive gases, and purge (e.g., inert carrier) gases.

[0028] As described in more detail below, various details and embodiments of the present disclosure may be utilized in conjunction with processes performed in a reactor system, e.g., a semiconductor manufacturing system, to monitor the amount of raw material available for a reaction or process chamber. A "process" may include nearly anything typically performed in such a reactor system, such as deposition, etching, purging, and the like, which may be performed during ALD, CVD, and other processes on a substrate (e.g., a wafer). A "raw material" may be provided to the reaction chamber from a source container, which may be in solid, liquid, or gaseous form, and may include precursors, reactants, and the like, used during a process performed during operation of the reactor system.

[0029] Reactor systems with methods based on direct measurement may provide the ability to monitor the availability of raw materials in source vessels. Consequently, various embodiments of the present technology disclose reactor systems that include a solid precursor weight monitoring assembly. Exemplary assemblies can be configured to directly monitor the weight of raw materials in the source vessels and, in response, provide updates to a system operator or user about the amount of available chemical or raw material / feedstock in the source vessels, as described in detail below, and / or perform other functions, such as automatically cooling or allowing the source vessels to cool, stopping processing, or the like. This information can be used to plan refill sequences for the source vessels, thereby preventing substrate waste and / or extended equipment downtime. In various embodiments, the source vessels may be located in a source enclosure, such as a vacuum oven, with high operating temperatures (e.g., above 150-200°C, or in some cases above 300°C) and low operating pressures (e.g., below atmospheric pressure).

[0030] 1 is a functional block diagram of a reactor system 100 herein having a vessel weight monitoring assembly 150 operable to monitor source availability based on vessel weight measurements (e.g., via calculation of the amount of process material or raw material, such as a solid precursor or the like 129, in a source vessel 120). While system 100 is shown in simplified form, one skilled in the art will understand that additional components may be included, such as other source vessels 120, gas or material distribution systems, system controllers, and the like, as may be useful for conducting ALD, CVD, or other semiconductor or manufacturing processes.

[0031] As shown, system 100 includes a vessel housing 110 used to house source vessel 120. Housing 110 may be configured, such as in a vacuum oven, to heat vessel 120, such as to a temperature in the range of 150-300°C or higher, and to maintain an interior space 112 in which vessel 120 is placed at a desired pressure, such as below atmospheric pressure. Source vessel 120 includes an interior space 128 adapted to receive and contain a quantity of process or source material 129, and this space 128 is defined by a side wall 122, a bottom wall 124, and a vessel lid 126, all of which may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum, steel, or the like, to facilitate efficient heat transfer to material 129.

[0032] The vessel housing 110 includes a support element 114 for supporting (vertically) the vessel 120 within the interior space 112, and in some embodiments, an additional support plate (not shown in FIG. 1 but shown in FIG. 3) may be disposed between the support element 114 and the lower or outer surface of the bottom wall 124 to hold the vessel 120 at a height above the support element 114 (e.g., at a distance of 10-30 mm or the like, or the like). The system 100 further includes a set of lid attachment hardware 130 including one or more outlet tubes or pipes 132 for fluidly connecting the space 128 with a reaction chamber interior space 142 to facilitate delivery of process material (e.g., precursor) 129 to the reaction chamber 140, as indicated by arrow 134, during processing operations of the system 100. In this regard, the reaction chamber 140 includes a substrate support or susceptor 144 for supporting a substrate (eg, a wafer) 146 within an interior volume 142 of the chamber 140 that is exposed to the process material 129 .

[0033] In practice, the weight of the vessel 120 is supported by the support elements 114 of the housing 110 and, to some extent, by the lid mounting hardware 130, as indicated by arrow F1. In addition to the outlet piping 132, the lid mounting hardware 130 may include inlet piping, sensor lines, and the like. In some embodiments, the outlet piping 132 (and / or inlet piping), as well as other lid mounting hardware 130, may be designed to provide less vertical support to the vessel 120, thereby allowing a greater portion of the vessel 120's weight to be supported by the support elements 114, facilitating direct measurement of the vessel weight. Briefly, the hardware 130, such as the lines 132, may be bellows, coiled gas lines, or hard gas lines, or the like, so as to impose minimal lifting forces on the lid 126 and / or vessel 120.

[0034] To provide direct measurement and monitoring of the amount of process material 129 within the vessel 120, the system 100 includes a vessel weight monitoring assembly 150. The assembly 150 includes a sensor assembly 152 positioned at least partially within the interior space 112 of the enclosure 110. In particular, the assembly includes one, two, three, or more force or load sensors 154, 156, e.g., load cells or the like, positioned or disposed between the bottom wall 124 of the vessel 120 (and, in some cases, a support plate attached to the bottom wall 124, as shown in FIG. 3 ) and the upper surface of the support element 114. The force sensors 154, 156 measure the total weight of the vessel 120 (and, if desired, the weight of a heater plate and vessel plate (not shown, but included in various embodiments of the vessel enclosure 110)), reduced by a lifting or vertical upward force applied to the vessel lid 126 by the lid mounting hardware 130, and (denoted by arrows F2-F3). N120) to support the feed or process material 129. To this end, the force sensors 154, 156 are devices designed to convert an applied mechanical force, such as a compressive force, into an output signal 157 whose value can be used to reflect the magnitude of the force (or the weight of the vessel 120).

[0035] As shown, signals 157 output by force sensors 154, 156 are first transmitted (wired or wirelessly) to signal conditioning elements 158 (in many cases, with one provided for each load cell or sensor 154, 156) to generate conditioned signals 159 that are provided to a controller 160 of the monitoring assembly 150. The signal conditioning elements 158 condition the electrical signals from each load cell or other sensor 154, 156, such as by amplifying the electrical signals from the load cells. The controller 160 may take the form of nearly any computing device and is shown to include a processor 162 that manages the operation of input / output (I / O) devices 164 that function to receive the signals 157 output by the sensors 154, 156. The processor 162 executes code, instructions, and / or software (which may reside in memory / data storage 180) to provide the functionality of the weight monitoring module 170. The processor 162 also manages memory 180, as indicated at 182, including storing and accessing the signals 157.

[0036] Module 170 operates to process the received load signal 182, including applying a conversion factor 184 from memory 180 to calculate the current container and ingredient weight 186. Briefly, the conversion factor 184 converts the sensed forces F to F NThe conversion coefficients 184, which may also include an algorithm, are generated through testing and calibrating the sensors 154, 156 to convert a signal 182 indicative of force, F1, into units of force or load (e.g., grams). The conversion coefficients 184, which may also include an algorithm, first convert the force, F1, exerted by the lid attachment hardware 130 (and / or other components in the space 112 that contact the container 120) into the sensed forces, F2 through F3. N , which may be used by module 170 to determine the overall weight or total weight of container 120 and material 129 stored therein by adding to, and then subtracting the known empty weight of container 120 to determine the amount of material 129.

[0037] Using the calculated on-hand raw material or process material weight 186, module 170 can determine whether a refill is required. Module 170 may read a refill alarm set point 188 (e.g., a minimum amount or weight of material 129 in vessel 120 desired for further processing by system 100, such as 100 grams for some vessel designs and some specific process materials 129) and compare this to the calculated weight or amount 186 of material 129 in source vessel 120. When source weight 186 is at or below set point 188, module 172 may provide an alarm or other suitable indicator to an operator of system 100, such as an audible alarm, a visual alarm, a digital message to a client device, and / or via other messaging process.

[0038] In this regard, the weight monitoring assembly 170 may include a graphical user interface (GUI) generator 172 adapted to generate and display a weight monitoring GUI 192 on a display 190 (or an operator's client device). The weight monitoring GUI 192 may include images and / or text messaging showing information useful in monitoring the feed or process material 129 and its availability, and the displayed information may include the current amount of material 129 as measured directly by the assembly 150 (e.g., using a display similar to an automobile's speedometer or the like), along with a refill alarm set point 188. The information displayed within the GUI 192 may also include an indicator that the calculated feed amount 186 is at or below (or has not yet reached) the set point 188, such as a red light when a refill is indicated, a green light when a refill is indicated (and, in some cases, a yellow light when a refill will be desirable in the near future), etc.

[0039] 2 schematically illustrates the design and operation of a vessel weight monitoring assembly 200, such as may be used as assembly 150 in reactor system 100 of FIG. 1. Assembly 200 includes three load sensors 230 positioned between the bottom wall of vessel 214 and support element 212 (e.g., the bottom wall of a source housing). Assembly 200 further includes bellows, coiled gas lines, or hard gas lines or the like 220 (input / output lines that are part of the lid mounting hardware) for inputting material during refilling or outputting material during wafer / substrate processing via valves 222 connected to the lid of vessel 214. Bellows lines 220 are each shown connected at their lower ends to one of valves 222 (and the lid of vessel 214) and at their upper ends to upper support element 210 (e.g., the top wall of a source housing). Line 220 applies a lifting or upward support force, W1, to vessel 214, which is reduced in size by the use of bellows (or coils / loops) in line 220 when compared to the rigid conventional lines (which are typically hard piping) found in many reactor systems, and such reduction is desirable for increasing the accuracy of the weight measurement of vessel 214 via load sensor 230.

[0040] Assembly 200 is useful for directly monitoring changes in the total weight of a source (e.g., precursor) container 214 using load sensor 230 as the weight changes during consumption of the source (e.g., precursor, such as HFCl4 or the like). Load sensor 230 may be positioned within an enclosure (e.g., a vacuum oven or the like) on the container 214 (its bottom wall) or beneath a support plate or frame holding the container 214. Electrical wiring 240, e.g., electrical wiring compatible with the high temperatures within the container housing 110, is used to communicatively link each sensor 230 to a signal conditioning device or element 246 via a vacuum electrical feedthrough 244 (e.g., a feedthrough compatible with the high temperatures within the housing 110) in the housing 110 or its wall. Signal conditioning device 246 conditions the electrical signal from each load sensor 230 (e.g., by applying a conversion factor) as discussed above before the conditioned signal is provided to tool I / O 250 (e.g., I / O 164 in FIG. 1 for controller 160).

[0041] The weight is divided proportionally across the supports as shown by the arrows, W1 through W4, where W1 represents the load carried by the line 220 (and / or other hardware within the enclosure) and W2, W3, and W4 represent the loads carried and sensed by the load sensor 230. The total load is the vessel weight plus the weight W of the precursor / raw material in the vessel 214. x and the change in the sum of weights (or sensed loads) W2, W3, and W4 is proportional to the change in weight of the source or process material, so that a conversion factor (e.g., a numerical model correlating the change in precursor weight to the change in this sum of sensed forces / loads) can be determined through testing and calibration and then applied to the measurements for these forces / loads to calculate the source or process material weight in vessel 214.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a portion of a reactor system 300 including one exemplary implementation of a sensor assembly of the presently described vessel weight monitoring assembly. As shown, a source vessel 310 is provided within the interior space of an enclosure (e.g., a vacuum oven) that includes a support element or bottom 320 on which the vessel 310 is vertically supported. The vessel 310 includes a side wall 312, a lid or top wall 314, and a bottom wall 316, which together define an interior space configured or adapted to receive a quantity of source or process material (e.g., precursor or the like). The system 300 also includes hardware 318 attached to the lid 314, which applies some upward force to the vessel 310 such that the full weight of the vessel 310 is not supported by the support element 320 (and needs to be taken into account in calculating the source weight, as discussed above with reference to FIG. 2).

[0043] The container 310 in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3 is mounted on a support plate or frame 324 within the enclosure, and the sensor assembly includes three force sensors in the form of load cells. One of these load cells 330 is visible in FIG. 3 and is shown positioned or disposed between the bottom wall 316 of the container 310 and the top surface of the enclosure support element 320. More specifically, the load cell 330 is affixed or mounted to the bottom surface of the support plate or frame 324, which abuts the bottom wall 316 of the container 310. In this arrangement, all of the weight of the container 310, except for that borne by the lid mounting hardware 318, is supported by the load sensors, including the load cell 330. In some cases, the pneumatic lines are coil- or bellow-type, which attempt to ensure that the container floats or nearly floats above the load cell 330. Additional design aspects may include the heater cable (which may be part of hardware 318 but is not shown in detail in FIG. 3) being flexible and the valve plate (which may in some cases be part of hardware 318 but is not shown in detail in FIG. 3) not being supported by the vessel 310.

[0044] 4 is a schematic bottom view of the reactor system 300 of FIG. 3 showing the positioning of the three load sensors 330, 432, 434 of the sensor assembly relative to the outer surface 425 of the vessel bottom support plate or frame 324. The sensor assembly may be implemented using one, two, or four or more load cells. Using three is useful in some implementations because this number can be easily positioned in a circular pattern to evenly or substantially evenly balance the load (e.g., with an equal portion of the vessel and ingredient weight loaded on each load sensor 330, 432, 434). As shown, the load sensors 330, 432, 434 are spaced equally from the plate center 427 for all three and about the plate radius R such that the sensors 330, 432, 434 are near the perimeter or outer edge of the plate 324. Bottom Relatively close to the size of d sensor The sensors 330, 432, 434 are positioned in a circular pattern around the outer edge of the plate 324 so that they are radially separated by a matching angle θ of 120 degrees.

[0045] A variety of sensors may be used for sensors 330, 432, 434. In some cases, vertical spacing may limit sensor selection, with one exemplary implementation requiring each sensor to have an overall vertical height of approximately 15 mm (which may be the thickness of the sensor plus the height of the sensor mounting fasteners used to mount the sensor to the bottom of a support element or housing). Sensors may also be used in higher temperature applications, such as temperatures greater than 200°C, 250°C, or 300°C, and the sensor's operating range should meet or exceed the expected operating temperature. In various embodiments, the system may incorporate any suitable load sensor or cell, such as a 30 N load sensor with an operating range of 200°C, a 100 N load sensor with an operating range of 200°C, or the like. Modifications to the communication lines from such sensors may be desirable to accommodate specific applications, such as the environment inside a vacuum oven.

[0046] Figure 5 provides graphical results 500 of three calibration runs for a sensor assembly with three load sensors (as shown in Figures 3 and 4) used to determine the weight of source or process material in a source vessel. Graph 510 shows the results of a calibration run with no lines connected to the vessel other than the heater lines, graph 520 shows the results of a calibration run with all hard lines (e.g., lid mounting hardware) connected to the vessel lid, and graph 530 shows the results of a calibration run with a modified gas line (a bellows combined with a coil) connected to the vessel lid. Testing involved zeroing the vessel weight and loading and unloading a known amount of weight to provide a measurement of the precursor / process material. The repeatability and accuracy of the load sensors were within acceptable limits, and the heater lines were shown not to affect the results. Using flexible input and output lines is desirable to provide a reading close to that of the process material.

[0047] 6 illustrates another portion of a reactor system, including another exemplary implementation of a sensor assembly at least partially embedded within a vessel base heater. Specifically, vessel base heater 610 is shown modified to include load cell 620 inside heater surface 611. Force sensor 620 may be selected to have the ability to withstand high temperatures, such as 300° C. or higher.

[0048] A single load sensor 620 is shown, which may take the form of a pneumatic or pan-type load cell. Specifically, the sensor 620 may include a source of pressurized air or gas supplied to a chamber inside the load cell through a pressure regulator. A flexible diaphragm is compressed when a compressive force (e.g., the weight of a vessel containing raw or process materials) is applied to the top surface of the load cell. A pressure gauge measures the resulting air pressure from the applied weight / compressive force, and the amount of pressure required to balance the weight of the object being measured can be used to determine weight. The sensed pressure is converted into an electrical signal that is communicated to a controller for conversion to weight (as discussed with reference to FIG. 1) and for use in calculating the current weight of material in the vessel supported by the base heater 610.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an exemplary method 700 for monitoring the availability of a feedstock material or process material, which may be implemented by operation of the reactor system described in FIGS. 1-6 based on direct vessel weight measurements. Method 700 begins, at 705, with installing a vessel weight monitoring assembly (such as assembly 150 of FIG. 1) within the reactor system, including providing a sensor assembly within the feedstock vessel housing. Method 700 then continues, at 710, with receiving an output signal from one or more sensors of the sensor assembly, which operate to sense a change in the weight of the feedstock vessel. In step 720, the electrical signal from the sensor is converted, such as by a controller or by a conversion module / device, into a weight (or force) measured relative to the feedstock vessel containing a volume of the feedstock material or process material. Method 700 continues, at 730, with the controller using the weight monitoring module to calculate the current weight (or amount) of the feedstock material or process material within the feedstock vessel based on the vessel weight of step 720.

[0050] At step 740, a determination is made (e.g., by the monitoring assembly controller) whether the weight calculated at step 730 is below a refill alarm threshold (e.g., whether the weight of the material is below 100 grams, or the like). If not, method 700 may continue at step 750 by updating a user interface displayed on a display device (e.g., a computer monitor, a client device display, or the like) to the system operator to reflect the current material weight. Method 700 may then continue at 710 by receiving an additional signal from the sensor assembly. If at 740 it is determined that the material weight is below the threshold, method 700 may continue with the controller generating a refill alert or alarm at 760, which may involve providing a red indicator light on a user interface on the operator's display, which may involve providing an audible alarm, and / or which may involve generating and sending an alert message to the operator (e.g., sending an email, text message, or the like to the operator's client device). The method 700 may then end at 790, such as after the container has been refilled.

[0051] In various embodiments of the present description, the force sensor may be implemented using a compact, stainless steel, single-point, strain gauge-based load cell that may have a range of 0 to 100 N. The load cell may be mounted beneath the precursor container to allow direct measurement of precursor and container weight in real time. In some cases, three load sensors are mounted directly beneath the container holding plate and evenly positioned at a 120-degree angle. Then, during operation, the total measured weight will be the sum of all three load sensor readings. The load cell weight measurement response is linear after each container change.

[0052] In practice, hard gas lines affect the actual weight measurement of the load cell by a constant factor. The constant factor depends on the stiffness of the line. The constant factor typically does not change unless the vessel and gas line are physically contacted or modified. Generally, load cell readings are not affected by steady-state vacuum. Load cells selected to act as force sensors are often compatible with high-temperature environments, such as those with temperatures up to 225°C, where the wire material is a design limitation.

[0053] The operation of the weight monitoring assembly involves receiving electrical signals from the load cells and using a signal conditioning divider for each load cell to condition the electrical signal coming from each load cell. A processor implementing an algorithm then converts the conditioned signal into a weight value using a calibration coefficient generated for each load cell. The weight value measured by the load cell is then compared to a predefined threshold value for the container. An alarm is then generated if the weight is below the threshold; otherwise, the display and user interface are updated based on the measured weight.

[0054] 8 is a functional block diagram of a reactor system 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure having a solid precursor monitoring assembly 850 operable to monitor source availability based on internal tray measurements (e.g., via calculation of the amount of process material or raw material, such as a solid precursor or the like 829, in a source vessel 820). While reactor system 800 is shown in simplified form, one skilled in the art will understand that additional components may be included, such as other source vessels 820, gas or material distribution systems, system controllers, and the like, as may be useful for conducting an ALD, CVD, or other semiconductor or manufacturing process.

[0055] As shown, reactor system 800 includes a source housing 810 used to house source vessel 820. Source housing 810 may be configured as a vacuum oven for heating source vessel 820, such as to a temperature in the range of 150-300°C or higher, and for maintaining an interior space 812 in which source vessel 820 is placed at a desired pressure, such as below atmospheric pressure. Source vessel 820 includes an exterior wall 823 and an interior tray 828 adapted to receive and contain a quantity of process or raw material 829, which interior tray 828 is defined by sidewalls 822, a bottom 824, and a vessel lid 826, all of which may be formed from a metal, such as aluminum, steel, or the like, to facilitate efficient heat transfer to source vessel 829.

[0056] Reactor system 800 further includes a set of lid mounting hardware 830 including one or more outlet tubes or pipes 832 for fluidly connecting inner tray 828 with a reaction chamber inner volume 842 to facilitate delivery of raw material (e.g., precursor) 829 to reaction chamber 840, as indicated by arrow 834, during processing operations of reactor system 800. In this regard, reaction chamber 840 includes a substrate support or susceptor 844 for supporting a substrate (e.g., wafer) 846 within reaction chamber inner volume 842 of reaction chamber 840 that is exposed to raw material 829.

[0057] In addition to the outlet piping 832, the lid mounting hardware 830 may include inlet piping, sensor lines, and the like. In some embodiments, the outlet piping 832 (and / or inlet piping) and other lid mounting hardware 830 may be designed to provide some vertical support for the source vessel 820. Briefly, the lid mounting hardware 830, such as line 832, may be a bellows, coiled gas line, or hard gas line, or the like, which can exert only minimal lifting force on the vessel lid 826 and / or source vessel 820.

[0058] To provide direct measurement and monitoring of the amount of raw material 829 within the source vessel 820, the reactor system 800 includes a solid precursor monitoring assembly 850. The solid precursor monitoring assembly 850 includes a sensor assembly 852 positioned between the bottom surface 824 and the exterior wall 823 of the interior tray 828. In particular, the sensor assembly 852 includes one or more force or load sensors 854, 856, e.g., load cells, or the like, positioned or disposed between the bottom surface 824 and the exterior wall 823 of the interior tray 828. The load sensors 854, 856 are positioned to support the total weight of the interior tray 828 and raw material 829 (indicated by arrows F8-F9). N To this end, the load sensors 854, 856 are devices designed to convert an applied mechanical force (such as a compressive force) into an output signal 857 whose value can be used to reflect the magnitude of the force (or the weight of the inner tray 828). In various embodiments, the sensor assembly 852 can include up to four force sensors.

[0059] As shown, signals 857 output by load sensors 854, 856 are first transmitted (wired or wirelessly) via vacuum electrical feedthroughs 843 in the wall of source housing 810 to signal conditioning elements 858 (in many cases, with one provided for each load cell or sensor 854, 856) to generate conditioned signals 859 that are provided to controller 860 of solid precursor monitoring assembly 850. Signal conditioning elements 858 condition the electrical signals from each load cell or other sensors 854, 856, such as by amplifying the electrical signals from the load cells. Controller 860 may take the form of nearly any computing device and is shown to include processor 862 that manages the operation of input / output (I / O) devices 864 that function to receive signals 857 output by sensors 854, 856. Processor 862 executes code, instructions, and / or software (which may be in memory / data storage 880) to provide the functionality of weight monitoring module 870. The processor 862 also manages memory storage 880 , including storing and accessing the signal 857 , as shown at 882 .

[0060] The weight monitoring module 870 operates to process the received load signal 882, including applying a conversion factor 880 from memory 882 to calculate the current inner tray and ingredient weight 886. Briefly, the conversion factor 884 converts the sensed forces F1-F N A signal 882 indicative of load 829 is generated through testing and calibrating sensors 854, 856 to convert the signal 882 into units of force or load (e.g., grams). A conversion factor 884, which may include an algorithm, may also be used by weight monitoring module 870 to first determine the overall or total weight of inner tray 828 and ingredients 829 stored in inner tray 828, and then determine the amount of ingredients 829 by subtracting the known weight of inner tray 828 when empty.

[0061] Using the calculated raw material weight on hand 886, the weight monitoring module 870 can determine whether a refill is desirable or required. The weight monitoring module 870 may retrieve a refill alarm set point 888 (e.g., a minimum threshold of raw material 829 desired in the internal tray 828 for further processing by the reactor system 800, such as 100 grams for some vessel designs and some specific raw material 829) and compare this to the calculated raw material weight 886 of the raw material 829 currently in the internal tray 828. When the calculated raw material weight 886 is at or below the set point 888, the weight monitoring module 870 may provide an alarm or other suitable indicator to an operator of the reactor system 800, such as via an audible alarm, a visual alarm, a digital message to a client device, and / or other messaging process, and / or perform other functions as noted herein.

[0062] In this regard, the weight monitoring module 870 may include a graphical user interface (GUI) generator 872 adapted to generate and display a weight monitoring GUI 892 on a display 890 (or operator client device). The weight monitoring GUI 892 may include images and / or text messaging showing information useful in monitoring the raw material 829 and its availability, and the displayed information may include the current amount of raw material 829 as measured directly by the assembly 850 (e.g., using a display similar to an automobile speedometer or the like), along with a refill alarm set point 888. The information displayed within the weight monitoring GUI 892 may also include an indicator that the calculated raw material weight 886 is at or below (or has not yet reached) the set point 888, such as a red light when a refill is indicated, a green light when a refill is indicated (and, in some cases, a yellow light when a refill will be desirable in the near future).

[0063] 9 shows a source vessel 900 such as may be used as source vessel 820 in reactor system 800 of FIG. 8. Source vessel 900 includes an exterior wall 902 (such as exterior wall 823) and a lid 904 (such as vessel lid 826). Lid 904 may include lid mounting hardware 906 (such as lid mounting hardware 830). Lid mounting hardware 906 further includes a bellows, coiled gas line, or hard gas line or the like (input / output lines that are part of the lid mounting hardware) for inputting material via a valve 908 coupled to the lid 904 of source vessel 900 and outputting material during substrate processing.

[0064] 10 and 11 further illustrate isometric and cross-sectional views, respectively, of the source container 900 without the lid 904. The source container 900 is useful for directly monitoring the change in the total weight of the raw material (e.g., precursor) using a load sensor 1102 (such as load sensors 854 and 856) as the weight changes during consumption of the raw material (e.g., precursor, such as HFCl4 or the like) by the reactor system. The load sensor 1102 may be positioned below the internal tray 1002 (such as internal tray 828) in contact with the bottom surface 1104 and the external wall 902 of the internal tray 1002. The internal tray 1002 includes an upper surface 1004 having a recess 1006 adapted to receive a volume of raw material. The recess 1006 includes a channel 1008 configured to hold the solid precursor or raw material. The channel 1008 may be a serpentine path. When the lid 904 is coupled to the top surface of the exterior wall 1010, the top surface 1004 and the recess 1006 are fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber to deliver the raw materials to the reactor system. The interior tray 1002 also includes a bottom surface 1104 of the interior tray 1002.

[0065] In various embodiments, the source container 900 can include different arrangements of load sensors; for example, there may be one, two, three, or four load sensors 1102 disposed between the bottom surface 1104 of the inner tray and the outer wall 902. Electrical wiring 1106, e.g., electrical wiring compatible with the high temperatures within the source container 900 and the source housing 810, is used to communicatively link each sensor 1102 to a signal conditioning device or element (such as signal conditioning element 858) via a vacuum electrical feedthrough 1108 in the source housing 810 or its wall (e.g., a feedthrough compatible with the high temperatures within the source housing 810). The signal conditioning device conditions the electrical signal from each load sensor 1102 (such as by applying a conversion factor) as discussed above before the conditioned signal is provided to the tool I / O (such as I / O device 864 in FIG. 8 for controller 860).

[0066] The weight may be divided proportionally across each load sensor 1102. Thus, the total load may be equal to the inner tray weight plus the weight Wx of the precursors / raw materials in the inner tray 1002, and the change in the sum of weights (or sensed loads) W1 through WN is proportional to the change in weight of the raw materials, such that a conversion factor (e.g., a numerical model correlating the change in precursor weight to the change in this sum of sensed forces / loads) can be determined through testing and calibration and then applied to the measurements of these forces / loads to calculate the weight of the raw materials in the inner tray 1002.

[0067] The sensor 1102 may also be configured for use in higher temperature applications, such as temperatures greater than 200°C, 250°C, or 300°C, and the operating range of the sensor 1102 should meet or exceed the expected operating temperature. In various embodiments, the system may incorporate any suitable load sensor or cell, such as a 30 N load sensor with an operating range of 200°C, a 100 N load sensor with an operating range of 200°C, or the like. Modifications to the communication lines from such sensors may be desirable to suit particular applications, such as the environment inside a vacuum oven.

[0068] 12 is a flow chart of an exemplary solid feedstock monitoring method 1200 that may be implemented by operation of the reactor system described in connection with FIGS. 8-11 based on direct internal tray weight measurements. Method 1200 begins at 1205, such as by installing a solid precursor monitoring assembly (such as assembly 850 in FIG. 8 ) within the reactor system, including providing a sensor assembly between the bottom of the internal tray (such as bottom surface 1104 of internal tray 1002) and the external wall of the source vessel (such as the external wall of source vessel 902). Method 1200 then continues at 1210 by receiving an output signal from one or more sensors of the sensor assembly that operate to sense a change in weight of the internal tray of the source vessel. In step 1220, the electrical signal from the sensor is converted, such as by a controller or by a conversion module / device, into a weight (or force) measured against the internal tray of the source vessel containing a volume of raw material. The method 1200 continues at 1230 with the controller using the weight monitoring module to calculate the current weight (or amount) of the ingredient in the ingredient container based on the inner tray weight of step 1220 .

[0069] At step 1240, a determination is made (e.g., by the monitoring assembly controller) whether the weight calculated at step 1230 is below a refill alarm threshold (e.g., whether the weight of the material is below 100 grams, or the like). If not, method 1200 may continue at step 1250 by updating a user interface displayed on a display device (e.g., a computer monitor, a client device display, or the like) to the system operator to reflect the current raw material weight. Method 1200 may then continue at 1210 by receiving an additional signal from the sensor assembly. If at 1240 it is determined that the material weight is below the threshold, method 1200 may continue with the controller generating a refill alert or alarm at 1260, which may involve providing a red indicator light on a user interface on the operator's display, which may involve providing an audible alarm, and / or which may involve generating and sending an alert message to the operator (e.g., sending an email, text message, or the like to the operator's client device). The method 1200 may then end at 1290, such as until after the container has been refilled. Once the ingredient container has been refilled, the method 1200 restarts at step 1210.

[0070] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems with respect to specific embodiments are described herein. However, such benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that cause or make such benefits, advantages, or solutions more noticeable are not construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the present disclosure.

[0071] References throughout this specification to any feature, advantage, or similar language do not imply that all features and advantages that may be realized in the present disclosure are or should be attributed to any single embodiment of the present invention. Rather, references to features and advantages are to be construed as meaning that the particular feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with one embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed herein. Thus, references throughout this specification to multiple features and advantages or similar language may, but do not necessarily, refer to one and the same embodiment.

[0072] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the present disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the subject matter of the present application may be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other cases, additional features and advantages may be embodied in a particular embodiment that may not be present in all embodiments of the present disclosure. Moreover, in some cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations may not be shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the subject matter of the present disclosure. No claim element is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for."

[0073] The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by anything other than the appended claims, in which references to elements in the singular are not intended to mean "one and only one" unless expressly stated so, but rather "one or more." It should be understood that references to "a," "an," and / or "the" may include one or more, and references to a singular item may also include the plural, unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the term "plurality" can be defined as "at least two." As used herein, the phrase "at least one of," when used in conjunction with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and that only one of the listed items may be required. An item may be a specific object, thing, or category. Furthermore, when phrases similar to "at least one of A, B, and C" are used in the claims, the phrase is intended to be interpreted to mean that A alone can be present in an embodiment, that B alone can be present in an embodiment, that C alone can be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of elements A, B, and C can be present in a single embodiment, e.g., A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B, and C. In some cases, "at least one of items A, B, and C" can mean, for example, but not limited to, two of item A, one of item B, and ten of item C, four of item B and seven of item C, or some other suitable combination.

[0074] All range and ratio limits disclosed herein may be combined. Unless otherwise indicated, terms such as "first," "second," etc. are used herein merely as labels and are not intended to impose any order, position, or hierarchical requirements on the items they refer to. Furthermore, a reference to, for example, a "second" item does not require or exclude the presence of, for example, a "first" item or a lower-numbered item, and / or, for example, a "third" item or a higher-numbered item.

[0075] Any reference to attached, fixed, connected, or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, complete, and / or any other possible attachment options. Additionally, any reference to no contact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced or minimal contact. In the above description, certain terms may be used, such as "above," "below," "top," "bottom," "horizontal," "vertical," "left," "right," and the like. These terms, where applicable, are used to provide clarity of some descriptions when dealing with relative relationships. However, these terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions, and / or orientations. For example, with respect to an object, the "top" surface may become the "bottom" surface simply by flipping the object over. Nevertheless, it is still the same object.

[0076] Additionally, instances herein where one element is "coupled" to another element can include direct coupling and indirect coupling. A direct coupling can be defined as one element being coupled to another element and being in some contact therewith. An indirect coupling can be defined as a connection between two elements that is not in direct contact with each other, but has one or more additional elements between the coupled elements. Furthermore, as used herein, fixing one element to another element can include direct fixing and indirect fixing. Additionally, as used herein, "adjacent" does not necessarily indicate contact. For example, one element can be adjacent to another element without contacting the element.

[0077] While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, it should be understood that the disclosure is not so limited. For example, while the reactor system is described in connection with various specific configurations, the disclosure is not necessarily limited to these examples. Various modifications, variations, and enhancements may be made to the systems and methods described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

[0078] The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and subcombinations of the various systems, components, and configurations, and other features, functions, operations and / or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 100 Reactor System 110 Case 112 Interior Space 114 Supporting Elements 120 Raw material container 122 Side wall 124 Bottom wall 126 Container lid 128 Inner Space 129 Raw materials 130 Hardware 132 Pipe 140 Reaction Chamber 142 Inner Space 144 Susceptor 146 Substrate (e.g., wafer) 150 Container Weight Monitoring Assembly 152 Sensor Assembly 154, 156 Sensors 157 Signal 158 Signal Conditioning Elements 159 Signal 160 Controller 162 processors 164 Input / Output (I / O) Devices 170 Weight Monitoring Module 172 Graphical User Interface (GUI) Generator 180 memory 182 Load Signal 184 Conversion Factor 186 weight 188 Refill Alarm Setpoint 190 displays 200 Container Weight Monitoring Assembly 210 upper support element 212 Supporting Elements 214 Container 220 Line 222 Valve 230 Load Sensor 240 Electrical Wiring 244 Vacuum Electrical Feedthrough 246 Signal Conditioning Devices 300 Reactor System 310 Raw material container 312 Side wall 314 Lid 316 Bottom wall 318 Hardware 320 Supporting Elements 324 frames 330 Load Sensor 425 External surface 427 Plate Center 432 Load Sensor 434 Load Sensor 510 graphs 520 graphs 530 graphs 610 Vessel Base Heater 611 Heater surface 620 load cell 620 Force Sensor 800 Reactor System 810 Raw material housing 812 Interior Space 820 Raw material container 822 Side wall 823 Exterior Wall 824 bottom 826 Container lid 828 Internal Tray 829 Raw Materials 830 Hardware 832 Outlet piping 840 Reaction Chamber 842 Inner Space 843 Vacuum Electrical Feedthrough 844 Susceptor 846 Substrates (e.g., wafers) 850 Solid Precursor Monitoring Assembly 852 Sensor Assembly 854 Load Sensor 856 Load Sensor 857 Output Signal 858 Signal Conditioning Elements 859 signal 860 Controller 862 processor 864 Input / Output (I / O) Devices 870 Weight Monitoring Module 872 Graphical User Interface (GUI) Generator 880 memory storage 882 Load Signal 884 Conversion Factor 886 weight 888 Refill Alarm Setpoint 890 Display 900 Raw material container 902 Exterior wall 904 Lid 906 Hardware 908 Valve 1002 Inner Tray 1004 Top surface 1006 Recess 1008 channels 1010 Exterior wall 1102 Load Sensor 1104 bottom 1106 Electrical wiring 1108 Vacuum Electrical Feedthrough

Claims

1. 1. A reactor system comprising: a reaction chamber; A raw material housing; a source container positioned within the source housing, an inner tray having a top surface with a recess adapted to receive a volume of raw material and a bottom surface, the top surface being fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber; an outer wall configured to receive the inner tray; and a solid precursor monitoring system comprising a sensor assembly positioned between the bottom surface of the inner tray and the outer wall, the sensor assembly comprising a force sensor configured to measure a combined weight of the inner tray and the raw material;

2. 10. The reactor system of claim 1, wherein the force sensor is configured to output a signal indicative of the force exerted by the inner tray.

3. 10. The reactor system of claim 1, wherein the force sensor comprises a load cell configured to operate at a temperature of from about 100°C to about 250°C.

4. 10. The reactor system of claim 1, wherein the source vessel further comprises a lid and a lid attachment device.

5. The reactor system of claim 4 , wherein the solid precursor monitoring system further comprises a controller configured to receive and process a signal from the force sensor and calculate a weight of the raw material according to the signal.

6. 6. The reactor system of claim 5, wherein the controller applies a conversion factor to the combined weight to calculate the weight of the raw materials.

7. 6. The reactor system of claim 5, wherein the controller generates an indicator based on a comparison of the weight of the raw material to a minimum threshold value.

8. 6. The reactor system of claim 5, wherein the lid attachment device comprises an input line and an output line, and the input line and the output line each comprise a bellows or a coil.

9. The reactor system of claim 8 , wherein the recess comprises a channel configured to hold a solid precursor.

10. 6. The reactor system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to control the temperature of the source vessel at an operating temperature above 150°C.

11. 1. A solid precursor monitoring system comprising: A raw material housing; a source container positioned within the source housing, an inner tray adapted to receive a volume of raw material; an outer wall of the source container configured to receive the inner tray; a force sensor positioned adjacent to and in contact with a bottom wall of the inner tray and the outer wall of the ingredient container, the force sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a force applied to the force sensor; a controller configured to process the signal to calculate a weight of the raw material.

12. The solid precursor monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the force sensor comprises a load cell configured to operate at a temperature of about 100° C. to about 250° C.

13. The solid precursor monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the source vessel comprises a lid and a lid attachment device.

14. 14. The solid precursor monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to apply a conversion factor to the combined weight of the inner tray and the raw material to determine the amount of the raw material.

15. The solid precursor monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the controller generates an indicator indicative of the amount of the raw material.

16. 15. The solid precursor monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the lid attachment device comprises an input line and an output line, and the input line and the output line each comprise a bellows or a coil.

17. 1. A method for monitoring raw material availability in a reactor system, comprising: receiving a signal from a force sensor positioned between a bottom surface of an interior tray of a source container in the reactor system and an exterior wall of the source container; and calculating, by a controller, a weight of the ingredients in the inner tray of the ingredient container.

18. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein calculating by the controller includes applying a conversion factor to the calculated combined weight of the inner tray and the ingredients.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the force sensor comprises a load cell configured to operate at a temperature of from about 100°C to about 250°C.

20. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: comparing, by the controller, the weight of the ingredient to a minimum threshold; and generating, by the controller, a refill alert based on the comparison.

Images